How big to start
I am just starting in the game business and have a few ideas but I was unsure which to go with first. Would you suggest starting with a relatively small game and getting it to market as fast as possible or going straight into a large project? The larger would take considerably longer and would have more risk, but could potentially have higher gains.
Also, I was curious how you survive through the developement of the first game. How would you suggest dividing time between it and another job?
Thank you for any suggestions.
If you don't know how to swim, would your chances of survival be bigger when thrown into a pool or the ocean?
You should always start small with anything new. Your first few games should be small. Then you can gradually start making bigger games. Gaining experience while working on the smaller projects is the key.
Go small or go home. I wish I'd taken on a smaller project to start with, but I went for a 2d sidescroller and I keep adding features so it's been about 3 years in the making now. It goes really slow if you work a full time job, and it goes even slower when you're crunching at work.
If you can avoid doing all the work (art, programming, sound) yourself you'll get a game done much quicker. Also, use pre-existing libraries when possible. You don't need to reinvent the wheel.
I a sure you are right (small game not big game) because you have more experience than me. But I don't follow the analogy. The sea is usually a metaphor for the market, not the product. So a small game is like being in a small boat on the ocean, and a big game is like a big boat. I know which one I would prefer. Though if both were made by inexperienced boat builders the result might be the same.Originally Posted by michalczyk
I asked myself the same question about one year ago. The crux of the matter for me is this: if you're serious about getting into the business, the key is to complete one project to a level that satisfies you - decide what your criteria are when you get started. My advice is, design the project to be as easy and as fun as you possibly can so you give yourself a fighting chance of completing it. Generally speaking, even the simplest game takes a lot of work and people often give up. The psychological benefits of completing Game Number One can't be underestimated. Once you've got that experience under your belt, you can walk with a swagger and that's where you can start creating what it is that you'd really like to create.
Don't be too hard on yourself - like me, you'll arrive home after your day job some days thinking about the new level editor that you'd like to implement, for example, but sometimes you'll be more tired than you realise. Know when to swich off. Take a bath, or read or read a book or do whatever it is you do to relax when that happens. Don't give up on your game, but don't let it encroach too much on your life otherwise you'll end up with negative feelings towards it, and when that happens you put the whole thing in jeapordy.
Last edited by moco; 03-16-2007 at 01:07 AM.
Matt Lee
www.magicmaskgames.com
That's the point, to stay in metaphers: building a boat is a great achievement, but it requires also lots of skill to navigate to get anywhere. Better start with a rubber boat and try to reach the other side of a pond :)
Go as big as you can afford it. This includes a judgment of the development risks as well. If you think you can manage to handle big casual game project, by all means: Do it.
Just keep in mind that you might be talking about at 5-10 days game design least 90 development days, around 10 days of graphic and around 5 to 10 days of pure project management.
And this doesn't include the time to market / advertise your product. I'm currently trying to write down the gfx requirements so I can get some estimates regarding the costs - and this step alone is taking way longer than I had expected.
And I consider my project "small and on a budget". Don't underestimate the communication required in such a project.
Sketch down your project ideas for your small and your big project. Create game deisgn documents for both. Plan the projects. Estimate the costs. If you then still feel comfortable with the big project, do it.
Have you finished a game before?
Have you ever sold copies of a game you made?
Does your big project have a reachable audience?
If all above answers are yes go with big project. If not go small project. On neither route should you plan to get rich.
I don't think this is a good advice for a beginner, is anyone out there who was successful right from the start? Many newbies who just want to create a freeware game of decent complexity fail, because they underestimate the amount of work which is required to create a quality game. If you throw in all aspects of a commercial game like presentation, PR, marketing, selling, taxes, legal stuff, etc. it's simply overwhelming.
Hi Pevnia. I'm probably in the same situation as you starting off here with a small project. Even though I thought it was really really small (a puzzle game) it has grown wider and wider and even the tiniest project can actually expand as much as you would like.
Keep the design small, simple and set a goal on how you want it to look like in the end. I just made a very small game even before starting up the company and that one has meant a lot to me, inspirationwise, just to release it and feel that you finished a game.
I still haven't spent a penny on my games so far, will probably do that in the future but I wouldnt recommend it from start unless you really really need some assets to start with.
Good luck!
Exactly.
That's why I said he should create the design documents and the project plan for both ideas first. Basically, if after creating the design docs and after creating the project plan he still thinks the big project is an option - so be it.
That's all he can do - he can plan his resources, estimate the costs, try to minimize the risk by making fix-prize deals, etc.
And after doing this, he has to decide what to do.
If I could go back in time, I would have completed my first demo title. It was 90% there, but I felt that I was ready to make something more demanding.
I should have taken a break and then continued, I could have released a title sooner, and gained a lot valuable experience.
My last title, Axle-B was designed to cater for the casual and hard core gaming market by including a editor. Big mistake.
The time it takes to get your product onto portals and submit your game to distribution channels is indeed a big time consuming job, and delegating that should be something to consider. Also, you should start the process sooner with your company page.
Portals can be very deceptive, and tell you that they think your game might do well, but in the end you put to much effort into any one single product that it ends up destroying you.
I would have bought my graphics and sounds instead of doing them myself.
It can be a good thing to have another job while working on your first title, especially a mindless physical job that gives you time to plan and draw up a extensive design document.
It is always tempting to just go for it and shortcut on the design document, but that is a terrible mistake.
Always look at the portals top 10 and think, what can I practically design and execute that would compete. Take the easiest formulas, and adjust them to your theme. Don't over-complicate things with features, I would have to say that you need to see your effort and money on the screen, and that people don't see the effort that has gone into the background.
Anyways, just some of my thoughts - I am sure I stand corrected on some issues as I still have much to learn.
I welcome advice myself, as I work on my next title.
Small game first. "Start small and grow fast" is the secret to any business endeavor.
Design the smallest game you can image and then cut that design in half. You will learn a lot as you implement that design. You don’t want to be doing that learning on a big project where mistakes are more costly. As long as you finish this first small game it will be worth your while to make it even if it never sells more than 10 copies. But the key is you must finish it and make it available for sale. “Shipping” a game, any game, is very valuable experience you will be able to use to build your more ambitious projects.
James C. Smith - Producer/Lead Programmer - Costume Chaos, Build in Time, Ricochet Infinity, Big Kahuna Reef, CasualCharts.com
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Last edited by Jesse Hopkins; 12-01-2010 at 08:22 AM.
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