[Author's Side Note: I was writing up this super intense, wordy essay about co-operation in games and how our development world was changing, etc etc. Pffft! Who wants to read that?! Not I! The second I realized I wasn't enjoying reading my own writing, I scrapped the whole thing. Thus, the upcoming paragraphs are written more for those of you who are interested in making a video game, but should prove a good read for everyone... Take heed and enjoy!]
Here's the deal: making a video game is hard! Really, really hard! It's especially hard if you're an independent developer like us (one who was trying to make their first game, while going to school or working full time). And much like the fate of the previous version of this article, sometimes you may have to start all over. So, I say to all the budding would-be-solo-developer-geniuses out there who think you've got this dream-game thing all figured out... well... you probably don't.
[Author's Side Note: I realize that someone could come along and mention that ONE GUY who made millions all by himself in order to refute the point I'm driving at... Yeah, don't you dare think I don't know who you're thinking of... Generally, it doesn't happen that way. Look, there's a reason why 99% of video games are made by TEAMS. So keep reading, okay? Oh look... I'm about to reveal the real point of this whole article...]
Beyond all of the complications of video game development, there's one important aspect that is easy to overlook when you're first starting out; the need to ask for help. The moment you admit "Hey, I might need help with this project" is the moment you take your first real step towards turning your dream-game into a reality... game. In this article, I'm not referring to the help you will need in a development team. Granted, you will likely need a team of talented, dedicated, and - let's be honest here - tolerable people to work with in order to finish your first game. Still, even beyond a solid development team lies a legion of important people that will contribute to the success of your end product; these people will play your game to death.
[Author's Side Note: Yes “to death” because they will break the game many times.]
The fans.
The fans won't be shy about telling everyone how they feel, either. Sure, there are some 'fans' who are not going to like your game and feel the need to vilify you for no justifiable reason. Here's a tip: don't listen to those guys. They're just being mean, and mean people are not terribly interested in cooperating, right? Nope! But after you sift through the 'meanies' you will also find fans who are presenting real solutions to (or suggestions for) the issues they have with your game; their input can be invaluable... yet completely FREE!
One particular aspect of game design which fans (or 'testers' if your game isn't having an open beta) can be extremely helpful is in “balancing”. It is very easy for developers to design a game that's challenging for them, while unwittingly crafting a game that is too hardcore for their own future customers. Naturally, the developers know how the game AI works, how to play best at the game, and how to maximize their efforts in every situation. If the game is still challenging for developers, then it will likely feel “impossible” or “broken” to the lay-fan.
If you don't push any testing of your game with people who have never played it before, then you'll be in for a rude awakening when your product finally hits the market. This happened with our game Wanderlust: Rebirth; a game where we wanted to encourage cooperative-play over solo-play. In truth, as a result, we spent the past year and a half balancing the game for solo players alongside our extra-content updates.
At first glance, you might argue that the difficulty of our game was a huge oversight on our part. Not true. To that end, we actually did have a playable beta of Rebirth out for two years before the game was launched, and it was available to the general public. We held extensive beta testing at the Reflect forums and Game Maker community, but our followers there would all be seasoned veterans of the game by the time we ended up beta testing what would become the launch build. The game was too easy for them at that point, so we had made few balancing changes to the build that was released on June 14th, 2011. Consequently, in spite of all our efforts before launching our game, we still ended up putting out a product that was more difficult than it needed to be.
[Author's Side Note: I would like to state - for the record and as a complete side note - that Yeti Trunk believes our Wanderlust franchise presents a unique gameplay experience to the more popular “action rpgs” which it is so often compared to. For example, while I was playing a (very) popular “action rpg” last year, it occurred to me that I had leveled my character from 1 to 15 with virtually no deaths, no difficulty, and with 95% of my accomplishments being achieved with the click of a single mouse button. To an observer who wasn't watching my screen, I may as well have been playing Fruit Ninja! As a gamer, I simply refuse to believe that this represents a legitimate challenge of my skills, and consequently I am always shocked to read that some fans wish our game could be played in a similar fashion.
Wanderlust: Rebirth was designed to be a combat game first, and rpg second. In fact, we designed the game entirely without items first, and once the combat was fun and engaging, we then added the crafting system (which was a hugely requested feature from the fans, by the way). In any so-called-action-rpg, the combat mechanics ought to be the first priority. Alright, back to the topic at hand...]
Not only is it difficult to predict how your game will be received by the public at large, but as a truly “indie” developer, you simply will not have the resources to do sufficient testing of your game before its inevitable launch. Still, as gamers we should never expect virtual perfection from developers who, unlike large corporations, have absolutely zero resources available to them. This is why it's essential, as independent developers, to take the fan critiques “in stride” and address them as best you can.
[Author's Side Note: Let's not forget that, ultimately, the fans possess the means - the money - to determine if you're going to be around to make the sequel to that dream-game of yours; so listen up! Also, beware the shameless plug of Wanderlust: Adventures in the following paragraph!]
Yeti Trunk learned, very quickly, to value the feedback of our fans (and the not-so-fans). We've embraced it and it has led to dramatic changes in how we approach game development. For example, we're now at the point in Wanderlust: Adventures - the spiritual successor to Wanderlust: Rebirth - where we've re-designed entire systems and characters based on the feedback we heard from players! Even further, we've altered the core game experience from Rebirth (a linear arcade-action rpg) to mold Adventures into a free-roam action-adventure rpg. As it pertains to cooperative play, we've spent time focusing on making it easier for players to team up in Wanderlust: Adventures; players will be able to join games at any time, with the only exception being when a group enters a dungeon.
In summary, and in the simplest terms... if you're going to make a game for others to enjoy, then you ought to listen to others' opinions. Even if you've skipped reading the past few paragraphs, I sincerely hope that the first few were sufficient to opening your mind to the idea that co-operation can be a crucial element to developing great video games.
Good luck making that dream-game of yours!
~Matthew Griffin, Yeti Trunk
[Author's Side Note: P.S. In spite of what I've written, please refrain from criticizing this article because unlike in a video game, I cannot 'patch' this essay! Cheers!]