Saturday, April 5, 2014

What slows me down.

This short game has sort of been an accelerated view of what my development cycle always ends up looking like, and what I need to fix.

First, I decide to make a simple game.
In the first few days, I finish a huge amount of work. I'm doing everything involving the player, so I'm doing what I enjoy the most, and I can do it all without unforeseen problems. In the following day or two, I ride the enthusiasm and animate a bunch of enemies (not H animations) and other stuff, and implement almost all of the basic gameplay functions.

Then, I decide that the simple game isn't good enough. In this case, it went from an arcade style game with single screen levels to a simple metroidvania.

Still enthusiastic, I continue to work on enemies, and other graphics. I implement a bunch of necessary elements, running into a problem here and there and trying new things, but eventually the core of the game comes together. I can play through a fleshed out area within a week. This is where the problems start,

The same thought always occurs to me, "Something is missing"

It usually comes down to a lack of enemies. I can make a new enemy in half an hour to an hour, but I always feel like if I add an enemy, I'll need to do an H-animation for it otherwise people would be disappointed. So I have this running through my mind,

-The gameplay doesn't feel deep enough, because there aren't enough enemies with different patterns.
-But this is supposed to be a short game and I have 3 enemies with H animations per area, if I do any more it will take too long to do animations.
-How can I make this work?

That last question is what gets me. I think too hard about how I can make the game work without more enemies. This slows down level design because I feel like I can't design levels until I have everything to work with, and yet I put off adding those new elements, because I know it will entail a ton of work in the form of H animations, which are tedious to animate well.

This essentially slows down everything, because it also tanks my enthusiasm. I've already gotten passed this point in the short game, and have regained my enthusiasm, but it has showed me exactly how I can avoid this next time.

1. Just add enemies when I need them, and don't hinder progress.
2. Either make enemies that won't have animations, or hire someone to do H animations.

20 H-animations at 3 hours each and $20 per hour would only be around $1200. For something that would speed up development to such a degree, that much is nothing.

So, that's what I'm going to do next time, probably. I may hire an artist to do some other stuff, but priority #1 is making H animations a non-issue. As for now, I'm grinding through them as we speak -__-

Now to go find something good to listen to while I animate. Stand up comedy or something.

74 comments:

  1. Ahh, the old perfectionist problem. Consider using bullshit deadlines:

    The problem is that you want to make the best you can, and that's a shifting target.
    Instead, say you only have the next 4 weeks, no more.
    It's a completely made-up deadline with nothing behind it, but you must stick with it. That's the trick.
    It's no longer about making the best game you can, it's about making the best game you can _in 4 weeks_.
    The difference can be significant: There's stuff you realize the game wants, but if it doesn't fit into 4 weeks, you cut it.
    So the rule is: Either give up by the deadline and throw it away, or release it in whatever state it is then. No excuses. No extensions.
    So you're still allowed to change your plan and refocus during development, but whatever you do, it can't keep extending forever.
    If a change impacts the deadline more than it improves the game, you don't do it, even if it's a net improvement.

    You might want to put these games under a separate category, say "speed games",
    to show users these will be a different kind than your usual when-its-ready quality.

    Oh, heck, what do I know. Just figured it might be an idea you may want to try...

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    1. The problem isn't perfectionism. The drive to make something that feels like it works as a good game is important, and it's what makes my games actually sell. There are games with much better H content then mine that have flopped because they simply cut too many corners.

      Plus, like I said, the problem is that the reluctance to do more work creates more work for myself, and if I just did it and got it over with, there would be no issues.

      As for deadlines, they just create problems. I work on games for the majority of my days anyway. As long as I'm working on what I need to be working on, and finding ways to keep myself enthusiastic about it, development goes smoothly and the game is better for it.

      Delete
  2. Try listening to bill burr :)

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  3. Oh kyrieru, what a silly joke you've become...

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    1. Each of my games has sold more than every other english dev's games combined on DLsite. I think I'll stick to my dedication to quality and work towards self improvement, thanks. It's worked thus far.

      Delete
    2. I firmly believe that everyone should always work towards self improvement, so I greatly applaud your efforts and ideals.

