How I made the game
Hello everyone, my name is Mark, I am a Flash developer. I am satisfied with my work, with the help of which I can now earn enough for a decent existence in the city with the letter M, so that I also have the opportunity to slowly save up savings for the future. Even in spite of the fact that in this country the word “future” itself is a very strange and incomprehensible term.
But, even with all the advantages of my current work, I’m depressed by the idea that I’ll work for someone else rather than myself for the rest of my life, I will exchange my time for other people’s money and make someone else rich and not yourself and your family.
And so, against the background of universal indie games, the frenetic popularity of the App Store and Android-based devices, as well as a few noisy stories about how several developers have become incredibly rich in an incredibly short time, the thought that I’m not I can also, yes, there I am simply obliged to develop games in my free time.
Said and done, and now, almost every evening and one of the two days off, I try to quietly, little by little, refine my small, worthless, but so close to my heart games. And now I will try to talk about the last of them.
')
Picture to attract attention:
Play on Newgrounds
Kongregate game
The game is called Cut And Kill . Its essence comes down to the fact that there are 1 or several monsters in the level, which you need to push / drop on the spikes for this very monster to die. The idea of ​​the objects being cut and the objects delivered in this way to the goals, to my shame and regret, is not new. As far as I know, the first game based on similar mechanics was Splitter , from Evgeny Karataev. Splitter at one time made a lot of noise, they talked about it, they played it and told friends. In general, the game is cool =) If someone has not played, I advise everyone to fill this gap.
I can not say that I had a goal to make a Splitter clone, although I don’t conceal that I knew about this game and immediately guessed that the games would be similar in mechanics. The fact is, after the release of my previous game in the spring (the game, by the way, completely failed and did not even find a sponsor) I was depressed. Yes, yes, it was in her, I did not know what to do, so that later, after a month or even several months of work in the evenings / nights / weekends, I would not feel devastated because of the useless game. And, lo and behold, I stumble upon lessons about Box2D and cutting bodies from the famous indie game developer developer Emanuele Feronato. The lessons are cool, and now, in order to occupy myself with something and just about understanding the end result, I began to develop my game.
Since the last 2-3 years with different breaks, I try to make my games and mini-applications, I have accumulated a fairly decent supply of classes / libraries and all sorts of developments that greatly simplify the developer’s life (I don’t have to reinvent the architecture of the page application every time you need to think about how to organize the creation, change of screens, game objects and other small things that need to be considered when developing games). Among my other developments, there was one that simplified work with Box2D . In my classes there was no functionality for cutting bodies, but there were many other useful things (factories for creating various bodies, the possibility of simply creating / deleting bodies and a visual representation for them, as well as all sorts of other utilities). So, first of all, I decided to create a small prototype with the necessary body cutting functionality that I could add to existing classes.
Box2D is generally designed for prototyping. I think many people know that Box2D provides an opportunity not to think at first about graphics, including debug mode, when the bodies and the connections between them are shown as simple polygons / circles of different colors.
To be honest, I don’t remember exactly how much time it took to sort out other people's examples and lessons, as well as to implement the functionality I needed, but I think that everything was within the framework of 1 week.
After a simple prototype was made and was shown to several people far from the game maiden, I began to think about the schedule. The fact is that the creation of interfaces / design / art for games and applications causes me the worst emotions =) I know that I do not draw well and can not create graphics and interface design at a decent level, therefore, the question "where to get graphics" is very important and problematic for me. But here, luck smiled at me =) About 1-1.5 years ago, I conceived the development of another game (something like Cannabalt , but with a lot of objects and other features). For that never created game, I thought of ordering a graphic from my friend (by the way, a very good artist and designer). We discussed with him all the nuances, the number and types of objects that needed to be created from him as a designer. I don’t even remember the exact nuances, but the work on the graphics and on the game itself went slowly, the acquaintance had problems because of which he didn’t have time to do everything quickly, but meeting the deadlines -So is not a freelance freelancer, but my good friend). In general, at the very least, the graphics were made within 3-4 months, but I, as a programmer / developer, have not started a serious development of the game (in my opinion, I switched to other projects).
And now, after 1-1.5 years of waiting, the graphics waited for their “high point” when it came at the right time =) The fact is that for the game I needed to implement several types of objects:
- monsters;
- objects that can be cut and moved;
- objects that can not be cut, but can be moved;
- objects that can not be cut and can not move;
- exploding objects;
- objects, in collision with which the monsters would die.
