Indie Game Devs Should Give Up 226
Red Herring is covering an indie game panel held this week at E3, at which Warren Spector essentially told independent game developers to just give up now. From the article: "Fellow panelists echoed Mr. Spector's sentiments, telling a room full of game company representatives, industry consultants, and members of the media that the path to entering the $7-billion market is fraught with more pitfalls than Tomb Raider. While opportunities do exist, small companies and startups find it difficult to secure funding and distribution for their work. They often have to deal with past projects that pigeonhole them and potentially hamper future expansion."
Yeah (Score:5, Funny)
You have no change to survive make your time.
NO NO NO!! (Score:5, Insightful)
Creativity is vital, and an indi dev gets more lattitude than any shop dev would. Hopefully the big shops will be less afraid and buy indie title rights (funding the dev for their next title) and enhance it into mainstream.
-nB
Re:NO NO NO!! (Score:2)
Re:NO NO NO!! (Score:3, Insightful)
I buy through allofmp3 for mainstream stuff often, but a good indie group, I buy the CD(or a good mainstream group for that mater, but I make an effort on the case of the indie).
Maybe if there was some good disti method for indies that was low cost (say $3.00 overhead per title on average) then there would be more sales of small games. I know it would work for me. I rarely have time for games, but I can justify $10 for a game that I'll play for maybe 20 hou
Re:NO NO NO!! (Score:2)
Re:NO NO NO!! (Score:4, Insightful)
Have you ever started an indie band? How about an indie software company? I think that perhaps you really don't know what you're talking about, either way.
Anybody who can play and has access to recording equipment can get an MP3 onto the net.
Anyone who can write a few thousand lines of code and has a computer can get a game onto the net, just the same as an indie band. You qualify the latter half of your statement with "a game ... that anybody wants to play" without also qualifying the former with "music that anybody wants to hear."
Either of these undertakings require an incredible amount of skill, and an incredible amount of time and dedication to produce a quality result - one that people want.
Re:NO NO NO!! (Score:3)
Re:NO NO NO!! (Score:3)
Re:NO NO NO!! (Score:2)
Re:NO NO NO!! (Score:2)
To make a music CD or even an MP3 you can't just record a live a gig and put it out - no one will listen to it unless you have an established following for live concerts. Getting to the stage where a band can get regular local live gigs is HARD. You think managing programmers is hard? Try managing musicians.
To create a good music CD you have to do the following
Re:Solutions? (Score:2)
Hrmph (Score:5, Insightful)
Stay small and build up (Score:5, Insightful)
Lockout chip business model (Score:3)
self publish
On which platform?
Re:Lockout chip business model (Score:2)
Or you could use the magic of the internet to only show one screen per person. Theres also plenty of types of games where you don't need to splitscreen to have >1 person, like fighting games, party games(You Dont Know Jack is fun for the whole family), bomberman-style games, or any other number of innovative ideas.
Re:Who can afford a set-top PC? (Score:2)
Meanwhile anybody can write a game on pc and be no worse of
Different platforms=different strengths/weaknesses (Score:3, Interesting)
Sounds like you have a game design issue, which can't really be solved on the PC platform. Different platforms have different strengths and we
Re:Different platforms=different strengths/weaknes (Score:2)
Sounds like you have a game design issue, which can't really be solved on the PC platform.
On which platform available to independent developers is such a design feasible? If not the PC, then which?
But I don't know why you're using this to debate that indie devs are screwed, since there are many indie titles for the PC that aren't party games.
I grew up playing party games throughout high school and college. The last first-person shooter I got into was Goldeneye. I tried Quake III and didn't like it
Re:Different platforms=different strengths/weaknes (Score:2)
Gee whiz, a console maker wanting to make sure potential developers are serious before they invest time and money in supporting them? Go figure!