      Delete
    3. How many copies is that, if you don't mind me asking? And how do you know how many copies other devs sell? Just curious.

      Delete
    4. You can look it up on the DLsite yourself. All the games list how many times they're bought as, "downloads".

      Delete
    5. Ah, thanks, DM. I always wondered how these games sold!

      Delete
  4. It's really something every Software/Game dev needs to learn through "trial by fire"

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  5. I have something you can try that might fill what you may call "Missing". Have you ever thought of adding backround H Scenes? like you walk around in a forest or something and while you are playing through the map, theres some H animations in the backround. Its just a thought.

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    1. I already said in the post what was missing, gameplay elements. Every enemy you add creates a huge number of possibilities for level design when combined with other enemies, and so limiting that creates more problems in the long run.

      Background H animations would create more work without that benefit. So while it would be cool, it's not really something I'd put time into.

      Delete
  6. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ejc5zic4q2A
    this is bo burnami's new stand up special and i think its pretty funny
    hope you enjoy it

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  7. Personally fond of Avenue Q if your in for musical comedy.

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  8. What you stated kinda makes me reflect on some issues I had in terms of my book. The is it enough/perfectionist syndrome. Seems like most if not all artists face this. Just keep plugging away and doing the best you can. Try not to burn yourself out though and try not to worry sorry much about these deadlines if you are. It seems that you are already coming up with ways to avoid these mental blocks and I commend you for that.

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    1. I'm slightly confused by this. Not what your saying, but moreso that you at first sound to be plugging your book, but then it occurs to me that you're anon-posting. No idea why I thought to reply to that context...

      Delete
  9. If you're hiring sprite artists and dont mind someone who is still SORTA learning, I could do a couple sample things and we could see how it goes from there.
    email me at harris.jasper@yahoo.com if you are interested

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  10. Have you ever considered just making a bunch of non H attacking enemies and just making a clear difference between ones who do and ones who don't do H attacks/animations, like make one half the size or something?

    Seems like it would be reasonable enough for something you were very clear about being a quick project.

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    1. I'm going to do something like that. Enemies with no animations are going to be things like robots, and with no features that would imply that it might have an animation.

      In terms of it being a quick project, it's going to be quick, but much smaller than Kurovadis, if not the same size. I'm just doing things I'm pretty familiar with, so a lot of it just goes faster. That, and the kind of level design takes less testing than something like Kuro did, because there's less platforming.

      Delete
  11. I feel like, when there is a different artist between h-animations and normal animations, there is a noticeable difference in the two styles.

    How practical would it be to leave the coding/grinding work to someone else, and do only the art/animations and basic game design?

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    1. I'd do it the other way around. Programming and design is the easiest part.

      As for different arists, any decent artist can adjust their style fairly easily, especially when it comes to pixel art. When I was working on the other game, I'd already tried paying someone to do an animation, and it turned out fine.

      Delete
  12. Keep in mind that -- and this is purely from personal experience, so take it with a grain of salt -- that most people playing games in such an obscure and deviant genre, are more than willing to overlook many things that might be obnoxious, or even egregious, in a normal game. People expect these games to be short and almost invariably "more of the same". People know that they are usually developed by one or two underpaid, understaffed, and overworked, dudes.

    So, normally, "more of the same" is a phrase that strikes fear into artists. However, try to keep in mind that because sex doesn't change, h-games will always seem "repetitive" on some level. Your brain is tired of sex, but your FROTHING LOINS aren't. That's not to say that this genre can't have fun, refreshing little tweaks that make things more interesting (eg. the melees in Kurovadis and the shield in Eroico*). It can, and ideally a new game will have a neat mechanic or something to set it apart. I'm just saying that you shouldn't judge your work as harshly as you normally would for feeling "like it's missing something", because the subject of sex carries with it an aura of "yeah we've all thought about this every ten seconds since we were 13 years old".

    * FYI I'm not citing those games because they're relevant to you. I'm using those because those two games are PARAGONS of the genre in terms of game design.

