Post GDC Posting
by Ted Southard · 03/15/2010 (1:22 pm) · 16 comments
What a difference a year makes.
I kicked GDC off last year detailing efforts to get my MMO, Epic Frontiers into full development. I showed up to the show with a free Expo pass courtesy of Garage Games and set up shop in the booth with my laptop and demoed the game to anyone who walked by, including some industry veterans. Surprisingly, I got positive feedback on the features- and I was surprised, because the demo was a horrible mish-mash of stock TGEA artwork, bad Constructor art, a few purchased assets, and a programmer-art GUI that could make Stevie Wonder's eyes bleed. You'd have thought I would have been laughed at.
Pretty horrid, isn't it? Yes it is, Precious... And knowing that even with crappy graphics I had some positive feedback, my two fellow designers and I pressed forward with getting things off the ground. I went to and fro to many conferences (too many, since quite a few just weren't worth the money spent- I'm talking to you, Engage Expo...). To be clear, the feedback was not universally positive. I had people criticize my game design theories, and I talked with them longer than I talked to those who thought that the ideas were good- I needed to know why they didn't like it. Some of their concerns were legitimate, and some concerns rooted in the old-school way of designing MMOs. But rather than hide or lapse into a childish mode of insults or ignoring them, I engaged, listened, and then reflected on what they said.
Fast-forward a year...
Things have changed. The GUI is a lot more professional now, with me having taken the time to create real UI assets instead of quick buttons and place-holder art, and my concept artists Jheanell creating specially stylized icons for the game.
And my team of modelers and texture artists put together a city for Epic Frontiers as our first test of mettle. The name of that city is Ris'Hebbik. Above, you can see the Meeting Hall. Players will be able to rent out space for guild meetings or interact with the NPCs that work in the building as politicians, merchants, or spies.
If you're the adventurous type and need something to do, the Bounty Agencies in each town can help you by presenting a never-ending list of (procedurally generated) missions to accomplish to help keep your civilization in tip-top working order.
Or, if you want to delve into the history and secrets of the world, there is always the Library. Located behind the massive Meeting Hall in Ris'Hebbik, it's arguably just as powerful...
And, armed with a demo that can spit out those screenshots all day long, I waded back into GDC. I was also armed with experience. I had already demoed for a publisher, and the new publishers I was about to attract didn't make me nearly as nervous. I knew that venture capitalists were looking for sure-bets already released- as are most publishers. I was hunting for talent for the team. I had more confidence.
The Torque Powered interview came and went, followed up by another interview yet to be posted on the internet, and business talks show continued interest in the project as my team demonstrates our ability to put out a professional Indie game.
And while I'm on that subject, I may as well make an announcement regarding it. In April we intend to open the doors of the alpha version of Epic Frontiers, in order to get additional feedback and metrics from the Torque Powered community. There is not an exact date in April for the alpha, but as we get closer and have a date, we will make an additional announcement, with further information about how to participate.
More to come...
I kicked GDC off last year detailing efforts to get my MMO, Epic Frontiers into full development. I showed up to the show with a free Expo pass courtesy of Garage Games and set up shop in the booth with my laptop and demoed the game to anyone who walked by, including some industry veterans. Surprisingly, I got positive feedback on the features- and I was surprised, because the demo was a horrible mish-mash of stock TGEA artwork, bad Constructor art, a few purchased assets, and a programmer-art GUI that could make Stevie Wonder's eyes bleed. You'd have thought I would have been laughed at.
Pretty horrid, isn't it? Yes it is, Precious... And knowing that even with crappy graphics I had some positive feedback, my two fellow designers and I pressed forward with getting things off the ground. I went to and fro to many conferences (too many, since quite a few just weren't worth the money spent- I'm talking to you, Engage Expo...). To be clear, the feedback was not universally positive. I had people criticize my game design theories, and I talked with them longer than I talked to those who thought that the ideas were good- I needed to know why they didn't like it. Some of their concerns were legitimate, and some concerns rooted in the old-school way of designing MMOs. But rather than hide or lapse into a childish mode of insults or ignoring them, I engaged, listened, and then reflected on what they said.
Fast-forward a year...
Things have changed. The GUI is a lot more professional now, with me having taken the time to create real UI assets instead of quick buttons and place-holder art, and my concept artists Jheanell creating specially stylized icons for the game.