Now I don't know the specific details of what you're saying, but even if it's true
Re:addendum (Score:2)
I'm not sure I get you, because most PC multiplayer games are like that. It's not something that Microsoft "invented". If you wanted to play multiplayer with your friends, ideally each one of you should have bought the game. Many games, regardless of developer, check that your CD is in the drive in order to let you play. Now some will let you take the CD out once the game is running, so you can then hand i
Modding console games and creating amature titles (Score:2)
Re:Different platforms=different strengths/weaknes (Score:2)
You don't. The same reason you don't make highly detailed games requiring fine control (ie a mouse) on consoles.
If you want to make a party style game that supports 4 players on one monitor, then you have to bite the bullet and try to find a way to break into the con
Re:Different platforms=different strengths/weaknes (Score:2)
I have a degree but no job. Which games do you suggest I mod which run on an 0.866 GHz PC with 128 MB of RAM?
There are lots of older games that run on that hardware. The original Half-Life game did, and that's what the incredibly successful Counter-Strike was based off. So you can start there. Or save up, get a better computer, and try working on more recent titles.
There are no games companies in Fort Wayne, Indiana. Do you suggest that I move? If so, ho
Re:Different platforms=different strengths/weaknes (Score:2)
Do you suggest that I move? If so, how?
Live cheap, save money, and drive once you have enough to live on for 3 months. Set up interviews with the line 'I'll be in the area from [date] until [date]'. If you learn how to do this, it'll help you in life. Actually, you need to learn how to plan things: you're in your 20s.
Re:Who can afford a set-top PC? (Score:2)
Then what is the target market for family/party/same-screen multiplayer games developed by independent developers? If I want to develop such a game, which platform should I choose?
Re:Lockout chip business model (Score:2)
How is this a barrier to indie development?
Re:Lockout chip business model (Score:3, Insightful)
So that's one specific style of game where indie developers are out of luck. There are plenty of other opportunities for indie devs, however.
But since we're doing unreasonable complaints, here's mine: a frien
Re:Lockout chip business model (Score:2)
So that's one specific style of game where indie developers are out of luck.
The very existence of "one specific style of game where indie developers are out of luck" due to anticompetitive actions by all major video game console makers indicates that the mandate "To promote the Progress of Science and useful Arts" is failing.
There are plenty of other opportunities for indie devs, however.
Which are these opportunities?
a friend and I want to make computerised board games that you play on a large,
Re:Lockout chip business model (Score:2)
I'm not sure what that mandate has to do with it, and those anticompetitive actions haven't closed all opportunities to indie developers; the PC is still wide open.
I do agree that those anticompetitive measures for consoles suck, and I wouldn't even be su
Re:Lockout chip business model (Score:2)
-matthew
Re:Lockout chip business model (Score:2)
which could be the next Bomberman or Smash Bros., the indie developer has no suitable platform on which to market it. All the consoles have a lockout chip, and the PC's monitor is generally too small to fit four people around it.
Ya, I get that. But somehow people still manage to make PC games without hitting this "PC screen too small" barrier. The indie PC developer is at no more a disadvantage than any other PC game developer, b
Re:Lockout chip business model (Score:2)
This could actually work in favor of a PC game developer who wants to do something different and unique. The problem for the indie developer is really competition on the PC. Everyone and their brother is trying to sell games for the PC. Go to any computer store and check out the racks of games. The market is saturated.
But the PC-only game developer is at a disadvantage against the multiplatform game devel
Re:Lockout chip business model (Score:2)
But clearly this is not the only type of game that an indie developer could come up with. You're totally ignoring the advantages that the PC have over the console as I pointed out in the text that you snipped.
-matthew
Re:Lockout chip business model (Score:2)
-- From http://wii.nintendo.com/hardware.html [nintendo.com] on the bit about Virtual Console.
Four player PC: -1 Dumb (Score:2)
I realized you had to stretch to find something bad about the PC but that's all you could come up with, man that's lame. Four player spit screen is a workaround for a lack of networking, of having to get everyone in front of the same console and same TV. Now that console's are getting true networking you will see a move away from that. The console is moving towards the PC in this regard.
