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Denver, 1:34 AM
Thu Dec 3
63 posts in the last 24 hours
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10/13/09
10/13/09
10/13/09
Oh and here is my indie game that I work on in my spare time:
[www.youtube.com]
10/13/09
10/13/09
10/13/09
10/13/09
PLEASE FIX BRAID WITH AN UPDATE!!! Ever since I changed my HDD. I can't play Braid. Because my FULLY PAID VERSION OF BRAID, Keeps thinking it's the trial version.
10/13/09
Follow this easy guide: [www.xbox.com]
and use this to transfer your license to the new HDD.
[www.xbox.com]
10/13/09
Thats like, one of the worst comments I've ever seen around here.
10/13/09
This is problem that plagues digital downloads, unfortunately. No one seems to have perfected the system for consoles.
10/13/09
In what way? Jayntampa understands.
10/15/09
10/13/09
10/13/09
I define indie devs by whether they're owned by someone else or not. If they're independant then they're indie, if they aren't then they're not, simple as.
If a developer owned by someone else is making a small cheap title, then that's what they're doing, making a small cheap title, they're still owned by someone else thus making calling them an indie dev wrong.
10/13/09
10/13/09
To add to that, I'd say that any developer that uses any other company as a publisher isn't independent. The developer has to be self-published.
Now, the confusion comes when dealing with the PSmini and XBLindie programs since, technically, Sony and Microsoft are publishing the title for distribution on their stores. That said, the requirements for entry into these services are much lower than those for having a game developed and distributed on the main PSN/XBLA or through disc retail.
I'd say that the sheer monetary power behind a development studio, however, doesn't have anything to do with it. Even a famous but small dev. studio could get a few million to work with if they knew the right people and found the right investors.
10/13/09
Maybe this will at least throw some standards to shoot for, it seems like 90% of the games on XBL Indie games are just cop outs from doing anything interesting just to make a quick buck.
Honestly I get it, it's a lot of work making a game with limited resources, but that doesn't mean you release garbage to sell.
10/13/09
10/13/09
Uplink
Darwinia
Survival Crisis Z
Alex the Alligator
G-Type
Shellblast
Chzo Mythos
Some of those are freeware.
10/13/09
But thats not what this article was referring to. Indie games, not indie store games. Braid and Dead Samurai both fall into that category, with tiny tiny development teams of 1-10 guys and more love than manpower poured into them.
I can now name at least two games from the same indie dev I enjoy (I ma3d a gam3 and Dead Samurai), as well as I enjoy Braid, Castle Crashers and Alien Hominid. All which 'enjoyed' very small budgets or came from very humble beginnings.
EDIT: Oh, and I completely forgot about Uplink and Darwinia until Achoo or whoever that was above me mentioned them.
Also, Defcon. Three games from the same tiny little dev that are freakin' awesome.
10/13/09
10/13/09
Castle Crashers has a development team of only a few guys. The Behemoth was not working with unlimited resources, hence, why the game took an extra 2 years to come out, as well as they didn't want to bring anyone else in who might compromise their vision. So the team remained a few guys only.
The way I see it is, if you're working with limited resources, whether that be manpower or money, without having a publisher promote you all over the place (especially that part), its indie.
You forget, all the massive publicity that Braid and Castle Crashers got was not because of a publisher. The collective word of mouth on the internet regarding a few gameplay videos that excited a few people is a powerful thing.
10/13/09
And I have to disagree about the publicity for Braid and Castle Crashers. Microsoft was marketing the shit out of those games as "hey, look at us, we put out cool indie games, we're so hip." I loved the games mind you, i'm just saying Microsoft milked the fuck out of them and gave them tons of time. How many games get that Summer of Arcade marketing and maybe even E3 coverage if I remember correctly. Great games, definately more independent than any retail game, but the publicity wasnt just word of mouth and that had to have made a difference at least initially.
10/13/09
Theres a subtle difference in what Microsoft was doing. It wasn't pimping Braid/CC to sell the game, it was pimping Braid/CC to sell the console.
