Plan for David Myers
by Dave Myers · 03/08/2005 (6:24 pm) · 6 comments
I've been wrestling for a while now with the identity of Lumpy and what types of games we'd like to be known for. I've been talking to people in the community a bit and my poor wife can attest to the amount of time I've spent trying to hammer out which direction to take. I see a game like Zuma by Popcap making unworldly amounts of money, and it's a natural inclination to follow suit and try to make a next-gen clone.
Of course, I know for a fact that there are at least two other such clones coming out in the next six or so months. So, maybe not so smart to go there, eh? But the money that is flowing in the casual game market is terribly sexy to someone who has not worked fulltime for his own studio for two years. And why shouldn't I attempt to compete at that level? Anything I try to accomplish as a studio should be at a high level, right?
I then think about why it is I do this thang that I do. It's because I want to have fun making fun for people. If I'm not enjoying myself, then I'd be better off not trying so hard to make a success out of something as risky as a game studio. Maybe I should buy and sell real estate if that's the case.
I spoke for just a few minutes with Jeff Tunnell last week and I took away one important thing from the conversation. I'm not even sure he was aware of imparting this, but I do thank him for his time. He reminded me that a business like Lumpy or 21-6 or Bravetree or GarageGames is a long-term commitment. You cannot expect to make a quick buck and then do whatever you want from then on. You have to invest yourself in your company and grow it.
I was doing this at 21-6, to be sure, and many of the decisions we made there were looking long-term. So, I'm aware that this is a long-term deal. But sometimes you need a reminder, and that's what is so nice about having good people to talk to in the indie game dev community.
So, what is Lumpy going to do now?
We are going to make games that fill niches that aren't well-served. We are going to make games with some depth.
We are going to make games that I would buy! (And then we're going to sell the hell out of them. ;)
The first game we are currently prototyping is one inspired by the likes of Seven Cities of Gold. It will be a bit more in-depth than that game, similar in scope to the recently-released Pirates! If it turns out to be as much fun as I think it will, we'll move on to full production sometime in April I imagine. And it will very likely be 2D using the T2D engine.
I'm pretty damned excited and I can't wait to have something show now.
About the author
Considerable experience developing with Torque-based technologies and produced the first third-party game using any Torque technology (Orbz). Game designer, programmer, and producer, and credits include the innovative title Orbz and the colorful BuggOut.
#4
- Melv.
03/09/2005 (1:36 am)
Good luck David, we're all behind you. I hope we can help you along the way!- Melv.
#5
Even Sid`s new Pirates! are slightly tainted, although i`m in no way purist and the game was no doubt fun.
I got hooked on Starcontrol2 remake recently, and found it surprising how fun it is just to explore the universe, scan the planets, each time hoping that "Energy scan" will bring up some artefact or at least biologic scan will reveal new life form you can zap and sell to greedy merchant:)
By todays standard, it`d be deemed as boring and confusing game, because there`s not that equivalent of Clippy, sitting behind you: "for the last five minutes you havent made apparent progress, why dont you try this and that and dont go there?"
03/09/2005 (3:46 am)
Good luck, David. Nowdays so few games have that feeling of world ripe for exploration. Its like most of them are not worth your time, there`s nothing really behind that corner, just the rails in front of you with cookie in next station.Even Sid`s new Pirates! are slightly tainted, although i`m in no way purist and the game was no doubt fun.
I got hooked on Starcontrol2 remake recently, and found it surprising how fun it is just to explore the universe, scan the planets, each time hoping that "Energy scan" will bring up some artefact or at least biologic scan will reveal new life form you can zap and sell to greedy merchant:)
By todays standard, it`d be deemed as boring and confusing game, because there`s not that equivalent of Clippy, sitting behind you: "for the last five minutes you havent made apparent progress, why dont you try this and that and dont go there?"
#6
I never played Star Control (egads, I know), but I did play Starflight way back when, and in terms of open-ended exploration it really was cool. Primitive game in some ways, much like 7CoG or even the new Pirates! in terms of gameplay, but still inspirational.
03/09/2005 (8:12 am)
In terms of hand-holding you might be right Nauris. I think that it would be nice to have a mixture, in that you could play the game in a scenario-based way or play it more open-ended. Railroad Tycoon 2/3 were good examples for me in that. I'm leaning towards that type of game.I never played Star Control (egads, I know), but I did play Starflight way back when, and in terms of open-ended exploration it really was cool. Primitive game in some ways, much like 7CoG or even the new Pirates! in terms of gameplay, but still inspirational.
Torque Owner Matt Sayre
Sounds like you've found a good solution. To find a niche lacking in games that you're interested in and go ahead and fill it is a great plan. I've got a forgotten game from the 80's that I want to have a crack at in Torque 2D myself!