Four player != split screen (Score:2)
Four player spit screen
Four player != split screen. Bomberman takes four players, but it doesn't need to split the screen, as the fixed camera shows the whole arena. Likewise, fighting games put 2 to 4 players in one shared view.
is a workaround for a lack of networking
If a family owns one PC, why should it need to buy three more PCs to play Bomberman?
Re:Four player != split screen (Score:2)
If a family owns one PC, why should it need to buy three more PCs to play Bomberman?
There you go, assuming all games are Bomberman. It's not like you aren't aware of them.
Re:Four player != split screen (Score:2)
Or Gauntlet. Or Secret of Mana.
Or counterstrike, or Age of Empires, or Starcraft. The point here is that the world is not on one screen.
Re:Four player != split screen (Score:2)
Well duh. And multiple people often have their own computers. The point here is that PCs have the option of multiplpayer on one computer or many. You can also do multiplayer on a network where any number of people are around to play at pretty much any time. Compare with an Xbox, which requires everyone to be in the same place.
Re:Four player != split screen (Score:2)
Problem is that almost no current, native PC games support four players on one computer, so almost no people have their PCs set up for four players on one computer.
That's not a problem, it's a consequence of the networked nature of PCs. It could be viewed as a business opportunity, though.
Re:Four player != split screen (Score:2)
So what if you have four players in one household? How would "the networked nature of PCs" solve this problem?
You aren't listening, are you? The networked nature of PCs allows these 4 players to each play on their own PC. The fact is, having four players under one roof where they aren't all adults isn't that common, so these four players are more likely than not to already have their own PC if they care about such things.
I guess you've never heard of web games (Score:5, Insightful)
That doesn't make sense at all.
First of all, the indie dev community is alive and well. You'll find most of them working on web games: from larger houses such as GameHouse and PopCap, to your Garage Games, Reflexive Entertainment, etc. You can play a lot of these games at sites like http://games.msn.com/ [msn.com] http://games.yahoo.com/ [yahoo.com] http://www.realarcade.com/ [realarcade.com] and more.
Most of the games they make are single-player, but some can be multiplayer. And you're an idiot if you think that all multiplayer games must require broadband (as you alluded to in another comment).
As for getting on consoles, MS is leading the way with Xbox Live Arcade, where you can find a number of games by indie titles. And they're selling quite well. Both Nintendo and Sony are hinting towards having downloadable games to consoles as well, although it's still unknown whether they are welcoming indie developers the same way. I would imagine they have to, and that would be a good thing.
Now, if you're lamenting that an indie developer is never going to be able to create the next Halo or Madden title, then that's probably true
Once the indie developers start getting larger and have more capital, then you will see them start creating more traditional console titles. They'll work with the platform companies in the usual way, so they're more like regular developers now.
Re:I guess you've never heard of web games (Score:2)
Re:I guess you've never heard of web games (Score:2)
PC games have been online for over a decade.
Online doesn't help in all situations. For instance, we have three school-age children in the same household and fewer than three PCs. How do they all play together? Are families expected to spend $2,400 to buy a router and four PCs if they want to play a four-player game?
They obviously are not developing to the strenghts of the platform
If the Games For Windows platform is the wrong target, then which platform is the correct target?
Re:Lockout chip business model (Score:2)
in any unmodified such handheld.
Most home PCs are not hooked up to TVs. (Score:2)
Ever heard of multimonitor?
Most PC owners haven't, and they're not willing to buy a second monitor and replace the video card just to run a 4-player party game.
and if you did have the computer plugged into a TV
If most PC owners had the computer plugged into a TV, then there wouldn't be a problem. The problem is that most PC owners are not willing to move the computer to the TV room every time the kids want to get together and play the game and then move it back to the home office when they are don
Re:Stay small and build up (Score:2, Informative)
Give up on your dream kids (Score:5, Insightful)
I don't think anyone would dispute the fact that few ever make it to such a level in such fields, but should that prevent a person from trying? Absolutely not? If people don't at least try to make good on their dreams they've got zero chance of making it... they just have to be realistic and recognize that they may not make it and have a backup plan... like an English or Communications major so that they can play football in college.
