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famous2.dat
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Text File
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1987-04-21
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6KB
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191 lines
THE ESSENTIAL GUIDE TO :
PART 1
------------------------
PRODUCING A COMMERCIAL COMPUTER GAME
1
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To have any chance of success when producing a commercial game
you must first form a group of CODERS/GRAFIX MEN/MUSICIANS etc
This (as one might expect) allows experts to concentrate on
their own talents.
2
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Before even thinking of producing a game you must experiment,
this is achieved by writing DEMOs, Stretching the limits of
your programming knowledge. (Not very far in most cases) to
opening borders and doing hardware scrolling, etc.
3
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So that people know who you are you need to think of a name
for your group. Names that can be shortened to 3 letters are
generally the best. eg: T.E.X or B.B.C
Even better than that is to have a name that can be shortened
to T.something.B such as The Happening Boiz (T.H.B) or
The CareBears (T.C.B)
4
_
When you are famous demo writers you than need some capital
behind you before producing your game. This is achieved by
selling the 68000 source codes (generally undocumented)
at #10 a screen to people who generally don't understand
what they are looking at but bought the source code because
you are "famous demo coders" and "I had to see how they
did it" (even though they don't own a copy of DEVPAC) and
have to fork out another #60 just to assemble the screen.
5
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Lets recap: You've formed a group
You've thought of a name
You've gained experience and become famous
by writing demos
You've got some capital behind you
Now is the time to design the game.
6
_
We now have an extract in the birth of a new game.
GFX = GRAPHIX ARTIST
CODER = CODER (Rather obvious !)
MUSIX = Bet you can't guess !
Coder : What can our new game be ?
Musix : Beep, Beeeep, Beeeeeeeep No idea but I've
already finished the music.
GFX : I've got some grafix kicking around that I drew
3 years ago and haven't been used.
The game is now based solely around the 3 year old graphics
that are in a GREY palette and have no relevance to the
storyline thought up. Now after weeks of hard work GFX
returns with a new palette for the graphics that means all
the rasters and colour detection have to be changed. Coder
gets so PI**ED OFF that the game is scrapped and another
concept is produced.
7
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The new idea consists of killing as many nasties as possible
in a way no one has thought of before. This is the start all
commercial game coders use, unless you work for SIERRA or
MICROPROSE. Graphics have to be as colourful as possible
this usually means BRIGHT GREEN mixed in with a BRIGHT PINK
nasty and a SICK COLOURED bonus item.
8
_
We now have the concept and the graphics all we need now
is the game code. Many people believe that new games take
months to write (look at BATMAN) this is total C*AP.
Games actually take 3-4 DAYS to write and completely finish.
When we say days this means "DAYS" and not the 9-5 day many
people work. As we all know coders sleep in their chairs
and their hands continue to work, so in actual fact
coders are not known to sleep in a bed as many normal
people do.
The time it takes to produce a new game can be further
reduced by reusing all those "little routines" you thought
might come in useful one day. This means games can be
produced in 2 DAYS.
For optimum speed a SHELL is needed. this has all the
routines you might need to use and you call each one
in the order you need.This method requires very little
additional code. The SHELL method has one vital
drawback, all games look the same (What ones don't
anyway ?) and they all start with "Here we go!" and
all the pictures are called *****_ptr.
(For those who don't know the "Here we go" and "***_ptr
are jokes about Budgie UK's shell)
9
-
We now have a game finished and we need someone to
advertise, distribute and package the game.
We have one of two choices:
A: approach a well known company and as them to
sell the game.
B: approach someone no-one's ever heard of.
For a demo crew turned professional commercial software
writers option A looks the best but opt for option B.
10
__
Selling the game. It is best to release a new game at
a large computer show. The 16 bit at the Novotel in
London is a good place. Flog the game at #20 on the
first day of the show and shift 10 copies.
On the second and third days reduce the price to #15
and sell 50 copies.
If you need to increase the number of sales you can
A: allow one of the CREW to remove their exhibitors
badge and play the game, making it look easy, thus
increasing the sales to blood sucking , shoot em up
variation seekers.
B: allow a very small and young member of the crew
to remove their badge and play the game deliberately
killing themselves occassionally, to make the game look
hard and thus increasing the sales to extremely stupid
people who want to spent three days finishing the first
level.
11
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Money. After you receive your first cheque for #12.65
to be split between the 7 members of your CREW decide
to split up and send your foreign member back home.
END
¯¯¯
HAVE FUN
¯¯¯¯¯¯¯¯
The author would like to make readers aware to the fact
that this article is fiction and any similarities between
this story and THE LOST BOYS is purely coincidental and
should not be seen to be ABOUT THE LOST BOYS. We would in
no way want to mislead readers about the LOST BOYS new game.
FINAL NOTE:- Check out THE LOST BOYS NEW GAME
MONSTER BUSINESS.
SEE A REVIEW ELSEWHERE IN BITS 2
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- 2/9/91-THB -
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