| Getting this game back on track. What must be done... | |
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+4Jack Bowe DeathSkull SuperGameVarken Joycutiepie 8 posters |
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Thadadir Ultra Moderator
Posts : 102 Join date : 2014-05-17
| Subject: Getting this game back on track. What must be done... Mon Jun 22, 2015 11:13 am | |
| OK so this thread isn't going to say what you WANT to hear. But it is going to say what you NEED to hear. If you ever want this game finished with a good sized community then it would be wise to hear me out... I have experience in community managment and moderation in a successful MMO with over 9 million registered accounts. (psst... It's Growtopia) I think I have information and knowledge that may be useful to you as an aspiring game developer.
1. Get on with it NOTE: THIS THREAD IS A SUGGESTION. AN HONEST SUGGESTION MEANING ONLY THE BEST INTENTIONS FOR YOUR PROJECT. Keep this in mind and take any flak that you may assume from this on the chin but do take what is implied into account.
1. The curse of the game developer.
there is a great percentage of all games are never finished because the developer(s) announces it too early. The best thing to do is to get on with it. It's great having suggestions but you should take one thing on at a time. For example, worry about moderators and community setup once you release the game on an open beta. People get impatient and will eventually give up on you as a dev and loose heart, maybe even questioning your abilities if you take too long making a game. No matter how hard it is, when people hear of a game they want it out ASAP. Period... A lot of devs fall at this trap and that's why a lot of indie games are rushed. If you never announce a game you can take as long as you want to make it. That said it is easy to procastinate if you have no one to offer you support and suggestions.
I don't know of your skills in development but if you're inexperienced then making a game isn't a very logical first project. You must learn to crawl before you can walk, then you must learn to walk before you can run. But of course. If you are experienced you can ignore that part :^)
2. Show true progress. If you ARE using a forum early for suggestions and feedback it would be wise to update the community on what you've been doing. Sort of what Mike Honmel did with his Devlogs a few years back. (Of course. It doesn't have to be videos. It can be some pics or at the least a thread showing your progress). This gives a good idea to the people who are supporting you how far you've gotten. It will raise moral and you can get more relevent suggestions and feedback. And if you're concerned about "spoiling" then don't be. If you were it would have been best to develop silently without a forum. You don't have to show them the entire source code (unless your project will be open source and allow for modifications) but give those who are inerested some news of progress...
3. Piroritize Developing a game is a huge project. Like building a house, you are making something from scratch. It's daunting and you may be lost and not sure where to start (or finish). First off you should get a working module that represents the bulk of what your game is (who cares for textures right now? Put in some beta mashup textures if you must). Don't worry about multiplayer or working items. Just get the core of the game done. The 'skeleton' of the game so to speak. If you try to develop a full game when you haven't got a basic skeleton version it would be like making a human without no bones, it would fall into nothingness. I'm not sure how far you are in making the game. But if you're struggling then remember this... Take each bit at a time, always be sure on what you are doing. Make notes on what you need to fix and get it done. Do not make half of something and move to work on another thing. You'll end up getting confused and you'd have a half working game at the end of it. Instead, piroitize and work on a single bt at a time.
4. Drama = Failure. Be professional. Every developer that has gotten into controversy, especially at the early stage of development will almost always fail. This is because you end up getting distracted by dealing with arguments and drama so much that you loose hope in the game or at least forget to work on it. At the same time you should also try to keep freedom of speech alive in whatever community you have, NEVER censor people who you don't agree with. It's OK to ban blatant trolls. People are jerks sometimes, that's life as a game dev. But take some heed from Gamergate. Whatever you think of it the movement has a point. Ethics in gaming. Whether you're a developer or a journalist or a moderator doing it for free. Put the player first, gaming should be enjoyed by all.
5. Be original No one likes a copycat. In the case you are feeling out of ideas then get some help from other people. It may be tempting to get ideas from other games that have been successful. While it's worth a shot observing what works in a game or not by looking at other game projects one should never directly copy them. As a developer you would probably want to add your own ideas. I certainly would.
