Advice: how to get games DONE and not being a dofus [Part2: Game Development is up!]

[omen613]

Looking forward to the next article on game development. Good work as always Indrah

 

[Indrah]

Next time: What is a team and why they tend to not work most of the times, and how to make them actually do well

And no, if your sole purpose (SOLE) is to be the idea man, stuff THAT. You are doing nothing but making OTHERS do your work. Unless it's a comercial venture where you're literally employing others to make your dream game, NO.

 

[Engr. Adiktuzmiko]

yeah, for a company, you can be a boss... but on a team, you can't really, the team will fall.. what a team needs is a leader...


btw

Don’t change your dayum display name every day.

The forums don't allow that right? I think it's maximum of 3 names per 30 days or so...

 

[Indrah]

It's a manner of speaking. It means more along the lines of:

If you keep changign your dayum "face" and "name" there is no way the average user will have any fricking diea of who you are :v

 

[Engr. Adiktuzmiko]

well yeah, it's kinda frustrating when people do that... at the very least, don't change name and face at the same time...

 

[EFizzle]

So many "DON'TS"... Almost too negative. I'm hoping the next part is less negative, with a little more positive advice.

But let's be honest here, this sounds A LOT like a rage-filled rant more so than a helpful compilation of advice for a lost newbie. If I was a member of the presumed target audience of this topic, I'd be heavily deterred from the vary thing you're trying to promote. However, you make very very good points that some people new to the game-dev scene must learn, and I, and so many others, learned the hard way. You've said what I've said to many new game-dev-wannabes and it was about time that someone made the whole thing accessible to all. However... a little kinder would've been nicer... :/ Harsh words, harsh words.

 

[B.Ultimus]

Dream guy/Visionary Position == Guy who pays me to make their game

 

[Engr. Adiktuzmiko]

@Ultimus - I think he said that it's not a problem if he does pay the people which makes it like how normal companies go...

 

[Makio-Kuta]

Maybe it's because I read the whole post with Indrah's adorable voice that it didn't come across all that harsh to me at all haha


Anyway, lots of good points. That don't just apply to this site, but to handling yourself on any website or project. I think people can sometimes forget that the best way to show a community that you have what it takes, is stepping up to the plate and actually showing it. Words are words, ideas are ideas - but a game! Bad or good, it shows you are willing to put in the effort and time.

Don’t expect other members to do you any favours, but don’t fear them either.

I liked this line best. Looking forward to the other entries.

 

[Engr. Adiktuzmiko]

yeah... and I must say that this community is quite welcoming to newcomers... on the other one I've been from for more than 6 years now, we "eat" bratty newcomers...

 

[Another Ned]

About that team leader/visionary guy thing:

(in spoilers because otherwise looks too long)

Spoiler

I once worked in a team with someone who wanted to be team leader, vision keeper and doing everything at the same time. It's exhaustingly frustrating to work with someone who gives you tasks, and not only rejects or ignores everything you did the next meeting, but without further notice did the task himself and then acts as if noone worked as hard as him. The next semester went better (well, mostly because he wasn't the lead anymore, nor did he have much say in final decisions), but I'll avoid working with this person in the future. Don't be a guy like that. He did improve, but still, I do not want to work with him ever again.
Sorry for ramble, but that needed to get out.
Oh, another thing: Actually keeping the vision, informing the team about changes, giving feedback in accordance to/with/preposition the vision (ideally stated inside a Vision Statement, a GDD or a Style Guide for all to reference, tends to save time in the long run) also requires hard work. Tell this the "ideas guy".

To the opening postespite the somewhat harsh sound of the post, it actually felt encouraging.

Maybe its because I'm more likely to be forgotten (I'm even more shy/quiet on the internet than in real life) than to be remembered because of being a [insert bad word of choice here]. x)

The part about "not to be scared of people" is something that resonated with me. Still have to learn that.

I'm always getting nervous when posting. Prevents me from posting at all sometimes. And then I spend half an hour proofreading everything, watering down stuff, add an emoticon or two because people even misunderstand me in real life, where there's also body language involved, and sentences like this actual one get shortened or kicked out, usually resulting in not posting anything another half hour later. <-- I only kept this for reference. This topic is much needed.

And again did I ramble. Sorry. :<

I'm looking forward to the next parts.

 

[Makio-Kuta]

I think the worst kind of 'idea guys' are the ones that contribute NOTHING. If you want to be someone that inspires other people to work with you on a project, show them what YOU have to offer. Make a demo about this great idea you have. So you can't draw, so you can't make music, maybe you want more custom art for your game - show people that you are willing to put the effort in my having something for them to see. Words and ideas on a screen are meaningless. Show people effort, show people your dream. That will draw people to you. That will make people want to work with you. Head hunting people out to work on this grand idea with you with nothing more than a 'vision' isn't that inspiring.


@Chiara: awww I hope you can be less shy around here! Any of your posts that I have read I usually find myself agreeing with and your art speaks volumes for you. There's no way I'm forgetting those lovely boots you drew any time soon rambling is the best; no need to apologize for such things heh

 

[Stridah]

This was a great post! I am a newer member and really enjoyed this.  When are you doing the next few episodes?

 

[Arin]

Don't change your forum name every dayum day

Welp, that ship has sailed.

 

[Lunarea]

There's things about communities that become second nature. Little things like how we close support threads when they're resolved or blue mod text are things that have become so natural to us old-time members that we rarely stop and think about them. But they can be a little confusing to a new person. So my advice to anyone who's very new is to start browsing and reading as many interesting threads as you can (and there's a bunch of them!).

