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As most of you know, I have recently started a degree in Computer Games Technology. As I've only been there a few weeks so far, we haven't learned all that much about making games, we are still doing the basics and learning the ropes. Although there is an interesting concept which I have developed when it comes to games and their graphics, and that's respect.
When you rate a game as being good, or bad, you don;t really see the effort on the part of a game's designer when it comes to making something look good, and I can guarantee you one thing, making 3D models of standard objects is hard, you just try making a proper games character. The level of detail and general quality of a game's 3D models is not down to a number in regards to the console, but it is the effort and hard work of a person, slogging over a keyboard for weeks on end to get it just right. The guys at Polyphony Digital claim it took them two weeks to make each car for GT3, it would take me several months to make something half of their quality, but I will learn.
The after making the asthetics of the game, there is the code. The speed of a game again relies heavily upon how good the code is, and again, it takes immense talent and effort to write even some of the most basic programmes, never mind code fit enough to be classed a "game". A quote from one of my lecturers just goes to show what happens in the computer programming industry, "Good programmers become gmaes programmers, bad programmers make spreadsheets." And how this rings home the minute you see some of the code on offer. I don't even have the expertise at the moment to make a mere Flash game, but I am in anticipation of the day we get let loose on console dev kits, then I will get tp see how good these guys really are.
The importance of sound to a game and life in general is also much more important to me now, than before I started my course. I know the basic physical principles of sound, and how to alter sounds using filters and changing the envelope etc. but again in terms of making a game, and writing my own reverberation settings for a car travellong through a tunnel, I've not got a clue. Sure the software used in the development stages is very powerful, but to harness the power available, you have to excell at what you do.
I guess the moral of this story is to not to take an average looking and sounding game for granted. Budget and team size are going to massively efect the final product and the obviously you would only expect the best from the big boys, but if you ever see a decent game, from a very small company, buy it. Give them your support, because the effort on the part of a small company, is probably much greater than that exerted by a large corporation.
When you rate a game as being good, or bad, you don;t really see the effort on the part of a game's designer when it comes to making something look good, and I can guarantee you one thing, making 3D models of standard objects is hard, you just try making a proper games character. The level of detail and general quality of a game's 3D models is not down to a number in regards to the console, but it is the effort and hard work of a person, slogging over a keyboard for weeks on end to get it just right. The guys at Polyphony Digital claim it took them two weeks to make each car for GT3, it would take me several months to make something half of their quality, but I will learn.
The after making the asthetics of the game, there is the code. The speed of a game again relies heavily upon how good the code is, and again, it takes immense talent and effort to write even some of the most basic programmes, never mind code fit enough to be classed a "game". A quote from one of my lecturers just goes to show what happens in the computer programming industry, "Good programmers become gmaes programmers, bad programmers make spreadsheets." And how this rings home the minute you see some of the code on offer. I don't even have the expertise at the moment to make a mere Flash game, but I am in anticipation of the day we get let loose on console dev kits, then I will get tp see how good these guys really are.
The importance of sound to a game and life in general is also much more important to me now, than before I started my course. I know the basic physical principles of sound, and how to alter sounds using filters and changing the envelope etc. but again in terms of making a game, and writing my own reverberation settings for a car travellong through a tunnel, I've not got a clue. Sure the software used in the development stages is very powerful, but to harness the power available, you have to excell at what you do.
I guess the moral of this story is to not to take an average looking and sounding game for granted. Budget and team size are going to massively efect the final product and the obviously you would only expect the best from the big boys, but if you ever see a decent game, from a very small company, buy it. Give them your support, because the effort on the part of a small company, is probably much greater than that exerted by a large corporation.
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At school, kids get 'effort' grades more often than actual achievement grades.
When we get in the big wide world nobody cares much for effort, you either succeed or fail, and if you fail, no one give a squat how much effort went into that failure.
When we get in the big wide world nobody cares much for effort, you either succeed or fail, and if you fail, no one give a squat how much effort went into that failure.
Good post, I don't really know how too make even an attempt at a game but these guys do it well. Even the crappest game on the market probably took a lot of thinking and work.
Maybe the games police :-D Could give some of the small compaines a grant of something.
Maybe the games police :-D Could give some of the small compaines a grant of something.
With all due respect (Geddit?), the amount of effort put into a game doesn't matter at the end of the day.
I'm not going to pay £35 for a game that is, at best, mediocre and sit there and say "Well, it is hard to do y'know".
If that is your job, you either do it well or find something else to do.
Sorry if that sounds harsh or cruel, but I am so that's how it comes out.
Whatever your job, be it programmer, teacher or McDonald's staff, you either do your job well or you shouldn't be there.
I can appreciate it's difficult to program a game, but I can also appreciate it's difficult to fly a plane.
No difference, and don't come to me with a shoddy game and say "Yeah, but it took ages and the amount of work involved was tremendous, so you should y'know, admire at least that"
No thanks.
It's that kind of attitude that is the reason we in the UK accept pees-poor service from people and sub-standard performance in the products we buy.
"Well, it was cheap" or "I dont like to bother him".
