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[Elwood Sharit]

So, recently I've been provided with a pretty stern ultimatum. I either have to being creating games that are semi-lucrative or face exile from living at my girlfriend's home. Long story short, her mother is tired of working hard and seeing two 'freeloading' adults just sleep days away back in this bedroom. Given my set of skills and the current job status around this town, my best shot is to knuckle down and just start creating full games for the ideas that I have.

I don't think it's far out of my reach at all to achieve this, I just need a little guidance and inspiration. Given that I've never really made money from a game before any tutorials or links would be a great help.

I'm going to sit down for the next hour or so and compile some of my ideas into a list and see if I can narrow it down to one solid idea for a game. I'm a bit constrained considering I have no sprite creating abilities, but there's a good deal of free resources out there, especially the stuff I've seen from the Assemblee competition.

Aside from that, this thread will document the progress of the first game I'll attempt to create commercially. (Wish me lucks!)

[delete me]

I wish you luck sir. Making a 'living' off of an indie game sounds to me about as likely as winning a lottery. 99% of indie sales go to 0.1% of indie developers; so you've got a long road ahead of you.

I'd suggest if you're not able to find industry employment would be to start a company. You're still indie, you're still employed, and maybe some loans and government funding can help you get off the ground.

Maybe some other folks here have some alternative views or experiences... I look forward to watching this develop. Anything in mind for the project yet?

[deathtotheweird]

Yeah, you aren't going to make a semi-lucrative game anytime soon. Your best bet is to crank out a puzzle game or some kind of cheap thrill game and put it up on FlashGameLicense.com and hope someone gives you a couple hundred for it. Still a gamble but less of a risk than trying to make a game and sell it on your own. I know too many people personally that have tried this and even ones popular within a community are struggling in selling their games.

We could give you all the guidance and inspiration we could muster, but the truth is the chances of you making anything semi-lucrative are very, very low. You would literally be better off if you started your own garden and sold your own fruit/vegetables (though it's fall here so too late on that) than making an indie game.

It probably sounded like a good idea at first, but it's not.

[Elwood Sharit]

I wish you luck sir. Making a 'living' off of an indie game sounds to me about as likely as winning a lottery. 99% of indie sales go to 0.1% of indie developers; so you've got a long road ahead of you.

I'd suggest if you're not able to find industry employment would be to start a company. You're still indie, you're still employed, and maybe some loans and government funding can help you get off the ground.

Maybe some other folks here have some alternative views or experiences... I look forward to watching this develop. Anything in mind for the project yet?

Thank you!
I definitely understand the reality of the situation, and like I said, a living is not necessarily exactly what need be made. Just enough money to show that I'm working at supporting. I know that I have a hard road ahead and many have went about it before, I've seen many stories and read a lot about the situation and it doesn't seem entirely unlikely, just difficult.

I'm thinking of starting small for the first project or two. Just to get something to show people to get myself known a little. A little reputation can go a long way I've seen.

The first idea I have in mind is a simple side-scrolling mining/adventure game. Similar to Montezuma's Revenge in aesthetic, but with gameplay a little different. The idea is that the player will train "Minelings" (For all purposes these are lemmings) to explore and gather riches from a level, while avoiding dangers and such. These Minelings will have minimal input from the user besides their target destination and their current purpose. "example: 'dig' or 'retrieve' or 'inspect'."

I like this idea because the first game could start out small and I could expand for a second version rather easily. So my second game would already be pretty lined up.

[Elwood Sharit]

Yeah, you aren't going to make a semi-lucrative game anytime soon. Your best bet is to crank out a puzzle game or some kind of cheap thrill game and put it up on FlashGameLicense.com and hope someone gives you a couple hundred for it. Still a gamble but less of a risk than trying to make a game and sell it on your own. I know too many people personally that have tried this and even ones popular within a community are struggling in selling their games.

We could give you all the guidance and inspiration we could muster, but the truth is the chances of you making anything semi-lucrative are very, very low. You would literally be better off if you started your own garden and sold your own fruit/vegetables (though it's fall here so too late on that) than making an indie game.

It probably sounded like a good idea at first, but it's not.

Again, I feel like I shouldn't have to state this more than 10 times before people get it; I realize all of this. I didn't say "OMG U GUISE U DONATE $10000 AND I'LL RELEASE BETA." I just mean a couple of hundred a month. A little over $200 wouldn't be bad. I don't require much really.

I figure I'll dev multiple small games, much as you've suggested, of the puzzle or action platform genere and see how they fair. I hope to find suggestions of help, not the cold shoulder of the indie elitists. The reality of the situation should be cold enough as is, if I'm going to learn a lesson I'll take the hard road, thank you. 

Anyway, off to grind on this some.
Elwood, signing off.