6. Be realistic You won't get GOTY overnight. And Gabe Newell won't be begging you to join Valve to help him count to 3 overnight either. Work from the bottom and do your best from what you know. Learn and adapt to what you've experienced. There may be times that you feel demorilized and you feel that the project will never continue. If you feel like that then it won't continue. You must keep at it no matter what. Be the best and achieve your goals (Sounded a bit cheesy but it was worth saying).
This thread may come off as a bit ranty, or seemingly aggressive. That's not what I'm getting at. Ever since Deathskull contacted me about an offer I'm afraid I had to refuse, I have been wondering about this game. Observing some threads here I feel that gane development could do with an inspiration boost. Or at the very least, some feedback and a helping hand. This thread doesn't instruct you on how to run a community or develop a game but it offers my personal suggestions. | |
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DeathSkull Administrator
Posts : 794 Join date : 2014-02-18 Age : 25 Location : USA
| Subject: Re: Getting this game back on track. What must be done... Mon Jun 22, 2015 6:58 pm | |
| Wow...This is 100% true....I should have not even made a forums until the game ACTUALLY comes out....Although its good to have suggestions and stuff like you said.
The forums kinda stresses me out because I know ALOT of people are waiting for this game and getting impatient. | |
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Joycutiepie Trainee Moderator
Posts : 3 Join date : 2015-06-18
| Subject: Re: Getting this game back on track. What must be done... Tue Jun 23, 2015 3:03 am | |
| Patience is the Key to Success | |
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SuperGameVarken Newbie
Posts : 6 Join date : 2014-09-01
| Subject: Re: Getting this game back on track. What must be done... Tue Jun 23, 2015 1:28 pm | |
| - DeathSkull wrote:
- Wow...This is 100% true....I should have not even made a forums until the game ACTUALLY comes out....Although its good to have suggestions and stuff like you said.
The forums kinda stresses me out because I know ALOT of people are waiting for this game and getting impatient. Well the big confusion is that there are already mods and a summer fest even the game isn't done at all Well good luck y'all! | |
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Jack Bowe Community Manager
Posts : 70 Join date : 2014-03-07 Age : 23 Location : England.
| Subject: Re: Getting this game back on track. What must be done... Tue Jun 23, 2015 3:27 pm | |
| Yeah, I understand all of your points - not my place to judge, though, I'm going to be taking the predominant role of community manager, the rest is up to the others. | |
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Thadadir Ultra Moderator
Posts : 102 Join date : 2014-05-17
| Subject: Re: Getting this game back on track. What must be done... Wed Jun 24, 2015 1:41 am | |
| I think Jackbowe would make a good community manager. But we need a community.
Deathskull, don't worry about the forum. Jackbowe can handle it while you develop the game. Be sure to show what you've been working on every once and a while to keep people interested. | |
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Thadadir Ultra Moderator
Posts : 102 Join date : 2014-05-17
| Subject: Re: Getting this game back on track. What must be done... Wed Jun 24, 2015 1:44 am | |
| Just noticed I'm but a lonely novice lol.
Just going to speak my mind. This forum is sluggish and feels decades older than it should in general workability. No amount of toggling with settigs will change that. I suggest vBulletin if you're willng to fork out a small fee. Otherwise you could do well on Proboards. But free stuff is always going to have restrictions. | |
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Thadadir Ultra Moderator
Posts : 102 Join date : 2014-05-17
| Subject: Re: Getting this game back on track. What must be done... Wed Jun 24, 2015 1:48 am | |
| ALSO REMEMBER THIS. IT'S IMPORTANT!
Not every good idea can be put into a game. And not every idea put into a game can be good. Trial and error is your friend. | |
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DeathSkull Administrator
Posts : 794 Join date : 2014-02-18 Age : 25 Location : USA
| Subject: Re: Getting this game back on track. What must be done... Wed Jun 24, 2015 7:58 pm | |
| - Jack Bowe wrote:
- Yeah, I understand all of your points - not my place to judge, though, I'm going to be taking the predominant role of community manager, the rest is up to the others.
