Babbies and bad ideas

While it is true that "when sheep bonk they get lamb", there is still something to that tingling feeling you get when you look deep into the eyes of your newborn. I became twice a dad week and a half ago, and the previously measly pace of development has dropped to a complete halt. Perhaps even reverse. There has also been the occasional Winter Game and Cutting Down of Gigantic Pine Trees to reduce spare time.

I’ve also realized that what I was until recently trying to do was to create two games in one. Intuitively it felt right since I wouldn’t have to invest much more time to do it, plus I thought it would open the product to a bigger audience. Common n00b error, but this is not news to me – I just didn’t take it that serious. I know the game is going to flop anyway! Thus combining two games into one just seemed like higher chance of success, not less.

But then I did some thinking on the marketing side of things (since I haven’t had any coding time as of late) and came up with this formula:

Bad product + bad product ≠ slightly less bad product

The First Game is bad since it can’t be sold. The Second Game is worse since it’s boring to play. In theory the Second Game might be made more interesting by features from the First Game. In practice I find that very hard to believe.

What I’ll do now is go ahead with the First Game, try to sell it like an idiot, and give up when I realize it can’t be done. After that I’ll create Another Game, which I trust will be good enough but best, and with a reachable user community. I just hope there will be some light at the end of the First Game Tunnel.

I was quite a bit put down by the fact that I had hoped for synergies between the First Game and the Second Game in that they both utilize vehicles, but Another Game does not. But just as I was writing this, I realized that the physics can be put to real good use in the game levels. I’ve always found static game levels really boring. Think Team Fortress: it had a lot of things going for it (how can Cartoon-FPS go wrong, right?), but I just hated that the levels felt about as sterile as the Entropia Universe desert. Even Doom I (released some 16 yrs, three months and ten days ago) had fuckin moving 3D doors! I hold some faith in that my engine will be put to use there. If however the engine proves to be a waste of time – I’m ready for the asylum!

PS. Did you spot the Lumberjack in Woman's clothings?