Screenshots, project statistics, and boring legal work
by Geom · 10/20/2009 (9:00 pm) · 6 comments
So I'm gearing up for the next beta test. I'm hoping to make it a fairly wide test; for example, I might advertise both here on GarageGames.com and also maybe on indiegamer.com.
Because I want this last beta to be pretty widely tested, I decided to postpone it a bit, so that I can do some of the inevitable legal legwork that I'll need to do eventually anyway. Namely, I need to credit all the various individuals whose audio and art work I've used in the game. Not a very interesting task, but it's got to be done.
For Orcs vs. Martians, accreditation isn't all that easy. The reason: I've used lots of sources. I purchased a good number of content packs, plus I've gotten tons of audio files from freesound.org, and the latter reallllllly lengthens my accreditation list.
So I've started to use a spreadsheet to track all my media usage. I wish I had made and maintained this spreadsheet a little earlier in the development cycle. It would have made my job now a little easier. So that I hadn't forgotten where I got some of my fool idiot files...
Doing a spreadsheet for this task seems to work pretty well. It's got two parts. The first part lists every media file that OVM uses, what product the file came from, and the author who should be credited for it:
That way, I can just sort by the author column of the spreadsheet, and bingo, I've got my accreditation list.
The second part of the spreadsheet lists every product I'm using, the revenue limit on the product's license, and the relevant text of the license agreement:
That way, when I make my millions and millions of dollars, and become rich and famous, I can know which licenses I need to upgrade from indie to commercial. Wouldn't that be a great problem to have!
So now that I've (almost) got the spreadsheet done, hopefully accredidation will be a breeze. Also, in the last phase of this game's development, I plan to overhaul some of (and maybe a lot) the art. Hopefully, when that happens, it'll be easy to update the spreadsheet. And viola, I'll insta-magically have an updated accredidation list, too.
Just for fun, here are some stats on Orcs vs. Martian's current media files:
620 image files (textures, GUI art, etc.)
210 audio files
90 .DTS files
- - - - -
And here're a few recent screenshots:
Because I want this last beta to be pretty widely tested, I decided to postpone it a bit, so that I can do some of the inevitable legal legwork that I'll need to do eventually anyway. Namely, I need to credit all the various individuals whose audio and art work I've used in the game. Not a very interesting task, but it's got to be done.
For Orcs vs. Martians, accreditation isn't all that easy. The reason: I've used lots of sources. I purchased a good number of content packs, plus I've gotten tons of audio files from freesound.org, and the latter reallllllly lengthens my accreditation list.
So I've started to use a spreadsheet to track all my media usage. I wish I had made and maintained this spreadsheet a little earlier in the development cycle. It would have made my job now a little easier. So that I hadn't forgotten where I got some of my fool idiot files...
Doing a spreadsheet for this task seems to work pretty well. It's got two parts. The first part lists every media file that OVM uses, what product the file came from, and the author who should be credited for it:
That way, I can just sort by the author column of the spreadsheet, and bingo, I've got my accreditation list.
The second part of the spreadsheet lists every product I'm using, the revenue limit on the product's license, and the relevant text of the license agreement:
That way, when I make my millions and millions of dollars, and become rich and famous, I can know which licenses I need to upgrade from indie to commercial. Wouldn't that be a great problem to have!
So now that I've (almost) got the spreadsheet done, hopefully accredidation will be a breeze. Also, in the last phase of this game's development, I plan to overhaul some of (and maybe a lot) the art. Hopefully, when that happens, it'll be easy to update the spreadsheet. And viola, I'll insta-magically have an updated accredidation list, too.
Just for fun, here are some stats on Orcs vs. Martian's current media files:
620 image files (textures, GUI art, etc.)
210 audio files
90 .DTS files
- - - - -
And here're a few recent screenshots:
About the author
My email address is my GG handle, at redbrickgames.com.
Recent Blogs
• Orcs vs. Martians - updated video• Orcs vs. Martians November update
• Milestone!
• The Burninating
• Victory flags
#2
The game's looking solid!
10/21/2009 (12:48 am)
I have to echo what Cai said - spreadsheets ahoy! It's not something I think of often (though I have kept lists of resources I've used), but it's important if you're actually releasing the game to a wider audience than, say, immediate friends or project members.The game's looking solid!
#3
10/21/2009 (2:33 am)
wow great stuff. I'd love to take your game mechanics and make my own game with my art. Unfortunately I'm an artist but a horrible programmer. 
#4
Looks awesome! IN FACT AMAZING! Just one question. What version of TGE are you using, and did you use RTS Starter Kit?
From Max
10/21/2009 (4:06 am)
Hey Geom!Looks awesome! IN FACT AMAZING! Just one question. What version of TGE are you using, and did you use RTS Starter Kit?
From Max
#5
Yeah, All That Fun Legal Redo Work... Of Course Me Being Twelve I'll Probably Have To Talk My Dad Into Doing That..
Looks Great!
10/21/2009 (12:24 pm)
Quote:That way, when I make my millions and millions of dollars, and become rich and famous, I can know which licenses I need to upgrade from indie to commercial. Wouldn't that be a great problem to have!
Yeah, All That Fun Legal Redo Work... Of Course Me Being Twelve I'll Probably Have To Talk My Dad Into Doing That..
Looks Great!
#6
Orcs vs. Martians uses the RTS-SK, and actually is mostly based on the venerable TGE 1.3. Though lots of pieces have been pulled in from 1.5.2, too.
10/21/2009 (12:50 pm)
Thanks for the comments! Yeah, that's what I was thinking about releasing to a wider audience, I figured I'd better dot the i's and cross the t's on this test release.Orcs vs. Martians uses the RTS-SK, and actually is mostly based on the venerable TGE 1.3. Though lots of pieces have been pulled in from 1.5.2, too.
Torque 3D Owner Cai Yundong