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[Ricardo]

Hey there!

Actually i just joined this forum after reading a couple of posts... never had heard of it up to know.

My name is Ricardo, from Brasil, 23 years old. Due to many little things in life i never came to actually learn how to make games... i really wished, and really tried. RPG Maker, Tactics Maker, C++, Flash... the whole deal. I never could trully make myself go on with it. And at the same time, never saw a point. There isnt much (if any) of a game industry around here. And i never really got under the skin of actually making games

So, on boards like these, im usually just the "idea guy". Y'know? Has great concepts, does none of the work guy... that guy. I use Sony Vegas as a hobby, Photoshop and Photoimpact, doing basic stuff here in there... on the amateur level i could at most be some degree of an artist.

And that's the thing i love about indie games. People can actually design on ideas and desires instead of simple demographics and "selling value".

I've tried more than once (several times actually) to try and join a team or two of indie gamers who together could maybe cook up a small game for fun... i alwasy lvoed games like Final Fantasy tactics, and it's a damn shame that there are so little games like that on the PC. Always wanted to have a game like that on the PC, but adding a few of my own ideas and flavor, i mean, i play RPG's since i was 8.

But as always, lazy people, people who go "I'll learn how to do that next month, hold on!" and people who want to make their first game thinking on the profits of selling it, have killed those ideas again and again.

I've also loved games with Randon generated content. I mean, it's one of the reasons Diablo 2 is so famous. Most itens and dungeons are Random and Level based. A system like this could triple the replayability of any Final Fantasy ever...

But also games like Song Summoner (that one for the Ipod) and even Monster Rancher for the PSX (monster were generated by reading other CD's you had.) or games like Audiosurf (seriously, Generate content via MP3 Analyzis ... great feature for Pc games) just stuff tht i loved, and could only wish to be a part of the production of more stuff like that.

On that part, i Evny you guys. If you have the desire and a good idea, you know how. So kudos to that!

i trully like the first notion i got from this community, and i hope to be around more often

[Dragonmaw]

I hate to rain on your parade, but you should've probably posted this in the introduction thread.  It's stickied in this subforum.

To rain even more on your parade, anybody can be the "idea man".  Most people that classify themselves purely as a designer, though, end up just mimicking other releases they have played.  For example, it's great that you love FFT and want random content in it, but why not make a more unique game instead of rehashing an old concept?  In a way, as a developer myself, I don't really want an "idea guy".  It feels like he's just going to use me to make his game instead of actually assisting in any noticeable way.  Obviously there's a wide range of situations possible there (for example, a programmer wanting a good writer to work on story, dialogue, and design so they can focus more on design and implementation), but that seems to be the general feeling.

I do hope you stick around, despite me being a little harsh here.  TIGS is a great community, after all!

[Alex May]

Hey Ricardo, welcome to the community

Hope you can find a team to work with one day. My suggestion is pick one out of art, design or programming and concentrate on that. It sounds like programming isn't something you want so I'd concentrate on art or design.

The thing is that pretty much everyone has great ideas they want to make. You need to bring something to a team that is beyond just ideas. If you are not interested in defining how a game looks or creating content, then perhaps design is your preferred avenue: you need to take those ideas and turn them into specific game mechanics. A knowledge of basic programming would definitely help you as a designer as you may end up having to script levels, and once you have some simple programming knowledge you can even test out your game designs. It is a very worthwhile skill to learn.

Think about why games are fun, in a second-to-second context, a minute-to-minute context and a ten-minute-to-ten-minute context, as well as an hour-to-hour context. The short, medium and long term hooks that keep the player wanting more and the things that turn them off. You need to get your ideas into a framework that can work as a game. Simply saying "FFT with random content" is probably not enough for contributing to a small team - your team members will end up bearing the brunt of the work while you sit back and tell them what is and isn't right, and they'll come to resent you.

Hope that helps, keep it up, welcome to the community as I said, let's have some fun

[Corpus]

Welcome to TIGS, Ricardo

If you really have good ideas, take the time to learn how to make them! Even if you don't have any programming ability, you could use GameMaker, and no doubt you're familiar with the levels of quality attainable using GM (if you're not, just see: cactus.)