And my team of modelers and texture artists put together a city for Epic Frontiers as our first test of mettle. The name of that city is Ris'Hebbik. Above, you can see the Meeting Hall. Players will be able to rent out space for guild meetings or interact with the NPCs that work in the building as politicians, merchants, or spies.
If you're the adventurous type and need something to do, the Bounty Agencies in each town can help you by presenting a never-ending list of (procedurally generated) missions to accomplish to help keep your civilization in tip-top working order.
Or, if you want to delve into the history and secrets of the world, there is always the Library. Located behind the massive Meeting Hall in Ris'Hebbik, it's arguably just as powerful...
And, armed with a demo that can spit out those screenshots all day long, I waded back into GDC. I was also armed with experience. I had already demoed for a publisher, and the new publishers I was about to attract didn't make me nearly as nervous. I knew that venture capitalists were looking for sure-bets already released- as are most publishers. I was hunting for talent for the team. I had more confidence.
The Torque Powered interview came and went, followed up by another interview yet to be posted on the internet, and business talks show continued interest in the project as my team demonstrates our ability to put out a professional Indie game.
And while I'm on that subject, I may as well make an announcement regarding it. In April we intend to open the doors of the alpha version of Epic Frontiers, in order to get additional feedback and metrics from the Torque Powered community. There is not an exact date in April for the alpha, but as we get closer and have a date, we will make an additional announcement, with further information about how to participate.
More to come...
About the author
Started with indie games over a decade ago, and now creates tools and tech for games. Currently working as a contractor for startups and game studios.
#2
Think of yourself as lead scout, paving the way and reporting back the info for the rest of us!
What was publisher feedback?
03/15/2010 (5:37 pm)
Quote:
I was also armed with experience.
Think of yourself as lead scout, paving the way and reporting back the info for the rest of us!
What was publisher feedback?
#3
That's what I thought, too. But you know what? I went to GDC, handed out a bit over 150 cards, got about 50 back, had a couple of talks that can lead to freelance business, had a business meeting, did two interviews, attended several after-parties, and had many talks with the client I'm currently doing game design/coding work for.
I'm really the only one who benefits from all of that.
The fact is that while I can blog about the nameless, faceless publishers that I talk to and everything else, there's no real take-away for people who just read and never take the initiative. I thought that the blogs would motivate people, but I really think that there is a large percentage of people just reading and not wanting to put themselves out there for whatever reason.
It's like that MMO thread I created. It's a sticky, and you'd think people would read it, and you'd hope that some would heed it (and some do), but unfortunately, I've had more people get offended at my posting it than were glad for it (and there were some that were glad). Most people think you're trying to get in the way of their dreams on purpose.
So the bottom line is that people have to put themselves out there, or else no amount of blog reading will get them even a single business card.
03/15/2010 (6:28 pm)
Let's just say that there should be a few extra people running around in that alpha... Quote:Think of yourself as lead scout, paving the way and reporting back the info for the rest of us!
That's what I thought, too. But you know what? I went to GDC, handed out a bit over 150 cards, got about 50 back, had a couple of talks that can lead to freelance business, had a business meeting, did two interviews, attended several after-parties, and had many talks with the client I'm currently doing game design/coding work for.
I'm really the only one who benefits from all of that.
The fact is that while I can blog about the nameless, faceless publishers that I talk to and everything else, there's no real take-away for people who just read and never take the initiative. I thought that the blogs would motivate people, but I really think that there is a large percentage of people just reading and not wanting to put themselves out there for whatever reason.
It's like that MMO thread I created. It's a sticky, and you'd think people would read it, and you'd hope that some would heed it (and some do), but unfortunately, I've had more people get offended at my posting it than were glad for it (and there were some that were glad). Most people think you're trying to get in the way of their dreams on purpose.
So the bottom line is that people have to put themselves out there, or else no amount of blog reading will get them even a single business card.
#4
I think what you're doing is awesome, and I agree with Steve, it actually feels like we all gain some experience through yours.
Im always wondering though, why you picked that path. Dont you feel that all the bussines cards, publisher-searching thing is plainly old school?
I mean, you have the courage and strenght, why just not go real Indie, stop all the wandering through conferences, and make and publish games like so many others are doing now?