^^^Jack Bowe now has FULL control of these forums while the Devs and I work on PGO. I will be popping in and out just to see ideas and suggestions. I will also be posting updates when they come out. About SummerFest: Yes, we are still having a "SummerFest" for the forums. Just going to be something fun to do, since I know these forums maybe boring, lol.
Last edited by DeathSkull on Wed Jun 24, 2015 8:10 pm; edited 1 time in total | |
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DeathSkull Administrator
Posts : 794 Join date : 2014-02-18 Age : 25 Location : USA
| Subject: Re: Getting this game back on track. What must be done... Wed Jun 24, 2015 8:00 pm | |
| - Mrthadawee wrote:
- Just noticed I'm but a lonely novice lol.
Just going to speak my mind. This forum is sluggish and feels decades older than it should in general workability. No amount of toggling with settigs will change that. I suggest vBulletin if you're willng to fork out a small fee. Otherwise you could do well on Proboards. But free stuff is always going to have restrictions. I agree. Lol. I have been looking at vBulletin for a while now, just kinda pricey, but then again, its a pay once and done type of thing. [adm]Now,I shall go invisible o.o[/adm] | |
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Thadadir Ultra Moderator
Posts : 102 Join date : 2014-05-17
| Subject: Re: Getting this game back on track. What must be done... Thu Jun 25, 2015 2:06 am | |
| So can I has mod now? :^) You PMed me on the forums, Deathskull. I'm more than happy to help moderate/administrate. Gives Jackbowe someone to help and offer MLG GT mod banhanmer advice :^) (Or just my own advice and opinions) | |
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Jack Bowe Community Manager
Posts : 70 Join date : 2014-03-07 Age : 23 Location : England.
| Subject: Re: Getting this game back on track. What must be done... Thu Jun 25, 2015 10:32 am | |
| I don't need MLG mod advice, I'm quite adequate at the job myself - but you are worthy of the role, not going to deny that. I'll skip your internship and grant you full moderator status. | |
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H3uy Moderator
Posts : 627 Join date : 2014-02-19
| Subject: Re: Getting this game back on track. What must be done... Thu Jun 25, 2015 4:56 pm | |
| Welcome to the moderate team. You deserve | |
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Thadadir Ultra Moderator
Posts : 102 Join date : 2014-05-17
| Subject: Re: Getting this game back on track. What must be done... Fri Jun 26, 2015 12:18 am | |
| *He man voice* I have the power!
Jackbowe, The only advice I could give regarding moderation that you could possibly do with is stuff I learned from Solorien myself. But everyone moderates differently
*Raises a glass* Here's to the future, gentlemen. Let's go make a game!
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Ender Novice
Posts : 190 Join date : 2014-03-11 Age : 24 Location : Somewhere
| Subject: Re: Getting this game back on track. What must be done... Fri Jun 26, 2015 8:33 am | |
| Oh cool.... The games up and running again. | |
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Thadadir Ultra Moderator
Posts : 102 Join date : 2014-05-17
| Subject: Hop to it! Show some progress Sat Aug 01, 2015 2:24 pm | |
| Things feel mighty slow. Perhaps posting a small teaser of what you've acomplished could boost moral and offer some support. I need not say it again but it will be beneficial to post some updates on what you have been doing. This keeps people intrested in the project and opens up for some suggestions. There's no reason to be secretive really. There would be no use in making a forum for this if you were secretive about EVERYTHING. So hop to it. Tell the class what you did on your weekend :^) | |
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Elephant Learning
Posts : 28 Join date : 2014-07-28 Age : 22 Location : Georgia, USA
| Subject: Re: Getting this game back on track. What must be done... Sat Aug 01, 2015 9:04 pm | |
| I saw something that had mentioned a part of the community giving up on Death because of a late release of the game. In fact, I was almost a part of that group. I have actually been trying to stick with this game, and hope for the best as the progression goes on and on. I wish the best of luck to you all, DeathSkull, Mrthadawee, JackBowe. | |
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Thadadir Ultra Moderator
Posts : 102 Join date : 2014-05-17
| Subject: Re: Getting this game back on track. What must be done... Sun Aug 02, 2015 1:34 am | |
| I was more or less in the same boat... Beta has been supposedly "coming soon" for a long time and all that seems to be happening is casual banter on the forums. Coming from the developers perspective making a game takes a long time but it will never happen unless you commit and devote a lot of your time to make it. That's how it works. | |
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H3uy Moderator
Posts : 627 Join date : 2014-02-19
| Subject: Re: Getting this game back on track. What must be done... Sun Aug 02, 2015 5:53 am | |
| I think all we need right now is actual PROOF that this game is coming out. I mean pictures, videos of developers working on the game, and so on. Im certain that they are working on the game, but i think we all would like some videos and photos on how the game is coming along. | |
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DeathSkull Administrator
Posts : 794 Join date : 2014-02-18 Age : 25 Location : USA
| Subject: Re: Getting this game back on track. What must be done... Sun Aug 02, 2015 4:47 pm | |
| - Hatchi wrote:
- I think all we need right now is actual PROOF that this game is coming out.
