I started last Saturday with nothing but licenses for tools and content that I’d previously bought. And a few ideas for games, but no real direction except to re-familiarize myself with my game dev assets. Now it’s Friday morning, and after 6 or so days of this (I work weekends when possible!) I’m realizing a few important things:
- Unity rocks!!!
- I need to spend more time doing game dev, like I’ve done this week. I’m having a blast.
- Video blogging is fun.
- I’ve waited too long to finish producing a game.
- After some introspection, chats with friends and family, and some recent advice from my good friend Dave Young (http://daveyounggames.com/), I have a direction in mind… I’m going back to my original game idea: the Arcanoria SMORPG. It’s like a MMORPG, but it’s Small, not Massive.
I know, I know. Crazy, right? Well, I think I can do it. I don’t expect to make the next WoW. But I do expect I can make something much smaller, but that still feels huge. I’ve been dabbling in game dev for the last several years (admittedly my dedication has waxed and waned at times), so my opinion is not entirely uninformed.
I also know that I am a quality nut. So that means what I do produce will be higher quality than the usual MMO knock offs done by us indie devs. And I have a few bucks saved to invest in the project, so I don’t have to personally create every asset and script. And finally, I have access to additional team members (interns, contractors, and other hirelings) for when I need them in the future.
Maybe these things add up to a competitive advantage for me and my game project, Arcanoria. I know the marketplace is pretty bleak, and not getting better. Everyone wants to make games. There’s ridiculous competition out there, vying for every $0.99 in a consumer’s pocket.
So anyway, we’ll see what the future brings. I’m heading straight for it!!
Oh, and here’s my video blog from yesterday:
Very cool video blog. Thought I would pop over here and check out the game you’re making.
I definitely think an “SMORPG” is the way to go. MMOs have so many drawbacks, require so much content to get going, and no one wants to pay subscriptions these days, anyway. To charge a subscription, you’d have to make the most incredible mind-blowing game of all time, and it’s just not feasible with an indie team.
I look forward to seeing more video blogs. Nice trees, btw! I especially like the red twisty looking maple ones.