Advice from developers
by Andy · in Game Design and Creative Issues · 03/27/2006 (8:37 pm) · 3 replies
A group of people that share the same passion for an old classic game have come up with a a whole lot of ideas , that we would like to get into fruition. We are not game programmers but do have minamal programming experiance and are all in different parts of the IT world. we have a few questions that would aid us to finding out whether our ideas are feesable or not.
The first question would be to understand what kind of an engine we would need to use. the original concept was done with with a tile based isometric engine which is turned based. Are there alternative's to using an isometric engine, whilst keeping the original isometric view?
If so would the torque engine be able to do this adding a rotational 3d element into the game ?
The third question is how to get games developed . we understand that a 250 page document will probably end up in the bin! Also knowing that with our skills (cough) we would never be able to get the game to anywhere near where we want it to be, so creating a pilot off our own back is the only way forward. Is there any other good ways to get your game noticed and possibly developed ?
Any advice would be greatly appreciated
The first question would be to understand what kind of an engine we would need to use. the original concept was done with with a tile based isometric engine which is turned based. Are there alternative's to using an isometric engine, whilst keeping the original isometric view?
If so would the torque engine be able to do this adding a rotational 3d element into the game ?
The third question is how to get games developed . we understand that a 250 page document will probably end up in the bin! Also knowing that with our skills (cough) we would never be able to get the game to anywhere near where we want it to be, so creating a pilot off our own back is the only way forward. Is there any other good ways to get your game noticed and possibly developed ?
Any advice would be greatly appreciated
#2
Maybe i dont understand fully what i am getting into as i havent developed a game before! (just being honest) I would like to give you exactly the information that you need in order to help me , but i am afraid i obviously lack the ability to convey it to you. So the only way is for me to be more concise and that may need a little interpretation
The game i want to recreate is UFO and getting that into a different engine (if thats the right terminology) then from there we can start to incorperate some major changes and getting our ideas into coded form. This needs to have a heavy multiplayer aspect built into it as that is what the game will be mainly centered around!
Soooo knowing the game UFO (xcom) is it possible to recreate this in Torque as a starting point ?
(and yes i know there are many many ufo xcom projects on the go atm including a new ufo aftermath from cenaga(?) sadly every xcom remake has always been a big dissapointment for me . So i decided to step upto the plate and have ago. I dont care whether its crap in the beginning stages but a working pilot of what i want to create is the main aim, so i can take to some people that might be interested in finishing it, with a little style and fenesse (and giving them a good idea hopefully) I have seen nothing on the market these days that has the multiplayer aspect that i want to create which will be its main talk about point.
Oh dear i have realised i probably havent given you anymore technical infomation than before and its not as concise as i would have hoped. hopefully this could have given you a little more of a clue of what i want to do ?
appologies for being crap! I hate people on forums that pretend to know what they r talking about so i will try not to !
03/28/2006 (8:19 pm)
Yes i was rather vague, sorry I understand developers have good ideas and wasnt suggesting otherwise! as for developing a game - yes idealy i would like someone to develop my game (thats easier to get people with years of experiance than a group of people with little / none) , but i know that no ones going to want to! unless i can give them reason to!Maybe i dont understand fully what i am getting into as i havent developed a game before! (just being honest) I would like to give you exactly the information that you need in order to help me , but i am afraid i obviously lack the ability to convey it to you. So the only way is for me to be more concise and that may need a little interpretation
The game i want to recreate is UFO and getting that into a different engine (if thats the right terminology) then from there we can start to incorperate some major changes and getting our ideas into coded form. This needs to have a heavy multiplayer aspect built into it as that is what the game will be mainly centered around!
Soooo knowing the game UFO (xcom) is it possible to recreate this in Torque as a starting point ?
(and yes i know there are many many ufo xcom projects on the go atm including a new ufo aftermath from cenaga(?) sadly every xcom remake has always been a big dissapointment for me . So i decided to step upto the plate and have ago. I dont care whether its crap in the beginning stages but a working pilot of what i want to create is the main aim, so i can take to some people that might be interested in finishing it, with a little style and fenesse (and giving them a good idea hopefully) I have seen nothing on the market these days that has the multiplayer aspect that i want to create which will be its main talk about point.
Oh dear i have realised i probably havent given you anymore technical infomation than before and its not as concise as i would have hoped. hopefully this could have given you a little more of a clue of what i want to do ?
appologies for being crap! I hate people on forums that pretend to know what they r talking about so i will try not to !
#3
2. Shortly, of course it's possible, you could recreate Half-Life 2 if you made enough tweaks(ie, rebuild it ;p)
Wether or not you can truly remake the game is all in the game design really, it sounds like you want to give it a graphical overhaul and maybe add gameplay tweaks/features(?)
