WHAT TYPE OF DEVELOPER ARE YOU?

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Recently I've realized that I may not be the type of developer I thought I was. The way I see it, there are many different types of developers, with several strengths and weaknesses. I have realized that part of the reason why I struggle sometimes as a developer is because I focus on making a game that I think I "should" be making, focussing on things such as art and polish of style etc. But I realize that I am not a good artist, and other people in the world are far better artists than I. I also sometimes make the mistake of thinking I am a good writer, but I am only medium-to-fair at writing skills, especially when it comes to constructing a plot or characters.

I also began to wonder why my serious game "Darga" was far less enjoyable game than my game I made for fun "Maximus Jones". And it's not just because it's less well-received, even I enjoyed Maximus Jones more than Darga, both the making of it and the playing of my own game. I'm more proud of Maximus as a game, so why is that? Because I spent far less effort and took it far less seriously?

Then it came to me. My strength is in eventing and puzzle design, as well as making entertaining experiences for the player. I sometimes focus too hard on atmosphere and artistic merit of the game, when I think my skills are more suited towards making a fun diversion for the player. I also realize I enjoy developing these type of games a lot more.

Has anyone else had a similar epiphany regarding what "type" of developer they are? Do you need to re-examine yourself and realize that maybe you are reaching for an unattainable goal, and it does not fit your skill set? Not everyone can make that triple-digit-hour RPG with all those custom systems, but if it's your forte then why not do it? Perhaps the fun of the development has been drained because you're trying to fit into the expectations of what you want to develop?

Something to think about.
I'm almost your exact opposite. I'm good at getting a good atmosphere and I would like to think I'm good artistically, but I struggle to make good puzzles.
Story isn't my strong suit, though.
I'm certainly not the "idea-guy".
After a couple of years I've pretty much realized my strenghts and usually make the story really simple and focus on making atmospheric games with simple gameplay.
I've found that horror games are my forte.
I think my strengths lay within both enemy balance and design, as well as character interaction. I like to start simple and develop things from there (story-wise), instead of coming up with a super-complex and original idea from the get-go. It's also a lot easier to throw the player off that way too, I find.

I don't MIND mapping, but it's certainly not one of my strong points. I'm also fairly terrible at designing puzzles as well as setting up a good atmosphere. The only exception I can make to the latter is when dealing with NES-styled games, wherein I always try my hardest to make the game feel as authentic as I could possibly make it.

Well I think my tastes have changed as well as my design philosophy over the years. But one thing I was always good at was level design and puzzles. That was the primary focus of my last project - Labyrinthine Dreams - and that's partially why I think it turned out so well. Custom resources has always been a weakness for projects Volrath and I worked on (although we hope to remedy that now that we have $$) so we've always tried to make up for it with good content which I think we've been able to achieve.

It's helpful to know your limitations and while some people seem to be good at almost everything it helps to surround yourself with real creative friends that can fill in the gaps.
edchuy
You the practice of self-promotion
1624
It's refreshing to find out what things work for you guys and that you're aware of your limitations. Realistically speaking, I don't think there's a Swiss Army type ... good at most things, master of none. Everybody probably has some sort of weakness.

Even though I haven't started developing yet I already know most things involving artwork (although that may change once I get my hands on a Tegra Note pen-based Android tablet) are not my forte but regarding audio, I might be somewhat decent (becoming an audio engineer would be a dream job for me). Regarding writing, I might be able to handle my mind, although I'm not the most creative type. My strengths there I think lie in writing things well (unusual for an Engineer, reading technical or scientific writing usually makes me cringe since it is usually so poorly written) and perhaps adding some inside jokes/obscure references. I might become a decent mapper if I'm able to figure out what maps good or bad (I know it's a daily struggle for most of you, judging by the Screenshot topic and there seem to be very few master @ it). Finally, I suspect I'll be decent at technical details (scripts and events such if I can figure out what logic). I'm probably rambling on and speculating too much ... we'll see, next year, maybe??
Marrend
Guardian of the Description Thread
21781
I'd like to think that my strongest area is writing/story. While I usually have a specific vision for what a character might look like, I never really honed the skills to put that vision to paper. Though, I've been known to make edits to pre-existing graphics to make them look closer to that vision. So there is that, at least.

