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[clevceo]

I probably haven't gamed as much as the average indie dev.  My first system was a sega genesis.  My first real gaming experience, however, was Oregon Trail on the apples at school.  Later, when we had a PC of our own, I fell in love with Commander Keen (and even wrote some fanfics).

Anyway, I always wanted to make computer games and actually made a new year's resolution to do it one year.  However, all I accomplished was a few paper platformers, complete with spikes, enemies, and a final boss.

It was at age fourteen that my dad introduced me to QBasic.  I had no idea what programming was or that it even existed (how was I to know how games were made?), so it was an eye opener.  I read up on it and before I moved on to learn C++, I had the beginnings of a pretty pixel-art RPG engine.  I even made some progress on a user-friendly level editor (I've always hated cryptic editors).  I later deleted it all when I moved on to C++.  I kick myself every day for that.

I switched to C++ and learned most of the language, but I couldn't for the life of me pick up DX, GL, or even Allegro, so I quit for a few years (junior and senior years of HS), thinking I might try creative writing instead.  When I realized that was entirely impractical, I switched back to programming, though writing still has a place in my heart.  But that's fine because games have stories, no?

Anyway, the university I attended taught VB.NET, and I began to think like a programmer again.  During my third year, I learned Java.  I loved the way it used OOP, and I overachieved in that class big time.  While other students were only trying to get their final projects to run, mine was printing.  I had too much fun in that class.

I'd heard that C# is alot like Java, and as students we had free access to VS Pro, so I read up on it.  This was at the very end of the semester, and that summer I made a decision to teach myself C# and begin an ambitious project with it.  That I did.  The project, however, was not a game, but I am proud of it just the same.  I have christened this piece of software Idea.  As I worked on it, I began to envision my future as a software developer.  I even created a name for my imaginary company: Clev (short for clever).

It was on my fourth (and most ambitious) attempt at Idea that I discovered Microsoft XNA.  My first project was a remake of an old boat race screensaver for Win 3.1.  My second was an attempt to revive my RPG engine, only isometric this time.  I made a simple tile engine with a camera that zoomed and rotated and everything.  It was by now that I realized Idea would be put on hold for a while.

However, I quit the RPG when I recalled Chris Delay's advice: "Content is bad".  I was inspired by the success of Defcon and decided I would make something as simple.  After a night of brainstorming on OneNote, I had this great idea that connect-the-dots could be an RTS, and Sever was born.

I began development the next morning.  I was still a newb with XNA (and game-making in general), so progress was slow.  I made a little progress before I started over.  Before I quit the second attempt, I'd mostly completed the gameplay basics and created a simple menu screen.

The third attempt was where the game really started to shine.  Before I even tried to get anything onscreen, I first made a working input library.  I then thought through how I'd do the menus.  Ultimately, I made an imitation of WinForms.

I went alot farther with this attempt, but I eventually took a hiatus from it when I was commissioned to make another video game by my former boss.  I began development of that game, and hit some roadblocks (including boredom), and slacked off for a month or two.

However, with XNA 2.0 on the rise, I started up again and finished a proof-of-concept of that game to show to my boss.  It was fun to do, but I knew I still had alot to learn about what goes into a game, so I was still intimidated.

And then came XNA 2.0.  The idea of networking boggled my mind.  I'd never even touched networking in anything I'd done in the past and here it was within arm's reach.  Anyway, I was about to pick Sever back up and continue where I left off, but I realized that I could do better, so I started over once again.

This brings me to my current attempt at Sever.  I feel it's time to release a simple tech demo and show off Sever's unique gameplay.  Ultimately, there'll be multiplayer and an epic single-player campaign.

I feel like I've already written a novel's worth of code since I began the project, but it's been worth it.  I've started a topic for Sever in the Feedback forum and would love any input you might have for me.

I really appreciate this opportunity to share my work.  Thanks TIGSource.

clevceo

[AndySchatz]

Hi -- I talk about myself, hand out awards, and narrowly avoid winning them  Phew!
Nah, forreals dawg: I started Pocketwatch Games in 2005, made Venture Africa (IGF grand prize finalist, 2006) and Venture Arctic (GameTunnel's Sim Game of the Year, 2007) and I hosted the 2007 IGF Awards ceremony.  I think I alreayd know a bunch of you.  To those I don't know, hi.  To those I do know, sucks to your assmar.

[cag]

hi.

I am cag. I program, pixel push (not so much nowadays, sadly), and track, among other things. My favorite games: Earthbound ( ), Cave Story, Castlevania (SOTN and onwards), Legend of Mana, Halo (the original, never really got into the other ones), Shadow of the Colossus (I want to play Ico ), ... and probably many others I can't quite remember right now. I am also a fan of Randall Munroe's work. You know who you are.

