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[phubans]

seriously though, i thought you were trolling everyone until i saw your work and i have to say, if you ever get mainstream recognition for any of it, you deserve it.

Why thank you

Is Deadheat even alive anymore? I haven't seen him online anywhere in over 8 months.

Yeah, but I think he's too busy with work and his new girlfriend to have time or interest in Game Making... Oh, and he's going to be a dad now, too.

[InfiniteStateMachine]

Ah I didnt realize SoL was made by a TIGer. The demo was great 

[BlueSweatshirt]

Phubans, make more games.
Please.

[phubans]

Heheh, thanks guys. Actually, I am still making games, it's just taking time.

[plug]

First off, there's my day job doing art for the upcoming War of the Worlds game:



And then there's Spunk, the personal project I'm currently focused on making for Windows Phone and iOS (here's a screenshot that has never been posted anywhere until now!)



Hopefully that one will do well enough that I can fund a bigger, better, and more ambitious project like a remake of Madhouse for Steam and XBox!

Lastly, if you missed it, here's the most recent game I released earlier this year, The Indie Game Legend:



[/plug]

I'll try to be more active with updates on what I'm working on instead of just trolling... Maybe.


SECRET! I also have an idea for an mobile game that would make a killing and probably be relatively easy to make... Oh, and would it ever be oh so fucked up... But that one will have to be a surprise for later

[BlueSweatshirt]

Wow, aren't you under NDA's not to talk about your day job?
I'm surprised you just openly said that. 


Still, don't stop trolling. It might be trollin', but some of us find it humorous 'kay?
It sucks when people get too serious.

[phubans]

The NDA protects any content that hasn't been publicly released. I'm free to tell people what I'm working on since it was announced, but not allowed to show or tell anything specific like in-game content, concept art, release dates, etc.

[Tanner]

Make an art game and then for the artist's statement, make another game.

[eld]

You mean like bungie, platinum, nintendo and blizzard?

the developers of those games do not own the IP, only the owners of the company do

the primary thing for me is that the developers of the game own the IP, not guys in suits

think about it this way: who owns the IP of portal: gabe newell or the actual people who made the game? who owns starcraft 2: the developers or the shareholders? since in both of those cases it's not the people who made the game who own the game, can you really call the developers who work at valve or blizzard independent in the same way that someone who owns their own IP is?

so the basic criterion for me is something this: if you are being paid a salary to make a game (in exchange for the entity paying you the salary owning the rights to the game, not you), it's not indie. if you're going to be paid in royalties after the game is done, and are not being paid a salary, and you still own the rights to whatever parts of the game you made, then it's indie

or another rule of thumb way to look at it is: indie is when developers profit from *sales*, non-indie is when developers profit from *salary*

You do have to give yourself a salary to be able to spend that money your company earns though?
And if you have a company beyond just one person, everyone has to be employed, and they technically need to have a salary too?

Not to mention, if you made a game on your own, and got enough revenue to be able to hire a friend, you would hire him on a salary basis, not give half your company way for nothing, you would be the sole owner of the IP, or actually, depending on how your company is set up, your company would be the owner of the IP.

I would say indie games development is mostly about developing games while keeping yourself independent from actors that could take too much part in your company, such as a publisher, And as of a direct result the company is often kept as small as it can afford to be kept.

[starsrift]

Re: thread topic, not what is or isn't indie -

It's only because AAA development has nearly priced itself out of profitability. Seems like studios are frequently make or break with each game they make. Whether that's a problem with publishers, or whatever, I leave for another discussion - but the point is that there's a dearth of AAA titles, so there's good reason for "indie" to come to the fore.

That said, however you define "indie", there is a definite difference between something like Trine or Killing Floor, and things like VVVVVV or World of Goo.

[sonicblastoise]

The NDA protects any content that hasn't been publicly released. I'm free to tell people what I'm working on since it was announced, but not allowed to show or tell anything specific like in-game content, concept art, release dates, etc.

that's good to know.

and i just downloaded TIGL and played through it today. great fun. like zelda mashed with smash TV plus crimsonland





see how hard i'm trying to hijack this thread for your benefit

[Paul Eres]

You do have to give yourself a salary to be able to spend that money your company earns though?
And if you have a company beyond just one person, everyone has to be employed, and they technically need to have a salary too?

you can but you don't have to (in answer to both of those questions). i don't pay myself a "salary" from the company's sales, there is not even an official company (we operate under a team name but there is no company). i'm selling games as an individual, and i give money to my friends (royalties) from what i earn.

[eld]

You do have to give yourself a salary to be able to spend that money your company earns though?
And if you have a company beyond just one person, everyone has to be employed, and they technically need to have a salary too?

you can but you don't have to (in answer to both of those questions). i don't pay myself a "salary" from the company's sales, there is not even an official company (we operate under a team name but there is no company). i'm selling games as an individual, and i give money to my friends (royalties) from what i earn.

Aren't you obliged to have a company set up if you are selling something, since you'd have to pay taxes on that income?

[Christian Knudsen]

Don't know what it's like in the US, but in Denmark, you can register a one-man business (not company) where you just pay personal taxes off the profits.

[eiyukabe]

Don't know what it's like in the US, but in Denmark, you can register a one-man business (not company) where you just pay personal taxes off the profits.

I think it's similar in the US, with the consideration that your personal assets can be taken if you get sued for something business related (since you "are" your business). Which is why many people will at least form an LLC so there is a separate entity for responsibility purposes. There are also probably other subtle limitations such as government grants not applying to individuals.

[InfiniteStateMachine]

You do have to give yourself a salary to be able to spend that money your company earns though?
And if you have a company beyond just one person, everyone has to be employed, and they technically need to have a salary too?

you can but you don't have to (in answer to both of those questions). i don't pay myself a "salary" from the company's sales, there is not even an official company (we operate under a team name but there is no company). i'm selling games as an individual, and i give money to my friends (royalties) from what i earn.

Aren't you obliged to have a company set up if you are selling something, since you'd have to pay taxes on that income?

At least in Canada. If you don't register as a company you just pay taxes as a sole proprietorship under your name.