Hi! All, I'm a proffesional mobile game developer and worked on several commercial titles. I actually wanted to be a console game developer. Right now, console games are become so huge and costly that only very experience guys are getting chances (thats how I'm thinking). I have developed a level editor which are supports... 1. Orthogonal 2. Isometric staggered 3. Isometric diamond 4. Hexagonal 5. Hexagonal alternative (90 degree rotated) It's more flexible than mappy - confident. :) Now, I can make games with these like popolocrois game... but the thing is they are 2d games and I'm confused whether it will be possible for me to enter into the console game world with this. It's not like I never worked in 3D game. Actually, I developed a 3d games around 4 years ago in my home. And you understand, programming is very easy to forgot (syntax). I also has to work for my living. Recently, I have tried to work in 3d game, but it's very difficult. The main difficulty is the models. Maybe I can manage to get a humand body and don't find the environment. Ok, then I got the environment and it's too small or big compare to that human body. :). Do you really think 2d game still has the value like before. No clue, what I'm going to do. Any suggestion? :(

I think a good place you can start is with Microsofts XNA. If you make a good XNA game and send it to Microsoft they will put it in their Xbox Live Arcade. XNA uses C# and you can download the XNA Game Studio for free.

Quote:

Original post by moo_gamer Do you really think [the console] 2d game still has ... value like before.

It should be obvious that the standard, in consoles, is 3D. The occasional 2D game might still make it now and then, meaning they aren't totally dead (and of course 2D games still have a place on the Internet and in mobile and handheld platforms). I think you are looking for someone to tell you "oh yes, you can make a perfectly good living in 2D games for the rest of your life, and you can do it in consoles." Sorry. The game industry is broad enough that there's room for people who aren't 3D wizards - tools, A.I., scripting... Assuming you work in a big team (and not solo).

BTW, why is this in Game Design? This isn't a design question.

Mobile devices like cell phones are slowly becomeing replacements for hand held consoles. It will take a decade or two to fully standardize the tech base, but a number of current "smart phones" have the raw processing and memory guts to rival Windows 98 PCs of a decade ago. Sure the PSP can play movies, but so can the iphone...and given some more tech dev time, you will be able to stream movies directly onto your celly, very close now with 3G networks.

However playing console friendly games on such devices has its problems. The screens are small, and need to be. So some genres will be difficult to play. Raceing games, FPS, even RTS will be nearly impossable given the near microscopic depiction of some game elements on such small screens. So its a very safe bet that games more friendly to 2D representation will long survive there.

So in other words, developing on mobile devices is like being on the ground floor of new console development.

Besides, its just not the games that make you rich, its leverageing your IPs that do that trick. I'm completely baffled by the lack of pick up and play turn basied stratigy type games available on cell phones. The devices are perfect for games like the classic Master of Monsters on the Sega Genesis. But every developer seems to shoot themselves in the foot trying to make crappy Baldur's Gate clones. Maybe its the "we would rather develop for the XBox, but are stuck doing cell phone games" mindset, that they just don't see the potential right in front of them.

Quote:

Original post by moo_gamer Do you really think 2d game still has the value like before. No clue, what I'm going to do. Any suggestion? :(

Personally speaking I still adore 2D and sprite based games to death. But the large majority seem to come out of the East only, mainly of the S-RPG/RPG genres probably because of the market and also being big budget. I could name a good number of high profile titles which were almost entirely 2D sprite based games.

Over here in the west 3D seems to be the only thing allowed more or less. Unless you're developing for a console like the NDS which I've seen alot of good original titles come out for it.

You can see 2d games come into consoles at the end of their lifespan, the start of the next generation. This is happening with ps2 now, I've seen a few shmups

You can see 2d games come into consoles at the end of their lifespan, the start of the next generation. This is happening with ps2 now, I've seen a few shmups

Quality 2D games will continue to stay in fashion for as long as there are low-profile platforms such as Nintendo DS and mobiles. I'd say go for mobiles and if you to ride some trend that will generate additional sales, make sure you ride iPhone's - there's enough headstart until June's release of App Store and 99$ for getting listed as commercial product at App Store is negligible. Make sure also to build your application around online service - online ladder, download of additional levels, etc. - to discourage piracy and provide additional value. Also, make sure you release free demo (possible for free through App Store, and I do not expect the first wave of commercial iPhone games to have separately developed demos, so you might get some boon from that) and release continuous thematic/episodic updages of the games to generate steady revenue as long as your game stays hip.