How to Make a Good Game

S

Shane

Well-Known Member
Joined
Mar 25, 2016
Messages
688
Karma
214
From
Illinois
How to make a good video game -

I once released a video game I made to a community. The video game I made, I thought was great. It got criticism. So I followed the suggestions and released a new game. The new game was bad, to me, but people in the community loved it.

Perception is a really hard thing when making games, but I strongly suggest having a Beta Test and an Alpha Test. And being willing to hack apart your dreams to the glee of others.

The thing is, most people's perceptions aren't accurate when making games. If they were, there would be a lot less failed games. Only the most genius, experienced minds produce good games. And I imagine they beta and alpha tested.

So my suggestion is, get something up and running as quickly as possible, a barebones game. Use your own judgement for the simple things, but for the complex, you will need the opinions of others. Don't be surprised if your initial efforts are met with angry flames, but don't get mad, because it will happen. Instead, listen to the suggestions.

Also, don't rely on people you trust. Rely on people that don't like you or know nothing about you as well. The problem is, people who are partial to you, will often be partial to the game, and will tend to overlook glaring flaws. Relying on a close group of friends for judgement is a bad mistake.

With that being said, I don't showcase my own games much. I've gone into a hermit lifestyle, one where I have learned from my mistakes. I've made bad games using concept art and been flamed, I've done it all. Tom and NintendoReport from TheWiiU have played a buggy outer space game I was working on, but that's about it so far. I will show you a picture of a game I've made, but I won't give you a download. The reason is, I do not want to provide tech support:



Now I'm bringing myself down here because someone will point to this post and say, you are a bad or neutral game developer, why are you giving advice? Well I'm giving advice because I've learned from my mistakes.

tl;dr Listen to the people who know what they're doing, listen to the people who like you. But also listen to the people who know nothing about you, and the casual gamers. They will be playing your game.
 
You make a great point about making games that people will like, and that's not necessarily games that you yourself like, but I think that's important.

I think all too often you'll get a game developer that makes the perfect video game in their eyes but to the general public, the ones playing the game it's not what people want. The game developers stick to their guns, and what could have been a great game with a few adjustments, slowly dies a painful death as they refuse to listen to the criticism.
 
It is difficult when you become really engrossed in creating something, you can't step back and judge it fairly.
I've put things together that did some clever things that I was impressed with, but didn't realise how un-fun these elements were until I was getting feedback.
It's like the look of things to, you just sort of get used to how something looks and not sure if it looks good or not.

You're right, Beta testers and people who have an artistic flare are so important to quiz about a project.
 
Yes, but you might need a different camera position and angle if, for example, you are climbing stairs down a narrow alley, so that geometry doesn't block the camera.
 
RetroZoid said:
It is difficult when you become really engrossed in creating something, you can't step back and judge it fairly.
I've put things together that did some clever things that I was impressed with, but didn't realise how un-fun these elements were until I was getting feedback.
It's like the look of things to, you just sort of get used to how something looks and not sure if it looks good or not.

You're right, Beta testers and people who have an artistic flare are so important to quiz about a project.
Click to expand...

I think that after a while then you do become blind to what your doing, and getting the opinion of others is important along the way, if you're prepared to listen of course.

I think some game developers can be a bit narrow minded at times, and they treat their work like an artist treats a masterpiece they're painting, it's their way or no way.
 
@pwarbi exactly. It's cool if they want to make the kind of game they want to play, but if they want to make a game that others want to play - you got to get other peoples feedback and input.

As part of my system developments I have 3 people I run things by.
2 are fellow techs but one is terrible at IT and is near retiring.
I know if the worst person can handle my system, it's sound (of course this is very different from game development but kind of relevant :p )
 
I think the most important part of a good game is recognizing how much of the fun is supposed to come from lightheartedness versus challenge. Sometimes people develop lighthearted games that aren't supposed to be challenging, but then ruin them later with patches and updates. Other times, they make challenging games too easy. Fine line.
 
Speaking of hard, how should I make my hack and slash challenging? Should I just make the enemies have more damage or just have enemies that have attacks that are hard to dodge? Also, how should the bosses be challenging?
 
The fact you are combining platforming elements, where you die or whatever when you fall, and hack n slash, makes it hard enough, in my opinion.

The bosses, however, should have huge HP bars, they don't have to be super powerful but they should last a long time, I've always liked this style in the games I played.

Just my 2c.
 
Also, a basic for making a good hack and slash: Make addicting combat. So I have a lot of combos, so that is one factor to help it. But that isn't enough, but I am scrapping the Counterattack because it seems too gimmicky. Also, Magic Unleash doesn't seem to work out for me....

Jeez, I am still scratching my head to think of a new and unique skill for Lucifer to have, like bayonetta's witch time. I need to keep thinking of something that multiplies the fun like mechanics like those.... Does anyone have suggestions to make the combat more exciting?
 
That's a good question about making the game more exciting. I can't help you much because I'm stuck on my own game as well, and also, nobody here really takes enough interest to Vigilante (besides me) to try to provide new, fresh ideas on a regular basis. I'm all out of ideas. No offense, I know everyone is busy, and I'm not saying your game is boring because it's not.....
 
I know, but I think I came up with a way to take excitement factor up a notch :). I will be returning the Counterattack though, since it is kinda needed right now. But Magic Unleash will stay out of the tracks.
 
I should really PM "Waller" on TheWiiU to come here. He has said in the past that game development fascinated him. I'm wondering if he'd be interested in helping both of us with our games?
 
Last edited:
Jack Lovejoy said:
Speaking of hard, how should I make my hack and slash challenging? Should I just make the enemies have more damage or just have enemies that have attacks that are hard to dodge? Also, how should the bosses be challenging?
Click to expand...

Unique mechanics are what usually make bosses so much fun. If you look to mega man, everything was just a fight in a square, but every enemy boss had its own unique set of mechanics that made it troubling - you want timing, pacing, surprises, etc, enough to be predictable but hard enough to feel like a boss
 
Hey StockRolls, if you're not busy, and since you like card games, could you look over my threads on the game I'm making, Project Darkma? The threads are here in Fan Art and Fiction and all titled as such.

And once you get done with that, Jack might want some advice too ;).

If you're too busy, I understand.
 
Last edited:
You must log in or register to reply here.

Latest posts

Latest threads

Back
Top