A $1.00 Game

[GoodSelf]

Hello folks!
While I'm working on my large, non-commercial game, I've come up with countless ideas for other projects.
The idea is, to make a short, commercial game, and only sell it for $1.00

I want to get some community feedback   here are some questions for ya!

1. How long should a $1.00 game be? An hour? Less?
2. Would a short, story driven game work better? Or perhaps a rouge-like with replay value?
3. What would convince you to buy a short game for $1.00? What features would you like to see?

Feel free to elaborate on your answers   I'm looking forward to everyone's thoughts!

 

[CrossBones]

from my countless experiences on super shorts video-games like minecraft


maybe a dollar video-game should be a demo... haha, no just a demo, but a video-game with some text, cutscenes, and battles...


about features... i would like to see, epic battles! yeah, that sounds rough lol, may a storyline not too shortly... but why you wanna earn just 1.00?

 

[bgillisp]

Probably at most as long as Remnants of Isolation (which I beat in 2 hours), no longer.


Personally I think if you were to do a $1 game, it should either be just a minigame from your main game which you expand out some, or maybe a boss rush game.

 

[GoodSelf]

from my countless experiences on super shorts video-games like minecraft


maybe a dollar video-game should be a demo... haha, no just a demo, but a video-game with some text, cutscenes, and battles...


about features... i would like to see, epic battles! yeah, that sounds rough lol, may a storyline not too shortly... but why you wanna earn just 1.00?

There are a lot of RPG Maker games out there, and I feel if I create a short game, with a lot of detail, for a competitive price, that I'll get some minor sales.


It's not that I want to just earn $1.00 - I'm aiming to build a brand, persay. "Oh yeah, that guy who makes $1 games is releasing a full length rpg!".

 

[Sardonic]

I think a short game with multiple interesting/tantalizing choices that have noticeable effects on the outcome would be something I would like to play.  Like something where from the very beginning you are making choices that dictate the overall outcome.  A game like that would be worth quite a few hours of game play even if it only lasts an hour in a single play-through.  


Lots of replay value.

 

[CrossBones]

I will love to see you maybe commanding an enterprise in maybe... ten years more? or less?


just for making that game... you will earn some respect.


if you make that shortly game, that would be your first step to becoming a greatest scripter, and maybe someday developer , you can earn a lot of money if that game sells  


maybe you want to add more story to that game i will praise for you pal, i´m just a rookie in all this, maybe you will make someone happy with that game  

 

[GoodSelf]

Personally I think if you were to do a $1 game, it should either be just a minigame from your main game which you expand out some, or maybe a boss rush game.

@bgillisp This seems like a solid idea. I guess I'm aiming for a "full experience" type of game, not just a segment of something greater. Although I'm fine with the story being a prologue to another.

I think a short game with multiple interesting/tantalizing choices that have noticeable effects on the outcome would be something I would like to play.

@Sardonic yeah, I was thinking the same thing. Would take longer, but will more than likely drive sales.

 

[bgillisp]

You can still get a full experience with some creativity. Maybe the boss rush mode is 30 - 40 waves, with you able to save and change equipment and party members every 5 waves? This way it is about strategy. Or maybe every 5 waves choose the next set of 5? Then you got some branching.


Or for the minigame, maybe it is a full fledged game with 10 - 15 rounds that get harder and harder, but the main game only had 2 - 3 rounds. That is what I was thinking of. So still a decent experience in the end (hopefully).


In fact, I was hoping to work on one of those type of short games myself this week for a contest, but I don't have the time right now.

 

[HexMozart88]

Yeah. I'd recommend not making a dollar RPG. If you do, it'd have to be, like, a simplified version of Dungeon Defenders. Otherwise, might I suggest a music game? Or an arcade game?   I actually made a Pac-Man game once. Just to see if I could do it. Has no story, but if I edited it to be a bit different from Pac-Man, maybe I could sell it for a dollar. Hmm... Now you've got me thinking... 


In all seriousness though, look at games like Frogger and Centipede and try and aim for an arcade type game like that, and I'd be sold (I'm an extreme geek, in case you haven't noticed  ). If you think it'd be too hard to create something to that extent though, you could always make a dungeon crawler (those games are apparently pretty successful). 

