tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-43387246768925130652024-03-18T13:06:25.571-07:00The Bottom FeederThoughts on indie game development. Humor. General crabbiness and bad feelings.Jeff Vogelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03396854958796097543noreply@blogger.comBlogger215125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4338724676892513065.post-70127508310059021262021-11-06T23:28:00.002-07:002023-05-26T12:45:22.095-07:00The Bottom Feeder Has Moved On!<p> A happy little message for anyone still following this dusty old blog.</p><p>I am still writing! Not a lot, but I am making quality free content. I just do it on <a href="https://bottomfeeder.substack.com/">Substack</a>, which is a properly maintained blogging site with nice features and a working captcha.</p><p>So if you want to experience more ranting, please subscribe to the new <a href="https://bottomfeeder.substack.com/">Bottom Feeder</a>! Hope to see you there!</p><p><br /></p><p>Edit (5/26/2023) - Google is going to start deleting inactive accounts this year. I'll occasionally drop in and edit this blog to keep it Officially Active.</p>Jeff Vogelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03396854958796097543noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4338724676892513065.post-12260505399578630772020-02-25T11:17:00.000-08:002020-02-25T12:17:24.072-08:00Getting Sweet Patron Money On the Modern Internet<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-YiNclUanLs4/XlVvZdLpIII/AAAAAAAABPU/ZDlfTEXZHwsG8kUNXmtwX19JhdiObkfwgCLcBGAsYHQ/s1600/philip%2B2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="401" data-original-width="313" height="400" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-YiNclUanLs4/XlVvZdLpIII/AAAAAAAABPU/ZDlfTEXZHwsG8kUNXmtwX19JhdiObkfwgCLcBGAsYHQ/s400/philip%2B2.jpg" width="311" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Once, to survive in the arts, you needed someone <a href="http://www.englishmonarchs.co.uk/tudor_23.html">like this</a>: The profoundly rich product of centuries of inbreeding.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
This is a blog post about making a living writing art. Like, say, indie games. So expect a certain amount of despair.<br />
<br />
In ye olden days, many talented people wanted to be artists. However, very few of them sold their art for enough money to make a decent living. So they would get a patron. A patron is a very rich person who is amused by you. They provide you with a tiny chunk of their wealth, and you continue to exist as an artist in order to please them.<br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;">(This system came into being many centuries ago, long before modern capitalism existed, so save your Capitalism Iz Bad hot takes for a sunnier day.)</span><br />
<br />
Many very talented people are writing indie games, but the competition is soul-crushing and most gamers don't even bother to play the games they buy. Those of us who have the design chops but don't have a hit have to find patrons.<br />
<br />
There are currently a number of routes to patronage. Suppose you want to write your indie 2-D roguelike platformer about an old dying man who wants to learn to smile. Yet, at the same time, you don't want to live in poverty. Here are three big paths to hope.<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-tZkc2UZqtNE/XlVv-n0UdfI/AAAAAAAABPc/ejvWvllDcccbxo31pbcBO440be4BX5NhgCLcBGAsYHQ/s1600/GF-Kickstarter-Header.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="394" data-original-width="700" height="225" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-tZkc2UZqtNE/XlVv-n0UdfI/AAAAAAAABPc/ejvWvllDcccbxo31pbcBO440be4BX5NhgCLcBGAsYHQ/s400/GF-Kickstarter-Header.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">This entire blog post is an advertisement. A very good-intentioned one, but still.</td></tr>
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<b>1. Crowdfunding (e.g. Kickstarter, Fig)</b><br />
<br />
Kickstarter achieved a true miracle: They figured out how to monetize goodwill.<br />
<br />
I am a big fan of Kickstarter. I currently am Kickstarting a remaster of our <a href="https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/geneforge1/geneforge-1-mutagen">cult classic Geneforge</a>. It's going well. I am writing this blog post to get more attention for this effort.<br />
<br />
Kickstarter is simultaneously a way for people to pre-order your game and a way to find patrons who will pay more substantial amount of money for a single copy. Once, my fans gave me $20-30 per game. Thanks to Kickstarter, richer people who have been my fans for a long time now have a way to pay more and get more in return. They are enabling us to keep writing games.<br />
<br />
In ye olden days, if you were a patron for a playwright, you could actually sit on the stage during performances and make fun of the play as it was going on. If you are a serious patron for me, I let you give me ideas to put in the game. You can pay more on our Kickstarter to name a character or design elements of the game.<br />
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<span style="font-size: x-small;">(By the way, I actually enjoy this a lot. The ideas we've gotten from our backers have been of a VERY high quality and fun to write. But I don't let you do it unless you help me buy food for my kids.)</span><br />
<br />
I expect that we will kickstart every game we write from now on. It really is making that much of a difference for our business. If something about this makes you mad, remember it's basically just taking pre-orders, and people don't have a problem with that when Activision or EA do it.<br />
<br />
<i>A Side Thought:</i> One reason video game kickstarters do so well is because Steam gives out free keys to backers of the game when it lands on Steam. This really helps sales and is very generous of Steam. People really like Steam keys. If Valve stops allowing this, kickstarters for video games will instantly become far less valuable.<br />
<br />
<i>Another Side Thought:</i> Kickstarters can fail or turn into frauds. Look, if you kickstart a game and it doesn't work out, hey, it happens. But you need to be honest about it to your backers and, if at all possible, refund some of their money. If you don't do this, you make Kickstarter look like a scam, and you are stabbing all your fellow indie devs in the back.<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Ngoj4kyqnJs/XlVw_vVJwGI/AAAAAAAABPo/75fJQoj94408ovkN7XYXuVBloQx0bDLVgCLcBGAsYHQ/s1600/dutch-buskers.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1114" data-original-width="1600" height="277" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Ngoj4kyqnJs/XlVw_vVJwGI/AAAAAAAABPo/75fJQoj94408ovkN7XYXuVBloQx0bDLVgCLcBGAsYHQ/s400/dutch-buskers.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The Internet lets you be like these guys, if they worked indoors and had your credit card number.</td></tr>
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<br />
<b>2. Donations (e.g. Patreon)</b><br />
<br />
Of course, not all artists look for wealthy patrons. Others are <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Street_performance">buskers</a>, warriors of the road, playing their music on a streetcorner for donations of passers by.<br />
<br />
Patreon achieved a true miracle: They let you busk from the privacy of your home, and you get your money as a subscription instead of a one-time thing. The second part is REALLY important.<br />
<br />
Kickstarter tends to be for creators who have a long-time fan base and who have built up a bit of trust. Patreon tends to depend on someone finding you and having a surge of goodwill for you, enough that they fork over a credit card. Then, every month, you can tap a few drops of precious sap from the mighty maple of their credit rating. Get enough of those temporary surges of goodwill and you have a job!<br />
<br />
To keep your Patreon profitable, it really helps to come out with constant drips of content only for backers. For this reason, I believe that Patreon is better for people who make content in many small chunks, like writers, artists, and podcasters. However, <a href="https://www.gamesindustry.biz/articles/2018-01-23-sokpop">some game developers</a> are making really good money out of Patreon, so it must be considered.<br />
<br />
I don't do Patreon because of my old-fashioned "Ok, Boomer" attitude towards my business: I make a living by selling stuff. You give me money, and I give you a game. Though, the moment my business feels threatened, that principle will go right out the window.<br />
<br />
<i>A Side Thought:</i> This is a great (and long overdue) way for <a href="https://www.patreon.com/sonicether">makers of mods</a> and other user-made content to be paid for their efforts.<br />
<br />
<i>A Side Thought:</i> <a href="https://www.twitch.tv/catvideos/">A friend of mine</a> who is trying to make a living as an artist online is considering making a Patreon. However, to really make money, she will need to draw lots of smutty versions of cartoon characters. I have no real lesson or purpose in relating this. I just think it's funny.<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-4bAwtvYt61w/XlVxqP4-uuI/AAAAAAAABPw/ze6PiACBUuEVI23I8MBghT1ZS2XNABG9wCLcBGAsYHQ/s1600/baby-boomer-442252_1280.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="853" data-original-width="1280" height="266" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-4bAwtvYt61w/XlVxqP4-uuI/AAAAAAAABPw/ze6PiACBUuEVI23I8MBghT1ZS2XNABG9wCLcBGAsYHQ/s400/baby-boomer-442252_1280.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">This is what I look like when contemplating the Internet. It is also what you get when you Google "Baby Boomer public domain image".</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<b>3. Corporate Patrons (e.g. Humble Bundle, Epic Game Store)</b><br />
<br />
Of course, you can get patronage in the old-fashioned way: get a rich entity to fork over a wad of cash. These days, the cash wads come from corporations.<br />
<br />
If you have an old game that has some appeal, Humble will sell a million copies of it for pennies each. They get chum to throw in the waters, and you get visibility and a nice check.<br />
<br />
If you have a new indie game that looks fancy, the Epic Game Store will pay you a huge advance to have an exclusive. Then they get the prestige of selling it, and you get patron bucks. Whether the game actually sells enough to make it profitable for Epic doesn't actually enter into the equation. (Thus, this is more like the patronage of antiquity than it at first appears.)<br />
<br />
We have sold many games on Humble, and it really carried our business during some lean times. We want to sell games on Epic, but our tawdry wares have not yet appealed to them. (Hey Epic, we got some really funky old indie games full of prestige, available for a giveaway for but a tiny taste of the Fortnite billions!)<br />
<br />
This route to patronage is available to those developers who have skill. You need either a very promising title or a library of quality goods. It won't get you into business, but it can keep you there.<br />
<br />
<i>A Side Thought: </i>Apple is also giving out patronage checks to those who put their games into their subscription model <a href="https://www.apple.com/apple-arcade/">Apple Arcade</a>. This is great for participants, but the subscription model for video games will bring developers to the same <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hollywood_accounting">Hollywood Accounting</a> doom faced by other creators. If you get offered a big check to be in a subscription service, congratulations, but don't pretend you aren't scorching the earth behind you.<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-mjkklABYVIM/XlVyNOOX_vI/AAAAAAAABQI/s-Gg0-93mMcOtaJslPl_mCeDA-thngRSACLcBGAsYHQ/s1600/Filthy_Rich_ID_S2E12.webp" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="340" data-original-width="340" height="320" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-mjkklABYVIM/XlVyNOOX_vI/AAAAAAAABQI/s-Gg0-93mMcOtaJslPl_mCeDA-thngRSACLcBGAsYHQ/s320/Filthy_Rich_ID_S2E12.webp" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Your end goal, of course, is to become this guy.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<b>It's a Glorious World</b><br />
<br />
I say this without irony: The opportunities above are amazing and awesome and without them we wouldn't have a business anymore. Every time the indie games biz gets tighter, the Internet figures out a way to help us survive in it. We feel very, very lucky.<br />
<br />
And this isn't even all the possibilities for patronage. I understand in some countries the government will give you tax breaks and actual checks to help write your game. This effort to cure the world's tragic shortage of video games should be applauded.<br />
<br />
Of course, none of this will help you if you don't have skill. If you can't write something that has appeal to some audience, nothing will save you.<br />
<br />
If you're a skilled indie developer (or musician or artist or creator) and your work is good, kind humans will want to support you. Make something that speaks to a bunch of fans, and they will open their hearts to you. And then, with luck, their wallets. And internet entrepreneurs are figuring out ways to help those fans become patrons.<br />
<br />
It's not often I write something in this blog with a smile on my face, but this is one of those times.<br />
<br />
Oh, and did I mention <a href="https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/geneforge1/geneforge-1-mutagen">I have a Kickstarter</a>? My kids gotta' eat!<br />
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<i>I am writing these blog posts to get attention to our upcoming game, <a href="https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/geneforge1/geneforge-1-mutagen">Geneforge 1 - Mutagen</a>. You can also follow me on <a href="https://twitter.com/spiderwebsoft" style="color: #999999; text-decoration-line: none;">Twitter</a>.</i></div>
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Jeff Vogelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03396854958796097543noreply@blogger.com289tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4338724676892513065.post-36048736651275552482019-09-13T13:47:00.000-07:002020-02-26T17:54:33.522-08:00Queen's Wish Is Out. Here's Why It's So Weird!<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Z_rQplrrpSI/XXv9rMVyolI/AAAAAAAABNk/58xMfjNTaSQ_fezqEoj-IfHLH_61kXfPACLcBGAsYHQ/s1600/G162.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="170" data-original-width="450" height="150" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Z_rQplrrpSI/XXv9rMVyolI/AAAAAAAABNk/58xMfjNTaSQ_fezqEoj-IfHLH_61kXfPACLcBGAsYHQ/s400/G162.png" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">All new. All different.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
Now that we've finally released our new game, <a href="http://www.spiderwebsoftware.com/queenswish/index.html">Queen's Wish: The Conqueror</a>, we're finally free to talk about it! Nerdy game-design talking!<br />
<br />
We have been writing role-playing games for a very, very long time. It's what we do. One of the ways we stay sane while doing this is to change things. Every game or two, we like to change stuff: The graphics. The setting. The game system.<br />
<br />
Doing new things inspires us and keeps our brains fresh. After 25 years, we want to innovate. Stretch the form. Take risks, win or lose.<br />
<br />
The problem is that whenever you make a change some people will get mad. Whatever change you make, some people will dislike it. (Which is reasonable. People like what the like.) It is then the responsibility of the developer to earn new customers to make up for the ones driven away by the changes. (which is difficult and scary.)<br />
<br />
Our newest game, Queen's Wish: The Conqueror, changes EVERYTHING. It's a completely new RPG, rewritten from the ground up.<br />
<br />
Some of the changes, like the graphics and the storyline, will be pretty self-evident. Some people will like them, and some won't. I hope you're cool with it, but it's out of my hands now.<br />
<br />
<b>There Is One Way I Can Make Things Easier</b><br />
<br />
There is one thing I can help with, though. I've changed a lot of rules and ways the game system works. For decades, we've set up stuff in a certain way, and now it's different, and it's caused some confusion among our testers.<br />
<br />
So, for our long-time fans, this is a quick guide to the stuff we've changed. This will help you avoid confusion and kill monsters with maximal efficiency.<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-W4tw6yLsdOQ/XXv-hxRh3CI/AAAAAAAABNs/hmqa5BiqRYoNslB1RkGPia8E09MfTBWGACLcBGAsYHQ/s1600/faa68d20bec2d37d77a7c18b105faebc16f885318f2015882179c0e504a3b6c7.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="469" data-original-width="625" height="298" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-W4tw6yLsdOQ/XXv-hxRh3CI/AAAAAAAABNs/hmqa5BiqRYoNslB1RkGPia8E09MfTBWGACLcBGAsYHQ/s400/faa68d20bec2d37d77a7c18b105faebc16f885318f2015882179c0e504a3b6c7.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I don't want you to waste your time. Every dungeon you enter, you can WIN. You have to win. If not ...</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<b><br /></b>
<b>1. Trash Monsters Don't Get Experience</b><br />
<br />
This is the single change that makes people the most angry. You get experience with victories. Completing quests, defeating dungeons, these are what give experience.<br />
<br />
Sneaking into a dungeon, killing two wolves, and running out doesn't reward you. You have to enter every dungeon determined to get victory. <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bkjfZctGMq8">Coffee is for closers.</a><br />
<br />
I understand the anger about this change. A lot of people play RPGs to get that constant dopamine drip of tiny rewards. I'm trying to do a different thing here, and it's going to cost us money. I don't want you to waste your time killing the same 3 brigands again and again and again. I want you to always be pushing forward, exploring new areas, defeating new foes, trying new things.<br />
<br />
<b>2. You Have To Do Dungeons In One Trip</b><br />
<br />
Along the same lines as #1. Your enemies can get reinforcements. You can't dip into a dungeon, kill a few monsters, return to town to rest, and repeat until the adventure is whittled away. You have to use strategy and conserve your power to defeat dungeons in one trip.<br />
<br />
Don't let this stress you out, though. We have worked really hard on balance. On Normal difficulty, the dungeons should be exciting and suspenseful without being punishing. If you want a true tactical challenge, on the other hand, Veteran and Torment difficulties are there for you.<br />
<br />
<b>3. You Don't Have Much Energy, But Effects Are Powerful</b><br />
<br />
In our earlier games, you had tons of energy and cast lost of spells all the time, but they had less of an effect. In Queen's Wish, you have less energy (though killing foes refreshes it). The effects are quite powerful, but you will have to take care to use them when they can have maximal impact.<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-F8kw4rUCFLw/XXv--I-bBPI/AAAAAAAABN4/nbUQKwRvQqUGtQo1S8cxhF5jMzhyai_CgCLcBGAsYHQ/s1600/Queen%2527s-Wish-Buy-Building-1920x1080.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="900" data-original-width="1600" height="225" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-F8kw4rUCFLw/XXv--I-bBPI/AAAAAAAABN4/nbUQKwRvQqUGtQo1S8cxhF5jMzhyai_CgCLcBGAsYHQ/s400/Queen%2527s-Wish-Buy-Building-1920x1080.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">If character development seems to simple, remember that how you improve your forts is a major part of your character build. There's lot of complexity, but I don't hit you with it all at the beginning.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<b>4. Healing is Weaker. Crowd Control is Stronger.</b><br />
<br />
It is more important to control your foes than to just let them bonk you and heal the damage. You will have a full suite of stun and terror abilities to get your enemies under control.<br />
<br />
A nice tip: Many of your ability make your next weapon blow have a special effect (like causing bleeding or stun). These abilities help attacks from bows and wands too. You can have your archer stun the evil wizards in the back row!<br />
<br />
<b>5. You Make the Best Gear In Your Forts</b><br />
<br />
The dungeons still have good treasure, of course. However, your most important reward for completing missions is resources for your forts. Then you can build new smithies, alchemists, etc. The more smithies you build, the better the gear you can get.<br />
<br />
Having trouble in a dungeon? Remember that the best gear is sold in your forts. Go back to one of them, build a new smithy, and do some shopping. It will help a lot!<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-86AkBvZUOMo/XXv_-yzsjcI/AAAAAAAABOA/cOIkvFPUVNkPZuLBF23zNIe_Pkfk-o4SACLcBGAsYHQ/s1600/Queen%2527s-Wish-Training-1920x1080.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="900" data-original-width="1600" height="225" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-86AkBvZUOMo/XXv_-yzsjcI/AAAAAAAABOA/cOIkvFPUVNkPZuLBF23zNIe_Pkfk-o4SACLcBGAsYHQ/s400/Queen%2527s-Wish-Training-1920x1080.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">There are over 40 base abilities. Some are core. Some are situational. Some dungeons on higher difficulties may require special character builds.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<b>6. You Can Change Around Your Skills At Will</b><br />
<br />
When you train your character in a set of abilities, you can unlearn those abilities in your forts at will. Some abilities are more useful in certain regions.<br />
<br />
On Normal difficulty, this probably won't be necessary. In higher difficulty levels, you might need to change your skill loadout or switch to alternate characters to overcome certain challenges.<br />
<br />
You may find the Queen's Wish system is way deeper than it appears at first. You'll have to make a lot of decisions about how to build up your forts and how to shift your skills around to deal with new foes.<br />
<br />
<b>7. No More Junk Items</b><br />
<br />
For the last couple decades, there were lots of small incidental items (like spoons or bricks) scattered around to add flavor to areas. These aren't in Queen's Wish. Boxes only contain treasure. You don't get to collect a millions small items, but, on the other hand, there's no need to collect a million small items.<br />
<br />
Your backpack is only for useful items. It has limited space, so you have to decide what to take with you into a dungeon. Fortunately, it's not hard to make your pack bigger.<br />
<br />
<b>And If You Hate These Changes?</b><br />
<br />
Don't worry! We will still be remastering our old games, and we will leave the things you like in them alone as much as possible. Our next game will be a remaster of our beloved old Geneforge, and we promise to respect what you loved about it.<br />
<br />
Anyway, Queen's Wish: The Conqueror for Windows and Mac is out. The iPad and iPhone version will be out late in the year. Thank you for your patience with this new world, and we hope you love these games half as much as we do!Jeff Vogelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03396854958796097543noreply@blogger.com130tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4338724676892513065.post-66149535000055662472019-08-26T15:00:00.000-07:002019-08-29T13:53:46.791-07:00I Am the Cheapest Bastard In Indie Games<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-9-Gdns-Es3M/XWRRO7E4TWI/AAAAAAAABLs/_cq5tUWb_04Ap4p__J44B4ppFvHMFiHWACLcBGAs/s1600/QW%2BSS.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="900" data-original-width="1600" height="225" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-9-Gdns-Es3M/XWRRO7E4TWI/AAAAAAAABLs/_cq5tUWb_04Ap4p__J44B4ppFvHMFiHWACLcBGAs/s400/QW%2BSS.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A Queen's Wish screenshot. Note that I use game art that I like to look at. This is necessary because I'll be staring at it for years, and I don't want to go mad.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
A week ago, I put up a blog post called <a href="https://jeff-vogel.blogspot.com/2019/08/why-all-of-our-games-look-like-crap.html">"Why All My Games Look Like Crap."</a> It really blew up. A lot of people read it. Some were highly supportive. Others took precious time out of their days to let me know I am a gigantic, gigantic bozo.<br />
<br />
Thanks to all! When you're trying to get attention for a small indie game, there's no such thing as bad publicity.<br />
<br />
Basically, my blog post said, "Some people like my art, but I am still super-bad at art. Always have been. Fixing the problem costs time and cash, and I don't have any of either to spare. So that's why our games look bad."<br />
<br />
I got a lot of questions about this. Good questions. Why can't I afford art direction? How much does art cost? Why don't I do this or that smart thing? So that's why I'm writing this. I want to answer the good questions.<br />
<br />
So I am going to say some stuff about making and budgeting video games and why I am a bozo and why I am cursed to be a bozo forever. Along the way, I'm going to explain to you the whole indie games biz, from soup to nuts. If you like indie games, I think you might find how I survive interesting.<br />
<br />
You see, I am the cheapest bastard in indie games.<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-CGlnE7_Nzks/XWRRpRdb0KI/AAAAAAAABL0/rcwD-u_3diM3fLv9SdGiapSEhUC_vKPBwCLcBGAs/s1600/big-cat-clipart-of-a-rich-tiger-holding-a-bag-of-money-by-hit-toon-4.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="620" data-original-width="600" height="400" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-CGlnE7_Nzks/XWRRpRdb0KI/AAAAAAAABL0/rcwD-u_3diM3fLv9SdGiapSEhUC_vKPBwCLcBGAs/s400/big-cat-clipart-of-a-rich-tiger-holding-a-bag-of-money-by-hit-toon-4.jpg" width="386" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I don't have this much money. And, please, I beg you, support <a href="http://bigcatclipart.com/">bigcatclipart.com</a> and the good work they do.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<b>I've Been Doing This For 25 Years</b><br />
<br />
Some people really get annoyed when I bring this up. It's as if having long experience and a huge body of work gives my words some sort of weight and my advice some value.<br />
<br />
Well, it does. Do you realize how few people have turned a good profit for that long in this blood sport business? I am rarer than a unicorn made of bigfoots!<br />
<br />
The indie games business is hard, one of the toughest there is.<br />
<br />
<b>Why Is It So Hard To Make Money In Indie Games?</b><br />
<br />
What do you think the going rate for the best indie games ever made is?<br />
<br />
Did you guess 'Free'? You're right! Go to the Epic Game Store every week and they'll hand you the best indie games, games way better than mine, for free!<br />
<br />
That not enough? Join the Humble Monthly Bundle. For just $12/month, they'll send you 6-7 games every month, plus you can also download over 60(!) games in their "Humble Trove." They're good games.<br />
<br />
So the competition is intense, and you can never ever match your superiors on price, ie free. That makes for tough business, friend.<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-IBv08R44oKE/XWRSJefoKxI/AAAAAAAABL8/fL6Cffbmn0s105OdVrAywD69_tqyEkkvACLcBGAs/s1600/celeste.0.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="800" data-original-width="1200" height="266" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-IBv08R44oKE/XWRSJefoKxI/AAAAAAAABL8/fL6Cffbmn0s105OdVrAywD69_tqyEkkvACLcBGAs/s400/celeste.0.jpeg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Award-winning. Critical darling. Huge hit. <a href="https://www.gamespot.com/videos/two-fantastic-epic-games-store-freebies-announced-/2300-6450792/">Free.</a> How do you plan to compete?</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<b>So How Can You Survive?</b><br />
<br />
Simple. You provide something nobody else can ever provide. Something cool and distinctive that people will rather pay money for your game than get someone else's for free.<br />
<br />
Consider me. I'm an OK programmer. I'm not good at art and visual stuff, and I haven't been since I was a kid.<br />
<br />
But I can write well. I make good settings and stories, my spelling and grammar are ok, I make addicting game systems, and my systems and stories blend really well. THAT is the product I sell.<br />
<br />
I'm in the business of selling Jeff Vogel games. And just like Van Gogh couldn't paint a Renoir, or vice versa, nobody else can make a Jeff Vogel game. Larian Studios is a great company with great resources that makes great products. However, no matter how hard they try, they can never make a game one of my fans will mistake for one of mine.<br />
<br />
Fortunately for me, there are people who really like Jeff Vogel games, and only we sell them. So we have a business.<br />
<br />
However, that's not all it takes to stay in business. I can get people to buy my games, sure. But I need to turn a profit.<br />
<br />
That is why I need to be the cheapest bastard in indie games.<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-AfyC5niox6Y/XWRSk0lNyYI/AAAAAAAABME/ig3q6bVWZKEGRxwHgjDPjn6JlmeYdBpvgCLcBGAs/s1600/a754a1bd-50c0-42cb-a237-10b61315bcbd.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="520" data-original-width="780" height="266" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-AfyC5niox6Y/XWRSk0lNyYI/AAAAAAAABME/ig3q6bVWZKEGRxwHgjDPjn6JlmeYdBpvgCLcBGAs/s400/a754a1bd-50c0-42cb-a237-10b61315bcbd.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">You can find a dedicated fan base for any imaginable art style. That's indie games, baby!</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<b>Let's See Some Numbers</b><br />
<br />
I got into this kerfuffle talking about how my games look ugly, and I'll get back to that. First, though, let's look at budgets.<br />
<br />
Our next game is Queen's Wish: The Conqueror. We spent about 20 months on it. For it to have a chance to pay for the time we spent creating it, it needs to make, after Steam and GOG.com and Apple and itch.io and Kickstarter take their cuts, about $200000 US.<br />
<br />
(It will take years for the game to earn this money, but we'll be earning money from back catalog at the same time, so it evens out.)<br />
<br />
Why that amount? Because that is what long experience has told us we are most likely to get. Low-budget high-text, thinky RPGs don't become giant hits, but we have a loyal audience, so we'll get decent sales.<br />
<br />
Then we take out, say, $60000 for business expenses and insurance. Then we spend X dollars on art (the key factor we are discussing here). We use what is left to pay our salaries (to get baubles like food, clothing, and shelter).<br />
<br />
So our earnings for 20 months of hard work is, let's say, $140000 minus art expenses. Keep your eye on the ball.<br />
<br />
<b>Twenty Months? That's Not Very Long To Write a Game</b><br />
<br />
No! It's not! Whenever I ship I game, I immediately begin the race against time to write another game before our bank account runs out. Twenty months is actually an unusually long time for us, but Queen's Wish is an all-new games system and engine, so it needs it. I normally need 12-14 months.<br />
<br />
By the way, for people who asked me why I don't just learn to do better art myself, this is why. To learn to do better art, I'd need to spend at least 6-12 months. (To think it takes less is insulting to artists.) I just don't have the time to not be writing games.<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-D8KHmCKapg0/XWRS1t8ayoI/AAAAAAAABMM/EjzSxjqNfeYGSiAtRbzFkASJ-wUTizEXQCLcBGAs/s1600/shapinghall.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="428" data-original-width="578" height="295" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-D8KHmCKapg0/XWRS1t8ayoI/AAAAAAAABMM/EjzSxjqNfeYGSiAtRbzFkASJ-wUTizEXQCLcBGAs/s400/shapinghall.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I made the frames and button background for this interface. It was years before someone say, "Um, Jeff, are you sure this isn't a little too green?"</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<b>So Back To Art</b><br />
<br />
After I wrote the last blog post, a lot of people wanted to make sure that, "Oh yeah, pal. No matter how bad your art is? It's WAY worse than that." The most common complaint I got is that there is no unified style and color palette. My art looks like it was cobbled together from like 20 different artists, blended together imperfectly by my nonexistent Photoshop stills.<br />
<br />
Well, I've got news for you. Our art WAS literally cobbled together from like 20 different artists, blended together imperfectly by my nonexistent Photoshop stills.<br />
<br />
Here's the thing. Many people don't notice this. Some notice, but it doesn't bother them. But for skilled artists and people with an eye for this sort of thing, looking at the icons I use makes their faces do this ...<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-ptGM8o1QxDs/XWRTGDjGdBI/AAAAAAAABMU/h1aKDZ7BcQM2lvEa_mk3W6GvuWqXKSINACLcBGAs/s1600/nazi.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="298" data-original-width="364" height="326" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-ptGM8o1QxDs/XWRTGDjGdBI/AAAAAAAABMU/h1aKDZ7BcQM2lvEa_mk3W6GvuWqXKSINACLcBGAs/s400/nazi.png" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Hello darkness, my old friend.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
Sorry about that.<br />
<br />
<b>How I "Art Direct"</b><br />
<br />
When I do what might laughably be called "art design", my first step is to cobble together any floor/terrain objects that will function. I pull art from old games, from https://opengameart.org/, from sites that license icons for cheap, from anywhere I can get icons that will function. I use Photoshop trickery to make it blend as much as possible.<br />
<br />
Eventually, I will reach a point where I need stuff that I can't use online resources for, stuff that needs to be custom-made for how I want the game to look. Then I go to freelancers.<br />
<br />
I pay for bespoke art for terrain types with different looks that need to fit the engine, like tables and statues. Also, for terrain that I have my own unique formats for, like walls and doors and gates.<br />
<br />
My artists work very hard to make sure the icons they do blend well with each other and look great. They do awesome work. Then I defile it by mixing it in with all the other weird stuff I find. If anything looks bad in my games, blame me! Seriously!<br />
<br />
Doing the art this way costs around $40000. That leaves $100000 of earnings. For 20 months of work, that's pretty thin, but I'll live with it. I'll make up for it with the next two games in the series, which will take a lot less time to write. (Plus, eventually, remasters. I will be squeezing pennies out of Queen's Wish for literally decades.) So it's fine.<br />
<br />
So that is where the weird mix of styles in my games comes from. Suppose I wanted to have unified art, all one style guide, all one look, everything done from scratch to give the game one pure look. I'm not a total idiot. I know it's possible. This is why I don't do it ...<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-sDrQx3VFjrA/XWRTRwRc9WI/AAAAAAAABMY/hD_tClDUOGk1xqnppQ9waWMRhHT01RG8gCLcBGAs/s1600/apps.5188.9007199266436504.cf206bd4-5700-4ba1-ae1d-10a9afa11537.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="378" data-original-width="672" height="225" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-sDrQx3VFjrA/XWRTRwRc9WI/AAAAAAAABMY/hD_tClDUOGk1xqnppQ9waWMRhHT01RG8gCLcBGAs/s400/apps.5188.9007199266436504.cf206bd4-5700-4ba1-ae1d-10a9afa11537.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">This is a literal screenshot of the <a href="https://www.amc.com/shows/halt-and-catch-fire/exclusives/colossal-cave-adventure">first computer game</a> I ever owned.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<b>Here! Have Some Hard Numbers!</b><br />
<br />
Queen's Wish is a big game! Five nations and biomes! A surface and underworld! Multiple sets of furniture, all kinds of environments. The game currently has, to make the different regions look distinct and give enough visual variety, well over 1000 terrain icons. (An icon here is defined to be a 48x48 tile. Some terrains require multiple icons. Each wall type, for example, is assembled from 60 icons.)<br />
<br />
Now suppose I do all this from scratch for the game. I need to hire freelancers. So I have to assemble a team of them that work in the desired style, that all make art that blend well, that are available and reliable, that are willing to commit to a job this big, and aren't too expensive. (If you think this is easy, you have a lot to learn. Assembling this team takes a lot of my non-existent time.)<br />
<br />
So I hire Fredrika Freelancer (F.F.) for short. F.F. charges $25/hour.<br />
<br />
(That’s a really fair price. If you’re paying less, someone else is going to hire her away from you. On the other hand, many freelancers charge $50/hour or more, but F.F. likes me and gives me a break. She probably lives in a country where the U.S. dollar goes farther. If you live in Brooklyn, I can't afford you.)<br />
<br />
I ask F.F. to do, say, a stone pillar, about 20 pixels wide and 70 pixels high.<br />
<br />
She builds it in her 3-D program. Textures it. Shadows it. Sizes it properly. Renders it. Sends it to me. I request some changes. She makes them. (I'm really easy to work with. I almost never ask for more than one round of changes. Believe it or not, freelancers tend to really like working with me.) I get the art. This probably will take about two hours.<br />
<br />
So, if I'm lucky, I get this pillar done for $50. Yay! One terrain type down.<br />
<br />
999 more to go.<br />
<br />
But for Queen's Wish, I want 4 different pillars, to give distinct looks to four different cultures. Suppose on opengameart, I find a set of public domain pillar icons that basically work. They aren't great, but they function. If I download them, I save $200.<br />
<br />
$200!!! That's folding money! You know how much money that is? That's enough money to buy 200 donuts! WITH SPRINKLES!<br />
<br />
<br />
<b>But That's Not All!</b><br />
<br />
So do a little math and tell me how much money I'll need to shell out to get all 1000 terrain icons done, how much money will be chipped out of my $140000. And then remember that's just terrain! Then I need creature art, and an interface, and portraits, and color paintings, and sfx, and item icons, and ability icons, and ...<br />
<br />
RPGs are art-intensive!<br />
<br />
Are you seeing why I go cheap whenever I can? Freelancers charge money because they DESERVE it. They are talented people in a hard job. But they are selling the art ala carte, and I'm too much of a doofus to be able to afford too much of it.<br />
<br />
To art everything being done from scratch with a unified style and a consistent, pleasing color palette and all the other good things artists like, if I'm lucky and get a lot of charity and really scale back what I want, I can easily end up spending $150000. Again, I can't do it myself. I'm a writer, not an artist, and RPGs absolutely need certain sorts of assets.<br />
<br />
So here is the math: Doing art the cheap bastard way, I spend $40000. Doing it the good way, I spend around $150000. 150000 – 40000 = 110000<br />
<br />
So to justify the extra art cost, I need to sell $110000 more worth of games just to break even. Remember that number.<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-O4qcf4H_x1k/XWRVHrVMvII/AAAAAAAABMw/ykoiZJt1oXYqxFTxbA4OtRPQQnloG30HwCLcBGAs/s1600/14-185.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="480" data-original-width="640" height="300" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-O4qcf4H_x1k/XWRVHrVMvII/AAAAAAAABMw/ykoiZJt1oXYqxFTxbA4OtRPQQnloG30HwCLcBGAs/s400/14-185.png" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 12.8px;">We should be grateful that indie games have expanded what a game can look like and still break through. It wasn't like this a decade ago. </td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<b>Or I Could Hire An Employee</b><br />
<br />
I don't have to use freelancers, of course. I could hire an artist full-time for 20 months. Suppose I do a big search and find someone whose style I like and who wants to work for me. How much will that count, taking benefits and taxes into account?<br />
<br />
Many who are unfamiliar with this industry are surprised to find that artists are some of the highest paid people. Good, reliable artists are rare! Check out this site https://www.careerexplorer.com/careers/games-artist/salary/, for salary estimates.<br />
<br />
If I'm lucky enough to find a good artist who wants the job, with bonuses and benefits and so on, I might be able to get him or her for $150000.<br />
<br />
If I'm lucky enough to find a good person, with bonuses and benefits and so on, I might be able to get this person for $150000-180000.<br />
<br />
(LOL! This is probably way too low, especially if I want the person to live in Seattle so I can work with them face to face, which I do. I will be paying under the median at this rate.)<br />
<br />
I don't want to do this. I'm an introvert, and one of the reasons I got into this business was so that I could work alone. But I'll do it. For the Sake Of Art. You, the customer, deserve it. <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dQw4w9WgXcQ">I will never let you down!</a><br />
<br />
Again, my cheap bastard art is $40000. If I hire a full-time art director/artist, I need to increase sales by $110000-140000.<br />
<br />
<b>Where Does the Extra Art-Buying Money Come From, By The Way?</b><br />
<br />
So can I even spend the extra $110000+ to begin with?<br />
<br />
I don't have that much cash on hand. Nowhere near. To launch this project, I need to take a bank loan or raid my retirement fund. Then, if I don't break even, I'm in big trouble.<br />
<br />
<b>OK. I Need To Increase Sales By $110000</b><br />
<br />
I know. This blog post is a long slog. Here's the punchline! Remember, most indie games are sold at deep discount now. After the store's cut, I'll probably average about $8 a sale.<br />
<br />
To make that $200000 I think I can earn, I'll need to make about 25000 sales. For an indie game, this is a LOT. But give me a few years and let me luck into a Steam daily deal or a Humble Bundle and I can manage it.<br />
<br />
But to break even on my all-new art project, to earn that extra $110000, my still very low-budget indie turn-based-retro-word-heavy RPG needs to sell about 40000 copies.<br />
<br />