Re:Give up on your dream kids (Score:2)
People who want their own game house should go the
Sad... but True (Score:4, Insightful)
Except all of this content doesn't just magically appear when the hardware is made. Someone has to make it. And that someone has to be paid. So at this point, the entry into the big name game market is similar to the entry into the big name movie market. If you want to push out a blockbuster title in either industry, you have to put down the big bucks.
Luckily... with the PC and Wii market, there is a chance for indy developers to make cheaper title that are still fun, similar to the small indy movie developers. It won't be huge in terms of special effects and big name actors, but it's still got a chance to be good. Good movies do not require millions upon millions of dollars, and the same with games.
The sooner people realize a good game doesn't need great graphics (like how good movies don't need great special effects), the easier the lives of the indy guys.
Re:Sad... but True (Score:3, Interesting)
It's still unknown whether or not the PS3 marketplace will have support for indie developers, or whether they will just continue to cater towards the big name companies. What they demoed in their press conference was Namco's Ridge Racer, downloaded onto their PSP, which
not entirely (Score:3, Insightful)
Console networks such as Xbox Live are creating new ways for these little games to get into people's houses. Hopefully Nintendo's Wii and the PS3 will offer the same.
Lower development costs also mean lower cost to sell the game. The same goes for distribution - no need for retail packaging and fighting for
As always, terrible summary (Score:5, Informative)
Re:As always, terrible summary (Score:3, Interesting)
'Look where the big guys aren't.
That point is stressed a number of times in the article: Don't try to compete with the offerings of huge companies. The result will be all budget and no substance, if you even manage to complete it at all.
My favorite example of game innovation is still Tetris. It reinforces that the path to success is
That's funny, the escapist seems to think... (Score:4, Informative)
http://www.escapistmagazine.com/issue/8/14 [escapistmagazine.com]
Great article.
Re:That's funny, the escapist seems to think... (Score:2)
Dont bother coming back with the whole self publish line, as frankly without traffic driving your site, you arent going to get the sales. There are exceptions, but in the end they are exactly that, exception
Re:That's funny, the escapist seems to think... (Score:2)
Man, it takes virtually NOTHING to drive traffic to your site. Games? How about putting "CHECK OUT MY NeW GAME!" link in your sig on slashdot and posting in every single videogame discussion. You get traffic, trust me.
As horrible as it sounds, use MySpace. You can generate a disgusting amount of traffic on there.
Cough up the $100 - $700 it takes to get a press release out on PR web. That generates a suprising amount of traffic.
It isn't that hard.
And get foed? (Score:2)
How about putting "CHECK OUT MY NeW GAME!" link in your sig on slashdot and posting in every single videogame discussion. You get traffic, trust me.
I've tried that, but then people started foeing me for being "that guy who talks about Luminesweeper [pineight.com] in every freakin' thread that mentions the DS or PSP".
Re:And get foed? (Score:2)
Re:And get foed? (Score:2)
Second, don't try to micromanage your web presence - it will drive youcrazy. If people start to foe you, well ok. There a lot more peopel who haven't foed you. Also, there are plaenty of other gaming message boards where you can link to your website in your sig.
If you are spamming boards with links in the posts that are completely irrelevant, well - thats not the advice I gave. Use the sig, its a common
Re:That's funny, the escapist seems to think... (Score:2)
That having been said, maybe it is hard in the beginning - so is everything new. The conclusion I reached isn't in any way wrong or insulting. I would love to post my hard numbers, but I have these funny NDA's I have to worry about. The trust me is a statement imploring the poster I was responding to to try it out. They will see a positive difference.
