WHO CARES ABOUT CREDITS?

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I just got an e-mail from someone asking to use entire maps from my game in his project. He said he would, of course, give me credits. People always talk about giving credits, but in my mind, such credits are hardly noticeable text lines in the game ending like

Maps by Calunio

That no one will ever read, and if they do, they'll forget about it 2 seconds later.

I think that may be too little when you're actually making parts of someone's game. I mean, sometimes you just want something to be acknowledge as yours (like when you use someone's OST in your game and you keep the original filename), but sometimes what you want is recognition for what you've worked on. Do credits cut it? Does anyone actually care about them?
It's called out of respect. Even if one does not care about credits, it's still out of respect.

If they actually make credits that small, that's kinda a little bit of disrespect. (The small size of that is way too exaggerated, anyway) I've seen games where the credits are actually big enough to see.

Well, in an RPG Maker RPG, there isn't a lot of credits to put in anyway, unlike movies. So why wouldn't one make credits big for people to see?

Still, my point stands: credits are there out of respect.

Puddor
if squallbutts was a misao category i'd win every damn year
5702
eplipswich: I beg to differ. Crediting every person who even somewhat touched CC prior to completion, even if they were unaware, was enough to have 3 minutes worth of scrolling credits.

In an RM* game you have a lot of resources coming from different sources depending on what you're using.

Sometimes credits really aren't enough compensation for the work put into something, but I think it really depends on what kind of work it is. Things like template based sprites, credits are enough, but asking someone for custom-made resources made specifically for said game? You're going to need a little more the accreditation for me, personally, to be satisfied.
Credit is information that might not interest anyone, but that has to be there regardless.
As eplipswich said, it's not about people caring, it's about respect.

And including a .txt file with credits in the game's folder doesn't take that much time and can be accessed at any time (unlike ending credits) in the rare eventuality somebody does care.
Yeah, but like Kyrsty said, it's not just about whether they should be given or not. It's whether they make a difference, and whether they're enough compensation. If you put a good amount of work in someone's game, would you be satisfied by just having your name on a separate txt file?
author=calunio
Yeah, but like Kyrsty said, it's not just about whether they should be given or not. It's whether they make a difference, and whether they're enough compensation. If you put a good amount of work in someone's game, would you be satisfied by just having your name on a separate txt file?

Please put me in the game's credits and recommend me to people if this was the case. Having some sort of recognition is better than none at all ;_;

p.s. am I the only one who looks at credits? it interests me like, omg who made this x and x sort of thing?
Credits. It is not down to the credits whether they're there or not. It is the viewers eyes which make them appear or never even exist. Most people don't want to sit there and acknowledge every name of every thing that everyone did. I personally don't see the point. I mean, when someone uses resources, they eventually become popular enough and people pay attention to them (REFMAP and Roco as a massive example). I think, the main goal of someone ASKING for credits is to get recognition for their work, and make it more popular, no?

Well, maybe. People don't necessarily beg for credits, and it's not like people will pay adhere to the asking of them, but yes, it is out of respect, they should at least be in the intro or something. It is the right thing to do, and it is the courtesy as a game developer, unless you make everything yourself (Which I highly doubt in any case).

Even if they're there and just skipped like they do in TV shows and Movies, they at least had the decency to SHOW those who worked and participated. The creator actually cared enough to put them there. I'm pretty sure those 120+ people with second names included didn't beg for their names to appear. The team chose to because it is a courtesy as a team on a finished product.

Yes, you should put at-last half your backside into making the names on the screen readable, and a good size. Yes, you include a .txt file onto the game's folder if you wish to. But it is down to the player / reader / watcher if they CARE enough to look at who did what.

What more could you do to compensate for someone participating in the game or whatever? If it was paid work, the result would be the same either way. Linking back to websites can be done regardless. Unless you want people to write biographies on each specific person doing that and this (which you can do, again, regardless. It is just up to the viewer if they care to look at it or not).
Yeah, but like Kyrsty said, it's not just about whether they should be given or not. It's whether they make a difference, and whether they're enough compensation.
But credit is not compensation. Is just information meant to show who did what.
I understand you can't force players to stand still and watch 3+ minutes of names scrolling in the background in-game.

If you put a good amount of work in someone's game, would you be satisfied by just having your name on a separate txt file?

For people who actually did give you (general you) considerable help/amount of work I think it would be nice to also include their site and a brief description of their work. And maybe some funny little anedocte so perhaps who reads the credits will think "heck this guy is funny let me check is site".
For the dude who helped you once recolour a couple sprites? txt file is enough if you ask me.
author=SorceressKyrsty
eplipswich: I beg to differ. Crediting every person who even somewhat touched CC prior to completion, even if they were unaware, was enough to have 3 minutes worth of scrolling credits.