That increase may not sound like so much more, but it is a LOT. Ask any indie developer. 40000 copies is a HUGELY aggressive number. (So is 25000, but, again, I have an established fan base. Every sale I get requires more work than the sale before it.)<br />
<br />
That is just to break even. If we don't hit that number? We can easily lose the entire business, poof, all sacrificed for the sake of a nice, unified art style.<br />
<br />
And that is why I need to be the cheapest bastard in indie games.<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-QwgaJAMMwRY/XWRVvGR0QII/AAAAAAAABNA/P5qQNSuKIqUEtbJQNM8vgEcmFdPABNL2QCLcBGAs/s1600/haters_gonna_hate_3_by_mezkalito4p-d4f3zsw.gif" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="260" data-original-width="290" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-QwgaJAMMwRY/XWRVvGR0QII/AAAAAAAABNA/P5qQNSuKIqUEtbJQNM8vgEcmFdPABNL2QCLcBGAs/s1600/haters_gonna_hate_3_by_mezkalito4p-d4f3zsw.gif" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">All my best art direction is done when my eyes are covered with slices of cucumber.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<b>But ... But ... I Thought Indie Games Made You Rich!</b><br />
<br />
Yeah. Sometimes you get a hit. Then you get a pile of money. Then you hire a bunch of employees and make a real company. Then one of two things happen. You write a new, expensive game and it's a mistake and fails and everything explodes. Or you keep writing good games and grow until GiantMegaCorp gives you hundreds of millions of dollars for your company and you fly free and take a big vacation and buy a Tesla and realize you have no idea what to do with your life.<br />
<br />
However, most indie developers are like most small business owners. We're humble folks scraping by and doing what we can.<br />
<br />
That is why I am writing these too-many words. If you want to have a small business or make a living as a humble artist, I have kind words for you, because I really want you to succeed.<br />
<br />
<b>The Inspirational Ending!</b><br />
<br />
I got yelled at a lot for the previous article. It was basically a massive expression of contempt at me for being such a hack that I was content writing such ugly games.<br />
<br />
(And if you want to get <a href="https://www.reddit.com/r/Games/comments/cubkxa/why_all_of_our_games_look_like_crap_spiderweb/?st=jzoq993n&sh=cebf255f">Extremely Mad Online</a> and <a href="https://www.reddit.com/r/gamedev/comments/ctvicn/why_all_of_our_games_look_like_crap/?st=jzne67gx&sh=43ebcb48">dunk on me</a> more, it's cool. Whatever is fun. <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8UXircX3VdM">Shine on, you crazy diamond.</a>)<br />
<br />
But here’s the thing! If you want to be a game writer, or creator, or small businessperson, you should find my story to be inspiring!<br />
<br />
I write games so ugly that I am showered with contempt, and yet I make money! I’ll have a full, lifelong career! If I can have so many flaws and still succeed, you can too!<br />
<br />
Figure out what you are really good at doing. Sell that. <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oNJy0h6gIpI&list=PL6SSUza2wNqihtsiQQOVMfrQAn0M0LGx-&index=32">Make your dream real.</a> Get it out the door, whatever it takes, whatever corners you have to cut. If you’re better than me (and who isn’t, really), you have a chance.<br />
<br />
Good luck!<br />
<div>
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 13px;"><br class="Apple-interchange-newline" />###</span><br />
<br style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 13px;" />
<i style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 13px;">I am writing these blog posts to get attention to our newest game, <a href="http://www.spiderwebsoftware.com/queenswish/index.html" style="color: #999999;">Queen's Wish: The Conqueror</a>. You can also follow me on <a href="https://twitter.com/spiderwebsoft" style="color: #999999;">Twitter</a>.</i></div>
Jeff Vogelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03396854958796097543noreply@blogger.com46tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4338724676892513065.post-27482692659548029212019-08-21T14:49:00.000-07:002019-08-21T14:52:25.684-07:00Why All Of Our Games Look Like Crap<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-tV0QOWTjVOM/XV23pI64tQI/AAAAAAAABJ0/cTClB88yTnEMMnhu1aB-8H_pmVJx140qACLcBGAs/s1600/QW%2BSS.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="900" data-original-width="1600" height="225" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-tV0QOWTjVOM/XV23pI64tQI/AAAAAAAABJ0/cTClB88yTnEMMnhu1aB-8H_pmVJx140qACLcBGAs/s400/QW%2BSS.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">We spent years working on this game. We're betting our family's future on it. So. Why does it look so bad?</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
We've been writing indie games for a living for 25 years. My wife and I run a humble little mom-and-pop business. We make retro low-budget role-playing games that have great stories and design and are a lot of fun.<br />
<br />
Also, they look like crap.<br />
<br />
The <a href="https://www.spiderwebsoftware.com/exile/winexile.html">first game</a> I released, in January of 1995, looked like crap. It achieved financial success (among the blind, apparently), which funded many more games that looked like crap, enabling me to build a solid reputation.<br />
<br />
Based on this reputation, we had a successful <a href="https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/619141553/queens-wish-the-conqueror">Kickstarter</a> for <a href="http://www.spiderwebsoftware.com/queenswish/index.html">Queen's Wish: The Conqueror</a>, an exciting upcoming RPG that will look like crap. We hope it will be a gateway to us making games that look like crap for many years to come.<br />
<br />
We have no complaints. We are in the middle of a long, successful career, and everything is rosy. However, sometimes I like to write about the indie game business and help people understand how it works and give advice to younger developers. This article is about why our games look the way they do, whether you like them or not (probably not).<br />
<br />
Most importantly, I want to advocate for the right of indie developers to be weird. If an indie dev has a wild, creative idea and is scared of trying it and thinks, "I might as well do it, at least I'm not being as crazy as Jeff Vogel," I've done my job.<br />
<br />
So if you are interested in why we write games that look like crap and will ALWAYS look like crap, read on.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-cTiUIc6iPW8/XV25Ljk7YNI/AAAAAAAABKE/egQC2tH8YvEsDqOEDPbaXmUN0-r7hPXbQCLcBGAs/s1600/Ultima%2BV%2BSS.gif" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="400" data-original-width="640" height="250" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-cTiUIc6iPW8/XV25Ljk7YNI/AAAAAAAABKE/egQC2tH8YvEsDqOEDPbaXmUN0-r7hPXbQCLcBGAs/s400/Ultima%2BV%2BSS.gif" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">This is what I grew up playing. <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ultima_V:_Warriors_of_Destiny">A true classic.</a> This is what looks normal to me.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<b>First, Let's Just Get One Thing Clear ...</b><br />
<br />
I think my games look good, and they contain a lot of really good art.<br />
<br />
All of the art in Queen's Wish was made by extremely talented freelancers doing really solid work to my specifications. I feel very lucky to be working with them. If you think my games look bad, any blame for that rests with me entirely.<br />
<br />
Second, again, I think Queen’s Wish looks really nice and comfy. Maybe it's a generational thing. People who grew up with Nintendo and Sega really like pixel art. I grew up with Atari and Intellivision, and I am very used to having art that leaves a lot to the imagination.<br />
<br />
My art is the sort of game art I grew up with, just with more modern color and detail, designed to give the feel of a tabletop Dungeons & Dragons game. That is my goal.<br />
<br />
So when I say my games look like crap, I am maybe being a little clickbaity. Video games are art, art is hugely subjective, and there are lots of people who genuinely like how my games look. I certainly do.<br />
<br />
This article is an explanation for those who disagree.<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-5l2GD5AQl5M/XV25k_cZ73I/AAAAAAAABKY/gLohfyjFQvchoKRpl_OV8ICL6jv2Ki1GQCLcBGAs/s1600/Exile%2BSS.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="819" data-original-width="1028" height="317" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-5l2GD5AQl5M/XV25k_cZ73I/AAAAAAAABKY/gLohfyjFQvchoKRpl_OV8ICL6jv2Ki1GQCLcBGAs/s400/Exile%2BSS.png" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Exile: Escape From the Pit, the first game we ever released. Queen's Wish is meant to evoke this old style, which, yes, I like.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<b>What Brought This Post On</b><br />
<br />
People have criticized the art in our games for decades. I have had indie developers, normally a mild and supportive lot, make fun of my games TO MY FACE.<br />
<br />
We have a pretty thick skin about it. Still, when we announced Queen's Wish: The Conqueror, I got this message on Reddit:<br />
<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<i>Jeff, I really like what you do and Geneforge 2 is one of my favorite games ever, but why not get a better artist? It's not even about technically impressive art, just about something that is pleasant to look at and doesn't alienate people. So many of my friends have told me they'd love to try your games but just can't get over the sloppy and cheap art style.</i></blockquote>
<br />
Ouch.<br />
<br />
What fascinates me here is that the guy seems to think he is telling me news. Like, I'm smart enough to keep a software company running for 25 years, but I am unable to notice qualities in my games that are instantly obvious to Joe Q. Rando. Apparently, my games are so ugly that looking directly at them without protective gear will turn you into this guy ...<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-MfM7PUxwfwM/XV23N53L6-I/AAAAAAAABJs/HsQH0jF1n0Y6waJ5LrSwCcRY1I0CkP3egCLcBGAs/s1600/nazi.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="298" data-original-width="364" height="261" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-MfM7PUxwfwM/XV23N53L6-I/AAAAAAAABJs/HsQH0jF1n0Y6waJ5LrSwCcRY1I0CkP3egCLcBGAs/s320/nazi.png" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
So yeah, this message bummed me out a bit, but it shouldn't have. I have seen COUNTLESS variants of this criticism over the last 25 years. At least he didn't threaten my life or call me slurs or wish horrible fates on my children (which happens).<br />
<br />
<b>What Is Wrong With Our Art?</b><br />
<br />
If you think my art is fine and don't understand what the problem is, bless you. I'll tell you what some think is wrong, as best I understand it.<br />
<br />
1. Queen's Wish has a very retro square-tile top-down view, reminiscent of old Ultima games, old Pokemon games, Spiderweb's first games, tabletop D&D, that sort of thing. For some, that old style is really unfamiliar and/or alienating.<br />
<br />
2. Queen's Wish uses art made by a lot of different artists. That means that the style is not quite consistent. We've done our best to make it blend well, but it's a little off.<br />
<br />
3. All the characters only look in diagonal directions. I made this choice because I once thought all the art would be hand-drawn, and I desperately needed to reduce the number of icons I needed. This was a mistake, and I'll probably try to fix it in Queen's Wish 2.<br />
<br />
4. It's not in 3-D. Some people will only ever be happy with 3-D.<br />
<br />
I'm sure there are lots of other problems. These are just the most common complaints. All these problems can be fixed. All they need is money. Lots of money.<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-QlCGk55dP3Y/XV253TrOPmI/AAAAAAAABKg/5PgqDIWkA0Ug1EyrUptb0yRcqn_-qzxrQCLcBGAs/s1600/sulfraslair1920x1080.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="900" data-original-width="1600" height="225" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-QlCGk55dP3Y/XV253TrOPmI/AAAAAAAABKg/5PgqDIWkA0Ug1EyrUptb0yRcqn_-qzxrQCLcBGAs/s400/sulfraslair1920x1080.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Our previous game, <a href="http://www.spiderwebsoftware.com/avernum/avernum3/index.html">Avernum 3: Ruined World</a>. Why didn't I just write another game that looks like this? Because I didn't want to. Nyeah!</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<b>So. Why Do My Games Look Like Crap?</b><br />
<br />
Or, more accurately, why do my games look the way they do, when other more fancy, more expensive art styles are available? Style that would, I freely admit, increase my sales.<br />
<br />
These are the reasons I don't change. If you want to make a living in the games business, or run ANY business, these ideas might be useful to you. This isn't just me whining. There are a lot of key basic principles here, and ignoring them is very dangerous for a small entrepreneur.<br />
<br />
<b>1. I Can Never Be Good Enough</b><br />
<br />
Remember we're a tiny company, like most indie developers.<br />
<br />
Suppose I want to change how I write games and run my business. Fine. Maybe I should. the first thing I have to ask is: What is my goal? It's to convert non-customers into customers.<br />
<br />
There are players out there who look at my games and say, "I don't want to play a game that looks like that." That is totally their right. But suppose I want to win those people over. What is required?<br />
<br />
The key problem here is that, when most people say, "Your art looks bad," what they mean is, "I want art that is good." They mean, "I want AAA-quality art." And I can't make that. Not even close.<br />
<br />
I have had games where I worked very hard to improve the graphics, spending a lot of time and money, and they really did look better! But when I released those games, the vast majority of people who had said, "Your games look bad." STILL said, "Your games look bad."<br />
<br />
Games like Pillars of Eternity and Divinity: Original Sin look infinitely better than my work. Those games also have huge teams, paid for by big budgets.<br />
<br />
And let's be clear. If this is what you want, there is absolutely nothing wrong with that! Hey, I like good graphics too. If you want really good graphics, my games will never be for you. I can't afford you.<br />
<br />
Writing story-heavy RPGs like mine is still a total niche business. AAA gaming has moved away from what I write very fast. Yes, Divinity: Original Sin 2 was a big hit, but Pillars of Eternity 2 very much was not.<br />
<br />
I will never run a big game company. I have to stay small, both because of business realities and because of what my wife and I want from our lives. So our games will never be fancy. They will always be humble.<br />
<br />
<b>LESSON:</b> Before trying for a goal, make sure that goal is possible to reach. It might not be. Know your limits!<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-EZ_rQjUxtKU/XV25IAMb7fI/AAAAAAAABKI/8zDGNGiNoWMQiCoMNRPCAFMrBdGyYDQSACEwYBhgL/s1600/1521633725-1536250531.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="429" data-original-width="600" height="285" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-EZ_rQjUxtKU/XV25IAMb7fI/AAAAAAAABKI/8zDGNGiNoWMQiCoMNRPCAFMrBdGyYDQSACEwYBhgL/s400/1521633725-1536250531.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Nethergate, released in 1997. A huge improvement over Exile. Before I released it, everyone said my games look bad. After I released it, everyone said my games look bad.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<i>"BUT ... Just because we can't shoot for the moon doesn't mean that we can't make some improvements! Hire a full-time artist. Hire another programmer who knows Unity. Why not do that?"</i><br />
<br />
<b>2. We Want To Run a Profitable Business</b><br />
<br />
When you want to run a small business, managing your budget is vitally important. Right now, our games only need to earn enough to support one family. When you have a solid product and a decent reputation, that is a very realistic goal. We've been doing it for 25 years.<br />
<br />
Suppose I want to hire a second employee. That will double the budget for our game. That means we have to double our sales to make up for it. When you are in business, especially one as competitive as video games, doubling sales is HARD.<br />
<br />
Would a second or third employee increase sales? Absolutely. Would it do so enough to justify the expense? Far more dubious. And bear in mind I need to come up with the money to hire those employees in the first place. That probably means a bank loan. Even if I get that loan, if the extra sales from the new employees isn't enough to pay the loan, that means the whole business can die.<br />
<br />
Can increasing headcount and making better games be a good idea? Of course! Businesses do it all the time! It's how great games are made. It is also a good way to lose everything.<br />
<br />
I already have a long-term profitable business, and that is not unrelated to my risk-averse personality. I don't want to blow it.<br />
<br />
<b>LESSON: </b>When you spend more money, you need to increase sales to match those expenses. Make sure you have a good chance of doing this, and make sure you can stomach the risk.<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-JcBvpaD120s/XV26c27xIYI/AAAAAAAABKs/UzYBXTru0G4BoxV2AuAsRYHOCbvUqDPWQCLcBGAs/s1600/darkest-dungeon-combat.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="467" data-original-width="830" height="225" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-JcBvpaD120s/XV26c27xIYI/AAAAAAAABKs/UzYBXTru0G4BoxV2AuAsRYHOCbvUqDPWQCLcBGAs/s400/darkest-dungeon-combat.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Darkest Dungeon has really good art that a small team can afford to do. However, the style is really distinctive. Finding artists to reproduce this exact look is hard.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<i>"BUT ... Small companies make great-looking games all the time. The key is to get an artist to make a cool, distinctive art style (like hand-drawn or pixel art). My games have fairly standard, neutral icon art. Why not have more style?"</i><br />
<br />
<b>3. We Need To Maintain a Consistent Look</b><br />
<br />
This is a very subtle but important point, and it's one that people don't think about enough when analyzing or planning indie games.<br />
<br />
Suppose I want to make a game like Darkest Dungeon, that doesn't actually have a huge amount of art, but it has a really cool, distinctive style. A small developer could afford to write a game like Darkest Dungeon. I have to get a freelancer who will develop an individual art style for a reasonable price. (Because I can’t afford a full-time employee, see above.)<br />
<br />
But.<br />
<br />
There is a key problem with freelancers: They have free will. They will very rarely be able to work for you for a long time. They get better jobs, or they quit making art, or they make art but for someone else, or they just flake out.<br />
<br />
Suppose I get half a game-worth of really neat, funky art, and then my freelancer gets a real job for big bucks. I then have to find a new artist who can match the style of that art and make a lot of it, which is very difficult.<br />
<br />
And then suppose I write a sequel, and I want to reuse that art and need more art made in that style. Then it is even more likely that my freelancer (and any replacements) will have moved on, and then I either have to throw everything away and get it redone (expensive in time and money) or find a new artist who will try to match that art's style and probably not do a great job at it.<br />
<br />
I can't stress this enough: Finding talented, reliable, reasonably priced freelancers is HARD. Cherish them when you find them.<br />
<br />
That is why all of my games have a more generic fantasy style. I have to work with a lot of different artists. It's the nature of the business. Thus I have to write games in a way that the artists can be replaced. The generic style this requires is not ideal, but it is necessary.<br />
<br />
<b>LESSON: </b>Always be aware of when you are relying on other people. Always be prepared to replace anyone. People move on. Life happens.<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-sUGFGLSg7Ek/XV26tpipJxI/AAAAAAAABK0/_98bEG0RSJEuXA0OsuvxrgOZZnTsthGkgCLcBGAs/s1600/Baba%2BSS.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="675" data-original-width="1200" height="225" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-sUGFGLSg7Ek/XV26tpipJxI/AAAAAAAABK0/_98bEG0RSJEuXA0OsuvxrgOZZnTsthGkgCLcBGAs/s400/Baba%2BSS.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">This is a really good, critically acclaimed, successful <a href="https://hempuli.com/baba/">indie game</a>. If a game that looks like this can be a hit, maybe there can be room for me?</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<i>"But you did games with a more 3-D look and I like those better. Your games looked kind of fine. Why didn't you stay with that?""</i><br />
<br />
<b>4. You Gotta' Follow Your Muse</b><br />
<br />
Game makers are artists. Artists are dependent on their inspirations. Sometimes your brain just wants to make a certain thing. If you aren't going to do what you want and believe in, why are you writing indie games?<br />
<br />
I've been writing games with that angled isometric look for twenty years. Twenty! I just wanted to write something that looks different. I have to change things sometimes to stay interested and keep from burning out. Period.<br />
<br />
<b>LESSON: </b>Not every artist can make every sort of art. Van Gogh couldn't paint a Renoir painting. If something inspires you, consider following that. If you're writing things you don't want to write, why not just get a real job? You'll get a regular paycheck and benefits.<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-UV3gB-PJ8YQ/XV27AOulclI/AAAAAAAABK8/stl90E0ry3gYOaUaR_akb5ir3gQk1Z3bQCLcBGAs/s1600/54793-adventure-atari-2600-screenshot-get-the-key-to-unlock-the-castle.gif" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="384" data-original-width="640" height="240" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-UV3gB-PJ8YQ/XV27AOulclI/AAAAAAAABK8/stl90E0ry3gYOaUaR_akb5ir3gQk1Z3bQCLcBGAs/s400/54793-adventure-atari-2600-screenshot-get-the-key-to-unlock-the-castle.gif" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Atari Adventure, one of my all-time favorite games. A true classic. I STILL love this game. If you don't like it, maybe the problem is you.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<i>"BUT ... Surely you can do SOMETHING? Surely there is some hope! Can nothing be improved?"</i><br />
<br />
<b>5. Again, Some People Like Our Games</b><br />
<br />
Remember, we've sold MANY copies of our games. We have fans. Our games have a scruffy, eccentric handmade look. Our indie games look, well, indie.<br />
<br />
I like how our games look, more or less, and I get a vote too. Maybe I'm a big weirdo, but weirdos spend money too.<br />
<br />
And, honestly, isn't one of the foundational ideas of indie games that there is room for all sorts of creative expression? That having more dollars doesn't give you a better claim on The Truth? That you don't have to be a billion dollar company to be good, to be right?<br />
<br />
Seriously, if you think my games look bad, don't play them. Believe me, I understand. But I got into this business to make my weird toys in my weird way. If I ever can't convince people to buy them, I'll quit and sell shoes.<br />
<br />
<b>LESSON:</b> If you are doing something that is working, keep doing it. If you are comfortable with your success, don't let anyone psych you out of it.<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-2L9h2DNCU2Q/XV28DffpIuI/AAAAAAAABLQ/FsA7C8sfW2UZSlRsqllcWQ6CWJ-YVjFFQCLcBGAs/s1600/20e.gif" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="383" data-original-width="680" height="225" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-2L9h2DNCU2Q/XV28DffpIuI/AAAAAAAABLQ/FsA7C8sfW2UZSlRsqllcWQ6CWJ-YVjFFQCLcBGAs/s400/20e.gif" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">People have been hating on my art for 25 years. I am very lucky, and I hope they'll be doing it for 25 more.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<b>We Run Our Own Businesses To Have Freedom</b><br />
<br />
To me, one of the most saddening things about our current economy is that the number of small businesses and self-employed entrepreneurs has been dropping <a href="https://sbecouncil.org/about-us/facts-and-data/">for quite some time</a>.<br />
<br />
We at Spiderweb love the freedom of being our own bosses, and we hope others get to enjoy it too. It's a scary way to live, but it has its rewards. We get to be weird. We get to make our own thing, and we OWN it. That is wonderful.<br />
<br />
So, anonymous Reddit person, that is why we don't have art that is "pleasant to look at and doesn't alienate people". This was a lot of words, but it's actually a pretty big question.<br />
<br />
If you've stuck with me this far, thank you, and I hope, in your life, you get to create things that make you content.<br />
<br />
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 13px;">###</span><br />
<br style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 13px;" />
<i style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 13px;">I am writing these blog posts to get attention to our newest game, <a href="http://www.spiderwebsoftware.com/queenswish/index.html" style="color: #999999; text-decoration-line: none;">Queen's Wish: The Conqueror</a>. You can also follow me on <a href="https://twitter.com/spiderwebsoft" style="color: #999999; text-decoration-line: none;">Twitter</a>.</i>Jeff Vogelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03396854958796097543noreply@blogger.com473tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4338724676892513065.post-82557877474987652632019-07-24T15:12:00.000-07:002019-07-24T15:12:16.233-07:00Make Them Want. Delay. Fulfill. Repeat.<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Y4O-prwCun0/XTjWocrfwDI/AAAAAAAABI4/gC5IFyA5HQApQURB36fWMf9mas8wiQx8gCLcBGAs/s1600/cc1.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="901" data-original-width="1600" height="225" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Y4O-prwCun0/XTjWocrfwDI/AAAAAAAABI4/gC5IFyA5HQApQURB36fWMf9mas8wiQx8gCLcBGAs/s400/cc1.png" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Players can get a deep feeling of satisfaction from games that literally play themselves. How cool is that?</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
Last week, <a href="https://jeff-vogel.blogspot.com/2019/07/the-glorious-profitable-inescapable-art.html">I began my discourse</a> on how video games can warp your brain chemistry to bring you pleasure in order to make lots of money and how difficult, delicate, and awesome that process is.<br />
<br />
I have eight observations about how video games cause your brain to secrete delicious dopamine. Here are the last four. If you can master this dark art, endless success awaits.<br />
<br />
<b>5. Different Genres of Games Provide Different Dopamine Delivery Systems</b><br />
<br />
Role-playing games let your characters earn small improvements, providing a constant flow of drug. Tough puzzle games and Dark Souls-type games hold back your dose for a while as you master a challenge and then reward you in one big flood when you finally succeed.<br />
<br />
Open-ended games like Destiny are for the serious addict, who wants a lot of hits over a period of time. Short, self-contained games are for someone who wants a limited supply or likes getting the hits in a variety of ways.<br />
<br />
This is why there will always be a market for finite-length single-player story games. They are safe to play. However intensely they consume your time for a while, they end. I'm fine with dumping all this time into Subnautica because I know I will eventually kill the Final Fish and be free.<br />
<br />
By the way, part of the genius of Achievements systems is that they create a whole new layer of fulfillment and addiction on top of what the games already provide, and they do it with very little effort. Whatever mad genius in Microsoft came up with the idea of the Gamer Score deserves the Nobel Prize For Awesomeness.<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-KvPX0_9Kr_4/XTjW6-wqR1I/AAAAAAAABJA/lp52JTOZqH0A7iAYL_a7Pgnaf_NLdaOkACLcBGAs/s1600/Queen%2527s-Wish-Buy-Building-1920x1080.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="900" data-original-width="1600" height="225" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-KvPX0_9Kr_4/XTjW6-wqR1I/AAAAAAAABJA/lp52JTOZqH0A7iAYL_a7Pgnaf_NLdaOkACLcBGAs/s400/Queen%2527s-Wish-Buy-Building-1920x1080.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">My next game, <a href="http://www.spiderwebsoftware.com/queenswish/index.html">Queen's Wish</a>. Beating dungeons gets resources. Use resources to buy shops. The shops give you better equipment. Each step provides dopamine.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<b>6. Like All Drugs, You Will Eventually Develop Tolerance</b><br />
<br />
You will always develop tolerance for a drug. You will eventually get tired of walking on the <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hedonic_treadmill">hedonic treadmill</a>.<br />
<br />
Most people, as they age, stop playing video games. They sometimes ask me, confused, why they don't want to play anymore. Games used to seem so important.<br />
<br />
Part of this is the increasing obligations of adulthood, taking away your ability to spend hundreds of hours in an MMO. I think it's more than that. After all, if you care about something, REALLY care, you'll make time for it. If you were that desperate to play video games, you'd play video games.<br />
<br />
No, I think it is that video game-induced dopamine hits are a fleeting and hollow pleasure. Every hit you get makes you less fulfilled than the one before. The sense of accomplishment is an illusion, after all. Eventually, the fun you get just doesn't justify the time expended, and you put down the controller and leave your house.<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-qM6xv_ve32A/XTjXL9g-fyI/AAAAAAAABJI/kDGtKNajHF8wMDg_au6YTQnKlcaXapdVQCLcBGAs/s1600/factorio.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="720" data-original-width="1280" height="225" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-qM6xv_ve32A/XTjXL9g-fyI/AAAAAAAABJI/kDGtKNajHF8wMDg_au6YTQnKlcaXapdVQCLcBGAs/s400/factorio.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">When the rewards are provides by machines you make yourself, that magnifies the fulfillment. Have this game running on three computers simultaneously to triple your pleasure!</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<b>7. Don't Be So Judgmental About This.</b><br />
<br />
Seriously. Dopamine addiction is a problem, but it isn't that huge a problem. Why get so mad about it? You're not trying to cure cancer. You're not freeing an oppressed people. You're writing about video games.<br />
<br />
Look. I love video games. I have my whole life. I've dedicated my career to them. I let me kids play them. I think they're terrific, in moderation.<br />
<br />
Yet, if you spend a hundred hours playing a video game, I think you should ask yourself if it's the best use of your time. If you spend a thousand hours playing a game, I think that you are making a mistake. If my kids try to get into speedrunning, I will, in a friendly and gentle way, strongly encourage them to not do that.<br />
<br />
Look, I don't want to make any big fancy declarations about morality or what other developers should do. Video game writing already has wayyy too much of that. I just try to run my business in a way I can feel good about.<br />
<br />
These days, I write games that you can be pretty much done with after 50 hours. That's a lot of distraction and dopamine for your 20 bucks, and then I free you so you at least have the chance to go to the park or take swing dancing lessons. This is how I make my peace morally with what I sell.<br />
<br />
All I know is this: Writing video games that provide pleasure without dopamine hits can be done. It's just hard. Storytelling is hard. Generating emotions is hard. Dopamine is the cheat code for compelling game design.<br />
<br />
Which brings us back to Anthem.<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-QZAegKZA8Qg/XTjXbXbw0gI/AAAAAAAABJM/B2mK9a1F58cWjOuSeQk4fI5zKxNRNMYqACLcBGAs/s1600/screen-shot-2017-02-17-at-2-11-41-am.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="950" data-original-width="530" height="320" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-QZAegKZA8Qg/XTjXbXbw0gI/AAAAAAAABJM/B2mK9a1F58cWjOuSeQk4fI5zKxNRNMYqACLcBGAs/s320/screen-shot-2017-02-17-at-2-11-41-am.jpg" width="178" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Now you can carry your addictions on your walks with you! You never need to have a moment of tranquility again!</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<b>8. If You Want To Sell a Drug, You Have To Provide the Drug!</b><br />
<br />
This is the final point, and the one that will protect you from ruin.<br />
<br />
Almost every game, even the most artsy one, uses dopamine hits to keep the player going. For example, Papers, Please! is unquestionably artsy, but it provides happy-making rewards for each challenge you complete correctly, and there is even a nice score sheet at the end of every day. (Return of the Obra Dinn does exactly the same thing, but it is subtler.)<br />
<br />
I think a major skill of a successful game designer is a feel for how to give a player dopamine. How to generate those hits. How to pace them. How to introduce enough variety in other parts of the game to create the illusion of a fulfilling activity.<br />
<br />
If people are saying about your looter shooter, "We aren't getting good enough loot," that's not a whine. It shows you are fundamentally failing at your main task. It's like someone at your restaurant complaining that their meal doesn't contain food.<br />
<br />
You have to respond by giving them more food. Not too much. Not enough to gorge them. Just enough to make them feel rewarded enough to stay on your hamster wheel.<br />
<br />
Make the player want. Hold back what they want. Give them what they want. Repeat forever. This is the art.<br />
<br />
This is a touch cynical, I know, but it's how I built a career and a life in this business. Game colleges should have classes called "Addiction For Fun and Profit, Mainly Profit." If you want to sell video games, you ignore this topic at your peril.<br />
<br />
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 13px;">###</span><br style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 13px;" /><br style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 13px;" /><i style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 13px;">I am writing these blog posts to get attention to our newest game, <a href="http://www.spiderwebsoftware.com/queenswish/index.html" style="color: #999999; text-decoration-line: none;">Queen's Wish: The Conqueror</a>. You can also follow me on <a href="https://twitter.com/spiderwebsoft" style="color: #999999; text-decoration-line: none;">Twitter</a>.</i>Jeff Vogelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03396854958796097543noreply@blogger.com299tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4338724676892513065.post-53068443843477013292019-07-17T15:29:00.000-07:002019-07-24T15:01:37.907-07:00The Glorious, Profitable, Inescapable Art of Addiction<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/--ik6e0pU5W0/XS-gPYOBM1I/AAAAAAAABIE/xFVDx7vWC3IackVIRfiqQYSAIyBP1hK9gCLcBGAs/s1600/Anthem-Review-Shot-17.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="910" data-original-width="1600" height="226" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/--ik6e0pU5W0/XS-gPYOBM1I/AAAAAAAABIE/xFVDx7vWC3IackVIRfiqQYSAIyBP1hK9gCLcBGAs/s400/Anthem-Review-Shot-17.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Get those numbers up! Those are rookie numbers!</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
I've been reading a lot about Anthem. It's that gigantic, mega-budget <a href="https://www.gamesradar.com/the-top-seven-looter-shooters-of-all-time/">looter-shooter</a> from BioWare and Electronic Arts. Apparently, it doesn't give out enough loot for the monsters you kill. For a game like Anthem, this is BAD FORM.<br />
<br />
Apparently, when you spend three hours killing a boss, the increase in your character's numbers isn't generating a sufficiently pleasurable dopamine hit to <a href="https://www.forbes.com/sites/paultassi/2019/03/28/anthem-needs-more-legendary-drops-thats-it-the-end">justify the time invested</a>.<br />
<br />
So Bioware releases a patch, and good loot suddenly drops like crazy. Our characters numbers shoot up and up, causing a pleasurable, sustained dopamine high. Ahhhhh. That's the stuff. But oops. The rebalancing <a href="https://gamerant.com/anthem-loot-drop-rate-nerf/">was bugged</a>! The loot rate drops, and again we are strung out, demanding that when we kill the level 99 Glip-Glop we get a properly satisfying purple (or legendary or epic) item.<br />
<br />
They never enabled Anthem to give the players the sweet hits of neurotransmitter they desired. Anthem is therefore not serving the main purpose it exists for, so now the game appears to be <a href="https://www.forbes.com/sites/erikkain/2019/05/30/why-anthem-failed-and-why-it-was-never-destined-to-succeed/#37a397152c90">slowly dying</a>.<br />
<br />
So what have we learned?<br />
<br />
<b>Time To Actually Look At What We Are Seeing</b><br />
<br />
I can't be the first person to notice that complaining about these games' loot drop rates is like being mad that the bartender is watering down the drinks. Complaining your character's numbers aren't going up fast enough is the "My weed dealer sold me a bag of oregano!" for the new millennium.<br />
<br />
While artsy indiepants developers debated whether video games are Great Art or a great storytelling medium, the big shot developers wearing the money pants became the most profitable drug dealers the world has ever seen.<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-teXuaUaDi2o/XS-gZubcfUI/AAAAAAAABII/9YDtmwkuqfUqYvXhi37weODBjzvJ7EMZwCLcBGAs/s1600/mith%2Bmarr.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="720" data-original-width="1280" height="225" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-teXuaUaDi2o/XS-gZubcfUI/AAAAAAAABII/9YDtmwkuqfUqYvXhi37weODBjzvJ7EMZwCLcBGAs/s400/mith%2Bmarr.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Fifty of us spend 12 hours being this jerk so that I could get an imaginary sword. What force is powerful enough to inspire such madness?</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<br />
<b>A Brief Disclaimer to Get the Neuroscientists Off My Butt</b><br />
<br />
When I say video games give you a pleasurable "<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dopamine">dopamine hit</a>" that’s shorthand for whatever pleasant chemical process is going on in the brain while you play. Is it actually dopamine? Or some other more complicated reaction of chemicals in the brain?<br />
<br />
Beats me. Answering this question is way above my pay grade. I'm just using "Dopamine Hit" as a placeholder/shortcut term. But whatever is happening, it IS chemicals, and they are generated by the brain on gaming.<br />
<br />
So, here are a few thoughts about the ways video games provide pleasure and manipulate our brains. Just observations. I don't have any answers. Nobody does. We can, however, look across the landscape and see what we see.<br />
<br />
<b>1. The Video Game Industry Sells Engines That Release Pleasure Chemicals In To Your Brain</b><br />
<br />
Hey, I love artsy video games like Papers, Please! or whatever. I really do. But don't kid yourself. That is not and never will be where the real money is.<br />
<br />
Popular video games sell so well because they cause the release of sweet, sweet dopamine in the brain. When you fill up an experience bar. When a stat number goes up. When you find a vein of diamonds and can make a sweet pickaxe. When you get the BEST sword. When you solve a puzzle or clear away a row in Tetris.<br />
<br />
When you die fifty times to a boss in Bloodborne, you are holding off the fix, which makes the huge surge of dopamine when you finally win all the more satisfying. Aaaaahhhhhh.<br />
<br />
<b>I'm Not Judging</b><br />
<br />
I know I'm expected to say how bad this state of affairs is, but I'm not going to. I don't think it's bad. I play these games. I like the dopamine.<br />
<br />
This isn't an editorial. I'm not judging anyone. I write computer RPGs for a living. My games are crude and low-budget, but they give you your modest dopamine dose for a far more reasonable price than the free-to-play drug lords over on Android. I even throw in a decent story to put a patina of sophistication on the whole thing.<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-iW4UryJQ-xw/XS-gpG6abFI/AAAAAAAABIM/e2ddOezhh5gAY3Qv43Veopm5Bf1OUuB0gCLcBGAs/s1600/Cavediamonds.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="693" data-original-width="1272" height="217" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-iW4UryJQ-xw/XS-gpG6abFI/AAAAAAAABIM/e2ddOezhh5gAY3Qv43Veopm5Bf1OUuB0gCLcBGAs/s400/Cavediamonds.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">How many children are, right this moment, grinding at the computer to get the thrill of seeing a fresh vein of diamonds.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<b>2. The Effect Is Very Real and Very Powerful.</b><br />
<br />
Back in the day, before game designers got really good at parceling out the dopamine hits, I raided in Everquest and World of Warcraft. Hardcore. Hours a day for weeks to get my shot at one of the really high-end artifacts. When I got one, the good feeling, a really substantive warm illusion of accomplishment, could last for days.<br />
<br />
These days, I struggle to remember what any of those clumps of data stored on a distant server actually were. (An "epic weapon"? Was that a thing?) However, the memory of the FEELING of satisfaction I got is still very strong.<br />
<br />
Now, of course, we designers know to make the upgrades come in a constant flow of smaller improvements. A host of bars slowly filling up and numbers increasing, so that the warm feeling never stops.<br />
<br />
This effect is so powerful that you don't even need to make the player DO anything. Look at <a href="https://www.kongregate.com/clicker-games">clicker games</a>. <a href="http://orteil.dashnet.org/cookieclicker/">Cookie clicker</a> is particularly good.<br />
<br />
