Hi there folks! Some of you are familiar with me and my odd rant on Sumea, some may even know my secret identity ;) If you do, then you would be aware that I am an experienced game designer ? and in the past I have been a level designer.
Anyway enough self-indulgence of my ego, the reason for this post is to generate interest in an indie title that I am proposing to get up and running. This indie project I have been considering for quite a while now, and in fact the idea for the title first popped into my head back when I was in TAFE several years ago ? I made a shooting gallery game based on it :). Near the end of last year I started really thinking about it, and over the past 6 months, I?ve been getting a lot of ideas and scribbling down lots of notes, not to mention researching indie development, tools and playing similar games.
Well enough history, here are the particulars of the project:
ONE PARAGRAPH DESCRIPTION
A 2D side-on action platformer, borrowing mechanics from several comparative titles ? one of which would be a title called Blackthorne by Blizzard ? set in an original Comic book universe with strong appeal to the adult gaming market with its dark satirical humour based around a reluctant (and delusional) hero. Examples of similar comic book universes would be: ?The Maxx? ? more so the MTV series ? and ?Johnny the Homicidal Maniac.? For an example of a comparative indie title ? in some ways not all ? then try: Alien Hominid. The title will be distributed and marketed via the internet, utilizing a shareware model, in that the first issue is for free but the following issues must be paid for. There will be something like 9-12 issues total with each issue around $5 ? USD.
THE TITLE?S GOALS
This title is ?commercial? in nature, and not meant to be freeware, but shareware, with a free demo that can be downloaded and played, but the rest of the title must be paid for. It is to be an original concept, with a professional production, even if low-budget. I am a firm believer that even if a title is low-budget, it does not have to mean low-quality, in fact it can be the very opposite!
My main goal with this title is to prove something to myself and to the local industry, something that I have suspected for a while now, and that is that the best way for developers in Australia to be independent and to create original titles, is to start off by creating low-budget indie titles ? marketed and distributed via the internet.
Based on the revenue of this initial title, you could then potentially fund the development (or part) of an AAA big-budget commercial and original title. Perhaps not several million to complete the production of the whole title, but perhaps 500K to complete the production of a proof-of-concept (gameplay) demo, and to acquire further funding to develop it further with ? roughly speaking, you would have to sell 10,000 units to get the 500K ? at a royalty rate of 80% - which is not exactly impossible.
This is something that I hope to achieve with this title, as well as returning a portion of this title?s revenue into additional indie titles. At the very least, I would want to have enough to fund an additional indie title with ? for which I have a few ideas for ? and to have an original and innovative title that I am proud of, even if it was not the commercial success I had hoped for ? as long as it gets good reviews.
Another goal of mine is to provide inexperienced yet talented individuals the opportunity to work on a commercial title, and gain experience and a foot in the door of the industry, hopefully leading to a successful career. There are not many opportunities like this for individuals in Australia trying to break into the industry. Sure there are mods, but these are rarely a ?complete? game, and most certainly not commercial.
Having a commercial title under your belt, your first notch in the form of a title credit, will help you in a big way in being successful in the industry ? of course it helps even further if it is a successful and well known title as well.
I also hope to continue this on, by initiating further indie titles in the future, to help more break into the industry, and get that valuable initial credit and experience.
The positions on the team will not be of a paid nature; instead each member will receive a share of the royalties based upon what they contribute to the project ? this will be written up via contract. I would not expect the first royalties to be seen until a year of development, and then this will probably go into covering the expenses incurred to that point, as well as paying for the development of the rest of the title ? all costs will be covered first before royalties are paid. How much ends up being paid to those involved depends on how well the title is received, and how much effort people want to put into it, to make it as great as they can.
Now that said, you are probably asking the following:
WHY WILL IT SUCCEED?
First off, I don?t want to write up too much in the way of specifics, not that I fear that anyone will rip off my idea or anything, as I realise that unless you have the know-how to make it work, and then that little something extra that only a good designer can bring to a project, you won?t succeed anyway. It is just that this is not the place for a complete design document ? and I also don?t want something ripping off my concept and doing a half-arsed job of it, and sabotaging my own attempt at trying to do it right ;).