Same applies to games.
If it sucks, you get blasted for it, nobody cares that it's tough because that's your job.
Either do it well or go paint a bridge.
And bridge building is hard too, so you'd best not do that.
(This isn't at Bonus at all, just me expressing my unhappiness with UK's "It'll do" mentality")
Bah
I'm not going to pay £35 for a game that is, at best, mediocre and sit there and say "Well, it is hard to do y'know".
If that is your job, you either do it well or find something else to do.
Sorry if that sounds harsh or cruel, but I am so that's how it comes out.
Whatever your job, be it programmer, teacher or McDonald's staff, you either do your job well or you shouldn't be there.
I can appreciate it's difficult to program a game, but I can also appreciate it's difficult to fly a plane.
No difference, and don't come to me with a shoddy game and say "Yeah, but it took ages and the amount of work involved was tremendous, so you should y'know, admire at least that"
No thanks.
It's that kind of attitude that is the reason we in the UK accept pees-poor service from people and sub-standard performance in the products we buy.
"Well, it was cheap" or "I dont like to bother him".
Same applies to games.
If it sucks, you get blasted for it, nobody cares that it's tough because that's your job.
Either do it well or go paint a bridge.
And bridge building is hard too, so you'd best not do that.
(This isn't at Bonus at all, just me expressing my unhappiness with UK's "It'll do" mentality")
Bah
Check out Blade Interactive. They're a tiny developer but the work they've done on G-Surfers is phenomenal.
As most of you know, I have recently started a degree in Computer Games Technology. As I've only been there a few weeks so far, we haven't learned all that much about making games, we are still doing the basics and learning the ropes. Although there is an interesting concept which I have developed when it comes to games and their graphics, and that's respect.
When you rate a game as being good, or bad, you don;t really see the effort on the part of a game's designer when it comes to making something look good, and I can guarantee you one thing, making 3D models of standard objects is hard, you just try making a proper games character. The level of detail and general quality of a game's 3D models is not down to a number in regards to the console, but it is the effort and hard work of a person, slogging over a keyboard for weeks on end to get it just right. The guys at Polyphony Digital claim it took them two weeks to make each car for GT3, it would take me several months to make something half of their quality, but I will learn.
The after making the asthetics of the game, there is the code. The speed of a game again relies heavily upon how good the code is, and again, it takes immense talent and effort to write even some of the most basic programmes, never mind code fit enough to be classed a "game". A quote from one of my lecturers just goes to show what happens in the computer programming industry, "Good programmers become gmaes programmers, bad programmers make spreadsheets." And how this rings home the minute you see some of the code on offer. I don't even have the expertise at the moment to make a mere Flash game, but I am in anticipation of the day we get let loose on console dev kits, then I will get tp see how good these guys really are.
The importance of sound to a game and life in general is also much more important to me now, than before I started my course. I know the basic physical principles of sound, and how to alter sounds using filters and changing the envelope etc. but again in terms of making a game, and writing my own reverberation settings for a car travellong through a tunnel, I've not got a clue. Sure the software used in the development stages is very powerful, but to harness the power available, you have to excell at what you do.
I guess the moral of this story is to not to take an average looking and sounding game for granted. Budget and team size are going to massively efect the final product and the obviously you would only expect the best from the big boys, but if you ever see a decent game, from a very small company, buy it. Give them your support, because the effort on the part of a small company, is probably much greater than that exerted by a large corporation.
When you rate a game as being good, or bad, you don;t really see the effort on the part of a game's designer when it comes to making something look good, and I can guarantee you one thing, making 3D models of standard objects is hard, you just try making a proper games character. The level of detail and general quality of a game's 3D models is not down to a number in regards to the console, but it is the effort and hard work of a person, slogging over a keyboard for weeks on end to get it just right. The guys at Polyphony Digital claim it took them two weeks to make each car for GT3, it would take me several months to make something half of their quality, but I will learn.
The after making the asthetics of the game, there is the code. The speed of a game again relies heavily upon how good the code is, and again, it takes immense talent and effort to write even some of the most basic programmes, never mind code fit enough to be classed a "game". A quote from one of my lecturers just goes to show what happens in the computer programming industry, "Good programmers become gmaes programmers, bad programmers make spreadsheets." And how this rings home the minute you see some of the code on offer. I don't even have the expertise at the moment to make a mere Flash game, but I am in anticipation of the day we get let loose on console dev kits, then I will get tp see how good these guys really are.
The importance of sound to a game and life in general is also much more important to me now, than before I started my course. I know the basic physical principles of sound, and how to alter sounds using filters and changing the envelope etc. but again in terms of making a game, and writing my own reverberation settings for a car travellong through a tunnel, I've not got a clue. Sure the software used in the development stages is very powerful, but to harness the power available, you have to excell at what you do.
I guess the moral of this story is to not to take an average looking and sounding game for granted. Budget and team size are going to massively efect the final product and the obviously you would only expect the best from the big boys, but if you ever see a decent game, from a very small company, buy it. Give them your support, because the effort on the part of a small company, is probably much greater than that exerted by a large corporation.
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