In clicker games, a few simple clicks jump starts the process of earning cookies/points/gold, and then it runs on its own. You can walk away from the computer, return later, and see your progress! In <a href="http://progressquest.com/play/">some games</a>, not only do you not need to do anything, you CAN'T do anything, and you still advance. It really, truly feels like you did something! It's amazing how our brains work.<br />
<br />
<b>3. Writing An Addictive Video Game Is HARD</b><br />
<br />
Making a truly addictive video game is an art. Like, it's really, super hard. If it wasn't, there would be far fewer failed video games. Artsy types don't appreciate how difficult it is.<br />
<br />
When I am trying to design a game that pulls people in and gets them stuck there, I don't have rules. There's no algorithm. When designing a system, I sort through the 10000000 different ways I can do something, and I pick the one that feels right in my gut. The design that makes me go, "Yeah, this compels me. This would tickle my brain and keep me playing."<br />
<br />
There’s no rules for it. It’s intuition. Feelings. Art.<br />
<br />
I mean, think about it! When I write a game, I am trying to manipulate another human being's brain, at a distance, using nothing but these abstract mental constructs I build. Do I get to give the user cocaine or meth? No! I don't get a tool as easy or clumsy as actual chemicals. I'm trying to shape their minds with nothing but pure thoughts! That's awesome!<br />
<br />
I like writing and visuals and all that good stuff, but don't undervalue addictiveness. Making a game addictive requires true craft, and this quality enables video games to provide something unique in entertainment. If controlling the player's brain was easy, Anthem wouldn't have burned up hundreds of millions of dollars and exploded.<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-k5jsigqhWj0/XS-g1LMncCI/AAAAAAAABIU/jDgiby7ZYZsoDFYVOacJk5bCgk1ehGsJwCLcBGAs/s1600/2455371-papers%2Bplease%2Bfamily.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="368" data-original-width="706" height="207" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-k5jsigqhWj0/XS-g1LMncCI/AAAAAAAABIU/jDgiby7ZYZsoDFYVOacJk5bCgk1ehGsJwCLcBGAs/s400/2455371-papers%2Bplease%2Bfamily.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Even artsy games are smart enough to provide a score to increase. Nothing is more fun than bigger numbers.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<b>4. DLC and Micropayments Are a Side Topic, Not the Main Argument</b><br />
<br />
Our industry has discovered that the pleasure jolt from advancing in these games is so great some people will spend lots of money to keep the drip coming. “Five minutes of gameplay and your fancy tower is completed right away? That will be a dollar, thank you.” <a href="https://www.polygon.com/pokemon-go/2018/12/15/18142584/niantic-labs-valuation-pokemon-go">Bottomless fortunes</a> are being made off of dopamine.<br />
<br />
Look, if an ADULT spends $500 of their hard earned money to buy Fortnitebux or Smurfberries or whatever, I don't know what business it is of yours. If an adult wants to spend cash on beer or DLC or opera tickets or loot boxes, it's their right.<br />
<br />
BUT.<br />
<br />
Parental controls are deeply flawed. The companies who give them to you don’t want them too work well, because they want the money your children will spend.<br />
<br />
Suppose a tired distracted parent (as all parents are) makes a mistake (as all humans do) and lets their kid play the wrong game unsupervised for an hour. That game will happily <a href="https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/amp/technology-48925623">suck your bank account dry</a> and there’s not a damn thing you can do about it.<br />
<br />
For decades, the world has been trying to portray our industry as malevolent and harmful and evil. They’re always been wrong so far. PLEASE do not allow your greed to make them correct.<br />
<br />
Anyway.<br />
<br />
Suppose the people who hate free to play games win the argument and get rid of microtransactions. Suppose they change the laws so you have to get your looter shooter Destiny/Anthem/Division dopamine drip for one fair fixed price. So you're grinding hundreds of hours to get better armor, but you aren't spending more money. Just time.<br />
<br />
What is the creepy part? Is it evil to charge a dribble of money for a game so addictive it devours hundreds of hours of your time? Or is the problem making the game so addictive it consumes hundreds of hours of your time in the first place?<br />
<br />
Again, I am asking this as a person who writes games as addictive as I can make them in order to buy food.<br />
<br />
This turned into a huge post, so this is just part one. The second half is to come.<br />
<br />
###<br />
<br />
<i>I am writing these blog posts to get attention to our newest game, <a href="http://www.spiderwebsoftware.com/queenswish/index.html">Queen's Wish: The Conqueror</a>. You can also follow me on <a href="https://twitter.com/spiderwebsoft">Twitter</a>.</i><br />
<br />Jeff Vogelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03396854958796097543noreply@blogger.com387tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4338724676892513065.post-61613476266944851222018-05-31T15:07:00.001-07:002018-05-31T15:07:42.038-07:00We Did Our First Kickstarter! And It Worked!<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-NsNliYnfgRg/WxByEfzrkoI/AAAAAAAABFQ/GXDTNp0AIM8KZIdzpOJh8ak55jU6YJ5AwCLcBGAs/s1600/QW-Kickstarter-header-small.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="338" data-original-width="600" height="225" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-NsNliYnfgRg/WxByEfzrkoI/AAAAAAAABFQ/GXDTNp0AIM8KZIdzpOJh8ak55jU6YJ5AwCLcBGAs/s400/QW-Kickstarter-header-small.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Another journey begins. A long, long journey.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
For the fifth time in 25 years of doing business, we at Spiderweb Software are making a whole new game world (and new engine to go with it). Along with the announcement of our new series, Queen's Wish, we are launching our <a href="https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/619141553/queens-wish-the-conqueror">very first Kickstarter</a> to support it.<br />
<br />
We've put a lot of information about the new story and a video on our Kickstarter page.<br />
<br />
We're getting older, enough so that the end of our careers is in sight. We only have so many new stories in us now. That is why we've put a lot of work into planning Queen's Wish. I've been designing it in my head for years. It's a very personal project in a lot of ways, and I've thought a lot about what I want to say.<br />
<br />
This long blog post is for our fans, who might care about what we're thinking.<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-lSWgRyoIfew/WxBwApxBvsI/AAAAAAAABEs/0-b-alUydNAYCTZhe970RcZuSTz43WILwCLcBGAs/s1600/QW-shot-5.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="900" data-original-width="1600" height="225" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-lSWgRyoIfew/WxBwApxBvsI/AAAAAAAABEs/0-b-alUydNAYCTZhe970RcZuSTz43WILwCLcBGAs/s400/QW-shot-5.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">All-new (old) graphics style. All-new art. Note that all of these screenshots are very early and will heavily change.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<b>The Basic Game Details</b><br />
<br />
The Queen's Wish series, starting with Queen's Wish: The Conquerer, will hopefully be a trilogy for Windows, Mac, iPad, and, for the first time, the iPhone.<br />
<br />
Our earliest games, the Exile series, had a simpler top-down graphics style. Many fans have, over the years, asked us to go back to this. We're finally doing it. I like this style a lot. It's very graphically clean, and makes it clear what creatures are in what spaces, which is necessary for a game like this on small screens like the iPhone.<br />
<br />
We're trying to give the series a nice unified look and interesting graphical effects. where you can always be sure what space you are selecting and where all the creatures are. Our games will never look that fancy. We can't afford it. But we do try to improve things with each new game.<br />
<br />
However, the indie game business is super-difficult and competitive right now. Outside of a few hits, most indie games don't make much money. At the same time, replacing all of the art in a game is very expensive. How can a small company like us make our own unique sort of game without going bankrupt?<br />
<br />
Fortunately, the internet has provided a way ...<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-DkxyJzm1Ek0/WxBwUc32dPI/AAAAAAAABE0/r-9lj_I3JswZXoXacj3tUggNdqX3Iig5gCLcBGAs/s1600/QW-shot-1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="900" data-original-width="1600" height="225" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-DkxyJzm1Ek0/WxBwUc32dPI/AAAAAAAABE0/r-9lj_I3JswZXoXacj3tUggNdqX3Iig5gCLcBGAs/s400/QW-shot-1.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">These brigands dared to steal a fort from Haven. Set them on fire.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<b>To Kickstarter!</b><br />
<br />
In a lot of ways, Spiderweb Software is the sort of company Kickstarter was made for. We're a tiny company. We make unusual products for a loyal niche audience, and we sometimes need help.<br />
<br />
We're moving to Kickstarter very late. The big crowdfunding boom was years ago, and customers are rightly nervous about backing video games. A lot of careless game developers took peoples' money and gave nothing in return.<br />
<br />
Happily, we have a very long record of shipping good games on time. We know what it takes to write a game, and we aren't going to rip anyone off.<br />
<br />
But why support a Kickstarter to make a new indie game. Aren't there too many indie games? Isn't the turn-based RPG market totally glutted?<br />
<br />
It's on us to prove that supporting us will create something new and worthwhile.<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-5S19POyfsMc/WxBwgmTEicI/AAAAAAAABE4/-mfA01RQf8spcWOAB6jeKmJrRjgs7KdXQCLcBGAs/s1600/QW-shot-4.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="900" data-original-width="1600" height="225" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-5S19POyfsMc/WxBwgmTEicI/AAAAAAAABE4/-mfA01RQf8spcWOAB6jeKmJrRjgs7KdXQCLcBGAs/s400/QW-shot-4.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Collect resources, upgrade your forts, and get stronger characters. The sort of upgrades you buy improve you in different ways.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<b>Yet Another Game About Empires</b><br />
<br />
Most computer RPGs are about killing some big bad guy. There's some evil demon/wizard/monster/robot and it's totally evil and you get strong and kill it. The End. There's a lot of good games that follow this pattern, but it's not our thing.<br />
<br />
I've always been obsessed with story, politics, power, and choices, and all my games reflect that. Every one of our games is about a huge power dominating others, and you have to find a way to survive under it. Support it. Fight it. Remake it. Destroy it.<br />
<br />
I am obsessed with the history of Empires (successful and failed), and this comes through in the stories I write. This is appropriate. I am, after all, the citizen of an empire, and so are most of the people who play my games. I'm not ashamed of this. Sometimes Empires do good. (But often not.)<br />
<br />
I love my country. But this doesn't keep me from thinking about my homeland and the power it holds, and what that means. These thoughts work their way through my brain, bubble and transform, and come out as game designs.<br />
<br />
Video games are art, and art should reflect the world. The world very rarely gives us one end boss to kill to solve all our problems. The real world is much more complicated.<br />
<br />
<b>More Stuff About the Game</b><br />
<br />
So this is another game about an Empire. But with a big difference.<br />
<br />
You are not some peasant or bottom-rank soldier changing things from the bottom. In Queen's Wish, you are a prince or princess. You have power. You make the decisions, and you have to clean up the consequences.<br />
<br />
You will be dealing with other nations, poor but proud, weaker than Haven but just as brave and determined. Each has its own history, beliefs, grudges and resentments. I want them to feel real, both sympathetic and infuriating, and then force you to deal with them.<br />
<br />
People who have played my games for a long time know that I hate the idea of a Bad Guy. Whenever I introduce a faction, I let it plead its case as convincingly as possible, and I try to win some players over to their cause. If I introduce a faction and no player ever joins them, I have failed.<br />
<br />
<b>A Lot of Stuff About Forts</b><br />
<br />
In Queen's Wish, your power comes from forts and trading posts. You will be trying to rebuild old keeps, once held by Haven. You can get permission to do so through force or diplomacy. These will increase your wealth and power and your standing with the Queen.<br />
<br />
I love games that let you make fortresses and fill them with stuff. However, those forts seem to only rarely make a difference in the game. In Queen's Wish, you will have power to build and make decisions, and those decisions will give you noticeable power and bonuses.<br />
<br />
Note that, if you aren't into this sort of thing, you can do the fort stuff very quickly. Just think of it as another way to train your character.<br />
<br />
You can also make furniture and cosmetic improvements. My younger daughter told me that she wants this, so I put it in.<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-jLMF90xOALE/WxBwyT8GbXI/AAAAAAAABFE/jc8008hwpvsnkyIIrZV9zehGXvLDe3SugCLcBGAs/s1600/QW-shot-2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="900" data-original-width="1600" height="225" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-jLMF90xOALE/WxBwyT8GbXI/AAAAAAAABFE/jc8008hwpvsnkyIIrZV9zehGXvLDe3SugCLcBGAs/s400/QW-shot-2.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">You can just build your shops quickly and get on with the fighting, or you can decorate your forts and make them all nice.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<b>How the Combat Will Work</b><br />
<br />
It will still be turn-based combat with hand-edited fights, like all our other games. We're working hard to make sure the fights are fresh and don't repeat themselves.<br />
<br />
The game system will be skill-based. There won't be character classes. You can pick your skills from four different trees, hopefully allowing for a wide variety of different builds and strategies.<br />
<br />
Your characters are stranded deep in a hostile land, and I want the feel of combat to support this. When you leave the base and get into fights, they will wear you down. The missions won't drag you down with lots of trash fights, but each battle will exhaust you. You will have to conserve your power and choose when to use your best abilities and items to push all the way to victory.<br />
<br />
<b>Where Do We Go From Here?</b><br />
<br />
Aaaand ... we funded.<br />
<br />
I wrote this blog post before the Kickstarter started, planning to post it on the second day of the campaign. I genuinely didn't expect that it would have funded by now. I am humbled by your generosity and faith in us.<br />
<br />
Barring my getting run over by a bus, we hope for Queen's Wish to be done by May, 2019. Based on the size of game we have planned and what we have done so far, this seems very doable. It's a crowded market, but I will do my best to make something surprising and unique, and I think I will succeed.<br />
<br />
If you have more questions, feel free to post them on <a href="https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/619141553/queens-wish-the-conqueror">our Kickstarter page</a>. We are really excited about this new story, and we are grateful for any support you can provide!<br />
<div>
<br /></div>
Jeff Vogelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03396854958796097543noreply@blogger.com525tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4338724676892513065.post-59330000293280452312018-04-11T13:04:00.000-07:002018-04-11T13:04:44.561-07:00Divinity: Original Sin 2 and the Rewards of Doing One Hard Thing Right<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-BaznxAMB5pU/Ws5nImtkdgI/AAAAAAAABDc/2g0lhR8WCJAZB_2LhJr3evvmwHVVIvw1gCLcBGAs/s1600/B.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="353" data-original-width="616" height="228" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-BaznxAMB5pU/Ws5nImtkdgI/AAAAAAAABDc/2g0lhR8WCJAZB_2LhJr3evvmwHVVIvw1gCLcBGAs/s400/B.png" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">There will never not be a market for a solid RPG.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
I recently played indie RPG megahit <a href="https://divinity.game/">Divinity: Original Sin 2</a>. I went through it front to back, spending over 90 hours (Normal/Classic difficulty). It'd be a pity to expend so much time if I didn't get a blog post out of it.<br />
<br />
Divinity: Original Sin 2 (or DOS2 as I'll call it) is really the ideal of the indie aesthetic. It feels like it's a product of actual humans, and it clearly wants to deliver one pure, special, niche experience. It's a big, weird game that's made a bajillion dollars. It doesn't care about any of the rough edges, as long as it follows its vision purely.<br />
<br />
And there are rough edges. There are long periods of time where DOS2 feels like a gigantic clump of rough edges awkwardly glued together.<br />
<br />
Let's dive in. It's a big, weird game that's made a bajillion dollars. Plenty to say about it.<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-YeT8tIcaKdg/Ws5nn-lrYrI/AAAAAAAABDk/IBJ54WxOtuk7_0WbVtAntHJUmG8tvEP_wCLcBGAs/s1600/divinity-original-sin-2-pc-cd-key-3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="900" data-original-width="1600" height="225" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-YeT8tIcaKdg/Ws5nn-lrYrI/AAAAAAAABDk/IBJ54WxOtuk7_0WbVtAntHJUmG8tvEP_wCLcBGAs/s400/divinity-original-sin-2-pc-cd-key-3.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">In my bag, I have an ancient sword, an arrowhead, panties, a bowl, and wood chips. Any one of them might end up necessary. Never ever drop anything. </td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<b>What Is DOS2?</b><br />
<br />
It's an enormous, turn-based, story-heavy fantasy RPG with a lot of gameplay and long, very difficult, involved battles. It's a tough game. It's got a lot of wild multiplayer options, though I'll be focusing on single-player stuff. It took me over 90 hours to play, and I skipped a lot of quests.<br />
<br />
You don't need to play the previous game to enjoy it. It takes place in a different era or something. I tried to play the previous game, but I got totally stuck because I didn't notice a button hidden behind a ham.<br />
<br />
<b>What Does DOS2 Do Well?</b><br />
<br />
I have to start out with the best thing about DOS2, the thing that really makes it compelling: It has turn-based fantasy combat that is actually exciting. The battles are long (1-2 hours), unpredictable, and have an epic feel to them. They are very cool.<br />
<br />
I really need to emphasize how remarkable this is. I've been following the RPG genre since the beginning, and I think it's really important to acknowledge what an accomplishment the battles are. It's some next-level stuff.<br />
<br />
<b>What Are the Rough Edges?</b><br />
<br />
Every other single thing.<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-ehDSr3WtDoU/Ws5oFg9-e-I/AAAAAAAABDo/-s9NJ13i1eoeYiaiQEecUinZMhDjKTKEgCLcBGAs/s1600/divinity-original-sin-2-10-24-17-4.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="900" data-original-width="1600" height="225" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-ehDSr3WtDoU/Ws5oFg9-e-I/AAAAAAAABDo/-s9NJ13i1eoeYiaiQEecUinZMhDjKTKEgCLcBGAs/s400/divinity-original-sin-2-10-24-17-4.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Seriously, I went through the entire game with wood chips in my pack. If case I needed them to craft a stick or something. Jesus Christ, I'm basically 9/10 of a God. Just let me have the stupid stick!</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<b>What Is the Story?</b><br />
<br />
This game has tons of writing. Many, many words.<br />
<br />
The side quests and the storylines of your companions are reliably well-written and interesting. I enjoyed them.<br />
<br />
The main quest is something-something-invasion-of-horrible-monsters-something-something-disorder-in-the-heavens-something-something-become-a-god. I tried to keep track of the story, thought I understood it, and I guess I didn't. I'll get back to that.<br />
<br />
<b>What Is the Design Aesthetic?</b><br />
<br />
The general design aesthetic of DOS2 is: If anyone had an idea, any idea at all, it went into the game. The idea won't always be properly developed once it was in, but it will be there.<br />
<br />
There's a full crafting system, so I tried to use it. I collected every recipe and material I could find. At the end of the game, I couldn't make anything better than what I could buy at the store with my infinite money.<br />
<br />
There's an item identification system. No matter what the game, this is always just busywork.<br />
<br />
There are plenty of bugs, still, which gives hardcore RPG gamers that extra exquisite bit of challenge. As of this writing, it's almost impossible to talk to a character who is walking around. You click and nothing happens. It's maddening, which adds to immersion.<br />
<br />
And there are many, many unique spells and abilities. You can teleport characters around the battlefield, which is really cool. You can teleport lava onto the battlefield and then teleport enemies into it, killing them instantly and utterly making moot everything else about the battle system, which is less cool. Then your enemies can teleport you into that same lava, which ...<br />
<br />
Design tip: Don't put stuff in your design which instantly makes every other aspect of the design unimportant.<br />
<br />
There are, again, many spells and abilities. Or, there are ten abilities that are good and that will enable you to progress in the game, and 90 weak abilities that will leave you utterly stuck ten hours in.<br />
<br />
This is important.<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-B-S3HNsYMdE/Ws5o8GGHy-I/AAAAAAAABD0/W1VccEJggzsSO5RLyfw8L8yLTRDeG5UwgCLcBGAs/s1600/divinity-original-sin-2-guide-9.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="900" data-original-width="1600" height="225" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-B-S3HNsYMdE/Ws5o8GGHy-I/AAAAAAAABD0/W1VccEJggzsSO5RLyfw8L8yLTRDeG5UwgCLcBGAs/s400/divinity-original-sin-2-guide-9.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I love going through these screenshots and seeing how clogged everyone's backpacks get with irrelevant crap. It fills me with resolve: My next game will have only relevant items in it. I'm ditching a lot of junk items.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<b>Another Brutally Punishing Game</b><br />
<br />
DOS2 is very much in the game design tradition of "Make a game super-hard, give almost no information about what abilities are available or what are viable paths to take, expect the player to do a ton of research online, and go f*** yourself."<br />
<br />
This game is just plain too hard early on. Based on what I saw in reviews/forums, loosening up the difficulty in Chapter 1 would increase overall customer satisfaction a LOT.<br />
<br />
Saying something like this is just inviting abuse. There is a portion of RPG fans who react with rage at any suggestion of removing features or relaxing difficulty, no matter how reasonable the request. But it's still true.<br />
<br />
The number of builds that will enable you to escape the first chapter are very limited. It's very easy to end up needing to restart 10 hours in. The advice online for early game builds is scattered and, I found, often very bad.<br />
<br />
Seriously, Google "Divinity: Original Sin 2 Builds" and sink into the rabbit hole. Bear in mind, when you see a list like "12 Most Uber-Awesome DOS2 Skills," that article was probably generated as fast as possible to score easy clicks off a hit game, is badly considered, and is lying to you.<br />
<br />
(Real talk for normal players: Summoning is very strong. The spells Conjure Incarnate, Power Infusion, and Raise Bone Widow will carry you through this game. Teleportation is also fantastic. Using it to pull the enemy boss right in front of my fighters was my single favorite part of the game.)<br />
<br />
There are tons of players who love this aesthetic. RPG fans are gluttons for punishment. A lot of them just want a game to hurt them sometimes. (Or all the time.) A small portion of them will pounce on you if you ever suggest some bit of abuse in an RPG is a mistake (no matter how much it totally is).<br />
<br />
It drives me nuts, personally, but it's the big aesthetic now.<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-FPtzUnXsHBo/Ws5p1EWsQZI/AAAAAAAABEA/aoqc2MSdMH4FpbsMkj--caK7drxddYZMwCLcBGAs/s1600/divinity-original-sin-2-pc-cd-key-1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="900" data-original-width="1600" height="225" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-FPtzUnXsHBo/Ws5p1EWsQZI/AAAAAAAABEA/aoqc2MSdMH4FpbsMkj--caK7drxddYZMwCLcBGAs/s400/divinity-original-sin-2-pc-cd-key-1.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The battles tend to devolve into utter, unpredictable chaos. It's pretty awesome.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<b>Rough Edges With Rough Edges</b><br />
<br />
DOS2, for me, still had plenty of bugs, quirks, and stuff that felt half-baked. To show what I mean, here is my summary of how my game ended. At this point, I'd played for over 90 hours and was really ready for it to end. I think, once a player's given you this long, you need to wrap things up in as respectful a way as possible.<br />
<br />
I go through a long series of puzzles, some of which are really finicky and require noticing lots of little things. I use a walkthrough. Otherwise it would have taken me forever to search through all those little cubbyholes and boxes and bookshelves for what I needed. (The "Put the painting on the altar" puzzle, in particular, needed more time in the oven.)<br />
<br />
I get to the final battle, a multi-hour two-phase cluster-f. As is normal, the entire battlefield becomes covered with fire and spell effects and I can't see where any of the characters are.<br />
<br />
I'd already dug into Settings to find the key that makes outlines of all the characters visible, so I use that. Because there are so many characters, however, sometimes to target a specific foe in a crowd I have to zoom in and rotate the camera for a minute to find a few pixels where I can select the enemy.<br />
<br />
(God help you if you click wrong, or you'll use your best ability to obliterate an ally. A confirmation dialog when you aim an arrow at your tank or the ground would be welcome.)<br />
<br />
Because the fights are so long and tough, you can save in the middle. This is good because the battlefield has lots of different elevations, and the game is constantly telling me my arrows can hit targets that, when I fire them, get blocked by the terrain.<br />
<br />
My characters die constantly in the final fight, so I use scrolls to resurrect them. (I feel like DOS2 provides resurrection scrolls as a crutch to not have to balance fights fairly.) I eventually surround the boss with summoned monsters and pummel him to deadness.<br />
<br />
Now I get to decide how to remake the world/Heaven/Universe. I've made an effort to follow the plot up until this time, and it seems like I can fix a lot of problems by ascending to Godhood. The game explicitly tells me I can do this to fix the world.<br />
<br />
I talk to my companions, who I have all helped out to the maximum extent. They urge me to ascend to Godhood. One of them, who is in love with me and who I have totally made out with, practically begs me to ascend. Everything in the game so far has been pushing me to ascend to Godhood.<br />
<br />
I ascend to Godhood. Flashy cutscene.<br />
<br />
Then I am on a boat with my companions. I talk to them. They all totally hate me now! My girlfriend reacts to me with disgust. One of them says she'll kill me if she the gets the chance. What the hell!?!??<br />
<br />
Come on, Divinity: Original Sin 2! I can't have a tiny bit of satisfaction? I played you for over 90 hours! Throw a dog a bone!<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-LPhJ4tFZ5PE/Ws5pNcy7XRI/AAAAAAAABD4/KHHjveaY6JEjqetgCr8q5qKBX-3hInBjwCLcBGAs/s1600/dplxe7vfmhs6ebmibodk.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="450" data-original-width="800" height="225" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-LPhJ4tFZ5PE/Ws5pNcy7XRI/AAAAAAAABD4/KHHjveaY6JEjqetgCr8q5qKBX-3hInBjwCLcBGAs/s400/dplxe7vfmhs6ebmibodk.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">So many battles end with the play area a sea of spell effects. Figure out the key/button that shows outlines of character ASAP.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<b>My Final Takeaway</b><br />
<br />
Again, I must stress, the RPG combat in this game is some of the best I've ever seen. The fights are long but really satisfying when they work right. A lot of the writing is really good. The production values are great. Definitely worth a try if you love old-school RPGs.<br />
<br />
But honestly? In the end I was tired. Even the shortest battle takes a while, and I was avoiding conflicts just because I was exhausted with the game. The fighting works great, but overall usability needs a lot of attention.<br />
<br />
I won't be getting any DLC or sequels unless things change a lot. I'm glad I had this experience, I really am, but I don't need more of it.<br />
<br />
<b>###</b><br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="background-color: white; font-family: georgia, serif;"></span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: georgia, serif;">If you're intrigued by giant indie RPGs with epic stories and tough, unpredictable fights, you can try Avernum 3: Ruined World <a href="http://store.steampowered.com/app/691830/Avernum_3_Ruined_World/" style="color: #999999; text-decoration-line: none;">on Steam</a>. Then nitpick our game the way we nitpicked this one. It's only fair. News about our work and random musings can be found on our <a href="https://twitter.com/spiderwebsoft" style="color: #999999; text-decoration-line: none;">Twitter</a>.</span></span>Jeff Vogelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03396854958796097543noreply@blogger.com228tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4338724676892513065.post-6737074711069188152018-04-04T15:29:00.000-07:002018-04-04T15:29:53.749-07:00I Gave a Big Talk On Indie Games and It's Pretty Good.<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-FFvELXyqJwk/WsVRdn5YPSI/AAAAAAAABDE/VTo9bwoMucML3K6MiSTsjVd7yWW4gXkewCLcBGAs/s1600/Google%2BChromeScreenSnapz006.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="570" data-original-width="870" height="261" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-FFvELXyqJwk/WsVRdn5YPSI/AAAAAAAABDE/VTo9bwoMucML3K6MiSTsjVd7yWW4gXkewCLcBGAs/s400/Google%2BChromeScreenSnapz006.png" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Please enjoy this reasonably-priced hour of grumpy ranting.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />For a long time now, I've wanted to give a talk about the history of Spiderweb Software. It would be a combination of funny stories about the ancient history of the internet and a summary of everything I've learned about the True Meaning of Indie Games.<br />
<br />
At the 2018 Game Developers Conference in San Francisco, I finally had the chance to give the talk. I'm really happy with how it turned out. It's about an hour, and you can see it here:<br />
<br />
<a href="https://www.gdcvault.com/play/1024944/Failing-to-Fail-The-Spiderweb">Failing to Fail: The Spiderweb Software Way!</a><br />
<br />
It was really hard to whittle the talk down to 50 minutes. I had to leave a lot of quality material on the cutting room floor. I did manage to keep the best of it around. Hope you like it!Jeff Vogelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03396854958796097543noreply@blogger.com306tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4338724676892513065.post-40978459529681377892018-02-01T14:17:00.000-08:002018-02-01T14:54:48.140-08:00We Released Avernum 3: Ruined World.<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-Ow3-2_72hEU/WnOPi-qzlII/AAAAAAAABBU/B6Uz3dLWCoorOo36kpmHseXZEtx2S1E-ACLcBGAs/s1600/Avernum-3-press-kit-header.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="330" data-original-width="549" height="240" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-Ow3-2_72hEU/WnOPi-qzlII/AAAAAAAABBU/B6Uz3dLWCoorOo36kpmHseXZEtx2S1E-ACLcBGAs/s400/Avernum-3-press-kit-header.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Seasons come and go. Pages fall from the calendar. And Spiderweb Software releases another game.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div style="text-align: left;">
In 1997, I wrote a hit game.</div>
<br />
It was called <a href="http://www.spiderwebsoftware.com/exile3/winexile3.html">Exile 3: Ruined World</a>. It and its remasters are the most popular games I've ever written.<br />
<br />
Bear in mind this game was a hit by 1997 shareware standards, not 2018 indie standards. It made enough to buy a modest 1997-priced house. It didn't make enough to buy a <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/arts-and-entertainment/wp/2014/12/19/minecrafts-creator-notch-just-outbid-beyonce-and-jay-z-on-an-insane-beverly-hills-mansion/?utm_term=.64858aab500c">mega-mansion</a>. But I'm certainly not complaining.<br />
<br />
In 2002, I remastered the game into <a href="http://avernum%203/">Avernum 3</a>. It sold a lot of copies. Then, this week, twenty years after its first release, we shipped <a href="http://www.spiderwebsoftware.com/avernum/avernum3/index.html">Avernum 3: Ruined World</a>, the second remaster of this title. If my email is to be believed, a lot of people want it.<br />
<br />
This is a brief story of writing a game that did really well and figuring out how to deal with it.<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-0Br_cMDyizk/WnOPz9b0a2I/AAAAAAAABBc/QauVsDDy6mIASlAhVeQc2mx8_sHVlc8uQCLcBGAs/s1600/exile3_shot5.gif" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="426" data-original-width="568" height="300" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-0Br_cMDyizk/WnOPz9b0a2I/AAAAAAAABBc/QauVsDDy6mIASlAhVeQc2mx8_sHVlc8uQCLcBGAs/s400/exile3_shot5.gif" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Exile 3: Ruined World. 1997 shareware at its semi-finest.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<b>The Science of Careful Theft</b><br />
<br />
When I started Exile 3, I'd already put out Exile and Exile 2, and they'd sold well enough for me to go full-time. It was a modest living, but entirely adequate for a 26 year old in Seattle. (You didn't have to be an Amazon employee with a mega-salary to live in Seattle then.)<br />
<br />
At that point, I'd been writing shareware for two years, was starting to feel a tiny bit confident and comfortable. I decided that I was really going to stretch my wings. I wanted my third game to be GOOD.<br />
<br />
So I did what I usually do when I want to design something good.<br />
<br />
I played every game that was popular at the time, stole the very best idea from each, and synthesized them all into one coherent title.<br />
<br />
Here's the thing about stealing ideas: Everyone does it. We all stand on the shoulders of giants. It's knowing which tools to not steal, which ones to steal, and how to assemble them together to makes a real craftsman.<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-yYTAoG7KWMg/WnOQ-RBvaCI/AAAAAAAABB0/e-Jn2TZlL0UXFqbxVYy4R3Imvkjbb2zEACLcBGAs/s1600/PhotosScreenSnapz004.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="689" data-original-width="642" height="400" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-yYTAoG7KWMg/WnOQ-RBvaCI/AAAAAAAABB0/e-Jn2TZlL0UXFqbxVYy4R3Imvkjbb2zEACLcBGAs/s400/PhotosScreenSnapz004.png" width="372" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Computer Gaming World called Exile 3 the best shareware game of the year. They even gave me a prize. The logo is 2 chubby guys with bad posture sensually hugging a floppy disk.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<b>The Game Was Big</b><br />
<br />
From the Elder Scrolls games, I was inspired to write a huge game with tons and tons of towns. This resulted in Exile 3 being the biggest game we've ever written, by far.<br />
<br />
I've written it three times now, and each time I have despaired that I would ever finish it. It's sickeningly huge.<br />
<br />
Since I had so much space to fill and I was still young and crazy enough to feel free to do things that were genuinely dumb, this game has a lot of weird, silly stuff in it. Towns named after <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0AcBqfMH4fU">old sitcom characters</a>. A giant dungeon themed after old karate movies. A whole chapter where the enemies are giant cockroaches. (Actually, I still think this idea is terrific.)<br />
<br />
There's a reasonable amount of it that I'm sure I wouldn't do if I wrote it now. I was a lot looser and sillier when I was young. However, when I do a remaster, I need to trust my younger self. I left almost everything alone.<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-rD8NPWGvV40/WnOQIr4Um_I/AAAAAAAABBs/Uhzw7wgIxlYoAaV_rC6SBenvCBfgucjtwCLcBGAs/s1600/portal.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="579" data-original-width="780" height="296" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-rD8NPWGvV40/WnOQIr4Um_I/AAAAAAAABBs/Uhzw7wgIxlYoAaV_rC6SBenvCBfgucjtwCLcBGAs/s400/portal.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Avernum 3. A big upgrade from Exile 3, but it doesn't work so good on 2018 computers.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<b>Then Again, Maybe I Had Original Ideas</b><br />
<br />
I suppose when I say that all of my ideas are stolen I'm partly joking. There is a lot of cool stuff in Avernum 3 that was quite innovative when it came out, and I can't remember any games doing those things back then.<br />
<br />
You can be a merchant or buy a house. There was already games that had this.<br />
<br />
The world crumbles as time goes on. If you don't fight the bad guys, towns will fall apart and characters will die. If you're slow enough, a gigantic disaster happens and you have to deal with it or the world ends. NOTE: No matter how slow you are, you can always win the game, but not without consequences.<br />
<br />
I wanted to make sure you felt that the world was bigger than your perception and that there were things going on you would never know about.<br />
<br />
This is really cool, and I don't remember any other games doing this.<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-q4jOnvX0fPw/WnORbpbWaLI/AAAAAAAABB8/fejPJRPtS-gmPEs8yH3QSy8tM5lrzVQXwCLcBGAs/s1600/vahn%2B1440x900.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="900" data-original-width="1440" height="250" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-q4jOnvX0fPw/WnORbpbWaLI/AAAAAAAABB8/fejPJRPtS-gmPEs8yH3QSy8tM5lrzVQXwCLcBGAs/s400/vahn%2B1440x900.png" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Avernum 3: Ruined World in all its low-budget glory. It was made cheaply, but it's fun.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<b>Working As a Curator</b><br />
<br />
When you do a remaster, you are the curator of your own work. You have a responsibility to your fans to keep everything they love most about the title intact. If you don't, they will punish you lavishly.<br />
<br />
People tend to dislike change. If you change one thing, even if it's an entirely reasonable or even unquestionable change, you will always get complaints. These complaints can get very angry.<br />
<br />
This makes remasters really grinding, painstaking work. I tried to put in lots of new ideas and designs and stuff. I improved the interface greatly. However, as much as possible, I left the world and story and feel of the game alone.<br />
<br />
(There is one change I regret: The artist who made the character art doesn't work for us anymore, so I couldn't get horse art that would match the old style. Sorry about no horses.)<br />
<br />
<b>Thank You For Your Support</b><br />
<br />
This wouldn't be complete without a thank you to the many people who have supported and stuck with us over the years. Your kindness has enabled me to live my childhood dream. I promise to work hard to be worthy of it.<br />
<br />
<b>Back To Creativity</b><br />
<br />
After 16 months on Avernum 3, I'm really itching to do something new again. I hope I never have to remaster it again. Check in with me in 2033.<br />
<br />
We are starting a whole new series. New world, new game engine, new system, maybe even a Kickstarter.<br />
<br />
I hope you like Avernum 3. If you aren't sure about it, we have a demo. If you loved it as a kid, I hope that I kept the things you love alive.<br />
<br />
On to the next.<br />
<div>
<br /></div>
Jeff Vogelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03396854958796097543noreply@blogger.com644tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4338724676892513065.post-48341359564502221502018-01-24T12:44:00.000-08:002018-01-24T12:44:49.303-08:00Cuphead, Cruelty, and Selling Unfairness to You.<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-JZnzdo1i1Ws/WmjrMlAaAqI/AAAAAAAAA_4/InlK7VTpwuMVvVzYb6UAanIlTmRVszIqwCLcBGAs/s1600/dragon.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="720" data-original-width="1280" height="225" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-JZnzdo1i1Ws/WmjrMlAaAqI/AAAAAAAAA_4/InlK7VTpwuMVvVzYb6UAanIlTmRVszIqwCLcBGAs/s400/dragon.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Teacher, mother, <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DumCuR4mdpQ">secret lover</a>.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
When charming indie megahit Cuphead came out, I watched a ton of it on Twitch. How could I not? It's so pretty!<br />
<br />
I wasn't planning to play it. I like to play one super-tough game a year, to show I can still game hard like the cool kidz. But I'd already played Bloodborne last year, and my aging heart won't take much more than that.<br />
<br />
Then my wife got me a Black Friday sale XBox One so that we could play Gears of War 4 together, so I figured I might as well try Cuphead for real.<br />
<br />
Because of what I do for a living, of course, all of the following analysis is being done to find ideas I can steal to make more money.<br />