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    1. What I always think is missing is enemy variety for design reasons, not sex variety. It's just that with certain kinds of enemies comes the expectation of H animations in this genre, and I'd rather avoid disappointment. (an example would be how some people were disappointed that the ghost in Eroico had no animation)

      However, like I said in another comment, I just need to make some enemies where it's obvious that they wouldn't have an animation. Or at least distinguish them in some way that the player knows what to expect.

      Delete
    2. If you're having trouble providing distinguishing characteristics, perhaps the simplest solution is the best. If the player's character is male, then make enemies without an H-scene male. Perhaps that would seem like a reasonable solution? Or if that doesn't work then make non-H enemies more cute and chibi than sexy.

      Then again, chances are we're all deviants in some way, so inevitably, regardless of what you do, people will be disappointed in some way. The other course of action is, perhaps, not to worry about it too much. For me, I know that I can think too much over things and end up completely demolished in spirit, so that the only way to sidestep that repetitive hurdle is to simply headrush without a care.

      If none of these thoughts pique your interest then I will at least give a word of encouragement. Regardless of how your games come out, this particular customer will cheer you on.

      Delete
    3. In the case of this game, non- H related characters will generally be machines, and lack any features that look like they would be used for sexual purposes.

      Delete
    4. I wasn't disappointed about that. I was disappointed there are only 3 health upgrades which each recolor 1/4th of your heart. OCD mind-melt

      Delete
    5. If it makes you feel any better,
      http://gyazo.com/c9d405f0ee92f1d6c224e0294d7982fe

      The full heart was in the game, just not utilized.

      Delete
    6. It's not something that's broken, it's just something that was never used because there were only three levels.

      Delete
  13. Would having a sort of enemy commander system help? It might add an interesting mechanic to the game in that you need to take down these primary targets while also dealing with their minions, and of course, only the commanders themselves would have rape scenes.

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  14. If substance/different enemies are what's missing, you could go the old NES route and reuse the same sprite with different colors and different AI... Granted, you might feel that that would be cheating or cheap... But on a one-man operation, I think your fans would certainly understand.

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    1. Well, like I said, the issue isn't really creating enemies. That part doesn't actually take that long in most cases. It's the notion that I had to do H animations for everything that would make me think twice.

      Delete
    2. Hm... do you suppose it would be possible to make a 'template' for H-animations, or something like modular parts? I think that there's potentially some method of 'standardizing' the process... Perhaps create a handful of positions independent to enemies, cutting the overall work on some H-animations in half (or more, given the protagonist's often the focus) by reducing it to 'fill in enemy side->tweaks'. Keeping the same exact animation isn't required or necessarily desirable, but having that 'starting point' ready from the get-go could lead to more subtly different animations than necessarily all drastically different. And you can always edit/transform that base when it inevitably ends up a bit off, but that's still apt to be a bit less work than starting from scratch each time.

      By doing that, you could essentially have 'palatte swap' H-animations where the enemy's side is swapped out, you make minimal tweaks (transform the legs a bit, flip the animation, et cetera) and retain the ability to create new enemies that are mechanically different and challenging without necessarily forcing H-innovation as well.

      Since it's dealing with sprites and is at a fixed camera angle (albeit with potentially shifting perspectives for H content, granted, but even then, generally there's a fairly set amount of such perspectives that one uses-- side, front-facing, 3/4, or whatever), modular parts can be cut-pasted to some effect-- moving hair, simple expressions, or even common arm/leg positions might be viable to 'pre-draw' to create a, for lack of a better term, 'H tileset' to build from. In what bits of sprite work I've done, mostly just the head/hair tends to be easily kept modular as such (although torso/bottom split sometimes works, depending on the sprite's style), but it was the difference between making a hundred frame animation and a twelve frame animation at the time. Granted, I also lacked (and still lack) any real experience with actually drawing via spritework, so I was largely editing to begin with and trying to minimize redraw (as I was quite limited with doing so), so it's indeterminate how useful such method may or may not be in larger scale like this.