In an RM* game you have a lot of resources coming from different sources depending on what you're using.

Still, I think it's respectful to list down credits. Just because it takes 3 minutes more doesn't mean you shouldn't. Of course, I'm not asking you to list down specifically at a time, just things in general. Like, you can just put:

Resources
---------
Final Fantasy VII
Call of Duty
Riviera: The Promised Land

...and so on.

Yeah, it may take too long, but there are many ways to resolve it. One way is like what heisenman said. Another is by allowing players the option to skip credits. That's not difficult to do now, is it?

Credits are partly why I love Japanese RPG Maker RPGs, by the way. The authors really dedicate the credits to every single creator, including resources. (The serious authors, anyway)

I was actually about to say credits are "part" of the compensation, and hence it's still necessary (and I said it...), but heisenman's point is also valid, so take it both ways.
Marrend
Guardian of the Description Thread
21781
I don't know about anybody else, but I don't mess with scrolling credits anywhere in-game. I place them in the packaged-in manual that nobody reads.
@eplipswich I was referring more about forcing credits on the player, especially when they're quite long like in Krysty's case. One minute or so is perfectly fine imo.
Skippable credits or an option in the title screen below New Game/Load Game/Quit is also a good way to include them in a non-intrusive but accessible way.
I add credits in a few ways - game ending credits, text file, naming the files of the resources used to reflect the credits, in the case of scripts I'm always sure to put the name of the scripter in the name of the script (eg: Basic script 101 - 'that guy') as well as making sure their name is in the header of the script and in a separate 'script' of credit names. If someone has been a larger help I'll also add their name to the game page and always give glowing recommendations if anyone asks about their work.

It's the least I can do to thank those who had a hand in helping out, in whatever way, with my project.

My thoughts on presenting credits in-game are to take a leaf out of games like Breath of Fire where you end up watching the end of the credits for bonus content/scenes. Half a screen dedicated to credits, half to the scenes. And I'll never put them at the start of a game. That doesn't make sense at all. The player has yet to see what they were credited for and would lose themselves in the names, but if at the end of a game they wonder about the music or graphics, they can then keep an eye out for the things they want to know more about.
For my game, major contributors are listed in the opening sequence (it takes about 10 seconds). Minor stuff like single character graphics and stuff are on the game's page, in a text file and I might do a credits roll at the end of the game (if it's finished). But yeah, I think major contributions deserve in game recognition, while everything else is kinda minor.
I agree with Liberty.

I've done some sort of a skippable creditroll at the end of my project Numina. Listing all the people involved in the game. But instead of a solid black background, I display the credits on a map.

LockeZ
I'd really like to get rid of LockeZ. His play style is way too unpredictable. He's always like this too. If he ran a country, he'd just kill and imprison people at random until crime stopped.
5958
Maybe it's just my own experience, but I don't think anyone playing the game really gives a shit who helped out with it.

If I contribute to a game I would rather not be included in the credits, because I think credits are stupid and no one ever reads them, and I would like to do my part to make them a little shorter and less obnoxious for the player.

I am not just talking out of my ass; I have specifically requested this numerous times.

(My own game has joke credits, crediting me for everything from laundromat services to beat boxing; they play as you're battling through the first dungeon and therefore take up zero seconds of time)
I agree with not wanted to be credited for anything I've done, but I want to acknowledge any help I've received because much more talented people then me have helped make my game at least worth taking a look at.
Some have terms and agreement with their resources too and most of it is, add me to credits =v=)b
chana
(Socrates would certainly not contadict me!)
1584
I make a point of reading credits, wether at the beginning or the end, like in movies. It's not the most fun part, but it's the least I can do, imo, also, who knows, I might learn the name of an excellent spriter or musician, and if I see those names in another game, then I'll know those parts are really good.
What is the alternative to credits though? There isn't really one.

I'm happy with credits, it's a way to show "see, I was part of this". If you do stuff for free for a game a credit is all you really need.

Now in the original post it seemed to be about taking stuff someone else made that was not available freely, asking if he could use it giving a credit in return.

But also in that case, what is the alternative? (you can always say no. Or you can ask for money)


To be honest I don't really see an issue. If one's agreed to help out on a game or let someone use their resources... Credit is what should be given. Sure very few people read them, but they aren't really there for other people, they sort of are there for you personally to prove that you worked on the project.

And sometimes you want to be uncredited. In case you really don't want to be associated with whatever it is that has been made.


So really. What is the issue?
Yellow Magic
Could I BE any more Chandler Bing from Friends (TM)?
3154
I'd actually appreciate credits. What else would you do in return for some help? Money? I doubt many RMers would like to take that route.

Although I have to admit when there's no one to credit besides yourself, doing stuff like "Chapsets...by <<self>>" repeatedly is a bad idea.
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