Let's address your "difficulties" one by one and see just how simple th
Re:That's funny, the escapist seems to think... (Score:2)
Whoever wrote that article isn't too smart. a) John gave away one of his ferraris, how do you think thresh got his start? b) as a hobby
read for yourself [cyberfight.org]
"I should say that after Doom II and Quake releases the id Softwareper has b
Re:That's funny, the escapist seems to think... (Score:2)
Wherein I Pontificate And Ramble (Score:5, Insightful)
You may have a hand for sketches; put this to use in making creative game content. You may have an eye for scene; use this to construct compelling environments. You may have a knack for math and physics; use this to enhance your engine design. Basically, know what it is that you do well, and do it well. Yeah, "duh"--but it's very, very easy to lose sight of this once you get elbow-deep into game development. Your strengths can act as a catalyst to help you get through the more tedious parts of game development.
That said, know and accept your limitations. Mine is time management; I'm absolutely miserable at keeping on schedule, and it shows in the fact that I've been sitting on a half-finished tech demo for the past couple months. If art isn't your strong suit, avoid making games people expect to be "pretty", and do something novel with words or physics instead. If you can't write dialogue to save your life, don't make a story-driven RPG.
Finally, and most importantly, make a plan and do your best to stick to it. Avoid feature creep like the plague; it is virtually guaranteed to sink your project. If you think of something cool to add on, make note of it and do it after you finish the current version. Don't bite off more than you can chew; ask yourself what you think you could realistically accomplish in twelve months, then cut that estimate in half. Save your masterpiece for later; get a few basic titles under your belt before you embark on that grand quest. Don't get hung up on any one aspect of the game; if you're constantly unhappy with something, walk away from it for a few weeks, focus on some other part of the game, then come back to it and try again. Don't just dive headlong into making your game. You'll just end up with a spaghetti mess of nothing particularly good. (Of course, once again, I could benefit from a bit more of my own medicine, but I digress. Do as I say...)
You're never going to be able to go toe-to-toe with the Big Boys and win. You stand just as much of a chance as running faster than a Ferarri in a 100-meter dash. Instead, poke around and find one of the many, many, many niches that the Big Boys simply don't cater to. Remember, though they'll beat you at their own game, they're not interested in anything that won't make them lots and lots of money; if they don't even show up for the game, you've got a real chance at winning. You'll never beat them at making a realistic football game. You can bypass them entirely by making a wacky football game with exaggerated physics, corny sounds, and goofy images. If people like playing it, you'll be in business--regardless of whether or not it has AAA production values!
Re:Wherein I Pontificate And Ramble (Score:4, Insightful)
There are lots of 2-man teams writing good strategy games, gamers are still enthousiastic about 11 year old graphicsless games like Stars!, and although I love the genre, with every game I play, I see tons of things that could be improved, the most important one being the AI; it's usually awful, while I majored in AI and am reasonably good at strategy games myself. Sounds like this is exactly where my strengths lie and where my weaknesses (graphics) don't matter too much. So it's a tiny niche, it's still big enough for me. I don't expect millions, but making a living this way would be really nice.
The plan: choose a game that's not too hard to write, get the basics working, and release it. If it's not good enough to ask money for it, just give it away, so people can try it and want more. Meanwhile, that's what I'll be writing: better interface, better AI, more depth, possibilities and what have you, and the next version is going to be sold for actual money. If I can sell 5000 copies for $10 each, I can eat for a year. Doesn't sound too ambitious, I think. I hope.
Ofcourse I have no idea if this will work, but hopefully you'll know in a year. Maybe two; I haven't quit my day job yet.
Re:Wherein I Pontificate And Ramble (Score:2)
That's actually a pretty ambitious goal, but it certainly isn't outside the realm of possibility. More important is that you're clearly approaching this with a level head, which will be a lifesaver further down the line. While you're planning, consider some of the other essential facets of strategery games and tick off how you fare at them. A few off the top of my head: scenario-building, unit bal
Re:Wherein I Pontificate And Ramble (Score:3, Funny)
Re:Counterexample: Apple (Score:2, Insightful)
Way to go! (Score:5, Insightful)
Once success is achieved the cynics and the skeptics sneer with open contempt at the new ideas and the people who build them. Nothing turns my stomach more than the entitlement attitude of tall dollars. The arrogance is so repulsive there are few words to describe it. Business builds walls around the "free market" and then tells everyone how fucking stupid they are for not being able to figure out how to be an "entrepreneur."
