Developer’s path: stories about my epic fails, part 1

Story how I was able to get into gamedev mess is pretty unusual. It all began when I was working promoter and ensnare people in strip club. Once upon a night from Friday to Saturday, some car stopped in front of me and some cheerful company tumbled out from it. One person from company inquired about place, where they can kick up their heels…



Grab comfortable pew, dear reader. This article starts series, dedicated to stories about my epic fails, mobile development, searching own path and overcoming yourself. If you want to create your own game (or anything), but don’t know how programming or painting, I hope my experience inspire you to first steps, which will lead in right direction. Series will useful for some who know something and wants to start own gamedev’s path, because learning on other’s mistakes more pleasant than on owns. Many things I did underperforms, my example clearly shows, how you shouldn’t do. Some information from series useful in other areas (in particular in business with China). Also you can to observe our mobile project, which is happening right now.

What I and team have today: very playable demo version of arcade tower defense game with uncial gameplay (we saw similar in some things games, but nowhere gameplay was 100% as we have) and bright and colorful art style, praised by art director of Zeptolab (guys, which presented Cut the Rope to the world). Demo acquires content step-by-step and inexorably moves to release.

Not so epic achievement, but better than nothing.

It can be epic, or even legendary, if I wasn’t fancied by years that game development is magic craft, too complicated and incomprehensible. But truth is that now threshold of entry is so low, that every advanced PC’s user can be game maker. All tolls are already created and instructions for it are already written. If you have special question, you can easily find answer for it in developer’s community. The most powerful barriers are inside: laziness and fear of the unknown. Everything other is no more than total nonsense, not a real problem. Although laziness and fear turned out to be illusory on checking. So there are no problems to create game. I mean absolutely. You know how to think coherently and can push buttons? Take it and do it!

-Anyone can simply walk into gamedev!

Boromir



If I knew it 5–7 years ago, now I will have entire mountain of realized projects and more than likely a decent amount of money. I want you to not repeat my mistakes and lose your chance.

I stayed in grip of fear too long, and this led to loosing 2 almost guaranteed opportunities to earn good money on games. First – on social game market, but everybody knows about it saturation. Second – on mobile game market.

Yes, mobile game’s gold rush is over. Before 2010 year you can made ever Doodle Jump and it will achieve zillions of downloads. Now chance earn on simple mobile game is close to chance win lottery. Only the most creative, reckless and insane in good meaning can do it (I hope I one of them). But it doesn’t mean that everything bad and hopeless, in different areas of digital world (particularly in game world) rifts open to new unexplored dimensions ever several years. Pioneers of terra incognita usually are in time to stake most delicious claims. You can be one of them, if you will act in right way. The most proper thing you can do – to start moving right now. But whither? In my view, the surest areas, where single developer or small team can reach success are augmented reality and virtual reality. Mostly augmented, because you can make something decent in it by small forces. My mobile game I regard as a first significant venture: if it not reaches heights of stores, I reach knowledge and experience, useful in other projects, include projects for augmented reality.

So start right now and don’t wait some special combination of circumstances, which happened with me.



Now then, I always dreaming about making games, but instead of following dream I moonlighted at nights by ensnaring people in strip club. Once upon a night some cheerful company tumbled out from car, occasionally stopped in front of me. One man from company inquired about place, where they can kick up their heels, and I, of course, tell him about strip club which I worked in. Man recalls that he was there before and leads conversation away to his club – not stripe, but slot machines. Illegal. And offers job in it.

I accept the offer.

Of course, club was almost instant busted by Economic Crimes Bureau (that night was craziest than I was offered job in slot club), but before it owner of illegal club discovered, that I am sort of creative person, which wrote sci-fi novel and stuff. And his friend needed creative help with social game developing just in that time. And that is how I got into gamedev – through some strange loophole from backdoor, which opens in random place in town once in several years. There are more obvious ways for more clever persons.

So, fortune dropped me among into gamedev team (remote one, but at least that kind). I should think a little bit, understand, that “That is it! Finally I am in gamedev! What I was always dreaming about! And now I need to figured out, how can I unleash my potential with maximum effect for personality, wallet and maybe world?”

But I wasn’t smart enough for question like this. Game design consulting was one-off deal, and I focused on area, where I understand much less – business, based on producing in China. Why I acted so stupidly? I didn’t appreciate my opportunities in gamedev and relied on partner. Partner’s help turned out to be exactly zero. That zero can be placed in Weights and Measures Department for everyone’s observation. I should seriously thought about gamedev… but not this time! I decided to rely on another partner. Never do this. Never.

-Sir, do you believe in God?

-Oh, common! I don’t even believe in people, actually.

The truth of life

First partner even make no contribution. Second was more active, but his actions turned out to be ratten – he disappeared at the most crucial moment, and I had to bluff my way out. After that I was screwed up by Chinese, they made such obscenity instead commodity that it couldn’t be told in a tale or wrote with a pen. It was suitable only to scare child at nights, literally: I order masks and Chinese redrawn famous form for some reason. It worked so badly, that now ashamed to remember.



And at this moment, it would seem, glimmer of intelligence had to break through abyss of stupidity. But stupidity was bottomless and glimmer lost in it… I decided to order masks from another Chinese. Never do this. Never. They made better, but I forgot to add important paragraph to technical specification. That affected to quality poorly.

But my greatest mistake was absence of research demand for masks. They appeared to be needed to no one. So, if you want open business with China, I advise you to follow steps:

1. Read Paul Midler’s “Poorly made in China”. If book didn’t inspire fear and horror in you, move on next item:

2. Research the demand

3. Collect pre-orders, and order goods only on money from them

That strategy ruined all your air castles, cut down to size, checked performance capability of idea and saves a lot of nerves, money and time.

But lets return to gamedev. While Mask Fail Saga took place, I complete interesting order to text for mobile game. I made 135 text for missions, each no more than 300 symbols. At any level in that game happens exactly the same as on other ones, so I had to use new ways to invent sense in samey and simple gameplay. It was very interesting, and client was pleased.

Sci-fi novel, game design consultation, 2 articles about game design and scenario for 1 game were enough for offering full-time game design job in Moscow.

Fun was just begun…



In article I used art from our current game, which will be announced soon. So stay tuned!