Hobbyists - How do you make it happen?

For my first released game, Space Bunny Zita, I got inspiration from the game Round 42. I loved the use of a modified CGA text mode, so I based my aesthetic on that. The HUD and Game Over screen pretty much are lifted from Round 42.

To be honest, the way I went about developing my game from there was probably one of the worst ways of going about it. I made mockups of what I planned for the key elements of the game. Initially I had three portions planned, hence why the folder I kept assets in is called TT, for "Triple Threat". The three parts were to be a top-down shooter like Robotron, a driving segment like the 8-bit Ghostbusters game, and an artillery game like Paratrooper on DOS or Airborne! on Mac. The idea was that you had to drive around to random parts of a city under invasion and either destroy enemy strongholds or defend the skies. The player would be on a Crazy Taxi-esque timer and completing tasks would reward you with more time and score.

I got as far making the shooter and driving segments, with the Paratrooper clone never making it that far. As I was testing to see if things worked, the driving segments felt painfully boring compared to the rapid pace of the shooting. It didn't help that the shooting segment was taking up far more of the C2 free 100 events than I was expecting. So I decided to axe the driving and focus solely on the shooting. I think like half of the prototypes I sent to my friend still have remains of that portion before I got around to removing it entirely. I fumbled with concepts and the controls as I basically taught myself how to use C2. I didn't plan on having music, opting for an ambiance to give that feeling of playing on an old IBM PC. One of my friends who wrote music asked me what I planned for music, and when I described what I would use he came to me a day or two later with a WIP track, the one that would be played in-game. Even near the end of development I was making pretty big changes. Eventually I put the game out there and from there I've been tweaking it to refine it some more as I learn more about C2.

TL;DR - I basically just fumbled around until I had something solid.

For my next project I've put a lot more thought into it and not just throwing stuff at the wall to see what sticks. I do plan on going back to Zita when I get C2 Personal and truly "complete" it, adding just the little things that I couldn't do with C2 Free.

I knew i wanted to create my own IP.

But i've also had no freaking idea what.

My first thoughts where:

• Which type of game would i love to play myself?

- Single Player, Co-Op, Online Multiplayer...

• Is there any game i liked but i would have made it entirely different?

And so on...

I discussed it with my friends, asked them the same questions, and started to find my way to a game i would love to play, and doesn't really exist yet.

Ones i've had the BOLD idea of how it could be... i started to imagine fun ideas and started randomly sketching.

Just start sketching your ideas down, and don't stop until you think...

Yea... that's it.

And at this point, you may still have no idea of what exactly it would become.

But as long as the core is set (Side-Scroller, Jump&Run, Isometric Action)

You can start creating it.

During development, you will always have new ideas.

So write them down, sketch it, whatever you prefer.

I'm still working on the actual "engine" and puzzle it together.

Till now i still don't have any idea of how the visuals will be.

But as long as you've set the base for it, you can still extend your idea further.

If you are a genious, you could also create the entire idea in details before even starting.

But i think most people develope it further during development itself.

At least for indies.

When it comes to how I make my games happen, it's usually a matter of "how much juice do I have running today?". Certain parts can be done easily and other parts may drag for weeks. Usually my kick is being eager to finish it and share my game with others.

Set a deadline - the game is either complete by then or left an unfinished hulk.

You will start to feel you need to compromise to beat the deadline. This is a good feeling, go with it.

