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Plan for David Myers
Plan for David Myers
| Name: | Dave Myers |  |
|---|---|---|
| Date Posted: | Feb 08, 2005 | |
| Rating: |  Not Rated | |
| Public: | YES | |
| Comments: | YES | |
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| Profile Page: | View profile page for Dave Myers |
Blog post
Giving away the farm?
<aside>
This is mirrored on my blog if that's the sorta thing yer into: www.lumpygames.com/madrantz
</aside>
I had a thought today which I'm still mulling over. On the one hand, I have every confidence in Lumpy getting sellable games out the door over the course of the next couple of years. I have to find the right people to get the job done, but I'm not too concerned about that.
On the other hand, there is something to be said about putting out a very small game to put Lumpy on the map, so to speak. I'm not really enthused about putting together another bubble-popping clone to compete with the likes of Popcap and Gamehouse, though. I'm thinking instead that I make a bubble-popping clone that I simply give away.
There are a few interesting reasons to attack things in this manner. One that stands out for me is that I get some familiarity with the upcoming T2D engine. I believe that Lumpy will use this engine to create it's first sellable game, at the very least. I don't plan on necessarily being the principle programmer for the studio in the long run, but I do know that I will be doing at least some of the programming going forward.
A second reason would be the viral marketing angle of the game. It's a freebie, so if it's half-way decent, it stands to reason that people will pass a link to it to people they know. Put up a web-enabled version of it like the guys in Bravetree did with Think Tanks. Let other sites put up a web-enabled version of it. Slap a big Lumpy Games logo on it and a button or hyperlink to visit my site. Of course, the only downside is that right this second I have (a) no logo and (b) nothing else to really sell them once they get here. The first is a minor issue, but the second makes me pause.
Another reason is quite simply giving Lumpy a bit of legitimacy in two or four months with a "mini-game" versus one year or more with a larger game, which could lead to other possibilities. This most likely is the best reason of all.
This is mirrored on my blog if that's the sorta thing yer into: www.lumpygames.com/madrantz
</aside>
I had a thought today which I'm still mulling over. On the one hand, I have every confidence in Lumpy getting sellable games out the door over the course of the next couple of years. I have to find the right people to get the job done, but I'm not too concerned about that.
On the other hand, there is something to be said about putting out a very small game to put Lumpy on the map, so to speak. I'm not really enthused about putting together another bubble-popping clone to compete with the likes of Popcap and Gamehouse, though. I'm thinking instead that I make a bubble-popping clone that I simply give away.
There are a few interesting reasons to attack things in this manner. One that stands out for me is that I get some familiarity with the upcoming T2D engine. I believe that Lumpy will use this engine to create it's first sellable game, at the very least. I don't plan on necessarily being the principle programmer for the studio in the long run, but I do know that I will be doing at least some of the programming going forward.
A second reason would be the viral marketing angle of the game. It's a freebie, so if it's half-way decent, it stands to reason that people will pass a link to it to people they know. Put up a web-enabled version of it like the guys in Bravetree did with Think Tanks. Let other sites put up a web-enabled version of it. Slap a big Lumpy Games logo on it and a button or hyperlink to visit my site. Of course, the only downside is that right this second I have (a) no logo and (b) nothing else to really sell them once they get here. The first is a minor issue, but the second makes me pause.
Another reason is quite simply giving Lumpy a bit of legitimacy in two or four months with a "mini-game" versus one year or more with a larger game, which could lead to other possibilities. This most likely is the best reason of all.
Recent Blog Posts
| List: | 02/26/06 - (Board) Game Day 02/21/06 - GarageGames has arrived 02/19/06 - I 06/09/05 - Plan for Dave Myers 03/22/05 - Plan for Dave Myers 03/14/05 - Plan for Dave Myers 03/09/05 - Plan for David Myers 03/02/05 - Plan for David Myers |
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Submit your own resources!| Joshua Dallman (Feb 08, 2005 at 23:02 GMT) |
| Melv May (Feb 09, 2005 at 08:53 GMT) |
... and if there's anything I can do to help, I will.
Good luck.
- Melv.
| Dave Myers (Feb 09, 2005 at 14:19 GMT) |
Joshua: There is already a payoff in this for me, however. The idea is to spread the game far and wide, and the best way to do that is make it free I think. I wonder if I shouldn't maybe do some old-school shareware registration nag screen though...ask them to send me a check for $5 like you say. Even $20 a month would be something - I can get dinner! ;)
Seriously, though, the plan is to make the focus very tight and not waste much time. I already have a game design pretty much prototyped, so I won't need much time there. I will ping someone in the community to do so freebie visuals (SHOUTING NOW: ya hear me you artists? will be needing a few graphics soon! ;) ). No music, free sounds from a library, no DRM.
Now, if the game spreads well and is well-received, well, then maybe I go back and make a full-blown version. I look at it like this: it's essentially similar to how Popcap first creates a freely-playable web-version of their game before releasing a full-blown version for sale. The only difference is that I would simply release the freely-playable web-version into the wild.
Again, I'm not 100% convinced to charge nothing, but I'm leaning towards it.
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