<br />
<b>Yeah, Cuphead Is Really Good</b><br />
<br />
It was a huge amount of fun. I played a lot by myself. A lot co-op with my teenage daughter. A reasonable amount with my 11-year old daughter. Turns out my kids can be serious hardcore "Die 50 times and keep at it!" gamers when the bad guys are saucy mermaid ladies.<br />
<br />
What really struck me was how little watching the game on Twitch prepared me for actually playing it. This was because Cuphead constantly uses randomness (RNG, for short) better than just about any game I've ever played.<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-Nz4Hfc_HN4o/WmjszOdF51I/AAAAAAAABAE/vYwV-mEuoi0X6fVePiaFBZVLfjw9g2NTwCLcBGAs/s1600/calamaria.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="720" data-original-width="1280" height="225" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-Nz4Hfc_HN4o/WmjszOdF51I/AAAAAAAABAE/vYwV-mEuoi0X6fVePiaFBZVLfjw9g2NTwCLcBGAs/s400/calamaria.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Ever notice how sometimes a character comes along and every fan artist must come up with their <a href="http://knowyourmeme.com/memes/cala-maria/photos/sort/favorites">own take on it</a> instantly? I think that's cool. (Link not entirely safe for work.)</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<b>The Deadly RNG</b><br />
<br />
Just about every attempt against a boss in Cuphead plays out differently from every other try. It's not only the standard Dark Souls thing where each boss has a move set and it picks an attack at random and you have to react to it. (Though it has that, of course.)<br />
<br />
The fights are also random in every other way they can be:<br />
<br />
<i>Timing of the Attack -</i> A bull is about to lunge forward to attack. It rears back. Then the amount of time until it actually launches the attack varies. Sometimes it's instant. Sometimes it's a good long pause. And sometimes the wait is so long is throws off my timing entirely and I blunder right into the attack.<br />
<br />
<i>Timing of Attackers -</i> Little fireballs run across the screen. Sometimes one jumps up at you. Sometimes the pause between leapers is so long that you think the game is broke and you get complacent and BAM. And then three go all at once. (which can be evaded, but it's a rare enough occurrence that the player won't have a canned response for it.)<br />
<br />
<i>Random Attack Sets - </i>In a lavish display of developer effort, some bosses have entirely different skill sets every time you launch the fight.<br />
<i><br /></i>
<i>Multiple Simultaneous Attack Sets - </i>The mermaid has two sets of three attacks, one set from the air and one from the water. It picks one from each set and uses them simultaneously, for nine different attacks to react to.<br />
<br />
<i>Random Terrain - </i>Two fights have you battle while leaping along moving, randomly arranged platforms. To avoid an attack, you need to very quickly evaluate the routes available to you and select the best one.<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-sGoqEXMZ5as/WmjtbE1RC_I/AAAAAAAABAM/m7_fUojuzDUYQFucdylSmUaUF_NCsdqdgCLcBGAs/s1600/cuprat.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="720" data-original-width="1280" height="225" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-sGoqEXMZ5as/WmjtbE1RC_I/AAAAAAAABAM/m7_fUojuzDUYQFucdylSmUaUF_NCsdqdgCLcBGAs/s400/cuprat.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">This boss made my daughter cry. I hugged her. Then I beat it quickly and she was mad at me. At least we're having family time.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<b>The End Result</b><br />
<br />
This is why watching the game doesn't convey the experience of playing it. You can't get through Cuphead with patterns. Well, some fights you can. But most of the time, you have to learn how the system works, practice with it, and perform within it, adapting fluidly to surprises as you go.<br />
<br />
Sometimes the RNG hands you a really nasty situation, but the vast majority of the time the situation you get is fair and survivable. You just have to take in the situation, come up with a plan very fast, and execute it.<br />
<br />
The brilliance of the design is in making a system with RNG that keeps the game unpredictable and tough but still fair. I think this sort of probability manipulation is underrated as a skill in game design.<br />
<br />
<b>Obvious Disclaimer For People Who Are Already Yelling At Me In the Comments Anyway</b><br />
<br />
Obviously, a lot of gamers don't like high challenge games. A lot of gamers don't like missions they can fail. Nothing wrong with this.<br />
<br />
Cuphead isn't aiming for the casual market. Most of the time, I don't either. I'm looking for ways to better sell to this market.<br />
<br />
If you're trying to write a game that will appeal to every single person everywhere, you're probably already doomed.<br />
<br />
<b>Unfairness Is a Selling Point</b><br />
<br />
In a game like this, the occasional unfair, unescapable death is a selling point. There are some gamers for whom such a situation doesn't induce a Ragequit. It inspires a determination to excel.<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-81UYKtRyb9I/WmjuijRpOVI/AAAAAAAABAY/MDr8nGdR80gH-CQ8rVP6ulOagy2b1OE-gCLcBGAs/s1600/avernumfight.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="603" data-original-width="486" height="400" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-81UYKtRyb9I/WmjuijRpOVI/AAAAAAAABAY/MDr8nGdR80gH-CQ8rVP6ulOagy2b1OE-gCLcBGAs/s400/avernumfight.jpg" width="321" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">If I don't kill you occasionally, how will your accomplishments have meaning?</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<b>Playing the RNG In an RPG</b><br />
<br />
Darkest Dungeon is another game with great use of randomness. When you take your party into a dungeon, you can get a run of savage bad luck. If things get bad, you can pull the ripcord at almost any moment, abandon your run, and save your group (with a penalty). The skill comes in constantly evaluating your situation and deciding when it's time to give up. If you can't do that, you will have a hard time.<br />
<br />
I've always tried to have a lot of this in my indie RPGs. I write long games, and I want to make sure it's always interesting and unpredictable and there's a chance that things can go south quickly if you're not careful.<br />
<br />
I give enemies large move sets and make sure that they can approach a fight differently each time. I use a critical hit system to make sure you can never get too complacent. Sometimes, enemies run for help, and it's random how long they'll hang around before they do.<br />
<br />
(If you want to see this system in action, our new game, <a href="http://store.steampowered.com/app/691830/Avernum_3_Ruined_World/">Avernum 3: Ruined World,</a> is out at the end of January.)<br />
<br />
Heck, the whole genre of Roguelikes depends on randomness of your adventure. You gamble your time and hope you get a situation you can survive.<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-mlpHLKtMk1w/WmjvNlkToyI/AAAAAAAABAg/pT9CSGZ632cffoMS-m6sx9Lg_304mZLeACLcBGAs/s1600/rogue_005.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="480" data-original-width="640" height="300" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-mlpHLKtMk1w/WmjvNlkToyI/AAAAAAAABAg/pT9CSGZ632cffoMS-m6sx9Lg_304mZLeACLcBGAs/s400/rogue_005.png" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Of course, video game accomplishments don't have meaning. My job is to create the illusion that they do.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<b>What Is the Gain From this Randomness</b><br />
<br />
Humans like to gamble, and we have loved gambling for all of our recorded history. Gambling doesn't have to be for money, and it doesn't need lootboxes.<br />
<br />
The joy of gambling comes from the unpredictability, the increasingly rare life pleasure of being unsure what is about to happen. RNG in your game means bad luck might cause you to fail. Some people mistakenly think that this is a flaw, when it is in fact a great strength.<br />
<br />
The ideal for my games is that, for battles of an appropriate level, there is always a tiny chance to fail. Similarly, for Cuphead, unless you're a completely superior player, there is a chance that an unexpected chain of events will outwit and defeat you.<br />
<br />
When you lack a human opponent to provide unpredictability, randomness must serve this role and provide the surprises. This provides suspense and unpredictability. For a large portion of gamers, being surprised is a highly valued product that can be sold at a premium.<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-s4ZFvblJYpI/WmjvrRpPE_I/AAAAAAAABAk/V_Ix2U1nUusTsIOwsra89EnRRysDg4mAQCLcBGAs/s1600/leapy%2Bboi.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="204" data-original-width="180" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-s4ZFvblJYpI/WmjvrRpPE_I/AAAAAAAABAk/V_Ix2U1nUusTsIOwsra89EnRRysDg4mAQCLcBGAs/s1600/leapy%2Bboi.jpeg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">It's a leapy boi! Look at him go!</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br /><br />
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: georgia, serif; font-size: xx-small;">### </span><br style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: x-small;" /><span style="background-color: white; font-family: georgia, serif; font-size: xx-small;"><br /></span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: georgia, serif; font-size: xx-small;"></span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: georgia, serif; font-size: xx-small;">If you're intrigued by giant indie RPGs with epic stories and tough, unpredictable fights, you can wishlist Avernum 3 <a href="http://store.steampowered.com/app/691830/Avernum_3_Ruined_World/" style="color: #999999; text-decoration-line: none;">on Steam</a>. It's out January 31. News about our work and random musings can be found on our <a href="https://twitter.com/spiderwebsoft" style="color: #999999; text-decoration-line: none;">Twitter</a>.</span>Jeff Vogelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03396854958796097543noreply@blogger.com676tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4338724676892513065.post-91966545757276600302017-12-06T14:02:00.000-08:002017-12-06T14:02:01.274-08:00I Settle All Video Game Arguments, Part 2: What Is a Game?<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-wXfYFLHXv2I/Wihmln6xmXI/AAAAAAAAA-s/46D9xXXIuXs76nTroQqQOkbN-R9IChAIACLcBGAs/s1600/bottomoflightblueshirt.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="440" data-original-width="880" height="200" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-wXfYFLHXv2I/Wihmln6xmXI/AAAAAAAAA-s/46D9xXXIuXs76nTroQqQOkbN-R9IChAIACLcBGAs/s400/bottomoflightblueshirt.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">According to the rigorous definition of Game that I will provide, creating "dank memes" IS a video game.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
One of the painful things about being in the games biz for a long (LONG) time is that you see the same tedious arguments brought up and rehashed, again and again, by new generations. I am writing a series of posts to settle these debates once and for all.<br />
<br />
No need to thank me. When I get the Nobel Prize, don't worry about sending the medal. I just want the money.<br />
<br />
This time, I settle a question that has tormented academics and Mad On Twitter types alike: What is the definition of a game?<br />
<br />
<b>How This Tedious Discussion Started</b><br />
<br />
When the Indie Boom hit, several games of the genre called Walking Simulators came out and achieved huge financial and critical success. I personally enjoyed many of them greatly. (Despite this, I still use the term "Walking Simulator" because I find it funny.)<br />
<br />
When they first gained notice, a certain portion of the gamer community was angered by the acclaim for Walking Simulators, sniffing in response that they "Aren't games."<br />
<br />
This is, of course, entirely the wrong way to phrase their complaint. What they should have said was, "These games, whatever their good qualities, strip away everything we value in gaming and don't give us enough hours of distraction for our limited dollars, and the fact they are being treated as the future and only thing of value in our medium fills us with resentment."<br />
<br />
Whether you agree with that sentiment or not (and there's plenty to say on both sides), it is a statement you can actually debate on its merits.<br />
<br />
But this debate, such as it was, was moot. Last I checked, Walking Sims (even really <a href="http://store.steampowered.com/app/501300">good new ones</a>) are selling modest numbers and games where you shoot monsters in the face are still making billions.<br />
<br />
So there was no reason to continue the argument ...<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-Lp9YaFceORk/Wihm6f-6CiI/AAAAAAAAA-w/yEvQle3ji7outGe3qahQlmIzZN_IHp6WwCLcBGAs/s1600/tacomashot.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="900" data-original-width="1600" height="225" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-Lp9YaFceORk/Wihm6f-6CiI/AAAAAAAAA-w/yEvQle3ji7outGe3qahQlmIzZN_IHp6WwCLcBGAs/s400/tacomashot.png" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">According to my rigorous definite of Game, this IS a video game.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<b>But Then Academia Got Involved.</b><br />
<br />
A lot of people go to college to study videogames, and some try to create advanced critical analysis of the form. Don't blame me. It's not my fault.<br />
<br />
I studied theatre in college, which was a fantastic experience. When I was there, I observed that people new to an art form constantly try to attach firm definitions to everything in it.<br />
<br />
"What IS a play? What is acting? What is a work of art? What is the explicit definition of joy? And beauty? Dude, <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BYhF79vIlws">my hands are HUGE</a>! They can touch anything but themselves!"<br />
<br />
Exercises like this are not useless. It's good, when you’re young, to spend a lot of time thinking about the nature of your art form. Then you stop, because you realize that the nature of art is a very slippery thing. Whatever rule you come up with, someone else will become awesome by breaking it.<br />
<i><br /></i>
<i>Here's the deal with art: Your brain compels you to make a thing, then you make it, then people dig it or they don't. The end.</i><br />
<br />
Despite this, otherwise sensible people still actually spend time trying to define a game. Google "What is a game" and marvel in wonder. It's really quite the thing. A whole bunch of definitions, none of them adequate, because they're all too broad or too narrow or too abstract.<br />
<br />
So I'll settle the issue and save everyone a bunch of time. This is important to me because I'm working on a <a href="http://store.steampowered.com/app/691830/Avernum_3_Ruined_World/">cool new indie role-playing thing</a> now, and it'll be out soon, and I want to be sure I can call it a game so I don't get in trouble with the FDA or whatever.<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-siTBXCjK9ck/WihnD_kTVEI/AAAAAAAAA-0/m-bBp9KtZuILxKHyp7tjN2775xPYVJ7bwCLcBGAs/s1600/217628_screenshot_12_l.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="450" data-original-width="800" height="225" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-siTBXCjK9ck/WihnD_kTVEI/AAAAAAAAA-0/m-bBp9KtZuILxKHyp7tjN2775xPYVJ7bwCLcBGAs/s400/217628_screenshot_12_l.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">According to my rigorous definition of Game, this is NOT a video game.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<b><br /></b>
<b>What Is a Game?</b><br />
<br />
Consider the large, highly profitable genre called <a href="http://www.pogo.com/hidden-object-games">Hidden Object Games</a>.<br />
<br />
Here's how they work. The game says, "There's a squid on the screen." Then you find and click the squid. Then you do the same thing with a sandwich or a skull or whatever.<br />
<br />
Is this a game? I mean, hell, I'm not 100% sure this counts as an ACTIVITY.<br />
<br />
But it has to be a game. How do I know? Because "Hidden Object Game" has "Game" in the name.<br />
<br />
So just clicking a few times makes it a game, and you have to click just to launch the game. Sooo ...<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-z9V62RJI9z0/WihnRqLtNAI/AAAAAAAAA_A/pqeHQ5rjIUovaeYpKCv3IgRDXm92waRVgCLcBGAs/s1600/Excel_for_Mac_2016_screenshot.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="343" data-original-width="640" height="213" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-z9V62RJI9z0/WihnRqLtNAI/AAAAAAAAA_A/pqeHQ5rjIUovaeYpKCv3IgRDXm92waRVgCLcBGAs/s400/Excel_for_Mac_2016_screenshot.png" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 12.8px;">According to my rigorous definition of Game, this IS a video game.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<b>The Answer!</b><br />
<br />
If you're asking, "Is this a game?" it's a game. Sure! Why not? Who cares? It might be a good game or a long game or a bad game or a word processor.<br />
<br />
Semantics arguments are lame. Argue about the content. <i>What is a game is trying to do, how does it attempt it, how well did it succeed, and why? That's all that matters.</i><br />
<br />
<b>Wait. You Didn't Actually Define a Game.</b><br />
<br />
So if you're hangin' out and someone starts to discuss with you what the definition of a game (or gameplay, or play, or immersion, or ludonarrative dissonance) is, do what I do!<br />
<br />
Step 1: Nod sagely and adopt an expression of extreme concentration.<br />
<br />
Step 2: Point over the person's shoulder and shout, "Hey, what's that!?"<br />
<br />
Step 3: Activate the <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xk0yZI_LlTY">ninja smoke bomb</a> you have in your pocket. FWOOOOSH!<br />
<br />
Step 4: Sneak into another room.<br />
<br />
Step 5: Talk to literally anyone else about literally anything else.<br />
<br />
Problem solved!<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-W7FTekZH3g8/WihnbJQgChI/AAAAAAAAA_E/HFRumuV3l3I4zYOVmIuDGfCkXKaONOakQCLcBGAs/s1600/dsc02130copy.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="560" data-original-width="640" height="280" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-W7FTekZH3g8/WihnbJQgChI/AAAAAAAAA_E/HFRumuV3l3I4zYOVmIuDGfCkXKaONOakQCLcBGAs/s320/dsc02130copy.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">According to my rigorous definition of Game, this IS a video game.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<b>This Is Ridiculous. By Your Laughable Definition, Photoshop and Excel Are Games. That Is So Broad As To Be Meaningless! But What If You First Define Gameplay To Be ...</b><br />
<br />
OK, you've broken through. My decades of experience have enabled me to have one simple, unquestionable test for how to peel apart interactivity for a productive purpose from interactivity for an entertainment purpose. First, you ... Hey, what's that!<br />
<br />
FWOOOOSH!<br />
<br />
<b>As An Extra Multiball Reward For Making It All the Way to the End of This Mess, I Will Settle Once and For All the Question: "Are Video Games Art?"</b><br />
<br />
No. Never. Don't be silly.<br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="background-color: white; font-family: georgia, serif;">### </span><br style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, serif;" /><span style="background-color: white; font-family: georgia, serif;"><br /></span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: georgia, serif;"></span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: georgia, serif;">If you're intrigued by giant indie RPGs with cool adventures and epic stories, you can wishlist our next "game" <a href="http://store.steampowered.com/app/691830/Avernum_3_Ruined_World/" style="color: #999999; text-decoration-line: none;">on Steam</a>. News about our work and random musings can be found on our <a href="https://twitter.com/spiderwebsoft" style="color: #999999; text-decoration-line: none;">Twitter</a>.</span></span>Jeff Vogelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03396854958796097543noreply@blogger.com467tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4338724676892513065.post-64737722351534282732017-11-15T13:46:00.000-08:002017-11-15T13:55:45.245-08:00I Settle All Video Game Arguments, Part 1: Game Reviews<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-dYCn95FnNlM/WgyuR-L7F9I/AAAAAAAAA9Q/o9Zw7C6nwvMXD0XsyO0D_IjJv_XrkqZGwCLcBGAs/s1600/cuphead-e3-2017-sea-woman.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="450" data-original-width="800" height="225" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-dYCn95FnNlM/WgyuR-L7F9I/AAAAAAAAA9Q/o9Zw7C6nwvMXD0XsyO0D_IjJv_XrkqZGwCLcBGAs/s400/cuphead-e3-2017-sea-woman.jpeg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">There was a <a href="https://venturebeat.com/2017/09/08/the-deanbeat-our-cuphead-runneth-over/">ridiculous controversy</a> recently because a games journo was bad at this difficult game. All time spent debating it was time wasted. I am writing this so that such time-wastage never happens again. I live to serve.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<i>"You can speak your mind but not on my time."<br /> - <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h3JFEfdK_Ls">William Martin Joel</a></i> </blockquote>
One of the painful things about being in the games biz for a long (LONG) time is that you see the same tedious arguments brought up and rehashed, again and again, by new generations. I am writing a series of posts to settle these debates once and for all.<br />
<br />
Don't bother to thank me. Seeing my own face whenever I look into the mirror is reward enough.<br />
<br />
First up, I will settle all debates regarding games reviewers: How good should a reviewer be at a game? What topics are a reviewer allowed to bring up when doing a review? Are review scores and review aggregators a good thing? Does anyone still care about game reviews?<br />
<br />
So the next time someone gets Mad On the Internet about a game review or mega-butthurt because the newest installment of their fave series gets a 91% when they KNOW it should have gotten a 93%, you can send them to this page and get on with your life.<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-NIR9bCzIaHo/WgyvOqct1gI/AAAAAAAAA9Y/JN3PanlK4Lgl2bw_ScyIDUU4lWWjTRchACLcBGAs/s1600/PhotosScreenSnapz001.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1017" data-original-width="1316" height="308" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-NIR9bCzIaHo/WgyvOqct1gI/AAAAAAAAA9Y/JN3PanlK4Lgl2bw_ScyIDUU4lWWjTRchACLcBGAs/s400/PhotosScreenSnapz001.png" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A thoughtful and useful review of <a href="http://store.steampowered.com/app/208400/Avernum_Escape_From_the_Pit/">Avernum</a>. Hmm. Let me check if it's still, 17 years later, making me money? Yep!!!</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<b>Why Are You Authorized to Settle This Argument Forever?</b><br />
<br />
Because I am old, and that makes me wise. Also, once PC Gamer gave one of my most popular and enduring games a 17% review, literally said it was worse than choking to death on your own vomit, and provided a helpful sidebar with a list of rock stars who choked to death on their own vomit.<br />
<br />
Believe me, every possible opinion you can have about game reviews, I have had at one time or another.<br />
<br />
(Also, we have a <a href="http://store.steampowered.com/app/691830/">kick-ass new indie, retro role-playing game</a> coming out in early 2018, and I want to make sure everyone's heads are on straight before they start reviewing it.)<br />
<br />
<b>The Most Important Fact About Reviews</b><br />
<br />
Think about your friends. (For the purpose of this exercise, I will assume you have friends.) When they recommend games/movies/TV shows to you, you take their personalities into account, right?<br />
<br />
For example, there are some people who I listen to when they say a movie is good, and there are others who I won't, because they only like cheesy romantic comedies and Shrek. Or some guy will say I have to play Face Obliterator 5000, and I like him and all, but I'm not a fan of the Face Obliterator genre. Or, while his wife is great, no, I don't want to see the new Benedict Cumberbatch movie. Under any circumstances.<br />
<br />
They're good people. We just have different tastes. I don't make them watch the long, depressing foreign movies I like, and they restrict their evangelizing Rick & Morty to me to one hour per day. I only accept recommendations from people when I've found their tastes line up with mine. You're the same way, right?<br />
<br />
<b>Pick Reviewers The Same Way</b><br />
<br />
Reviewers are just individual humans, with their own tastes, and no one human can be a perfect, impartial justice machine for evaluating a work of art. Any decent reviewer can say how buggy a game is and whether it runs OK on their PC. Beyond that, it's <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pWdd6_ZxX8c">just, like, your opinion, man. </a><br />
<br />
If you want reviews, don't just sit there. Find a couple reviewers you like and read them. If a web site doesn't have regular reviewers and just uses a rotating stable of whatever recent college grad is most desperate that week, it's not going to be useful to you. It takes work to find a site that works for you, but that's life.<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-Fma_-BbXYis/Wgyv5GQHB6I/AAAAAAAAA9g/kmx7pzwCqqExAxDkygWjhAvmH-hs6ykqwCLcBGAs/s1600/the-game-awards-2017-555x328.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="328" data-original-width="555" height="236" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-Fma_-BbXYis/Wgyv5GQHB6I/AAAAAAAAA9g/kmx7pzwCqqExAxDkygWjhAvmH-hs6ykqwCLcBGAs/s400/the-game-awards-2017-555x328.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Fun bonus fact: All awards for art, from the Nobel prizes down to video game awards, are arbitrary and meaningless. If you want to obsess about the Oscars, hey, you do you, but don't pretend they have any value beyond distracting you for a minute.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<b>Are Numerical Review Scores Dumb?</b><br />
<br />
On the surface, yes, evaluating a complex work of art and boiling it down to a single number is dumb. I mean, it's not like critics have an Art Scale, and they can put the last Call of Duty on it and say, "This game weighs 8.3 Arts, and the last game only weighs 7.1 Arts, and that's 1.2 Arts more!!! So this game gets a 93%."<br />
<br />
Review scores, in practice, are fine. However, remember, a high or low number is just a reviewer giving an opinion, and if you trust his or her opinions, you're fine. High number means they like it. If a reviewer I trust says, "Yeah, this game is a B-," I know what's goin' on.<br />
<br />
<b>Is It OK For a A Video Game Reviewer to Be Bad at Games?</b><br />
<br />
Of course. A lot more game reviewers should be bad at games. Fact is, most people who play computer games are bad at them, and they deserve reviewers who advocate for them and can say, "If you blow 20 bucks on this, you'll die 500 times on the first level and hate it. Don't waste your money."<br />
<br />
Look, I love laughing at game professionals flailing at games as much as anyone. Remember when that <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9yYp8ZeQ-I8">unnamed Polygon writer tried Doom</a> and showed no signs of ever having played it (or any video game) ever before? That was a hoot.<br />
<br />
(My favorite bit is when the player unloads a full shotgun blast into a health pack resting on the ground, in what I can only assume is a post-modern deconstruction of late-stage capitalism.)<br />
<br />
But some people watched that video and said, "Wow, I should never buy this game," and were right to say it. So the video was useful after all.<br />
<br />
This is why I was a huge fan of Conan O'Brien's <a href="https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLVL8S3lUHf0RqD7TZ6hohWk8Sd3asaqnY">Clueless Gamer</a> series, before it devolved into a series of tedious celebrity skits. Watching someone who isn't fully proficient in our art form and its weird conventions <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SfjLRuE1CLw">struggling to enjoy it</a> can be painfully useful.<br />
<br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-7Dj4ZlTLH_M/Wgyw96PbeWI/AAAAAAAAA9s/67X8Mfl-s_UZ9tiFfK7yAhGzl1-RPPsvACLcBGAs/s1600/anton-ego-final-speech-ratatouille.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="420" data-original-width="800" height="210" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-7Dj4ZlTLH_M/Wgyw96PbeWI/AAAAAAAAA9s/67X8Mfl-s_UZ9tiFfK7yAhGzl1-RPPsvACLcBGAs/s400/anton-ego-final-speech-ratatouille.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">In the end of <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ih6jcKd7VwU">Ratatouille</a>, a supposedly heroic writer gives a good review to a restaurant whose kitchen is infested with rats. GROSS! Never trust reviews.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<br />
<b>But This Goes Both Ways, Right?</b><br />
<br />
Yes. Some gamers have very little money and lots of time to fill. They don't want to spend twenty of their limited bucks on a one-hour art piece, and they deserve reviewers who advocate for them as well.<br />
<br />
<b>Is It OK For a Video Game Reviewer to Have Strong Political Opinions?</b><br />
<br />
Yeah, why not? A lot of people only want games that support their particular political opinions. They can use politics-fixated reviewers as canaries in a coal mine. The writers are exposed to bad opinions so that you don't have to be.<br />
<br />
Again, you have to pick a reviewer compatible with you. If someone doesn't like a game because it's too politically whatever or has too much of the color blue, use that person or don't. You get to choose what reviewers you watch.<br />
<br />
<b>What If I Think a Reviewer Sucks?</b><br />
<br />
Don't read their reviews. That'll show 'em!<br />
<br />
(And leave it at that. Don't be an asshole to them because you don’t agree with them. Not reading them is really the only vote you get.)<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-hEipYBmV_So/WgyyCQEzZyI/AAAAAAAAA98/N1srr7pJs2oudNGTjz3Q6Ji4aJ_mJFtmwCLcBGAs/s1600/Google%2BChromeScreenSnapz031.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="323" data-original-width="577" height="223" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-hEipYBmV_So/WgyyCQEzZyI/AAAAAAAAA98/N1srr7pJs2oudNGTjz3Q6Ji4aJ_mJFtmwCLcBGAs/s400/Google%2BChromeScreenSnapz031.png" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Review aggregator sites would have you believe every Marvel movies is one of the Best Movies Ever Made. Which, I mean, Marvel is fine I guess, but nobody will remember any of these flicks in 3 years.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<b>How About Game Aggregator Sites? Are They Cool?</b><br />
<br />
So you can go to a place like MetaCritic, which averages 50 different game review scores to take all those accumulated opinions and blends them together to create one number which represents Objective Truth. (Interestingly, Objective Truth is, the vast majority of the time, between 70% and 90%).<br />
<br />
Look, is this useful? Kind of. I suppose.<br />
<br />
I mean, look. Suppose ten people you don’t like give you their scores for a game. That won't be very useful. But what if you take those ten dumb opinions, blend them together, and take the average? That won't be any more useful, will it? Do you think that if you mix a lot of dumbness together, somehow smartness is made? Does this work with political parties too?<br />
<br />
But it's all subjective. If you get value out of MetaCritic, use it. It's no sweat off my nose.<br />
<br />
<b>But Aren't Game Developer Payments Sometimes Determined By Metacritic Scores? Isn't That Bad?</b><br />
<br />
All Metacritic is doing is getting some numbers and averaging them together. Yes, taking this random number and paying developer bonuses based on it is kind of shady. But on the list of Ways the Game Industry Mistreats Its Employees, it's like 893 out of 1200.<br />
<br />
And if you look at the list of Concrete Things That Can Be Done to Make Developers' Lives Better, "Being mad at MetaCritic" is not on it at all.<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-jhvHWvbp6w4/Wgy05vP2KhI/AAAAAAAAA-Q/Rczugt8AgP0Qhcfb93JZFPLOu0X8wz5IQCLcBGAs/s1600/Markiplier_at_PAX_Prime_2015_%252821089673355%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1202" data-original-width="1280" height="300" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-jhvHWvbp6w4/Wgy05vP2KhI/AAAAAAAAA-Q/Rczugt8AgP0Qhcfb93JZFPLOu0X8wz5IQCLcBGAs/s320/Markiplier_at_PAX_Prime_2015_%252821089673355%2529.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">My kids don't even know video game reviews EXIST, but they will buy anything even mentioned by <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Markiplier">this guy</a>. God. Why do I even pretend I know anything?</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<b>One Last, Horrifying Truth About Game Reviews</b><br />
<br />
I'm ancient, and even I don't use them anymore. There's no review that can tell me anything I can't get by watching the game on Twitch.tv for ten seconds and checking the Steam reviews to make sure it’s not too buggy.<br />
<br />
<b>In Conclusion</b><br />
<br />
Take responsibility for yourself. Accept that the world is full of people different than you and there's space for all of us. As long as they're not punching you in the nose, people are allowed to have dumb opinions in their dumb heads. When choosing who you allow precious space inside your own head, choose someone you trust.<br />
<br />
I will trust in the good people of the Internet to take this sensible advice and act with a bit of basic empathy in the future. I consider this entire discussion closed.<br />
<br />
<b>One Final Small Bit Of Whimsy</b><br />
<br />
For a games web site, there's a huge advantage to having reviews written by inexperienced, eager people who try to stir up arguments instead of calming them. Those people work cheaper, and their work tends to stir up anger which gets more clicks. Sure, these poor writers/targets get screamed at, but that's what they were hired for. Their employers don't care as long as the clicks keep coming.<br />
<br />
In the end, however, we’re talking about video game reviews. In the global scheme of things, game reviews are REALLY unimportant.<br />
<br />
Here's what keeps me up at night: How do we know that the journalists covering politics, the economy, and wars aren't being picked in exactly the same way?<br />
<br />
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: xx-small;">### </span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: xx-small;"><br /></span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 13px;"></span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: xx-small;">If you're intrigued by giant indie RPGs with cool adventures and epic stories, you can wishlist our next game <a href="http://store.steampowered.com/app/691830/Avernum_3_Ruined_World/" style="color: #999999; text-decoration-line: none;">on Steam</a>. Give it a terrible review if you want. We just need the attention. News about our work and random musings can be found on our <a href="https://twitter.com/spiderwebsoft" style="color: #999999; text-decoration-line: none;">Twitter</a>.</span>Jeff Vogelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03396854958796097543noreply@blogger.com367tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4338724676892513065.post-75575224813698176712017-10-11T12:22:00.000-07:002017-10-11T14:14:36.673-07:00Avernum 3, Remasters, and the Joy of Owning Your Work.<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-3ULczHAiNVc/Wd5qv-D-VOI/AAAAAAAAA8E/ZKnTgruzQScH86Qvxm8g2WA5MD-ftiWFQCLcBGAs/s1600/A3pagelargeicon.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="161" data-original-width="320" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-3ULczHAiNVc/Wd5qv-D-VOI/AAAAAAAAA8E/ZKnTgruzQScH86Qvxm8g2WA5MD-ftiWFQCLcBGAs/s1600/A3pagelargeicon.png" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">It's weird to see over four years of my life just sitting there in a lump.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
I've been making my little indie games for a living for 23 years. Being a greybeard in such a weird and young industry comes with special privileges.<br />
<br />
For example, while some of my peers are getting around to remastering their old games, I am remastering our most popular game, <a href="http://www.avernum.com/avernum3/index.html">Avernum 3: Ruined World</a>, for the SECOND time. It is only when you rewrite the same material twice that you really test your discipline and integrity.<br />
<br />
Writing indie games has become miserably competitive lately. Most new games, even promising ones with a lot of work in them, are sinking without a trace. Yet, thanks to the grinding tedium of rewriting the same game again and again, I have a fighting chance of my business surviving enough to write cool new stuff.<br />
<br />
So I'll tell the story or <a href="http://www.spiderwebsoftware.com/productsOld.html">Exile 3: Ruined World</a>/<a href="http://www.spiderwebsoftware.com/avernum/avernum3old/index.html">Avernum 3</a>/<a href="http://www.avernum.com/avernum3/index.html">Avernum 3: Ruined World</a>. (Also <a href="http://store.steampowered.com/app/691830/Avernum_3_Ruined_World/">on Steam</a>.) There are things to learn here for any young person who thinks, "I wanna' make cool things (not just video games), and make a living doing it."<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-TgTIR5ZgVhE/Wd5rSMeA63I/AAAAAAAAA8I/uD0-beoS8FcOn0ASDr2EuBr3d-eaxCQ8wCLcBGAs/s1600/exile3_shot5.gif" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="426" data-original-width="568" height="300" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-TgTIR5ZgVhE/Wd5rSMeA63I/AAAAAAAAA8I/uD0-beoS8FcOn0ASDr2EuBr3d-eaxCQ8wCLcBGAs/s400/exile3_shot5.gif" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Don't laugh. It sold like crazy.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<b>In A Previous Millenium, I Wrote A Hit</b><br />
<br />
In 1997, I'd been making games full-time for a couple years. I wrote (and still write) retro, turn-based, low-budget indie RPGs with fun systems, interesting stories, and mediocre graphics.<br />
<br />
Happily, I got started at a time when there were very few good RPGs out in the market. I got a nice computer, wanted to play a good RPG, and couldn't find one. So I wrote one. It sold, because no competition. This is a key example of my most important business strategy: Get Very Lucky.<br />
<br />
My first games, <a href="http://www.spiderwebsoftware.com/exile/winexile.html">Exile: Escape From the Pit</a> and <a href="http://www.spiderwebsoftware.com/exile2/winexile2.html">Exile 2: Crystal Souls</a>, were designed on a simple principle: I would go back to all the <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wizardry">RPGs I</a> <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ultima_IV:_Quest_of_the_Avatar">loved</a> <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Phantasie">as a</a> <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wizard%27s_Crown">kid</a> and steal the best idea from each one. I then carefully combined all my quality stolen ideas into a coherent whole. This is called being a game designer.<br />
<br />
For our third game, I had a better idea. I spent months playing all the new RPGs that had come out over the previous 2-3 years. Then I stole the best idea from each one of those. Thus, I transitioned from stealing ideas from old games to stealing ideas from new games. This is how you evolve as a game designer.<br />
<br />
I ended up with Exile 3: Ruined World, which has been our biggest success. It features a gigantic world, that is easy to get lost in. As time passed, the game world evolved. If you didn't fight the monsters off, they would ruin towns and kill the townsfolk. (Though, no matter how slow you play, you can always still win the game.) If you didn't want to follow the story, you could be a bounty hunter or merchant. You could buy a house.<br />
<i><br /></i>
<i>(If you want to try it out, it's available as freeware <a href="http://www.spiderwebsoftware.com/productsOld.html">here</a>. Warning: It probably won't run on your computer. That's one of the reasons we had to remaster it.)</i><br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-u5RZdj4_mMg/Wd5sOTL9vyI/AAAAAAAAA8U/kvSborNftAY_5C5c0qgS7J-_xVLiMj6HACLcBGAs/s1600/693092000005.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="900" data-original-width="900" height="200" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-u5RZdj4_mMg/Wd5sOTL9vyI/AAAAAAAAA8U/kvSborNftAY_5C5c0qgS7J-_xVLiMj6HACLcBGAs/s200/693092000005.jpg" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Exile 3 came out so long ago that most new computers then looked exactly like this.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<b>It Was The Right Title At The Right Time</b><br />
<br />
In 1997, it was what people wanted. It was a legit shareware hit. Now, having a hit indie game in 1997 (when the world wide web was basically nothing and most of my sales came from AOL) was different from having one in 2017.<br />
<br />
These days, the sales of a hit indie game will buy you a mansion made of yachts. Back then, it bought me a modest house and made my parents slightly less ashamed to say what I did for a living.<br />
<br />
I won awards, to the extent there were game awards back then. I got attention from the traditional games media, which was really worth something then. And it established me in the business for good.<br />
<br />
But even then, I knew that the real prize was not the praise (which I don't care about) or the money (which is nice, but then you spend it and it's gone). What was really valuable was that I owned the game. It was mine. I could do with it whatever I wanted. Forever.<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-8oGLJYy1ivg/Wd5sZ_6o0AI/AAAAAAAAA8Y/91RFIipqHYIWRWH48b5bPEhv5M24FizXwCLcBGAs/s1600/portal.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="579" data-original-width="780" height="296" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-8oGLJYy1ivg/Wd5sZ_6o0AI/AAAAAAAAA8Y/91RFIipqHYIWRWH48b5bPEhv5M24FizXwCLcBGAs/s400/portal.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">BEHOLD MY MIGHTY 800x600 PIXELS!</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<b>Five Years Later, I Rewrote It For the First Time</b><br />
<br />