On a different note, I find puzzle conceptualization quite difficult. I get headaches from doing my infamous word puzzles, to say nothing of puzzles that actually involve gameplay mechanics.
e: I'm the kind of designer who posts things in entirely the wrong topic
I'm only at my first game created so I consider myself an amateur in all areas. It scares me too because I don't even have ideas for a second game yet. Anybody experience a bit of creative burn out after they get a project done? I know I do.

So far I've noticed my main forte seems to be offending people. I guess times have changed since I personally was in HS and college. Many people seem more sensitive and seem much easier to rile up. There are these new unsaid rules in gaming that have apparently changed since I was gone. (Careful about showing off that fan service,son! That there is misogyny and pointless to the story line!)

Maybe I'm like Suda 51 with less talent then? I notice whenever he comes out with something the "mainstream gaming journalists" are pretty quick to chastise him. Gigolo mode in Killer Is Dead certainly sparked a lot of controversy. Hitting a hooker with a car? Fine! A mode where you seduce women while trying to not get caught looking at their breasts? How terrible! Time to break out that trendy moral superiority!

Things I'd like to improve? Just about everything. I know how to do puzzles but they are very average. There's only one puzzle I'm proud of in my whole game. I'd also improve my enemies to make them more challenging. By the time you get to the end boss it's possible to kill him with a few hits. Why is it this way? Initially I was afraid to make enemy encounters too tedious. As such, my characters can be power leveled really quickly. (Perhaps too quickly?) Next up? My maps could be better. One of my latest updates added more street lamps to my town areas just because I realize it was something I neglected. (Gourd was the original person to bring it up.) I've also been fine tuning the dialogue so conversations flow more naturally.

As for my no holds barred approach? I'll probably continue to be the odd man out. I have a love for camp,cheese,the dark, and the weird.(One of my favorite games is Deadly Premonition. I was fond of Nier too.) I liked brighter and more generic rpgs back in the day but in the present I long to create something that's more off the beaten path. This will likely get me a few more haters but you know what they say, to thine own self be true!
author=BrokenH
So far I've noticed my main forte seems to be offending people. I guess times have changed since I personally was in HS and college. Many people seem more sensitive and seem much easier to rile up. There are these new unsaid rules in gaming that have apparently changed since I was gone. (Careful about showing off that fan service,son! That there is misogyny and pointless to the story line!)

Maybe I'm like Suda 51 with less talent then? I notice whenever he comes out with something the "mainstream gaming journalists" are pretty quick to chastise him. Gigolo mode in Killer Is Dead certainly sparked a lot of controversy. Hitting a hooker with a car? Fine! A mode where you seduce women while trying to not get caught looking at their breasts? How terrible! Time to break out that trendy moral superiority!

would you mind not dragging that chapped, mawk-torn ass of yours into every topic from here on out? wear your wounds with stoic pride, and learn the lessons they're there to teach you.

the first lesson is not to do a swan dive off the handle and make yourself into some visionary martyr over a small amount of criticism. it's easy to frame things in such a way as to pretend to yourself that you're a unique, special snowflake being crushed by mundanity, but as appealing a fantasy as that might be, it's really only a method of avoiding self-improvement by pushing your own flaws onto other people.
edchuy
You the practice of self-promotion
1624
author=mawk
e: I'm the kind of designer who posts things in entirely the wrong topic

And you do it by design ... to achieve the greatest shock effect!
author=mawk
author=BrokenH
So far I've noticed my main forte seems to be offending people. I guess times have changed since I personally was in HS and college. Many people seem more sensitive and seem much easier to rile up. There are these new unsaid rules in gaming that have apparently changed since I was gone. (Careful about showing off that fan service,son! That there is misogyny and pointless to the story line!)

Maybe I'm like Suda 51 with less talent then? I notice whenever he comes out with something the "mainstream gaming journalists" are pretty quick to chastise him. Gigolo mode in Killer Is Dead certainly sparked a lot of controversy. Hitting a hooker with a car? Fine! A mode where you seduce women while trying to not get caught looking at their breasts? How terrible! Time to break out that trendy moral superiority!
would you mind not dragging that chapped, mawk-torn ass of yours into every topic from here on out? wear your wounds with stoic pride, and learn the lessons they're there to teach you.

the first lesson is not to do a swan dive off the handle and make yourself into some visionary martyr over a small amount of criticism. it's easy to frame things in such a way as to pretend to yourself that you're a unique, special snowflake being crushed by mundanity, but as appealing a fantasy as that might be, it's really only a method of avoiding self-improvement by pushing your own flaws onto other people.