There is a point there, where neither *you* are following your advice on the sticky thread. And what bothers me is that you have all what takes to just makes games independently.
03/17/2010 (8:21 am)
Dark mood Ted? Heh.I think what you're doing is awesome, and I agree with Steve, it actually feels like we all gain some experience through yours.
Im always wondering though, why you picked that path. Dont you feel that all the bussines cards, publisher-searching thing is plainly old school?
I mean, you have the courage and strenght, why just not go real Indie, stop all the wandering through conferences, and make and publish games like so many others are doing now?
There is a point there, where neither *you* are following your advice on the sticky thread. And what bothers me is that you have all what takes to just makes games independently.
#5
Actually, I'm following Step 7:
The point of going after funding is that if there is a chance that I can get it, then I should go after that chance, which is what I'm doing. I'm not chasing publishers down and doing elevator pitches in hallways as they try to get to the next session- I schedule meetings and sit down with them and talk as businessmen do, because anything less won't do. The fact that the tables at these conferences are actually in the hallway notwithstanding...
Thanks for the kudos, but I disagree on the point that being a "real Indie" means not going to the conferences. I mean, the whole reason why I push conference attendance in my blogs is that the sheer amount of networking and knowledge transfer potential makes it well worth the money.
I have several points to make on this, actually:
- I have a client that I do freelance work for that I met at a conference. This year, I brought him out to network and he made several very promising contacts to help move the project forward. That directly affects my ability to support myself as an Indie.
- I maintain closer relations with Torque Powered, as well as other Associates and developers that come out to the booth every year than if I just talked here on the forums, which is important for business (plus, they're cool people in general). There is a large amount of knowledge transfer that occurs when you're just talking about your projects without looking for help or resources or bug fixes. Even when you're talking to people in other booths or at mixers, they can mention something in passing that changes how you look at a problem or solves it completely.
- There is a massive population of students at the conference, and it's not very hard to spot them (most of their badges say "Student") and talk to them about your project. I have 3-4 that I need to email that have expressed interest in my project, so it's a fertile recruiting ground. And this goes for professionals too, because it's not like the guys and girls who have day jobs don't do hobby or Indie stuff on the side.
- People go to GDC to look for knowledge and the sessions are absolutely incredible. From the four sessions I went to, I learned new things about team management, art creation/direction, game psychology, and best practices for scaling online games. I've already started implementing some of that knowledge to increase my team's efficiency.
- I walked out of GDC with more leads for business than I was able to cobble together throughout the whole of last year online. No details here, of course, but it's not like large companies won't work with an Indie if that Indie has a product or service that is valuable to them.
- The day after I got interviewed by Torque Powered, I got interviewed by a gamer site that is in beta. I also got a spur-of-the-moment interview at AGDC last year, and got an interview at GamersInfo.net from the previous GDC. The media doesn't ignore Indies there at all- they want to see Indies doing cool stuff.
So that's why seeing people basically say "tell me what you learned so I don't have to make the effort" or have it referred to as "old school" puts me in a dark mood (plus, I'm from New York, so my mood's always a bit dark). Networking and conferences should be at the top of the list. Why would someone not want to go to a conference attended by 18,500 people and have a chance at reaping the above benefits?
Well, I'll tell you why... A larger-than-is-proportional percentage of Indies either think that the conferences hold no opportunities for an Indie to advance as an Indie; think that someone is going to steal their ideas and- with the resources of a AAA studio- beat them to the punch; or that they'll somehow be tainted by people who work for larger companies.
All three of those reasons are not just wrong, but hurtful to the Indie. The amount of effort needed to change that view is far more than what I can provide, and yes, I talked to (nameless)people at GDC both last year and this year about ways to change that.
03/17/2010 (9:32 am)
Quote:There is a point there, where neither *you* are following your advice on the sticky thread.
Actually, I'm following Step 7:
Quote:Network with other developers, go to conferences if you can, blog...
The point of going after funding is that if there is a chance that I can get it, then I should go after that chance, which is what I'm doing. I'm not chasing publishers down and doing elevator pitches in hallways as they try to get to the next session- I schedule meetings and sit down with them and talk as businessmen do, because anything less won't do. The fact that the tables at these conferences are actually in the hallway notwithstanding...
