An introduction and a promise

[trueman11]

On 1/11/2023 at 12:34 PM, trueman11 said:

Loving a game is not necessary to sell it. It's more profitable to make a game that millions will play once, that thousands will play their whole life. Playtime does not make profit, only sales.

For that love for a game to translate into profit there needs to be a new model of rewarding the developers. That would actually encourage developers to make pieces of art, instead of one-time entertainment.

I would prefer an independent developer who asked the JA community what the community wants, listened, and then said what he needs to accomplish that. And if the developer promised to deliver what the community wants (and it would overwhelmingly be "everything in JA2" + things in 1.13) - the community would support that developer financially to a ridiculous degree.

I am thinking about this, but even in that case, it still would be more profitable to make a mediocre game with a known title, and with good marketing sell it like crazy.

I wish I could come up with a way that would be as profitable as a low effort path. But it seems it goes against the very laws of human nature: 1) to make something more complex and intricate more resources have to be invested; 2) less people will buy a complex and intricate game (proven multiple times). So it turns into a double strike - invest more and get paid less.

So it seems the only way to make something special - is to give up profit. And, well...that rarely happens.

[Acid]

Make something with passion and not greed, if only. Why do people have such a love for money, you can't take it with you when you die. But you could create something good that will be around long after your gone, and be respected for it. 

[Solaris_Wave]

On 1/11/2023 at 9:34 AM, trueman11 said:

Loving a game is not necessary to sell it. It's more profitable to make a game that millions will play once, that thousands will play their whole life. Playtime does not make profit, only sales.

For that love for a game to translate into profit there needs to be a new model of rewarding the developers. That would actually encourage developers to make pieces of art, instead of one-time entertainment.

For some developers, creating a game is a labour of love. For others, it is just something to put on your CV as you move from one publisher to another. The bigger the publisher and the more they 'churn' out games, the less passionate I think an individual developer will be. I can't exactly blame them though, not when the corporate suits take all the money for themselves and make demands for more identikit games, loaded with micro-transactions and 'fun' skins, only to then blame the developers when the games aren't selling.

[trueman11]

On 1/21/2023 at 11:56 PM, Solaris_Wave said:

I can't exactly blame them though

It's a choice between reliably making money and risking a lot to make art. I can't exactly deny anyone the responsibility for the choice they make.

[Godzilla]

hello boian!
i am a huge fan of the original ja2 as well

i wish you luck in your project! please check in with us from time to time even though sometimes people might be mean thats how some people are unfortunately

have a good day!

[trueman11]

@Haemimont_Boian @Haemimont_Boyan I know I ranted enough in this thread already, so I just want to share this quote with the devs, that is one of my favorites, without any further comments from me:

"Lay these words to heart, Lucilius, that you may scorn the pleasure which comes from the applause of the majority. Many men praise you; but have you any reason for being pleased with yourself, if you are a person whom the many can understand?" - Lucius Annaeus Seneca

Edited June 9, 2023 by trueman11