Under the necessary requirements of the objects the wooden, steel and stone boxes, as well as the spikes that the designer created for another game, could not have been better suited. Such luck inspired and delighted me very much =) I don’t know how other developers behave, but I, until I start embedding the graphics in the game, cannot enjoy the game. All these squares and circles of monochromatic colors, which are used for prototypes, do not give the feeling that you are doing something cool and playable, and do not give an opportunity to soberly evaluate the possible results and see the goal to be pursued. In general, the next frontier of the problem “from where to get graphics” was overcome (at least partially), and I moved on.
After the appearance of graphics in the game development has become more fun. It has become much more pleasant to see that your child takes on a more or less final look. When the main set of game objects was created, it was time to create levels. Personally, it was quite hard for me to come up with even a little interesting levels, not those that can be passed without difficulty in 1 move (one-pass), but those in which there would be a mystery, but which, at the same time, would not be difficult and passable for the vast majority of people. The second type of levels, in my opinion, gives people the pleasure of playing, when a person does not immediately understand how to pass a level, he begins to think, and after a while finds a solution to the problem, which allows the player to feel a little triumph, at least for a short time. Such levels, with a riddle, but not frightening in their complexity, should, in my opinion, be the backbone of a puzzle-game, although, of course, it’s better that all levels of the game be such levels, perhaps, with the exception of the very first training ones.
An example of a teaching level:
At this stage, when creating levels, I did not use a level editor or some other things, to facilitate the life of the level designer. After I created 25 levels that were the backbone of the game, and with which you could start playing a sponsor for the game, I had time, and most importantly, an understanding that some kind of tool was needed to simplify the creation of levels, but at the initial at the stage of creating the game, I was busy with developing the game myself and thinking about how to try to do more for the game, try to do it and move forward at least a little every day, so I guess I didn’t dwell on the editor levels at first. I can’t say for sure whether this was the right decision or not, but I don’t regret that I spent more time at the beginning to create levels than now, it was much more important for me not to lose interest in the game’s development and bring it to the end . So, in this regard, we can assume that the task was completed.
After the necessary basic number of levels had been created, it was clear that the game would soon be ready to find sponsors and it was necessary to complete the interface for the game. At this point, the game consisted only of the basic interface of the game page and nothing more. As I said before, I don’t have much to do with the design and interfaces, so I chose the simplest and most quickly-implemented solution that came to my mind. Use the existing objects (boxes) as the background for the pages, and make the buttons with plain text buttons with a simple Myriad Pro font.
The start page and the level selection page (the number of levels and the font have been changed):
Achievements for the game, it was decided to do the same thing as the buttons: plain text, with a description of what needs to be done to get an achivka. I understand that the graphic design of achievements is much more attractive for players than some incomprehensible text, but I did not want to dwell on problems that I could not solve, so I solved them as I could.
Probably many of you know that Flash game developers can try to make money on their games, through the search for sponsors on the site flashgamelicense.com (FGL). In a small circle of indie developers, there are always stories about how some people manage to make money on their games for $ 10-20-50k (by the way, games that receive such bets are worthy of them). Indie developers with experience who have managed to build contacts and contacts with sponsors may try to contact sponsors directly, unfortunately, I do not have such connections. Therefore, I decided to find a sponsor through FGL.
They say that a good icon is one of the ways to attract the attention of the sponsor and the player:
Those who have not tried it on their own will probably have a hard time understanding what it means to wait for FGL rates, when you refresh the page every 5-10-20 minutes, check your email, look, replay the game and wait, when But someone will enter the game and look at it. Saying that you are nervous and hoping during this period is the same as saying nothing. In general, this is probably one of the most nervous stages of developing and selling a game, when you’ve already done the job, but not the fact that you’ll get at least something for your work. Probably a bit like roulette or other gambling.
The first version of the game was laid out for sponsors in the area on August 21. After waiting a few days and sending the game for review by the moderators, a rather standard answer was received from them (moderators), that the game looks good, they cannot give special remarks on how to improve it and can allow it to be traded.