We rewrote Exile 3 as Avernum 3 in 2002. Five years is a really short time to wait before rewriting a game, but I have a good excuse. When I started Exile 3, I'd only been making games for money for two years, and I wasn't very good. There were a ton of ways in which the story, interface and graphics should have been improved, and I didn't know to do it.<br />
<br />
I spent well over a year writing Exile 3, and my wife and I spent another year turning it into Avernum 3. We went over every single location, line of dialogue, and bit of code, improving and expanding it to the best of our improved abilities. The revised version didn't sell as well as the original, but it still made a lot of money. (Again, by early indie game standards. It was a lot of money for lone artists, but not big-shot money.)<br />
<br />
<i>(If you want to try it out, you can buy it super-cheap <a href="https://www.gog.com/game/avernum_the_complete_saga">here</a>. Warning: It probably won't run well on your computer. That's one of the reasons we had to remaster it.)</i><br />
<i><br /></i>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-f7oouWcWmKc/Wd5s6OtmiwI/AAAAAAAAA8g/wwTlL09pwzEr_0mMJ81sjvhCDoE2SWSvQCLcBGAs/s1600/vahnatai1900x1280.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="900" data-original-width="1600" height="225" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-f7oouWcWmKc/Wd5s6OtmiwI/AAAAAAAAA8g/wwTlL09pwzEr_0mMJ81sjvhCDoE2SWSvQCLcBGAs/s400/vahnatai1900x1280.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The new game. I am constantly accused by cranks of never improving my games. Look. I'm not saying this is super-fancy. But I don't think you can say there's been no improvement.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<b>Now, Fifteen Years Later, We're Doing It Again</b><br />
<br />
Fifteen years is a long time in the tech industry. Our most popular game is now woefully out of date in every way, largely forgotten, and doesn't even run on new Macs anymore. Now I can rewrite it so it actually works, and an iPad port will fall out of the process in the bargain.<br />
<br />
Interfaces and game design have evolved in a million ways. I'm spending 18 months going over every tiny bit of the game again, redoing every single thing from scratch. I'll release it in January or so, and it will hopefully sell. I think it will. I've spent over 20 years building up a loyal fan base.<br />
<br />
<b>The Pros and Cons of a Remaster</b><br />
<br />
The good side of remasters is that they can be less work that writing a game from scratch. You can, with luck, get a full new title for 2/3 of the work, and it's easy to market it because people already like it. (I'm assuming you're not remastering a game everyone hated.)<br />
<br />
The bad side of remasters is that you become the curator for your own work. It can be grinding to go over old material day in and day out. The reason a remaster is successful is because your fans like the original game. You don't want to crap it up with too many new ideas, no matter how clever. People tend to not like change.<br />
<br />
<b>A Lesson For Young Creators</b><br />
<br />
Never underestimate the value of owning your work. There hasn't been a day since 1997 that I haven't made money off of Exile 3. The reason is that I own it. It's mine, to alter, remaster, and distribute. All according to my whims, with all the earnings going to me.<br />
<br />
It's a tough market out there. But suppose you release a new game and nobody ever even hears of it. Wait five years, remaster it and it really will be, as far an anyone is concerned, a new game. You can try selling it again!<br />
<br />
And ten years from now, people will be using new consoles, new devices, new sorts of computers. Port your game to them! Each new port is an all new release. A new chance for your game to get noticed and catch on and become a hit!<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-C-u6_6JpXDk/Wd5tSJ4BByI/AAAAAAAAA8k/LeaHr4AUqMk0r2lLHTVY9R-Ujmc-I2YLwCLcBGAs/s1600/Ratking.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="523" data-original-width="645" height="323" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-C-u6_6JpXDk/Wd5tSJ4BByI/AAAAAAAAA8k/LeaHr4AUqMk0r2lLHTVY9R-Ujmc-I2YLwCLcBGAs/s400/Ratking.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Nature provides us with a <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rat_king">perfect metaphor</a> for any internet discussion.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<b>"But Your Games Are All The Same And Look Like Crap"</b><br />
<br />
I have a follow-up post about the reactions when I announced Avernum 3: Ruined World. It's pretty funny, but this is already long so I broke it out into its own post.<br />
<br />
When Avernum 3: Ruined World comes out (hopefully in January for Windows/Mac and March for iPad), I'll have spent over four years of my life on it. It's not a game for everyone. It's mostly the product of one person, and it'll show.<br />
<br />
Even if you don't like my work, I hope you take some satisfaction in this: Vidya games are still a place where one weirdo can make weird things for other weirdos and make a living at it. As long as this is possible, there's hope. Maybe the next weird thing for weirdos will be YOUR perfect game, the Best Game Ever, and it never would have existed in a purely big-budget world.<br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-size: x-small;">### </span><br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-size: x-small;">If you're intrigued by the retro-RPG goodness of Avernum 3, you can wishlist it <a href="http://store.steampowered.com/app/691830/Avernum_3_Ruined_World/">on Steam</a>. News about our work and random musings can be found on our <a href="https://twitter.com/spiderwebsoft">Twitter</a>.</span><br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-size: x-small;">Edit: Added the Pros and Cons section.</span><br />
<div>
<br /></div>
Jeff Vogelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03396854958796097543noreply@blogger.com338tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4338724676892513065.post-62581911966588779632017-09-06T10:20:00.000-07:002017-09-06T15:23:27.435-07:00The Life and Merciful Death of the Fad Controller<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-g_yLn9Jrfo4/WbApoM8BKiI/AAAAAAAAA60/VhHam8aLmHAwdjwsaJz5nFDgbSVo7wbwQCLcBGAs/s1600/old%2Bpeople%2Bwii.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="428" data-original-width="650" height="262" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-g_yLn9Jrfo4/WbApoM8BKiI/AAAAAAAAA60/VhHam8aLmHAwdjwsaJz5nFDgbSVo7wbwQCLcBGAs/s400/old%2Bpeople%2Bwii.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Sorry, grandma. This doesn't exist anymore. I guess you should have bought more than the <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wii_Sports">launch title</a>.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
Over the years we have had console gaming, the perfect control mechanism for our entertainment has emerged.<br />
<br />
Our thumbs, those nimble and durable pieces of flesh and bone, operate the joysticks and buttons. Our trigger fingers work the triggers. The rest of our fingers, stupid and useless, hold the controller stable. And our bodies are left to peacefully recline and decay on the couch. (Because if we wanted to actually use our bodies for anything, we wouldn't be playing video games.)<br />
<br />
This control mechanism easily allows two joysticks, four buttons, a d-pad, a touch pad/Back button, two triggers, and two bumpers. Enough inputs to easily handle even a very complex game.<br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;">(You can also push the joysticks in to provide two extra buttons, which is how controller engineers tempt game designers into making mistakes. If your game uses pushing down on a joystick as an input, please move that command to a real button. If you don't have a button free, just lose that feature. Your game has too much stuff in it as it is.)</span><br />
<br />
Yes, the modern console controller is a marvel of design and functionality. Yet, brave game designers are never satisfied with mere perfection. They are always coming up with new, weird fad controllers to tempt us. This article will describe the lifespan of this process.<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-XKLtZN-M8WM/WbArGZLepzI/AAAAAAAAA7A/QNKVsJTB1TQ7_ClQZBMfJHj_NGbRzNvWgCLcBGAs/s1600/rb%2Bguitar.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="450" data-original-width="800" height="225" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-XKLtZN-M8WM/WbArGZLepzI/AAAAAAAAA7A/QNKVsJTB1TQ7_ClQZBMfJHj_NGbRzNvWgCLcBGAs/s400/rb%2Bguitar.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Harmonix tried to teach players how to actually do something. It didn't work out. Moral: Never hope for anything to ever get better anywhere ever.</td></tr>
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<b>Why Make a Fad Controller?</b><br />
<br />
Part of it is artistic exploration, I suppose. The desire to elevate our new art form to new and undreamt of heights.<br />
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The real reason is money. There's a lot of money in this biz, but there's also a ton of competition. A new sort of game that catches the consumer's fickle eye will result in a fortune. Guitar Hero and Rock Band both sold well over a billion dollars. The motion controllers of the Wii led to that console winning its generation (old people like fake bowling).<br />
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Employees of game companies need to keep coming up with ideas to justify their salaries, whether you want them or not. No executive wants to go to E3 to say, "We're treading water another year. We have the same old crap. YOLO!"<br />
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In the end, all we’re trying to do is reach an increasingly jaded, desensitized audience and present something new enough to raise their heart rates above rest level for five freakin’ seconds.<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-f9DOPzc6mBk/WbArV6VkTiI/AAAAAAAAA7E/j_IQGSi9bsIGIvq9lnviHqYOjmO4VQCNQCLcBGAs/s1600/wii%2Bfit%2Bgirl.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="360" data-original-width="480" height="300" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-f9DOPzc6mBk/WbArV6VkTiI/AAAAAAAAA7E/j_IQGSi9bsIGIvq9lnviHqYOjmO4VQCNQCLcBGAs/s400/wii%2Bfit%2Bgirl.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">You ask: How on EARTH did they ever get anyone to buy the Wii Fit board? Answer: <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v31qxrXsxv0">Pornography</a>.</td></tr>
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<b>Phase One: The Shock and Joy of the New</b><br />
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So fad controllers are made. What is a fad? Something new and exciting, which hordes rush to buy to get a bit of newness and variety in their mundane, repetitive lives.<br />
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Maybe your fad is motion control, to get the pudgy masses off their couches. Like the Wiimote, or Playstation Move, or the Kinect, or the Wii Fit Board. ("No, THIS will be the peripheral that gets gamers to exercise while they game LOL!")<br />
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Or maybe it's the plastic version of a real life peripheral, to better simulate something in the real world. Like a guitar or drums. Or <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Samba_de_Amigo">maracas</a>. Or <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Donkey_Kong_Jungle_Beat">bongos</a>. Or, for the suicidal, a <a href="https://www.amazon.com/Xbox-360-Tony-Hawk-Skateboard-Bundle/dp/B0029TQV4E">skateboard</a>.<br />
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Most attempted fads fail, of course. Some, however, caught on and made a bunch of money. Bloggers, ever hunting for the next Hot Take, gazed upon them and proclaimed a new exciting future for gaming! Then, a few months later, reality set in.<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-LFTK25cbY9o/WbArngSgEPI/AAAAAAAAA7I/YKaMIVav3xwzSeXPVtd8VZhXrF2JIaBRACLcBGAs/s1600/guitar%2Bhero.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="900" data-original-width="1600" height="225" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-LFTK25cbY9o/WbArngSgEPI/AAAAAAAAA7I/YKaMIVav3xwzSeXPVtd8VZhXrF2JIaBRACLcBGAs/s320/guitar%2Bhero.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">How will we get people to play Guitar Hero again? I know! We'll make the controller incomprehensible and beige!</td></tr>
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<b>Phase Two: The Bloom Comes Off the Rose.</b><br />
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The thing about fads: The newness wears off. Purchasers start to think, "Oh. Wait. This isn't holding up that well." And they move on in droves. A fad is a massive wave, and waves always recede.<br />
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I was a diehard Rock Band fanatic. I played it a ton. I went to many Rock Band parties. Enough of them to say with some authority: For the vast majority of humans, 3 songs is all it takes to get tired of Rock Band. (Some blame the music game crash on too many titles coming out per year. This is nonsense. If your genre can't handle 5-6 titles a year, it's a crappy genre.)<br />
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<b>Phase Three: The Fatal Flaw Becomes Apparent.</b><br />
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Most fad controllers fail for one of a few simple reasons:<br />
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1. They just aren't precise enough to support more than a few crude, simple games. (e.g. Wiimote. Wii Fit Board. Kinect.)<br />
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2. The controls are precise, but the games you can play on them turn out to not be that interesting. (e.g. Any music game ever.)<br />
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3. Even if it's a decent controller and a cool idea, it's tied to one platform, so no major developer ever bothers with it. (e.g. Wii U Tablet. Also, did you know that big pad in the middle of a PS4 controller is a full touch pad and you can do little drawings on it and stuff? It's OK, nobody else did either. Why would any developer who supports more than one console ever use that feature?)<br />
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4. The controller requires getting up off the couch. I'm not doing that. (e.g. Almost every fad controller.)<br />
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If the controller is lucky, a few more games get written for it after the initial release. They made bank at first, but now they are tanking with increasing severity.<br />
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Now comes Phase Four, the endgame. The company who makes the fad controller has two choices: The path of the canny businessman. Or the path of the insane Viking.<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-_yxP9m2JY6U/WbAr4Q7dLCI/AAAAAAAAA7M/iRd2R4tuyD8PY_saNKr57USAz5TIOpKNQCLcBGAs/s1600/kinect%2Bsw.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="900" data-original-width="1600" height="225" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-_yxP9m2JY6U/WbAr4Q7dLCI/AAAAAAAAA7M/iRd2R4tuyD8PY_saNKr57USAz5TIOpKNQCLcBGAs/s400/kinect%2Bsw.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I want Star Wars Kinect dancing videos to be the new <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DJZ4dWjcIjA&t=1400s">Rickroll</a>.</td></tr>
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<b>Phase Four, Option One: Give Up and Take the Money</b><br />
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Seriously, if your product becomes a fad, you can make a TON of money. When the big cash river stops coming in, accept that your product wasn't actually going to change everything forever. Cease production, count your winnings, buy another Tesla, and never speak of it again.<br />
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<b>Phase Four, Option Two: Double Down!!!</b><br />
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There are some who are struck by Divine Madness. They are the true believers, who really believe they are changing gaming forever. Like remember when Harmonix convinced itself that Rock Band fans actually wanted to learn to play a <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D5De9eCH1EU">real instrument</a>?<br />
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The greatest such tale: When it became clear that the Kinect was only good for <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x_xJqkzngBI">dancing games</a>, Microsoft could have accepted its limitations, cashed their <a href="https://www.gamespot.com/articles/kinect-sales-reach-24-million/1100-6403766/">huge checks</a>, and moved on.<br />
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But no, humility is not the Microsoft way. They were determined to explore the Kinect's <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x_xJqkzngBI">maximum possible potential</a>. So they not only kept it around, they built their entire next console generation around it. With <a href="http://www.telegraph.co.uk/technology/video-games/Xbox/10974217/Xbox-One-sales-double-after-Microsoft-drops-Kinect.html">disastrous results</a>.<br />
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But it's all right. We'll always have the cautionary tale, and the <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qXp8T097vjc">wonderful memories</a>.<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-_t1Ofqr6c-Y/WbAsbMrHlmI/AAAAAAAAA7U/pR2yrAsKG1ctdv-MpVm7GAYwE5nsGRIKgCLcBGAs/s1600/vr%2Bgoggles.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="263" data-original-width="468" height="223" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-_t1Ofqr6c-Y/WbAsbMrHlmI/AAAAAAAAA7U/pR2yrAsKG1ctdv-MpVm7GAYwE5nsGRIKgCLcBGAs/s400/vr%2Bgoggles.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">It's OK, VR Beard Guy, YOU GOT THIS.</td></tr>
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<b>Phase Five: Regret and Garage Sales</b><br />
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The final destiny is the same. The story starts with a beautiful dream, moves on to cargo ships full of cheaply made plastic drum kits, and ends with piles of the things filling garage sales and thrift stores everywhere.<br />
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I mean, seriously, isn't it amazing? Factories in China made millions and millions of shoddy <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rock_Band">plastic drum sets</a>. They were shipped across an <b>entire ocean</b> and delivered to households in America, where they were played for probably 2-3 songs and then thrown in a dumpster somewhere.<br />
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Think about how much effort went into this project! Someday, historians and economists will look back on that whole event and ... Well, I don't know what they'll think but we're going to come across pretty awesome.<br />
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<b>How Does VR Enter Into This?</b><br />
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I should point out that this whole cycle has absolutely nothing to do with the VR craze. I mean, sure, VR goggles are really expensive, make lots of people sick, and have yet to come up with an actually compelling title. But it's fine. VR is the future. Bet your mom's bottom dollar on it.<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-ECkigUehKp8/WbAtEaS2cmI/AAAAAAAAA7c/dJSzH0ah0DE_XrbZaPNDahohD29zsO6OgCLcBGAs/s1600/zuckerbergfacebook1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1066" data-original-width="1600" height="266" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-ECkigUehKp8/WbAtEaS2cmI/AAAAAAAAA7c/dJSzH0ah0DE_XrbZaPNDahohD29zsO6OgCLcBGAs/s400/zuckerbergfacebook1.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I'd like this picture but with grandparents in the goggles instead of pasty tech nerds. It could be the beginning of a really lousy episode of Black Mirror.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<b>So What Have We Learned?</b><br />
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Nothing.<br />
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That's the wonderful thing about the game industry. Almost everyone burns out of it by the time they're 35, so whatever institutional memory they developed disappeared and a new generation of worker bees is brought in to make all the same mistakes again.<br />
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So when the next weirdly-numbered generation of XBox comes out in a few years (Working Name: "XBox Eleventy Five"), you can look forward to its new motion controllers about three years after that. They will sell ten million units, have two decent games, secretly send pictures of your clothes to Forever 21 for marketing purposes, and your kids will LOVE it. For three days.<br />
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<span style="font-size: x-small;">###</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: x-small;">You can buy our awesome, easy to control games <a href="http://store.steampowered.com/search/?developer=Spiderweb%20Software">here</a>. We are also on <a href="https://twitter.com/spiderwebsoft">Twitter</a>.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: x-small;">Edit: Changed the Harmonix guitar caption to something a little less unkind.</span>Jeff Vogelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03396854958796097543noreply@blogger.com249tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4338724676892513065.post-90820585393074753902017-08-02T13:37:00.002-07:002017-08-02T13:37:48.893-07:00Persona 5, Cartoon Cats, Depthless Evil, and Dating Your Teacher.<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-776DI9XEitU/WYIwjcdnnaI/AAAAAAAAA4k/CrLdcBkL9qcch1AUKo8HuVCto6ZCft6FQCLcBGAs/s1600/kamoboss.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="355" data-original-width="631" height="225" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-776DI9XEitU/WYIwjcdnnaI/AAAAAAAAA4k/CrLdcBkL9qcch1AUKo8HuVCto6ZCft6FQCLcBGAs/s400/kamoboss.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Strap in. This might get a tiny bit weird.</td></tr>
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I write long RPGs for a living. Yet, I am the most jaded RPG gamer in the world. I tend to hate playing them. Yet, I force myself to play a long RPGs, because if you become totally divorced from playing the sort of game you write, you are lost.<br />
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That is why I recently spent 92 (92!!!) hours completing Persona V, Altus's cool, quirky, <a href="http://www.playstationlifestyle.net/2017/07/27/persona-5-sales-tops-1-8-million-worldwide/">cult-hit</a> JRPG. I didn't play it. I sunk into it, like a warm bath. For 1-2 hours a night, for months, I led my band of oddball Japanese high school students through their routine of going to school, dating, capturing demons, crushing evil, and being the best darn flower salesmen and part-time curry cooks they could possibly be.<br />
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It's really weird. When I look back on the obscene amount of time I spent on this game, I remember so many flaws. Storylines that were dull and uninspired. Repetitive dungeons and combats. A flawed translation. A lot of padding. A lot of content that was genuinely disturbing.<br />
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Yet, let's be clear, this game took over my brain. It’s the best example I've seen in this medium of a work that is much stronger than the sum of its parts. If you love this genre, it’s really worth playing, at least through the end of the first chapter.<br />
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So please allow me to go on about it for a while, as I process the experience and try to figure out why it works. Because it kind of shouldn't.<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-GokNghKKVXM/WYI1MN0x7dI/AAAAAAAAA4w/AzUIdscvkr8PIAbe3CS2bWnFtbIGxBPOACLcBGAs/s1600/dgosgp37dyzi1pnihjcw.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="539" data-original-width="1103" height="195" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-GokNghKKVXM/WYI1MN0x7dI/AAAAAAAAA4w/AzUIdscvkr8PIAbe3CS2bWnFtbIGxBPOACLcBGAs/s400/dgosgp37dyzi1pnihjcw.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I freely admit that I can be very juvenile in my video game selection standards.</td></tr>
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<b>So What Is This Thing About?</b><br />
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Persona 5 is part of the (deep breath, bear with me here) Shin Megami Tensei media franchise, a sprawling web of books, anime, video games, etc. that have been very popular in Japan for 30 years or so. The last video game in this world to gain traction on my continent was the cool and utterly bananas 2011 puzzle dating game <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Catherine_(video_game)">Catherine</a>, which I still believe does not actually exist as it was merely a fever dream I alone experienced.<br />
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I want to try to explain what Persona 5 is about in a way that will probably agitate Megami Tensei fans to no end but will actually have a chance of getting civilians to comprehend it.<br />
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So you play a teenager in high school. You spend your days deciding what to do. You can study, or work at odd jobs, or go on dates, or hang with friends, or go see movies with your intelligent talking cat.<br />
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But you are also a, I don't know, a soul wizard. You are able to travel with your friends to the "Metaverse," which is where everyone's souls hang out. There, you can summon demons called Persona and fight the souls of bad people. If you can beat up their souls enough, you can change them and make them be less evil (or just kill them).<br />
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However, these enemies are also able to summon their own Persona demons. But then you can capture and use them yourself, in a process that plays out like Pokemon on shrooms.<br />
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So it's a JRPG, combined with an anime dating sim, with heavy Pokmemon elements. I am now stepping out of the way of those of you stampeding toward the exit.<br />
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What really sucked me in to this game was the first chapter, where you do battle with that most sinister of foes, your school's volleyball coach.<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-fnNvUGl8xS0/WYI1XU3XgDI/AAAAAAAAA40/eYGQNyFE_oEMoA7yMKSjR-LtLRX7Pg0YQCLcBGAs/s1600/C8yIimQUIAAMYgk.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="499" data-original-width="1199" height="166" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-fnNvUGl8xS0/WYI1XU3XgDI/AAAAAAAAA40/eYGQNyFE_oEMoA7yMKSjR-LtLRX7Pg0YQCLcBGAs/s400/C8yIimQUIAAMYgk.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Just don't forget who, in the end, your real enemy is.</td></tr>
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<b>The First Storyline</b><br />
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The Witcher 3: The Wild Hunt was, by video game standards, fantastically written. This means that most of the writing was simply fine, but it has one storyline (the infamous "Bloody Baron") that was genuinely good. In game writing, one good story can go a long way.<br />
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In Persona 5, when you learn how to summon demons and punch the souls of your enemies, your first foe is the evil volleyball coach Kamoshida. As a famed Olympic athlete, when he retired from competition, your school eagerly snapped him up as a teacher. And then proceeded to look the other way as he repeatedly assaulted his students, the boys physically and the girls sexually. He's famous, so nobody does anything about it.<br />
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You discover that he drove one of his students to attempt suicide. You confront him. He then swears to use his position to get you expelled. Thus begins a race, with him trying to destroy you in the real life while you try to wear down his spirit and change his personality in the Metaverse. If you lose the race, the game ends. Badly.<br />
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Let's be clear. Persona 5 is a really dark game. Horrible things happen. Some of the enemies are truly evil. Not evil in an abstract Sauron/burning eye/save the world whatever way, but in a skin-crawly "Yes, this actually happens. All the time." way.<br />
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Kamoshida is one of the most loathsome characters I've ever seen in a video game. He is so horrifying because he is so believable. It happens in the real world to the point of being mundane. A game like Tyranny can play with evil all it wants, but it's in a world full of magic and elves and cat people, so who cares?<br />
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In Persona 5, the bad guy is, and let's not mince words here, a serial rapist. In a seemingly light dating sim RPG. This is what led me to write this blog post. Video games only rarely tackle this sort of extremely difficult material. So when they do try it's worth figuring out if it worked. If so, how?<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-_2-s7sqw1T4/WYI1iWc3MQI/AAAAAAAAA44/Xbw5Yi4p7OsvJqHDGaViWymt56rctd64wCLcBGAs/s1600/ClANTIOVEAAcM87.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="675" data-original-width="1200" height="225" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-_2-s7sqw1T4/WYI1iWc3MQI/AAAAAAAAA44/Xbw5Yi4p7OsvJqHDGaViWymt56rctd64wCLcBGAs/s400/ClANTIOVEAAcM87.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Persona 5's graphic and interface design is relentlessly cool.</td></tr>
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<b>Video Games Have No Limits, But They Have Limits</b><br />
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Here is the quandary: Video games are art, and therefore no element of the human experience, no matter how horrible, is off limits. Yet, video games are mostly adolescent power fantasies, so some topics seem too serious for them to address. Much of human experience, therefore, must be walled off in weenie little indie art pieces that nobody plays.<br />
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Now look at Persona 5. It is full of horrifying abuse. And wacky JRPG battles and hijinx. With a rapist gym teacher. And a cartoon cat.<br />
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Persona 5 is a financial and critical hit. I have read criticism that there are flaws in the ways it addresses the issues it does, but I have not seen anyone, male or female, seriously say that the game is disrespectful or should not exist. If they did, I would not agree with them.<br />
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This is a game full of horrors. It shouldn't work. People should recoil from it. But people don't recoil, and it does work. This is a good spot for some meaty game criticism. How do they pull off this magic trick?<br />
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To show how it can work, I'll point out one tiny, vital part of the game: how these traumatized kids get their magical powers.<br />
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<b>How Can a Game Have Such Horrible Things and Silly Things Next To Each Other and Not Be a Mess</b><br />
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You might be thinking, "How can an RPG contain material like that and still be bearable and not super-gross and offensive?" Part of it is that, when dealing with sexual assault (and it comes up a lot), Persona 5 never jokes. It treats the topic seriously.<br />
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More importantly, they use a bit of a narrative trick, which I want to highlight because I think it works extremely well.<br />
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OK, so you play a band of teenagers who gain the ability to summon demons to attack the souls of evil people. Fine. How does this happen?<br />
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It's not like Harry Potter. A fat guy with a beard doesn't show up and say "You're a wizard!" and you go off to boarding school.<br />
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Here's how it works. You have to be betrayed. Someone has to be truly cruel to you, completely take advantage of your trust and weakness (and you've been weak and trusting in a way only a child can be). And then you have to realize it. You have to enter the Soul World to fully comprehend the magnitude of what has been done to you, and you have to completely lose yourself to rage. When this happens, a mask will appear on your face, the visible form of your still belonging to and believing in society. And you have to rip it off. It's AGONIZING. There is blood. And when it's finally off, you're free.<br />
<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S-ocWW8lFtw"><br /></a>
<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S-ocWW8lFtw">Here is what it looks like.</a> (The one at 9:17 is pretty good.)<br />
<br />
It's intense and bizarre and glorious and totally silly and utterly sincere, in a way that the Japanese do really, really well. It’s full of crazy animations and cartoon cats, but it's SERIOUS. I think it's the secret to what makes the game work.<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-xH9vIgoHCow/WYI1w5ioDFI/AAAAAAAAA48/nUp-XxIgpL4nUZfd23erTEbINBEtSVhHwCLcBGAs/s1600/4ae.gif" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="191" data-original-width="448" height="135" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-xH9vIgoHCow/WYI1w5ioDFI/AAAAAAAAA48/nUp-XxIgpL4nUZfd23erTEbINBEtSVhHwCLcBGAs/s320/4ae.gif" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">He never saw it coming.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<b>I Love Tonal Inconsistency</b><br />
<br />
Now I know I am doing a super-crappy job of selling this game. I mean, I promised you a totally bananas adventure where you travel through surreal magic lands summoning demons, and then you return to the real world to be a seventeen year old tending bar before going on a date with your high school teacher.<br />
<br />
This is a game with a really inconsistent tone. It can switch from weird and silly to dark and heavy in a moment.<br />
<br />
I love that. I think tonal inconsistency is one of the necessary traits of a really good story.<br />
<br />
It's not just that, if you never allow your tone to vary, your work is monotonous and grueling. It's that, if you want your work to in any way mirror life (and Persona 5, above everything else, wants to be a life simulator), well, life itself has an inconsistent tone.<br />
<br />
Persona 5 is about damaged people trying to recover and build happy lives for themselves. It's about having been exploited and having your trust betrayed, and healing and rising above it and building a life. So when the characters recover from the latest outrage by going out for <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Nq8-1E7wEr0">fried octopus balls</a>, it's not a flaw but the whole point.<br />
<br />
<b>Window Into a Foreign Land</b><br />
<br />
Persona 5 is a work of Japanese cultural and societal criticism, focusing on the ways in which old people exploit young people (and young women and girls especially). It can get really rough.<br />
<br />
So if this doesn't sound like a place where you want to spend 90 hours of leisure time, I'd certainly understand.<br />
<br />
I valued it greatly, though, as a window into another culture. This game is thoroughly and unapologetically Japanese, with Japanese characters commenting on Japanese society, in a very, very cynical way.<br />
<br />
Politics in the U.S. in the last year has been a bit, shall we say, unsettling. As a big politics and civics nerd, I really liked stepping out of it for a time to be reminded that other societies have arguments and their own problems. They are the main characters in their own stories.<br />
<br />
I love works of art that give a view into foreign mindsets and problems, like how The Witcher comes from a very Eastern European point of view.<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-maKeDfB6OYE/WYI2BiwRQhI/AAAAAAAAA5A/oR6l6u_85bsVuHKeFLjw9QEK8GVap62pwCLcBGAs/s1600/maxresdefault.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="720" data-original-width="1280" height="225" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-maKeDfB6OYE/WYI2BiwRQhI/AAAAAAAAA5A/oR6l6u_85bsVuHKeFLjw9QEK8GVap62pwCLcBGAs/s400/maxresdefault.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Of course, selecting any character as "Best Girl" is offensive and problematic on so many levels, and I apologize for any inference that I ever engage with a sincere work of Interactive Art in such a childish way. Video games, as a true art form, deserve better, and so does humanity.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<b>"Enough of This Serious Nonsense. Get to the Important Part."</b><br />
<br />
What?<br />
<br />
<b>"Who is Best Girl?"</b><br />
<br />
Makoto. #shotsfired<br />
<br />
As for good optional storylines/people to date, a lot of the side storylines are kind of bland. It's kind of a problem, alas. I found the most interesting characters to be <a href="http://megamitensei.wikia.com/wiki/Sadayo_Kawakami">Kawakami</a> (teacher) and <a href="http://megamitensei.wikia.com/wiki/Tae_Takemi">Tae Takemi</a> (doctor). There's a lot of room for disagreement here. Feel free to point out other good bits of writing in the comments. (Also, be sure to never miss a chance to be mean to Mishima.)<br />
<br />
Oh, and as one more aside, I have never liked music in video games. This is the first game I’ve ever played where I really, really liked the music. I still love the <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eFVj0Z6ahcI">main battle theme</a> after hearing bits of it 10000 times.<br />
<br />
<b>The Fun of Transgression</b><br />
<br />
One of the coolest things about video games is that they give you the freedom to misbehave. This is one of the unique things about vidya as a storytelling medium. It's one thing to read about someone misbehaving, and another thing entirely to control someone being bad. Even if we know it's not real, when you choose for your avatar to do something crazy or bad, for a moment, it FEELS real.<br />
<br />
You play a highly rebellious high school student, and Persona 5 lets you be transgressive in a way a western game could never allow. You can be responsible and do homework and get a job, sure. Or you can get a job as a bartender, or hang out with your alcoholic reporter friend, or, yes, date one of your teachers. (In a storyline that ends up being weirdly sad and touching and is one of the better bits of writing.)<br />
<br />
This is just a first bid in picking apart Persona 5.<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-Oh52oZdLX-E/WYI2msVvoFI/AAAAAAAAA5E/ts5UXwUlHuwaEZHNMKez2i-rAI-u0Bt8gCLcBGAs/s1600/mistake.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="900" data-original-width="1600" height="225" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-Oh52oZdLX-E/WYI2msVvoFI/AAAAAAAAA5E/ts5UXwUlHuwaEZHNMKez2i-rAI-u0Bt8gCLcBGAs/s400/mistake.png" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Be warned. While Persona 5 will allow you to two-time (or 9-time) your girlfriend, there may be <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BgW41uwP8co">consequences</a>.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<b>There's Plenty of Flaws</b><br />
<br />
It's a 90+ hour game, how can it not? It's about 10 hours too long. There's a lot of bland writing and weird translations (in English). The writers had kind of a weird obsession with modeling. The combination of utter weirdness and total sincerity really requires some getting used to. The depictions of gay people are pretty offensive. The character of Akechi (Boy Detective!!!) seems to have been parachuted in from a different, worse game.<br />
<br />
But if you care about the art form and the genre, this game is INTERESTING. It swings for the fences. Its reach exceeds its grasp. I haven't even begun to sort out all of the fascinating choices and ideas in this crazy, overstuffed game.<br />
<br />
If nothing else, the next time I hear someone gassing on about how, "Video games can't do this," or "Video games can't cover that topic," I can now just say, "Persona 5, fam," and walk off to a more interesting conversation. Persona 5 got me thinking about all the things we can still explore in this young, weird medium, and I'm grateful for that.<br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;">###</span><br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-size: x-small;">Our very non-JRPG games are always available <a href="http://www.spiderwebsoftware.com/">here</a>, and I am on <a href="https://twitter.com/spiderwebsoft">Twitter</a>.</span><br />
<br />Jeff Vogelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03396854958796097543noreply@blogger.com127tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4338724676892513065.post-40337977298203707692017-06-14T14:22:00.000-07:002017-06-19T17:19:47.085-07:00Games Have Too Many Words: A Case Study.<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-AGHcghYsdbg/WUGlxkjQpVI/AAAAAAAAA24/YJIjdjpUsRMoNcNCL6mfRMuGDF0smD0lwCLcBGAs/s1600/pe-logo-915x585.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="585" data-original-width="915" height="255" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-AGHcghYsdbg/WUGlxkjQpVI/AAAAAAAAA24/YJIjdjpUsRMoNcNCL6mfRMuGDF0smD0lwCLcBGAs/s400/pe-logo-915x585.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">In this chapter, I unwisely critique the work of my betters.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
I recently wrote an article about how video games have too many words. We designers don't properly edit our writing to make sure our words are worth a player’s time reading them.<br />
<br />
I want to do a case study where I go through a wordy game, step-by-step, and show what it's doing right and wrong and how it could be doing better. Most game criticism frustrates me. It tends to deal with generalities and floaty ideas, instead of dirtying its hands with specifics that could actually help make for better games. This is my chance to egotistically provide a different approach.<br />
<br />
This breakdown will be long and gritty, but I'll try to include a lot of solid pointers. I'll throw in some jokes along the way.<br />
<br />
<b>The Subject</b><br />
<br />
