Independant Game Design: Do's and Don'ts

[goodman528]

Provide clear and concise documentation:

What is the game about?
Where can someone download the latest version? (a single .exe installer, not source code)
Where can someone download the manual (.pdf) if they get stuck on something?
Where is the forum someone can go and post bug reports, comments, etc? How can you be contacted?

Think of the number of mods and simple games, free software, etc, that fail simply because 1) no one knows it exits 2) no one can find out what the hell it is and 3) no one can find out how to use it.

 

[geldonyetich]

*DON'T put too much dialogue into your game - see yahtzee and mass effect

*sigh* why do some think there is only one taste?

I'd say it goes beyond taste, to an extent. Too much dialogue drags down the pace of a game in the same way that too much dialogue would drag down a book or movie. The difference in 'taste' will be a matter of whether or not the dialogue actually appeals to you.

Actually, this is related to an important thing I haven't seen mentioned on this thread yet:

No game will please everyone. Go for a niche you think you can do well.
Don't develop a multi-million dollar game if the niche isn't there. (That's why we see a lot of developers making casual games these days.)

 

[tobyornottoby]

I'd say it goes beyond taste, to an extent. Too much dialogue drags down the pace of a game in the same way that too much dialogue would drag down a book or movie. The difference in 'taste' will be a matter of whether or not the dialogue actually appeals to you.

One of my favorite games of all times is about 75% of the time non-interactive, non-skippable dialogue and 25% gameplay in between.

I'm allergic to that reasoning I see a lot on these forums; "Yahtzee is right"... what he says about games are his opinion and if you share somewhat the same taste it's great advice... but it's not universal.

You're right about your point too, having a certain target audience. Dream of every game designer is of course "Yourself" as that target audience

 

[Anton P. Nym]

I'd say it goes beyond taste, to an extent. Too much dialogue drags down the pace of a game in the same way that too much dialogue would drag down a book or movie. The difference in 'taste' will be a matter of whether or not the dialogue actually appeals to you.

Bah. Sorry, but your reasoning made me flash to that mock version of Hamlet done as a Schwartzenegger flick. "To be, or not to be... *whips out rocket launcher* TO BE!"

I don't agree that this is some universal rule of gaming; instead, the amount of dialog that is appropriate depends upon *the needs of the game itself*, not some absolute standard. If it's an attempt to recapture the spirit of the ol' text adventure days, then tons of dialog is entirely appropriate. If it's a shoot-'em-up, then less is more in the dialog department.

However, for a beginner game I'd recommend steering clear of lengthy voice-acting segments because they're tough to do well without trained (and expensive, unless you have friends in the right places) talent.

-- Steve

 

[goodman528]

I would say the dialogue thing is irrelevant. The most important thing is knowing what you want to do. If you want to have most of the game as dialogue, then make sure it's worth reading, write it, read it yourself, give it to your friends to read, edit it, then re-read it. Most dialogue, even in professional games (or perhaps especially in professional games) is rubbish. Read some Hemmingway, he would make a good games dialogue writer. But, if you want no dialogue and all action, even better.

The most important thing, is to have clear and concise documentation, and no game breaking bugs. The difference between a good game and a rubbish one has absolutely nothing to do with the content of the game. And everything to do with the bugs the game contains, it's learning curve, how it's marketed, and it's documentation.

 

[geldonyetich]

That's kind of what I was getting to when I said that, "a difference of 'taste' will be whether or not the dialogue actually appeals to you." You'll be willing to tolerate more dialogue if you actually like how the dialogue is contributing to the game. However, it's tricky to use in a game because you have to consider your audience: how many people play games to read them? You might love dialogue and 75% non-interactive cutscenes in your games, but does the majority of the niche you're making the game for agree?

 

[tobyornottoby]

That's kind of what I was getting to when I said that, "a difference of 'taste' will be whether or not the dialogue actually appeals to you." You'll be willing to tolerate more dialogue if you actually like how the dialogue is contributing to the game. However, it's tricky to use in a game because you have to consider your audience: how many people play games to read them? You might love dialogue and 75% non-interactive cutscenes in your games, but does the majority of the niche you're making the game for agree?

Ah so you mean it goes beyond taste because the audience that would like it is just way too small I see

The difference between a good game and a rubbish one has absolutely nothing to do with the content of the game. And everything to do with the bugs the game contains, it's learning curve, how it's marketed, and it's documentation.

quite the overstatement, but yeah bugfree & learning curve are pretty important. I don't think marketing has to be an issue with a hobby project, and I would say the opposite about documentation (a good game, as with every interactive product, has good interaction design if the user NEVER has to look at any documentation)