IoM in a nutshell! - GG::IoM(Blog 9);
by Christian S · 12/30/2007 (12:41 pm) · 1 comments
The dream
We still work on bringing a Viking Themed Persistent World to life. The game mechanics will react to actual game play and compliment and encourage Role Playing.
Looking back!
Having a core group skilled in many areas of IT but the core coding in languages like C++, Java, etc. is plain foolish. As the engine code is what ties everything together a core team can be good, even stunning, but get as good as nowhere even over a long period of time. So starting this up with our skill pool back then was not that wise, and then again...
Our idea back then, to first define exactly what it was we wanted to create and then document it was a clever move, that allowed for the team to grow into unknown areas of game defining, documentation and development as we progressed. It made the progress slow, but steady none the less.
-And even that is a win for Indies taking on a project as big as this.
Making the documentation (See blog 6) is something that have given us a lot of afterthoughts, and no matter what we have learned a lot that we can fill in the backpack of experience to bring along, should we one day end elsewhere than in living in the world of Game Development.
Our step from TGE to TGEA in the hope for whole worlds in one map/zone was not a clever move. All the resources that existed for TGE which could aid a core team of non engine coders could not be used in TGEA. And all the OpenGL aid was totally nonexistent, so this move was not wise if you look at bringing a product out fast. But it gave us the opportunity to redo our work one more time learning even more in the process.
And with AFXA coming around we finally skipped the MmoKit/Titas and started on a fresh engine and tweaked in only those resources that fitted our ideas. Maybe this wasn't a clever move either but at least we have more control with, and insight into what it is we are doing. And if we manage to overcome some of the engine issues and troubles, it might in the long run end up being a wise move after all.
Our participation in the Dream Games 1 year 'contest' has been a real learning basket. Not only from our own endless stream of blogs, but also from the way our competitors chose to do it, and to the way DG have handled it. It gave us a good insight in how the indie community works, what the future customers want to see and what they couldn't care less about.
Getting actual evolving talk to occur amongst competitors is really hard, and even though some stuff is shared willingly, other things are explosive to touch upon. Especially if there's a big cash price, it will make team leaders a bit touchy -but that's the charm of competition isn't it ;)
The fans seemingly gives a rat's tail about blogs, philosophical thoughts and dialogue -until you show them screenshots and game play demos. Display stunning graphics, complex meshes, big bowls of poly soup and crunchy textures and then they will start to give feedback. Don't deviate with this and that 'non game' stuff like our miniatures thing, cartoons, t-shirts and more -but move along with code, modeling and texturing and get to the finish line instead!
Getting there is one of the reasons, combined with a bit of 'slack handling' of the teams, to why I have been non present at IRQ and forums other than our own for some time. I've focused on improving my Java, C++, UML skills, as well as implementing game mechanics -so that we can be ready with a demo for the DG staff when time is due ;)
Looking ahead
Indie core team and affiliates is a dream that's sweet but not working. It's the personal experience as well as what I've seen in team after teams blogs and forum postings. If you need anything done that's outside your core teams skill set, figure out what you want to pay for it and make it a paid job. And don't pay before you have the thing you asked for. So in our future everything outside our skills will be contract work. Because the idea of shared profit doesn't work well in projects with 2-4 years span for a global team and team members dropping without even a mail stating so seems more the rule than the exception.
Our coming product will be a PW, with everything in it as high quality as possible from us and our purse. It will mean smaller amount of elements, but we do believe that the high quality will make up for the small range. And the future will either bring IoM as a TGEAAFXA thing that we iteratively develop on. Or the game combined with the documentation will open a door at some studio/publisher allowing for another engine and a full scale WoW buster ;)
The DG 1 year contest, whether we win or not, will be a thing we will keep in mind and boast with. It's been a fun and learning thing, and we are certain it will be so for the last quarter as well. From the initial crazy style blogs to the recent small ones, it's been fun to share thoughts, problems, progress, and opinions in cozy style and hot tempered threads. All our conclusions from this contest participation have further given us insight in how we are to approach with IoM.