Quote:I mean, you have the courage and strenght, why just not go real Indie, stop all the wandering through conferences, and make and publish games like so many others are doing now?
Thanks for the kudos, but I disagree on the point that being a "real Indie" means not going to the conferences. I mean, the whole reason why I push conference attendance in my blogs is that the sheer amount of networking and knowledge transfer potential makes it well worth the money.
I have several points to make on this, actually:
- I have a client that I do freelance work for that I met at a conference. This year, I brought him out to network and he made several very promising contacts to help move the project forward. That directly affects my ability to support myself as an Indie.
- I maintain closer relations with Torque Powered, as well as other Associates and developers that come out to the booth every year than if I just talked here on the forums, which is important for business (plus, they're cool people in general). There is a large amount of knowledge transfer that occurs when you're just talking about your projects without looking for help or resources or bug fixes. Even when you're talking to people in other booths or at mixers, they can mention something in passing that changes how you look at a problem or solves it completely.
- There is a massive population of students at the conference, and it's not very hard to spot them (most of their badges say "Student") and talk to them about your project. I have 3-4 that I need to email that have expressed interest in my project, so it's a fertile recruiting ground. And this goes for professionals too, because it's not like the guys and girls who have day jobs don't do hobby or Indie stuff on the side.
- People go to GDC to look for knowledge and the sessions are absolutely incredible. From the four sessions I went to, I learned new things about team management, art creation/direction, game psychology, and best practices for scaling online games. I've already started implementing some of that knowledge to increase my team's efficiency.
- I walked out of GDC with more leads for business than I was able to cobble together throughout the whole of last year online. No details here, of course, but it's not like large companies won't work with an Indie if that Indie has a product or service that is valuable to them.
- The day after I got interviewed by Torque Powered, I got interviewed by a gamer site that is in beta. I also got a spur-of-the-moment interview at AGDC last year, and got an interview at GamersInfo.net from the previous GDC. The media doesn't ignore Indies there at all- they want to see Indies doing cool stuff.
So that's why seeing people basically say "tell me what you learned so I don't have to make the effort" or have it referred to as "old school" puts me in a dark mood (plus, I'm from New York, so my mood's always a bit dark). Networking and conferences should be at the top of the list. Why would someone not want to go to a conference attended by 18,500 people and have a chance at reaping the above benefits?
Well, I'll tell you why... A larger-than-is-proportional percentage of Indies either think that the conferences hold no opportunities for an Indie to advance as an Indie; think that someone is going to steal their ideas and- with the resources of a AAA studio- beat them to the punch; or that they'll somehow be tainted by people who work for larger companies.
All three of those reasons are not just wrong, but hurtful to the Indie. The amount of effort needed to change that view is far more than what I can provide, and yes, I talked to (nameless)people at GDC both last year and this year about ways to change that.
#6
Ok, I can agree! Lost of indies go to conferences, you took that part of my post too specifically, I was definitively *not* calling networking "old school" but the constant door-knocking, the quest for money.
My point was mostly in the meta-message, about your choice of how doing it, putting tons of energy in looking for external funding, and networking in a specific direction, that seems to always be looking for external help to achieve your goal.
I was thinking what would happen if instead of pursuing an MMOG, you -as indie- take all your energy into making a game that doesn't require all that huge infraestructure and money, and apply it to something else you wanna do. I bet another 2DBoy could arise.
03/17/2010 (10:10 am)
Quote:Networking and conferences should be at the top of the list.
Ok, I can agree! Lost of indies go to conferences, you took that part of my post too specifically, I was definitively *not* calling networking "old school" but the constant door-knocking, the quest for money.
My point was mostly in the meta-message, about your choice of how doing it, putting tons of energy in looking for external funding, and networking in a specific direction, that seems to always be looking for external help to achieve your goal.
I was thinking what would happen if instead of pursuing an MMOG, you -as indie- take all your energy into making a game that doesn't require all that huge infraestructure and money, and apply it to something else you wanna do. I bet another 2DBoy could arise.
#7
Okay, I get what you're saying, but still, I think that if there is an avenue that can be explored, it should be. That said, there are certain avenues that I don't explore as much such as venture capital, due to what I've learned of what they're looking for- but if I never did the due diligence on it, then I wouldn't have known either way.
