Plan for Adrian Wright
by Adrian Wright · 08/26/2005 (7:01 am) · 7 comments
I have been doing a lot of reflection this year as Max Gaming goes through some growing pains and we look at where we are going into the future. One of the things I think we all struggle with from time to time is how we measure success.
I didn't just want to start making games just to make money, I started on this journey because I wanted to make games that would be fun for people to play. Yes, at the end of it all, it is about how many units did you sell and how much revenue have you generated, can we make money off doing this full time, etc..., but is that solely how we measure success as a Indie starting out in the industry?.
Well, at one time this year I would have said yes to that question. With the pressures of paying bills, working a full time job during the day, where I manage a lLarge IT organization, and then the extra 40 hours or so a week I put into working on gaming projects, I started to wonder: is this really worth it? Will we ever make it over that hump like ours peers Bravetree and 21-6 have?
As I went down this path of questioning if I should continue this career path seeing the relatively steady income of DH: Lore being consumed by the costs of running all the servers and other costs of supporting the game, the players reminded me why Max Gaming is and will succeed as a game developer.
A few months ago, the players came to me with an idea for a gathering they wanted to have, asking for our support. At first it was going to be just a few friends getting together on a LAN to play Lore. Then it turned into what became LoreCON 2005, which was not just a gathering of local friends, but a event that involved core Lore fans and many others who have come to play the game.
www.quadrebelforce.com/ImprovedQRF/gallery/lorecon/IMG0017.jpg
As this built up, and as Max Gaming looked at going into the future of our gaming projects, it made me realize, that even though we haven't reach the point where we can all quit our "day" jobs, move into a office and just concentrate on putting out game products, we have started down the road to success.
Believe me, you know you have done something special, when the players whom your game has touched put up the funds, make all the plans for a gathering centered around your product. I know that what keeps me doing what I want to do with gaming, is not the money, its not seeing Lore in magazines and gaming sites getting good reviews (even though that is always a huge moral boost), it's the fans, plain and simple.
www.quadrebelforce.com/ImprovedQRF/gallery/lorecon/IMG0032.jpg
So with that said, look for myself and Max Gaming to be around as long as there are people who enjoy our products, cause there is no greater intrinsic value, then watching a room full of players enjoying your game. For me that is what it is all about.
While I am at it, I would like to thank the players who planned, setup and funded LoreCON 2005, it was a excellent event and one of the best rewards I think I will ever have as a developer.
I didn't just want to start making games just to make money, I started on this journey because I wanted to make games that would be fun for people to play. Yes, at the end of it all, it is about how many units did you sell and how much revenue have you generated, can we make money off doing this full time, etc..., but is that solely how we measure success as a Indie starting out in the industry?.
Well, at one time this year I would have said yes to that question. With the pressures of paying bills, working a full time job during the day, where I manage a lLarge IT organization, and then the extra 40 hours or so a week I put into working on gaming projects, I started to wonder: is this really worth it? Will we ever make it over that hump like ours peers Bravetree and 21-6 have?
As I went down this path of questioning if I should continue this career path seeing the relatively steady income of DH: Lore being consumed by the costs of running all the servers and other costs of supporting the game, the players reminded me why Max Gaming is and will succeed as a game developer.
A few months ago, the players came to me with an idea for a gathering they wanted to have, asking for our support. At first it was going to be just a few friends getting together on a LAN to play Lore. Then it turned into what became LoreCON 2005, which was not just a gathering of local friends, but a event that involved core Lore fans and many others who have come to play the game.
www.quadrebelforce.com/ImprovedQRF/gallery/lorecon/IMG0017.jpg
As this built up, and as Max Gaming looked at going into the future of our gaming projects, it made me realize, that even though we haven't reach the point where we can all quit our "day" jobs, move into a office and just concentrate on putting out game products, we have started down the road to success.