-All there's left to say is have a good new year folks, and we look forward to sometime in 2008 finally show you the inside of IoM
We still work on bringing a Viking Themed Persistent World to life. The game mechanics will react to actual game play and compliment and encourage Role Playing.
Looking back!
Having a core group skilled in many areas of IT but the core coding in languages like C++, Java, etc. is plain foolish. As the engine code is what ties everything together a core team can be good, even stunning, but get as good as nowhere even over a long period of time. So starting this up with our skill pool back then was not that wise, and then again...
Our idea back then, to first define exactly what it was we wanted to create and then document it was a clever move, that allowed for the team to grow into unknown areas of game defining, documentation and development as we progressed. It made the progress slow, but steady none the less.
-And even that is a win for Indies taking on a project as big as this.
Making the documentation (See blog 6) is something that have given us a lot of afterthoughts, and no matter what we have learned a lot that we can fill in the backpack of experience to bring along, should we one day end elsewhere than in living in the world of Game Development.
Our step from TGE to TGEA in the hope for whole worlds in one map/zone was not a clever move. All the resources that existed for TGE which could aid a core team of non engine coders could not be used in TGEA. And all the OpenGL aid was totally nonexistent, so this move was not wise if you look at bringing a product out fast. But it gave us the opportunity to redo our work one more time learning even more in the process.
And with AFXA coming around we finally skipped the MmoKit/Titas and started on a fresh engine and tweaked in only those resources that fitted our ideas. Maybe this wasn't a clever move either but at least we have more control with, and insight into what it is we are doing. And if we manage to overcome some of the engine issues and troubles, it might in the long run end up being a wise move after all.
Our participation in the Dream Games 1 year 'contest' has been a real learning basket. Not only from our own endless stream of blogs, but also from the way our competitors chose to do it, and to the way DG have handled it. It gave us a good insight in how the indie community works, what the future customers want to see and what they couldn't care less about.
Getting actual evolving talk to occur amongst competitors is really hard, and even though some stuff is shared willingly, other things are explosive to touch upon. Especially if there's a big cash price, it will make team leaders a bit touchy -but that's the charm of competition isn't it ;)
The fans seemingly gives a rat's tail about blogs, philosophical thoughts and dialogue -until you show them screenshots and game play demos. Display stunning graphics, complex meshes, big bowls of poly soup and crunchy textures and then they will start to give feedback. Don't deviate with this and that 'non game' stuff like our miniatures thing, cartoons, t-shirts and more -but move along with code, modeling and texturing and get to the finish line instead!
Getting there is one of the reasons, combined with a bit of 'slack handling' of the teams, to why I have been non present at IRQ and forums other than our own for some time. I've focused on improving my Java, C++, UML skills, as well as implementing game mechanics -so that we can be ready with a demo for the DG staff when time is due ;)
Looking ahead
Indie core team and affiliates is a dream that's sweet but not working. It's the personal experience as well as what I've seen in team after teams blogs and forum postings. If you need anything done that's outside your core teams skill set, figure out what you want to pay for it and make it a paid job. And don't pay before you have the thing you asked for. So in our future everything outside our skills will be contract work. Because the idea of shared profit doesn't work well in projects with 2-4 years span for a global team and team members dropping without even a mail stating so seems more the rule than the exception.
Our coming product will be a PW, with everything in it as high quality as possible from us and our purse. It will mean smaller amount of elements, but we do believe that the high quality will make up for the small range. And the future will either bring IoM as a TGEAAFXA thing that we iteratively develop on. Or the game combined with the documentation will open a door at some studio/publisher allowing for another engine and a full scale WoW buster ;)
The DG 1 year contest, whether we win or not, will be a thing we will keep in mind and boast with. It's been a fun and learning thing, and we are certain it will be so for the last quarter as well. From the initial crazy style blogs to the recent small ones, it's been fun to share thoughts, problems, progress, and opinions in cozy style and hot tempered threads. All our conclusions from this contest participation have further given us insight in how we are to approach with IoM.
-All there's left to say is have a good new year folks, and we look forward to sometime in 2008 finally show you the inside of IoM
Torque Owner Jules
Something2Play
Julian