Visionary martyr? You seem to believe that I think higher of myself than I actually do,Mawk. For the record,you were not the only person offended by my work . Not every post I make is directed at you. (Ego much?) And I'm sorry, but you really haven't torn my ass. Don't consider yourself the victor until I up and leave RMN for good. Then you can have the last laugh!

Regardless, I hope we can build some kind of friendship. Even if it is the typical Ryu/Ken rival dynamic. I will not insist you love what I create so we can be cordial without you kissing my feet and praising everything I do. lol.
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
mawk is mawk, don't worry about it

I am the kind of designer who spends way too much time and effort on the parts of game design that I'm bad at. Or, well, honestly, I'm not bad at graphics and programming, I just sort of hate them. And so I take fifty times longer at them than I should due to procrastination, and I stop doing them as soon as I've reached the bare minimum required (and sometimes sooner). Every time I've quit a game it's been because of graphics (halloween event this year included). My main RMXP project is like a year and a half behind schedule (maybe more) because of the mental block created by the fact that I know how much graphics I still need to do.

The part of game design I enjoy the most, as some of you can probably guess, is designing battles. Creating the gameplay flow and the difficulty and the balance and the engagement and the fun. Trying to trigger those little puffs of fire that go off in your brain as a player when you get that rush of momentary success, and to trigger that blanket of relief you feel when you've overcome a challenge and suddenly realize that you're six inches from your screen and you can probably sit back down now. And trying to trigger that drive to keep playing so you can keep getting those feelings.

(this topic would be really useful for finding partners)
I'm more about making the game as you go, I try not to dwell too hard in game development. If there is something I like to have added, then I'll put it in the game.

Story wise, I just think as I go as well, as long as I keep going on that same path and don't stray from it in my mind, then I won't have to re-think certain points, it's a god send sometimes, but it can put me in a bit of a roadblock too, because certain points may requires heavy amount of eventing. ><;
author=LockeZ
mawk is mawk, don't worry about it

I am the kind of designer who spends way too much time and effort on the parts of game design that I'm bad at. Or, well, honestly, I'm not bad at graphics and programming, I just sort of hate them. And so I take fifty times longer at them than I should due to procrastination, and I stop doing them as soon as I've reached the bare minimum required (and sometimes sooner). Every time I've quit a game it's been because of graphics (halloween event this year included). My main RMXP project is like a year and a half behind schedule (maybe more) because of the mental block created by the fact that I know how much graphics I still need to do.

The part of game design I enjoy the most, as some of you can probably guess, is designing battles. Creating the gameplay flow and the difficulty and the balance and the engagement and the fun. Trying to trigger those little puffs of fire that go off in your brain as a player when you get that rush of momentary success, and to trigger that blanket of relief you feel when you've overcome a challenge and suddenly realize that you're six inches from your screen and you can probably sit back down now. And trying to trigger that drive to keep playing so you can keep getting those feelings.

(this topic would be really useful for finding partners)


I don't think I'm there yet. Those "fiery sparks of fun" I mean. Truthfully I'd prefer my games to be less "archaic" with some sort of modern charm. I know I wanted to originally do a live action battle system for my rpg but that would have required finding a script and inserting it. (I would have messed that up good.) I also think I need to work on "challenge" and "balance". Lastly, I'd prefer to tell my stories without the heavy handed exposition. There's only so much text people can read before wanting to put their heads through their monitors!


author=J-Man
I'm more about making the game as you go, I try not to dwell too hard in game development. If there is something I like to have added, then I'll put it in the game.

Story wise, I just think as I go as well, as long as I keep going on that same path and don't stray from it in my mind, then I won't have to re-think certain points, it's a god send sometimes, but it can put me in a bit of a roadblock too, because certain points may requires heavy amount of eventing. ><;


Spontaneity can be good. My first couple attempts to create Gutterdelve went poorly for the very reason I'd try to write a heavy handed text document before making it. When I tried planning out everything "nothing" got done. lol.
I know very well what kind of developer I am, but that doesn't really help. I'll write it in this post now too, but that most likely won't help either! If anyone reads it at all - thanks.

I see myself more of a game designer than a game developer, but it depends. I often design games on paper or *.txt documents. I'd claim that I often have pretty awesome game ideas that would probably yield awesome games if they were exactly executed as planned. But more often they end up staying on paper only. Maybe I play through them in my head with a bunch of calculators and an abacus and some dice on the table to keep track of numbers, but that's about it in the end. I have they fully thought through eventually, but lack motivation to even start coding them at all.