[deathtotheweird]

And I'm telling you that expecting a couple hundred a month is pretty unreasonable. Unless, like I said, you were willing to pump out a bunch of flash games every month.

I'm not giving you the cold shoulder, and I'm hardly an indie elitist, I'm just telling you the truth. As much as it sucks, you will not make 200 dollars a month doing what you planned. Perhaps in flash games, if you're lucky and a sponsor bites, but if you out-right sell your game yourself I can almost guarantee 200 dollars a month is an unreasonable amount of money to expect.

[delete me]

I don't know what allen's talking about. I'm part of the indie elite. Make your game in C or I'll point and snicker.

/joke
/ihopepeopledon'tthinkthisofme

Anyways, I'm back off to my devlog so I can hang out with eigenbom and tumbleweed. =]

[Pemanent]

I am very curious to watch your progress!
I would give you advice if I could, but honestly, I don't know anything about making money with games either.
I can give you all my internet points though. 

[Elwood Sharit]

Thanks all around. Everything will work itself out.  

Also: Have a little progress on classes for the 'Minelings.'

Oh, I'm no artist by the way. D':

[ஒழுக்கின்மை (Paul Eres)]

Thanks all around. Everything will work itself out.  

this is what hope looks like before it is crushed by reality

[eigenbom]

Good luck dude!

Anyways, I'm back off to my devlog so I can hang out with eigenbom and tumbleweed. =]

Yay for community encouragement!

[motorherp]

I know you're probably sick of all the "advice" but all the same, here goes. 

If your intent is to create a fully fledged game and original idea which is something you'd enjoy playing yourself and can be proud of, which it sounds like what you are attempting, then bare in mind that it's extremely easy and common to grossly under-estimate the development time, especially if this will be your first full commercial quality game.  The only reason I bring this up is because I doubt in a few months time (if you haven't been thrown out already by then) that showing your girlfriend's parents a part finished game with the promise that it might make some money when its finished in another few months is going to convince them that you're not just taking advantage of their hospitality.  That is especially true considering that you'll have been locked up in your girlfriend's bedroom all that time working on it which is exactly what they have an issue with, so unless you got something fooking jaw droppingly amazing to show them and the media attention to back it up, I seriously doubt they'll be impressed.

Also consider that since you have no trained art making ability, that you will have to either spend considerable time training those skills, or splash out some money up front on an artist to make assets for your game since it's even more unlikely that your game will make any money at all unless it is eye catching and aesthetically pleasing.

I think you have to seriously ask yourself whether you're doing this for purely personal reasons because it appeals to you and you think it'll be fun and interesting, or whether you're making an earnest attempt to earn some bread and justify the good will your girlfriend's parents have shown you up till this point?

Like has been said, if you're serious about seeing any kind of turn-around in a reasonable time then a better idea might be to blast out a short casual game such as a match 3 or somesuch and hope for a liscence.  You'll still find that art is still an issue though, probably even more so in that market.

Alternativley, if you've already experience of programming and making games non commercialy in the past, then use what you have already made as a portfolio to try and secure some paid contract work.  If you dont already have a strong protfolio however or are determined to create your own game, then I'd suggest you try to secure yourself a part-time job doing anything to bring in some money and appease your girlfriends parents.  Then in your spare time you can build your portfolio / first title, and work on your art skills (or use some of the money you've earned out of what's left after you've payed some upkeep to purchase artwork) with the hope of being able to rely on indie development full time in the future.

I hope you take that for how it was intended, a bit of honest advice

[kamac]

If you have finished programming college (any IT type) you could get paid job in game making industry. They'd probably give you a trial seat, since you don't have portfolio, but you should be able to convince them somehow!

But i guess you didn't finish any IT college and probalby you don't use C++.

What i can tell you is don't try to develop games for android. It'll be waste of time until you create something breath-taking, and you need luck for it anyway.

I have myself made 17 cents by one month from my Security Manager game (ads).

At average, people are earning 1$-2$ daily when they get on featured apps list (about 8th page). Not so bad for me, but you want 200$! And there they offer "solid" 20$ monthly 

If you decide to go PC (seems you will), then you will need great art indeed...

... or just make it simple, but polished. (@Minecraft, no great arts, just pure great gameplay)

Again, you won't sell too much of anything without your own, innovate idea. Innovate, or polished!
I doubt anyone'd wish to play 2d top-down FPS placed in vietnam, until it would have good graphics (Great ones i think) and amazing gameplay. Or just fun.

Don't go for the arts! Go for the gameplay!

Well i wish you luck, i will be following that project.

[Elwood Sharit]

@Allen, I said that I hope to find, not that you were providing such, no worries it wasn't a loaded statement.

@Paul Eres, As a radical dreamer, I have to say I'll take that as a challenge.

