UPDATE : Second article of the series: (DJ Machine):
http://www.frozax.com/blog/2011/04/never-released-game-design-prototype-2-dj-machine/
Hi,

I've made a few released commercial games for PC, Mac and X360. I also often cancel a project and started a series of blog posts about game designs and prototypes that are not completed.
You can read the first post of the series here: http://www.frozax.co...useum-director/
Feel free to take the idea for you if you like it

Dave.

Interesting. I always enjoyed the theme park/theme hospital etc simulation games, so this is interesting to read about. Its a pity it was never finished, but you're probably right about the reasons you scrapped it, it probably would have been tough to tune and expensive to make pretty.

Still, thanks for sharing!

there is a lack of originality in the gameplay, I was too much copying Theme Park.[/quote]The worst reason to cancel a project ever. As a player I could not care less for originality, I care only about how much fun I have. Also, anyone who thinks is capable of making a new and truly original game simply hadn't played enough games

I liked Theme Park/Hospital series, and I do think there should be much more of these available for *me* to play. I do wish more designers put as the goal *my* pleasure instead of their artistic desire for originality or for other crap. I do wish more designers made games for *me*, the player, not for themselves.

While I agree that some players also like games that are not especially original, it's very difficult, especially for indies to get visibility with a classic game or a clone. Originality is what creates buzz.
On this particular game, I was starting to copy Theme Park so much that it would probably just become a clone with different graphics.

Oh, so it is about marketability not pure lack of originality...

Still, I wonder, Around The World which you sell right now is a match3 game. There are hundreds of these, maybe even thousands. Compared to this Museum Director is extremely original... Or maybe is it that you found out the rule about "only original games sells" after you released it?

Oh, so it is about marketability not pure lack of originality...

Still, I wonder, Around The World which you sell right now is a match3 game. There are hundreds of these, maybe even thousands. Compared to this Museum Director is extremely original... Or maybe is it that you found out the rule about "only original games sells" after you released it?

Well, it's quite funny that Around the World is probably my least original game released, and it's the game that brought me the more money ... but:
When I made Around the World 5 years ago ( ! ), it was meant to be a classic match-3 game to get on portals (bigfish, reflexive (now dead)...). I really don't know how a game like this would be doing these days, however I think that very few people would talk about it (reviews for instance). Once again, I don't say that there is no audience for non-original games, I say that it would be extremely difficult for that audience to find the games. I realized through my experience on previous releases that visibility is my biggest problem: people who would like my games don't know they exist! I think originality creates the buzz and is the solution to this specific problem.

I find it very difficult to make/design original games. I often market my last game (Spring Up Harmony) by explicitly saying it's highly inspired by Peggle, admitting its lack of originality (people usually like the original twist in it, though).
Also, when doing researches for my current project, I find many similar games out there.
Anyway, as I'm not doing games for a living, I can try different things.

And as a last note : to be honest, if I knew Museum Director could be completed easily with a tight budget, I would have released it, even knowing it's not the most original game ever. The "lack of originality" reason should probably not be the first listed in my article.

New unreleased prototype article (with screenshots and video): DJ Machine

http://www.frozax.com/blog/2011/04/never-released-game-design-prototype-2-dj-machine/