Sidus Interactive
by Mark · 01/03/2007 (6:15 am) · 3 comments
Zorbtek Interactive is old news, a flop. So now I'm starting over with Sidus.
I'm on a five way street right now. There is a game idea I have in mind that I think will be a very interesting project on many different levels.
One path I can take is mod making with Armed Assault developed by Bohemia Interactive. If you don't know what it is, it's not out in America yet, it's fantastic, so check it out.
The second is Half-Life 2 modding. Huge community, many members, I'm likely to find a bundle of talented helpers.
The third path is making this with Torque, but the problem is the project would need to take a huge amount of time because of its complexity. Now I know I would be a fool to start a 'grand opera' of a game as a first game, as I'm sure that leads to a dead end.
The fourth path is to work on smaller projects first, and I'm pretty sure this is the road I'll take in the long run.
The fifth path is a path I'm not aware of, but I know it's out there.
So the question is, what road shall the driver drive?
About the author
#2
My suggestion is that you take a step back and stop trying to be a game designer and start trying to become a game developer.
So many people are attempting to become a game designer without a clue as to how the game should be developed. Think of the designer as the level 20 mage, and it looks like you're only about level 5.... it's time to dig in and learn more of the arcane art of game development before you're ready to tackle that level 20 mage spell (aka Design Your Own Game).
It looks like you started a few things... Plan A looked like a good start; but you lost a key player... dunno what happened with Plan B. It looked like it could've been fun too.
Team building starts with art and technology.... and lots of it. When building a team, remember that you have to compete with the best game in the world (i.e. the un-developed game that each person here has in his mind and wishes to create) and it takes a lot to compete with that.
If you become the key player in a game development team (i.e. you're doing the bulk of the work, including artwork and coding) then people can come and go (which will happen) and your game still gets made. That's not to say you can't get coders, artists, etc to help out from time to time, but just remember, if you're an indie / hobby game developer and you're not paying them, they're all going to leave eventually.
So, where do you start? Make a list of people you'd like to join your team.
Concept artist
3d modeler - organic
3d modeler - inorganic
3d modeler - buildings
World Builder
Scripter
Special Effects
Engine Coder
Sound Effects
Music
Backstory Author
Story Boarder
Cutscene Director
Motion Capture Artists / equipment
Video Editor (for cut-scenes)
Game Designer
Producer
Now, start filling those position yourself... don't try to recruit someone to do it for you.
Sometimes it takes more talent than skill for filling a given position... but you can punt. i.e. Concept Artist... if you're not an artist, you might not have the required talent, but you can improvise. Concept art is one of the things you don't have to redistribute, so you can take it from anywhere... pictures off the Internet, and Poser / Bryce are my favorite places to snag concept artwork.
When you've gone down the list, mastered the things you can, punted on things you can't, you'll have a great idea of where you stand. If you can't do at least 50% of these things (and I'd actually argue 75%) then you're never going to make it as an indie game designer.... you might as well give it up and join someone else's game development instead of trying to run your own.
Good luck!
01/03/2007 (7:59 am)
Bohemia Interactive makes some great games. I played Operation Flashpoint (and expansion packs) and loved it. Their trees and terrain are the most impressive, both in quantity and quality.My suggestion is that you take a step back and stop trying to be a game designer and start trying to become a game developer.
So many people are attempting to become a game designer without a clue as to how the game should be developed. Think of the designer as the level 20 mage, and it looks like you're only about level 5.... it's time to dig in and learn more of the arcane art of game development before you're ready to tackle that level 20 mage spell (aka Design Your Own Game).
It looks like you started a few things... Plan A looked like a good start; but you lost a key player... dunno what happened with Plan B. It looked like it could've been fun too.
Team building starts with art and technology.... and lots of it. When building a team, remember that you have to compete with the best game in the world (i.e. the un-developed game that each person here has in his mind and wishes to create) and it takes a lot to compete with that.
If you become the key player in a game development team (i.e. you're doing the bulk of the work, including artwork and coding) then people can come and go (which will happen) and your game still gets made. That's not to say you can't get coders, artists, etc to help out from time to time, but just remember, if you're an indie / hobby game developer and you're not paying them, they're all going to leave eventually.
So, where do you start? Make a list of people you'd like to join your team.
Concept artist
3d modeler - organic
3d modeler - inorganic
3d modeler - buildings
World Builder
Scripter
Special Effects
Engine Coder
Sound Effects
Music
Backstory Author
Story Boarder
Cutscene Director
Motion Capture Artists / equipment
Video Editor (for cut-scenes)
Game Designer
Producer
Now, start filling those position yourself... don't try to recruit someone to do it for you.
Sometimes it takes more talent than skill for filling a given position... but you can punt. i.e. Concept Artist... if you're not an artist, you might not have the required talent, but you can improvise. Concept art is one of the things you don't have to redistribute, so you can take it from anywhere... pictures off the Internet, and Poser / Bryce are my favorite places to snag concept artwork.
When you've gone down the list, mastered the things you can, punted on things you can't, you'll have a great idea of where you stand. If you can't do at least 50% of these things (and I'd actually argue 75%) then you're never going to make it as an indie game designer.... you might as well give it up and join someone else's game development instead of trying to run your own.
Good luck!
#3
01/03/2007 (3:58 pm)
Thanks for the advice Tony and Edward, it was much appreciated
Torque 3D Owner Edward
I desided to scale down my project from its huge undertaking to a much smaller manageable task. from a MMORPG to a single person RPG, with some really nice features i hope, but i have been on the look out to join a group and "do this thing" together with a common goal. I figure once a smaller project is done all one woul dhave to do is add toit :), anyway if your interested in maybe working together or looking for a level designer, give me a shout. racs333@hotmail.com