Mode7 on what it takes to be an indie game dev

[Ndemic Creations]

I don't have a problem with the bit about game design being hard - it is!

which makes people believe that they can do it, even if they have never done it before

This is the part I'm not keen on. Believing you can do something, even if you haven't done it before is a 'good thing' and the reason that people try new things and get them done. I would not want people to be discouraged by this.
With Plague Inc., so many people told me it wouldn't work etc. However, I got lucky and it did. This can happen to anyone!

[Blackharon]

Originally Posted by BravadoWaffle

However, now that you are in the scene, you will probably have people pitching ideas to you left and right about their "genius" game ideas that you should "totally" make, most of which aren't worth the air it took to speak them.

The number of ideas sent to us just after we release is astounding. Some are ok, some are bad, all are completely raw and not really thought through.

Game design is harder than it looks.

[SibaStyle]

Originally Posted by David Phan

With all due respect, your game Plague is "inspired" by Pandemic. Some folks would use harsher terms than "inspired", but my intent isn't to generate hate. Just saying that if you heavily borrow from another game's design then keep it real .

DP

David,

I feel that this comment's sole purpose is to generate hate. You're new, like myself, to this very competitive market of mobile games. I would suggest that you NOT knock one of the most successful indie developers on TA forums. This is a community of supportive colleagues and not a collection of jealous individuals.

One could make the argument that every game is "inspired" by another game.

[Blackharon]

Originally Posted by SibaStyle

David,
One could make the argument that every game is "inspired" by another game.

This is true, how closely inspired is what matters most. I'll be honest, I didn't download Plague inc. because I felt a little 'been there, done that' when I played the flash version of Pandemic.

However, after reading the forum thread about Plague, it seems I might have been mistaken. Enjoy my .99 Ndemic

[David Phan]

Originally Posted by SibaStyle

David,

I feel that this comment's sole purpose is to generate hate. You're new, like myself, to this very competitive market of mobile games. I would suggest that you NOT knock one of the most successful indie developers on TA forums. This is a community of supportive colleagues and not a collection of jealous individuals.

One could make the argument that every game is "inspired" by another game.

Hi Siba,

Thank you for your feedback on my response. I apologize if I came off as a douchebag to the TA community, but I will not apologize for my comments as it pertains to Ndemic's following quote:

I never made a game before or was involved in any game making team and yet my app went to #1 paid iphone/ipad app in the US in 5 days and has stayed there ever since...

Ndemics game, Plague, heavily borrows from another game called Pandemic. I've played both games and Plague is definitely the better game in terms of polish and features. But a quote like this bothers me because Ndemic's success is greatly (imo) built on another game's unique design and mechanics. It's great Ndemic is enjoying success, but to act blasé about how your success came about through that quote bothers me a bit.

I get that all games are derivative and inspired by something else. But in the mobile space there have been too many "close calls" where one has to question the design overlaps we've seen where one unique game comes out and within 4-6 months, there's a very similar game(s) that would have not possibly existed without the original successful game. The potentially negative fallout from this is that the original game's developers lose out on money because of the very similar products in the market cutting into their sales.

Regardless, you're right in that I am new just like you in the mobile market. I've been in game development for 10 years on the console & handhelds side, but none of that really matters until our team achieves some level of success in this competitive mobile market.

Regards,
DP

[mr.Ugly]

well game design is an art form like many and not an easy task, thats true.

examples like plague wont really work, because imho david is right there..

of course one does not need lots of experience to create something good of the

basic foundation of that poduct is based on someone elses work.


and yes thats normal to takes ideas, expand them, change them etc. simple evolution.. but its neither unique nor would i suggest to brag about the gd aspect of it..

would not be the first popular flash game that got an ios treatment and sold successfull..

in the end it does not matter anyway.. creating a game is hard work.. and not the idea counts but its execution.. there are tons of clones out there and even aome of the most successfull games out there are not genuine new ideas but borrowed concepts who have been polished to a high standard.

designing something really new and unique is an extreemly hard task most game designer will never be able to... and that is not meant to be judging.. not everyone can be a genius designer (iam not for sure)

chill out guys

and congrats on the success of plague inc..

cheers

[Chelmar]

Originally Posted by mr.Ugly

in the end it does not matter anyway.. creating a game is hard work.. and not the idea counts but its execution.. there are tons of clones out there and even aome of the most successfull games out there are not genuine new ideas but borrowed concepts who have been polished to a high standard.

Pretty much this, not just for game design but for software engineering in general (not to exclude art and design, I'm sure this applies to those too). The truth is that ideas are a dime a dozen, and great ideas aren't really few and far between either. So how successful you are is mostly a function of your talent, skill, experience, hard work, timing, and some luck.

[BravadoWaffle]

I didn't want to start another thread so I'll post this here. I found a few new and interesting sites to follow!

50 Essential Websites for game devs- http://www.animationcareerreview.com...-know?page=0,0

[Hercule]

Originally Posted by BravadoWaffle

I didn't want to start another thread so I'll post this here. I found a few new and interesting sites to follow!

50 Essential Websites for game devs- http://www.animationcareerreview.com...-know?page=0,0

Ohh no a time eater


By the way, BravadoWaffle you wrote a very intersesting article !