Let's look at the very beginning of <a href="http://store.steampowered.com/app/291650/Pillars_of_Eternity/">Pillars of Eternity</a>, developed by Obsidian and released in 2015. This game was a huge hit, critically and financially, taking advantage of a shortage of quality Baldur's Gate-style, gritty, isometric-view, story-heavy titles.<br />
<br />
I really wanted a game like that, so I bought it. I finished it in a little over 20 hours. The combat was fine, though really chaotic and hard to follow. (The best description I read was "clusterf***y".) The story was OK, but the game is loaded with words, many of them written by Kickstarter backers. I ended up getting through all the conversations in the back third of the game by typing the '1' key as fast as I could.<br />
<br />
I did play Pillars until the end, which is rare for me. Overall, it was pretty good. It made a lot of money, and the <a href="https://www.fig.co/campaigns/deadfire">crowdfunding</a> for the sequel is doing quite well.<br />
<br />
I don't usually like being negative about the work of other sincere, industrious creators. Luckily this game got enough cash and acclaim that its creators can comfortably ignore the nattering of a non-entity like me.<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-fwP3yVlOAg0/WUGmUfUAukI/AAAAAAAAA28/pFG6_hqrkI4FZw42FDzDlTElJF-chAs2gCLcBGAs/s1600/man-with-money-clip-art-1194711.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="350" data-original-width="304" height="320" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-fwP3yVlOAg0/WUGmUfUAukI/AAAAAAAAA28/pFG6_hqrkI4FZw42FDzDlTElJF-chAs2gCLcBGAs/s320/man-with-money-clip-art-1194711.jpg" width="277" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">This is how I picture the devs of Pillars of Eternity. They walk everywhere with big clip art watermarks floating over their chests.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<b>"So What's Your Complaint?"</b><br />
<br />
Too many words.<br />
<br />
Pillars of Eternity wants to have a really elaborate world and story, which is fine. It wants to have a creative game system, with new, innovative sorts of character classes and spells, which is great.<br />
<br />
However, it doesn't do a good job of communicating stuff to the player, because there's no editing and care in giving out information. The game just floods the player with text, important bits buried in gushes of irrelevant detail, practically training the player to think that the words aren't really important. (Again, I played a huge chunk of the game without reading anything but the quest log.)<br />
<br />
To illustrate this, I'm going to go, step by step, through the introduction and character creation, the stuff anyone who tries the game is sure to see. Let's see what the game thinks is worth the player's time and how good a job it does splitting up vital knowledge from static.<br />
<br />
<b>"So What? You're Just Scared of Words, You Sub-Literate?"</b><br />
<br />
No, I have a problem with the pacing. The human brain can only absorb so many random facts about game systems and lore at one sitting. This stuff needs to be carefully paced out, or it'll just slide off of the brain.<br />
<br />
But character creation in this game floods the player with tons of facts, both about the game and the world. I came out of it feeling numb and confused, and almost none of it stuck.<br />
<br />
So. You start the game. You pick your difficulty. And then you begin the eleven (!!!) steps of character creation.<br />
<br />
<b>I. Introduction.</b><br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-MxL5S716g64/WUGml5oV3EI/AAAAAAAAA3A/OqzQksQqncga5yHjNYEJM9BmQYckQk8jACLcBGAs/s1600/PillarsOfEternityScreenSnapz%2BI.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="360" data-original-width="654" height="176" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-MxL5S716g64/WUGml5oV3EI/AAAAAAAAA3A/OqzQksQqncga5yHjNYEJM9BmQYckQk8jACLcBGAs/s320/PillarsOfEternityScreenSnapz%2BI.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
<br />
A pretty graphic and some basic text saying what is going on (you're on a caravan going to some fantasy town, you feel sick), read by an old guy. About 140 words. It's fine.<br />
<br />
<b>II. Pick Your Sex</b><br />
<br />
And now the troubles begin. You need to choose whether you are male or female. Here's a description:<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-s6xfo4jppB8/WUGmrWM9LAI/AAAAAAAAA3E/OyPt7VzARu4eJ91tdH2eoUR2HGS6BvEVwCLcBGAs/s1600/PillarsOfEternityScreenSnapz%2BIIa.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="645" data-original-width="633" height="320" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-s6xfo4jppB8/WUGmrWM9LAI/AAAAAAAAA3E/OyPt7VzARu4eJ91tdH2eoUR2HGS6BvEVwCLcBGAs/s320/PillarsOfEternityScreenSnapz%2BIIa.jpg" width="313" /></a></div>
<br />
Describing the sexes is about 160 words total. But look, it mentions a bunch of different countries. Let's mouse over one of them and see what their deal is.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-MLg65xnlCHo/WUGm0CWWKoI/AAAAAAAAA3I/Yak60OzjakMCaNUdkxdSSdMZGZLeasSAQCLcBGAs/s1600/PillarsOfEternityScreenSnapz%2BIIb.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="739" data-original-width="633" height="320" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-MLg65xnlCHo/WUGm0CWWKoI/AAAAAAAAA3I/Yak60OzjakMCaNUdkxdSSdMZGZLeasSAQCLcBGAs/s320/PillarsOfEternityScreenSnapz%2BIIb.jpg" width="273" /></a></div>
<br />
Yikes! That's a lot of words. All the descriptions together are about 330 words, much of it references to random game locations the player has no knowledge of. "Ein Glanfath" "Dyrwood" "Glanfathan" "Ixamitl" "Naasitaq" How can anyone get anything coherent from this tangle? This is literally the second thing the game shows you.<br />
<br />
Seriously, try this: Read the description of "Eir Glanfath" above. Then close your eyes and count to ten. Then say everything you recall about Eir Glanfath. I'll bet you retained very little. And that's setting aside whether this stuff is actually necessary to play the game. (Not really.)<br />
<br />
And, worse, it's all irrelevant to the actual choice the player has to make, because the vast majority of players will know whether they want to play a man or a woman before they even launch the game. If a woman only ever plays female characters, telling her, "The men of the Derpaderp Tribe of Sirius XII are in charge of all of their basket-weaving!" isn't going to turn her head around.<br />
<br />
<i>My Friendly Suggestion -</i> Go through all these random facts and see if there are one or two of them the player MUST know. Pluck them out and put them in the Introduction. Cram the rest of the lore in books the player finds in the game world. Then make Male/Female be a toggle in the next screen.<br />
<br />
<b>III. Pick Your Race</b><br />
<br />
OK, we're into solid fantasy RPG territory now. Here are six races to choose from:<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-X0Sy24R-vSg/WUGm_Q6jbkI/AAAAAAAAA3M/Y2qGJexc2YIJ9iEKs9Y5Cb9M69-fCvrRwCLcBGAs/s1600/PillarsOfEternityScreenSnapz%2BIIIa.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="558" data-original-width="513" height="320" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-X0Sy24R-vSg/WUGm_Q6jbkI/AAAAAAAAA3M/Y2qGJexc2YIJ9iEKs9Y5Cb9M69-fCvrRwCLcBGAs/s320/PillarsOfEternityScreenSnapz%2BIIIa.jpg" width="294" /></a></div>
<br />
You've never heard of three of the races. This is good. Pillars's desire to create new, weird things is one of its good points. Each race has about fifty words of description:<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Tg2DbM_knzU/WUGnDPb3IxI/AAAAAAAAA3Q/6LvWtD5VHnE-baT8onbGamx2vWv28dW9gCLcBGAs/s1600/PillarsOfEternityScreenSnapz%2BIIIb.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="392" data-original-width="565" height="222" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Tg2DbM_knzU/WUGnDPb3IxI/AAAAAAAAA3Q/6LvWtD5VHnE-baT8onbGamx2vWv28dW9gCLcBGAs/s320/PillarsOfEternityScreenSnapz%2BIIIb.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
<br />
Now, this is a description of a "dwarf." But, if you have even the slightest familiarity with fantasy, you know what we're talking about here: Standard-issue, Tolkein dwarves. Short. Stocky. Like digging holes, gold, and ale. Grumpy. Scottish accents. We get it. All you need to say here is, "Strong, durable, great warriors."<br />
<br />
For each of the races, the description mainly says the lands they live in. Let's be clear. This is useless information. If I tell you dwarves come from New Jersey, whether or not you've heard of New Jersey, this tells you nothing about whether you want to be a dwarf in your adolescent power fantasy.<br />
<br />
It's a total cliche to say, "Show, Don't Tell," but this is a PERFECT example of why this is a key concept in writing. If I say, "Dwarves come from New Jersey," and you've never even heard of New Jersey (or dwarves), you won't care. But if you go to New Jersey, look around, and see nothing but dwarves, you'll instantly be all, "Oh, I get it! I'm in Dwarfland!"<br />
<br />
But it gets trickier. This is the first choice you make that has actual impact on the gameplay. There are six statistics in the game, and your race affects what you start with. Each statistic description is 50 more words. Let's take a look at one:<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-SeUsZJQluEY/WUGnHcDHrvI/AAAAAAAAA3U/pyNez95M4vceiSA6UssNJCfenTJPsY-XQCLcBGAs/s1600/PillarsOfEternityScreenSnapz%2BIIIc.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="392" data-original-width="565" height="222" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-SeUsZJQluEY/WUGnHcDHrvI/AAAAAAAAA3U/pyNez95M4vceiSA6UssNJCfenTJPsY-XQCLcBGAs/s320/PillarsOfEternityScreenSnapz%2BIIIc.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
What "Might" means is important information. The player needs this. This text needs to be punchy and clear. Something like, "Improves damage from all attacks. Gives a bonus when healing. Helps intimidate people in conversation."<br />
<br />
And this description does that, but messily and with lots of extra words. Pillars tries to do a lot of things differently from other RPGs, so it needs to be extra-clear about the surprising stuff. Having the strength skill also improve spells and healing is neat, but it's also really unusual. ("Dwarves are better wizards? Wut!?")<br />
<br />
<i>My Friendly Suggestion -</i> Editing pass. Shorter and clearer. Ask, "Why does the player need to know this?" If you don't have a good answer, save this lore for much later.<br />
<br />
<b>IV. Pick your Sub-Race</b><br />
<br />
This is where the seriously over-designed quality of Pillars starts to show up. Picking a race isn't enough. You have to pick your sub-race:<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-v6Mz9FlBrvw/WUGnQM0TDHI/AAAAAAAAA3Y/ejHAj97OfBgv_CGSibiynffHc7RS-3Y5QCLcBGAs/s1600/PillarsOfEternityScreenSnapz%2BIVa.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="274" data-original-width="515" height="170" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-v6Mz9FlBrvw/WUGnQM0TDHI/AAAAAAAAA3Y/ejHAj97OfBgv_CGSibiynffHc7RS-3Y5QCLcBGAs/s320/PillarsOfEternityScreenSnapz%2BIVa.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
So about 160 words (not counting rollover text), to learn about the woods dwarves and the mountain dwarves:<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-Tb12xOEHFxs/WUGnTZauhZI/AAAAAAAAA3c/AEAhgOf4nzs1ZqaFtY7PpHzTxkNGkE6PQCLcBGAs/s1600/PillarsOfEternityScreenSnapz%2BIVb.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="508" data-original-width="571" height="177" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-Tb12xOEHFxs/WUGnTZauhZI/AAAAAAAAA3c/AEAhgOf4nzs1ZqaFtY7PpHzTxkNGkE6PQCLcBGAs/s200/PillarsOfEternityScreenSnapz%2BIVb.jpg" width="200" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-8J2l0WaVnaE/WUGnbCyu5JI/AAAAAAAAA3g/z131JC6iDuEE9wYQQ0tNnw4pXamEThKWgCLcBGAs/s1600/PillarsOfEternityScreenSnapz%2BIVc.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="508" data-original-width="571" height="177" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-8J2l0WaVnaE/WUGnbCyu5JI/AAAAAAAAA3g/z131JC6iDuEE9wYQQ0tNnw4pXamEThKWgCLcBGAs/s200/PillarsOfEternityScreenSnapz%2BIVc.jpg" width="200" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
None of this lore has anything to do with the actual game.<br />
<br />
What bugs me here is that this choice has gameplay significance. One choice gives you resistance to Poison & Disease (though you have no idea how serious these conditions are or how often they appear in the game), and one gives you a bonus against "Wilder" and "Primordial" creatures (though you have no idea what on Earth those are, let alone how often they show up in the game).<br />
<br />
Giving a player seemingly high-impact decisions with no ability to tell which one is correct is stressful and confusing.<br />
<br />
<i>My Friendly Suggestion -</i> Ditch sub-races. Instead, give Dwarves BOTH of these bonuses. This creates more distinction between the races and getting multiple bonuses helps the player feel more powerful instead of confused and stressed.<br />
<br />
<b>"Cutting Out Lore? What Is Your Problem With Lore In Games, You Jerk?"</b><br />
<br />
Lore in games is great, as long is it's not thrown at the player too quickly and without any gameplay context that makes it mean something. Anyway, let's keep going. There's a LOT more screens to go.<br />
<br />
<b>V. Pick Your Class</b><br />
<br />
Hokay! At last, this is the big one! This makes a huge difference in your play experience. Here are your eleven choices:<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-D04nFIMw3No/WUGnlLj6axI/AAAAAAAAA3k/pnMsz_4Ds64HPbcwiOZmNRGkLpGdFs80gCLcBGAs/s1600/PillarsOfEternityScreenSnapz010%2BVa.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="547" data-original-width="571" height="306" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-D04nFIMw3No/WUGnlLj6axI/AAAAAAAAA3k/pnMsz_4Ds64HPbcwiOZmNRGkLpGdFs80gCLcBGAs/s320/PillarsOfEternityScreenSnapz010%2BVa.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
One of the coolest things about Pillars is that they tried to make some weird classes unlike anything in other games. The cost of creativity, however, is that you have to be extra-careful when explaining to the player the weird stuff they've never seen before.<br />
<br />
When I started the game, my eyes were instantly drawn to "Cipher". That sounds neat! And here is the description ...<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-iFDYpxQ0qME/WUGnpkh857I/AAAAAAAAA3o/m4jvqvOcVy8TTGccY2krSoE8tin1G2shwCLcBGAs/s1600/PillarsOfEternityScreenSnapz011%2BVb.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="579" data-original-width="573" height="200" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-iFDYpxQ0qME/WUGnpkh857I/AAAAAAAAA3o/m4jvqvOcVy8TTGccY2krSoE8tin1G2shwCLcBGAs/s200/PillarsOfEternityScreenSnapz011%2BVb.jpg" width="197" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-6jVIiam_HeA/WUGnsxwNprI/AAAAAAAAA3s/qQfyTB4EGskvmFQo4s-gh6y7RoRHYpg2QCLcBGAs/s1600/PillarsOfEternityScreenSnapz012%2BVc.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="439" data-original-width="573" height="153" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-6jVIiam_HeA/WUGnsxwNprI/AAAAAAAAA3s/qQfyTB4EGskvmFQo4s-gh6y7RoRHYpg2QCLcBGAs/s200/PillarsOfEternityScreenSnapz012%2BVc.jpg" width="200" /></a></div>
<br />
Yikes.<br />
<br />
The main description of the class is four long sentences, but only the second sentence actually says much about what the class does. Then a very vague description of the powers, which involve something vitally important called a "Soul Whip," with no explanation of what that actually is. Then a bunch of algebra.<br />
<br />
That's about 120 words, for one class. You have to go through all of it to get a vague idea of how the class plays. The other ten class descriptions are comparably complex.<br />
<br />
This is just too much stuff to muck through, too early, for a choice so important to the play experience. Bear in mind that we are still less than halfway to actually playing a game.<br />
<br />
My Friendly Suggestion - For each class, only show the stat bonuses and two or three carefully written sentences describing what it's like. Move all the weird lore and mathematical formulae to a different tab that can be opened by those who care. When the player starts using the class in the game, bring up some tutorial windows saying the key details of how to actually use it, like what a "Soul Whip" is.<br />
<br />
VI. Pick Your Class Details.<br />
<br />
If you're a priest, you have to pick your god. If you're a caster, you have to select a spell or two from the starting list. For the Cipher, the list looks like this ...<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-NItmuiZYkys/WUGn6-cWrRI/AAAAAAAAA3w/uKBcI7SDY18nsjqDips2glENoTtAF_HTQCLcBGAs/s1600/PillarsOfEternityScreenSnapz013%2BVIa.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="411" data-original-width="587" height="224" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-NItmuiZYkys/WUGn6-cWrRI/AAAAAAAAA3w/uKBcI7SDY18nsjqDips2glENoTtAF_HTQCLcBGAs/s320/PillarsOfEternityScreenSnapz013%2BVIa.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
The spell descriptions look like this ...<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-PtdwFaAv3IA/WUGn99Y8HiI/AAAAAAAAA30/n64JIHcqLjUhuhX7EeIVJBcgXn1d8KzhACLcBGAs/s1600/PillarsOfEternityScreenSnapz014%2BVIb.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="572" data-original-width="567" height="320" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-PtdwFaAv3IA/WUGn99Y8HiI/AAAAAAAAA30/n64JIHcqLjUhuhX7EeIVJBcgXn1d8KzhACLcBGAs/s320/PillarsOfEternityScreenSnapz014%2BVIb.jpg" width="317" /></a></div>
<br />
Again, a ton of reading, referring to statistics, distances, statuses, damage amounts, damage types, etc. that mean nothing because you've never actually played the game.<br />
<br />
<i>My Friendly Suggestion -</i> Lose this screen entirely. Pick one basic, useful ability (the best one) and give it to the character automatically to get through the tutorial. Then, after the first bunch of fights, have the player meet a trainer and be able to choose new abilities in an informed way.<br />
<br />
<b>VII. Edit Your Character Attributes.</b><br />
<br />
Figure out how many points of Strength, Constitution, etc. you have. The game, to its credit, says which ones are most important for your class. Standard RPG fare.<br />
<br />
<b>VIII. Pick Your Culture</b><br />
<br />
<b>IF YOU'RE JUST SPEED-SCROLLING THROUGH THIS ARTICLE, STOP HERE AND READ THIS!!!!</b><br />
<br />
Yeah, I know you aren't reading all of this. This post is wayyyyy too long and gritty and nit-picky and tedious. But reading this article takes much less time than actually picking through all of these windows in the game. Which is too long. That is my main point. Now scroll to the end and call me an idiot in comments.<br />
<br />
Anyway, yeah, pick some country you're from ...<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-y9kxQdxUTaE/WUGoGcmuKOI/AAAAAAAAA34/o95Qx3tGlhYVbigRPlvDA1GokqVNmsSvwCLcBGAs/s1600/PillarsOfEternityScreenSnapz015%2BVIIa.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="607" data-original-width="520" height="320" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-y9kxQdxUTaE/WUGoGcmuKOI/AAAAAAAAA34/o95Qx3tGlhYVbigRPlvDA1GokqVNmsSvwCLcBGAs/s320/PillarsOfEternityScreenSnapz015%2BVIIa.jpg" width="274" /></a></div>
<br />
Each of the 7 contures has about 70 words of description.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-ad8D0c-rsOI/WUGoJx_q1xI/AAAAAAAAA38/_7-TYH8XFv0EY6E3zWjyX4xPtGW9Q7rnACLcBGAs/s1600/PillarsOfEternityScreenSnapz016%2BVIIb.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="422" data-original-width="564" height="239" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-ad8D0c-rsOI/WUGoJx_q1xI/AAAAAAAAA38/_7-TYH8XFv0EY6E3zWjyX4xPtGW9Q7rnACLcBGAs/s320/PillarsOfEternityScreenSnapz016%2BVIIb.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
None of this has anything to do with playing the game.<br />
<br />
This is the most unnecessary step in the whole process. When making an RPG character, you need to build two things: Its stats/abilities and its personality.<br />
<br />
Knowing your character is from "The White that Wends" tells you nothing about its abilities, and it's a lousy way to determine his or her personality. If you read the description of "The White that Wends," and learn that people from there are mean and selfish, that's still not the way you want to player to create a mean, selfish character. You do that by giving play options in the game that are mean and selfish and letting the player pick them. Show, don't tell.<br />
<br />
<i>My Friendly Suggestion -</i> Lose it entirely.<br />
<br />
<b>IX. Pick Your Background.</b><br />
<br />
Choose from one of nine backgrounds.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-2y8hJt1H_c4/WUGoR1Z-7_I/AAAAAAAAA4A/EUZNc9eIDVog3sUBaIsfgeatja5bzI1iACLcBGAs/s1600/PillarsOfEternityScreenSnapz017%2BVIIIa.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="468" data-original-width="559" height="267" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-2y8hJt1H_c4/WUGoR1Z-7_I/AAAAAAAAA4A/EUZNc9eIDVog3sUBaIsfgeatja5bzI1iACLcBGAs/s320/PillarsOfEternityScreenSnapz017%2BVIIIa.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
The main thing this affects is that, every once in a while, it will open up a new dialogue option. This never makes a big difference.<br />
<br />
<i>My Friendly Suggestion -</i> There's a real lost opportunity here. Once again, "Show, Don't Tell." Instead of having me declare that my character is a Slave or Aristocrat or whatever, why not, once you’re in the game, make every conversation option for all of these different nine backgrounds available to me when the game starts.<br />
<br />
Then, if I keep making the "Aristocrat" pick, start removing the other options, so that I end up always talking like an Aristocrat. Then my character's personality emerges organically from the sort of dialogue choices I make in the actual game.<br />
<br />
<b>X. Choose Appearance and Voice.</b><br />
<br />
Standard appearance editor and list of different voices. It's fine.<br />
<br />
<b>XI. Choose Your Name.</b><br />
<br />
Gladly.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-2BCqDgoYh58/WUGobUevMwI/AAAAAAAAA4E/R7-lY1RZ8jUUDDEc9wgXqkFzR8DTXwUWQCLcBGAs/s1600/PillarsOfEternityScreenSnapz%2BIXa.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="296" data-original-width="772" height="122" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-2BCqDgoYh58/WUGobUevMwI/AAAAAAAAA4E/R7-lY1RZ8jUUDDEc9wgXqkFzR8DTXwUWQCLcBGAs/s320/PillarsOfEternityScreenSnapz%2BIXa.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
<b>X. The Game.</b><br />
<br />
And, finally, the games starts with the tutorial. Which begins with a long conversation. Which I barely pay attention to, because my stupid brain is tired.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-IMb5EmwI1_k/WUGoe2B4CfI/AAAAAAAAA4I/J7vNLRjaz7g0qWBOkEyyvgGVgXkIVj_vgCLcBGAs/s1600/PillarsOfEternityScreenSnapz%2BStart.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="409" data-original-width="1165" height="140" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-IMb5EmwI1_k/WUGoe2B4CfI/AAAAAAAAA4I/J7vNLRjaz7g0qWBOkEyyvgGVgXkIVj_vgCLcBGAs/s400/PillarsOfEternityScreenSnapz%2BStart.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
<br />
It's all way too much. Too many words, too many irrelevant choices, exhausting when it should be informative. Not that they will listen to me, but it might be an improvement to look for in Pillars of Eternity 2, because the market is not what it was in 2015.<br />
<br />
<b>"But Who Cares? The Game Was a Hit, Right?"</b><br />
<br />
The real test of how good a game it is, is not how it sells, but how much its sequel sells. And it is entirely fair to ask what business a pissant like me has criticizing a hit game written by a bunch of big names.<br />
<br />
Let's leave behind the idea of craftsmanship and a desire to always keep improving our work.<br />
<br />
Lately, sequels to hit RPGs have been selling far worse than their predecessors. Obsidian's successor to Pillars, Tyranny, by their own words, <a href="https://www.gamespot.com/articles/tyranny-publisher-on-sales-everyone-was-hoping-it-/1100-6450101/">underperformed</a>.<br />
<br />
Also, I looked at the Steam achievement statistics for Pillars of Eternity. According to those, fewer than half of players finished the first chapter. Only about 10% of players completed the game.<br />
<br />
Now granted, this is not unusual. Most games remain unfinished. But that still invites this question: If the vast majority of players didn't want to experience the Pillars of Eternity they already paid for, why think that they will want to buy more?<br />
<br />
Everyone should keep improving, if just for their survival in this mercilessly competitive business.<br />
<br />
Video games are a new art form, and there is still so much we have to figure out. That's the terrifying and awesome thing about making them. And now, having already written way too many words, I will take my own advice and cease.<br />
<div>
<br />
<b>Edit (6/19) -</b> For fairness, I want to point out that Josh Sawyer of Obsidian did write <a href="https://jesawyer.tumblr.com/post/161883319926/destroy-that-douchebag-jeff-vogel-now">a rebuttal</a> to this piece.<br />
<br />
It is an extremely dignified and thoughtful response, and it makes me really interested in seeing how Pillars of Eternity 2 turns out. (And, of course, I wish them every bit of good fortune.)<br />
<br /></div>
Jeff Vogelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03396854958796097543noreply@blogger.com295tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4338724676892513065.post-66368535809456138512017-05-17T15:09:00.000-07:002017-05-17T15:45:16.632-07:00Does Your Video Game Have Too Many Words? (Yeah, Probably.)<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-X_iquSY68yQ/WRzFlz9LDZI/AAAAAAAAA14/-DyIlXwXlik3z3K-DM354x-BVnVV6yeUACLcB/s1600/PillarsOfEternityScreenSnapz001.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="323" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-X_iquSY68yQ/WRzFlz9LDZI/AAAAAAAAA14/-DyIlXwXlik3z3K-DM354x-BVnVV6yeUACLcB/s400/PillarsOfEternityScreenSnapz001.png" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">TLDR.jpg (Also note: This gigantic lore-lump is just for choosing your character's sex.)</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
"Too long. Lose half."<br />
"Which half?"<br />
"The half that you don't need."<br />
<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>- <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mMh1EvAQOQ8">Their Finest</a></blockquote>
My whole career has been based on writing very <a href="http://store.steampowered.com/sub/12171/">story-heavy games</a>, with lots of words. Our company, Spiderweb Software, is small. We can't afford fancy graphics, so we have to rely on words. Interesting, quality words.<br />
<br />
We're currently remastering the series with our <a href="http://store.steampowered.com/app/337850/Avernum_2_Crystal_Souls/">most loved story</a> and our bestest words. We also finished a new series, which had a lot of words which I suspect weren't as good because it didn't sell as well. Now we're planning a whole new series, and we need to figure out how many and what sort of words to cram into that.<br />
<br />
We have a lot of decisions to make, so I've been thinking a lot about words in games. I have made a number of observations.<br />
<br />
<b>For Reference</b><br />
<br />
A decently sized novel contains about 100,000 words. <a href="https://www.google.com/search?q=the+bible&source=lnms&tbm=isch">The Bible</a> contains about a million words.<br />
<br />
My wordiest and most popular game, <a href="http://www.avernum.com/avernum3/">Avernum 3</a>, which I am now remastering, had about 200,000 words. At its release, people talked about how very, very, many words it had. Yet, by current standards, it is very terse.<br />
<br />
In comparison, one of the best-written RPGs in recent times, The Witcher 3, had about <a href="http://www.ign.com/articles/2015/05/29/this-is-how-big-the-script-was-for-the-witcher-3-wild-hunt">450,000</a> words. For The Witcher 3, "best-written" means "<a href="http://jeff-vogel.blogspot.com/2015/11/the-witcher-3-is-amazingly-written-and.html">One really good storyline</a> and many, many other storylines that were basically OK." (To be fair, I think the Heart of Stone DLC was really well-written.)<br />
<br />
The word bloat continues. While Divinity: Original Sin had a mere <a href="http://divinityoriginalsin.wiki.fextralife.com/Divinity+Original+Sin+Enhanced+Edition">350,000 words</a>, Tyranny spent <a href="http://www.pcgamer.com/obisidians-tyranny-rpg-is-built-on-more-than-600000-words/">600,000 words</a> telling the story of how you became the word's most evil middle manager, on a bold quest to try to tell apart the game's <a href="http://tyranny.gamepedia.com/Factions">73 factions</a>.<br />
<br />
And this is positively tongue-tied next to Torment: Tides of Numenara's <a href="https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/inxile/torment-tides-of-numenera/posts/1823045">1,200,000 words</a>. I admit I am curious about what story is so gigantic and epic that it requires 3 times more words than The Lord of the Rings. I will never find out, as there is nothing that will tempt me to play a game with 1.2 Bibles worth of text.<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-zyMVv8s4YtE/WRzHOfDzJzI/AAAAAAAAA2E/Otp-9DgwaiowwpIUeFFe8QkUTmH3xlVxQCLcB/s1600/893.gif" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="225" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-zyMVv8s4YtE/WRzHOfDzJzI/AAAAAAAAA2E/Otp-9DgwaiowwpIUeFFe8QkUTmH3xlVxQCLcB/s400/893.gif" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">This is me playing your RPG lol.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<b>Vogel's Laws of Video Game Storytelling</b><br />
<br />
1. Players will forgive your game for having a good story, as long as you allow them to ignore it.<br />
<br />
2. When people say a video game has a "good story," what they mean is that it has a story.<br />
<br />
3. The story of almost all video games is, "See that guy over there? That guy is bad. Kill that guy." This almost never leads to a good story.<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-AX21F64D4cM/WRzHlaUCyDI/AAAAAAAAA2I/JyDyZralpXU8YHhPivS0R0C5w2MnWq4KgCLcB/s1600/xnab8chyqiltiuczbrth.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="206" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-AX21F64D4cM/WRzHlaUCyDI/AAAAAAAAA2I/JyDyZralpXU8YHhPivS0R0C5w2MnWq4KgCLcB/s400/xnab8chyqiltiuczbrth.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">For reference, this is how to get me to read the text in your RPG.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<b>Observations About Words In Video Games</b><br />
<br />
1. For a while, there was a big demand for games like Baldur's Gate and Planescape: Torment. That is, old-school icon-based RPGs with big stories, told in lots and lots of words. Early hits, like Divinity: Original Sin and Pillars of Eternity made a lot of money off this demand. Sales of later games in this style, like Tyranny and Torment: Tides of Numenara suggest that this pent up demand has <a href="https://www.gamespot.com/articles/tyranny-publisher-on-sales-everyone-was-hoping-it-/1100-6450101/">largely been</a> <a href="http://steamspy.com/app/272270">satisfied</a>.<br />
<br />
2. It's really easy to make words. Really, really, really easy. Any writer with half a grain of skill can spew out 500,000 like it is nothing. And if that writer's fingers get tired, an intern with aspirations of authorhood will chip in 100,000 more. And when that intern passes out, you can let your <a href="https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/obsidian/project-eternity">Kickstarter backers</a> add words to your game and they’ll pay you for the privilege.<br />
<br />
3. No, really, think about that last point. People will pay you to be able to write for your game! Adding words to your game has negative cost! Think about this the next time someone tries to use a giant word count to sell you a game.<br />
<br />
4. The secret of great writing is not adding words. It's cutting them. You can almost always improve your writing by slashing chunks out of it and refining the rest. However, as game development is done with limited budgets and limited time, this editing process almost never takes place.<br />
<br />
5. When a writer gets famous, they stop being edited. This is why the <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Harry_Potter_and_the_Order_of_the_Phoenix">fifth Harry Potter book</a> is 900 pages in which only like two things happen. This is also why, when a game in 2017 is written by a Big Name and has a script with one bajillion words, most of those words are going to be pretty boring.<br />
<br />
6. There are well-written games. Fallout: New Vegas and Witcher 3 are solid. I remember Baldur's Gate II and Planescape: Torment were all right, but I played those 20 years ago, and there may be a lot of nostalgia in play there. (For me and almost everyone else.) Planescape was cool, but I definitely remember blasting past a lot of text just to get through it.<br />
<br />
7. Sturgeon's Law is in play here: "90% of everything is crap." For every Planescape: Torment, where they had a cool setting and story idea and really put the time in to write good text and have it interface with the gameplay well, there have been nine other games where they just threw up a bunch of Tolkein-light Kill-that-Bad-Guy stuff and hoped it stuck. It didn't.<br />
<br />
8. Having lots of lore in your game is OK. Some players really love lore. But then, a lot of players really don't. I think it's best if you try to keep your lore separated a bit from the significant game text, like Skyrim putting the stuff in books you could easily ignore. World of Warcraft <a href="https://www.google.com/search?q=world+warcraft+quest&rlz=1C5CHFA_enUS554US554&source=lnms&tbm=isch">quest windows</a> did this perfectly. All of the lore was in one lump ("You mean dwarves like to dig mines? WOAH!"), and the actual text of the quest ("Kill 10 goblin toddlers.") was broken out of it so you could digest it quickly.<br />
<br />
9. Humor is very hard to write well. It is also one of the most enjoyable things to read. If you can make your game genuinely funny, people will love it forever. (The actual gameplay of Psychonauts was only B-, but people LOVE that game because of how funny it is.)<br />
<br />
10. The ultimate goal of writing in a game: Have it be good enough that getting past the gameplay to reach the writing is your goal. Your writing should be the REWARD. If your writing is something the player has to slog through to get to the game play, there is too much writing.<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-AGpfWoOvzss/WRzH5jIrjFI/AAAAAAAAA2M/zYJKUA8-V94KttmS02CPgOb-xoFIBrJywCLcB/s1600/dgosgp37dyzi1pnihjcw.webp" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="195" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-AGpfWoOvzss/WRzH5jIrjFI/AAAAAAAAA2M/zYJKUA8-V94KttmS02CPgOb-xoFIBrJywCLcB/s400/dgosgp37dyzi1pnihjcw.webp" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">You have my UNDIVIDED ATTENTION.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<b>Physician, Heal Thyself</b><br />
<br />
Every game I've ever written has had a lot of words. Some of those games, my fans really loved the words. Some of them, not so much.<br />
<br />
My goal for my next series is to use fewer words, but to make them as light and interesting and funny as I can. I want words to be the reward, the thing that pulls people through the story. I am dreading this, because, again, writing something good and short is way more work than writing something dull and long.<br />
<br />
In the meantime, I am remastering my old Avernum 3, with its pokey little 200,000 words. This means giving those words an editing pass. A lot of my time is spent chopping out extraneous words and revamping what is left to make it smoother, easier to read, and, whenever possible, funnier. If the new version has more words than the old version, I've done something wrong.<br />
<br />
For a long time, I sold games with a lot of words. Now there is a lot more competition in that space, and words are super-cheap. I need to try to sell good words. Even if I never make a <a href="http://knowyourmeme.com/memes/i-took-an-arrow-in-the-knee">nice</a>, <a href="http://knowyourmeme.com/memes/the-cake-is-a-lie">dank</a> meme, in this crowded market, you need to get every little advantage you can.<br />
<br />Jeff Vogelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03396854958796097543noreply@blogger.com658tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4338724676892513065.post-54406816688774245662017-03-29T12:30:00.000-07:002017-03-29T12:30:02.107-07:00Writing Indie Games Is Like Being a Musician. In the Bad Way.<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-w7eHlXItXLE/WNwJpvhV_0I/AAAAAAAAA1I/NBcy_gi7Pe4dEV6iEW2kvHQr5O2EogFLwCLcB/s1600/mystik%2Bspiral.gif" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-w7eHlXItXLE/WNwJpvhV_0I/AAAAAAAAA1I/NBcy_gi7Pe4dEV6iEW2kvHQr5O2EogFLwCLcB/s400/mystik%2Bspiral.gif" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">"Our game is called Mystik Spiral. It is an indie interactive aggression about the evils of conformist corporate culture. Coming on Steam for Windows and Mac and as an XBox One console exclusive."</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
Over the last couple years, I've gotten a fair amount of attention for my articles about the <a href="http://jeff-vogel.blogspot.com/2014/05/the-indie-bubble-is-popping.html">Indie Bubble</a> and the <a href="http://jeff-vogel.blogspot.com/2015/09/the-indie-bubble-revisited-or-are-we.html">Indie Glut</a>. (And even a <a href="http://www.gdcvault.com/play/1023441/What-Do-We-Mean-When">GDC talk</a>.)<br />
<br />
Quick version of indie gaming history: In 2010 or so, due to a combination of factors (AAA creative stagnation, better development tools, better online stores to sell on), indie games caught on in a big way and made a ton of money. For a short time, getting the Golden Ticket and landing a game on Steam was guaranteed big cash. This was the "Indie Bubble" phase.<br />
<br />
People who wanted to write a video game (i.e. everyone) saw this and went, "Hey, I wanna get rich following my dreams too!" There was a big pile-on. MANY indie games became available, more than anyone actually wanted. This was the "Indie Glut" phase.<br />
<br />
At last, I can complete the trilogy of articles. Now we can look around and see where we've ended up, a phase which I suspect will be permanent. (At least until the Earth gets hit by a <a href="http://nypost.com/2014/07/24/solar-flare-nearly-destroyed-earth-two-years-ago-nasa/">large solar flare</a> and we get to start over.)<br />
<br />
You can't deal with this business without grasping its fundamental reality. So it's worth wallowing in this topic one more time. A proper understanding of reality will help us process a lot of otherwise perplexing issues (like Apple or Steam charging devs to have games on their store, or the ever-present "discoverability problem).<br />
<br />
To see where we are, let's talk about a long-standing rite of passage for young creative types: Starting a band.<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-WoZH2hT72GI/WNwKBdbaOyI/AAAAAAAAA1M/CtPS-gVi6JsU2AzS-R9rW8m9wr7uLpG6wCLcB/s1600/start%2Ba%2Bband.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-WoZH2hT72GI/WNwKBdbaOyI/AAAAAAAAA1M/CtPS-gVi6JsU2AzS-R9rW8m9wr7uLpG6wCLcB/s320/start%2Ba%2Bband.jpg" width="317" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I think this would be really funny if I knew anything at all about music. Can someone translate it into a Guitar Hero chart for me? I think it means I have to learn how to play the orange notes.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<b>The Story of Being a Musician</b><br />
<br />
For decades, many young, enthusiastic, creative people have worked through their dreams, energy, and youthful ambition by forming bands.<br />
<br />
Why not? It's takes a fair amount of technical and artistic aptitude to learn an instrument, write songs, get gigs, press a CD, etc., so it's a good sponge to soak up excess ambition and energy. But it's not a prohibitive amount of energy, so just about anyone can start a band.<br />
<br />
Usually, this band is a reaction against corporate pop culture. "Screw your plastic, AAA, mass-produced, soulless Katy Perry crap! We're going to create real art." This is an entirely worthwhile goal, even if it fails 99.999% of the time.<br />
<br />
Of course, most bands die. After all, most bands <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sturgeon%27s_law">are terrible</a>. Even if they aren't, people grow older. They lose their energy. Their dreams die. Life intervenes. They get jobs as insurance adjusters or whatever. Their demo CDs get stuck in the attic, forgotten, and then they have kids. Who start their own bands.<br />
<br />
Not everyone gives up, though. A tiny handful of bands, through a combination of skill, connections, and luck, become actual successes and make careers out of it. Other musicians make a living as freelancers or working in a business environment (studio musicians, corporate gigs, etc). Others, the damned souls, trapped between a lack of talent and an inability to quit, live long (looooong) lives as failed musicians.<br />
<br />
Most quit (or do art as a hobby). This is ok. The world needs plumbers far more than it needs musicians.<br />
<br />
But the hard inexorable math of the thing is this: There are far more people who want to make a living as a musician (actor, writer, dancer) then there are paying jobs they can occupy.<br />
<br />
There comes a time when you have to face this. Disney movies and <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0pdqf4P9MB8">La La Land</a> lied to you. There is a point where refusing to give up makes you stop being an admirable young spitfire and start being a cautionary tale.<br />
<br />
Anyway, this is the basic cycle of the thing. For the last few decades, younger people with a certain amount of talent, energy, and time could soak all that into starting a band. A few prospered. The rest went on to other things.<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-v42kPsS8Nx4/WNwKSFctG0I/AAAAAAAAA1Q/IVsHNg9YLvcbpR85kfZs5IAsOsANf0RWwCLcB/s1600/black-hole.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="246" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-v42kPsS8Nx4/WNwKSFctG0I/AAAAAAAAA1Q/IVsHNg9YLvcbpR85kfZs5IAsOsANf0RWwCLcB/s400/black-hole.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The current location on Steam of the New Releases chart. (Artist's conception.)</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<b>You Probably Figured Out Where This Is Going</b><br />
<br />