 

[GoodSelf]

@HexMozart88 So why should I not make one? Your suggestions are great and appreciated!

 

[IamGilgamesh]

I'm intending to do this also.

 

[Pierman Walter]

Either put all of your effort into story, or gameplay. Don't try to do both at the same time. With a game this short, it is better to have one part super well done and the rest pretty bad. It is much more memorable than a short game where everything is okay and nothing stands out.

 

[consolcwby]

Q. How long should a $1.00 game be? An hour? Less?


A. Any length, really. The perceived value of anything comes from the purchaser and their subjective opinion. But since that statement is just a cop-out, about three hours in my subjective opinion.
 


Q. Would a short, story driven game work better? Or perhaps a rouge-like with replay value?


A. I'm not sure what a rouge-like game is, but I know what a rogue-like game is! The programming for a real, true, procgen game is not for the feint of heart - not if you are looking to do that correctly. And while a story driven game sounds good, the person paying for this is thinking combat particularly if the game is short (unless it is a niche genre game like horror or teen-romance). At max, try for 2 or 3 to 1. So, 1 hour of story and 2 hours of combat...you  get the idea. Again, this is subjective on my part.



Q. What would convince you to buy a short game for $1.00? What features would you like to see?


A. I'm the cheapest S.O.B. alive right now, so... if it can clean my house and do my laundry for me, maybe $0.89?


But seriously though, a cheap game should have basic features. If you want to try some new plug-ins and experiment be sure to ease the player through any new system stuff. Other than that, saving loading graphics and sound is all THEY deserve! lol


p.s. Why do people think procgen is easy? I'm curious about the answer to this question, since finding the right algorithms can be so hard, let alone coding them correctly! Eh, maybe I've gotten lazy in my old age, I don't know...

 

[Canini]

I was actually thinking about doing something similar, like a collection of short unconnected scenarios based on norse myth. I am calling it Edda 52 after the infamous Action 52 NES game. But mine will probably be free, since it is more or less a joke. 

 

[consolcwby]

Action 52 NES game

I have never owned a Nintendo, yet even I have heard of this! For heaven's sake, WHY?!!

 

[Yappy Monoxide]

I have never owned a Nintendo,

WHAT!?!?!?!?!?!?!!?!?!?!?!?!?!!?!?!?

 

[Darmok0]

Sounds like something you can seriously build on. If your game is an  RPG : here is a thought - try releasing it in small chapters.


Over time you could really build on your characters personalities and in return you'll not only grow as a scripter, but also


grow as a good storyteller also. Good luck. Hey, I'd buy it for a dollar just out of curiosity.

 

[IamGilgamesh]

I don't personally recommend doing or leaving anything in your game that's bad. At all. Everything should at LEAST be 'not bad' and only the worst of the worst features. In my humble opinion. 


Thing about hours of gameplay is, how open ended and how fun can you make it? If there even IS a plot, just cuz its only an hour or two or a half doesn't much matter if there's content fun enough to play again. Or you could do a short story that can go a dozen ways for a pile of replayability. There are many directions you could take it.

 

[consolcwby]

WHAT!?!?!?!?!?!?!!?!?!?!?!?!?!!?!?!?

I SAID: I NEVER OWNED A NINTENDO!!!!!!!!


(you really do need a hearing aid, ya'know!)


Never owned: a NES, SNES, 64, GameCube, Wii, WiiU, Gameboy, DS, etc. I played on a few, but never owned anything other than Atari and Sony. Go figure! (Think of how many classic Square and Enix games I missed! Shame on me! Shame shame shame!)

 

[Yappy Monoxide]

I SAID: I NEVER OWNED A NINTENDO!!!!!!!!


(you really do need a hearing aid, ya'know!)


Never owned: a NES, SNES, 64, GameCube, Wii, WiiU, Gameboy, DS, etc. I played on a few, but never owned anything other than Atari and Sony. Go figure! (Think of how many classic Square and Enix games I missed! Shame on me! Shame shame shame!)





 

Did you have a childhood at all?