An open letter to the users of GameSalad (or a certain sector of those users)

Sparkyidr

Can I please request that :

Before you come to the forum asking for help, or asking how to do something, or asking for free graphics, or sound....PLEASE at least have tried to do what you need doing yourself first.

Every day it seems I read the forum and see threads like :
"How do I make a game like -insert popular game here-?"

And most of the time, it seems like the person asking hasn't even TRIED to make a start on the simplest things, let alone turning those simple elements into -popular game-.

There are people who frequent these forums who are happy to help people out....but not if you haven't attempted to help yourself first.

Also.....and I know this is a BIG ask.....
99% of the time, templates are released in the hope that YOU will LEARN from them. Don't just "grab and publish"
1. You will have learned nothing
2. You will have annoyed whoever made the template
3. The quality of the "final published game" will probably make GS looks like a terrible SDK to the average end user/ios punter

That's my rant over for the day.
This forum used to be a lot of fun (just sayin!)

UtopianGames

I tend to ignore the how do i make a game like angry birds type of posts unless they have tried to make it.

I don't mind offering help with a few pointers but asking someone to make a full game for free is a little steep

Take time and learn, there's enough tutorials and demos/templates to really get a grasp of GS and how it works.

Good post.

Darren.

engdanar

Totally Agree with u @Sparkyidr

quantumsheep

Gotta admit the 'lack of fun' is partly why I don't bother so much anymore.

People seem to be putting fun and gameplay on the back burner these days.

QS

EatingMyHat

While those are not as good as the 'how much money will I make' threads, I completely agree with you. Even if you REALLY want to help, where do you start with a question like that? What kind an answer people expect?

1. Open GS
2. Select File->Create Game
3. Select 'Angry Birds' from the list
4. Click on Publish

The_Gamesalad_Guru

I've been saying these same things for a year now. Just some food for thought to us all; when you visit Yellow Stone Park they instruct you not to feed the wild life because it robs them of their desire to hunt and forage for themselves. This is why I rarely will offer to write code in a post or look over someone's project. If they want to seriously do this then all the resources are there for them. Most of long timers made games with less info than is available now..we just had to try, test and most of all THINK. This is a great community but sometimes we shouldn't feed the bears! It's for their own good.

Sparkyidr

...and most of all THINK....

^^^THIS!

JoVe

I agree, as you look in the AppStore you see many of these templates in the AppStore such as Fly Frenzy, as you search Fly Frenzy you get two games with this template, this is ridiculous. Templates are good to learn but don't publish them without changes.

imjustmike

Another key thing would be to search the forums, I've only been posting a few days and I've already seen a lot of the same questions being asked

maxbeaumont

If these people were actually trying to start on there own by going and reading the cookbook, watching the video tutorials, and really putting some effort into learning, nobody would be mad. Its the fact that the forums is there first stop after downloading GameSalad. They expect all of us to walk them through the entire game making process instead of going and trying to learn it. If people have specific questions after they have started, by all means, ask. But please try and learn the program a little before you do. That is all we are asking..

Cheers
Max

maxbeaumont

I think this is a pretty good sample of community opinion to gauge how those threads are handled going forward.

I'm also tempted to shut down threads asking for templates for specific games, "Where can I find a tiny balls template", for example. While it may not always be the case, usually those people are asking so they can either re-skin the game crudely and sell it or simply re-title it and sell the template.

I 100% agree man.

GraphicWarehouse

I agree with everything accept the where can I find this template threads because template makers can get an idea what is in demand

StormyStudio

agree.. and kinda miss the good ol days of lots of questions and answers shooting around mixed with fun chat.... but that's that I guess...

I hope to start my totb contest again soon which will hopefully spur some good old chat about game developing for people actively learning and using the software and not those just hoping to make a quick buck with templates... that said I still like selling templates and I guess I hope people are learning with them and not just submitting in their current state.

shebhnt

Honestly if I get stuck on a game mechanic, it has always been way more helpful to try to overcome it myself. If I really can't do it I first search the forums to see if anyone else has already had this issue. And only if both of those fail do I post a question.

You always learn more when you do it yourself.

JustMe74

Good, that will improve the forum.

EatingMyHat

Here is an idea... each lesson on the cookbook already gives you points, why not allow to post only after you got something like 100 points or complete the basic cookbook tutorials (about 4 easy sessions I think).
1. It is not hard to do if you really want to be a part of the community and not just look for a quick buck
2. New comers will be exposed to the cookbook as their first station
3. Clean up the forum from the clueless questions, spam and trolls
4. Everybody can still read

What do you guys think?

EatingMyHat

No offense to the indie developer that posted it, but this is also a type of the posts that will be blocked if the cookbook will be a requirement:
http://forums.gamesalad.com/discussion/46952/awesome-unique-slashing-game-ninja-vs-ufo-free-for-iphone-on-app-store

EatingMyHat

Sorry, but here is another one...
http://forums.gamesalad.com/discussion/47045/save-the-gals-available-on-the-app-store-for-iphone-ipad-and-ipod-entertainment

Non-GS game, new user (joined today), single post under Announce Your Game.

It is just to easy to open a user and start posting. It also seems that the 'flag' option is gone.

LumpApps

Agree. The forums where more fun a year ago. But that might be me.

BarrytheBrave

I agree that there should be a minimum requirement to post in the forums, and here's why:

Even though gamesalad as a tool allows anybody to create games, this doesn't mean that everybody is made of the right 'stuff' (for want of a better word) to make games. Successful indie game makers share a common mentality, a determination to do things for themselves and a general problem solving attitude. Therefore most people who will go on to be successful at this are not the ones who start on day one by asking the community 'how can I make angry birds?'. The successful people are the ones who get stuck in and study for themselves, only asking for help if they really need it.

I would be willing to bet that the majority of users who start these kind of threads will not persevere for long at game making - they are most likely drawn here by gamesalad's increasing success and acknowledgement, in the misunderstanding that they will be able to knock out a quick game and make a fortune without any hard work on their part.

Therefore a minimum requirement to start forum threads (be it time since registering, cookbook tutorials completed etc) will ensure that the only people starting threads are the ones who have given it a go for themselves first, and not the people who are just here to pillage what they can from the community.

I also agree about the change in the forum atmosphere recently - whilst only being a registered member since earlier this year, I have been checking in on the forums almost daily since 2009, and I used to have such a laugh reading all of the banter that was going on at that time. It would be great to get that back.

PS this isn't a rant, I love these forums and they are home to some of the most helpful people I've ever come across! :-bd