- Joined
- Mar 5, 2010
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- 2
In a new post on his Bottom Feeder blog Spiderweb Software's Jeff Vogel recently offered a few tips to aspiring independent game developers. The veteran RPG developer discussed the importance of having a unique product, acquiring the best software necessary regardless of cost, and avoiding the dangers of working too hard.
1. You Need a Good Idea
This means (and yes, I know this seems obvious but it's amazing how often people forget it) that whatever you are selling has to be pretty darn special. It has to be a good idea, well executed, and not competing against a ton of free competitors. And let me tell you something. That's a hard thing to come up with these days.
2. Professional Work Requires Professional Tools
Another question I get asked from time to time is, "How can I find a free program to do [make art/write programs/whatever]." And my answer is always, "You DON'T!"
I know. You don't have much money. You can't afford Photoshop or whatever. But starting a business isn't free, and you need the best tools for the job.
3. Take Care Of Yourself
You need sleep to live.
When you are working on your project, using your buy world of warcraft gold , scraping up every scrap of time to try to put everything together and get it out the door, you must take care of yourself. Doing otherwise is bad for your work. Program for an hour when you're half-awake, and I guarantee you'll make a mistake which will cost you two hours of debugging. This is what the cool kids call a false economy.
Our biggest problem was the camera, which is frustrating because the game’s 3D environments--a faithful re-creation of the Clos Lucé, Leonardo’s final residence, as it looked in 1522--are so beautiful. They’re full of rich color and detail, right down to Leonardo’s paintings and drawings hanging from the walls. And while the simple controls let you move the camera by moving the mouse, we found ourselves getting queasy after an hour or so of playtime on even the slowest setting.
1. You Need a Good Idea
This means (and yes, I know this seems obvious but it's amazing how often people forget it) that whatever you are selling has to be pretty darn special. It has to be a good idea, well executed, and not competing against a ton of free competitors. And let me tell you something. That's a hard thing to come up with these days.
2. Professional Work Requires Professional Tools
Another question I get asked from time to time is, "How can I find a free program to do [make art/write programs/whatever]." And my answer is always, "You DON'T!"
I know. You don't have much money. You can't afford Photoshop or whatever. But starting a business isn't free, and you need the best tools for the job.
3. Take Care Of Yourself
You need sleep to live.
When you are working on your project, using your buy world of warcraft gold , scraping up every scrap of time to try to put everything together and get it out the door, you must take care of yourself. Doing otherwise is bad for your work. Program for an hour when you're half-awake, and I guarantee you'll make a mistake which will cost you two hours of debugging. This is what the cool kids call a false economy.
Our biggest problem was the camera, which is frustrating because the game’s 3D environments--a faithful re-creation of the Clos Lucé, Leonardo’s final residence, as it looked in 1522--are so beautiful. They’re full of rich color and detail, right down to Leonardo’s paintings and drawings hanging from the walls. And while the simple controls let you move the camera by moving the mouse, we found ourselves getting queasy after an hour or so of playtime on even the slowest setting.