3. You could PROBABLY find a team of people to work with, in which you would be the lead designer.
After all, no one can do everything by themselves....at least not within a reasonable amount of time.....
I was afraid you wanted to just tell someone to do it all, that won't work.(maybe it would, but i wouldn't see who would take on a project without any sort of visonary leader)
So, download the demo(if you haven't, do that now) Play around with the editor.
Just don't hope to sell it without permission from the original developers(probably publisher too) or else you could get slapped with a big, fat, lawsuit.
So, again, download the demo:
http://www.garagegames.com/docs/tge/general/index.html
and come to grips with the workings, check out some other engines too, since maybe some other one would suit your needs better, though i think Torque should work just fine, maybe get the RTS kit too?
Assess how many people of each specialty you need, post some adds for scripters and artists.
In terms of artists, get a concept artist first and foremost. For the source code, i don't know how much you will need to change it, so you may need several C++ programmers, or you may be able to do it all in script and not need a single coder! Do NOT forget that you need good sound and music!! They're very important.
I'd extend a hand to help with the art, but i'm already taken up for 2 projects with a third one to start when the first 2 are finished. Don't worry though, i'm sure you'll be able to find the people you need.
Remember, on your part, ORGANIZATION is KEY!!! and in terms of adding stuff to the gameplay,
KISS- Keep It Simple Stupid, even if the game itself isn't simple, it doesnt mean you, as a novice, should try to take on the task of adding huge things to it. But with that, don't be afraid to try something out if you think it's a good idea, just don't overcomplicate.
Hope I've been helpful!!
03/30/2006 (6:48 pm)
1. That actually was much clearer.2. Shortly, of course it's possible, you could recreate Half-Life 2 if you made enough tweaks(ie, rebuild it ;p)
Wether or not you can truly remake the game is all in the game design really, it sounds like you want to give it a graphical overhaul and maybe add gameplay tweaks/features(?)
3. You could PROBABLY find a team of people to work with, in which you would be the lead designer.
After all, no one can do everything by themselves....at least not within a reasonable amount of time.....
I was afraid you wanted to just tell someone to do it all, that won't work.(maybe it would, but i wouldn't see who would take on a project without any sort of visonary leader)
So, download the demo(if you haven't, do that now) Play around with the editor.
Just don't hope to sell it without permission from the original developers(probably publisher too) or else you could get slapped with a big, fat, lawsuit.
So, again, download the demo:
http://www.garagegames.com/docs/tge/general/index.html
and come to grips with the workings, check out some other engines too, since maybe some other one would suit your needs better, though i think Torque should work just fine, maybe get the RTS kit too?
Assess how many people of each specialty you need, post some adds for scripters and artists.
In terms of artists, get a concept artist first and foremost. For the source code, i don't know how much you will need to change it, so you may need several C++ programmers, or you may be able to do it all in script and not need a single coder! Do NOT forget that you need good sound and music!! They're very important.
I'd extend a hand to help with the art, but i'm already taken up for 2 projects with a third one to start when the first 2 are finished. Don't worry though, i'm sure you'll be able to find the people you need.
Remember, on your part, ORGANIZATION is KEY!!! and in terms of adding stuff to the gameplay,
KISS- Keep It Simple Stupid, even if the game itself isn't simple, it doesnt mean you, as a novice, should try to take on the task of adding huge things to it. But with that, don't be afraid to try something out if you think it's a good idea, just don't overcomplicate.
Hope I've been helpful!!
Anguel
As for the engine specifics....what are you trying to do? You said "would torque be able to do this" .... what exactly is "this" ? I get that you want an isometric view....but is that really your question? I mean, of course it can.... but.....isn't that obvious.....?
Or do you mean Torque 2d? I haven't done anywthing with T2d.....but i'm positive you could make an isometric p.o.v. it's really just in the art work....if you draw everything from an isometric view.....it's isometric!
Are you sure you understand what you would like to do? If you do, could you explain it? What you have written there, is very vague.... It's hard to give an answer to a question I don't understand.... or, am afraid I understand 100%.... which would mean you don't understand what you're getting into very well.
Try downloading the Torque demo and playing around with it.... maybe that will help you get whatever answers you are looking for.
-Here's the torque preview documentation....it shows about everything you can do with the demo.
http://www.garagegames.com/docs/tge/general/index.html sorry, i don't know how to make a link, :(
-You can get the engine demo from here.
http://www.garagegames.com/products/1
and LASTLY, sorry if i seemed rude...i'm just really confused as to what you want, could you try to clarify?