Submitting a game to GarageGames

#21 Also could help keep you afloat between project releases.

#22 Thanks everyone for the ideas. It's good to know that there are people out there that would be willing to help out. That relieves me quite a bit. Of course the highest priority is to make the game (I've done one before... but my life has become busier since then).

#23 Hmmm, it sounds like the GG guys have some demographics information about different platforms. Is this available somewhere on the website? This could be valuable to weigh the decision to make a game multiplatform or not.

Some design decisions could greatly affect portability. One would be the use of features only available on Windows such as Microsoft's text to speech engine. Maybe not the best example, but you understand what I mean.

Another way this kind of information would help is information about the most common game bought for a particular platform. Do Mac users buy more simulation titles vs FPS? This would be good knowledge.

This kind of information I have no clue about.

Thanks,
Frank

#24 Bugging us about it on the forums is not a viable solution.

Ask us via e-mail if you're curious, although I predict that the answer will be the same as always - we're contractually obligated not to release that information. If you read the forums you'll find some interesting bits of information, which I've seen repeated several times. Not gonna re-iterate them here. This question is OT.

#25 "Bugging us about it on the forums is not a viable solution."

What is "it" and what part of the information is OT? The only thing I can think about that you might have a issues with is the information on who bought what. I could have stated that better as it could be construed to me asking who bought what from GG. Let me clarify: Does GG have demographics for the industry as to who bought what? Not internal company information as to who bought what from GG.

The reason I mentioned demographics is the fact that many developers have other day jobs and do not have the connections or the resources to get inside and understand the industry. Earlier in this post Mr. Tunnell mentioned that a certain game would do well if ported. What information would lead GG to this conclusion? Is this industry info about who buys what in a global sense?

I apologize for any misconceptions, but I see this information as being very relevant to design decisions and publishing.

Thanks,
Frank

#26 Jeff Tunnell,
You said earlier that GarageGames probably won't publish a game that's not cross platform. What are the chances of getting a non-cross platform game published, it's not that I refuse to go cross platform but I am using Blitz3D right now and it will only run on Windows. If you could get back to me about this, it would be greatly appericiated.

#27 @Frank: we do not have any information about what ou are asking. It is aall conjecture. Too many people are looking for the silver bullet that will assure success. I have only one silver bullet: make a great game, and it will eventually find its market.

There are no assurances in any business. If we knew of a game tht would positively be a success, we would make it ourselves and help fund GG. everything is a risk and a challenge. Somebody said one time that "all hits are flukes." I tend to agree.

Some companies act like they know a lot about what can make a hit. They give you demographics, over produce your product, and then make excuses when it doesn't sell. We kind of take the opposite approach.

@Alex: Cross platform is REALLY high on our list. There are many, many places to publish besides GG though.

-Jeff Tunnell GG

#28 Okay, so I take it if you get a lot of emails from people saying they would buy the game if it were on the Mac is more likely than FPS shooter with Irish punk music tends to do well with G3 users. So if the game is not initially cross platform then being prepared to make it cross platform is not a bad idea. Maybe a demo could be a good way to "feel" the market.

Guess I was hoping there was more than there is.

Thanks to both of you,
Frank

P.S. BTW, I have the formula for making a successful game: "Make it so it doesn't suck".

#29 Ahhhh... is someone sharing a bed with Apple? Not a bad bed I'm sure... Let's say that I have a decently fun game, but the graphics arent quite there and I dont have the resources to do a linux/mac build. Is that the kind of thing that GG could help with? I know joe et al are great modelers, and y'all must be able to do mac builds.

Thanks,

Stephen

#30 @Stephen: They're not in bed with Apple so much as they see a market that's being ignored. How big is the Mac aisle in the game stores in your area? If it's anything like where I am, it's probably not even there, or very small if it is. Cross-platform allows you to make more money. And don't forget the Linux crowd in the "cross-platform" argument either. But aside from being ignored by publishers, there's definitely a gaming crowd to be found in those communities.

Even though I'm not a GG employee, I can tell you now that GG isn't helping anyone on graphics for their games(I can imagine how many dozens of requests they'd get every day if that were the case). It's up to all of us to put our teams together and get a game done. GG just gives us a good deal on an engine and for publishing.

Manpower is a problem we all have to deal with, that being an inherent indie problem. I feel your pain on it with the experiences with my own project, and I'm watching milestones slip because of it, but that's just when you have to keep plugging away at it...

#31 Guys,

FYI,

I HAVE A MAC

I AM WILLING to participate in projects that want also to have a mac version.

My public email is disclosed on my member page. Feel free to contact me.

Bruno

#32 I think they might be! Apple prob. looks for games, publishers. Oh and I know the Mac market is just waiting and ready for another awesome publisher like ambrosia, bungie. Plain and simple, cross platform is one of the main reasons I chose to learn torque. I remember the days of looking for mac games in the old school nerd/software stores. ah...

team, what team?! I just really need some artwork and I'd even pay. It would be very cool if someone on here could do art for a more or less fixed rate.

-s

#33 @Jeff: I'd really like to read that Mac .plan

Until I have the luxury of dreaming again, some things that are musts for Prairie Games titles:

1) Mac support
2) A strong single player experience

-J