Know let me explain a few things about the title, like what genre it is ? loosely speaking. In my mind it is a 2D action platformer ? could also be potentially done in 3D ? one of those titles with the guy on screen running and jumping about firing a gun collecting pickups like powerups, health and weapons ? I am all sure that you are familiar with those. A comparative title ? if I can remember the title correctly ? is ?Blackthorne,? which was created by Blizzard, and was released prior to Warcraft ? do a search on the net, you?ll find it as a download on any good abandonware site.
Though it is not exactly what I imagine, but a big part of what I imagine. The end title will borrow mechanics from several platformer titles, combine it all together, add a little polish and innovation so as to not be clunky and too samey and that is the gameplay end ? well the core of it.
Now on to the main reason why I think this title will succeed where others will fail. Many commercial titles succeed not because they have cutting-edge graphics, AI or even gameplay, but rather a strong story to drive the gameplay; one that springs to mind is Deus Ex, ok graphics, decent level design, shitty AI, piss-poor user-interface, one hell of an RPG story ? for its time. Another title that I believe would not have done as well if (for its time) it did not have a solid RPG unfolding story experience is Half Life. Another that springs to mind is System Shock, though I think its graphics and gameplay were up to spec for its time. Another recent one for me was playing Knights of the Old Republic on the XBOX ? ok graphics, reasonable AI, reasonable gameplay, great RPG story and the opportunity to be a bad-ass Sith lord ;).
Though, comparisons can not only be drawn with games, but also with other mediums and probably much more clearly so. But first I want to highlight another reason why these titles ? whatever medium it may be ? succeed, and that is that they are telling adult stories with adult themes of interest, and the more complex the layers, the better. At times the more adult layers are hidden between the lines so that adults with the life experience are the only ones who can read them, in other cases they are unashamedly flaunted openly.
And if you ask me, the more adult they are, the more complex the themes and story, the more depth of meaning they show, instead of shallowness ? like a juvenile excuse to see animated big tities bouncing up and down ? the better the title will be and more successful it will become.
Now for my examples and the medium they come from: animated TV series.
Immediate examples that comes to mind are Southpark, the Simpsons or Futurama. Southpark is a great example, it did not have great animation, but it did have great characters and scenarios for their episodes, that appealed to adults ? it is the same reason why the Simpsons were a success, as its first episodes are not of the same quality as the ones we see today, in fact they were quite poor, it was there adult content, even if it was hidden between the lines so as to be ?family? friendly ? the same goes for the old Warner looney toons.
In Southpark?s case, it is probably their unashamed adult content, with these animated children saying and doing clearly immoral and extremely funny things ? it is clearly antisocial in nature, and why it was a hit, as it was extreme in its difference. In the case of the Simpsons, it is the fact that they can be enjoyed by the whole family, not just by kids, not just by adults, not just by men, boys, women or girls, but by the whole family.
Why it still persists as popular today, as it has content for everyone, and truly is commercial in that regard. Give people something that is not dumbed down, distilled so as to be ?commercial? and all its controversial edges and points rounded off and smoothed over, and they?ll eat it up. This is true commercialism, not the bullshit ?E for Everyone? kiddie shit that the industry has blindly accepted as such, thinking that they are expanding their market that way, instead of shrinking it ? as it no longer appeals to adults.
Anyway, I suspect that most individuals that download and pay for games online have a credit card, and to have one of those I believe you have to be 18 or older. And current research does indicate that the average gamer is in their mid twenties, hence: ADULTS!
Give these adults something that no one else has bothered to, like a game with adult content that is not shallow, has a strong story to drive the whole series forward, and they will want more of it ? and its popularity will grow.
So with this title, we will have a strong story to drive the game forward, and keep the gameplay fresh, and keep the player interested in seeing what unfolds next ? otherwise even with great gameplay, they might get bored after playing the demo, and not buy the rest of the game;). Again loosely speaking, the story will be a take on the Comic book super hero ? The Punisher, Batman ? but with a lot of dark adult humour, with the hero being an anti-hero of sorts ? definitely off beat.
