Ask the developer a question!

[hellboy222]

when you were learning flash did you learn it from a site a book or did you have a friend help you out?

[CraigStern]

I relied on free tutorials from sites like kirupa.com and gotoAndPlay.it, but I also had help from more experienced developers on a forum I visited regularly at the time. :)

[Zero Mission]

How long did it take you to make the first game?

Also, how do you work out a balanced battle system?  Did you just get the game working, and then tweak the numbers until it seemed right, or was it all mathematically figured out ahead of time?

[CraigStern]

It took me two and a half months to make. The battle system was a little of both--I thought it through ahead of time, then tweaked the numbers as necessary based on my experience playtesting the game.

[Zero Mission]

Hey, thanks for answering questions btw.  It's really great to be able to play a game, and actually know who made it and where it came from, and even be able to "reach out" and ask questions directly to the developer!  It's very cool.

So um...  Do you ever see yourself seeking employment elsewhere in the programming field, or perhaps joining a team, working on someone else's games?  Or maybe a better question would be...  Is this a profession for you, or do you still consider yourself a hobbyist?

See, I totally aspire to make games, and the way I see it, working alone just seems to make sense...  But sometimes I worry that it'll be harder than I'm anticipating...  It seems that even small games usually have at least a handful of names in the credits.  So I'm trying to figure out if I should plan on having to be involved with a team, or if I should stick with my gut feelings & try to do everything myself...?  I'd really value your opinion!

[CraigStern]

Sure, no problem. ;)

Going it alone has it advantages and its disadvantages. The primary disadvantage is that you'll have to make sacrifices, whether that be through reducing the scope and ambition of your game, or through taking many years to complete it. Having a team makes game creation much, much faster.

The main disadvantage to having a team, however, is that people can be unreliable. There's nothing worse than having a game 70% done, then having your artist or your programmer decide he's not interested in working on the game anymore. Do you try to find a replacement to come in and produce similar work? Do you have to scrap everything they did and start over? It's bad news.

Basically, if you're going to create an indie game, you have to choose your poison.

As for whether this is a profession or a hobby for me: I'd like to be able to design my own games professionally. Whether I'll be able to do that and still pay the rent remains to be seen, but as long as I have peoples' support, I remain optimistic. :)

[Zero Mission]

What's your favorite part of game development?  How about least favorite?

What's the hardest part?

[Zhampir]

I noticed you said you have Flash 3, the only version I currently have access to is Flash 4. It said something about converting files from flash 4 to flash 3 somehow... but I don't know...

Anyways, do you think I'd actually be able to help you program if I use flash 4?

[CraigStern]

What's your favorite part of game development?  How about least favorite?

What's the hardest part?

My favorite part is probably a tie between writing dialog and writing music. I guess you could say that I just like writing in general, as long as it isn't writing code. :)

Actually, even programming can be kind of fun, but only the parts where I'm figuring out how to make some new system work. That's kind of like a fun puzzle. The remaining 90% of my coding time is spent fixing bugs, though, and I hate that about as much as anyone can hate anything.

I noticed you said you have Flash 3, the only version I currently have access to is Flash 4. It said something about converting files from flash 4 to flash 3 somehow... but I don't know...

Anyways, do you think I'd actually be able to help you program if I use flash 4?

You mean Flash CS4 and Flash CS3? (I'd be surprised if anyone in the world was still using Flash 4 and Flash 3. ;) ) I'm currently coding TSoG in AS2, which every version of Flash dating back to 2003 supports. So if you know the language and want to help, I might be open to it. Send me a PM.

[Zhampir]

I think you might have mentioned this somewhere but, do you have a plan for all the games you create before creation, like do you have the storyline in your head? For instance, do you know what you want the game after TSOG to be like or even the game after that? Or do you create them as they come to you, and if another idea strikes you, you right it down for a rainy day after your current project is done with?

[CraigStern]

I have a few ideas for future projects that I've thought through and written out at various times while working on TSoG. It doesn't really work to just blunder headlong into designing a game: they're too complicated for that sort of approach, even the simple ones. You always have to plan out what you're doing ahead of time, even if it's just a rough jumble of ideas, then refine as you go. (Or I do, at least.)

[Zhampir]

What do you think of having a special edition of TSoG to be released if sales are going as good as expected? I know it is likely much too soon to think about a project after TSoG.
I've had a few thoughts on this (some of which are named in my topic More Strategy


The premium edition could contain

1. more quests 2. more mini-games 3. more powers 4. more teammates 5. more enemies (maybe) 6. lastly (and my favorite) A certain time-traveling dark spriggat (or whatever race you choose to be this time  ;) ) that can show you glimpses into the history of Cera Bella, and even have you relive great battles of war. Giving Cera Bella a great official (in this time-line) history. A neat idea would be that, at the end of Malignus's telling of the history something strange happens and you are teleported into the future gaining a (brief) glimpse of what the next game could be like/focused on.

I don't think this should be left entirely to you to program, however (unless you wish it, after all, it is your company). I think that the development of this should be worked on a trusted volunteer (perhaps myself when I finally get the right flash, I think I have it now but I'm having issues getting it to even install) or a loyal team of volunteers. It's not like the ideas for the quests, powers, mini-games, teammates, or even the History would be thought up by the volunteer(s), but it simply includes the stuff thought up on the forum that were well-liked and well-formed ideas, but because of a time constraint (perhaps) were left out.

also I'm not sure where to say this but, the link to the forums in the FAQ still links to the old forums.

[CraigStern]

If I ever re-release TSoG, it'll be because A) I've come up with a new, vastly superior engine, or B) because I've found a way to port the game to console.

[Zhampir]

I don't mean a re-release per say, but an add-on

[CraigStern]

Well, from a business perspective, I don't want to cannibalize my own sales. So if sales of the ordinary game are going well, I'll probably leave well enough alone. :)