How much would it take one person to create a game like Tribes?

#1 Let's say that 10 people worked 2 years on Tribes. The time it would take one person would be 20 years.

#2 It would take a lot, however, and there's always a however, you could have a rudimentary Tribes like game in about a month. Granted it would not be feature complete.

Throw in the jetpack and vehicle resource and lots of extra weapons. It won't be tribes, but a start

#3 @Anton, I dont' think that is quite the math used to figure labor in that manner. I do belive some Albgebra is involved to figure something large like that. LOL. Good start though, and throw in at least 250,000$...for this/that. I like discussions like this.

#4 @Anton: Does the 10 ppl x 2 years include coding the engine?

#5 For a Tribes "like" game. Depends on how many features from Tribes you wanted in it. 3 armors? Inventory stations? Ammo Stations? Command Stations? Turrets? Vehicles? Several game modes? Beacons? Several weapons?

You could probably make a Tribes "LT" style game in 3 months if you were very talented in all aspects required.

#6 Assuming that said person was great at all the skills required to make a game (unlikely) and assuming he didn't go insane and shut down 1/8th of the way through (even more unlikely) Anton would probably be right. If he was using Torque probably less because more than half the work would already be done for him.

#7 I always like to go with 42.

#8 200 people 4 sure. Each with dental and reserved parking.

#9 20 years for one person. Of course this one person would need 86 years of industry experience before beginning the project.

#10 It would definitely take Knowledge, and not just about game design, you would also need to brush up on your physics, modeling, programming and GUI interface creation, oh and inventory and storage creation. Also don't forget the weapons system. So lets brake it down, Torque offers up some really cool features that helps with a lot of those items like for one there is a built in weapons systems and most of the physics and storage and inventory systems have been implemented. There are also several server packages these community members have built to sell so that's covered. Next you would need to get some models that could be modified to make others in the same likeness but with different armor and so on. I say purchase these models and cut at least two months from your development time (you would need 2 on male one female with rights to modify). All of this is based on the assumption you have a Game design document of some kind to work off from. Next would be your layout of the world for this you are going to need a real modeler like Maya or Max, but if your poor like me Game Space works real well. Using the built in terrain designer in Torque will save time because of its ease of use and stability. Construction of the world and levels will take the most time if you follow this plan, but once you are finished you will have a playable game ready for distribution. Following a good plan and working on your game passionately (like most good toy makers do) you could complete this project in under a year and six months give or take six months.
Good Luck!

#11 The real answer to that question is as simple as: if it could be done by one person, wouldn't GarageGames be doing it.

#12 Thanks for the opinions guys ...

After reading to this i have one question :

I have experience in everything from modeling to rendering,programming and of course 2d.

For sound effects and music i will find some free stuff on the net.

So will 7 months of work 10 hours per day, will be enough for one person to make a game likeTribes, but
lot simpler.Let me explain what i mean by that :

1. Only two nations or races each including 5 creatures,1 vehicle,3 buildings,simple items like rocks,trees...

2. One map

3. Single player with no option for multiplayer

That is all i want to do in seven months ten hours per day..

My schedule would be :

1. Story and concepts of everything in details - 1 month

2. Modeling - 15 days

3. Texturing - 15 days

4. Character and vehicle setup - 15 days

5. Animation of everything - 2 months

6. Programming in Torque - month and 15 days

+

EXTRA MONTH OF TESTING AND REFINING ...

Do you think this can be done? If i get good number of yes answers I am starting my game in January... So please tell me your opinions.

Thanks for the cooperation till now

#13 Anton: ever heard of the 'mythical man month'? ;-)

One of the main reasons I'm coding alone is to avoid the need to discuss/negotiate/explain/document for other people, it's a huge timesaver..

#14 The code and scripting could be done in a few weeks, especially if you use resources on this site. The rest (models, sounds, art, etc) would be what takes the most time.
EDIT: You could also save some time by using content packs.

#15 Lunaticu its way more work than you think. So start really small.

Quote:1. Only two nations or races each including 5 creatures,1 vehicle,3 buildings,simple items like rocks,trees...

Thats pretty small sounds good.

Quote:2. One map

Small, I like that.

Quote:3. Single player with no option for multiplayer

I think multiplayer would be easier? No need for AI, which will take a LOT of time.

Quote:That is all i want to do in seven months ten hours per day..
My schedule would be :
1. Story and concepts of everything in details - 1 month

Scrap that. Start Building some prototype, something that works something tangible where you see if you can work with torque and see how long it takes you to do that. You can worry about story and details once you are confident you can get something running.

Quote:2. Modeling - 15 days

Probably, depends on your modeling skills and how detailed you want your models

Quote:3. Texturing - 15 days

As above.

Quote:4. Character and vehicle setup - 15 days

... err. I don't get this. The models or the code? I think this point goes along with some of the others.

Quote:5. Animation of everything - 2 months

Smaller: Use whats there already. Buy Adam and base your Models on him then most needed animations are done for ya already.

Quote:6. Programming in Torque - month and 15 days

No Idea, not a programmer. Use as much ressources as you can try stuff out. You should start with this point first and figure out if you can do it and in what time frame. Then worry about the rest. Buy a few content packs and make those work with your code.

So what I am saying is don't plan out your 7 month Project yet. Start coding in TGE and see where it goes. Once you feel you can make it work and have already some baseline work done on the components you need re-assess the situation and with a small prototype you can get a few helpers on your project. ;)

#16 Just don't forget that if you burn out on your first game, you'll regret it for a very long time. if i were you i would honestly budget for what you can do in half that time and then spread it out. you are assuming that you won't get tired of making this game. you will. like all artists who make something that takes months and years you will come to loathe it, but more so if you are also burnt out killing yourself.

#17 Ask these guys: Legends the Game

#18 @Eric Forhan

:o

#19 Read some of the various plans and posts that cover how to be an Indy. Like Jeff T's series on Indy Game Development etc..

#20 Haha Paul. I didn't realize you're currently working on Legends.