Plan for Instanzius Greeteron

Hallo, my name is Instanzius Greeteron and I'm your best buddy, if you just have entered this wicked secretive circle we call Garage Games community.

The purpose of my tonight's performance is setting couple of things straight and give as much advice as possible by hey-ho-happy presentation mascot like me.

During our little presentation you will:

Learn the basics of communication in internet-based comunity.

Learn some unpleasant truths about game development and life in general.

Lose 10 minutes of your precious time you could have spent on game dev otherwise.


First, I'd like you to know that I am in no way affiliated with Garage Games and this little guide is completely unauthorized.

This is wicked-secret stuff, show it only to your best friends, hide it in Excel 97 guides, write my name on soap bars.

Thats right, I'm Ultimate Underground Truth, Super Duper Kool Like That.

GG dudes are too polite to point out all this stuff to you, plus they are probably too busy making games and breeding next versions of Torque in brightly-lit underground labs of theirs. So listen carefully, because most likely this will be your first and only spoon-feeding session.


This is so obvious yet, so overlooked simple rule. When you joined the ranks of GG community, one of the reasons behind your decision most likely was the fact that this is an intelligent bunch of people, not afraid sharing lots of valuable information, be it technical or marketing-oriented. Which is true. The problem is - most of the questions bouncing in your head have most likely been answered before. In fact, multiple times. When knowing person answers the same question for the fifth time, some strange stuff happens - first, the Irritation Demon possesses his mind. Second, the answers become more and more laconic,
less friendly and finally - they just ignore the question, because the Demon has finally claimed them.
Lucky for you, there is way to get their first and most valuable answers - its called
Search and is true miracle of the Information Age.

With the push of a button you can touch the Knowledge of Grands, find answers to almost any question in the same time not endangering the immortal souls of those in the know.

In the name of Forum Search - step back, Irritation Demon!

I'd suggest even more - surf the forums even if you dont have specific questions! You might find the answers even before the questions themselves popped up!


I believe you have now studied the better part of the forum archives, touched the Stone of Knowledge and have become a wee better person. Certainly smarter. But there are couple of things you havent found or want to know more about. Lets ask in the forums, right?

Right. See - since you have searched before, your question is more specific now, which means, you will receive more specific answers. And chances are, your forum thread might become a source of information for those who'll Read Before Write later. To maximize those chances, let's learn some simple guidelines about Writing.

* Write in a polite manner, stating the purpose of your question and listing the things you have found thus far. It means that those who answer, will see that you have done your homework, plus they will not tell you things you already know, skipping the "can I make shooter like Quake with Torque" foreplay and cutting to the chase right away.

* Although its Huge Temptation, avoid l337-speak. It doesnt tell people on boards that you are kewl and smart kid. I'd hazard a guess, that you'll give just the opposite perception of yourself. Grammar has its purpose, and it is - making your writing easily readable and understandable. If people have to decypher your question first, chances are - they'll be too exhausted in the end to answer the actual question.

* ALL-CAPSLOCKS ARE A BIG NO-NO, folks!!!11!!!111!...1
See, text in all-capslocks is percieved as yelling in this complex virtual world. There is no reason to yell, now is there? As soon as people see that someone has positioned brick on their Shift key, they leave the forum thread and head for quieter threads, fighting head-aches and strange nausea on their way.
WHICH MEANS YOUR QUESTION WILL REMAIN UNANSWERED!!111!!!11!

* Multiple posts in numerous forum subsections is really a bad practice. "Why?" I hear a chorus, "I want to be heard and if I post in more sections, more people will read my question!" True, but in the meanwhile you are polluting the forums with identical threads and make life for others (who Read Before Write) harder. And its annoying. Plus, there is one really important reason why you should stick to single forum section - when people post in your thread, often they respond not only to your original question, but other people who have responded before, creating nice and informative dialogue you only benefit from. By making dozens of identical posts you are Fragmenting their answers and receive less valuable information (and so do all the others who Read Before Write later).

*Patience is Virtue. If you posted question in 9:55 AM, posting "Why no one replies!?!?!?!?!?!?!" in 9:59 AM is Bad Manners. This is not some 24/7 support line with hundreds of operators, eagerly awaiting your call. People have jobs, people live in different timezones, people might search for links to post with their answers and Make Them Even More Valuable. Give them time and remember - no one really owes you the answer, if they do post information, its because they are good chaps and wanna help.
Appreciate it.


There are couple of other things Associated With Writing in Garage Games, not directly linked with forums. One of them is .plans. The same rules apply here: When Write, Make It Worth Reading. Bad example would be something along the lines of "bougHt Torque tonight, will make Super games that will sell bazillions". Frankly, none of us could care less that you bought Torque and your ability to make "Super games" is still under question. Even I, Instanzius Greeteron, who's designed to be Super Friendly And All That, couldnt give a damn about such a .plan.

To make people interested, you have to make it Worth Reading, because .plan can be so much more than just some twisted online version of diary.

Good .plan contains some useful information, not just abstract plans of conquering the industry. In ideal world, you can show some progress in your .plan and maybe even have a screenshot of your work in progress (we love pictures, its a matter of public record that .plans with shiny pictures are better received, which, obviously puts those artsy types in better position, but even coders can produce good .plans , fear not.

Here are some examples of Good And Interesting .Plans Worth Reading -

some excerpts from .plan Files' Hall of Fame


lookie!
Ain't it cool???
way to go!
Melv goodness!!!

(well, Melv is kinda legend. Some believe him being Messiah, some
think he is alien from Outer Space, a messenger from Higher Intellect, some think he is not one person but Legion of Programmers Who Are Cool Like That. There is at least one cult worshipping him in South Pacific and their mantra goes like that: "will it be made into free resource, Melv?" - thats how you can spot them.)


So what did we learn in this presentation?

I believe you know the Value of Reading Before Writing by now, as well as Importance of Writing Stuff Worth Reading. You might even learned how Not To write .plans and clicked on some Really Interesting .plans Worth Reading. I sincerely believe this presentation with me - Instanzius Greeteron,has been an eye-opener for you and has given some stuff to think about. Remember, we are not all One Happy Family Here, but we can always strive to be one, or at least make the best out of what we have.

Following these simple guidelines might help you find new and worthy friends, collegues or business partners.

Thank You very much, I'll be here All Week. If you are Interested, there might be presentations on Your Profile Is Your Ambassador and Delicate Art of Help Wanted Ads.