I mean pictures, videos of developers working on the game, and so on. Im certain that they are working on the game, but i think we all would like some videos and photos on how the game is coming along. I am like Scott Cawthon. (Five Nights at Freddy's Creator) I put easter eggs and teasers everywhere. Keep your eyes open... Like there maybe a website out there or something.... | |
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Thadadir Ultra Moderator
Posts : 102 Join date : 2014-05-17
| Subject: Re: Getting this game back on track. What must be done... Mon Aug 03, 2015 3:05 am | |
| I don't like FNAF though :^)
So as a rough estimate (nothing is set in stone) how far do you think you're at until a basic beta release. Perhaps just the bare bones minimum (a few blocks, being able to place them and a chat system) for basic private testing between mods or even just a simple release for early public testing. We're with you all the way! | |
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Thadadir Ultra Moderator
Posts : 102 Join date : 2014-05-17
| Subject: Re: Getting this game back on track. What must be done... Tue Aug 04, 2015 2:51 am | |
| Daily reminder to NOT procastinate. If a cool idea comes into your head, get on the computer and start coding. If you can't at the time then write the idea down in plain english, write it so you can think to yourself later "oh put it that way and it seems easy to code!" Everytime you think about making some trivial update to the forum, don't. Use your will to improve and channel it into the game. The game is more important right now. You should already have a plan for the game (I know many times plans have been scrapped overall). It is probably best to make a thread about the main plan and get that plan done. Code and develop the main parts of the game. Then you can branch out and polish it to your liking.
But the most important thing is to DO IT! Shia Labouff of whatever the hell his name is had it right... JUST DO IT :^) | |
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DeathSkull Administrator
Posts : 794 Join date : 2014-02-18 Age : 25 Location : USA
| Subject: Re: Getting this game back on track. What must be done... Tue Aug 04, 2015 11:40 am | |
| - Thadadir wrote:
- Daily reminder to NOT procastinate. If a cool idea comes into your head, get on the computer and start coding. If you can't at the time then write the idea down in plain english, write it so you can think to yourself later "oh put it that way and it seems easy to code!" Everytime you think about making some trivial update to the forum, don't. Use your will to improve and channel it into the game. The game is more important right now. You should already have a plan for the game (I know many times plans have been scrapped overall). It is probably best to make a thread about the main plan and get that plan done. Code and develop the main parts of the game. Then you can branch out and polish it to your liking.
But the most important thing is to DO IT! Shia Labouff of whatever the hell his name is had it right... JUST DO IT :^) I'm done with updating forums now. Lol. My friend and I are starting to make the towns and the whole map layout. That last part killed me lmao. | |
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Thadadir Ultra Moderator
Posts : 102 Join date : 2014-05-17
| Subject: Re: Getting this game back on track. What must be done... Wed Aug 05, 2015 5:08 am | |
| Speaking of maps. As I am making music I may be able to work of certain themes. At the moment I have a battle theme and a dungeon/misty lake type theme. I am in the process of making more music, speffically towns and settlements at the moment. Depending on if I can transfer the files to my phone from my old computer or not I may be able to upload a piece or two by Monday. | |
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