Hence why the refs to animated ?cartoons,? another good ref would be a comic book called: Johnny the Homicidal Maniac, or even Squee by the same author ? same adult direction not exactly the same content, I want a more ?real? grounding with this title.
Anyway, a good story is worth squat in the interactive medium that is computer games; it can only work if you have solid gameplay as well, as a good story in this medium is no substitute for good gameplay.
Well, there are also other aspects that I think are key to this title being a success, one area in particular, but I will refrain from mentioning it at the moment ? best left to the design doc, and after I am sure that there will be a team interested in undertaking this project :).
A WARNING
This title is not for the morally righteous or those afraid of attracting negative publicity that a controversial title may just do ? and with any luck this one will. I have no intention of watering anything down for the sake of not offending anyone in case it gets pulled off of the shelves, as there are no shelves. That is the beauty of being an indie and releasing via the net, very little in the way of unwanted censorship to stifle creativity.
In fact I hope to use the team and game?s site for a secondary purpose, and that is to generate interest from gamers and the Australian community in changing the current status quo when it comes to how games are treated by the OFLC, how they are rated and censored here in Australia. I want the site to have links to resources, as well as various tools like quotes from sources, and templates for letters, as well as a list of targets to send letters of complaint to ? this is something we don?t have and need if we are ever going to change things for the better, and turn the tide of ignorance we have to endure now.
TENTATIVE DEVELOPMENT PLAN
Part of my goals of this title, is to also show that you don?t need the best technology to succeed, or even a huge and bloated budget ? but hey, it does help ;) Therefore I am aiming to utilize cheap middleware and tools, even open-source and freeware tools ? like Blender and Gimp ? to do the job. I wish to primarily focus on creating innovative and original content, not to have to reinvent the wheel.
Depending on what middleware you go for, you either get 2D, 3D, a set of tools, scripts and dlls to use in your game ? a good deal for free. My aim is to code as little as possible, and to adapt as much as possible, so we can get it out the door as soon as possible.
Therefore I do not wish to have to create for instance, a new game engine from scratch when proven engines already exist like: GameMaker, 3D Game Studio, DarkBASIC, etc. I would only wish to utilise non-middleware engines and tools if it already exists in that you have been working on it, and wish to bring it to the project, or, you wish to add to the middleware and tools we will be using, to build upon it ? like adding graphical features like particles or support for vector (flash) graphics.
Due to the nature of the story, it being a satire of sorts of comic books, the title will be released in segments called ?issues.? The first one will be for free, the following ones will come at a reasonable price. How much this is and how many hours of gameplay each provides the gamer with, will be determined once we have a working prototype of the game ? our first demo. I?m guessing something like 5-10 US dollars.
There will be something like 9-12 issues, with the story not meant to be ongoing indefinitely, but have a clear beginning, middle and end ? not like your regular comic book series or TV series in that you only have the beginning and an ongoing middle that everyone eventually gets bored of anyway.
Because the title is released in chunks (issues), we can update it as we go along, add new gameplay features and new content based on the story ? keep it fresh and keep players interested in playing on to find out what happens next in the story.
I hope to have a patchy draft of the design doc ready by Free Play ? this will be more of an overview, with the detail to come later. At the conference it would be great to talk to people that are interested and get to know one another ? I doubt that things will move that quickly though over the next few weeks, but hey, it is better to be optimistic.
Over the next 6 months, I hope to put together a demo to show at the AGDC, as well as to finish the titles specs ? design documents. Then to work on the project so as to launch it at next year?s Free Play, making the demo officially available for download, as well as the first part of the game that player?s will be able to pay for and play. The goal would also be to start to market the title from the AGDC onwards leading to its ?release,? and then to keep this marketing momentum up until 6 months after the last section of the game is released ? or even longer than this if it is going very, very well.
I am happy to use the limited funds I have to fund the development of the project ? I have already invested in the project myself anyhow ? used sparingly on key elements, like tools and middleware, but I will not be paying fees for work. There is also the possibility of securing one or two development loans and grants to aid its development ? that will require a little more research though, but I am aware of a few sources.