In parallel with this, I posted a link to the game on the site of developers of Flash-games . On this site, the developers prompted me to some very important ideas and pointed out some rather gross flaws on my part. One of the main points, which, I think, did not give a feeling of completeness of the game, was the use of a fairly standard Myriad Pro font. Since there were a lot of texts in the game (as I said, it’s quite hard for me to create graphics), the font solved a lot and could create a good or bad impression about the game. Since earlier I was more focused on bringing the development of the game to completion, I was not able to adequately assess the fact that a simple font does not fit the game’s style and creates a sense of “underdevelopment”. In general, the third-party view of the developers here came at an opportune time, and I realized that I needed to replace the font. The font has been replaced by a comic and, in my opinion, a font that is more suitable in this case to the style of the game.
An example of a teaching level:
Since FGL admins set their grades for the game (the higher the score, the higher the chance to get a good offer from the sponsor), I decided to remove the old game, download the new version and send it to the appr. No sooner said than done. After reapproving (the scores for the game have risen, but not to say that it is very strong), the game was allowed to be viewed by sponsors around August 23. All the events described occurred quite quickly: the first apprĂĽv, corrections and the second apprĂĽv were within the framework of 3 days.
In parallel with the search for sponsors on FGL, I sent out letters about the game on the standard list of sponsors (the list can be found in the same place on flashgamedev.ru ). I think that it was the own list that allowed at least some attention to the game.
For all the time the game sales looked about 27 sponsors, of which only 4 made a bid. With another one we corresponded on Skype, he promised to think, but in the end, he probably decided not to rely on the game. Most sponsors played the game no more than 2 minutes, only a few went into the game more than 1 time and played more than 5-10 minutes. If you wonder where I have such statistics from, I will answer you: in this regard, FGL provides quite large and interesting statistics that allow you to assess the prospects for selling the game and, at least, try to understand what is good and what is bad in the game.
In general, 7 bets from 4 sponsors were made for the game. At the same time, only 2 bids (for $ 500 and for $ 1000) were more or less interesting for me. There were frankly inconclusive bets ($ 1 + promises in big bonuses for the number of games (up to $ 500 for 1 million games)).
Before accepting the proposal from the sponsor, I waited for the standard 2 weeks in this case (some wait for months, but I decided not to do it). As a result, I accepted the offer from the sponsor, who did not make the highest bid ($ 500 versus $ 1000), but he offered the best in my opinion, a combination of base cost + bonuses + advertising, which other sponsors did not offer. The accepted rate assumes bonuses for getting to the first page of Kongregate and getting high marks (3.6 and higher) on Newgrounds ($ 300 and $ 800, respectively), allows you to create a version of the game with advertising and distribute it yourself (advertising in my experience in the long term can bring nice bonuses), as well as a bonus for the number of games ($ 100 for every 1 million games per game during the first 2 months, not including players from China).
FGL admins strongly advise you to create promotional videos for their games so that sponsors can quickly understand the quality and essence of the game:
I clearly understand that there is a high probability that my game will not reach the main Kongregate page and will not receive high marks on Newgrounds, nor will it score at least 1 million games, but, despite this, I like this deal more , as it provides some freedom and the possibility of additional income. Also, personal contact with the sponsor via Skype turned out to be important. The sponsor seemed to me an honest and professional person who is interested in creating a quality game. At the moment, he met all my expectations, his third-party and moderately critical view of the game, I think, allowed only to improve it.
In general, the creation of the game took about 2 months to develop + 1 month to search for the sponsor and finalize the game to the requirements of the sponsor. At the moment, the game has earned $ 500, and it is likely that it will not earn anything else. But, there is a possibility that advertising, luck and the welfare of the players will make it possible to make a little more money on the game, although the chance, I think, is quite meager.
I can not say that I am extremely happy with the results of my 2-month work, but this is better than nothing =) After all, for my previous game I did not receive a penny.
I hope my article turned out to be informative and interesting for other novice and more experienced developers and their sympathizers.
I would be very happy to answer all the questions, maybe someone is interested in some other statistics data, which I didn’t talk about in the article, because it’s hard to think up and cover all the nuances of developing and selling the game.
In general, I would be happy to continue communication on the game and the question related to it in the comments.
To be completely honest, this post is created, in part, in order to raise ratings for the game and try to earn a little more on it. I am absolutely convinced that many will not like it and they will minus both post and game. But even if the post does not help the game with a set of points, I hope the post will help me share my knowledge and experience with others.