There's a problem with just being an "idea man" in indie games because, when the dev team is so small, you need people to be able to take on multiple roles. There are plenty of ideas floating around, but what is valuable, as you said, is the ability to flesh them out, whether by creating art/graphics, programming or composing music.

Like Dragonmaw said, you should introduce yourself.

I hope you can get something useful out of the forums and community

[Farbs]

Heya Ricardo,

Stop envying and start being. Become one of us.

You shouldn't feel bad about failed or abandoned projects. We all have hundreds of them. Heck, I half-made half-arsed games for twenty years before releasing my first freeware title. I shit you not - 20 years. Every single failed project teaches you a lot about development, and is totally worth your time.

Now saddle up that FAIL horse and ride!

[Akhel]

Oi Ricardo! Legal ver mais um brasileiro por aqui.

I don't really have much to add, but since you mentioned it, the lack of a big games industry around here shouldn't put you off at all. I mean, many great indie games are sold online, often solely so - Aquaria, Noitu Love 2, Audiosurf, Everyday Shooter, The Shivah, Braid... I could go on. Plus, most indie games are made by very small teams. cactus, Pixel, konjak and more recently Dan Remar all have achieved WORLDWIDE FAME, DIVINE GLORY AND UNSURMOUNTABLE FORTUNES (or something) with games they made by themselves!

That's just one of the many things so nice about indie games: it doesn't take millions of dollars and hundreds of people to make them.

[Corpus]

If horses aren't your thing, the TIGS community can furnish you with a varety of alternative riding options, including:

• diamonds
• the lightning

[Valter]

For those who aren't fans of the previous options, you could also choose to ride:

• dirty
• giraffes The sacred animals may not be ridden!
• Bullet Points

[Ricardo]

@Dragonmaw

I kid you not man, that exactly what i would end up doing. That's why i dont try it anymore. Coding just isnt my thing, i dont love it "that" much, AND there is no market here. So, i was better left behind with my hobbies on composing, painting and creating videos and images...

@haowan

The best i ever got at design anything was creating some really sucky formulas for rpg games, like, "Attack Succes rate should be: Pwr + WPwr - Trg Def = % "  XD

My thing lies more in composing a Cover or an Ad, or coloring stuff, or eve makign trailers for it.

@Corpus

I have Gamemaker here in my Pc, didnt do much with it though... i was thinking or doing GM or Flash, but that, got postponed after i saw a couple of tutorials XD

@Kao

Cara, legal encontrar alguem aqui do Brasil XD valeu pelas dicas!

@ At all

And sorry for not going to the intruction thread, i actually read it (and i mean, damn you people go back with your games! o.O ) but thought this shouldnt be "there"

i'll post a proper intruction there soon enough though! Thanks for all the input!

[Cheater‽]

My thing lies more in composing a Cover or an Ad, or coloring stuff, or eve makign trailers for it.

I see. Have you drawn robots?

[Craig Stern]

Hm...Final Fantasy Tactics + randomly-generated content = Disgaea?

[Brother Android]

Hey, welcome.

Unfortunately, what Dragonmaw said goes for most people... I don't think there are many skilled coders out there who are short on ideas. If you have artistic skill, though, that may get you somewhere. Good luck, in any case.

I too would suggest using Game Maker. I will admit, I am not much of a coder either - I can enjoy it somewhat, but it is a means to an end. Fortunately, if you just have a little patience, Game Maker is very concrete, simple, and easy-to-use (comparatively, anyhow), enough so that a noncoder like myself can still make games in it. Plus there are lots of people who are willing to help you, so long as you don't try to make them do things for you.

[Dragonmaw]

Hm...Final Fantasy Tactics + randomly-generated content = Disgaea?

Item world, woohoo!

[deadeye]

Hey dude what's up.

[kyn]

Benvindo Ricardo, não sou Brazileiro mas sou Português

I am currently in the phase of trying to make games, am becoming a little frustrated but haven't given up yet, you should do the same.

[moi]

Hey Ricardo, I envy you for living in the country with the hottest chicks.