      Perhaps you could have 'types' of enemies with a similar base animation: as an example, say 'male humanoid' type has 1-5 animations with minimal differences between them, but that means you can make two, three, five, or even ten times that quantity of male humanoid type foes with any number of varying battle mechanics and just add them into that template. In fact, you could even make individual foes feel more dynamic by making their animation pick one from the template pseudo-randomly, if all within a type were fit into each animation. You could even group similar enemy types and have them share some (or even all) animations-- such as futa with male, or even female-with-strap-on with futa/male (though, hopefully that'd not be the only female template, in that case ^^). Beast enemies, winged enemies, tentacled enemies-- if you can divide enemies into categories, you end up with making new tires each time rather than the entire car and I cannot stop thinking about the model-T with all my jabbering on about modular parts now-- I don't even know anything about cars but I just can't stop thinking about that parallel. Aaaand that inevitably leads me into thinking up sex-puns for said parallel. Dammit.

      Hope I've said something potentially helpful, in any case. Infinitely less experienced with creating such things, but what little I have done involved almost nothing but trying to think up 'an easier way'. I like to think that impatience breeds innovation, but it's hard for me to tell if that sort of approach is practical here.

      Delete
    3. The problem with doing templates or single poses, is that it still requires that I make the enemy side of the animation. At that point, it takes just about as long as doing a unique animation, so it wouldn't really be worth the time saved.

      Something like that might make more sense at a higher resolution, since at that point re-drawing becomes more of an issue.

      Delete
  15. Easy. Set a number of enemies with H-Animations, like you said for instance, 3 / area and have it in that game.

    Then, if people want more, draw more after the game is released and release them as DLC, additionally to your game...

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  16. You seem to not actually like the genre youre making games for

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    1. I like H games, and animating H-animations is fine, too. It's just that animating 15 of them is very tedious and time consuming work.

      Delete
  17. Instead of making more enemies, try to make the individual enemy more interesting by adding more patterns and triggers. Essentially how most games handle boss fights. Like ranged enemies switching to melee if you get too close, enemies getting more agressive/defensive the more hits they take and so on. You could make one enemy that fills the space of 2 or 3 if you do it right. The game would also feel more natural and organic than most games that lock a type of enemy in one type of behaviour that never changes.

    But if you add enemies without sex animations in the game you're going to always disappoint someone. Some people are into robot sex and they'll be sad if no robot in the game does anything like that. And sex animations are what makes me play and buy games like yours - without it, it's just another 2D-retro-look-indie platformer/metroidvania/whatever concept was successful 20 years ago. No offense, though.

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    1. I prefer having more enemies in this type of game so that the player knows what to expect out of specific enemies, and can prepare accordingly. It also adds more variety in general, and would take just as long as adding new moves to an existing enemy.

      Delete
  18. So essentially, to make content to fap to, or to make content not to fap to.

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  19. I'm sure you've probably heard this suggestion many times, Kyrieru, why not try making a non-h game? Your game's controls/mechanics are the sole reason I STILL go back to Kuravadis to this day.

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    1. I will eventually, but only when I'm in a situation where I could afford to have the resulting game flop and still be fine. In my case, that means I'll be making at least 3-4 more H games before trying it. With more than one of those H games being made per year once I hire someone.

      Delete
    2. Stick with what works until you have the leniency to expand outward, fair enough. Maybe when you get to that point, make a pool so you can see what your current fans think about it? Sorry if I'm annoying ya with the unnecessary attempt at advice.

      Delete
  20. If you need something to listen to while animating, I have a suggestion. Try Game Grumps playlists, I listen to those a lot while working or playing games.

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    Replies
    1. I've watched all of them already...

      I already did the whole "watch all of them at once" thing a while back while working lol.

      Delete
    2. Megaman 7 and Goof Troop never get old. Also Arin and Dan's recent Super Mario World playthrough is insane.

      I dont know if you've ever watched Two best friends play but they also make very fun lets plays.

      Delete
  21. Have you ever thought of designing a game from start to finish without even producing any actual game elements? Like in a notebook, draw all the levels, monster placement, ect? Then after that, spend an hour a day (or whatever) actually designing it? Changing only the game-breaking stuff and ignoring all the voices that demand tweaks or improvements.