The first thing that would happen is that I would have quit, which is unacceptable to me, but I know that's not what you mean ;) Aside from Epic Frontiers, I have non-MMO projects that I am working on, including porting a 2D game I previously shopped around to some portals to Flex, and a few other small game ideas, as well as the freelance project I'm working on now in the educational games sector. In addition to that, I have technology that I'm working on that I would like to sell as well.
I'm no one-trick pony ;)
03/17/2010 (10:26 am)
Quote:I was definitively *not* calling networking "old school" but the constant door-knocking, the quest for money.
Okay, I get what you're saying, but still, I think that if there is an avenue that can be explored, it should be. That said, there are certain avenues that I don't explore as much such as venture capital, due to what I've learned of what they're looking for- but if I never did the due diligence on it, then I wouldn't have known either way.
Quote:I was thinking what would happen if instead of pursuing an MMOG, you -as indie- take all your energy into making a game that doesn't require all that huge infraestructure and money, and apply it to something else you wanna do.
The first thing that would happen is that I would have quit, which is unacceptable to me, but I know that's not what you mean ;) Aside from Epic Frontiers, I have non-MMO projects that I am working on, including porting a 2D game I previously shopped around to some portals to Flex, and a few other small game ideas, as well as the freelance project I'm working on now in the educational games sector. In addition to that, I have technology that I'm working on that I would like to sell as well.
I'm no one-trick pony ;)
#8
I'd love to plod off to SF (or elsewhere) for a week of said conferencing, and have every intention of doing so once I've got something to carry around on a laptop and show off - even if it does mean just ambushing people in elevators ;)
In the meantime, I've always found your blog posts about your progress and these events really interesting. And your sticky too, MMO is not my genre, but a really fascinating read and a shame that some don't wish to take the useful info for what it is.
***This year for getting something to show off***
03/18/2010 (2:40 pm)
Quote:
Why would someone not want to go to a conference attended by 18,500 people and have a chance at reaping the above benefits?
I'd love to plod off to SF (or elsewhere) for a week of said conferencing, and have every intention of doing so once I've got something to carry around on a laptop and show off - even if it does mean just ambushing people in elevators ;)
In the meantime, I've always found your blog posts about your progress and these events really interesting. And your sticky too, MMO is not my genre, but a really fascinating read and a shame that some don't wish to take the useful info for what it is.
***This year for getting something to show off***
#9
I do want to critique your UI a bit, however. While the images look nicer, the layout does not -- it eats up too much screen real estate. That map/radar (I assume?) thing smack-dab in the middle of the screen is particularly distracting.
In a nutshell, I want to see the world first-and-foremost, not the interface.
03/19/2010 (12:32 pm)
Cool stuff as always, Ted! =)I do want to critique your UI a bit, however. While the images look nicer, the layout does not -- it eats up too much screen real estate. That map/radar (I assume?) thing smack-dab in the middle of the screen is particularly distracting.
In a nutshell, I want to see the world first-and-foremost, not the interface.
#10
My best advice is to look for the reasons why someone would view your work as risky. Publishers hate risk. Find every way posible to reduce it for them.
03/20/2010 (8:55 pm)
Keep up the good fight. Reminds me of the time a few of us rented a RV, parked it outside E3 and brought in publishers. We ended up winning a contract from a guy at Sierra that I met while having lunch at CPK. Keep your head up and your focus sharp. My best advice is to look for the reasons why someone would view your work as risky. Publishers hate risk. Find every way posible to reduce it for them.
#11
@Kevin: If you're so inclined, you can write up a critique of our UI and email it off to us for review? We're always looking for hard critiques. Thanks for the input!
Looking at the team from the point of view of the publishers, we're almost completely risk right now. While we have a demo and can show features working, we don't have any AAA games between us, and for most of the team, this is their first game. The features are also different than from the usual MMO genre features, and I find that it can be viewed as both a risk by some and as "impressive" (quoting a publisher here) by others.
Another part of risk is probably how much I'm telling them it will cost. Even if I double the numbers, I'm nowhere near the usual budget of an MMO, and that is a double-edged sword as well. If I approach with a AAA budget, I'm sure to lose out, while if I approach with my more conservative budget, I'm sure they're sitting there like "how's this work out to be so low?" even with the numbers in front of them. They tend to balk when the words "sweat equity" are mentioned. Thing is, I can't change anything but the features, and if I do that, then I'm just merging in with the crowd instead of standing out from it. Which brings me to the operating plan...