One thing I'm particularly good in is pretty much anything that has to do with numbers. Designing a hero progression system, designing the battle system, designing how the skills and damage calculations work, design hero stats and monster stats, creating the perfect difficulty balance.
I'm actually doing this rather than just thinking about it. Often it ends up in *.txt files, but I do write down all the monsters with all their stats and create hero stats per level tables and so on.
If I really like a battle system I designed I also code it as a text-only DOS-based program that works like an arena: Enter hero stats, enter monsters stats, fight! Often helps to tweak the balance.

Drawing is almost a good point of me... ALMOST. At school my art teacher always said that I suck at realistic drawing. She concludes that I must be a genius at abstract drawing. And in the end it proved to be true. I always hated drawing and always thought I'm like the worst artist ever. But then I read a pixel artist tutorial and just tried it and it ended up looking pretty good. However, it didn't change the fact that I really hate drawing. It is an incredibly tedious task for me and if I'm the artist the change I'll never finish the game is almost 100% because every time I need a new maptile or something I'm like "Oh no I don't want to please make is stop".

Music... I don't know honestly. Composing seems to be ultra complex to me. I DO enjoy listening to music and I have a perfect rhythm feeling (according to various games that test my rhythm skill where I'm globally usually in the top 1000). I can even whistle made up melodies. But when it comes to actually doing digital music by inputing something on an instrument, I fail. I don't myself ever succeeding in that. Best thing I ever managed is to memorize the chocobo melody and play in on a keyboard (y'know the one that looks like a piano, not the one with the letter on).

Another thing I'm really horrible at is dialogue writing. I usually have the dialogues in my head and all the plot twists and know which facts have to be mentioned at what point of time. It's all in my original game designs and it's great, but when it actually comes down to writing the dialogues, I really HATE that work. I'm not native English so more than often I need to ask American friends how they would say a certain sentence because I don't just want to have the stuff grammatically correct but also written in a way it has a nice impact. All that proofreading is also killing me. Even after 10 playthroughs I still find typos and stuff. Man, this work is so horrible. I don't even know if I'm bad at it or not - since hardly anyone gets to see the games I make, but the usual feedback is that people can notive I'm not native English, which basically means I failed.

Finally the thing I've noticed I'm good at and what I'm actually doing all the time is being some kind of adviser. I play other people's games and for some reason I have this "you find every bug that exists in the game" curse/blessing, so I go ahead and write down huge lists of bugs and people are always suprised at how many bugs I found. Some get discouraged by it and react really negatively, others reply that they are amazed and want to hire me as game tester.
Also, when I play a game I have the tendency to notice small things that could be changed to make a game a lot better. A small tweak in the battle system or leveling system and so on. Working together with a developer on that where my only role is to give advise or design some smaller part of the game the developer is stuck with works out really well for me.

So that's what kind of developer I am.

I don't seem to be designed for solo development, though I actually created some solo project games. Those have neither (much) graphics nor dialogues, though!
Thanks for the contribution,Mawk! It's as impressive as your user score and angry pseudo intellectual rants as a keyboard warrior!

But as a pokemon you'd be awesome! "Snarky asshole hipster cat with diplomatic immunity on RMN, I choose you!"

We'd be unstoppable! We'd decimate all other poke-trainers and pokemon in our wake! F%&k squirtle and charmander! The new age is here and it's MAWK!

Probably the only thing I could claim as a strength is my ability to manage timelines and have realistic goals and achieve them.
slash
APATHY IS FOR COWARDS
4158
author=Anaryu
Probably the only thing I could claim as a strength is my ability to manage timelines and have realistic goals and achieve them.

This has been, like, scientifically proven to be 99% of what it takes to be a developer though. Overscoping has been the death of so many of my projects... it took me about 20 prototypes of vastly different games to realize it though. I've finally gotten good at making and meeting deadlines... unless I get interrupted by something.

So if I was going to describe my developer "style", it would be the kind that finds something fun to experiment with, prototypes it, and if it holds up, makes it into a game. I love design most of all, whether it's balancing tons of numbers or trying to create fast-paced arcade controls. I like telling weird stories and mixing that with different takes on familiar game mechanics.

EDIT: 31 prototypes (and counting)
Mawk & BrokenH: Don't bring up your dumb drama into other threads (like this one).
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