Getting together with some friends and writing a game is the new Starting a Band. I'm not saying this is going to happen. It already has.<br />
<br />
Plenty has been written about the <a href="https://www.vg247.com/2016/12/01/around-40-of-games-on-steam-were-released-in-2016/">flood of games</a> appearing on Steam. As I write this, 125 in <a href="http://imgur.com/GZRQFqb">the last week alone</a>. More games than anyone wants, that's for sure. That's why Steam has made it <a href="https://www.rockpapershotgun.com/2017/02/15/steam-new-releases/">very difficult</a> to see all new releases. Let's be honest. Almost nobody cares to drink from this firehose.<br />
<br />
<b>Don't believe me? Check it out yourself!</b><br />
<br />
It is very instructive to look at these new releases, which is why the site <a href="http://www.whatsonsteam.com/">What's On Steam</a>, which just shows all new releases, is useful. Take a look. New titles appear FAST. Most of them will bomb, and their creators will vanish from the public view forever.<br />
<br />
Here’s a fun trick. Write down the most recent 10 Steam games released. Wait a month. Check their sales on SteamSpy. (Bear in mind you need a few sales to appear on SteamSpy at all.) You will see very few games that get any traction. Each of their creators is just another kid who started a band (and there's nothing wrong with that).<br />
<br />
There's no need anymore to predict the endgame for the video game glut. It's happened. We're living it. Bands haven't gone away. There's still a billion of them. People making lots of video games won't go away. There'll always be a billion of them, offering their hot take of the procedurally generated Roguelike 2-D platformer (now in VR!!!!!).<br />
<br />
This is why "Indiepocalypse" is such a useless term. Other fields have exactly the same situation, but nobody talks about the Musicianpocalypse or the Actorpocalypse or the Writerpocalypse. It's just part of life.<br />
<br />
This is the new normal. So, if you are one of the doomed souls who is determined to make a living in this business, you must figure out how to deal with it.<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-_y-Jec7fGGs/WNwKeDCeCVI/AAAAAAAAA1U/XndT-h5p0CwQNeHKecBG7VjFibNySnOmwCLcB/s1600/how%2Bto%2Bmake%2Ba%2Bgame.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="280" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-_y-Jec7fGGs/WNwKeDCeCVI/AAAAAAAAA1U/XndT-h5p0CwQNeHKecBG7VjFibNySnOmwCLcB/s400/how%2Bto%2Bmake%2Ba%2Bgame.png" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Fun business tip! When you start seeing articles like this, you've already missed the boat.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<b>Curation Won't Make a Difference</b><br />
<br />
Here's what gets me about the situation. Often, when people talk about the flood of games on Steam, they act like it's mostly trash and Steam should just curate most of it away.<br />
<br />
I wrote a whole article’s worth of stuff in this section, but this post is already stupid long, so I chopped it out to post on its own. I’ll bullet point it for you:<br />
<br />
1. Steam doesn’t want to curate. They hate it.<br />
2. Even if they did curate, at least half of the stuff would remain, because it’s good enough. It’d still be a flood.<br />
3. A fee to get on Steam won’t change anything any more than the fee to get on iTunes did. In other words, not at all.<br />
4. Steam and iTunes don’t have a discoverability problem. They and their customers are doing great. Developers are the ones who have the problem. Nyeah.<br />
<br />
<b>College Degrees In Game Development</b><br />
<br />
Colleges are, for all practical purposes, businesses. They charge a fee and provide a product (your degree). Like good, practical businessmen, when they saw video games get hot, they jumped forward and generously offered to give you, in return for over $100K USD of post-tax money, a piece of paper that claims you know how to make them.<br />
<br />
I've written about <a href="http://jeff-vogel.blogspot.com/2016/09/a-very-long-post-about-how-to-become.html">college video game degrees</a> before. I don't have much more to add to that, except to say you shouldn't get one without being realistic about your chances.<br />
<br />
You might have a lifelong career in video games. Hey, anything's possible. But video games are an artistic field. Writing a successful video game is HARD (like becoming a full-time musician), and a huge portion of the field burns out of it before they hit middle age.<br />
<br />
Want a degree in video games? Fine. But you may want to approach it like getting a college degree in, say, playing the trombone. You might be one of the ones who makes it, but you'd damned well better have a solid Plan B.<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-pCRIFGgL0N0/WNwKqXktsWI/AAAAAAAAA1Y/OuEeIx0nsI87vn43-a51EEABdJE_Yt8qgCLcB/s1600/Little-Mermaid-GIF_Ariel_Gross-Face.gif" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="225" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-pCRIFGgL0N0/WNwKqXktsWI/AAAAAAAAA1Y/OuEeIx0nsI87vn43-a51EEABdJE_Yt8qgCLcB/s400/Little-Mermaid-GIF_Ariel_Gross-Face.gif" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Steam tried to get me to pay full price for an indie game. My face when.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<b>Global Competition!</b><br />
<br />
The competition in the vidya gaems biz is going to get even more gruesome. Development is starting to become far more of a global activity. This will mean not only more titles to fight, but more downward price pressure.<br />
<br />
The Law of Supply and Demand already tells us that when there is a glut of supply (games) and roughly constant demand, prices will be pushed inexorably downward. (Which explains deep discount Steam sales and Humble Bundle.) I've sadly watched indie devs plaintively asking their fellows to join them in trying to keep prices high, only to see those efforts get ground to dust by the inexorable gears of Economics 101.<br />
<br />
(Though I would note that if your business model requires <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Price_fixing">Price Fixing</a> to survive, it may be a bit flawed.)<br />
<br />
But prices will get even lower, because you will increasingly compete against developers in the third world. Having a hard time competing now? Wait until you’re fighting someone in a country with 1/10 the cost of living of yours. Someone who can charge $1 USD a copy and still make out great.<br />
<br />
Yeah. However pessimistic you were feeling about your game's chances before, it's even worse than that.<br />
<br />
<b>So What Does It Take To Succeed?</b><br />
<br />
A really good game that feels fresh and new and is solid and also manages to, through going viral or really good PR work, get attention. Sometimes bands still get rich. So can you.<br />
<br />
You just need to watch for those rare opportunities to make a game that says, "It's Like [Popular Thing], but [Some Small Change]." in a new way. "It's like Harvest Moon, but 16-bit." "It's like Minecraft, but 2-D." "It's like a JRPG, but with bullet hell shooter combat." “It’s like Huniepop, but more Huniepop.”<br />
<br />
There will always be ways to get rich. All you have to do is be brilliant, spot the right opportunity at the right time, have at least a little luck, and then make an amazing product.<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-OPyueYdekBk/WNwK1lkRKxI/AAAAAAAAA1c/9e_ohMjJh0Mqz0CDqH6-83lM2aQjbUlmgCLcB/s1600/bully-max-sponsored-dog-fador.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-OPyueYdekBk/WNwK1lkRKxI/AAAAAAAAA1c/9e_ohMjJh0Mqz0CDqH6-83lM2aQjbUlmgCLcB/s400/bully-max-sponsored-dog-fador.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">This is all getting depressing, so, to cheer you up, I added a picture of an adorable doggo.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<b>My Grim Future</b><br />
<br />
When the Indie Bubble happened, I made a bunch of money. More than I deserved. And then I saved it. I'd been around long enough to see both booms and busts, and I knew you had to save during the former to prepare for the latter.<br />
<br />
But the games business for small developers (and if you are an indie developer who didn't write Minecraft, you are a small developer) is in a bust phase that won't end. So now I'm asking myself, "How am I, between new games and remastering old ones, going to stretch Spiderweb Software for 20 years and reach retirement."<br />
<br />
It's scary. I don't know if I can do it. Our newest game, <a href="http://store.steampowered.com/app/460780/">Avadon 3</a>, didn't do that well. I think it's a really good game, and the people who bought it seem to like it. But there are new RPGs coming out on Steam every single workday, some of them are good, and you can only hold off so much competition before being overwhelmed.<br />
<br />
Next year, I am going to write an all new game engine and series. I think it's going to be really neat and different from what I've done before, and I'm excited about it. But I'll tell you this: Its development is going to be LEAN AND MEAN.<br />
<br />
I'm using as little custom art and music as I can. (Working title is "Unity Asset Store: The Game.") Any way I can cut costs and still maintain a constant art style and game quality, I will take it, and I won't apologize. This market doesn't allow for blowing money unnecessarily anymore, at least not for me.<br />
<br />
If you criticize me for that, feel free. It's your right. I'll just think of the developers who, during the Indie Bubble, flush with easy Steam money, made fun of my development style TO MY FACE. Developers who are sadly no longer in business. While I keep plugging along in my humble little bottom feeder way.<br />
<br />
My goal is to prove you can live an entire fulfilling career writing indie games. From college to old age, all the way through. I'm over halfway there. But man, the next two decades are looking like a long road.<br />
<br />
<b>I'm Done Writing About This</b><br />
<br />
This blog has been focused on the indie business for the last few years, and I'm mostly done with that topic. I believe we are in a stable phase now, so there isn't much else to say. I think that most gamers don't actually care. They don't care about business stuff. They just want to talk about games and <a href="http://jeff-vogel.blogspot.com/2016/09/no-video-games-arent-art-were-better.html">how awesome they are</a>.<br />
<br />
I write this blog to get attention for myself, because it's really hard for a small developer to get attention. From here on, I want to write outrageous funny things about games in the hope that I get a little attention and something goes viral and I pick up a handful of customers along the way.<br />
<br />
Good luck to everyone in this business. Unless you're directly competing with me, in which case I wish you luck in some other business.<br />
<br />
And if you want to make a living in games and need some advice, here it is: Write a VR game. It's TOTALLY going to be the NEXT BIG THING and not a faddish washout AT ALL.<br />
<br />
---<br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;">All of our delightful retro RPGS are out on <a href="http://store.steampowered.com/search/?publisher=Spiderweb%20Software">Steam</a>. I occasionally mutter on <a href="https://twitter.com/spiderwebsoft?lang=en">Twitter</a>.</span>Jeff Vogelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03396854958796097543noreply@blogger.com282tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4338724676892513065.post-84835737697276206862016-11-09T14:01:00.000-08:002016-11-09T14:01:14.695-08:00We Are No Longer Supporting Android. Sigh.<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-l6FFlSJ1_oU/WCOb-pdwIHI/AAAAAAAAA0M/DyBROiDnznszzFZfg-Hgy8uxn216943CACLcB/s1600/android-logo.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-l6FFlSJ1_oU/WCOb-pdwIHI/AAAAAAAAA0M/DyBROiDnznszzFZfg-Hgy8uxn216943CACLcB/s320/android-logo.png" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">When I stare into its cold, dead eyes, all I see is my own failure reflected back at me.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />So I won't bury the lead in this blog post.<br />
<br />
As of the very near future, Spiderweb Software will be discontinuing support for the Android platform. We will be removing our games from Google Play and the Amazon App store.<br />
<br />
If you purchased Avadon or Avernum for Android from us in the past and need a copy for your device, please <a href="http://www.spiderwebsoftware.com/">contact us</a> and we will arrange a private download or refund, as needed.<br />
<br />
We recently had a <a href="http://jeff-vogel.blogspot.com/2015/06/age-pleasing-apple-and-trying-to-climb.html">false alarm</a> where we temporarily thought we would stop developing for the iPad. I was able to fix some technical issues and we're back in business on that platform. This will not be the case with Android. We may develop for that platform again, but it will be years before we are able to, if ever at all.<br />
<br />
That's it. We're really sorry to anyone bummed out by this. If you're interested about the hassles of being a small software developer, read on.<br />
<br />
<b>So What the Hell Happened?</b><br />
<br />
In the big indie gold rush of 2011-2, there were lots of dollars sloshing around for anyone who could come out with competent products. A good business opportunity came along if we let a certain company port two of our popular games, <a href="http://www.spiderwebsoftware.com/avadon/index.html">Avadon</a> and <a href="http://www.avernum.com/avernum/index.html">Avernum</a>, to Android tablets.<br />
<br />
We took the deal. Solid ports of the two games were made. We got a bunch of money, and a bunch of customers were happy.<br />
<br />
However, we did not control the source code to those ports. The 3rd party company did. This means that, if things broke, we couldn't fix them. We had to get the company to fix them.<br />
<br />
Then the company went out of business. Now it is gone. Things are starting to slowly break.<br />
<br />
We want to be an honest company. If we can't support it, we can't sell it. So off they go.<br />
<br />
<b>Well, If You're So Big, Why Don't You Port Them Yourself?</b><br />
<br />
Because I'm only one guy, and I have limited brain bandwidth. I currently support three platforms. That's all I can handle without freaking out.<br />
<br />
A lot of the problem is that we're using a pretty old game engine. Soon, we want to switch to a new engine, but first we have to find one that suits our needs. This may not exist. Then we have to switch to using it, which is a big job. Then that engine has to support Android, which it may not. Then I need to take on the considerable job of learning to develop for Android, which I might be too sleepy to do.<br />
<br />
On top of all of this, in our experience, for us, Android doesn't make that much money. Honestly, iPad doesn't either anymore. I mainly write games for the iPad as a hobby, because it amuses me. (By the way, if you want to know why we don't develop for Linux, consider all the arguments above, but triple.)<br />
<br />
<b>If I Send You a Really Angry Email, Will It Change Things?</b><br />
<br />
No. But you might as well try. Nothing has ever stopped people from sending us angry emails before.<br />
<br />
<b>This Is a Bummer. Anything Else?</b><br />
<br />
Just that we are very early in the history of giant online video game stores. App stores like iTunes, Google Play, and Steam are fairly young in the scheme of things. As time goes on, more and more of the games in those stores are going to be abandoned by their publishers.<br />
<br />
Our Android games are breaking, but it's OK. I'm still around, and I'm honest, so I can remove them. But what if I moved on to another job and forgot they existed? Who would be looking after them and making sure they're not ripoffs and traps for the customer?<br />
<br />
I may have another blog post on this topic in the future.<br />
<div>
<br /></div>
Jeff Vogelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03396854958796097543noreply@blogger.com345tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4338724676892513065.post-49539172886385026472016-09-21T14:22:00.000-07:002016-09-21T14:32:30.277-07:00A Very Long Post About How to Become a Creator.<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-LEoP9YM4AF8/UrS0JTZJCNI/AAAAAAAAAX4/Edle1mZfxs0pHS3MAVM3c2ZhnRuLBe3yACPcB/s1600/tumblr_lpwfkfYCDd1qafrh6.gif" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="215" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-LEoP9YM4AF8/UrS0JTZJCNI/AAAAAAAAAX4/Edle1mZfxs0pHS3MAVM3c2ZhnRuLBe3yACPcB/s400/tumblr_lpwfkfYCDd1qafrh6.gif" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Even by my wordy standards, this page is super TL;DR. I suggest just reading it until I get to the bit where I plug <a href="http://store.steampowered.com/app/460780/">my new game</a>.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
It has come to my attention that quite a few young, aspirant creators find my opinions to be of value when it comes to making a career in the game industry.<br />
<br />
It's true, and it terrifies me.<br />
<br />
Kids, most mornings I don't know whether to crap or wind my watch. (You used to have to wind up watches. Also, people used to wear watches.) My own kids don't pay any attention to me. I see no reason why you should. If I'm so smart, why am I old?<br />
<br />
But I do get asked for advice about making a career as a game developer. A LOT. And some questions come up again and again. So I’m writing an answer to the question. I know it is hopelessly, bone-jarringly arrogant for me to do something like this, but I wanted to put my answer on one web page so I can send them here.<br />
<br />
These are the answers that worked for me. Your answers will definitely be different. But still, this is a set of possible answers.<br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;">(Also, I have a new RPG, <a href="http://www.spiderwebsoftware.com/avadon3/index.html">Avadon 3: The Warborn</a>, to promote. I need to get it attention to buy food for my kids. Sorry. That’s how the sausage is made.)</span><br />
<br />
As a bonus, much of this advice also applies to other fields. This blogpostlet might be useful if you want to be a writer, or a comedian, or a sculptor, or make naughty needlepoint.<br />
<br />
Much of it is focused on encouraging you to actually create something, by yourself or in a small group. There's a reason for this: If you want a real job in AAA gaming, the best way to get it is to have a portfolio to show them. Being able to point at something and say, "See? I made that!" is a huge advantage, if not a necessity.<br />
<br />
Here are five bits of advice, elaborated in my trademark snarky, excessively-worded style. Each bit of advice comes with an exercise for you, the aspirant. Do not skip the exercises. They are more important than the advice.<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-tsXtNn0xAU8/V-Lza3LtWVI/AAAAAAAAAyg/gxLBwkYLcdYJ4xbozzIXLYOmT_fFt9VzQCLcB/s1600/psycho.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-tsXtNn0xAU8/V-Lza3LtWVI/AAAAAAAAAyg/gxLBwkYLcdYJ4xbozzIXLYOmT_fFt9VzQCLcB/s400/psycho.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">This person took my artistic advice once. Then he embarked upon a memorable career in <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Shining_(film)">hotel management</a>.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<b>Disclaimer</b><br />
<br />
This is MY advice. Mine. It is what worked for ME.<br />
<br />
My advice is mostly oft-repeated cliches, written thousands of times already by more attractive people. My advice may not help you. It may, in fact, harm you. Do not use my advice without consultation with a physician.<br />
<br />
A young lad in Dublin tried my advice, and he came down with simultaneous scurvy and rickets. He travels with the circus now. For four shillings, they'll let you poke him with a stick.<br />
<br />
This advice is worth what you paid for it. Opinions are like assholes: Everybody has one.<br />
<br />
That said, let's begin.<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-8HFm1RqT_YE/V-Lz94fSaVI/AAAAAAAAAyk/9mksuGxeyigp3LAPxnqBKcCwIXJRosqSgCLcB/s1600/all_work_and_no_play_wallpaper_by_psychonerd92-d80z2td.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="225" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-8HFm1RqT_YE/V-Lz94fSaVI/AAAAAAAAAyk/9mksuGxeyigp3LAPxnqBKcCwIXJRosqSgCLcB/s400/all_work_and_no_play_wallpaper_by_psychonerd92-d80z2td.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">When you make 1000 things, make sure you make 1000 different things, not the same thing 1000 times.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<b>Advice #1: Make Games.</b><br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<i>"Eighty percent of success is showing up." - Woody Allen</i></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
If you want to make games, make games. You don't need permission. If you want to make board games, make them. If you want to make computer games, learn a programming language. Or learn GameMaker, or RPG Maker, or Twine. No wrong answers.<br />
<br />
Or mod one of the many video games that are moddable. Again, you don't need permission. You can make a Skyrim dungeon and upload it and people will play it and let you know what they think, and this is amazing.<br />
<br />
Once you have a game/mod/whatever, show it to anyone who will look at it. Get their feedback, and LISTEN TO IT. More specifically, listen when they say, "I liked this," or "This confused me," or "This made me want to quit." They will also give you advice for how to fix the problem. Ignore it. They're not the creator; you are. Just listen to how your work affected them. That is the precious feedback.<br />
<br />
Then make another thing. And another. This is a very difficult craft to learn, and you will have to spend a lot of time and endure a lot of failure. In the end, the only way to ever learn how to make games (or sculpt, or write plays, or knit) is to do it. (It's the same for everything else. Want to be a carpenter? You'll have to saw a lot of wood.)<br />
<br />
If your job and/or kids keep you too busy to do this, please believe me when I say you have my sympathy. Look at the bright side. At least you have a job and/or kids.<br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;">(Note that I am not saying, as some do, “You must create EVERY DAY or you FAIL.” You’ll probably need to take breaks sometimes. Just remember that, whenever you put the weight down, you do have to pick it up again eventually.)</span><br />
<br />
It is sometimes possible to make a mod or adventure for a game so good that some company will just up and notice you and offer you a job. It has happened. Good, dedicated, serious talent is rare and valuable. (Warning: The quality bar for this is VERY HIGH. Yet, your goal is to be that good. That is what you are working toward.)<br />
<br />
<b>Exercise #1:</b><br />
<br />
You should have these things around your home: A chess set. Checkers. A pair of dice. A deck of cards (any set of cards, from any game, even Candyland). Paper and a pencil.<br />
<br />
Use some or all of these components to make a game. (If this exercise is too wide open, try using these materials to make a game where the players are trying to win a race. Limitations aid creativity.)<br />
<br />
Teach the game to someone else. Play it 2 or 3 times.<br />
<br />
If you want to create something (a game, a story, an earwax sculpture), and you've never tried to create that thing, STOP READING. GO DO IT. NOW. NO EXCUSES. YOUR LIFESPAN IS LIMITED, AND YOU WILL BE DEAD SOMEDAY! GO! You'll learn more from an hour of creating than from reading a thousand blog posts. This article will still be here when you're done, and blogs are dumb.<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-taYAQVDycEo/V-L5P30YKsI/AAAAAAAAAzg/mopn1byUhQQ_vPq41XlWhxhhqynT4b1HACLcB/s1600/exile2_shot.gif" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="301" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-taYAQVDycEo/V-L5P30YKsI/AAAAAAAAAzg/mopn1byUhQQ_vPq41XlWhxhhqynT4b1HACLcB/s400/exile2_shot.gif" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Steve_Jobs">Real artists ship</a>. Heck, I once had a big success with a game that looks like this!</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<b>Advice #2: Play Games. Thoughtfully.</b><br />
<br />
If you want to excel in some art form, it is extremely valuable to be very familiar with that art form. Play games. A lot. Experience it. Know the history of your craft. Know how it developed and the mistakes and clever inventions people made along the way. The more you know, the more tools you will have in your happy little toolbox.<br />
<br />
This is meant to be work. Playing one game fifty hours is fun. Playing fifty games of different genres and styles, for one hour each, is work. Really picking them apart and figuring out what worked, why it worked, what didn't work, and why it didn't work, requires effort and concentration.<br />
<br />
It also provides an invaluable education, and you don't need to pay one penny beyond the cost of the games to get it. With freemium titles, bundles, and Steam sales, you get honestly get a ton of games (and thus a ton of education) for really cheap.<br />
<br />
<b>Exercise #2:</b><br />
<br />
Think back to the last 3 (or more) games you played for more than ten minutes. For each one, come up with a list of three SPECIFIC things it did well, and three things it did badly. Then come up with one design element you can see yourself wanting to use in a game of your own.<br />
<br />
You should be able to do this for any game. Every game has problems or rough spots, and I've never played for 10+ minutes a game so bad it had nothing to offer (even if it's just a cool little animation on the title screen).<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Wy0x1nKt3yc/V-L1eZXuqHI/AAAAAAAAAy0/WqhTwf2XRyw2Nr4jDi8g9F1vm72pMr22ACLcB/s1600/unnamed.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="225" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Wy0x1nKt3yc/V-L1eZXuqHI/AAAAAAAAAy0/WqhTwf2XRyw2Nr4jDi8g9F1vm72pMr22ACLcB/s400/unnamed.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A great example of inspiration from varied sources. Also a great topic for the "Find three good things. Find three bad things." exercise.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<b>Advice #3: Absorb All Media.</b><br />
<br />
Be a voracious consumer of media. Books. News. Movies. Even music. The more you understand humans and how the world works and stuff, the more resources you have to draw from when you create.<br />
<br />
People always ask artists, “Where do you get your ideas?” Often, we get our ideas by filling our brains with as much stuff as possible and letting it swirl around and recombine until weird stuff pops out. The key step is the “filling” part.<br />
<br />
For example, I am a news junkie. I read the New York Times every day. In 1996, I was writing a game called <a href="http://www.spiderwebsoftware.com/exile2/winexile2.html">Exile 2: Crystal Souls</a>, about a war in a huge series of caverns far underground. (I recently rewrote this game. It's pretty sweet. <a href="http://www.avernum.com/avernum2/index.html">Check it out.</a>)<br />
<br />
At the time, the <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Siege_of_Sarajevo">Siege of Sarajevo</a> was going on. I read about it, and, as I did, it infected the story I was writing. It filled me with ideas for encounters and infected the mood of the whole thing, making for a grittier, realer, cooler game.<br />
<br />
But others drew much deeper, more productive inspiration from that tragedy. For them, it inspired a terrific indie hit called <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/This_War_of_Mine">This War of Mine</a>. I can think of no better example of how being attuned to your world can improve your work. <br />
<br />
<b>Exercise #3:</b><br />
<br />
Go look at a <a href="http://www.nytimes.com/">reputable newspaper</a> and read the headlines. Pick an intriguing one and read the story behind it.<br />
<br />
Now design a game based on that. Not just a few quick sentences. Really think about it. What genre? How would it play? What are the goals? What makes you fail? Try to get your mental design to the point where you can close your eyes and picture a minute of actual gameplay.<br />
<br />
Then think of one aspect of your design that really intrigues you, and one aspect that is underbaked or unfun or won't work.<br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-size: x-small;">(For example, at this moment, I'm looking at an article about a young woman who died young and had her head cryogenically frozen. It is very sad, yes, but it also makes me want to write a funny, macabre business sim set in a second-rate fly-by-night head storage facility.)</span><br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-kgnynrOcUrw/V-L15R4KsKI/AAAAAAAAAzA/cyZR89Z6x1QxoEjjEkGHCL2AyXjXe4o5wCLcB/s1600/The_Scream.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-kgnynrOcUrw/V-L15R4KsKI/AAAAAAAAAzA/cyZR89Z6x1QxoEjjEkGHCL2AyXjXe4o5wCLcB/s400/The_Scream.jpg" width="313" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I tried to come up with the best royalty-free image to convey the concept of "College Debt."</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<b>Advice #4: Be Careful About College.</b><br />
<br />
At some point, if you're young, you have some formal education ahead of you. Perhaps college. In these exciting days, you don't have to teach yourself to make games. There are educational programs specifically designed to cram game stuff into your brain folds.<br />
<br />
I am REALLY nervous about giving kids advice about where to throw tons of their post-tax education cash. I'm not trying to ruin anyone's life here. I must, however, say this:<br />
<br />
Most people who try to get into the gaming business don't succeed. And most people who do get into the gaming business leave within 10-15 years.<br />
<br />
When choosing a place to buy your diploma, ask yourself: "If I don't work in games, will my education plan still help me get a job?"<br />
<br />
If the institution grants standard-issue bachelor's degrees, the answer is yes. Otherwise, be honest. If the answer is "no" or "probably not," think VERY hard before going into debt to go there.<br />
<br />
Established creative types tend to be somewhat suspicious about schools that teach art. If you have drive, talent, and inspiration, you don't need a degree to express it. If you don't have those three things, you probably aren't going to make it no matter how many degrees you get.<br />
<br />
Don't get me wrong. Going to college in your chosen field CAN help. It really can. You get to spend several years focusing on nothing but honing your craft, relatively undistracted by the hassles of life. Even better, you get to do so in the company of passionate, like-minded students, who can work with you, challenge you, and provide valuable networking contacts later on. These things are truly precious.<br />
<br />
Also, a real college will require you to study a wide variety of different subjects, and this can be very valuable to a budding creator. Revisit Advice #3, above.<br />
<br />
Yes, college can help. Just, if games don't work out, be sure you have a Plan B.<br />
<br />
One more thing. College can be fun. Live a life. Just never forget one thing:<br />
<br />
Somewhere in the dorms, there is a young woman who is working her ass off. She is going at it hard, day after day, studying like her life depends on it, because it does. You don't know her. Nobody does, because she is too driven to leave her room.<br />
<br />
In five years, she is going to be your mortal competitor. When you start your business, if you aren't ready, she is going to kick your ass.<br />
<br />
So I think it might be a good idea for you to be ready. Don't you?<br />
<br />
<b>Exercise #4:</b><br />
<br />
If you're in college, finish your blog-reading break, and then get back to work.<br />
<br />
If you aren't in college, you have saved yourself a ton of cash, but you will need to educate yourself. Go do Exercises 1-3 again. And again. And again. Also, find your own community of like-minded folks, online or in reality. Challenge each other. You can make your own college experience, if you try.<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-ZLcqvO0izVA/U3zsdeoxx1I/AAAAAAAAAgY/Zs7hJ7PB4T8JZzInKrF5-9D64aUxUQ8AgCPcB/s1600/0c4.gif" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="180" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-ZLcqvO0izVA/U3zsdeoxx1I/AAAAAAAAAgY/Zs7hJ7PB4T8JZzInKrF5-9D64aUxUQ8AgCPcB/s320/0c4.gif" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">This article is long and I am tired and coming up with incisive images is a lot of work why are your still reading zzzzzzz.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<b>Advice #5: Find Your Own Voice.</b><br />
<br />
You are a unique being. Humans are unimaginably complicated. There has never been a person exactly like you, and there never will be again. You have within you, somewhere, a game/book/song/scarf that only you can create. Your job is to find your way to let it out.<br />
<br />
This is called Finding Your Voice. If you can do this, and your work is good, you are very close to attaining your dream.<br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;">(Of course, it's possible that, in the end, nobody will want the things that only you can make. Don't feel bad. Happens every day. It will happen to me someday. Then I'll get a soul-deadening job writing database software until I die. Oh, well. I had a good run.)</span><br />
<br />
The problem is that, as you work, everyone in the world will be screaming at you what you should and shouldn't do. These loud people come from all design aesthetics and from both ends of the political spectrum. They all have one thing in common: They want to control you. You don’t have to let them.<br />
<br />
Academics and college professors will tell you the true meaning of "Games" (or "Ludic Creations" or "Interactive Oppressions", or whatever intentionally obscure term they come up with). If your professor comes to you with friendly, concrete advice about improving your work, give them a serious listen. Otherwise, duck and cover.<br />
<br />
No matter what you make, someone will try to bully you for it. Everyone in the world will have an opinion, and it will be LOUD. Don't let them into your head. Find your own voice. It's more fun that way.<br />
<br />
This is art. Nobody knows anything, really. Just remember that, at several points in your learning, a trusted authority figure, in person or online, will serve you up a plate of pure, good olde-fashioned crappe.<br />
<br />
This is OK. It's part of the process. Often, figuring out why someone’s bad idea is bad is far more educational than just meekly absorbing a good idea.<br />
<br />
Just don't ever take anyone's words as Absolute Truth. Your path to success might be proving them wrong.<br />
<br />
Never forget that, in the end, all of the teachers and web commenters and friends and family and me will fade away, and it'll just be you sitting there staring at a blank screen. It's all up to you, friend.<br />
<br />
<b>Exercise #5a:</b><br />
<br />
You might profit from spending a little time developing confidence and humility. You should know about and beware of <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Impostor_syndrome">Imposter Syndrome</a>. However, you should equally beware of its evil opposite, the <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dunning%E2%80%93Kruger_effect">Dunning-Kruger Effect</a>. Learn about them. You have to be confident enough to persevere, but not so confident that you can't tell that your poop stinks.<br />
<br />
For a little reality about the road ahead, you should hear about the <a href="http://jeff-vogel.blogspot.com/2011/10/10000-hour-rule.html">10,000 Hour Rule</a>. When you are 5000 hours in and not sure you're making progress, this will remind you that you are still getting better. Just slowly.<br />
<br />
<b>Exercise #5b:</b><br />
<br />
You need to be able to recognize when your own work is flawed. Go back to the best games that you made. For each, identify one flaw or way it could be improved. Then make it better.<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/--hiIJYiUOR8/V-L4Qobw1uI/AAAAAAAAAzU/Ny_RoLxEz-cF4UtYLuBWkyCbGVzIBmJUACLcB/s1600/1426821559910.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="223" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/--hiIJYiUOR8/V-L4Qobw1uI/AAAAAAAAAzU/Ny_RoLxEz-cF4UtYLuBWkyCbGVzIBmJUACLcB/s400/1426821559910.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Sometimes I can't resist ending with a bonus inspirational quote.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<b>The Hard Truth Of The Thing</b><br />
<br />
A career in games is hard. You really have to scramble to get a long-hour low-paid position, and you may well be laid off right after your game ships. In other words, it's as harsh and demanding as most artistic careers.<br />
<br />
Don't try to do games for a living unless you're pretty sure you couldn't be happy doing something else. You can always write games as a hobby. It's still a fun creative outlet, and who knows? You might have a financial success and end up doing it for a living despite yourself.<br />
<br />
<b>Time For a Big, Rousing Finish. <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZnHmskwqCCQ">Cue the Trombones!</a></b><br />
<br />
At least 20% of what I've written is useless garbage.<br />
<br />
<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w9wi0cPrU4U">For you.</a><br />
<br />
If you try to be a creator, you will end up developing your own way to do it, your own process, your own workflow unique to you. This always happens. Some of the smug, cookie-cutter "wisdom" above just won't apply to you. It's OK. You're a free person, and it's awesome.<br />
<br />
I love making art. All guidelines can be ignored. All rules can be broken.<br />
<br />
I especially love making games, because games are weird and new and nobody really knows anything about what they can do. Plus, games! Games are fun! Wheeee!<br />
<br />
Your elders can give you a ton of advice, but, in the end, it's your brain on the line, splatting itself out for all to see.<br />
<br />
You're a creator now, another in a lineage of creators millennia long. That is awesome. Be proud.<br />
<br />
Get going.<br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;">###</span><br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-size: x-small;">Little nuggets of my dubious wisdom can sometimes be found at my <a href="https://twitter.com/spiderwebsoft">Twitter</a>. The really nifty retro RPG I just released is on <a href="http://store.steampowered.com/app/460780/">Steam</a>.</span>Jeff Vogelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03396854958796097543noreply@blogger.com472tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4338724676892513065.post-89628258883935923322016-09-14T13:19:00.000-07:002016-09-14T13:49:21.219-07:00We Released Avadon 3! (Also, a Few Words About Free Time)<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-7RCsDr1E41U/VyqQfg7FewI/AAAAAAAAAuk/5XagDQUpsOgEcnvI7R-UIzQKNlMD77gCQCPcB/s1600/Av3%2Bweb%2Bbig%2Blogo-1.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-7RCsDr1E41U/VyqQfg7FewI/AAAAAAAAAuk/5XagDQUpsOgEcnvI7R-UIzQKNlMD77gCQCPcB/s1600/Av3%2Bweb%2Bbig%2Blogo-1.png" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Avadon is done. That's 5 years of my life, tied up with a bow.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
I don't always write controversial, widely-read <a href="http://jeff-vogel.blogspot.com/2016/09/no-video-games-arent-art-were-better.html">blog posts</a> that make people way, way, WAY angrier than they should be. I also make games.<br />
<br />
At last, we have completed the Avadon Saga! <a href="http://www.spiderwebsoftware.com/avadon3/index.html">Avadon 3: The Warborn</a> is out for Macintosh and Windows! We are selling this fine, indie, retro, story-heavy RPG on <a href="http://store.steampowered.com/app/460780/">Steam</a>, <a href="https://www.gog.com/game/avadon_3_the_warborn">GOG</a>, <a href="https://www.humblebundle.com/store/avadon-3-the-warborn">Humble Store</a>, and our own site.<br />
<br />
Our next step is to port the game to the iPad, and hope that Apple doesn't accidentally step on us with its <a href="http://jeff-vogel.blogspot.com/2015/06/age-pleasing-apple-and-trying-to-climb.html">big, lumbering feet</a>.<br />
<br />
I <a href="http://jeff-vogel.blogspot.com/2016/05/avadon-3-announcing-new-games-and.html">wrote in some detail</a> about who we are and what the Avadon series is like in May. I don't like to repeat myself. I prefer to troll the Internet by bantering about whether or not video games are Art or not. (Answer: Good Lord! Who cares?)<br />
<br />
It is very exciting to finish a fantasy saga, the third big one I've completed. I'm sure you find it perplexing, as taking forever to actually wrestle a story to the ground is a constant plague in the genre. My secret technique: 1. Sit down in a warm, dry place. 2. Figure out how the story ends. 3. Write that.<br />
<br />
Anyway. What to blog about? I'm trying to make interesting blog post that people tweet about so I can get a tiny scrap of attention and maybe sell some games.<br />
<br />
Avadon 3: The Warborn is my 16th full-length, all new game. (My 24th, if you count remasters. And I put a lot of time in my remasters.) This is a large number. I've been writing indie games an unprecedentedly long time, and aspiring developers, for some reason, are often interested in my advice about things.<br />
<br />
So, since I'm entering my blissful quiet period between games, I wanted to say how I spend that time. Because I know some of my in-depth fans like to know how I make the stuff they like. And because, when you want to be a creator in the long term, profitably expending your downtime is vitally important.<br />
<br />
(If you don't care about me or my process, and you shouldn't, your time may be more profitably expended getting a huge, free demo of a cool new RPG.)<br />
<br />
So what am I about to do?<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-IemryKpt72Y/VyqQ4hx3gAI/AAAAAAAAAuo/1VXEpzB81aIzG8pQqQgLCVVTLj1du85_ACPcB/s1600/Av3-Dragon-1920x1080.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="225" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-IemryKpt72Y/VyqQ4hx3gAI/AAAAAAAAAuo/1VXEpzB81aIzG8pQqQgLCVVTLj1du85_ACPcB/s400/Av3-Dragon-1920x1080.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Screenshot of my game provided for crass self-interest purposes.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<b>1. Rest.</b><br />
<br />
"If you're going to rest, rest."<br />
- <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Angry_White_Pyjamas">Angry White Pyjamas </a><br />