for my games, i use conversations with my friends as a muse. we'll talk about armies of penguins with sporks fighting off zombie hordes, and while i cant have that in real life, i can make it in a game, and , in a way, have it in real life. you can check my games in the arcade, upto this point everything was influenced by my friends and has a piece of their artwork inside (usually the title screen). the ideas inside are a collective from conversations etc, so as when i need more storyline or artwork etc, i have people who already have a base interest in the project, and understand the concept, instead of trying to explain how king zulu lost his throne and now theres a struggle over the crown, and hoping they're paying attention and give half a damn. where as, if at the heart of the storyline is a memory that they enjoy, they are more likely to willingfully contribute ideas or media to fit inside. two heads are always better than one. but general life plays a big part. was considering a game where you just open a door for a cat, and maybe it will go outside, but maybe, itll just meow and sit there, staring at you. but if you dont open the door you lose a point.... etc. a lot more has went into it, i just havent made it yet so i dont want to put the full idea out there. however, a game can be made for anything. another method, is to think of making simulators. think of things you can do that you enjoy or that you feel are important, make training videos, and then find ways to make them fun. it adds challenge and keeps you busy between ideas.

This topic is very interesting for me, but it's always difficult to start. The design of the game is something that gives me an incentive.

Hi...i am a new user here. In my case when i found out about C2 and tried it i figured i could make it happen if i really wanted to! So i just started messing around. I had it all in my mind and just let my creativity do the rest. Things fall into place when i work and new ideas arise.

I didn't read the whole thread since i'm at work, but if no one mentioned KillMonday Games, then you should check them.

They are the indie developers who released their own game ( Fran bow - point and click game, if you didn't heard about it, go check!). I watched their interviews. When they started, there were just 2 people in the team(now they are working with people who make music for their games). They saved some money, and for about a year they just worked on their game. Of course they released a demo version of their game, and started a Kick starter campaign. Probably talked with some YouTubers and asked them to play their game and upload the gameplay on YouTube.

Now they are working on new games

A genius idea can happen anytime and everywhere, but an idea is not a game...

I'm pretty new to C2, but the whole project starts in my head. Throughout the game, I myself have ideas, I ask my friends "What do you think is better?", So I create a game with good ideas that result in a fun game, I may not know what I say because I am a newbie , but in my mind this is what happens

I think he becomes inspired on seeing something then wanting to see if he can do it too.. adding his own individuality and style..he seems to be able to put his ideas into a game and has made quite a few but he says they are not quite finished yet!

* typical spam bot copy/pasting another users post, .

banned

Hi,Dears

Any one of you can help me.

I'm using Beat 'Em Up Game template for my game. So, the thing is this there is a script name (DamageObject).

This script has a public bool type variable called (KnockDown). I am trying to find out where is the variable is (knockDown = true ).

Can anyone tell me where this happen (knockDown) called true.

I can not find anywhere

My English is to bad sorry in advance.

Thank you so much.

Hi,Dears

Any one of you can help me.

I'm using Beat 'Em Up Game template for my game. So, the thing is this there is a script name (DamageObject).

This script has a public bool type variable called (KnockDown). I am trying to find out where is the variable is (knockDown = true ).

Can anyone tell me where this happen (knockDown) called true.

I can not find anywhere

My English is to bad sorry in advance.

Thank you so much.

gamearcad

This is the wrong place to post your question.

This is called thread hijacking and is extremely frowned upon.

You are also multi-posting the same question which is also frowned upon. Please don't do this.

As I said in your other post, please make a new post in the How Do I section.

Thank you

It's quite interesting topic, I'm going to try use one of them as the reference for my first step in game development : )

I started out making games for fun that nobody would see. I just used Construct 2 Free Edition and because I didn't want to pay $200, I only did it for fun and never put anything anywhere (not that I ever finished anything.)

Then, I looked and saw Scirra Arcade, then saw the free edition's 100 event limit, and that forced me to make smaller games. But hey, I finished them faster and now there are people across the world playing my C2 games.

Then after thinking about it, I had this idea to start making a game franchise with Construct Classic. Why Classic? It's all free, so I can publish it anywhere free of charge from Construct anyways... To put my game(s) on Steam I have to pay $100... per game. Although selling my game(s) for $5 a copy, I would only need to sell 20 copies to get my money back. And there have been more than 60 plays on my first C2 game on Scirra Arcade, The Big Apple.

So it is certainly possible to start out as a private just-for-fun game developer and then become a public let's-make-money game developer.