Finally, I won?t lie, and tell you that this is in the bag, as something like 10% of commercial titles will breakeven or generate a small profit, and something like 5% of titles will generate most of the income for the industry ? the majority don?t even breakeven. This is the same with all entertainment industries, whether it is novels, graphic novels, films, TV series, music, etc ? it should come as no surprise if you are familiar with the 80/20 principal.
But I will say that I am roughly 80% confident that it will be well received ? not forgotten ? and 60% confident that it will be a commercial success as long as it comes close to what I imagine in my mind, and that it is properly marketed via the internet, and, if we can get magazine coverage and the demo on their cover-discs ? many magazines have special columns for indie game coverage, I suspect this is the case due to a growing dissatisfaction with ?commercial? titles that show surprising little innovation and originality with publishers playing it ?safe.?
You might be surprise just how much support the game media will provide to an original and innovative title.
WHY WOULD I WANT TO BE A PART OF THE PROJECT?
Professionals: may want the opportunity to take on more leadership, perhaps at your current job, you are stuck at a certain level with no way of moving forward into a lead position. Perhaps you are getting sick and tired of working on fee-for-service work, churning out second-rate unoriginal titles based on a film license, busting your balls to get it out on the shelves just when the film is released at the cinemas ? or something like this. Perhaps it is the opportunity to work on a title that potentially will generate royalties, and so far you have either worked on titles that haven?t, or never had royalties as an option to begin with ? fee-for-service. Maybe it is the opportunity to try something new in game development; perhaps you?re an artist or programmer that would like to try your hand at level design, which is something you do in you spare time anyway. Or, you just want to have the opportunity to pass on your knowledge and experience to the next generation of developers trying to break into the industry.
Talented but inexperienced: individuals would want to be part of the team as it is an opportunity to work on a commercial title ? albeit an indie title ? that if successful, or at least well-known, may lead to a successful career in game development. A real title, not a mod, with real commercial pressures of working in a team environment ? this shows the bosses at the local studios that you can be a ?team player? and handle working on a commercial project, that you are a professional. You would also potentially get to work in a role that would take you years to fill, having to work your way up the food-chain ;).
HOW DO I SHOW INTEREST?
I am interested in seeing expressions of interest from anyone with talent whether they have professional experience or not, but, obviously an ambitious undertaking requires a few key individuals with the experience and motivation to guide and manage the project. Therefore I am interested in finding individuals to fill the roles of the leads for: programming, art and sound ? perhaps even level design. In order to fill such roles, it would be preferable that such individuals have relevant experience, whether it be in another industry or in game dev, whether that be on a mod, another indie title or a more ?commercial? title that was distributed and marketed via a publisher.
Anyone interested can show interest by replying to this post with a post, or, they can email me at: cynicalfan@hotmail.com
If doing so, please give a brief description of what you would like to do on the project like concept art, 2D artist and animator, level designer, programmer, etc. And, what relevant qualifications / experience you have ? if you are shy, then try emailing me instead ;) If you have a site that acts as a resume and / or portfolio of work, then please list this as well.
Keep-in-mind: that I have a clear vision of this title, and what it takes to make it a success. Individuals interested in the project must keep this in mind, in that they must be able to work within this vision. I am happy to consider design ideas and input from anyone on the team and discuss them, as I do not have all the answers yet myself, but I do not believe in designing games via a committee ? some refer to this as a cabal.
I do not think that this works, and in the cases it has been reported to ?work,? if you look more closely and dig around, you will probably find that there is one skilled individual, who is able to foster an open communication on the team and generate ideas, but at the end of the day, one person is the defender of the vision, and makes the call as to what goes into the final end result.
This project is also a personal one for me, one that I have had to live with in my head for quite some time, and I do not wish to radically deviate away from this, sorry :/
Cheers,
Cynical Fan
Whoever you are you should be telling people something about yourself rather than hiding if you want replies. Your name would be a good place to start imho. You have also posted in the wrong section of sumea.
I humbly suggest no one follow this up without a LOT more info.