Believe me, you know you have done something special, when the players whom your game has touched put up the funds, make all the plans for a gathering centered around your product. I know that what keeps me doing what I want to do with gaming, is not the money, its not seeing Lore in magazines and gaming sites getting good reviews (even though that is always a huge moral boost), it's the fans, plain and simple.
www.quadrebelforce.com/ImprovedQRF/gallery/lorecon/IMG0032.jpg
So with that said, look for myself and Max Gaming to be around as long as there are people who enjoy our products, cause there is no greater intrinsic value, then watching a room full of players enjoying your game. For me that is what it is all about.
While I am at it, I would like to thank the players who planned, setup and funded LoreCON 2005, it was a excellent event and one of the best rewards I think I will ever have as a developer.
#2
And thanks Phil for providing us with some real help over the last few years, and sharing a occasional brew!!!
The one element that I forgot in my post was the extremely dedicated and talented team we have had over the last couple years. Not only have we been able to keep the team together, but we have added several members covering several projects.. I think last I counted we are in the mid to upper teens with different people contributing to several projects.
08/26/2005 (7:44 am)
Its all been one great learning process with our first game, lessons learned, things tried and tested. I am really looking forward to posting my next .plan today to talk about where we are going with our upcoming products :)And thanks Phil for providing us with some real help over the last few years, and sharing a occasional brew!!!
The one element that I forgot in my post was the extremely dedicated and talented team we have had over the last couple years. Not only have we been able to keep the team together, but we have added several members covering several projects.. I think last I counted we are in the mid to upper teens with different people contributing to several projects.
#3
Finding a team to work with as an indie developer is not a easy task; you need the right mix of personality, skill, communication and most importantly the ability of each team member to check there ego at the door. I have been apart of at least a dozen or so teams sense joining the GG community back in '02 and have to say MGT is by far the best I have worked with.
The future does look bright for MGT, hopefuly with the new additions to the team as well as new and exciting projects we to can follow the path to success that BT and 21-6 have paved.
-Ron
08/26/2005 (7:54 am)
I started working with MGT on Lore shortly after IGC'04 and must say they are a great group to work with. In the short time I have worked with Adrian (and the rest) I must say it has been a long and bumpy road; tempers have flared from time to time (right Adrian? ;) ) , but in the end we put our differences aside and get the task at hand done as a team. Finding a team to work with as an indie developer is not a easy task; you need the right mix of personality, skill, communication and most importantly the ability of each team member to check there ego at the door. I have been apart of at least a dozen or so teams sense joining the GG community back in '02 and have to say MGT is by far the best I have worked with.
The future does look bright for MGT, hopefuly with the new additions to the team as well as new and exciting projects we to can follow the path to success that BT and 21-6 have paved.
-Ron
#4
08/26/2005 (8:44 am)
LoreCon looked so, so, so cool. It's awesome that the fans put it on. We're showing off Lore this weekend at PAX too, should be a blast!
#5
08/26/2005 (9:41 am)
Yea customer / peer feedback get's the juices flowing. Grats on the lorecon.
#6
08/26/2005 (3:16 pm)
Amazing man! I get the best feeling from watching someone enjoy a game I worked on ... I can't imagine the spine tingliness you must get from watching the fans put together a convention about your game! Can't wait to experience that ;)
#7
And humbling, we got our asses kicked ;)
We've had a fun year, with some pretty major milestones: IGF, the CGW and PCZ print reviews and awards, LoreCON.
08/27/2005 (5:37 am)
Sitting down and playing Lore, all day, with people who have been playing it since release, was indeed spine tingling.And humbling, we got our asses kicked ;)
We've had a fun year, with some pretty major milestones: IGF, the CGW and PCZ print reviews and awards, LoreCON.
Torque 3D Owner Phil Carlisle
You chose a niche product in the first place Adrian, knowing that niche is limited also means that it doesnt indicate future possibilties.
Having shipped Lore, you know exactly how far a product needs to go to be complete.