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    1. I've tried it in the past, I don't really think it works very well. Part of design is testing the game thoroughly, and getting a feel for it. Something that seems fun on paper might not work in practice, and building a whole game around something that might not even feel right would end up being a waste of time.

      At the very least, I think a lot should be done in-engine before drawing things out.

      Delete
  22. No matter what will happend,you are Kyrieru,sole creator of Kurovadis and Eroico.No matter what will happend many people will wait your next game.

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  23. In my humble opinion, what the game may lack usually depends what do you believe it's main feature factoring in fun should be.

    For example, Metroidvanias - they aren't often just about enemies (though, I agree, they ARE of certain importance) but about exploration and developing character/achieving new things - thus, often giving new places to explore (non-vital fo continued game areas, additional rooms, maybe even complete sizeable portions of levels that can be skipped together with rewards and enemies) and ways to develop character (skills, hidden, different weapons and armors, additional ways to make the character stronger) is what actually one can derive much fun from.

    Other than that, I hope this post will show up. More than once I had issue with my post disappearing from your blog, Kyrieru, despite it not being offensive or off-topic. I don't know the cause.

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  24. Kyrieru, you're one of the few developers that I actually follow, that being because of your games being simple and fun. But sometimes I think you may have bigger plans that is too much for you too handle. Sometimes a simple game is a better choice until you get some people to help you. But that's just one side of my opinion, the other is being that despite all the games being pushed back, at least you're making something you want

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  25. I wonder if you have ever considered a non-H game, this may not be popular opinion but I have always had the feeling of "This H was not necessary" the games are good by themselves.
    Just wondering though.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. And then I decided to read the other comments and got my answer.

      Delete
    2. I just realized I responded to you below without actually responding to the right comment. Smooth -__-

      Delete
  26. Replies
    1. Thank you. I look forward to it, should you ever fully go that route.

      Delete
  27. Don't take this the wrong way, but you've sort of posted the same wall of text every other month for the last 1.5 years. They it themselves are sort of a metaphor for your procrastination. Instead of explaining to everyone why you haven't done something, take the time you would have spent writing the post to get something done.

    I don't speak for everyone, or probably even a lot of people, but my tolerance is starting to slip. If you ever release a game again, I would buy it of course, but there will come a point where I will stop coming here to check.

    Also, your posts about how you won't pre-sell games because you don't agree with selling unfinished products kinda sounds like a cop-out. It more seems like you don't want to pre-sell your games because that would obligate you into actually producing one, and I'm beginning to think you're afraid of that commitment. Seize the opportunity to push out more products while you're still the big fish in the water.

    And on that note, try not to let your past success go to your head, reading things like:
    "Each of my games has sold more than every other english dev's games combined on DLsite. I think I'll stick to my dedication to quality and work towards self improvement, thanks. It's worked thus far."

    is a bit of a turn off. Good for you that you were successful, but don't forget it was your fans and patrons that brought you your success. And now week after week you only bring them disappointment and excuses. The internet is full of trolls and assholes, but their disappointment isn't unfounded.

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    1. Kyrieru has already said that he doesn't like preselling because people have the right to see a whole game before deiciding to buy it. I don't have any problems with that I see how a lot of people (and I'm sure a lot of japanese customers) wouldn't trust a dev like Kyrieru to buy his games beforehand.

      I guess acknowledging the success of Kurovadis and Eroico is arrogant but you can't deny that it has worked so far. If you are going well doing something a certain way, then why changing it? Just look at how many japanese platformers/beat em ups that had much better graphics and CG flop horribly because of terrible gameplay or inconsistensies in the art design.

      About "you've sort of posted the same wall of text every other month for the last 1.5 years" and "And now week after week you only bring them disappointment and excuses". I think you aren't aware of the production of Crimson blue/Crimson brave, which were cancelled, as well as just how long the producion of Kurovadis was. Making games on your own alone isn't an easy job, other Devs like Vosmug and Datatony can sure prove that.

      If I have already waited 12 months for a game, I'm pretty sure I can wait some more after it's finished. Also I can see why other people can get dissappointed, I'm not blind, I guess I'm just too patient.