But, even with all the advantages of my current work, I’m depressed by the idea that I’ll work for someone else rather than myself for the rest of my life, I will exchange my time for other people’s money and make someone else rich and not yourself and your family.
And so, against the background of universal indie games, the frenetic popularity of the App Store and Android-based devices, as well as a few noisy stories about how several developers have become incredibly rich in an incredibly short time, the thought that I’m not I can also, yes, there I am simply obliged to develop games in my free time.
Said and done, and now, almost every evening and one of the two days off, I try to quietly, little by little, refine my small, worthless, but so close to my heart games. And now I will try to talk about the last of them.
')
We cut and kill
Picture to attract attention:
Play on Newgrounds
Kongregate game
The game is called Cut And Kill . Its essence comes down to the fact that there are 1 or several monsters in the level, which you need to push / drop on the spikes for this very monster to die. The idea of ​​the objects being cut and the objects delivered in this way to the goals, to my shame and regret, is not new. As far as I know, the first game based on similar mechanics was Splitter , from Evgeny Karataev. Splitter at one time made a lot of noise, they talked about it, they played it and told friends. In general, the game is cool =) If someone has not played, I advise everyone to fill this gap.
I can not say that I had a goal to make a Splitter clone, although I don’t conceal that I knew about this game and immediately guessed that the games would be similar in mechanics. The fact is, after the release of my previous game in the spring (the game, by the way, completely failed and did not even find a sponsor) I was depressed. Yes, yes, it was in her, I did not know what to do, so that later, after a month or even several months of work in the evenings / nights / weekends, I would not feel devastated because of the useless game. And, lo and behold, I stumble upon lessons about Box2D and cutting bodies from the famous indie game developer developer Emanuele Feronato. The lessons are cool, and now, in order to occupy myself with something and just about understanding the end result, I began to develop my game.
Engine, Prototype, Game
Since the last 2-3 years with different breaks, I try to make my games and mini-applications, I have accumulated a fairly decent supply of classes / libraries and all sorts of developments that greatly simplify the developer’s life (I don’t have to reinvent the architecture of the page application every time you need to think about how to organize the creation, change of screens, game objects and other small things that need to be considered when developing games). Among my other developments, there was one that simplified work with Box2D . In my classes there was no functionality for cutting bodies, but there were many other useful things (factories for creating various bodies, the possibility of simply creating / deleting bodies and a visual representation for them, as well as all sorts of other utilities). So, first of all, I decided to create a small prototype with the necessary body cutting functionality that I could add to existing classes.
Box2D is generally designed for prototyping. I think many people know that Box2D provides an opportunity not to think at first about graphics, including debug mode, when the bodies and the connections between them are shown as simple polygons / circles of different colors.
To be honest, I don’t remember exactly how much time it took to sort out other people's examples and lessons, as well as to implement the functionality I needed, but I think that everything was within the framework of 1 week.
After a simple prototype was made and was shown to several people far from the game maiden, I began to think about the schedule. The fact is that the creation of interfaces / design / art for games and applications causes me the worst emotions =) I know that I do not draw well and can not create graphics and interface design at a decent level, therefore, the question "where to get graphics" is very important and problematic for me. But here, luck smiled at me =) About 1-1.5 years ago, I conceived the development of another game (something like Cannabalt , but with a lot of objects and other features). For that never created game, I thought of ordering a graphic from my friend (by the way, a very good artist and designer). We discussed with him all the nuances, the number and types of objects that needed to be created from him as a designer. I don’t even remember the exact nuances, but the work on the graphics and on the game itself went slowly, the acquaintance had problems because of which he didn’t have time to do everything quickly, but meeting the deadlines -So is not a freelance freelancer, but my good friend). In general, at the very least, the graphics were made within 3-4 months, but I, as a programmer / developer, have not started a serious development of the game (in my opinion, I switched to other projects).
And now, after 1-1.5 years of waiting, the graphics waited for their “high point” when it came at the right time =) The fact is that for the game I needed to implement several types of objects:
- monsters;
- objects that can be cut and moved;
- objects that can not be cut, but can be moved;
- objects that can not be cut and can not move;
- exploding objects;
- objects, in collision with which the monsters would die.
