JPRATT'S PROFILE

Punkitt, that looks downright fun.

Your stubbornness hasn't only hindered your ability to obtain a team, it has obliterated it. The only thing you've shown this communitybis that you are not a team player, which is ironic.

When first responding to you I was providing advice which I thought could help you achieve your goals. Instead of heeding advice, or even just ignoring it, you became defensive.

Though I believe the community needlessly escalated this, and got downright mean about it, you have also escalated and shown everyone just how hard it is to work with you.

You've kind of shot your own foot.

@Acra
I agree with all of that as a player. Though as a developer I tend to make games a bit harder than I usually play. Something about old school games, to me, is that they should be more challenging than the average game. These days games are often incredibly easy to pander to all age groups, and every action provides some kind of continuous reward. Ongoing rewards are great if they are the player feels like they've accomplished something to earn them. I can't stand 'trophy' systems that reward players for completing a tutorial or crafting a basic weapon. They lose me quick.

@Gretgor
It really depends on the developer. I kind of respect what Fortnite did with the free model. Sure people are drawn into spending money on customization, but they give the player the option to fair play at no charge. Everything they charge for is cosmetic.

Red Dead Redemption was a wild west game when wild west games weren't in. This is a massive single player focused epic with amazing design. It's clear this developer wanted to make their game first and think about profit (online play) second. Bethesda is another great developer who make games they want to play. Heck, when ESO was done it had thr potential for far greater profit but Bethesda handed the reins to another company because they love making single player games. The Witcher 3 is another well executed RPG.

I do know what you mean though. Call of Duty is thr puppy mill of gaming. Phone games are an uttrr joke.

When I'm an eccentric billionaire I imagine myself starting up an old school game development company that makes games for fun.

Solid advice above.

Everyone would love a team to help them with their project, but people need more incentive and motivation to become dedicated to a project. Why would they use their free time on your project when they could create one of their own?

You might have a great game planned out in your head, but you need to *show* others why it's great. As well, many projects fall flat and people don't want to feel like their time was wasted.

If you're only skill is writing, keep in mind games involve many more skills. The fewer you bring to the table the less appealing you are to have as a project lead. Especially when you require a large team.

Honestly, if writing is your strength but game mechanics, programming and art are not within your scope, I recommend writing for other people's games instead. In fact, I have a massive project on the go which will require a pile of writing for missions, contracts and bounties. It's a unique world with lots of flexibility for creativity. If you'd like to collaborate on a project, let me know and I can tell you more about it.

There are many ways to approach game design, but when it comes to RPG Maker and similar programs, we often see repeating features. It's unlikely you've played an indie game without a menu or some variation of an HP bar, for example. Though we sometimes break the mold and add unique features or mechanics, or execute old ones really well.

For some, overlays can make a game more immersive while others find them distracting. Radial menues are cool, but they aren't always necessary. One thing we probably all agree on is custom is usually better, as long as the game is well executed. Custom menues, battle systems, graphics and mechanics tend to be what makes games stand out. Still many, myself included, love the old school rpg vibes and low-res pixel graphics and sound effects. These days I consider them a selling feature.

Discussion!

What features make you fall in love with indie games? Which can turn you off from a game completely?