The Indie way of doing it would be to forge ahead and get content into the game, and then get a small loan to cover things like servers and infrastructure costs during the launch. The reality of the situation will be that that is the way to go, and publishers will have a change of heart once they see it in operation (they usually do come right out and say this if you ask them). Of course, at that point, I might not be as inclined to submit my business to anyone else (especially if it's sucessful).
03/21/2010 (8:41 am)
Quote:I do want to critique your UI a bit, however. While the images look nicer, the layout does not -- it eats up too much screen real estate. That map/radar (I assume?) thing smack-dab in the middle of the screen is particularly distracting.
@Kevin: If you're so inclined, you can write up a critique of our UI and email it off to us for review? We're always looking for hard critiques. Thanks for the input!
Quote:My best advice is to look for the reasons why someone would view your work as risky. Publishers hate risk. Find every way posible to reduce it for them.
Looking at the team from the point of view of the publishers, we're almost completely risk right now. While we have a demo and can show features working, we don't have any AAA games between us, and for most of the team, this is their first game. The features are also different than from the usual MMO genre features, and I find that it can be viewed as both a risk by some and as "impressive" (quoting a publisher here) by others.
Another part of risk is probably how much I'm telling them it will cost. Even if I double the numbers, I'm nowhere near the usual budget of an MMO, and that is a double-edged sword as well. If I approach with a AAA budget, I'm sure to lose out, while if I approach with my more conservative budget, I'm sure they're sitting there like "how's this work out to be so low?" even with the numbers in front of them. They tend to balk when the words "sweat equity" are mentioned. Thing is, I can't change anything but the features, and if I do that, then I'm just merging in with the crowd instead of standing out from it. Which brings me to the operating plan...
The Indie way of doing it would be to forge ahead and get content into the game, and then get a small loan to cover things like servers and infrastructure costs during the launch. The reality of the situation will be that that is the way to go, and publishers will have a change of heart once they see it in operation (they usually do come right out and say this if you ask them). Of course, at that point, I might not be as inclined to submit my business to anyone else (especially if it's sucessful).
#12
In the last year a team of me and my friends have been planning out an indie MMO and your insight to the challenges ahead of us has been invaluable. Though I have never been to any type of game conference, your ideas on networking have also been a great lesson for me that I hope to fully take advantage of in the future.
Keep up the great work and the great posts!
03/21/2010 (7:07 pm)
I just wanted to say thank you for all your blog posts the last few years. I have been following Epic Frontiers for a good while now and have poured over your GDC Posts with great interest. In the last year a team of me and my friends have been planning out an indie MMO and your insight to the challenges ahead of us has been invaluable. Though I have never been to any type of game conference, your ideas on networking have also been a great lesson for me that I hope to fully take advantage of in the future.
Keep up the great work and the great posts!
#13
I can see your work being used as an alternative interface in Mass Effect 4 (just because MS 3 shouldn't be much different than MS 2). Really, I think you should try to sell this technology to people with money _and_ vision (something venture capitalists lack).
I'm not just "being nice", I think that if you believe in your project you should get it to people that could make it happen in their games. I don't know how how hard it is for you to visit a studio and just get some face-to-face feedback from a game designer, but it should be well worth the money and time when you finally get a "yes".
I think that it is very dangerous to assume that a venture capitalist will fund your game because, as you said, they are all about sure bets. They invest on people with proven capability to make something but just don't have the money. You must be able to prove that the ONLY thing you lack is money, that you have a team with proven skills to make your game.
On the other hand, if you try to sell it to big game developers, you will be talking with people that actually understands the applications of your system.
Keep working and selling!
PS: Just take your notebook to their lunch place or something and ask them to hear you while they eat :)
03/22/2010 (2:26 pm)
You should take a look at the Little Big Planet prototype... It is hard to see the "fun" that this kind of prototypes are meant to convey even for us, game designers/developers...I can see your work being used as an alternative interface in Mass Effect 4 (just because MS 3 shouldn't be much different than MS 2). Really, I think you should try to sell this technology to people with money _and_ vision (something venture capitalists lack).