I've also got a few suggestions for those of you who want to be noticed by the staff - in a good way:

1- Be positive

This doesn't mean that you have to sugarcoat things to the point where it sounds like some creepy politically-correct censored message. You're definitely allowed to criticize, say no and discuss difficult or challenging topics. But a little bit of kindness and a more gentle approach is much easier to read and handle. People get less defensive if you've got something good to say, and they will be less likely to shut you out or disregard your advice. People also feel more comfortable in an environment where they won't feel like someone is going to judge them too harshly. 

We want all those lurkers and guests to start posting and to become active members, so anything you do to promote a great atmosphere earns you major points with the staff.

2- Be an active poster

Don't post for the sake of getting likes/rep/post count up, but be visible and put yourself out there. Post comments in our blog or Facebook, tell us when you're excited about something we're doing, and don't be afraid to give feedback. Things like competitions and the many events that we run are a great way to get involved, not to mention that they're a great challenge for developing different skills.

One of the best feelings we get is when we see people involved and motivated by our work. Seeing screenshots that use our resource packs, or having a blog article become a catalyst for animated discussion is a really awesome feeling. We love all the people who spend time and energy working with or talking about RPG Maker and other content we produce.

3- Be helpful with support and resources

This is a pretty big one, and probably the best way to get us to notice you. Answering support questions, filling resource requests and writing good tutorials are things we always need more time and energy for. You don't have to be a master at eventing or art, but if you think you can help someone, go for it. Both you and the person you helped will learn in the process.

We often choose our future staff based on their activity and helpfulness. So, if you're helping others, chances are you're on our radar already. And we appreciate you for all the help you're giving.

 

[Indrah]

Part 2: Game Development has been added.

So you know, check it out in the opening post \('3')/

 

[Dalph]

Let's be honest here, everyone were noobs once, only with constant practice and experience you can hope to improve yourself (and this applies to everything), this formula as Indrah says doesn't affect only RM.

Even trashed projects are experience to me, I personally trashed at least 5 games before really working on something, and the trashed projects helped me in every different way (now I can avoid many newbie mistakes).

I personally dislike the idea of joining other teams and\or creating the epic 30 hours Rpg that will never be completed, I don't like wasting my time or wasting the time of other people. 

I always repeat to myself this:

Never attempt to create something that it's too far beyond your current skills.

As I said on another topic the words Big and Done don't coincide together with RM...to me it's better to create short, fun and "completed" games, than long, boring (and probably never fully completed) ones.

About the critique.

The critique is usually subjective, because each reviewer may have different expectations about a game, but not all the developers are open to critiques (even if they say they are).

If you ask me, It's better to be harsh and honest than to lie, a good critique is worth $.

 

[Insidious Mental Pollution]

Let's be honest here, everyone were noobs once, only with constant practice and experience you can hope to improve yourself (and this applies to everything), this formula as Indrah says doesn't affect only RM.

Even trashed projects are experience to me, I personally trashed at least 5 games before really working on something, and the trashed projects helped me in every different way (now I can avoid many newbie mistakes).

I personally dislike the idea of joining other teams and\or creating the epic 30 hours Rpg that will never be completed, I don't like wasting my time or wasting the time of other people. 

I always repeat to myself this:

Never attempt to create something that it's too far beyond your current skills.

As I said on another topic the words Big and Done don't coincide together with RM...to me it's better to create short, fun and "completed" games, than long, boring (and probably never fully completed) ones.

About the critique.

The critique is usually subjective, because each reviewer may have different expectations about a game, but not all the developers are open to critiques (even if they say they are).

If you ask me, It's better to be harsh and honest than to lie, a good critique is worth $.

You beat me to these.  

But particularly the last point.  I prefer a direct, honest, critique to any work I put out there (up to this point, that's one game and several stories).  Sometimes that's hard to take, but particularly when you really desire improvement it's important to develop a skin for it.

 

[Shaz]

You can be honest without being harsh

 

[Another Ned]

@Makio-Kuta: Thank you for the kind words. <3 You like to make strangers smile, don't you?

@Topic/Game Development Part:

Even the things that sound cool like writing or art if that’s your thing can become annoying when you’re trying to polish them, or when it’s just TOO MUCH of it.

This. Absolutely this. Ever tried to draw a faceset yourself for every damn NPC? I got to about 50 (and it only was the first town) before starting to see how much work this was going to be. I dropped the project shortly after (was several years ago).

-They want 10+ people total to work with. (Oh that’s just precious)

Holy jar of cookies. How do they intend to keep everyone on the same page (without dedicated project manager who by the way usually doesn't have much say regarding actual content)? In the unlikely event of getting that many people in the first place, that is.

I found myself nodding in agreement a lot while reading (also started to really appreciate the "harsh tone", gets to the point quickly).

Scope seems to be some kind of omnipresent problem in game dev. Even experienced companies with staff and money have to cut stuff or rush it because it became way too big. :< I also experienced it a lot in my course of study (Game Design), seeing the project presentations of the other semesters as well as my own's, the many unfinished though promising projects.

I myself am guilty of gigantic scope without actually thinking about workload that much in the past as well as the present.

*takes a long, critical look at own current project* Seems like I'll have to scale you down and chop you into parts, dear.

As for the harsh criticism part:

You can be honest without being harsh

This. Plus, even a thick skin can wear thin over time.

But: nothing is more exhausting than having to work with and feedback a person that's easily offended by negative feedback (no matter how diplomatic you are), demands explanations for every rejected piece of work and so on. Especially bad behaviour for someone doing concept work (If you want to do concepts in a team, be prepared to get a lot of stuff rejected. A lot. Like, 80% of what you did will never make it in any form into the game, or get to further stages than the really early ones). Yes, this one's from experience again. I had to work with someone like that for a student project a few semesters ago.