I'm new to the Indie scene, but wanted to get more into it now that my current job and life are normalizing and giving me more free time, and I have a little more cast to put into it. I'll try to ask more specific questions when I get the chance, but for now, I'm just saying that I'm glad to be part of the board.

Welcome aboard, Seth. You're right in my back yard :)

welcome aboard! :)

Cool! Glad to know I'm not the only developer in the state. Considering the only fairly large video game company I heard of in the state was High Voltage, I was getting worried. Will you be at the IGDA meeting this thursday?

Joseph Barder

Heh, we welcome thee EmperorSeth :D

Now, here's my situation. I'm currently working a basic software Engineering ob in South Elgin. It pays well, but it's not nearly has helpful for me in terms of the video game career as I hoped, but it will be at least a year before I could quit, due to bills. However, I have some money saved up, and my plan is to start up or join an indy game project. I might go the "sell a simple game as shareware" method, but I'd rather either make a simplified version of a more complicated game, and then try to sell the game to a major company, or create a few levels or a more graphics-intensive game. Anything would work, really. I'm not the best artist and programmer, so I have that whole "designer" paradox to deal with; and this might be a decent way to do it. Before I start, though, I need to know what it costs to get the hardware and the whole project off the ground, and also how much it would probably get to get a semi-famous artist in as a character designer, at least for a few characters.

Seth

Originally posted by EmperorSeth
Cool! Glad to know I'm not the only developer in the state. Considering the only fairly large video game company I heard of in the state was High Voltage, I was getting worried. Will you be at the IGDA meeting this thursday?

Joseph Barder

There are lots of IL developers.
Scott Host, Woodridge, IL: http://www.mking.com
Simeon Peebler:, Chicago, IL: http://www.brainblock.com
Itoons, Inc., Chicago, IL: http://www.itoons.com
Webfoot, Lemont: http://www.webfootgames.com
Thomas Warfield, Springfield, IL: http://www.goodsol.com
oppdreams, Elgin, IL: http://www.oopdreams.com
csero, Chicago, IL: http://www.csero.com

There's a bunch more... Those are just the ones off the top of my head :) I have never been to an IGDA meeting, but the folks from itoons often go, maybe I will tag along :)

I think that it depends on why you're doing what you're doing. If your goal is to make money, then I think what you've outlined isn't very realistic. The major companies already have studios throwing complicated games at them, why would they care about a simplified version of a complicated game? Creating levels for an existing game doesn't work very well either. Creating levels (mods) for an existing game can get your foot in the door with a big company, but in most cases isn't sellable.

Have you read Steve's articles (http://www.dexterity.com/articles/)? There is a lot to be said for the shareware method. The whole point of going the indie route (at least as I see it) is to avoid messing with the major companies.

Unfortunately, things have changed (for the worse) in the games industry over the last few years. It is getting increasingly difficult for developers to get publishing deals. Even established developers with experienced teams and money-making titles behind them struggle to place games, even games with many months of development time already done on them.

I'm not saying it is totally impossible for a startup (without team members that have a proven track record) to sell their game to a major company. But I think those that succeed, do it more out of luck than anything else.

On the other hand, self-publishing, indie-style, will let you publish any game you want. Drawback is, you probably have to fund it yourself.

Another option is to just get a job at a big development company. It is guaranteed to be a lot easier than getting a publishing deal, and it will let you work on more complex games. Thought not necessarily the exact type of games you would like.

Really? I didn't know things got so bad. Well, what kind of start-up costs are we talking about, exactly? I mean for hardware at first. Also, I'd still like to know how to contact an artist's agent. Getting him to do some character designs could help raise interest in the project. Hey, if I get my ideas copyrighted beforehand and he likes the concept, maybe he'll take charge of the project in exchange for the majority of the profits; he's bound to have more money than a low-level software engineer with student loan payments.

Seth

Bump. Hmmm, no once can offer advice on the specifics on hardware to purchase, ways to contact an agent/artist, etc.?

Joseph Barder