What kind of game to make: top seller or your drea

Hello everyone.

I met construct 2 last week. Before that I was working with XNA, at avery amateur level but I was able to bring together a shot'em up. But MS gave up on XNA and I was searching on where to move next. When I first found construct 2 I quickly thought: "oh another useless 2d engine" but I was so very wrong. I must congragulate the fine people who brought it together.

So now I have a handy tool that can make me go some ways into making a real game, which can be played by people. When your dreams come closer into your range of sight, you come into that dilemma. What kind of game to make?

I always had this idea in my mind. It is complex, against the new trends, can easily become a disaster. But it was my dream for a long time. However now I have the tool that can make it a bestseller if I "dumb it down" so to say, change it fundamentally that it is no longer my dream but something people on average would like.

Now I quickly found the answer to this question, I decided to stick to my ways, no matter what. But if there are other people out there that is having the same dilemma, I think this may be worth reading:

Your game requires the heart of a human sacrifice:

100experiencepoints.com/the-heart-of-a-human

Best Regards;

Couldn't agree more.

In my personal experience, all the games that I enjoyed are ones that developers have shown to really enjoy making the game. It's kinda a weird feeling - as you play such game you can just feel how elaborate an action was implemented, how detailed an action was, like you're reading the developer's mind.

Hello everyone.

I met construct 2 last week. Before that I was working with XNA, at avery amateur level but I was able to bring together a shot'em up. But MS gave up on XNA and I was searching on where to move next. When I first found construct 2 I quickly thought: "oh another useless 2d engine" but I was so very wrong. I must congragulate the fine people who brought it together.

So now I have a handy tool that can make me go some ways into making a real game, which can be played by people. When your dreams come closer into your range of sight, you come into that dilemma. What kind of game to make?

I always had this idea in my mind. It is complex, against the new trends, can easily become a disaster. But it was my dream for a long time. However now I have the tool that can make it a bestseller if I "dumb it down" so to say, change it fundamentally that it is no longer my dream but something people on average would like.

Now I quickly found the answer to this question, I decided to stick to my ways, no matter what. But if there are other people out there that is having the same dilemma, I think this may be worth reading:

Your game requires the heart of a human sacrifice:

http://100experiencepoints.com/the-heart-of-a-human/

Best Regards;

Starting just tinkering around with XNA before Microsoft abandoned it too. Barely made a basic platformer before I became too overwhelmed and disillusioned by how impossible to release a game on Microsoft's platform... plus most gamers ignore the indie section (This is before and after Microsoft "hiding" the indie section during their last revamp.

I think SC2 will allow you to reach a wider variety of people anyway.

You have to find the fine line in what you are going to make. Consider the players like customers, think about what THEY would like to play, and will you enjoy working on the project.

Be VERY careful not to make your project too ambitious. It may sound simple on paper, but sometimes simple ideas become complicated if the game engine won't allow it. Get comfortable with Construct before you work on your game. Design a simple game concept and grow on it.

A simple platformer game can evolve into a puzzle/action title

8 way direction you could make a top down shooter or a light RPG

Play with the Physics if you're ready, learn the strengths and limitations of the game engine too before crafting out your idea. I've learned the hard way that Platform and Physics behaviors don't mesh well (Unless I missed an update).

Thanks for the response Crackpot. I really enjoyed Construct 2 and currently exploring some things like functions and overloading them (thanks to consturct classes) and while some things look like a hassle to bring together when compared to XNA, it's definately much more easier to get going. Especially the way we can easily prepare a HUD and the built-in textbox controls (which was nightmare in XNA) and the export mechanics... So it's very esay to get going, especially if you are making something towards the lighter end of things.

One thing I wish I could do easier was the randomness mechanics that I could create with detailed functions in XNA.

Oh well... Soon I will be ready to show something substantial to community I hope. It's just that real life is getting bitch again and leaving me no time for my endavours...

You may be on the road of disappointment if you chase money. No game is guaranteed to make money. Even if it's the current trend. Remember, there are teams of people out there who notice trends too and can do much better work in a shorter time. Then the market gets saturated before you're even halfway through!

Just do a game YOU want to play. That way you'll want to keep working on it no matter what. Plus, you'll KNOW if it's fun or not. If it makes money, GREAT! If it doesn't, then at least you'll have something to play ;)

The great thing about C2 is how fast you can prototype your ideas. What would normally days, could take a few hours in C2.

Hey procrastinator.

I really wish making games could be what I do for living... That would be a dream coming true... I don't have my expectations high, but I am not close to opportunities either. All I know is I'm gonna walk this road no matter what.

And I am definately going to make the game I want for myself. I have given the decision already. I just wanted to share the article so others may also make up their minds. Doing this requries some serious randomness... ie a random level, which is easier to do in XNA than in C2.

Lets see where the rabbit hole goes...

You may be on the road of disappointment if you chase money. No game is guaranteed to make money. Even if it's the current trend. Remember, there are teams of people out there who notice trends too and can do much better work in a shorter time. Then the market gets saturated before you're even halfway through!

Just do a game YOU want to play. That way you'll want to keep working on it no matter what. Plus, you'll KNOW if it's fun or not. If it makes money, GREAT! If it doesn't, then at least you'll have something to play ;)

The great thing about C2 is how fast you can prototype your ideas. What would normally days, could take a few hours in C2.

This is sadly the truth. I remember reading a Gamasutra article on a successful indie, and by successful indie I mean one man actually living the dream indie life. The issue is, this guy was a pro game developer of 20 years who knew the industry inside and out, from preproduction all the way to marketing. One tip he said in the article was, if you're pro, you understand how to make games sell, you understand the average consumer for certain genres, and you also understand how to identify which genres/gametypes are trending. With this in mind, you can crank out prototypes quickly and destroy the competition because you understand the market and customer base better.

I honestly doubt any of us have 20+ years of professional game industry experience. We're more or less hobbyists/indies, and because of this we can't expect our game to sell even if we follow trends and make a game that's 'trending'. Companies like Zynga are composed of game industry veterans who understand how to make a 'better trending game' than you probably ever will, so you should focus on making the game YOU want to share with others.

Windwalker, just take note of what Crackpot said - don't be too ambitious. Start small to learn your way around C2. The only reason some things are easier in XNA that C2, is because you know XNA better than C2. Give it a month or so and you'll probably reverse that statement ;)

Excal, yeah I think I recall that article (I read so many, my mind gets overloaded with information and has seizures). Zynga are only good at taking an existing game (blatant copying) and adding social networking and virtual crap to buy. They tried their hand at their own game on iOS only to fail miserably. They understood social trends, but not something that had to engage the player each session. Experience means nothing if you don't understand your target market.

hmm I wonder how they're getting on with the EA lawsuit... ;p