@Motorherp, Very insightful and I do see it as advice, thank you.

@kamac, Again, very insightful thank you.

@eigenbom, xoorath, Pemanent, Thanks all of you! I'll try my best not to disappoint.

And to all of you, I'm very sick, the weather just changed down here and I've come down with a bad cold. Went to the doctor today, got me some meds should be back up and running soon.

Regardless I won't let that stop me from working. I have about 3 pages of new info. I'll try to transcribe them tonight.

[Elwood Sharit]

Mkay here, so I've got 3 main classes devised here, plus an extra secret class for later. The idea is that you will control all three of these, but only one at a time. You can however leave each of the other to do some automated task. More teamwork will be eventually planned and maybe in 2.0 we'll see some multiplayer, but for now let's get the rundown on who these three guys are.

First up, the Explorer!

The explorer is the support of the entire team. If your team were a family the explorer would be a proud mother. Packing very little in terms of power or agility he makes up for his shortcomings with an arsenal of equipment and gadgets.

These gadgets include:

• Backpack: For carrying his and everyone else's items and treasure.
• A Map: For charting out where he's been and getting back out.
• A Lantern: For personal lighting and a fire source.
• A Journal: For saving the game.
• A Big Mobile Phone: For selling and buying items within the cave. (Think escargo-express)
• A Magnifying Glass: For spotting traps/hidden passages and treasures.
• Medikit: Healing up those battered teammates of yours, or even yourself if necessary.

So, now let's move to the brawn behind this team: The Digger.

The digger is the trail blazer of the team. From dirt and rocks to raging rivers there's no terrain that will stand in his way.

Aside from just the travel skills he's also developed incredible tone from all of that digging, this allows for a few perks of it's own such as pushing rocks, swimming against currents, and even picking up that sissy explorer if need be.

Though he's not just all muscles he also has a few tools available as well, such as:

• The Shovel: Has interchangeable heads he keeps on his belt allowing it to be used differently.
• The Axe: The Shovel with an Axe head, comes in handy for wood and meat obstructions.
• The Pickaxe: The Shover with another head, helps break away that tough dirt. (It's all just really dirt anyway, right?)
• Rope+Hook: A long rope with hook attachment, good for descending and scaling cliffs.
• Helmet w/Headlamp: Allows the digger to see well... just the digger really...
• MP3 Player: For drowning out the sound of your team will you dig, dig, dig.

The digger also has a few construction skills as well, being able to craft and place torches, cave supports, bridges, and ladders.


And last but not least, this brings us to the Mercenary.

The mercenary is a bit like the lone-wolf and a bit like the pack-leader. But when it comes down to it, he's your team's knight in shinning armor because he'll be keeping you alive the majority of the time. Serpents, bats, wolves, werewolves, batwolves, or whatever beasties you could encounter; if it's got a head, he'll remove it.

The mercenary has no problem separating from the rest of the group, infact he prefers it as he generally uses night-vision goggles as to not alert his prey and the explorer's lantern is quite blinding through them. Aside from these he has experience with nearly every weapon known to man, and several known to beast alike.

The mercenary is also a demolitions expert, trap maker, and animal tamer. And you'll be glad for all of these skills come the time when he runs out of ammo; though his knife collection is plentiful as well. He is also excellent at protecting the team and escorting with a single order. Aside from acquiring the beasties as tamed pets he's also fond of collecting bits and pieces, as well as furs and horns, these trinkets bring him good fortune. Or so he believes...


So, that's all I managed today. Input? Questions? Let me know what you guys think. Hopefully this sickness will leave me soon.

[Pemanent]

I'm all for your cause man but honestly I think that will take way longer to make than you think. I may be totally wrong as I am not experienced myself but from my very narrow, inexperienced opinion that is a lot to do in a short time. I would say cut down the items, maybe 2 items per dude.

Then again you have all day and night to work away so the less logical side of me says do it!!

[deathtotheweird]

what do you plan on programming this in? you should probably get to coding before you get too far into the game design part. gotta learn to spend equal time on both, or you'll never get either of them done.

[Superb Joe]

get a job

[Fallsburg]

I second what Allen said.  You are making a game idea right now, not a game.  Since this is your first game, I'd suggest just digging in and starting to code.  I say this out of personal experience. I had 5 or so abortive attempts at making a game before I finally managed to finish my first one.  You are going to fail a lot before you make one game that you are proud of, so I'd suggest getting started right now.

[InkBlotBunny]

I started developing games for Ios devices about 8 months ago with absolutely no previous experience. Even after working 14 hour days seven days a week I still only make about $50 a month from it. It's a fun way to spend your time but don't get some grand illusion of making a decent amount of money from it anytime soon. I would strongly suggest getting at least a pert time job since it sounds like you currently can't support yourself financially.

Good luck!