Under the necessary requirements of the objects the wooden, steel and stone boxes, as well as the spikes that the designer created for another game, could not have been better suited. Such luck inspired and delighted me very much =) I don’t know how other developers behave, but I, until I start embedding the graphics in the game, cannot enjoy the game. All these squares and circles of monochromatic colors, which are used for prototypes, do not give the feeling that you are doing something cool and playable, and do not give an opportunity to soberly evaluate the possible results and see the goal to be pursued. In general, the next frontier of the problem “from where to get graphics” was overcome (at least partially), and I moved on.
Levels, objects
After the appearance of graphics in the game development has become more fun. It has become much more pleasant to see that your child takes on a more or less final look. When the main set of game objects was created, it was time to create levels. Personally, it was quite hard for me to come up with even a little interesting levels, not those that can be passed without difficulty in 1 move (one-pass), but those in which there would be a mystery, but which, at the same time, would not be difficult and passable for the vast majority of people. The second type of levels, in my opinion, gives people the pleasure of playing, when a person does not immediately understand how to pass a level, he begins to think, and after a while finds a solution to the problem, which allows the player to feel a little triumph, at least for a short time. Such levels, with a riddle, but not frightening in their complexity, should, in my opinion, be the backbone of a puzzle-game, although, of course, it’s better that all levels of the game be such levels, perhaps, with the exception of the very first training ones.
An example of a teaching level:
At this stage, when creating levels, I did not use a level editor or some other things, to facilitate the life of the level designer. After I created 25 levels that were the backbone of the game, and with which you could start playing a sponsor for the game, I had time, and most importantly, an understanding that some kind of tool was needed to simplify the creation of levels, but at the initial at the stage of creating the game, I was busy with developing the game myself and thinking about how to try to do more for the game, try to do it and move forward at least a little every day, so I guess I didn’t dwell on the editor levels at first. I can’t say for sure whether this was the right decision or not, but I don’t regret that I spent more time at the beginning to create levels than now, it was much more important for me not to lose interest in the game’s development and bring it to the end . So, in this regard, we can assume that the task was completed.
Interface
After the necessary basic number of levels had been created, it was clear that the game would soon be ready to find sponsors and it was necessary to complete the interface for the game. At this point, the game consisted only of the basic interface of the game page and nothing more. As I said before, I don’t have much to do with the design and interfaces, so I chose the simplest and most quickly-implemented solution that came to my mind. Use the existing objects (boxes) as the background for the pages, and make the buttons with plain text buttons with a simple Myriad Pro font.
The start page and the level selection page (the number of levels and the font have been changed):
Achievements for the game, it was decided to do the same thing as the buttons: plain text, with a description of what needs to be done to get an achivka. I understand that the graphic design of achievements is much more attractive for players than some incomprehensible text, but I did not want to dwell on problems that I could not solve, so I solved them as I could.
Sponsor Search
Probably many of you know that Flash game developers can try to make money on their games, through the search for sponsors on the site flashgamelicense.com (FGL). In a small circle of indie developers, there are always stories about how some people manage to make money on their games for $ 10-20-50k (by the way, games that receive such bets are worthy of them). Indie developers with experience who have managed to build contacts and contacts with sponsors may try to contact sponsors directly, unfortunately, I do not have such connections. Therefore, I decided to find a sponsor through FGL.
They say that a good icon is one of the ways to attract the attention of the sponsor and the player:
Those who have not tried it on their own will probably have a hard time understanding what it means to wait for FGL rates, when you refresh the page every 5-10-20 minutes, check your email, look, replay the game and wait, when But someone will enter the game and look at it. Saying that you are nervous and hoping during this period is the same as saying nothing. In general, this is probably one of the most nervous stages of developing and selling a game, when you’ve already done the job, but not the fact that you’ll get at least something for your work. Probably a bit like roulette or other gambling.
The first version of the game was laid out for sponsors in the area on August 21. After waiting a few days and sending the game for review by the moderators, a rather standard answer was received from them (moderators), that the game looks good, they cannot give special remarks on how to improve it and can allow it to be traded.
