There are probably a ton of incredible banger games out there that don’t exist because the person who thought of it just doesn’t know how to code
I had a cool idea that I completely gave up on because I tried to learn how to do it and realized what I was asking was so insanely complicated and time consuming that I couldn’t do it. I play a lot of games, I know what would make a good one, there’s just a gaping chasm between knowing and creating.
The problem is that this complexity isn’t just a one-off thing you need to get through. There’s a ton of details which matter, which you will not have thought through as part of your idea.
Many of these details, you will encounter as you write code. As in, you’ve just worked for three weeks on a feature and then realize a glaring problem in one of the details. Then you spend another week trying to find a solution. And worst-case that solution is to rip out that month of work and start fresh.
This has been my biggest learning from dabbling in gamedev for a while: Make a stupid paper model first.
Even if you spend a week glueing sheets of paper, and you don’t really even get that close to your actual idea, the more of these details you think of upfront, the higher your chance of getting anywhere (or scrapping your idea without wasting months trying to put it into code).
Well, and the other big learning was: Holy crap, gamedev is hard.
I know how to “code”. I’m a senior developer and have worked on multiple large-scale software projects.
The scope of the game I was trying to create, was laughable in comparison. As in shitty 2D, tile-based, turn-based.
I encountered performance problems like I’ve never had to deal with in my career, because it turns out the whole games industry is fueled by smokes and mirrors.
Know how ray-traced lighting is the craziest new technology? Yeah, that’s literally just a matter of hardware being strong enough that we can simulate lighting in the way it actually works. It’s conceptually simpler than the ever more sophisticated bullshitting we did beforehand.
Nah.
That’s like saying a lot of banger songs could exist but the person doesn’t know how to write music.
Absolute delusional bullshit.
Verifying the idea is good is also part of the process. Play testing, making hard decisions, smoothing out jank, juicing up the experience… The whole implementation can make or break a game.
It’s like saying there are so many great novels out there that we have never seen because the authors can’t write for shit.
Not “great novels” but great “great world building”. I’ve seen some absolute bangers out there where the concepts, characters and even the overall plot blew my mind away. However, the authors couldn’t write decent dialogues or a coherent chapter of their life depended on it. So, most people wouldn’t be exposed to their ideas.
I had to learn that the hard way, but with a comic/manga idea I used to have.
Long story short: I worked way too long on an idea (almost 10 years), all while my taste etc. changed. It would have been way too hard to get it working after a while without a complete revamp of the whole idea, so I ditched it completely, maybe reuse elements and character concepts in other things, including video games (yes, they’re easier to make, unless your comic’s artstyle is stickmen figures).
The inability to detail the idea all the way down to the level were something concrete can be made from it kills it well before the lack of coding skills.
It’s like what separates having an idea for a book and writting an actual book that is enjoyable to read: there is no “knowing how to code” barrier in there and yet most people can’t actually pull it off when they try or it ends up shallow and uninteresting.
You mean like an MMO where different maps are arranged in an infinite hexagonal pattern that’s randomly/procedurally generated based on different biomes, that also keeps track of how many players have entered/completed each hex and begins scaling down the difficulty in said hex and evolving it into a more peaceful zone, that way the higher traffic areas eventually form safe zones/towns for low level characters while low traffic areas encourage high level characters to visit and explore, with the highest level characters able to survive unexplored areas and expand the map for all players, all while having developer tools to specifically add unique dungeons/events/items directly to tiles so that the game doesnt feel a mile wide and an inch deep but instead as if the whole world map is alive and constantly changing?
Yea… That’d be cool.
Definitely some cool ideas there but how do you deal with the long term effect of the map becoming too big?
The bigger the map the more the defs would need to stretch their resources to adding cool stuff.
Also, at some point, the inner hexes will be essential all complete cleared and new players will have to wander for a while as soon as they level up a bit.
Unlocking a new hex would be fun at the beginning but how fun will it be after 100+ have been unlocked and any more just will inevitably just feel same-y because even the best defs will eventually run out of ideas
You have found the Wayne’s World dungeon.