I'm running a ubuntu box, and progging some shizzle.

I am currently working on something. You know how it is, programmers. Something err... top secret.

[Inane]

Something err... top secret.

The fuck is with programmers and secrets?
I mean, I can keep secrets, easy, but why would you WANT to?

Oh, and hello!

[cag]

The fuck is with programmers and secrets?
I mean, I can keep secrets, easy, but why would you WANT to?

To generate unnecessary hype. Also, for killing babies.
Mostly, this secret thing is to guard against me letting myself down and not finishing it. I've done it a few times already.
(of course, I've yet to have people pressure me into finishing things... so... maybe I'll tell [not here though, I wouldn't want this thread to go too off track])

Plus, I just got done with some file io functions. Maybe tomorrow. x_x

[Toom]

Hullo all! My name is Luke Toomey. I live in York (the old one), in northern England, where I work an extraordinarily boring job (hospital switchboard operator) and halfheartedly try to get my illustration career off the ground (I get enough freelance work to not have to do the switchboard thing full-time, as long as I never buy nice things). My interest in indie gaming effectively started when I first got hold of a copy of Klik&Play, some fourteen years ago. I discovered Blackeye Software a couple of years later; now Aquaria is proving a more tempting excuse to upgrade my creaky PC than BioShock. Do you see what you've done to me, Yu.

I look like this when I'm in the only band that'd have me as a member:


This when I'm drunk at 2am and caught unawares by a similarly inebriated snap-happy cohort:


And this when I'm just fucking rad sauce:


Except not that much like any of those because I have a big ol' beard now.

I haven't made a game in years - Actual Coding is apparently completely beyond me, seriously, I can't even make ActionScript do what I want it to - but have recently got hold of MMF2 and have started messing about with it, seeing how much of the basics I remember, with the current goal of creating a simple Cannon Fodder-esque game to promote a comic I'm working on with a friend. The whole indie scene is just fascinating to me, though, and I love seeing the innovation and playfulness that emerges from developers who don't have a bottom line to bother them. Art is What I Do nowadays; I'm working on a couple of webcomics which should hopefully be good to launch in a month or two (I like webcomics kind of a lot - for broadly similar reasons to my love of the indie gaming scene, really - even going as far as to write my dissertation on them back in 2007), a couple of print minicomics and an anthology title, various pieces for bands and so on. I've got some stuff that might end up in a game at some point though...

[hutcherson]

Herlo,

I'm a student of games design in a piss weak university yet I am also another incarnation of the Trimurti. My hobbies include UV mapping, personae development, debugging and other unholy concepts.



cheerio.. what?

[AJirenius]

Hi

My name is Andreas Jirenius, live in Eskilstuna, Sweden with my wife and 2 kids. I have no education whatsoever in computers, graphics or development but somehow I managed to release my first game .. erhmm yesterday. Cryptex of Time. I'm pretty proud about it as I've done all 2d, 3d textures, sounds, music design, code etc myself (except for a few soundeffects and 2 pics).

So I am trying out the indiemarket on my sparetime with dreams to leave my daytime job. Check out Cryptex of Time in the Feedback section if interested.

Oh.. and I feel pretty old in here somehow...

[Pluvious]

Well, I taught myself to program about 6 years ago...I think?  I did it just because I wanted to make this game I created on paper.  And that's where I'm at today, making that same game.

I love the old turn based fantasy strategy games of the 80's and 90's.  Games like Heroes of Might and Magic, Age of Wonders, Disciples, Masters of Magic, FAntasy General, Brigandine, and Ogre Tactics.  Anything slow, fantasy, with lots of depth of character building. 

My game Immortal Kingdoms incorporates a lot of these games. 

[SimonitroX]

Hello,

I'm the newest dude on TIG. This place rocks. Yes, I'm gonna stay here for a long time with pride!

Mouhahahhaa! I se my domain!

[Noyb]

Haldo. I've kept tabs on the indie scene since the late 90s, although I've only ever really been active at The Daily Click. I haven't really made much of note besides a few arcade-type games and a mediocre Mario parody. I have no illusions about a career in this, but I do have fun when I'm making games. I mainly use the Clickteam line (TGF, MMF), although I have a bit of experience in Java (though I never really tried making a game in it). Anyway, I love the site and the ethos on this forum. Here's looking at a great 2008.

[medieval]

I'm a starting indie developer, I hope to finish a game soon, or at least get near to finishing a game.

And I like pie.

