Dammit, what good is a flame post if nobody flames?!? (kidding...)

So, here goes: You''re right AND you''re wrong. You''re right that complexity doesn''t get the respect it deserves; attention to detail doesn''t get the respect that it deserves; you''re right that sweat and down to the bone creativity often gets rewarded with the shaft. And people seem to care more about graphics than they do gameplay. All of this is true.

But here''s where you''re wrong, dude: Chef''s Joy. You''re a cook, and your making something for other people to enjoy. Yeah, maybe everybody should be into the veal and lobster and fillet mignon, but try to look at it as a service. I''m serious. Try to get into the fun of actually jazzing people and making their eyes sparkle. If it''s about you and your creative genuious, then you''re gonna be depressed because it''s all about you!!! But if it''s about entertaining people, then you''ll study them, get inside their head, and create FOR them.

Give you a perfect case in point: 4 of my not so computer literate friends visited me this weekend. I showed them Starcraft, Swarm, Aliens vs. Predator, and Jedi Knight. I got them to sit down and play (even the girlfriends were playing Starcraft ). I had so much fun getting them into games, and got so much insight into how to make games for other people just by being open to the experience.

OK, now for the disclaimer: I''m sure there are those who will equate making something for other people with pandering (dwarfsoft????). If you''re making games for yourself, that''s cool. But after working in the industry for a few years, I''m a proponent of Design Aikido: You flow with your audience''s interest and learn to have fun working with their energy. Maybe it''ll be called pandering, but it''s a hell of a lot less depressing.

--------------------
Just waiting for the mothership...

Landfish is right. In fact, every aspect of your life is affected (infected) by some people wearing suits. It''s called "Maddison Avenue" and the commercials you see on T.V. the music you hear on the radio are indirectly dictated by these people.

I''m a musician (for fun, play bass and keys), I''ve been listening to a band that a younger collegue of mine turned me on to. The name of the band is "Dream Theater"... They freaking rock! But you will never... ever hear their stuff on the radio. Mostly because the songs range from 5-30 minutes in length but, primarally because it is progressive rock. BTW, I saw them live in Cincinnatti, OH about two months ago... they are the best live band that I have ever seen.

At any rate, our team is trying to make our game fun! Everything we design is from a players perspective... Our team is made up of some long time role players and 3 EQ players, 1 UO player (me) and I also have played enough AC to know that it sux! We are raising the funding ourselves and hopefully will retain full control over the design and development.

Dave "Dak Lozar" Loeser

quote: Original post by Landfish

My theory is that the mass-public is content with the way things are. They don''t like major changes. This makes sense sociologically, because otherwise we''d have chaos.

The fact is, Orson Welles dies poor. He also made the widely acknowledged greatest movie of all time.

I perfer to think of the mass-public as stupid

actually the world is not stupid. everyone in the world is capable of ingenius. and i don''t mean that everyone is capable of being the next John Carmack, but everyone can be great at their on particular field. people have just been trained to not use their minds: to be lazy, and let the system think for them. is this a problem, well that just depends on what side your looking from. the move "The Matrix" is simply a metaphor for reality when you take away computers, but most people probably don''t see it. they just look at the computer part.

Ok two points:
POINT ONE:
Im not saying that I really intend to ''sell-out'' in this way, I just wanted to put forward the dilemma so as to hear peoples thoughts. I write two kind of games. Intricate ones that I like (like StarLinesINC.) and easy to play console-friendly stuff (like RockyRacers). Im just frustrated that I can''t make money from well-designed games, which would let me spend more time on them.

POINT TWO:
DREAM THATER ARE THE BEST
Ive loved them since I first heard their first album. Their latest is a masterpiece and i havent taken it out my car since I bought it. I was a guitar teacher for 8 years and john petrucci is THE most talented musician alive. nuff said ;-).
And yes they are a phenomenom live!

http://www.positech.co.uk

quote: Original post by jenova

actually the world is not stupid. everyone in the world is capable of ingenius. and i don''t mean that everyone is capable of being the next John Carmack, but everyone can be great at their on particular field. people have just been trained to not use their minds: to be lazy, and let the system think for them. is this a problem, well that just depends on what side your looking from. the move "The Matrix" is simply a metaphor for reality when you take away computers, but most people probably don''t see it. they just look at the computer part.

Your correct... Unfortunately most people that view the film only see it for what it is and not for what it really means! Maybe the special FX or the fabulous laytex suit on the gal messes with thier thinking... and they don''t see the parallels to their own life. Or to society.

Dave "Dak Lozar" Loeser


"GreatShot.com

quote: Original post by Landfish

My theory is that the mass-public is content with the way things are. They don''t like major changes. This makes sense sociologically, because otherwise we''d have chaos.

The fact is, Orson Welles dies poor. He also made the widely acknowledged greatest movie of all time.

Okay, I want to see if I get the standard reaction to this: Landfish, you are the mass public. You are one of the sheep. You are a cog in the wheel. You are a cell in the vast social coral reef, supporting and upholding it the way it is.

So am I. So is everyone. We lack the interest, drive, and dedication to really make a difference. We are all part of an integrated social network and we derive IMMENSE benefits from keeping things the way they are. We don''t like major changes unless it''s in an area we''re discontent with. It''s regrettably a matter of practicality.

(BTW, the appropriate response if you''re used to being above others is outrage or at least consternation...)



--------------------
Just waiting for the mothership...

quote: Original post by Dak Lozar

Landfish is right. In fact, every aspect of your life is affected (infected) by some people wearing suits. It''s called "Maddison Avenue" and the commercials you see on T.V. the music you hear on the radio are indirectly dictated by these people.

Only that which we allow stands. Every oppression has a benefit to the oppressor, no matter how repugnant it is...


--------------------
Just waiting for the mothership...

quote: Original post by Landfish

Yes I do. The best-seller list is crap, because the majority of people who buy books don''t have a good sense of what will be though important in retrospect.

W A R N I N G!!!! Elitism detected!!! W A R N I N G!!!!

So longevity == quality??? That''s pretty narrow...

quote:
The artistic dillemma can be boiled down to this. Sell your soul to mass-media and make enough money live, but be spiritually vacuous OR make something truly signifigant and go unnoticed, until long after you''re dead when everyone realizes how cool you were and you become a posthumous millionaire.

Or get into making stuff that other people enjoy and stop bitching about how stupid other people are.

Sorry that''s so harsh. But really, there are artists who are able to do meaningful work and make a living. Don''t make the mistake I once made, which is to downgrade them because they don''t enjoy your meaningful work.

quote:
The arguement that good stuff doesn''t sell was a flawed one. It sells, just way too late for the money to be any good for the person who wrote it.

I honestly think this is an effect of elitism, consumerism, and a few intelligentsia determining what is good and bad centuries later. But that''s just me...

--------------------
Just waiting for the mothership...

quote: Original post by ahw
Be the last of the Mohawks ?

LOL! Mohicans dude, Last of the Mohicans.