Welcome to Wayne’s World: The Game You find yourself in Aurora, Illinois, the hometown of Wayne and Garth. You’re on a mission to help them prepare for their biggest public access TV show yet. Scene 1: The Basement You’re in Wayne’s basement, surrounded by music gear, posters, and a comfy couch. Wayne and Garth are brainstorming ideas for their show, but they’re stuck. They need your help to come up with a killer opening segment. Do you: A) Suggest a musical number with Wayne and Garth performing a duet of “Bohemian Rhapsody” B) Recommend a comedy sketch parodying a popular movie or TV show C) Propose a special guest appearance by a local celebrity D) Suggest a “Top 10 List” segment, à la David Letterman Choose your response:
…
You have found the Encino Man Dungeon.
Encino Man: The Adventure Begins You are Brendan Fraser’s character, Link, a caveman who has been thawed out and is trying to navigate modern life in Encino, California. Your goal is to make it through each scene without getting into too much trouble. Scene 1: The Thaw You wake up in a block of ice in a backyard. You’re confused, hungry, and thirsty. You see a garden hose nearby. Do you: A) Drink from the hose B) Try to break out of the ice C) Look around for food D) Take a nap Choose your response:
LLM to generate ideas, history to check uniqueness
This is actually one thing I’ve been thinking AI and deepfake tech can potentially do good. Let’s say you have an idea and can code… You have an idea for music but no instrumental talent, so the best you can do is hum it. You can’t afford voice actors or other professionals.
Or maybe you’re artist with an idea who can storyboard but not code. Maybe you can make 2d designs but not 3D models, or aren’t great at animate.
But… there is software that can take what you say and change it to a different voice. It can animate a model to match the words. Similarly, software that could generate instrumental sounds from humming is possible. An AI can generate interactive dialog. It could also provide assistance in the generation of music, debugging of code, and eventually more advanced 3D modeling.
A lot of game design software is much more a GUI to an environment/model and triggers etc than stuff like writing hardcore backend C++ code etc. AI could take that even further.
Then add VR. Drop somebody into a blank-slate where they can create a whole world with a word, a gesture, and a great idea.
One day, that might be a reality.
I can code but I can’t do art. I can make a game, but it will look ugly as fuck.
I do want to make a sci-fi Dwarf Fortress clone with just ASCII representation.
Same boat… But I had some success with low poly 3D models which I found are pretty easy to make. Learning a bit about color theory, how to match colors, as well as learning a bit about level design goes a long way. You can make a great looking game this way.
But my dream game is 2D pixel art, and I really suck at it.
But I had some success with low poly 3D models which I found are pretty easy to make.
Same. I find that for non-artists 3D is easier than 2D because:
- You get things like depth and shadowing for free.
- Animations are easier. Or, at least, it’s easier to keep them consistent and to control their pace.
- 3D software has much more tools that non-artists can somewhat grasp.
Of course, my 3D models still look like crap - but it’s better looking crap than my 2D sprites…
This is why AI has been a boon to creators.
I’ve generated some great pixel art that required a tiny bit of Photoshop to get it in a good state.
Especially if you just need placeholder art you can use AI to drop in general ideas and later replace the art by a partner or contractor.
If you get a demo off the ground with “alpha” graphics and look decent you can market it better and maybe build a team.
I think a big benefit for this is also motivation. You no longer have a blocker due to missing art or issues with an artist.
Uhh… need a character design for the mayor. <<AI art placeholder>> ok now text… <<AI first draft dialog >> ok now code…
No more excuses!
Is this the current version of that game? is the 100% science lady involved in this?
I can’t think of any FOSS games that would invite an idea guy to drive the project. They’re made of volunteers, sure, but FOSS game teams still expect tangible contributions. Otherwise it’s just another feature request and will get picked up if the team thinks it’s worth it.
More specifically with FOSS projects, whoever puts in the work makes the actual decisions.
Like, if there’s a change that one person wants and the others actively disagree with (and it can’t be made configurable either), then that won’t happen.
But usually, there’s hundreds of features that make sense in principle. And if someone scratches their own itch, i.e. implements the feature that they’re missing, then that obviously won’t be rejected, even if it’s not the most requested feature.
So, yeah, such an idea guy would need really good ideas and present them so well, that others selfishly want to implement those ideas (and moreso than all their other ideas).
Me fr
The same damn attitude of some “open source” projects looking for free labor, as if paid labor isn’t exploitative enough
Sounds like most AAA games we where promised but never got
