T2D advice

#1 Turn based networking is in apparently (although I haven't even looked at that side of things) and full on networking will be coming. IIRC full networking is in the code, but the T2D objects don't know how to use it (at least I think Melv said something to that effect).

How long your game should be is really down to the type of game it is. A chess game for instance could be anywhere from a few minutes to a few hours/days! If it's an action type game, then I suspect anywhere from 2-3 hours up would do it depending on the price of the game and how it plays. An RPG style game might need 10-15 hours of gameplay.

A puzzle game wouldn't need to be as long, but you might need different play modes (against the clock, highest score and so-on) and you'd lots of levels, say 10-20 at least.

If your game goes on a portal site, I suspect a community will start to form itself if your game is good enough. Otherwise a good website with active forums and lots of links to help those search engine placements.

The only real way to know if your game is any good is to prototype it and get a few people to play it. Reading through some of the plans here you'll see that several people had 'fun ideas' but in reality they didn't work out quite as planned. Again, prototyping will prove if your concept is sound before you spend months on something that doesn't really work. Is your game similar to something else already in the marketplace? If so, you'll need some unique reason why someone should play (and buy) your version over any other.

Not that I have any experience in this, it's just what I would consider to be the basics.

#2 Philip - In this day and age, you would have to be nuts to dev a game that wasnt properly prototyped and reevaluated :)

Let me guess... Multiplayer support will be done when it's done? I hate that answer.

I would like to price my game at 14.95 ... or 9.95 ...

I really don't want to make a singleplayer game. I'd much rather go multiplayer. Perhaps I'll decide on a singleplayer game to pass the time. Something truly indie. Something no one in their right mind could have though up... he he he

Thank you for your response :)

#3 If you make a T2d with the art assets you would like to see in multi T2d then you already
have gnawed a good amount out. So make a game that starts as single then you can
make it multiplayer later. And save time with the art pipeline and other basics.

Don't think.. but do..

#4 Yup, that's what I'm doing... making it single player for now, but getting the concepts setup for online play. If you're thinking about online then start NOW...

Gameplay duration is definately dependant on the genre, but really good games don't have a set amount of time cuz people play them over and over again whether the actual game is only 10 hours, 30 hours, etc. Online games can have no end in site if their good enough. You could upload expansions for as long as people want 'em.

#5 Networking: if you want simple client/server or peer to peer, it's not rocket science. it's only if you are doing something in "real time" that you have to worry about things being properly synced. and unless you have more than 2 players playing, i doubt you need to worry about saving bandwidth with interpolation or anything fancy.

#6 Well, I wanted up to 8 players in real time.

Mind you, there's far less going on then would be in a normal 3d game.

As for art assets. They will be pretty much the last thing to go in. Getting hte game play and control schema down are my first priorities...

Jason - It's not rocket science, but I have not dealt with multiplayer yet. I just dont want to waste time setting up multiplayer just to have someone else release something solid.

#7 Chris: If you already know that you need to prototype your game, then you have answered your own question. That's the only way you'll actually know if it's fun. Get a version of the game built and get some people playing it. Based on their feedback you will know what works and what doesn't.

And it sounds like you'll need to wait a while for the kind of networking you want in your game. Providing you design and code the game to allow for the networking, I'd imagine you could slot it in later.

Maybe you could even get busy on the single player version, and then once proper networking is released, you can implement it and proudly annouce "Game X Deluxe - now featuring 8 player action!". A modest upgrade fee for existing customers should see you right ;)

#8 It's not that I don't think it will be fun. I am pretty sure it will be. It's more a matter of consumer standards.

There really wasn't going to be a single player version. A short tutorial like single player version, but that's it.

I guess this idea is just going to have to wait. I could get the whole game up and running with 1 player... but that would be boring as molasses.

Thanks, everyone, for your help.