[omnilith]

Hi! ^_^

I'm Omnilith. I've been independently developing games for quite a while now, but only recently decided to be more ambitious about it. I've been studying both traditional and pixel art for just over a year now, and hope to continue to improve myself in that sort of thing during the next year too. I'm also a big game design junkie (whatever that means), so I'll be sure to shout my opinions about how a level or boss should really be whenever I get the chance X)

See ya around!

[cradmazy]

whats up

i am cradmazy.  im 21 years old, and one of those retrogamers who knows what the funk is up with whats down.

i have scored several games myself.

and long live indie games

you think old style 2d games are dead???

then why is The New Super Mario Brothers for Nintendo DS the 13th best selling game of ALL TIME?

minds will change...

[Saint]

Hello, my name is Anders but it's a rather common name so my friends usually just call me Saint.

... Not sure what to say, really. I'm a sucker for exploration games but I try to keep an open mind to seemingly boring commercial as well as seemingly freaky independent games.

[jimmykane]

Hi.

I'm a student currently studying in Germany (although I come from Scotland), who's just realised that he hates what he's doing, and wants to get into game design.

Let the madness ensue!

[StephenAnthony]

I'll do this too!

My name is *shock* Stephen Anthony. I slacked off in high school like an idiot, put off going to college like an idiot and frittered away my time, also like an idiot. And now I'm paying for it.

I made some RPGs in my free time for a few years, one of which had modest success. A friend of mine (the author of Aveyond, if you've heard of it) insisted I start my own indie game. I told her she was crazy, then 3 months later, I decided to try it.

I've always liked video games, but one game really stirred something in me...



I don't know exactly what it was, aside from being the first game I felt a connection to. There are lots of old games I loved... Duke Nukem, XCom, Warcraft, Wolfenstein 3D... There was just something about Secret of Mana.

The music made me cry, the story gave me goosebumps, the lush world made me want to explore... There was just some part of me that felt -inside- all of it. I don't think I'll ever have that feeling again... not the way I felt playing this when I was 10 years old.

I could never get that feeling from a book or a movie or anything else. There was something about the combination of music, story and the control you had over it all that made this special.

I never thought about trying to have commercial success with making a game, but I've decided I'll try. My 'goal' is to be successful at it, whatever that ends up meaning. But my real goal is to try and recreate whatever it was that made Secret of Mana so compelling to me.

[TimVipScor]

Hey all,

I'm Tim, a producer/co-founder, from a small indie dev in Austin called ViperScorpion Interactive (see Daily Show for name reference).  I started a while back as a tester, and some friends and I left our shitty publisher/dev to make our own. 

Since then, we've been working on an Xbox Live Arcade game.  You can check out our podcast at: http://viperscorpion.com/blog. 

I went to Gamefest 2007 and will be attending GDC for the first time next month.  I'm always up for meeting other indie devs from anywhere, but especially in Austin.

[ultim8p00]

What's up people? I go by the name Devin in life and ultim8p00 on the net. I'm a 17 year old college freshman. I'm a French-African-American, which is pretty unique and awesome. I like playing video games a lot, though I don't get as much gaming time as I used to. I also like playing sports, especially soccer...the best sport in the world...that's a fact I just made up so it's true. Game designing is just a kind of hobby for me; I've never taken a course in game design and I don't know much beyond GML really.

This is what I look like on a Monday:



What really got me into indie-gaming was this cool game called Cyberdogs. It had a level editor in it where you could basically make your own game pretty much, if you invested the time. I messed with it for a long time, until I felt like i needed something with more umph. I found this other game called Liero. It was much more customizable than Cyberdogs. You could modify the settings and even hack files to create completely new weapons and stuff like that. I messed around with that for a while too. After that, I started looking for programs that could let you make games without knowing programming. The first thing I stumbled on was MMF, but I later moved on the GameMaker as I found it easier to understand.

I really have no intention in pursuing a career in the gaming, and I'm more interested in Medicine and Pharmacology. But hey...you never know. Life's weird sometimes.

I haven't really released anything that has made a lot of noise. Here are some of the games I have made:






Note: This game was a sequel to BII-NARY that I was making. Unfortunately,
I contacted Spydaman for permission, but he gave me a cease and desist.





My latest project is Katakijin, which hopefully will nab me an interview on 1up.com  too lol. You can check out my blog at 64digits if you are interested in it or some of my other stuff.

You made it this far? Damn, I'd give you a cookie or something.

[Macguffin]

Hi all,

My name is Scott, I'm the producer at a game company on the east coast.  I've been in the mainstream game industry for about 5-6 years now - started in QA and worked my way up. 

My ambition since right after getting in was to start my own company and make my own games - now I'm working on that.  More details about the game once it makes sense to reveal them, but I'm very psyched by the creative control, the creative opportunities, and the challenge of succeeding in the indie market. 

So, yeah, hi everyone.  :D