      Delete
    2. I've never seen an h-game with better graphics than kyrieru's stuff. I'd wager his artwork is a bigger part of his success than his game design.

      Delete
    3. Vosmug's work on Xenotake until finish was impressive, and I'd imagine was a long and arduous journey since Prisonkage. Heck, seeing anything go from conception to finish always impress me. I can't find anything on this "dataTony" fellow though.

      I'd wager on the good balance of both Kyrieru's artwork/animations & game design. They went hand-in-hand & fit like a glove to give you a compact h-game.

      *P.S. I'm no expert

      Delete
    4. So you would have preferred for him to drop off the face of the earth for that year? You would rather he be the sort of author who -didn't- feel for their fans, and post accordingly? Believe it or not, hearing about the actual processes behind the game(s) making is a major part of why people come here-- including, and perhaps even particularly, because of the setbacks involved. You -CANNOT-, however, sit on a pedestal and claim Kyrieru is procrastinating when not only has he proven that he can and will complete a game, but when you yourself have less than zero credibility on the matter. Have you ever created a game? Even a small one? Because without the tiniest shred of actual experience with such things, it's easy for anyone to bitch and whine about progress being minimal, whilst themselves never even making the attempt to create anything to begin with.

      No one is holding you hostage over not being able to get the game when it is released, and, frankly, no one cares whether you check in every day, week, month, or year, or at all-- rather than petty attempts at a 'threat' over an opinion, and it is only an opinion with such a lack of effort to support it, why not try and be helpful? Or, better yet, try it yourself and gain some perspective. Having an opinion, in itself, means jack shit, and arguing one's opinion without so much as an -attempt- at using facts |or| experiences to support it is beyond conceited. [citation needed] is an apt suffix to your entire claim, as simply having an opinion does make it credible any more than having genitalia would make one's advice on sex automatically credible.

      Having a sense of ethics regarding pre-selling games is completely reasonable and, while I -agree- with you about it being very practical and a potential help, financially, I took the time to read and /understand/ the actual reasoning Kyrieru has, and, while I'm still not 100% in agreement, I accept the well-intended motive of creating a fair purchasing environment. Instead, your self-entitled 'holier than thou' crap has you conjuring up ulterior motives out of sheer spite simply because, at your core, you know you've accomplished nothing, and you hate the thought of someone succeeding. This sound like baseless speculation against you? I don't even know you? Guess what, the same goes for you-- again, you know neither Kyrieru's manner of thinking nor the process involved, so your accusatory bullshit is based entirely on your own sense of entitlement. You think you have a right to bitch and moan because 'you want a game', and you refuse to apply any actual thought to the matter beyond that, because it would be too much work.

      Furthermore, 'success go to his head'? He did a damn good job and being proud of that is to be expected, for one, but your snippet is COMPLETELY out of context, which is far more pressing. He was responding to someone who was being a bit of an ass by trying to, again, without actual citation, claim that his games were inferior to others of the sort. His response, because it is a |citation|, and NOT an opinion, is impossible to consider as entitled drivel... unlike every word of your own post.

      I can see why you posted as anon, for as much baseless, conceited complaint as you for some reason think you're entitled to.

      Delete

    5. In any case! I've seen games with better graphics than Kurovadis, but I've seen many of them with gameplay so abysmal that I can't even bring myself to call them 'games', as well. Granted, many are quite good in gameplay as well (as with the afformentioned Xenotake), but Kurovadis manages to have more involved and rewarding combat via its mechanics, which are not only a cut above, but even include such innovations as the roll to keep that spark of 'wow, even just running about is just so fun' going. Most of the comparable works I've seen are works-in-progress, because doing that together with the art is just such a monumental task. Many are being done very well, like Labco-- aaaand just noticed that the post above me is datanony. I'm going to end this post to laugh now. XD

      Delete
    6. If we're talking about H-games that have a retro aesthetic then I don't think any even come close to Kurovadis graphically. The CGs still suck though, especially the spider woman one. Were you using a blowup doll as a reference?

      Also I strongly disagree with the first post KEEP US UPDATED KYRIERU!

      Delete
    7. @Anon April 6, 2014 at 6:45 PM

      Wow... you are really ignorant.