I'm not just "being nice", I think that if you believe in your project you should get it to people that could make it happen in their games. I don't know how how hard it is for you to visit a studio and just get some face-to-face feedback from a game designer, but it should be well worth the money and time when you finally get a "yes".
I think that it is very dangerous to assume that a venture capitalist will fund your game because, as you said, they are all about sure bets. They invest on people with proven capability to make something but just don't have the money. You must be able to prove that the ONLY thing you lack is money, that you have a team with proven skills to make your game.
On the other hand, if you try to sell it to big game developers, you will be talking with people that actually understands the applications of your system.
Keep working and selling!
PS: Just take your notebook to their lunch place or something and ask them to hear you while they eat :)
#14
1) I have talked with several publishers about the project, which I've detailed as much as I can professionally detail in my blogs. As much as I'd like it to be true- and contrary to popular belief- there is no such thing as just sitting down next to an unsuspecting publisher and showing your game and then walking out of the room with a deal. It may have happened once (maybe twice), but that's not the usual course of action. What happens is that you schedule a meeting, sit down and discuss the aims of their company and your own, and then agree to take "the next step", which is usually sending more documentation on the game (because if you try to pass them a game doc, they'll either outright refuse or just not read it), or hand out logins for their testers, etc. After that, they'll log in for a while, and then give you their feedback. If you get a "polite no", then you start that loop all over again, and if you get a more positive response then you go on to the next step.
2) While I do have plans to sell a version of the NPC conversation system, there were fundamental changes to the majority of the MMO framework for this game. The conversation system has hooks for the trait-based AI, which is hooked into the procedural content generation system, which is hooked into the conversation system (so we can generate missions which call dialog templates so we can also generate dialog). Crafting and combat are next, with dynamic dialog slated to be generated by those features, AI events, and anywhere else we need it to be. Sure, I can swap out the artwork and place names, or someone can purchase the framework and do it- but they won't, because the framework is untested, and if there's anything that gives a large publisher pause, it's untested gameplay, because it's very risky.
3) As for visiting studios for feedback- studios are not usually in the habit of viewing the IP of someone else to give feedback unless it's a product in a booth or on a website that everyone can view. Most actively discourage unsolicited game designs because of exposure to IP lawsuits. In any event, I'm not one to bother people while they eat- seems a bit desperate unless it's something scheduled as a business meeting ;)
Anyway, like I said, the self-publishing path is really the most likely option here, though I like to keep an open mind, and splitting the tech off will happen (actually, it is currently happening for a few things, but that's for the next blog).
03/22/2010 (3:31 pm)
@Diego: Very interesting comment. I think I'll have to clarify a few things:1) I have talked with several publishers about the project, which I've detailed as much as I can professionally detail in my blogs. As much as I'd like it to be true- and contrary to popular belief- there is no such thing as just sitting down next to an unsuspecting publisher and showing your game and then walking out of the room with a deal. It may have happened once (maybe twice), but that's not the usual course of action. What happens is that you schedule a meeting, sit down and discuss the aims of their company and your own, and then agree to take "the next step", which is usually sending more documentation on the game (because if you try to pass them a game doc, they'll either outright refuse or just not read it), or hand out logins for their testers, etc. After that, they'll log in for a while, and then give you their feedback. If you get a "polite no", then you start that loop all over again, and if you get a more positive response then you go on to the next step.
2) While I do have plans to sell a version of the NPC conversation system, there were fundamental changes to the majority of the MMO framework for this game. The conversation system has hooks for the trait-based AI, which is hooked into the procedural content generation system, which is hooked into the conversation system (so we can generate missions which call dialog templates so we can also generate dialog). Crafting and combat are next, with dynamic dialog slated to be generated by those features, AI events, and anywhere else we need it to be. Sure, I can swap out the artwork and place names, or someone can purchase the framework and do it- but they won't, because the framework is untested, and if there's anything that gives a large publisher pause, it's untested gameplay, because it's very risky.
3) As for visiting studios for feedback- studios are not usually in the habit of viewing the IP of someone else to give feedback unless it's a product in a booth or on a website that everyone can view. Most actively discourage unsolicited game designs because of exposure to IP lawsuits. In any event, I'm not one to bother people while they eat- seems a bit desperate unless it's something scheduled as a business meeting ;)
Anyway, like I said, the self-publishing path is really the most likely option here, though I like to keep an open mind, and splitting the tech off will happen (actually, it is currently happening for a few things, but that's for the next blog).