'Nyah nyah look what we've got that you don't!' sort of thing. But can a dev really help getting free press for something like that? Should it lose its 'We've done this on our own' status just because one of the big boys takes notice and uses it in a money war?
I'll say it again, as long as complete creative control remains in the hands of the devs, and the funder (if not self funded) doesn't get a single word on what to include, how to price, how to market, etc etc etc, then it remains indie in my books. When you don't have someone who makes money on a regular basis stepping in and telling you what slight changes you can make to make it MORE marketable and make MORE money, then its still yours, and still 'independent'.
10/13/09
And perhaps another misunderstaning here: I dont think of the term "indie" as something that a dev should aspire to be. There's nothing negative about the term, I just dont see anything positive about it either. It's a statement of fact, or should be anyway IMO. I look for quality of game, new and interesting ideas, etc. I could care less who makes the game if it's good enough. That goes for games on Xbox Live Indie's to full retail games. And my thinking that way isnt necessarily right but it shows how differently the term is used/percieved.
10/13/09
One of the last lines in the article "All I know is I'm going to start seeing more games on the Xbox Live Indie service"
There's no way to get a game out onto XBL Arcade with only 2 people and 35 days, it's much more difficult, but XBL Indie games would be considerably easier given the nature of the production and ease of getting it up for distrubtion, as well as the XNA Tools giving joe shmoe programmers tools they wouldn't have otherwise had access to.
My original comment is inclusive of just the Indie game section, by genre most of the games mentioned may fall under Indie games, but they are not sold under the XBL Indie game service which was specifically mentioned, but XBL Arcade. If I'm misunderstanding the article it's clearly my fault but I do believe this game is referencing XBL Indie games, formerly Community games.
10/13/09
your argument is silly, go on The Independent Game Source and educate yo'self
10/13/09
XBOX LIVE INDIE GAME SECTION.
Shit I thought since the article talked about the XBL Indie game section (almost exclusively) and I specifically mention that XBL indie games are typically cop outs people would put two and two together.
So don't mention any games that are A) On PC or Steam, or B) On XBL Arcade.
10/13/09
10/13/09
At the same time, you're not making an indie game if you're a no-name developer making a game with the money and help of a big-name developer.
So, Shadow Complex is not an indie game. It's a mainstream game masquerading as indie.
To be true indie, you have to be working independently. You know, where the name comes from?
10/13/09
10/13/09
This article is about a guy saying a few studios are working on XBL Indie Games.
This does NOT mean creative games. This does not automatically mean quirky games, unique games, innovative games. It means they are making games for the Indie Games platform, meaning they are making smaller, lower-budget games- it does NOT mean they are for sure making truly indie games. Just games that go under that label.
So don't go "Oh man if it means more innovation and more quirky games then hell yeah!" because that is not what this says. This simply says that some studios are making games FOR Indie Games- not that they are making games which are indie.
I feel this article was really poorly put together...it's very misleading.
10/13/09
10/13/09
I hate going into stores (or internet sites)to see people now labeled as "indie douchebags"
Indie for some reason has become synonymous with "my tastes in music and games are better than yours because I'm unique" and I can't stand it.
It was the same for everything and "indie" now becomes a genre for a style represented like any other like The Blues and being black and rock, Elvis and hip-sway before it.
Indie is no longer Indie its not called independent for a reason now. Indie has become separate from independence and any semblance of the term and defined it's role in pop-culture. It has become a marketing strategy just like everything before...
10/07/09
While it can be played with no prior knowledge, I suspect the experience is more powerful and more intelligible with the play in mind. That said, it also raises a number of questions about the choices made by the creators, the things they could have done, the things they changed, etc.
NOTE: In Wilde's retelling of the tale, it's a (pseudo)-prophet named Iokanaan that is in the jail.
10/07/09
Ohhh, it has an e.
10/07/09
10/07/09
10/08/09
10/07/09
When this game comes out, I'm just going to let my eyes become unfocused and scroll through the review, seeing if there's more Blue text than Red.
10/07/09