How to Make a Videogame in Eight (Sort of) Easy Steps

[hamster mk 4]

Can I ask: How much do games companies actually rely on designers? It must be a bit annoying for the programmers who must also have ideas, and who have probably made a couple of small games independently before being recruited. What qualifies games designers for the job? From what I hear games programmers tend to earn a bit less than most programmers do, so it must be kinda demoralizing to also have creative control taken from them.
Or, maybe companies don't tend to hire people who just work on the design... can someone tell me?

I can speak only as a hobby programmer not as professional game developer but here goes.

Programmers tend to have programming related game ideas, like new path finding algorithems or rendering techniques. When I make an game independently I tend to ignore stuff like story, level design, and art in favor of the more fun (for me) stuff like path finding. This does not mean that if a programmer has an idea outside his area of expertice it is ignored, and it is a foolish designer that ignores a programmer when he is talking in his area of expertice.

When I have worked with a designer my reactions usualy end up in one of three catagories:
* I can do that no problem...
* I could do that but it would be much easier to do it this way...
* I can't do that with the time and resources you have given me...

 

[Greg Tito]

Personally, I like the hat.

 

[arcticphoenix95]

time for a prototype/infamous game. prototype's gameplay and combat, with infamous's story and side missions......* user has had a heart attack*.

 

[twaddle]

i found this to be very helpful, but i seem to be hung up on step 3. time to stop not understanding stuff and just learn to understand it. (C++/photoshop/html/unreal engine)

 

[Alon Shechter]

Awesome!
/off to dominate the world.

 

[Karacan]

Or, maybe companies don't tend to hire people who just work on the design... can someone tell me?

Publishers want to see really detailled concepts. That's usually Step 4 already, unless you can write really, really amazing documentation.

In a company of 20 people, you'll find 50 different game ideas. But the ones that get programmed actually are the ones from the dudes who already designed a game.

 

[Playbahnosh]

Heh, I love how most people go "Ohh, making a game is this easy? I had this awesome idea for a game, I'll get right on it!!"...

Well, thinking up and designing a game is easy, making it reality is fucking hard! Same with novels and books. It doesn't matter if you have the awesomest, bestest story in the world...in your mind. You do have to write it down in a form others can understand, and also in a way it conveys the meaning and feelings you want to convey. That's fucking impossible in most cases, even if you are a skilled writer. Same goes for video games. Until we invent telepathy or mind-controlled games, you'll always have to make compromises and work your ass off to convey even half of what you originally wanted.

If you don't believe me, try it yourself. You'll see....

 

[MasterSplinter]

Once some friends and i did a game using only steps 1 and 5, up until we hit 5 things where awsome, then it was hell. Anyway the game sucked ass, we're doing it all over again but much more slowly and steady, i think we're really onto something.

 

[Calhoun347]

I think steps 1,2, and 8 are the most fun. If I could skip the 3-7 and still have a good result I would be a very happy person.

I Imagine that 8 is only fun when 3-7 go smoothly.

 

[Roboto]

Step 6.5: Add DRM
Step 7.5: Delay release, repeat to step 6 and 7
Step 9: DLC the living daylights out of them!
Step 10: Sequel
Repeat steps 5-9, and even 10 in some cases.

 

[ZippyDSMlee]

Heres how bioware makes a game first the concept either rip off or buy a well known IP, use a simplified dialog tree with no more than 2 or 4 eventual conclusions per main speaking character, use a over simplified D20 knock off to run stats off off then as you add weapons and equipment you tact on a customization system that barely uses a quarter of the stats you placed on all the weapons and equipment you made(as so the gamer can not make something better than the dev in some in vane ego trip on the devs part). Then as you build levels you make sure they are corridorish to not scare off "larger demographics". Graphics? naw no need to optimize them any if its good enough for the console its good enough for the PC. And lastly during "optimizing" faze you dumb the game down more so its easier so the "larger demographics" can't complain about it.

/Not in the "larger demographics" he game industry fanws over and coddles.....

 

[soren7550]

Buwah-haha! Now I can use these eight (almost) easy steps to make my game that shall control the world!

Er, I mean samurai game. Yeah...

 

[Warped_Ghost]

I always wondered the basic steps of making a game.

 

[coldfrog]

As a professional web developer, I already want to punch Marcus the Marketing Monkey in the Mouth.

 

[snow]

It's that (sort of) easy? Man... I going to start my laser dog game right now!

Laser cat will not be amused!

From that huge article I read a while ago DNF never made it to step 6. HAH! 3 steps was all they needed (according to this)

 

[Irridium]

Freedom Fighters: Guerilla can begin if its that easy[/sarcasm]
heres my idea- id make it myself, but it took me three solid days to make a cheap 2D "shoot down aliens" thing, which i cant make now because EA stole it. its there flagship product at E3[/EA mocking]
did anyone ever play freedom fighters [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Freedom_Fighters_%28video_game%29]? that game ruled as guerilla warfare. you stole c4 from an enemy armoury, blew up helicopters with it to ease the air support over the prison, where you bust out some allies to help the cause!
the concept is thus:
enemy country has attacked, and has captured your local county, complete with mountains, lakes, fields, sewers, everything. you and some friends with some organisation skills decide to set up a counter offensive
you pick your starting location, field, sewers, mountain, etc. there are advantages to each, e.g. food supplies, water, defensible, easy to vacate, faster attacks on enemy, etc. you do missions that attract attention of the local populace and invading forces. the more attention you have, the more people you get, but the more attackers are sent your way. you can stay and fight, but risk losing everything, or vacate your base, which takes more time the bigger your base is.
you can blow up an armoury, which will lessen the enemy equipment, or steal from it so you can do so again later. you can break allies out of prisons. you can attack enemy propoganda centres. slowly change from a guy with a pistol and a grenade ambushing a runner on a bike, to a force dozens of people strong.
please someone make this game, it would be far better then the red faction guerilla, which lost credibility when the resistance werent even hiding, just sitting in a base

Freedom Fighters kicked massive amounts of ass.
So far I haven't played a game that nailed down the "freedom fighter" as good as that game did.

 

[Calobi]

Lense Flare HD: Reawakening Flare

I'm totally going to make that. You can have a free copy for giving me the idea though.

 

[The Cheezy One]

Freedom Fighters kicked massive amounts of ass.
So far I haven't played a game that nailed down the "freedom fighter" as good as that game did.

red faction:guerrila nearly got close, with limited ammo and the need to hit and run. but with no squad control capabilities and regeneratin health, it didnt feel like a freedm fighter game

 

[Aurgelmir]

I think cryptic totally forgot to do #6 when making their engine for Champions and STO... seriously that engine sucks.

 

[geldonyetich]

Speaking as a fledgling Indy developer myself, I'd say that if making a video game is easy for you, you're probably doing it wrong.

That said, this was a good rundown of the popular model of professional game development. However, as a core gamer, I don't particularly like the model because it doesn't promote originality well enough.

"Like x but with this one awesome thing" annoys me when I'm already bored of x and think my $50 is worth more than one awesome thing, but this is basically what the pitch is that gets money.

Reliance on investors is bad for any artistic medium, games included. Go Indy.