I am in the midst of developing a side scrolling platform shooter. It''s going to be in 640x480 hi-res, 16 bit color and at 60 fps rate and also will use hierarchically linked boss sprites like those games you see in the console days. I am trying to improve the game play a bit, maybe incorporating some puzzle solving elements. What I would like to know is, what category this game falls into and what are the expected market acceptance of it ? Basically it is going to be similar to Konami or Treasure''s side scrollers except the gameplay will be slightly different. Graphics wise should be no problem, since I am using pre-rendered 3D graphics (this is 2d game). I have no problem with graphics quality though. Does this game fall under the category for casual gamers or it''s more oriented towards hardcore gamers ? What is the market size for a slightly newer type of side scrolling shooter cum puzzle game ? I haven''t seen much side-scrollers for the PC that made headline news since Epic Megagames''s Jazz JackRabbit.

Not sure about this, I suggest doing some market research on cnet, download.com, tucows etc. do some searches on google etc.

I guess side scrollers are pretty much an untapped market. Ever played THE REAP, that was a cool scrolling game, pretty recent as well.

-Nick

Speaking of Konami, Castlevania: Symphony of the Night seemed to do pretty well. I'd only base my decision on that though if you have the proven track record and established fanbase like Konami/Castlevania.

[edited by - SysOp_1101 on August 7, 2002 5:55:16 AM]

I love sidescrollers, but not when the main character is too big, and you dont see the level.

.lick

quote: Original post by GBolt
What is the market size for a slightly newer type of
side scrolling shooter cum puzzle game ?

Well, the "adult" market is huge, but not sure about your particular "adult/game" combination.

Seriously, though, do the research on it. Without having done the research myself, I would suspect you could get decent results if you have an excellent game. There are already quite a few side scrollers out there, so you need something to set yours apart from everything else. On the other hand, I''m not sure I''ve seen that many of these games with any real market push behind them (outside of the console market, that is). If you try real hard and market it well, you might do well.

Of course, with Dexterity releasing Strayfire within the next month(???) or so, hopefully Steve or Kurt (the guy who wrote Strayfire and runs flipcode) will be able to tell you. In fact, Kurt has been selling strayfire on his own for about half a year now. I think I''ll go drop him an email and see what he has to say about his results so for (prior to Dexterity publishing it). I''ll respond back if he has any info he would like to share.

Ron Frazier
Kronos Software
www.kronos-software.com
Miko & Molly - Taking Puzzle Games to A Whole New Dimension

I actually think that by "side-scrollers" the original poster didn''t mean shoot''em''ups, such as our own Intensity XS, or Demonstar, Raptor, Space Tripper, etc. - I definitely think there''s a good Sharewaremarket for these games out there, I know that all of the above games have done quite well.

Rather, a "side-scroller" here is a platformer, correct? (i.e. something like Jazz Jackrabbit, or the original Sonic, Mario, etc). How well do those do??? No idea if you''re talking about PCs, but there have been a lot of them released for the handheld market lately, especially the Gameboy Advance.

Duke Nuke''em Manhatten Project was a recent such game for the PC. I actually haven''t tried it myself, nor do I know how well it did, but perhaps you could find out by contacting the publisher? Other than that, the last PC side-scroller I can remember would be Jazz 2.

A new Contra game is being developed that uses 3d rendering but 2d movement/gameplay. It looked *great* when I saw it on TV.. I think it was on extended play.


*edit.. it was on Extended Play (TechTV) where I saw it. Here's a link: http://www.techtv.com/extendedplay/previews/story/0,24330,3393346,00.html

http://roninmagus.hopto.org
acronymfinder.com - Find any acronym you need!

[edited by - Ronin Magus on August 8, 2002 11:15:22 AM]

Platform games are of course sellable, but the bar has been put much higher. If you want to go commercial, you'd need at least something comparable to the latest crop of 3D side scrollers like Contra or BlowOut http://www.blowoutgame.com
Contra is a sequel to the original game and BlowOut an Abuse/Doom style 3rd person 3D platformer.

As you can see the graphics are similar to the level you'd get in a FPS game, just with different viewpoints and gameplay.
On the other hand, of course these two don't look like games produced by a couple of guys. They're all strictly professional, and look like some major $$$ has been spent on them.

If you intend to go shareware, you can still get away with 2D, although I don't know how popular 2D only still is. Still, depends a lot on the game, if it's good, it'll sell.
Some people are tired of playing the same FPS games over and over and side scrollers are something different.

Mark

[edited by - Mark Tanner on August 8, 2002 1:53:22 PM]