      I can understand your anger and enthusiasm, but your really don't know anything about creating things from practically nothing.

      I got a great idea for you. Go get Blender (a really good free 3d anim modeling suite) Gimp (a free photo editing program similar to photoshop), grab an IDE such as Game maker or Unity and some DAW, look for a free one or one that has a very good demo like FL studio.

      Come back here when you have your awesome game made ^_-....

      Take your time....

      Your going to need it...

      Delete
  28. The handy thing about computer games is that the development cycle isn't forcibly ended when you release the product. Unlike console games. Even if a project is forced out the door a bit early and it's not perfect, has a few problems, it's not the end of the world; you can go back and update it with patches and additional content. Most of the big PC games have been doing this for a while; heck, in the field of MMORPGs, this is a given. Releasing free patches to fix bugs, and releasing additional content in the form of expansion packs and DLC has been a time-honored tradition of computer gaming since the Internet became easily accessible to the public.

    Now there are times when this goes horribly wrong, and that it's an obvious grab for profits (take a look at The Sims 2 and its... what is it, 18 different expansion packs?), and you also have to make sure your finished product is at least decent right out the gate. Otherwise you have disasters like Big Rigs.

    So here's an idea. Why not use the nature of the updatable medium as an advantage? Set a deadline to release the initial release of the game in, and even if you have to cut some content at the last minute, just go with it -- as long as the game is playable, start to finish. BUT, work to add additional content in the following days; a sort of "post-development" phase, as it were. The people who bought that release will get the content updates for free when you finish them up.

    It's like a preorder, except they ARE getting to play your game the moment they pay for it, along with a promise for further content.

    Just a thought. Using a strategy like this, you could thus put off giving H-animations to some of your enemies until the "post-development" phase; you'll have something to show for your work, and STILL be able to get the game you WANT to create out there.

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    1. This method leads to developers promising many things on Kickstarter and earning around $2 million USD then not actually delivering anything years later (Starbound, and Oculus Rift to a lesser extent).

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  29. Just keep struggling and posting until it feels right. You're travelling a productive road and it doesn't matter how long anything takes. Line Marvel has been gone for like a fucking decade and people still hope every day that he'll come back. Look at his games and tell me the tech or the h-content deserves that attention.

    New ideas that are executed well have proven successful and set the pace for less creative souls that are willing to grind products out. We've always needed people like Line Marvel, Zone and you, who all take their sweet fucking time to release their products. If you aren't happy with your product we won't be either.

    Stay emotionally healthy and don't let the neediness of the customers break you down. Nintendo and Valve don't make h-games, but they are both leaders in the industry and have clearly learned this lesson, too.

    Stay the course. Communicate, strive to improve, everything you're already doing. Keep it up.

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    1. I feel like Line Marvel just has the following he does because theirs were some of the first, for lack of a better term, 'mainstream' tentacle H games. Not that that's a bad thing (a fan myself), and it inspired plenty of similar games (almost an entire subgenre, in fact-- still hate the term 'genre', by the by) that surpassed its actual quality by leagues... but it's weird to view an H game nostalgically, of all things.

      That said, comparing Kyrieru to Line Marvel is... a bit off. Granted, they both certainly have the potential as inspirational sources, but as far as timeframes and communication goes, there's no contest. Line Marvel may have been one of the first goes at offering gameplay, but it was still a model that didn't lend itself to much growth as a game. My theory is simply that, between working with expectations placed upon them and having a format that grew stale, Line Marvel simply opted out because there was nothing to be gained (very practical).

      Kyrieru, meanwhile, has paid work that has plenty of room for creative expression-- the same psychological and financial roadblocks simply aren't apt to present themselves. Not rushing out some abominable non-game is of course admirable and I agree that it's a necessary balance to... well, anything out there that's just a CG set loosely tied by games, or something truly cringe-worthy like those meet-n-fuck things; but still, you can't act like a very reasonable timeframe with no drop-off-the-face-of-the-earth hijinks is any sort of dev-hell.

