Notch Is Worried He Might Never Top Minecraft

[Realitycrash]

I don't think it's possible to feel sad for Notch considering the sizable nest egg he has.

Well, that is sort of the point you might be missing. Money to some people only have value if they can use it to successfully be creative. It doesn't matter if it allows them to continue to create, if they feel that they will never make something "good" again (since only what is equal or better to their previous installment is "good" to them).
One might think "Why don't you chill back, use your 30 million bucks to buy a house, two cars, get a playboy wife and start your own internet-café that you can chill at and be worshipped as a god when you show up?", but then you crucially misunderstand what these people live for.

"Money can't buy you love" is true for some people. If Notch truly feel that he can never top Minecraft, and thus feels that everything else becomes shallow and dull, only different shades of gray, then I feel for him as well. All the money in the world won't make you happy then.

 

[willsham45]

I can never see anyone expecting minecraft to me as good and as popular as it ended up.
I dought minecraft will be a one hit wander but we will see I guess.

 

[Redlin5_v1legacy]

Notch making a space game? My interest has been grabbed.

Oh and a man with an awesome hat on this site once said something about dying after making the crowning achievement of your life or something. I can't be assed to find that one Yahtzee quote...

Would this be said quote?

"If there's one thing history has taught us, besides not to piss off people called Genghis or put lead in your water pipes, it's that if you're going to make something incredibly good that becomes frighteningly popular, make sure it's the last thing you ever make in your entire life because otherwise you get to spend the rest of your creative career struggling under the weight of high expectations and bricks."

From the Spore review.

Ah yes, thank you. I'm no longer the encyclopedia of Yahtzee quotes I used to be a few years ago. Stupid brain, retaining university knowledge instead of what's really important!

 

[Abengoshis]

Pshhh hard to top Minecraft?

How about Minecraft...WITH LASERS STRAPPED TO ITS BACK.

Anyway, Mojang could make a thing out of voxel games. They could make voxel space shooters, voxel racing games, voxel fps, anything voxel. If they make a style, they can stick to it and constantly improve.

 

[Jegsimmons]

i can top minecraft in one word.

Spacecraft

entire fucking galaxies

 

[Mordwyl]

Oh, hey, maybe I can steal Dwarf Fortress's source code and monetize the game after it gets underground attention by people. Thus it would make me extremely rich and famous without even trying despite my average skills in programming my own game and coming up with good game designs. It's just that I'm really lazy but I really doubt it'll impact the performance of the new game much considering people will lap it up and hail it anyway.

... What?

 

[Ashoten]

Yea well Notch doesn't need to worry about being able to top minecraft since any amateur programer could top Minecraft. Sorry fans, it was a mildly amusing distraction but it was not a very good game. Minecraft could very well be the first gaming equivalent to a "one hit wonder" pop song that's catchy but really awful.

P.S. When I say awful I mean in the sense that it has no technical prowess beyond the bare necessity's.

 

[Formica Archonis]

Funny, I thought this was why he moved into publishing. Rather than make the next Minecraft, he can try make the next Minecraft happen.

 

[LostintheWick]

He should be happy. Most game creators NEVER get to do what he did. And because of that success, he will be able to continue making the games he wants to. What a schmuck for even complaining.

Notch, you lost some points on this one. But I still love you.

 

[RastaBadger]

But what about "Minecraft 2: Electric Boogaloo"? Won't that be better? (hint set it in space)

 

[Elyxard]

At least he realizes that he was pretty damn lucky. He really hit a specific niche of viral marketing that almost never happens.

I do wonder what's in store for the future for him. Not a terribly huge fan of the guy, but I'd hate for it to all be downhill from here.

 

[ASnogarD]

If one strives only for the summit one will never pass the first step, but if one works from the base one can achieve lofty heights.

Notch forgot his beginnings, the days at TIGsource where he presented a silly little experiment with random 3D world generating, where a player could simply move blocks about and create wierd architecture.
Notch was just playing about with ideas then... now he wants to make games.

