Would a simple but elegant side scrolling Zelda 2 or castlevania type game sell good to you? The reason why I ask is because my cousin (the other developer currently on my team) thinks that a side scrolling game (for our first) would do bad, but I think it would do good (not as good as a complicated elegant game but it being our first it's worth a shot huh). The original game we had was a complicated but very elegant rpg. I'm trying to convince him that a complicated rpg, even though it would probably sell good, we wouldn't get it done for the simple fact that it's our first game, but he wouldn’t listen to me. But I don't mean to drift off the topic.
well, it's going to depend on who you are marketing it to and how it's executed. no one can guarantee that it will sell or won't without having more info.
If you're worried about not finishing the project then you're probably right about going for the smaller one. However, you guys should try and find something that you can both agree to fully commit to. Starting a project with half of the developers unhappy does not bode well for its completion. So, uh, how's that for an answer?
You are right and your cousin is wrong. The truth is, even your simple game idea is going to take 10x longer to make than you expect. Plus you need to worry about all the business/distribution aspects. If your cousin writes off our advice, remind him that many of us are industry professionals that turned indie. I'm nowhere near as experienced as some of the other guys here, and I've shipped five console games and one online pc game. Go with the simple idea. With good artwork and solid mechanics you can make a great game. When you're six months into development, you'll see what I mean by "taking longer than you expected"
I hear you on that!.. unfortunatley ;( Also to the OP don't forget to factor in at *least* a couple of scrapped "prototypes" which could take a couple of months each before you arrive at the winning core concept - though of course being a "side scroller" and basing it on something like "Castlevania takes care of a lot of the core gameplay ideas to begin with, be wary of giving yourself sleepless nights and endless stress trying to "tame the beast" - aim high but be ready for compromise for your own sanity
While I'm still working on my 1st game, I agree: you're right. He's way off base. Complicated doesn't do it; why does your cousin want to do that anyway? (Bragging rights?) I will also give you a warning about working with relatives. (I know it's pretty common in a lot of the world, that doesn't make it right); I tried that once and it was a disaster. I have since heard a number of stories with similar themes. (I won't even work with my spouse, whom I love!) Make sure you have a clear understanding of what each person is going to do. It's like a partnership, except it now has the family dynamics involved. Good luck! Carolyn Ann
My second title was developed in 1/3 of the time that it took me to come up with my first title (and that's not due to reusing game libs, I actually didn't have much to reuse). My second title outsells the first by a factor of 20, so far. Releasing your first title is the best you can do to learn how to do it better (it will be at least a few more years before I can pretend to do it right.. probably never will !). Best regards, Emmanuel
Thanks guys, that helps. Maybe that will convince him. He said that if we're going to do any other game besides an RPG then I'm all alone. which is fine with me except the simple fact that I tried programming and really did bad, but oh well. I'll get something figured out.
J&E, I can relate to a similar experience, and I bet that your cousin is into it more as a hobby thing than as a serious venture, which is fine if that's your main or only priority. The net is littered with thousands of ambitious RPG, RTS and FPS projects that never get completed. Most amateur teams simply loose interest in a project once the core engine is done, mainly because that's the most fun and challenging part. Also, teams give up when it comes to generating content becaue (1) it is tedious, (2) it is time consuming, and (3) the team may not have the necessary artistic skills. Even if you're hell bent on seeing the project to its end and selling, chances are you'll end up pulling everyone else's weight. If the team consists of friends or relatives, as Carolyn said, dealing with this issue can become a very frustrating and complicated affair. If you want your venture to see the light of day, you have to apply a different mindset, mainly, give priority to what is likely to sell before what dream game you would like to make. On the other hand, you may find it hard to motivate yourself into building a game you don't like, despite knowing it can sell well. The trick is to try to find a compromise between the two.
... also, if you do make an RPG, HIRE A PROOFREADER. That's a genre where weak writing/grammar can really make the player wince. Nobody cares if the instructions for a simple puzzle game talk about doing good instead of well, but anything with a story....
I'll keep that in mind, I happen to be good at english anyway (minus spelling). Thats if I try (which I'm not now). But I was actually going to hire a proofreader anyway. BTW everyone, my cousin left the team, so i'm all alone...for now... I was thinking about using multimedia fusion for my side scrolling game. Would multimedia fusion be good for that?
I'm using Multimedia Fusion to make...guess what? An rpg. Now, I've been using MMF and it's predecessors for about 10 years now, and so I know how to use them pretty well, and get around the numerous quirks that exist. I think if you wanted to make a decent Castlevania-type game, you would have to invest a fair amount of time to get used to the program and learn about things like fast loops and custom platform engines (you DON'T want to use the built-in one!). Custom platform engines can be found at places like the Daily Click (http://www.create-games.com), or at Clickteam's forums. Good luck with your project!
Disclaimer: I haven't marketed any of my games myself yet, so I might not know what I'm talking about... That said, I'd think the actual quality of the game would be a lot more important than the style of gameplay (at least for us indies, not mainstream). If it's poorly done, looks ugly, buggy, and generally comes across as very amateur, than it's not going to sell no matter what type of game it is. But if it's done well, and it's clean and solid, then there's probably an audience for it (regardless of what it is), and it's just a matter of reaching that audience. (To those actually selling their own games: Do you agree/disagree with this?) Personally, I would be totally into a good action side scroller like Zelda 2 or Castlevania. Heck, I'm playing through Castlevania: Circle of the Moon and Castlevania 4 right now, and just finished Symphony of the Night for the second time . But I'm not necessarily an accurate reflection of potential audience... Also, a good RPG is NOT a good choice for a first game. Actually, if you haven't completed any game projects before (or have you?) than even a side-scroller, while not as hard as an RPG, is still suprisingly hard to get done (and done well) than it seems. (That's why you see so many retro-clones, they're the biggest type of game that's realistic for first-timers to get done.)
I've been using MMF for a while now & I will add in that the only reasion I normally drop a project is because often times I get ahead of the project as far as skill goes, & the project just doesnt seem like its worth my time anymore. I normally learn new ways to do things or gain new idea's & eventually I just feel like the project is just a thing of the past & I dont bother working on it anymore.