In parallel with this, I posted a link to the game on the site of developers of Flash-games . On this site, the developers prompted me to some very important ideas and pointed out some rather gross flaws on my part. One of the main points, which, I think, did not give a feeling of completeness of the game, was the use of a fairly standard Myriad Pro font. Since there were a lot of texts in the game (as I said, it’s quite hard for me to create graphics), the font solved a lot and could create a good or bad impression about the game. Since earlier I was more focused on bringing the development of the game to completion, I was not able to adequately assess the fact that a simple font does not fit the game’s style and creates a sense of “underdevelopment”. In general, the third-party view of the developers here came at an opportune time, and I realized that I needed to replace the font. The font has been replaced by a comic and, in my opinion, a font that is more suitable in this case to the style of the game.
An example of a teaching level:
Since FGL admins set their grades for the game (the higher the score, the higher the chance to get a good offer from the sponsor), I decided to remove the old game, download the new version and send it to the appr. No sooner said than done. After reapproving (the scores for the game have risen, but not to say that it is very strong), the game was allowed to be viewed by sponsors around August 23. All the events described occurred quite quickly: the first apprĂĽv, corrections and the second apprĂĽv were within the framework of 3 days.
In parallel with the search for sponsors on FGL, I sent out letters about the game on the standard list of sponsors (the list can be found in the same place on flashgamedev.ru ). I think that it was the own list that allowed at least some attention to the game.
For all the time the game sales looked about 27 sponsors, of which only 4 made a bid. With another one we corresponded on Skype, he promised to think, but in the end, he probably decided not to rely on the game. Most sponsors played the game no more than 2 minutes, only a few went into the game more than 1 time and played more than 5-10 minutes. If you wonder where I have such statistics from, I will answer you: in this regard, FGL provides quite large and interesting statistics that allow you to assess the prospects for selling the game and, at least, try to understand what is good and what is bad in the game.
In general, 7 bets from 4 sponsors were made for the game. At the same time, only 2 bids (for $ 500 and for $ 1000) were more or less interesting for me. There were frankly inconclusive bets ($ 1 + promises in big bonuses for the number of games (up to $ 500 for 1 million games)).
Before accepting the proposal from the sponsor, I waited for the standard 2 weeks in this case (some wait for months, but I decided not to do it). As a result, I accepted the offer from the sponsor, who did not make the highest bid ($ 500 versus $ 1000), but he offered the best in my opinion, a combination of base cost + bonuses + advertising, which other sponsors did not offer. The accepted rate assumes bonuses for getting to the first page of Kongregate and getting high marks (3.6 and higher) on Newgrounds ($ 300 and $ 800, respectively), allows you to create a version of the game with advertising and distribute it yourself (advertising in my experience in the long term can bring nice bonuses), as well as a bonus for the number of games ($ 100 for every 1 million games per game during the first 2 months, not including players from China).
FGL admins strongly advise you to create promotional videos for their games so that sponsors can quickly understand the quality and essence of the game:
I clearly understand that there is a high probability that my game will not reach the main Kongregate page and will not receive high marks on Newgrounds, nor will it score at least 1 million games, but, despite this, I like this deal more , as it provides some freedom and the possibility of additional income. Also, personal contact with the sponsor via Skype turned out to be important. The sponsor seemed to me an honest and professional person who is interested in creating a quality game. At the moment, he met all my expectations, his third-party and moderately critical view of the game, I think, allowed only to improve it.
Results:
In general, the creation of the game took about 2 months to develop + 1 month to search for the sponsor and finalize the game to the requirements of the sponsor. At the moment, the game has earned $ 500, and it is likely that it will not earn anything else. But, there is a possibility that advertising, luck and the welfare of the players will make it possible to make a little more money on the game, although the chance, I think, is quite meager.
I can not say that I am extremely happy with the results of my 2-month work, but this is better than nothing =) After all, for my previous game I did not receive a penny.
I hope my article turned out to be informative and interesting for other novice and more experienced developers and their sympathizers.
I would be very happy to answer all the questions, maybe someone is interested in some other statistics data, which I didn’t talk about in the article, because it’s hard to think up and cover all the nuances of developing and selling the game.
In general, I would be happy to continue communication on the game and the question related to it in the comments.
PS:
To be completely honest, this post is created, in part, in order to raise ratings for the game and try to earn a little more on it. I am absolutely convinced that many will not like it and they will minus both post and game. But even if the post does not help the game with a set of points, I hope the post will help me share my knowledge and experience with others.
Source: https://habr.com/ru/post/128392/
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