      If you don't want something as lame as a CoD game, don't expect a release in as short a span. Being H only makes a game intrinsically -more- work, not less, and so such expectations, I agree, are quite silly. Though, if Valve and Nintendo are one's role models, you'd need sequels to Kurovadis and Eroico and then to drop everthing to go make fitness and pet-sim games. XD

      Ah... it's fun to poke fun at some'f their missteps, even if I am a fangirl of both companies. But a year-length production cycle will ruin any game-- just look at left 4 dead 2. Sure, it was on-paper bigger and better... but it lost too much of that spark that made the original so fun; that inexplicable charisma that it used to have.

      In fact, on the topic, it's not like he stopped making H games to go make wii sports, and it's not like we're looking at a wait like Half-Life 3, or Team Fortress 3, or Left for Dead 3, or Portal 3, or... what was I talking about again?

      But yeah, despite Nintendo switching gears to bring in casual gamers, they -did- still release some excellent first party titles, despite the complaints, and Valve has, in fact, actually made a sequel to almost every series it's started, as well, and all have (setting aside my remarks with Left 4 Dead 2), generally been fantastic as well. Neither -had- to, but they did, and they did so well, and that's in spite of the 'fans' who doubted them.

      I can't speak for others, of course, but personally, it takes something like Sonic '06 level failure of gameplay or Capcom level neglect of a series (Might No. 9 had to pick up that slack) for me to even start losing faith in a gamemaker, and I still give them a chance down the line (following that example, Sonic Generations and Monster Hunter 3U are two of my favorite games nowadays).

      ...it seems that I can't make a post anywhere without worrying about character limits, nowadays... Sorry 'bout that. ._.

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  30. I was taught once in a class about managing expectations. If you tell somebody to do A, B, C, and there is the extra step D, they will dislike D as it is "more" or extra work. If you tell them to do ABCD they will see it as part of the process and do it without caring nearly as much.

    It's pretty much the same principle as putting things on "sale": it doesn't matter as much what you are paying, you just feel as if you are saving money because it's on sale. This is all well documented and indisputable.

    Now onto the relevant part. You communicate with us regularly, that's good! But you can't tell us something will be done by X time then just go dark and delay over and over, it will harm some of your users impressions. I would highly recommend you forego mentioning timelines or dates you expect to get work done in your posts, because it builds an expectation in our minds (however shallow or simple we as the consumer are) that we will get something tangible soon, then we feel cheated when it's taken away.... then repeat this process a few times and the shakier consumers are gone. Sure, your products are quality and they will keep doing well, this is more about managing how to keep the comments section positive and diminish any negative would-be-consumers.

    Just a thought to consider! I shall await your next title.

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  31. Little ida from a person with little experience in game design : have you thought about making few enemies, but make in a such a way that the level design makes encounters with them different ?

    Like, for example, an enemy with a shield. You can't attack him directly, so at first you have to make in fall in a trap or crush him with a chandelier. Then you have to go through a platform section to go around him and attack him from behind. Then you have to hide, wait for him to get pass you and attack him from behind. Then you get a skill that allow you to roll pass him.

    Se what I mean ? It would be only one enemy to animate, but by giving him a gimmick that mixes with the level design, you can make different encounters with him that feel like different enemies.

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    1. Well, most enemies should be like that, to some extent. Level design in a nutshell is building layouts around what enemies you have, and trying to figure out how you can make each encounter different in some way.

      However, it all depends how much time you have to give different enemies more depth. Sometimes you only have time to create simple patterns.

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  32. I've been trying to make a H game lately and I'd recently had the same thought about adding in new enemies for more gameplay variety and my solution was simply to reuse enemies but with different weapons or attacks so three enemies per area but some of them come in two or so forms. They drop their weapons to fuck so they look the same in H-animations.

    I didn't read the comments so this might have been suggested already :\

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    1. I've considered that before, but I always thought that the same problem might happen, where players are disappointed that there aren't different animations. But really, I should probably stop worrying about that. A better game is more important, and options like the one you mentioned are fine.

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    2. Great to hear, man.
      I think your games are the most fun I've ever had in H-games so I think it'd be great to see you with that little bit of extra freedom in the design department.

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