The fact is we, as a society, HATE ENTREPRENEURS and we do EVERYTHING WE CAN POSSIBLY DO to THWART and DEFEAT THEM. They're either "geeks" or "nerds" or circus acts on reality television after they got fired and laughed at on the other reality show.
It makes me fucking sick. Congratulations, gentlemen. The game industry sucks ass. You got exactly what you wanted.
Re:Way to go! (Score:2)
As for any thoughts I may have on big-name vs. indie games, A few years ago my wife wanted to buy a PS2. Her main reason for wanting the PS2 over the XBox was the complete lack of casual games for the XBox. As it happened, I won an XBox in a contest. We did pick up a couple of games for it, that are never played. I put Linux o
Re:Way to go! (Score:3, Insightful)
That's utter bullshit.
For every Harry Potter that some publisher OUGHT to have snagged but decided not to, there's a slush pile a mile high of manuscripts that will never get published anywhere, because they're complete garbage.
Sometimes when someone says "it'll never work" it's actually because It Never Will Work. Skepticism is heal
Similar 20th Century Fox talking about indy films (Score:5, Insightful)
However, indie film directors don't make films with the intent of securing a huge deal, they make them because they love the art. I assume the indie game producers think the same thing: I make games because I love the craft. If I happen to hit a big success, great... but it's not my driving motivation.
Just an indication that the people on the panel are now tuned to business ideals, vs. the craft. Not surprising or unexpected, but still myopic. Fred.
Well with games (Score:2)
The Internet really is the ultimate equalizer for distribution. Provided what you are selling is something people accept as somethi
Re:Well with games (Score:2, Insightful)
Re:Well with games (Score:2)
The barrier is making the game. Making comics, blogging or producing a series of very short videos is a lot easier than making a game.
I do think getting a good game deal is getting noticed and having a compelling project idea. Getting noticed might come in the form of collaborating on an open source or shareware game.
Re:Well with games (Score:2)
Re:Similar 20th Century Fox talking about indy fil (Score:2)
If this were a publisher speaking, I'd agree. However, it's developers, who're having their own tough times getting their games fun
Pitfalls and Pigeonholes (Score:3, Funny)
Where were you when I needed you, Warren!
As a gamer I'd like to say to Spector: (Score:2, Insightful)
There's room in the market for all kind of games. There's room for multi-million dollar blockbusters that have tons of good art and music, there's room for simple, quick 2D games. There's room for games so simple you just walk around and shoo
About twenty years ago... (Score:4, Insightful)
Fellow panelists echoed this sentiments, telling a room full of scruffy hackers, academics, and professional software developers that moonlight as "free" software hackers that the path to entering the $7-billion market is fraught with more pitfalls than DOS boxes running BBSes. While opportunities for hobbyists do exist, no serious software can be supported by any less than paid programmers working for corporations. Hobbyists often have to deal with past projects that pigeonhole them and potentially hamper future expansion.
I am of the opinion that Free (think freedom) games can do very well in the current climate, assuming that you don't play the same rules as everyone. Games that are simple at their core but allow for easy community extension and are backed with a strong sense of what the eventual story should be, while putting an emphasis on the game actually being fun to play could probably get a sizable following. Sure, you won't make millions and you won't be able to animate the fur of the rats in your film-noir inspired MMORPG revenge game, but you and a bunch of other people might have fun with it.
That's the point of games, to have fun (and maybe learn), right?
Revenue isn't everything (Score:2)
I develop and publish independant games for fun. I always set the bar as high as possible and I try to create as great a piece of entertainment as I can under my limitations. Human kind did not give birth to entertainment and media to make money. It was formed because people had stories to tell and ideas to share.