#15
My idea was for you to look for a way to start a conversation with someone inside a studio, not the head of it, and pitch your idea so he or she can put that idea in the table of someone who could call you for some R&D. It could happen during a convention, after their presentation, etc.
I don't know about you, but everything I do game-related is a little desperate :) We're not invited to be a part of the industry, we bash your way into it... at least that is my conclusion :B I also think that entrepeneurs must force their way into almost everything they do, it is actually a good thing to think like that, in my oppinion.
I tried self-publishing but I ended up running out of time and money. Then I looked for other options... currently I'm making advergames for a living. But even doing that is very, very hard.
But that is just me, I understand that you are trying to self-publish and I wish you luck. I just like to warn people because in my experience time runs out very, very, very quickly (a year can pass like a month when you are game developing). Meanwhile technology changes all the time and you got bills to pay...
03/23/2010 (11:04 pm)
Yeah, I actually put publishers in the 'venture captalists' basket. So I also don't believe in their funding for almost any independent game.My idea was for you to look for a way to start a conversation with someone inside a studio, not the head of it, and pitch your idea so he or she can put that idea in the table of someone who could call you for some R&D. It could happen during a convention, after their presentation, etc.
I don't know about you, but everything I do game-related is a little desperate :) We're not invited to be a part of the industry, we bash your way into it... at least that is my conclusion :B I also think that entrepeneurs must force their way into almost everything they do, it is actually a good thing to think like that, in my oppinion.
I tried self-publishing but I ended up running out of time and money. Then I looked for other options... currently I'm making advergames for a living. But even doing that is very, very hard.
But that is just me, I understand that you are trying to self-publish and I wish you luck. I just like to warn people because in my experience time runs out very, very, very quickly (a year can pass like a month when you are game developing). Meanwhile technology changes all the time and you got bills to pay...
#16
Ain't that the truth!
Well, the interesting thing about that was that almost two years ago I received a call from a game recruiter saying that there were some people interested in my conversation system. Apparently, there had been some talking done prior to calling me, because all they were really interested in was buying the tech (which was totally fine with me) and keeping all rights of it to themselves (screw that, because I was busy refining it at the time and it has uses beyond this game).
I remember having 1-2 conversations with the woman, and getting the feeling that the terms had been set before I was even called. Not that that's very unusual, but once I mentioned "non-exclusive" use of the tech, the calls stopped pretty fast. The companies mentioned (there were at least two) were AAA studios.
Anyway, that left a bad taste in my mouth as far as trying to get on board with anyone big for doing R&D that could benefit myself as well (the mental image of being chewed up and spit out comes to mind). If I get into that situation, I know that it ceases to be under my control- especially in this industry, where IP is everything.
03/25/2010 (8:58 am)
Quote:a year can pass like a month when you are game developing
Ain't that the truth!
Quote:My idea was for you to look for a way to start a conversation with someone inside a studio, not the head of it, and pitch your idea so he or she can put that idea in the table of someone who could call you for some R&D
Well, the interesting thing about that was that almost two years ago I received a call from a game recruiter saying that there were some people interested in my conversation system. Apparently, there had been some talking done prior to calling me, because all they were really interested in was buying the tech (which was totally fine with me) and keeping all rights of it to themselves (screw that, because I was busy refining it at the time and it has uses beyond this game).
I remember having 1-2 conversations with the woman, and getting the feeling that the terms had been set before I was even called. Not that that's very unusual, but once I mentioned "non-exclusive" use of the tech, the calls stopped pretty fast. The companies mentioned (there were at least two) were AAA studios.
Anyway, that left a bad taste in my mouth as far as trying to get on board with anyone big for doing R&D that could benefit myself as well (the mental image of being chewed up and spit out comes to mind). If I get into that situation, I know that it ceases to be under my control- especially in this industry, where IP is everything.
Torque Owner CSMP
MP Studios
Good to hear about your success at GDC and thanks for posting it here for us, sounds like you have a prosperous road ahead...
Keep up the good work and keep us posted, always great to see another Indie making it!