Let's rate how difficult it is to create certain types of games

DieganDiegan Member Posts: 55
edited November -1 in Working with GS (Mac)
Hi, being a complete n00b and all, I would like my first project to be on the 'easy' side. The problem is, it's not easy to really calculate which types of games are more easy to achieve with gamesalad, and which are more difficult. So, forgetting aboud 2d art, sound, and thinking only about the gamesalad part, please rate the difficulty of these kind of games, and propose more! :)

Let's rate them 1-5, 5 being extremely difficult, and 1 being super easy, no difficult math involved, just normal interactions and easy to understand.

- A point and click adventure, much like 'The secret of grisly manor'
- A Phoenix Wright: Ace detective type of game
- A platform game, like an 8-bit Mario
- An RPG game, like a typical rpgmaker one
- A graphic adventure, like Monkey Island

Propose more types of games please :)

I won't vote, being a n00b, everything seems pretty hard :P

Comments

  • AfterBurnettAfterBurnett Member Posts: 3,474
    No game is going to be "easy". Adventure games may be technically less difficult to code but they rely heavily on story and art, whereas a shooter might be tough to get running smoothly, yet you might get away with lack of a decent storyline and simpler visuals.

    If you're a good pensmith and/or artist, go for the adventure genre... they are extremely popular and the point and click style suits the iPhone touch interface brilliantly (although you may get lost in the layers and layers of attributes needed). But overall, make a game in the genre that YOU would like to play... AND TEST THE HELL OUT OF IT!!!!

    Hope this helps ;-)
  • IsabelleKIsabelleK Member, Sous Chef Posts: 2,807
    First of all:

    This: "- A graphic adventure, like Monkey Island" and this: "- A point and click adventure, much like 'The secret of grisly manor" are the same genre.

    Second: Adventure games are very time-consuming to make them. My first adventure game (http://itunes.apple.com/us/app/the-train-episode-01/id403228643?mt=8) took me 7 months of work, 12 hours a day. The second episode (nearly finished) is twice big as the first one.

    Here you have some nice quote from POLYGAMe: "But overall, make a game in the genre that YOU would like to play... AND TEST THE HELL OUT OF IT!!!!"
  • TheodiTheodi Member Posts: 96
    My next project will be an adventure type. Nearly finished my first which is an arcade type thing.

    I agree with Poly start with something you would enjoy playing yourself, this will both make it easier to code in GS and much more enjoyable! I would start with something small as well while you get the hang of it.
  • DieganDiegan Member Posts: 55
    Thank you guys. I am aware a game like that must be very hard, and 12 hours a day for 7 months... wow... such commitment!! Was it all made with gamesalad? That kind of time investment must be very hard to give a positive return, money-wise.
  • IsabelleKIsabelleK Member, Sous Chef Posts: 2,807
    Diegan said:
    Thank you guys. I am aware a game like that must be very hard, and 12 hours a day for 7 months... wow... such commitment!! Was it all made with gamesalad? That kind of time investment must be very hard to give a positive return, money-wise.

    GameSalad and graphic editors. This type of games is a niche, I think that I would make more money with something casual, but I just love adventure games and this is just my hobby :)
  • kapserkapser Member Posts: 458
    Seriously, all the type of games you stated are very difficult to make with GameSalad. I think the easiest to do is from far a first person point and click adventure like Grisly Manor.

    There is a big difference with Monkey island, which would be a bit harder to do in my opinion simply because of the character movement, animations and interactions.

    The problem with platform games like mario is that GameSalad is not really good in precise collision and static gameplays. It is just not yet efficient at these type of games, and are actually pretty hard to play with a touch device.

    Really, GameSalad is best at making physic games, mostly puzzle or arcade. You will get better results in less time and the GS physic is actually pretty good and allow a lot of built-in features.
  • IsabelleKIsabelleK Member, Sous Chef Posts: 2,807
    @kapser

    Sorry dude, but you have no idea what you are talking about. Darren from Utopian Games (Deep Blue Apps), said that he is making a point&click adventure game, and that this is super hard, because you have to predict every thing that player want to do, or can do.
    And I, as a creator of this type of games, can tell you the same.
  • gyroscopegyroscope I am here.Member, Sous Chef, PRO Posts: 6,598
    TheMoonwalls said:
    @kapser

    Sorry dude, but you have no idea what you are talking about. Darren from Utopian Games (Deep Blue Apps), said that he is making a point&click adventure game, and that this is super hard, because you have to predict every thing that player want to do, or can do.
    And I, as a creator of this type of games, can tell you the same.

    I was waiting for someone else to say this! Totally agree; point and click adventures are one of the most difficult types of games to make, if done properly. My adventure game, (part 1), Ancient Ones:Discovery has been put on the back burner for the while because of the complexity of it.

    ""You are in a maze of twisty passages, all alike." - Zork        temp domain http://spidergriffin.wix.com/alphaghostapps

  • old_kipperold_kipper Member Posts: 1,420
    I wouldn't even attempt to make a point and click until I had a totally solid idea for one and months laid by to execute it. The art is an hard and long job, the playing of the player is pure brain strain, and getting the balance between having a puzzle work in a satisfying and complex way, and being unfathomable is tough. Kudos to those who make them.
  • kapserkapser Member Posts: 458
    @TheMoonwalls : Yeah, I didn't mean it is easy, but technically it doesn't seem quite as hard to code as an rpg.

    I think the biggest challenge in making an adventure game is designing puzzles, not that it is so easy to program. It is just better suited for GameSalad to make a flawless Point and Click than perfect platformer physic motion(maybe I'm wrong, but I don't think anyone achieved that yet)

    And yes, I have designed Point&Click adventure game before, and it can be very complex but the main engine is basically D&D inventory and touching actors most of the time.

    It is relative of course, a simple generic platformer could be done in a few hours while making a lenghty P&C can be one hell of a task and requires almost more planning than development time.
  • DieganDiegan Member Posts: 55
    Great info guys. Very informative for n00bs like me. I did not know that making a platformer in gamesalad could be that hard.
  • IsabelleKIsabelleK Member, Sous Chef Posts: 2,807
    Diegan said:
    Great info guys. Very informative for n00bs like me. I did not know that making a platformer in gamesalad could be that hard.

    I can recommend you those templates: http://www.deepblueapps.com
    You will learn many things from them.
  • kapserkapser Member Posts: 458
    Just to clarify, it's actually pretty simple to make a platformer and there is templates for that. Not saying you shouldn't make one. (hell, I'm making one myself XD)

    What I meant is that it's hard to get some really tight control with similar physics than Mario3 or Megaman. In my opinion GameSalad works way better using 'realistic physic' than 'static physics' but both can be done. Just open the platformer template and you will see what I mean.

    It's just because of the way GameSalad is build and doesn't have a coding language, pixel precise collision, collision mask, etc. It uses it's built-in physic engine, which is actually amazing and fun to use. Sorry if I'm being a bit confusing.
Sign In or Register to comment.

© Vanilla Keystone Theme 2025