So do not tel
If it means food and rent (Score:2)
I develop and publish independant games for fun.
So do I [pineight.com], but I want to move out of my parents' basement.
It's the age of the Internet (Score:2)
An example (Score:2, Interesting)
Now, we have sold our first half million of PC games. And with a free game released in january, we have one million new player every month. On Gamespy online players, we would always be in the top10, and first in it's gendra: car racing. Our game rank more than 80% on Metacritic. We made our first game with on
checked on 2 old timers i bought from in 90's (Score:2)
The other one i remember was Moraffware who also seems to still be around, tho pretty quiet for awhile it seems. Nonetheless i may buy a CD of his stuff
Alternate forms of distribution (Score:2)
Indi games have to compete on a different turf (Score:2)
Yes, you could in theory do it as an indie project. But the time it would take definitly kicks you out of the loop. By the time you're ready for beta, the development of technology went past you.
As an indi dev, your chance is elsewhere. Aside of the mainstream market. So instead of competing with the studios that have more money than you'll ever
first molyneux, now spector. nice try guys (Score:5, Insightful)
Indie gaming is doomed
you wont sell any copies
nobody wants small games
you will end up penniless and hungry
It always was, always is, and probably always will be total bullshit.
Yet peter (and now warren) crank it out for one very good reason
THEY DONT WANT TO LOSE GOOD STAFF
the best devs you have are the ones most likely to go start their own company. Lionhead has lost its entire R&D team and most of its good coders (fable team excepted) in the last 6 months, mainly to start their own companies. Peter has always tried to tell people 'for their own good' not to try it.
Funnily enough, when I left them, my indie game (www.democracygame.com) was successfull and profitable, and pays my living expenses right now. In contrast, Black and White 2 and The Movies made way less than they cost to make.
I think its desperately sad that 'big name designers' who once were passionate about making great games now go OUT OF THEIR WAY to ensure other people dont do what they did.
Fuck em.
Re:first molyneux, now spector. nice try guys (Score:2)
It always was, always is, and probably always will be total bullshit.
Yet peter (and now warren) crank it out for one very good reason
THEY DONT WANT TO LOSE GOOD STAFF
Grats on Democracy, I enjoyed it.
However, that's not my read of the message here. I think they're saying that small developers who are reaching for the stars and trying to compete in the same budget space with big publishers are bound to fail. Some Spector quot
Re:first molyneux, now spector. nice try guys (Score:2)
Two Words (Score:2)
small market niche games (Score:2)
Horseshit. (Score:2)
OSS hasn't reached gaming yet, but they're scared. (Score:2)
OSS/Indie gaming will shake the market. Just not right now. One of the most successfull games ever, Counterstrike, is a friggin *freeware* mod. Now imagine an OSS 3D engine like CrystalSpace combined with a tool like Blender. That scares the piss out of publishers like EA.
Who is going to buy Unreal Tournament 2009 when you can build it? Gamingbusiness will be all about services just like the other parts of IT and Media, it will only take longer because leveraging the technology takes more work.
You won
Re:Warren Spector (Score:5, Informative)
This guy has deserved his reputation and by no means did his games suck. Hell, im not even sure he was involved in the Wing Commander games, that was Chris Roberts.
Re:Warren Spector (Score:2)
Re:Warren Spector (Score:2)
In the past few years I have been pushed, bullied, and convinced to buy games I didn't end up liking. Two of them were VERY highly rated-
Knights of the Old Republic and Oblivion.
Read just about any gaming site on the web- evidently these were absolutely fantastic games.
I hated both of them intensely. I couldn't belive that someone would make these steaming piles of shit and
Re:Warren Spector (Score:2)
Re:Response from the indy dev's (Score:2, Informative)
Please RTFA
Thanks,
me.
Re:WE have all the ideas, you just stay put. (Score:2)