<br />
If you are a driven, type-A person, it can be hard to rest. You might think, "Oh, I'll sit around for an hour, but first I'll write a blog post/make some calls/do some design work/not rest."<br />
<br />
You need rest to live. Pick a time. Pick something that will rest you. Spent that time doing that thing. I know you're driven. That's why you are a success. You still need to refill your tank for when it really counts.<br />
<br />
<b>2. Play Games.</b><br />
<br />
This is actually work.<br />
<br />
While I write a game, I am filling my Steam library. If it's hip or gets my attention or is in a nice, cheap bundle, I buy it. Now is the time for me to try them. All of them.<br />
<br />
The purpose of this is to evaluate the state of the art. Find out what sorts of designs are hot now. Sample all of the weird mash-ups indies have come up with. ("Procedurally generated tower-defense roguelike") Look for new interface innovations, and see what irritates me so I know not to do that.<br />
<br />
I play each game until I think I've seen everything new it has to offer. Most games get 15 minutes, tops. I especially try games in my genre, RPGs, even though I hate the vast majority of them. (I am a VERY jaded RPG gamer.)<br />
<br />
Every once in a while, I find that rarest of treasures: A game I actually enjoy playing. This is a true treat. I actually play it for a while for fun, to remind myself why I do this. (This time around, I'm playing a lot of Inside and Salt & Sanctuary. Great games.)<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-0ebORRmeF8s/V9mwQ3_4NpI/AAAAAAAAAyE/R2JctjLk_sUldhjn5beO07khcysnE_E6gCLcB/s1600/avadon_3_story_1_1600x1200.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-0ebORRmeF8s/V9mwQ3_4NpI/AAAAAAAAAyE/R2JctjLk_sUldhjn5beO07khcysnE_E6gCLcB/s400/avadon_3_story_1_1600x1200.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">As always, terrific color art provided by Ben Resnick.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<b>3. Gather Ideas.</b><br />
<br />
When I am not formally working on a game, it's a wonderful time to just go for long walks and thing up ideas. Stare at a wall. Listen to music. Think. Imagine. Write down what comes to me. It's a wonderful bit of freedom, to just let my brain wander.<br />
<br />
99 out of 100 ideas are never used. But that 100th idea? That might be the bit of gasoline that fuels years of productive development.<br />
<br />
<b>But Back To Avadon. There Is a Demo.</b><br />
<br />
Demos of games are vanishingly rare now, but I'm cranky and stuck in my ways, so I provide them. I don't want to take your money until you are sure the game functions and you like it.<br />
<br />
We still have the biggest demos in the biz. You can download one on Avadon 3's page on our site.<br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;">(By the way, since I am often asked, we get the biggest cut of $$$ when you order using the Humble widget on the game's page. This comes with a Steam key. However, I am very grateful when you order no matter where you do it from.)</span><br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-hWDRhq2Hjeo/VyqQoViGgsI/AAAAAAAAAuo/lElF_hTVstIQisH9UDpPhRjc-3uIQtjTQCPcB/s1600/Av3-SnareTurret-1920x1080.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="225" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-hWDRhq2Hjeo/VyqQoViGgsI/AAAAAAAAAuo/lElF_hTVstIQisH9UDpPhRjc-3uIQtjTQCPcB/s400/Av3-SnareTurret-1920x1080.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I'm still really happy with this screenshot. Looks even better in <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dI6fwtZL_bM">the trailer.</a></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<b>I Hope You Like the Game</b><br />
<br />
The Avadon trilogy was very different from what came before. A lot of new people loved it. A lot of our old fans really didn't. I genuinely enjoy playing them, so I'll vouch for them. I think Avadon 3 is really cool. It's a gruesomely tough market, but I'm optimistic. I hope you like it.<br />
<br />
On to the next thing ...<br />
<div>
<br /></div>
Jeff Vogelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03396854958796097543noreply@blogger.com271tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4338724676892513065.post-42924337873597324222016-09-07T14:40:00.000-07:002016-09-07T14:40:40.133-07:00No, Video Games Aren't Art. We're BETTER.<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-d4GbU-mvKVs/V9CGiRwdviI/AAAAAAAAAw0/kJV0ekUG8BMyqIn9Qm8o1SJt_TVlf6c9wCLcB/s1600/jnK8ZiM.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="157" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-d4GbU-mvKVs/V9CGiRwdviI/AAAAAAAAAw0/kJV0ekUG8BMyqIn9Qm8o1SJt_TVlf6c9wCLcB/s400/jnK8ZiM.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Do you think this should fill me with shame? Because it does not.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<i>"When I was twenty, I worried what everything thought of me. When I turned forty, I didn’t care what anyone thought of me. And then I made it to sixty, and I realized no one was ever thinking of me."<br />- Bob Hope, as told by <a href="http://www.pattonoswalt.com/index.cfm?page=spew&id=78">Patton Oswalt</a></i></blockquote>
<br />
I used to <a href="http://jeff-vogel.blogspot.com/2013/12/games-as-art-toughest-standard-and-not.html">argue passionately</a> that video games were art.<br />
<br />
Then I stopped arguing about it, because why bother? Of COURSE video games are art.<br />
<br />
Now I see that it's a waste of time thinking of video games as art. Why would we game designers ever aim that low?<br />
<br />
<b>I Don't Want Art. I Want Transportation.</b><br />
<br />
I just finished playing DOOM. Like many, I was amazed by how awesome a game it turned out to be. Penny Arcade had the perfect description for it: <a href="https://www.penny-arcade.com/comic/2016/05/18/precognition">"Playable sugar."</a><br />
<br />
DOOM had three of the best boss fights I've ever seen. Punishingly tough and yet scrupulously fair. When I died, I could say, "OK. I know what I did wrong. I won't do that again." When I fought those bosses, I was utterly transported. The rest of the world vanished. When I won, I was sweaty, wrung out, and completely satisfied.<br />
<br />
I love literature and theatre. I love great movies. Yet, I can't remember any work of art, no matter how good, that consumed and drained me as much as the Cyberdemon in DOOM.<br />
<br />
When I beat it, I felt proud. It is dumb to feel proud about something in a video game. The feeling was real nonetheless.<br />
<br />
Nobody considers DOOM a work of Fine Art. Nor should they. Bloggers are not grinding their gears contemplating the True Meaning of DOOM. Nor should they.<br />
<br />
It's not art. It's simply awesome.<br />
<br />
Why would I ever be unsatisfied with Awesome?<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-RK6WfuOLjB0/V9CG2biVM7I/AAAAAAAAAw4/bpNdTqLbI94qAbtruAgTCiTTFreilXIjACLcB/s1600/2526156594_41c0c0572f.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="248" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-RK6WfuOLjB0/V9CG2biVM7I/AAAAAAAAAw4/bpNdTqLbI94qAbtruAgTCiTTFreilXIjACLcB/s400/2526156594_41c0c0572f.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Put this in front of me, and I will be lost until the sun comes up. Nothing else has that power over me. Should I be ashamed of this? Because I am not.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<b>We're Doing Fine Without You.</b><br />
<br />
It always peeves me when some blogger says, "Video games are OK, I guess, to the simple-minded. But they're not enough. They are unworthy. They're [string of negative adjectives], and it is up to me, hero that I am, to FIX them at last!"<br />
<br />
Get over yourself. Video games are fine. No, they're not fine. They’re doing GREAT, by every possible metric.<br />
<br />
Number of titles? The market is gruesomely flooded. (Gruesomely for developers, I mean. For fans, it's an overwhelming embarrassment of riches.)<br />
<br />
Number of fans? Video games are popular to the point of global invasion. Find me a human, and I will find a game that can addict them.<br />
<br />
Financial success? We're a 100 BILLION USD a year industry. We're huge and getting bigger every year.<br />
<br />
Artistic accomplishment? Creativity? Look up any Best Games list from 2014 or 2015. Video games are breaking new barriers in craftsmanship and artistic expression every year and turning profits while they do it.<br />
<br />
Diversity? Pick any demographic group, and someone is making games to cater to them personally. It's one of the great advantages of a gruesomely flooded market. (Of course, not every game will cater to you personally, but that's not possible or desirable. Other people get stuff they like too.)<br />
<br />
Video games are taking over the world, and they're doing it in style.<br />
<br />
We're winning because we offer something better than art. We offer Experience.<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-qG871C-qroA/V9CHHU0R0zI/AAAAAAAAAw8/rI344xhnKJkAven19Fj-U2Gfl544foZawCLcB/s1600/imgres.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-qG871C-qroA/V9CHHU0R0zI/AAAAAAAAAw8/rI344xhnKJkAven19Fj-U2Gfl544foZawCLcB/s1600/imgres.png" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">If you don't think Pong is fun, try it with friends. It holds up.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<b>I Understand The Last of Us On a Higher Level Than You</b><br />
<br />
The Last of Us is a truly great game. Many have written about it, <a href="http://jeff-vogel.blogspot.com/2013/10/state-of-art-in-vidya-games-exhibit-2.html">including me</a>. I recommend it very highly.<br />
<br />
But here's what bugs me. The cutscenes of The Last of Us told a very good story. Those cutscenes, all together, would make a solid B+ zombie movie. But when bloggers wrote about it, they treated the actual game part of The Last of Us as this sort of useless, irritating, vestigial limb.<br />
<br />
Without the gameplay, the action, the battle, the fear, the dying again and again, The Last of Us is just an above-average zombie movie. The true greatness of the experience is in the sneaking and the stabbing and the shooting and the dying. (LOTS of dying.)<br />
<br />
Here's Why.<br />
<br />
<b>Would You Survive the Apocalypse?</b><br />
<br />
It's not a hypothetical question. I mean it. Think about it. Five seconds from now, zombies leap in through the window. Civilization is OVER. Would you make it through?<br />
<br />
Well, here's a way to think about the question.<br />
<br />
Imagine starting a game of The Last of Us on the highest difficulty level. (Or The Walking Dead. Or DOOM, for that matter.) Go into it blind. Try to play through the whole thing, front to back, without dying.<br />
<br />
If you make it, you survive the apocalypse. If you're one of the 99.9999% of people who don't make it, you die. You help make up one of the mountains of skulls that serve as DOOM background.<br />
<br />
Try it. It's an amusing exercise. It took me five tries to get through the tutorial of The Last of Us, so I know where I stand.<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-6mDOTNYYLGM/V9CHb9xW9oI/AAAAAAAAAxA/DQIsGUN7QDosByPEwbgMtcHKZ82YPMclQCLcB/s1600/Tetris_DOS_1986.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="250" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-6mDOTNYYLGM/V9CHb9xW9oI/AAAAAAAAAxA/DQIsGUN7QDosByPEwbgMtcHKZ82YPMclQCLcB/s400/Tetris_DOS_1986.png" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I had a much older relative once who thought she was immune to video games. Then this infected her. Eventually, she shook free, but she never again dismissed the power of our craft.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<b>Of Course, This Isn't Literal Truth.</b><br />
<br />
Obviously, the skills to win a video game are different from the skills needed to literally survive the End of Days. I know this.<br />
<br />
The Last of Us, the actual game part of it, is trying to do something impossible. Like, literally impossible. It is trying to give us a glimmer of a portion of a sensation of understanding the experience of the end of the world. It doesn't succeed, of course. It can't.<br />
<br />
But it does come closer to putting us INSIDE that experience than anyone else. We're not watching, we're doing. We are, in an indirect way, mediated through joysticks, living an experience. We are taking part in a compelling demonstration of how fragile our lives are. How utterly inadequate we are to the challenge.<br />
<br />
The Last of Us can trick our brains, for a moment, into thinking we're struggling for survival. Similarly, Minecraft can trick us into feeling like we're building something glorious out of nothing. <a href="http://orteil.dashnet.org/cookieclicker/">Cookie Clicker</a> creates a powerful sensation of growth and progress, abstract but compelling.<br />
<br />
When I write a game, I try to make you feel like you have power. Then I try to make you feel the awesome, terrifying responsibility of having power. When I force you to make a tough decision, for a brief moment, I can reprogram your brain and take your thoughts somewhere they've never been before. This is amazing.<br />
<br />
That is, at heart, what the games we make are. They are tools we creators use to compel and rewrite your brains. We haven't begun to come to terms with the power we've unleashed with these toys, these addiction machines.<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-COoVx-h1N9E/V9CHwbmAx3I/AAAAAAAAAxE/hkeTXXPaUK8tVpwj2hJhyTFDtTR3kN-0wCLcB/s1600/minecraft-deathmatch.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="225" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-COoVx-h1N9E/V9CHwbmAx3I/AAAAAAAAAxE/hkeTXXPaUK8tVpwj2hJhyTFDtTR3kN-0wCLcB/s400/minecraft-deathmatch.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">This is an integral part of childhood now. It will only stop being thus when it is replaced by something even more powerful.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<b>SimCity Isn't Art.</b><br />
<br />
Nor is Civilization. Or Halo. Or Space Invaders. Or Castle Crashers. Or DOOM. Or Super Meat Boy. Or Hearthstone. Or League of Legends. Or Clash of Clans. Or Minecraft. Or Pac-Man. Or Solitaire. Or Pong. Not art. Why would they aim that low?<br />
<br />
They provide consuming experiences. They are compulsions. I'm not going to argue that they're High Art. They aren't. They're SuperArt. They take over your brain and let you get lost in them.<br />
<br />
I can see why Artists look down on what we do. They have no choice. They certainly can't compete with us. What we do is irresistible. Authors and playwrights are dinosaurs, and we're throwing the asteroids. We'll let Film and TV survive. For now.<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-v5iSyc9eM6o/V9CIiXjj-rI/AAAAAAAAAxU/1TUwfWw_QgghUA4r6vlSWhrA3iC8xItpQCLcB/s1600/maxresdefault.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="225" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-v5iSyc9eM6o/V9CIiXjj-rI/AAAAAAAAAxU/1TUwfWw_QgghUA4r6vlSWhrA3iC8xItpQCLcB/s400/maxresdefault.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://my.ign.com/atari/adventure">Atari Adventure</a> doesn't look like much. Yet I've seen this silly thing compel people, young and old, for a whole evening. Not an evening many years ago. An evening NOW.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<b>"But What About Games That Do Try To Be Art, Smart Guy?"</b><br />
<br />
They're great. I am a huge fan of video games borrowing storytelling techniques from obsolete art forms. Beginner's Guide. Gone Home. Her Story. Firewatch. All worthy titles that fused game elements with more mundane art forms to create things that felt new and fresh.<br />
<br />
A lot of indie games now are movies that you stroll through with the WASD keys. You can make a neat game this way. I’ll probably buy it. Just don't think it makes your work inherently superior to more gamey games. If you're just telling a story at me, well, a lot of media can do that. When I play Overwatch or Dark Souls or Civilization, I am transported in a unique way only video games can provide.<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-548UyG05mAM/V9CIAOp_PII/AAAAAAAAAxM/X_nPWdUbMeozbiWPECqCmySX0B7APmz6ACLcB/s1600/Av3-Dragon-1920x1080.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="225" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-548UyG05mAM/V9CIAOp_PII/AAAAAAAAAxM/X_nPWdUbMeozbiWPECqCmySX0B7APmz6ACLcB/s400/Av3-Dragon-1920x1080.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">This is <a href="http://store.steampowered.com/app/460780/">my game</a>. It doesn't look like much. Yet, for 20 years, I've gotten fan mail telling me how addiction to my work threatened relationships and livelihoods. Good.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<b>I Am Done Apologizing For My Craft.</b><br />
<br />
I have been obsessed with video games for as long as they have existed. These strange, shaggy, crude, profane, elegant, lovely creations are my life's work. I love them.<br />
<br />
However, video games have a crippling self-esteem problem. We are desperate for validation, and this makes us targets for any shyster who wants to take advantage of us.<br />
<br />
<a href="http://jeff-vogel.blogspot.com/2013/12/games-as-art-toughest-standard-and-not.html">Roger Ebert</a> says he doesn't think we make art, and we lose our minds. Some people seriously claim games don't deserve the journalism due any industry of our massive size, even while ripoffs and shoddy goods are an epidemic. Academics and print journalism write about us in terms that are condescending, uninformed, and occasionally slanderous, and we cravenly respond, "A newspaper cares about us! Please act like we're worth something! Please!!!" When you are sufficiently desperate for validation, even abuse can feel like love.<br />
<br />
Enough. Developers and gamers are working in a symbiotic relationship to create something entirely new, a craft unlike anything in human existence thus far. We are exploring a new realm of possibility, and I count myself truly blessed that I get to take part in it from its infancy.<br />
<br />
I just finished a game called <a href="http://store.steampowered.com/app/460780/">Avadon 3: The Warborn</a>. It's pretty cool. It has a lot of neat scenarios, choices, characters, battles, and just plain good stuff. I made a little world for you to try on for size. I hope you like the little toy I made. I've already started building two more.<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-LfyhRGO4YPY/V9CIUxtqWYI/AAAAAAAAAxQ/rjQ48o02eUswaaUrE9IslhXFI9CfkYZJACLcB/s1600/Twilight-and-Trixie-playing-vidoe-games-my-little-pony-friendship-is-magic-30228310-640-520.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="325" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-LfyhRGO4YPY/V9CIUxtqWYI/AAAAAAAAAxQ/rjQ48o02eUswaaUrE9IslhXFI9CfkYZJACLcB/s400/Twilight-and-Trixie-playing-vidoe-games-my-little-pony-friendship-is-magic-30228310-640-520.png" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Video games are so powerful that they can even disrupt the Magic of Friendship.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<b>We've Only Taken the First Few Steps of an Epic Journey!</b><br />
<br />
Want to pitch in? If you have ideas, suggestions, or feedback, we designers need to hear them.<br />
<br />
Don't get me wrong. While our craft is awesome, it's still young. We still have so many ways we can improve. There are so many sorts of things we can and should do (design, technical, storywise) that we aren't yet. We need everyone's feedback to make a great thing better.<br />
<br />
But I personally do require one thing: That your criticism be delivered with respect and love for the craft. If you don't like video games, don't play them. Fine. It’s your time. But we're already pretty terrific, and we're getting better. Fast. With or without you.<br />
<br />
Stop using the word 'art'. Erase it from your dictionary. It's too weak a word. I want nothing less than to compel you. I am coming to consume all your thoughts, all your attention. I want to absorb you to the point where it threatens your marriage and your livelihood.<br />
<br />
Video games should not interest or impress you. We should scare you. Video games are taking over the world. You haven't even seen a fraction of what we can do.<br />
<br />Jeff Vogelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03396854958796097543noreply@blogger.com234tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4338724676892513065.post-57911664634787335962016-06-08T14:53:00.000-07:002016-06-08T15:51:58.233-07:00To Be a Pro is to Be Abused.<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-w0TwPms_60g/V1iN9s-MpNI/AAAAAAAAAvA/6r-Iymxwyn4yGk-janvBoEYQ0MhV75jCwCLcB/s1600/bear.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="211" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-w0TwPms_60g/V1iN9s-MpNI/AAAAAAAAAvA/6r-Iymxwyn4yGk-janvBoEYQ0MhV75jCwCLcB/s400/bear.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Trigger warning: Bears.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="MsoPlainText">
I want to say a few words to young developers on the
value of resilience and the growing of a thick skin.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoPlainText">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoPlainText">
Slow down there. Hands off the keyboard. I an
NOT talking about abuse, harassment, and threats. I've <a href="http://jeff-vogel.blogspot.com/2016/04/how-i-deal-with-harassment-abuse-and.html">already written</a> on this
topic. Certain behaviors online are clearly unacceptable, and you should not be
subjected to them.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoPlainText">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoPlainText">
What I AM talking about is learning to endure criticism
and occasional hostility that is an inevitable part of being a creator in a
public way.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoPlainText">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoPlainText">
Because you will be criticized. You will be insulted.
People will be mean to you. Also, because you are only human and will
occasionally make mistakes, sometimes that criticism will be justified. So you
should be ready.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoPlainText">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoPlainText">
I'm going to tell two instructive stories. One about me,
one about an ambitious young developer. (Well, as of this writing, ex-developer.)
<a href="http://girlgenius.wikia.com/wiki/Transylvania_Polygnostic_University">Know enough to be afraid. </a><o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoPlainText">
<br /></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-RIEKD5epqbI/V1iQo4-A6cI/AAAAAAAAAvY/hLajhPhSS6I6sEzZzUTrpUMg6RHbWKbjQCK4B/s1600/PhotosScreenSnapz001.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="308" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-RIEKD5epqbI/V1iQo4-A6cI/AAAAAAAAAvY/hLajhPhSS6I6sEzZzUTrpUMg6RHbWKbjQCK4B/s400/PhotosScreenSnapz001.png" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">You WILL receive feedback like this at some point. Prepare in advance an <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-omR1rXcPrE">appropriate reaction.</a></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="MsoPlainText">
<b>A Time That PC Gamer Was Mean To Me<o:p></o:p></b></div>
<div class="MsoPlainText">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoPlainText">
In November, 2000, PC Gamer. reviewed my game Avernum. This was a huge deal for me, as PC Gamer was the
biggest press outlet around. The game was already selling very well, but we
were eager for a hit. Also, press attention for a small developer has always
been really hard to get.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoPlainText">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoPlainText">
Imagine my surprise when the review, written by a
Gentleman I Will Not Name (GIWNN for short), came out and my score was 17/100.
Yes, 17%. I'm sure a lot of thought went into it. I imagine GIWNN up late at
night, agonizing. "I mean, this game isn't quite good enough for a lofty
18%, but it's also not the sort of hackery that merits a mere 16%."<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoPlainText">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoPlainText">
But it gets better. The review also says my game is worse
that choking to death on your vomit. (I swear I am not making this up.) The
review included a helpful sidebar that listed rock stars who choked to death on
their own vomit. (Again, I SWEAR I am not making this up.)<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoPlainText">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoPlainText">
If you are upset by the current level of journalistic
standards in the games industry, I assure you there have been issues for some
time.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoPlainText">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoPlainText">
Some developers would be given pause by a review like
this. Some might even be slightly upset. I was not. I was still being given a
full, free page of coverage in PC GODDAMN GAMER. I know that review brought me
a bunch of new customers. I heard from them. I'm sure I got more extra cash
from the review than the GIWNN got for writing it. (And, when you get a few
drinks in me, I still get the review out sometimes to show to friends.)<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoPlainText">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoPlainText">
Are you an aspiring game developer? Picture the largest
games press outlet publicly treating you in such a manner. If you have any
response besides, "Hey, any PR is good PR," you might want to
reconsider your career path.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoPlainText">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoPlainText">
I got that review, and I went on to have a highly
lucrative and satisfying career. PC Gamer went on to give very kind coverage to
quite a few of my other games. And the GIWNN went on to achieve his True
Destiny: being a negligible non-entity.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoPlainText">
<br /></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-PJ1ZxRoJQW4/V1iQ5ApM1RI/AAAAAAAAAvg/51xjmNhRd_UyNbAO3upSvYBe6h7Pp1mKwCK4B/s1600/PhotosScreenSnapz002.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="298" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-PJ1ZxRoJQW4/V1iQ5ApM1RI/AAAAAAAAAvg/51xjmNhRd_UyNbAO3upSvYBe6h7Pp1mKwCK4B/s400/PhotosScreenSnapz002.png" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Since I was taking pictures in my office, I thought my more devoted fans would like some sweet backstage info. For example, I work surrounded by my classic vidya gaem collection. Here is a tiny portion of my Atari 2600 games.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="MsoPlainText">
<b>The Tale of Bear Simulator<o:p></o:p></b></div>
<div class="MsoPlainText">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoPlainText">
What brought this article on was the <a href="http://kotaku.com/successful-100-000-kickstarter-dev-calls-it-quits-due-1763162848">sad story</a> of recent indie title <a href="http://bearsimulator.com/">Bear Simulator</a>, written by an
ambitious fellow named John Farjay. Full disclosure: I have not played it, as
bears are <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KsTVK9Cv9U8">Godless Killing Machines</a>. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoPlainText">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoPlainText">
Bear Simulator was funded on <a href="https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/1330754003/bear-simulator/description">Kickstarter</a> with an impressive
haul of over $100K. Farjay then broke from Kickstarter tradition by actually finishing the game in
a reasonable period of time. He delivered it to backers and released it on <a href="http://store.steampowered.com/app/395850/">Steam</a>. (As of this writing, user reviews for the game: Very Positive.)<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoPlainText">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoPlainText">
At this point, and I'll admit I'm a little fuzzy on the
exact particulars, the game received some negative press. There was a
particularly <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hbVUF5b307s">brutal takedown</a> by
renowned INTERNET TOUGH GUY Felix Arvid Ulf Kjellberg (sometimes referred to as
PewDiePie). This review ended with him getting a refund on Steam, which is now the
traditional way for a vicious hack job to spike the ball in the endzone.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoPlainText">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoPlainText">
John Farjay quit, announcing this in a <a href="https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/1330754003/bear-simulator/posts/1510978">poignant little post </a>on Kickstarter. Since it might not still be up when you read this, I'll include an excerpt:<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoPlainText">
<br /></div>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<i>Well the game didn't have a great reception, has a stigma
against it's name and there's plenty of other problems so making any updates or
going further is basically a lost cause now. Plus not skilled enough to make
the game better than it currently is or write better updates than previously.<br /><o:p> </o:p>Was really hoping the Steam release would go well but why
would it, should have just gave the game to backers and not bother with Steam.<br /><o:p> </o:p>Also don't want to deal with the drama anymore. Can't
ignore it because that causes more drama and can't do anything about it because
that causes more drama.<br /><o:p> </o:p>It was really fun making the game, trailers, updates,
websites, tutorials, blog posts and stuff, hopefully you all liked those
things.<br /><o:p> </o:p>Am glad most of you guys are happy with the game though,
unless you were just being nice </i></blockquote>
<div class="MsoPlainText">
<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoPlainText">
<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoPlainText">
<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoPlainText">
<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoPlainText">
<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoPlainText">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoPlainText">
I mean, seriously, if you don't find this at least a tiny
bit sad, you have an even harder heart than I do.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoPlainText">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoPlainText">
<b>The Thing That Makes Other Indie Devs Raise Their
Eyebrows<o:p></o:p></b></div>
<div class="MsoPlainText">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoPlainText">
There are so many of us who would give a lesser body part
to be savaged in a video by PewDiePie. Man, I would love for him to tear apart
my work in one of his videos. I'd salve my hurt feelings by using the extra
sales to buy a Tesla.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoPlainText">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoPlainText">
But that's the difference between a hardened veteran and
a new recruit, isn't it?<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoPlainText">
<br /></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-IBKo6XktLCk/V1iRLUe0cGI/AAAAAAAAAvs/0J2NX1O-OAMXcUhtGmFG4b8QcIHmofCswCK4B/s1600/PhotosScreenSnapz003.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="298" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-IBKo6XktLCk/V1iRLUe0cGI/AAAAAAAAAvs/0J2NX1O-OAMXcUhtGmFG4b8QcIHmofCswCK4B/s400/PhotosScreenSnapz003.png" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Some of the piles of junk that form my nest. Yes, those are two functional <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vectrex">Vectrexes</a>. I am amazing. </td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="MsoPlainText">
<b>THIS IS NOT A HIT PIECE AGAINST JOHN FARJAY<o:p></o:p></b></div>
<div class="MsoPlainText">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoPlainText">
If you know anything about me, you know that I would
never savage a young, earnest developer. Others enjoy lashing out when there's
blood in the water (especially when there's tasty, tasty clicks to bait), but I
don't. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoPlainText">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoPlainText">
I have no problem with John Farjay. He offered a game on
Kickstarter, delivered a game, became unhappy, and tried to extricate himself
from the situation in as ethical a way as possible. The only real criticism
I've heard leveled against him is that he didn't provide Kickstarter updates
that often, but that isn't a crime as long as the game eventually arrives.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoPlainText">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoPlainText">
Here's what this situation sounds like to me: This guy
wanted the job, applied for the job, got the job, decided he didn't like the
job, and quit. This happens 10000000 times a day. It's not a big deal. It's
only the public element that made it newsworthy.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoPlainText">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoPlainText">
And here's the cool thing: There's still hope. Suppose
John Farjay changed his mind. Suppose he caught up on sleep, went for a few
restorative walks, and went, "Wait! I do want to write games!"<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoPlainText">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoPlainText">
He could write a Kickstarter update, say, "Sorry. I
went nuts for a few days. I'm better now, and I'm back to work!" If he did
this, I promise that he'd be welcomed back with open arms. It's a great story,
and people love indie devs because we're quirky and human.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoPlainText">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoPlainText">
This shouldn’t have ever happened, though. Aspiring
developers need to hear tales like these, so that they know what they are in
for.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoPlainText">
<br /></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-sadYuG7xPUw/V1iRccwqSAI/AAAAAAAAAv4/ZrcGtqsXhU4j7nnFGSatpZIriHH7WHUwwCK4B/s1600/PhotosScreenSnapz004.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="298" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-sadYuG7xPUw/V1iRccwqSAI/AAAAAAAAAv4/ZrcGtqsXhU4j7nnFGSatpZIriHH7WHUwwCK4B/s400/PhotosScreenSnapz004.png" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A shareware award I got in 1997, next to notes from my <a href="http://store.steampowered.com/app/460780/">new game</a>. My work notes very strongly resemble the <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SEZK7mJoPLY">opening credits</a> to Se7en. </td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="MsoPlainText">
<b>But What Does That Mean Exactly?<o:p></o:p></b></div>
<div class="MsoPlainText">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoPlainText">
It’s easy to say “Toughen up.” But what does that mean?
How do you modify your behavior and reactions in a way that enables you to
withstand being in this business longer. Because that’s the goal: Creating a
stable, sustainable business you like to run.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoPlainText">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoPlainText">
This will, in the end, vary from person to person. I
don’t know what your mental fault lines are. I don’t know what freaks you out.
I only know that, when you find the thing that freaks you out, you should
probably modify your behavior or inputs in a way that leaves you calmer and
more able to do your job.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoPlainText">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoPlainText">
For example, a lot of devs I know worry about weird
metrics. They obsess over their Steam wishlist numbers, or their user reviews,
or if they can compete with some new game that’s coming out, or whether keys
they chose to sell through Humble Bundle are being resold. The world presents
us with infinite trivia to worry about.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoPlainText">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoPlainText">
If a piece of input worries you, and you can’t control
it, and you have no crystal clear idea what its impact on your life will be,
feel free to ignore it. In fact, you probably should ignore it. If something
upsets you, do everything you can to ignore that something.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoPlainText">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoPlainText">
Being harassed is VERY difficult to ignore, so do what
you need to to keep from being harassed. Forums are nice, but you don’t HAVE to
have them. Twitter has its points, but you don’t HAVE to be on it. (This is
true. I ran a successful business for many a year before Twitter went live.) If
a forum or public-facing account is a hive of harassment and nastiness, shut it
down for a month. Most of the trolls will move on.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoPlainText">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoPlainText">
If you say, “I have to be on [web site] no matter what!”
you are giving the crazies a weapon they can use to hit you. Don’t do that.
“But they can drive me off of a site? That is wrong and not fair!” Yes. It is
wrong and not fair. I’m angry about it too. But this isn’t an undergraduate
ethics class. It’s business. Who ever told you business was fair?<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoPlainText">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoPlainText">
<span style="font-size: x-small;">(Fun aside: What percentage of online abuse against
developers is secretly being launched by their competitors to push them out of
the business? It might be 0% now, but, as the industry gets even more
competitive, it won’t stay 0% forever. Sleep tight.)</span><o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoPlainText">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoPlainText">
This is a TOUGH, competitive business. It’s a blood
sport. To have even a small chance of success, you will need to bring your A
game, day after day, for years at a time. If something distracts you from that,
you must cut it out without mercy.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoPlainText">
<br /></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-2NjV9iyWqhY/V1iSempIycI/AAAAAAAAAwQ/q5-xOVIrWm03aHMeu9zvmA0xO6UFH6KjACK4B/s1600/Google%2BChromeScreenSnapz020.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="181" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-2NjV9iyWqhY/V1iSempIycI/AAAAAAAAAwQ/q5-xOVIrWm03aHMeu9zvmA0xO6UFH6KjACK4B/s400/Google%2BChromeScreenSnapz020.png" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">My <a href="http://store.steampowered.com/app/337850/">latest game's</a> Metacritic. It's entirely fair. When I disagree with something someone wrote, I send them a <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dQw4w9WgXcQ">respectful rebuttal</a>. </td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="MsoPlainText">
<b>Quick Aside About User Reviews<o:p></o:p></b></div>
<div class="MsoPlainText">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoPlainText">
Most indie developers write games aimed at niche
audiences. Therefore, the games they write won’t be liked by most gamers. This
is pretty much the definition of ‘niche.’<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoPlainText">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoPlainText">
Alas, indie developers also tend to really freak out
about negative user reviews on places like Steam. They worry about this too
much. It’s easy to forget that, if you write a game aimed at only 10% of the
gaming audience, 90% of players will hate your game. A lot of them will leave
bad reviews. This sort of review is not harassment. It’s the system working as
intended.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoPlainText">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoPlainText">
Sometimes, when a dev expresses an unpopular political
opinion, those who disagree will organize a brigade and spam your Steam page
with negative reviews. This sucks, and they shouldn’t do that. (Although I
would gently observe that, when your goal is to run a profitable business,
political activism will only very rarely help in this.)<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoPlainText">
<br /></div>
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Not all clumps of negative reviews are signs of evil
intent, though. Maybe you just wrote a game a lot of people don’t like, and
they told you, and that’s the end of the story. Be ready for it.<o:p></o:p></div>
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I suggest making sure that the sliver of users who like your
games are paying you enough money to stay in business. Then do what I do and
don’t read user reviews. EVER.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<b>But Getting Back To the Main Point<o:p></o:p></b></div>
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John Farjay was living the dream, and he fell apart. It's
far from the first time, and it won't be the last. Life in the public eye, even
in so lowly a role as indie game dev, can be tough. It's not for everyone.<o:p></o:p></div>
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It's the job of me and others like me to prepare the
neophytes. They need to be ready for these jolts. They can't let one nasty
review or article collapse them. <o:p></o:p></div>
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Assholes and hacks exist. So do reasonable people who
will call you out when you inevitably make mistakes. You must be ready for all
of them.<o:p></o:p></div>
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How do you get to this lofty point? I don't know. I just
wish you luck, and I won't hold it against you if you find you aren't cut out
for it.<o:p></o:p></div>
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Brace yourself. Good luck.<o:p></o:p></div>
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###<o:p></o:p></div>
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(You can read my moment to moment thoughts on <a href="https://twitter.com/spiderwebsoft">Twitter</a>, which I am on for the moment. Finally,
I can't resist ending with a link to <a href="http://www.poetryfoundation.org/poem/175772">this</a>.)</div>
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Jeff Vogelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03396854958796097543noreply@blogger.com201