From 37e11f04be93bca703889c7c8553aa9d944c1e45 Mon Sep 17 00:00:00 2001 From: Aki Date: Wed, 28 Aug 2024 22:51:28 +0200 Subject: Cleaned-up Doc/ directory a bit Renames, re-capitalization, removed selected very outdated or not interesting files. --- Doc/Designer.txt | 173 +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ 1 file changed, 173 insertions(+) create mode 100644 Doc/Designer.txt (limited to 'Doc/Designer.txt') diff --git a/Doc/Designer.txt b/Doc/Designer.txt new file mode 100644 index 0000000..643722e --- /dev/null +++ b/Doc/Designer.txt @@ -0,0 +1,173 @@ +Nicholas Walkland asked: + +>>I'm currently researching a feature [snip] about game design ideas +>>and how to get developers and publishers +>>interested. Basically, it's [for] people who think they +>>have a good idea for a game [snip]. +>>How to present the ideas? +>>Which companies accept these? +>>Any games (good or bad) that have arisen from straightforward game +>>plan/ideas? + +Kasey Chang answered, +>Unfortunately, if you are NOT in the industry itself, it is +>practically impossible to see your idea being even considered by major +>companies, much less implemented. Almost all companies get their +>ideas internally, esp. now in the days +>of the sequels. In fact, I am NOT aware of ANY company that accepts +>external ideas (probably due to possibility of law suits). [snip] +>I imagine that it MAY be possible to get someone interested if one has +>a complete game design document written and polished, preferably with +>some sort of tech demo (minimal graphics), but that's more of a +>"calling card" by one programmer or a small team hoping to become a +>"studio" for a major developer, than one game enthusiast's fantasy. + +So now, I, Tom Sloper, add in my two cents: + +Very well said, Kasey! That is pretty much it, in a nutshell. Only a little +more to add, which may help outsiders understand a little more of the reasoning +behind this admittedly unfortunate reality. +It has been said (right here at this NG) that "ideas are free" (which is +considerably more true than what I would have said: that "ideas are a dime a +dozen"). +Every employee in every game company's studio or production department (or R&D +department, whatever yawannacallit) has at least one idea for their own "dream +game." I myself have well over half a dozen such ideas that I've been wanting +to do for years -- and I'm a "Senior Producer" (that just means I'm an /old/ +producer!) at a major game publishing company. +So let's say that somebody -- "Joe Gamefan" -- writes to me and says (after +signing a Disclosure Agreement in which we mutually agree that whatever he +tells us may in fact be something we had already thought of, in which case we +are not obligated to pay him if we had already started working on something +similar, and a bunch of other clauses that cover a wide range of possible +reasons for him to sue us for nothing more than the fact that he wrote us a +letter), "Ooh! Ooh! I have a great idea for a new game -- why don't you guys +do Fighter Raid (the classic Atari 2600 game originally published by my +company, Publishcom), only set in Vietnam!" + +Several problems with this idea: + +- Like, uh, you think nobody here at Publishcom ever thought of this, or +something really really close? +- Like, duh! We LOST Vietnam, ya know??? +- Like, what hardware are you suggesting we do this game on? The Atari 2600? +You didn't say! +- Like, who is going to buy this game, why are they going to buy it, why is it +better than a jillion other jet fighter games out there, etc., etc., etc.? +- Like, who are you anyway? If we decide we like the idea, are you going to +program it for us? Can you show it to me on a TV screen? Is that all you're +sending me? A one-sentence idea in a letter??? +- Fighter Raid is a Publishcom trademark, fully owned and controlled by +Publishcom. Now that you, Joe Gamefan, have proposed to us that we do an +updated version, is the trademark diluted? If we do your idea, have you +somehow weaseled your way into ownership of our trademark? What shenanigans do +our lawyers have to perform to structure the contract with you so that we +haven't somehow given away a valuable property over to you, after all you did +was write a letter? + +So guess what I write back to Joe Gamefan? "Thank you very much for your +submission. Unfortunately, it does not fit into Publishcom's plans at this +time." Yadda yadda yadda. + +I have received numerous non-industry non-professionals' ideas over the years. +Only one of them really made me sit up and take notice, not because of the game +idea that it described, but rather because of its excellent presentation. I +recommended that the submitter (obviously a budding artist of some spectacular +talent) continue to pursue his interests, even though we didn't follow up on +his game idea. I never heard from him again, unfortunately, so I don't know +what he's doing now. + +I have also received numerous industry professionals' ideas in the 19 years +I've been in this industry (I /told/ you I was old!). Guess how many of those +made me (and my employer) sit up and take notice? Well, I don't have an exact +count for you, but it was approximately two. Games that subsequently got +produced and published on (1) the Super Nintendo and Sega Genesis, and (2) the +Sony Playstation and Sega Saturn (the DOS version was eventually canceled). + +Here's the secret formula: + +1. Game ideas by a non-industry non-professional, described in a sentence (or a +few sentences) on paper -- Chances: ZERO! Zilch. Zip. Forget it, it ain't +gonna happen. Not in this lifetime, nosirreebob! Uh-uh, no way, Jose! Thanks +for writing, so long now! My employer used to accept non-professional idea +submissions, but I think the official stance now is that such things are more +or less discouraged. I haven't checked recently. + +2. Games described in an impressive design document, by a very creative guy +(non-industry, non-professional) who details all the aspects of the game, its +prospective audience, its chances for success in the competitive marketplace, +with detailed sketches and illustrations, and maybe even a hint of +acknowledgment for the technical challenges inherent in the design -- Chances: +A little better. At the very least, we would possibly (if there were openings) +offer the creator of such a document a job as a game designer. His game most +likely will not get made, however. + +3. Games adequately described in a written concept document, supplemented by an +impressive video animation (viewable on a computer or game machine) -- Chances: +Even better yet. One of the two games I referred to above came in to my +employer in this form. We can see the idea, we can see that it is fun, we can +see that the creator(s) can take the idea to the next step -- a finished game +that we can sell. The party bringing us such a submission may well get a +contract to develop the game into a real product that actually makes it to +market. Note that anybody with the wherewithal to make such a presentation is +most likely in the industry already. + +4. Game partially implemented, running on a computer or game machine -- +Chances: Better still. But the game had damn well better be really original +and exciting, or filling a niche, or in keeping with current market hot +buttons, or able to be adapted to a hot license, yadda yadda yadda. The other +of the two games I referred to above came in to my employer in this form -- +from industry professionals. + +5. Game fully implemented. All a publisher has to do is put it in a box and +it'll sell itself -- Chances: The Best. But the game had damn well better be +really original and exciting, or filling a niche, or in keeping with current +market hot buttons, or able to be adapted to a hot license, yadda yadda yadda. +And you had better be ready to make changes if you want Publishcom to +distribute it (and if they think it needs tweaking). Here's the kicker -- my +employer gets these submissions in all the time, yet only one in twenty of +these do we actually pick! + +Do the math. Games in category Five have a one in twenty chance -- and games +in category One have a zero chance. The pattern should be clear to anyone +who's got a good sense for games. + +Still don't understand why this is (why game publishers are so unreasonable)? +Okay. Imagine for a second that we're talking about a movie idea instead of a +game idea: +1. You have a one-sentence idea for a movie, and you are an outsider -- you +think a Hollywood studio is going to do anything with it? Hah! +2. You have a full movie script, fully fleshed out, and/or a full movie +storyboard -- but no actors, no producer, no director -- somebody is going to +commit money to start production on it? How? Who? In what lifetime? +3. You have a full script and a full storyboard, and some name actors who have +read it and found it interesting -- looking a little better -- at least you +have grounds for starting up some ulcers now, right? +4. You have a full script, a full storyboard, some name actors ready to go, +locations all lined up, equipment supplier identified, and a director who is +interested -- all you need is a movie studio producer to put up some money so +filming can start. Those ulcers are starting to grow pretty nicely now! Guess +what industry you are in if you are at this stage?? +5. You have a completely finished, fully edited and post-produced film. All +you need is to get it marketed and distributed. Have those ulcers eaten their +way through the stomach lining yet? Surely you don't work in a profession +unrelated to movie-making if you're in this position -- ??? + +I reiterate what I have said before at this NG: You want to get your dream +game produced and published? Get a job in the industry. Work your way up and +become a producer (or above), or the president of your own company. That's +step one. Step two will be self-evident once you have completed step one. In +addition to knowing what step two is, you only need one more thing (assuming +that the game idea is already world-class): luck. And good timing (I lied when +I said there was only one more thing). + +I suppose, though, in the end, that Kasey's brief statement of the reality of +this situation has not been added to in large measure by what I have said. His +4 sentences said it all. All I did was beat that dead horse into the +GROUND!!!! + +Tom Sloper +(I have mentioned in previous posts what company I work for -- WELL, FORGET IT! + Pretend you never heard of me before! All I'm saying is, I'm stating my own +opinions herein, and not the opinions of my employer. End of disclaimer.) +:o) \ No newline at end of file -- cgit v1.1