Starting out - warning, no images
by Anders Norén · 02/01/2006 (9:21 am) · 4 comments
So, i am starting up as an Indie. I am not going to discuss the definition of an indie, but i can tell you this:
I am excited.
I have been working a lot the last months. Not through developing games, but though checking out the market. I have been a frequent visitor of the www.indiegamer.com forums, reading as much as i can to gather information and insights from experienced indies. No need to mention, i have learned a lot. Mostly, that it is hard to start up. Therefore, i have spent a lot of time thinking through how i should develop my first game, what i should call myself, how long i should spend on development, my budget and etcetera, etcetera.
Though as a starting Indie, i have "a few" questions, and feedback requests, i really would appreciate some thoughts on.
The name of the "studio" will be Highlight Games. That is already settled (in a Me vs. Me debate). I would like to know...
What you think of the name,
What you associate with the name,
What you think would be a fitting logo,
and some general thoughts. I am currently spending my time on designing the game, mostly in my head. I can tell you as much as it will be a Puzzlegame, but not the ordinary Swapper(Bejeweled), nor the ordinary Match-3(Zuma, Luxor, Atlantis and what not). I can't wait to visualize it... I am going to have a blast this year.
Well, that is all from me. I hope i didn't bored you to death, and that some of you could consider putting some general thoughts on my plan, as well as answering the questions above. Thanks.
I am excited.
I have been working a lot the last months. Not through developing games, but though checking out the market. I have been a frequent visitor of the www.indiegamer.com forums, reading as much as i can to gather information and insights from experienced indies. No need to mention, i have learned a lot. Mostly, that it is hard to start up. Therefore, i have spent a lot of time thinking through how i should develop my first game, what i should call myself, how long i should spend on development, my budget and etcetera, etcetera.
Though as a starting Indie, i have "a few" questions, and feedback requests, i really would appreciate some thoughts on.
The name of the "studio" will be Highlight Games. That is already settled (in a Me vs. Me debate). I would like to know...
What you think of the name,
What you associate with the name,
What you think would be a fitting logo,
and some general thoughts. I am currently spending my time on designing the game, mostly in my head. I can tell you as much as it will be a Puzzlegame, but not the ordinary Swapper(Bejeweled), nor the ordinary Match-3(Zuma, Luxor, Atlantis and what not). I can't wait to visualize it... I am going to have a blast this year.
Well, that is all from me. I hope i didn't bored you to death, and that some of you could consider putting some general thoughts on my plan, as well as answering the questions above. Thanks.
#2
The first thing that came to mind was one of those yellow markers that people use to highlight passages in books. -- This might be a strictly regional usage of the word highlight, I don't know. So it has kind of an office-type connotation to it for me.
Names are hard to create. It seems that a lot of successful game companies have names that conjure strong images or ideas --"id," "Valve," "Gearbox," "Rockstar," "Blizzard"-- Although they might not all have a strict connection to the content of their games, they at least give you an image to associate with their games.
In my opinion, Pocketwatch games is one of the best names we have in this community, it brings to mind images of a small yet intricate system, and simultaneously a 19th century feel.
"Highlight" is a more abstract concept, it might be better to adopt a name that's more concrete. That's just my 2 cents.
02/01/2006 (10:36 am)
What you associate with the nameThe first thing that came to mind was one of those yellow markers that people use to highlight passages in books. -- This might be a strictly regional usage of the word highlight, I don't know. So it has kind of an office-type connotation to it for me.
Names are hard to create. It seems that a lot of successful game companies have names that conjure strong images or ideas --"id," "Valve," "Gearbox," "Rockstar," "Blizzard"-- Although they might not all have a strict connection to the content of their games, they at least give you an image to associate with their games.
In my opinion, Pocketwatch games is one of the best names we have in this community, it brings to mind images of a small yet intricate system, and simultaneously a 19th century feel.
"Highlight" is a more abstract concept, it might be better to adopt a name that's more concrete. That's just my 2 cents.
#3
To me Highlight games has a positive sound to it. But it also sounds a little vague. I'm not sure what I would associate with it, for some reason the movie industry came to mind first.
02/01/2006 (11:16 am)
Congratulations on going indie!To me Highlight games has a positive sound to it. But it also sounds a little vague. I'm not sure what I would associate with it, for some reason the movie industry came to mind first.
#4
What you think of the name, - It is a good sounding name.
What you associate with the name, - Beer. (reminds me of Miller "Highlife")
What you think would be a fitting logo, - Once of those neon lightup signs you see in a bar window with the "Highlight" in big letters and the "Games" in small letters.
Starting to design in your head is good - that is where it should start. But you should start scratching down notes and sketching. You will want to start the design document or at least the proof of concept document (my suggested starting place) soon so you can help organize your thoughts. I recommed Chris Taylor's design document which can be found on this site.
02/01/2006 (11:31 am)
Congrats!What you think of the name, - It is a good sounding name.
What you associate with the name, - Beer. (reminds me of Miller "Highlife")
What you think would be a fitting logo, - Once of those neon lightup signs you see in a bar window with the "Highlight" in big letters and the "Games" in small letters.
Starting to design in your head is good - that is where it should start. But you should start scratching down notes and sketching. You will want to start the design document or at least the proof of concept document (my suggested starting place) soon so you can help organize your thoughts. I recommed Chris Taylor's design document which can be found on this site.
Torque Owner Chris Labombard
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I'm assuming you're using T2D. If you haven't messed around with it yet, you'll love it :)
Deciding on a game with a small scope was a very smart decision.