In my opinion Notch should just play around with mechanics and ideas and then see if any of them can grow into a full game, its pointless trying to make a full game unless you are satisfied with just churning out rehashes of whats already out there ( CoD / BF / Gears / etc ).
I mean I have several ideas I need to get through, and I am only learning to code in C++ and SDL ( I at least had one game out there )... imagine how many ideas Notch has from years of experience in programming.
( NO, my ideas are not the far fetched immpossible to code , FPS + WoW + Angry Birds mixture with realtime weather systems and universe simulation type ideas... ideas I can code with my current limited skills, just need to get time to get through them )

You're lucky, I must be the only person in the Game Development and Design degree track who is a great programmer, but isn't creative enough to come up with any sort of original game idea. Guess I'll just have to hired on to work on other people's ideas. Weirdly enough, I'm alright with that.

It is ironic, I have the creative flair but lack the actual ability to really get down to getting the ideas done.
I got my first little 'game' done , but the code is a mess. I have to re-learn C++ , and SDL , plus I need to improve my spriting... took 6 weeks and lots of iterations for the main char, and thats not even completed.
Got to get to grips with some sequencers as well to make some tunes for future projects, and find some good sound bites ( or learn how to make sounds from the code O.O ).
( http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Nserj0a29UU&feature=plcp&context=C4bc8f0fVDvjVQa1PpcFPM_BwGtBdpiFpu5SU4gmumrmi2Ej2vnDI%3D )

My 'plan' was / is :
Get a game out , any game (done)
Make a fun game with GREAT controls ( in progress )
Make a game with a intresting mechanic ( I got the mechanic in theory sorted )
Work on 'the' game , the one that got me started learning again.
Prototype a fighting game, based on Karate Champ rather than SF 2
Work on some ideas on how to eliminate connect the dot style questing in MMO's , and keep the starting areas still instresting / usefull even at higher levels ( not actually make an MMO , too much for me...just mess with the ideas ).

... thats the lot for now.

 

[synobal]

Notch could top minecraft by making a minecraft that doesn't use Java.

 

[MorganL4]

Sorry dude but I do think you are the Don McLean of Gaming....


wrote the best combination of lyrics ever at 17 and then went no where........

Hey at least you have more money than you know what to do with ( most of us can't say that)

 

[Merlark]

Minecraft is a success, yes. Did Notch make it successful? No. Minecraft by itself isn't even that good. I think almost anyone can top minecraft.

All the good content comes from other uses in mods, textures, worlds, servers, community's...

What he should be worried about is can he create games that impose the standard for programming people expect from professional made titles since he is now a professional company. Can his next game work reasonably well without crafting, can he implement a patch system that hasn't been outdated since 1995?

we'll see.

For a game thats barely a game this guy worrys allot. Though, I think he's more worried that, can I make other titles that print money for me for no good reason? probably not.

 

[TheRightToArmBears]

On the other hand. Look at Guns and Roses. Lots of money, lots of talent. Then Chinese Democracy happened.

That wasn't a Guns and Roses album, that was an 'Axl Rose and a bunch of random guys' album.

I guess it must be pretty daunting, and to be honest, I'm not entirely sure he'll do it. Still, I reckon he'll make some decent stuff, especially now he's got the money to do it.

 

[Marxaeus]

I think Notch isn't seeing the big picture here. He shouldn't be aiming to make a game that can be better than Minecraft, he should focus on making a game that is great by it's own merits, not because it's not as popular as his previous creation.

Besides, chances are his next game wont be in any way similar to Minecraft. If you're afraid to try and top it, make something different. Countless companies have already tried to copy WoW and take them on, only to be shot down. Trying to take on your own creation and being beaten by it is just embarassing.

 

[faspxina]

It's terrible a thing for an author to make a huge hit at his first try. Because then your next projects will never meet people's expectations, including your own.
Considering how he probably has enough money to be experimental and fail all he wants, I think he'll be just fine.

 

[Hazy]

i can top minecraft in one word.

Spacecraft

entire fucking galaxies

Can you code the whole thing in Java and take vacations every other week?

'Cus if so, you're hired.

 

[Lunar Templar]

well...

he won't if he's TRYING to top it