OK, I've decided to take one last shot at game design, before giving it up… forever…
Also, somebody remind me not to post blogs if I haven't slept a single hour all night. I tend to say things I regret later.Unsurprisingly, my parents were kinda annoyed that I was giving up on the comp, because I've been telling them about it and how it's been gaining sponsors and growing in size for nearly two weeks. :SSo I still won't be in LD23, but I will aim what's left of the Mega Arsenal at RPG4D; but I'm focusing on the game this time. That means: No C++. I'llbe using Game Maker, or perhaps RPG Maker if I feel like going the traditional RPG route.Knowing me, this'll probably end up being a platformer hybrid. Original drivel - Disregard for now
Last night, as I was thinking miserably about LD, I came to a conclusion:I'm not really looking forward to the competition; not in a good way, anyway. I mentioned in my last two blogs that I was feeling depressed, and I figured out why. I suck at completing games, because I'm not a good game designer. I consider myself to be a good programmer (Pardons, sirXemic), a decent artist and a practicing musician, but being able to do these things does not allow one to create good games. It was thus that I made a decision today: To stop trying to make games, instead to focus on my favorite hobbies (Programming, Music, Art) and release anything that comes about as a by-product of those hobbies. Also, there is still so much left to learn, in all the languages I know, so… yeah.Game development as a career is not really an option; the game-dev industry is not very pleasant to work in as far as I can tell.Independant developers only occasionally make an instant hit (Notch). But that was the result of messing around on a pet project, not setting out to create an instant hit (Which always fails).My main focus now is going to be on Art, Music and fixing PC's IRL for people. Programming will once again become my beloved hobby that I enjoy, instead of this horrible monster that I've made it.SHORTENED STORYI'm not entering LD, I'm not participating as an entrant in RPG4D.In other words: Musician/Artist available for team.I feel much less stressed already <3
Everyone just won this competition.
I know if I don't jump on this now, I'll regret it later. But I think your efforts would be well spent on someone else's entry. Looking forward to it.Awww what
I do really badly want your pixel art though.
Like really fucking badly.Like you don't even fucking know how really fucking badly.Cut yourself some slack, man. Being innovative is the hardest part of anything these days. Before you give up game design forever, I encourage you to at least take an existing concept or genre that you really like, and just mix and match until you find something that feels new.
Whether or not it's actually been done before doesn't matter. Here are some examples of mine:64DCG is a bullet hell mixed with strong RPG elements.Terminys mixes the traits of turn-based combat with real-time combat, and my need for character customization allowed me to do some very unique things to a singleplayer RPG.Lixim is an action life sim where the very world breathes. That by itself, though a merger of Creatures and Terraria, is a combination that I have personally never seen. And don't you dare compare this to Spore.I think the best way to start trying for innovation is to take something you like and mix it with something else you like. If you're really into it, you'll make it work. This is how I write my novels, too, and it's a formula that has never failed me yet.Of course, game design isn't for everyone. And if you really want to expand on those separate hobbies, that's great too. But game design brings all those skills together. And if you're not going to do that, what are you going to focus on?You're lucky, my parents just roll their eyes when I talk about game making stuff. It's one of those "little Jimmy needs to play outdoors more often" moments.