You Don't Need Money

YOU DON'T NEED MONEY

Let me guess...you're thinking, "OH YES I DO!".

Fair enough, you do. But for the sake of this blog post, humor me as I regale you with tales of near $0 budgets and what it really takes to be successful with your game (hint: it ain't money). 

I AIN'T FINISHED

My game isn't finished yet, so I'm probably not the best resource on the matter but you're going to listen to me anyway and likely agree with what I'm saying. And yes, that is a challenge ;] . 

NO DOLLARS? NO PROBLEM!

I've been working on Grimslingers (formerly known as "High Moon") for 14 months now. To this date, I've literally put $0 dollars towards the development of the app. The physical game has been a bit more costly, printing out and ordering prototypes, so I've probably spent around $200-$300 dollars over the past 6 months. 

What I did spend however, was my time. Which thankfully you have lots of as an indie developer. Here's an equation I don't want you to forget:

Your Time = Infinite (well until you die)

Time = Money

Money = Budget

Therefore your budget = Infinite. 

You have the greatest resource their is, time, and thus an infinite budget. Generally, no one (maybe your significant other) is breathing down your neck pushing a deadline. If you're a part of a team, it might be a different story. You should try and work with people as flexible as you are. 

Anyway, because you don't technically have a "boss" you can spend as much time as you need to get your game right. If you find a giant flaw in your game design, do whatever it takes to fix it. Which includes spending however long it takes to fix it. 

Some of you who have been following the development of my game for some time now know that I have redesigned the game many, many times. I've scrapped months of work, months of graphic design, months of game assets etc etc. 

This wasn't because I wasn't sure of myself or my game. It was because I WAS sure of what I wanted to make, and when something turned out not to be in harmony with my overall vision, I redesigned. 

BUT I NEED MONEY FOR STUFFS!

Some of you indies can't do art, or can't do programming or can't manage social media. Well suck it up and learn, or bring someone on who can do those things. Luckily, I'm able to do most everything myself besides programming.

I managed to find Jeff Faust (or he found me) who was able to be as flexible as me and bring to the project skills I didn't have. 

Go find your own "Jeff Faust" if need be. We have a profit sharing agreement of 50/50. I honestly don't care if I spend 80 hours a week and he spends 40 (not saying that is the case).

Don't be greedy. It'll kill your game. 

If you need to take a smaller cut to entice the person you need (say 40/60) go for it. But before you go doing that, make sure you have a game worth doing it for. I believe very strongly in Grimslingers. I believe it solves a problem as anything innovative should. I believe it's fun, I believe it delivers on all of it's promises. That's why I gave up a 14 months of my life to make it happen.

I'm not out of the gate yet, so i'm also willing to sacrifice many more months to bring it to fruition. 

YOU ARE YOUR OWN INVESTOR

Your time is your budget/investment. You are the biggest whale investor you're ever going to get. Before you go investing in yourself, do something a bit crazy. 

Pretend you are both an investor, impartial to the game, and the game's creator pitching the game. Are you able to convince your impartial investor self (the one who's going to be funding you with an infinite amount of time)? 

I know I've managed to convince my inner investor.

YOU CAN'T COMPETE

So don't. 

Don't try and take on the big guys. They have more money, more experience and more everything. If you don't care about making more, or having much success...then go ahead and make a farcry clone, or a wow clone, or a whatever clone that directly competes with a better, bigger game. 

Do what the big guys aren't doing. Don't just innovate a few details of the genre you're creating and expect anyone to really care. Innovate the whole dang genre as best you can.

I spend hours each week reading what people do and don't like about  my favorite games/genres. It doesn't make me an expert, but it gives me an idea. And the very best ideas have come from realizing what I personally do or don't like.

I wouldn't have made a clone of a game I love simply because I wanted to make my own version of it. That's just remaking a game with less production value. No, instead I made the game I wanted others to make for me, but weren't. 

 YOU'RE THE HERO

Think of game development like you're going to try and save the day.

I'm a huge MMO fan (Like...I almost only exclusively play MMO's). But the MMO genre is just full of crap lol. The community is shouting at the top of their lounges what they want and almost no one is listening. Or, publisher's are just too afraid to listen and answer the call. They want to play it safe. 

Well, buck up soldier, it's time to go to war. Put on your superhero costume and save the day. Take time to hear the cries of your people, and answer the call. Make the game other's are too afraid to. Make the game other's couldn't because they didn't know how to fix the problems with the genre, couldn't figure it out for themselves, couldn't see the writing on the wall.

Step up, be the hero.

Grimslingers vs Hearthstone

This post is going to sound somewhat hostile towards CCGs (collectible card games) and in particular, Hearthstone. 

As a disclaimer I will say that I don't think any CCG is necessarily bad, or that Hearthstone is bad. Different game mechanics appeal to different people. But in order to further shine light on why I think Grimslingers will be a terrific game, I'm going to make comparisons and point out perceived weaknesses of the genre/game.

CARD GAMES ON THE RISE

In case you haven't heard, Jagex (makers of Runescape) have announced their very own Hearthstone "clone" (quotes because gameplay sounds fairly unique). You can read about the announcement from several places, like here: http://massively.joystiq.com/2014/10/13/runescape-announces-hearthstone-like-card-game/) 

Hearthstone is incredibly popular so it's doing a lot of things right. It's simple, easy to play, everything can be earned by playing the game (A LOT), based on a popular IP, etc. 

CCG's are going to be the new MOBA's following Hearthstone's success. Many companies will make one (many already have of course).  

In fact...Grimslingers (the app) is a mini CCG, but strays from the typical pitfalls of the genre.  

THE PITFALLS OF CCGs

This is probably a somewhat subjective topic, but I know many will share my opinions here. I'd like to share a comment I read for Jagex's new game (http://www.mmobomb.com/news/jagex-enters-card-game-market-chronicle-runescape-legends/).

"I don’t mind people ripping off a game that sucks, because that means there’s potential for them to make a better version of it. I don’t enjoy Hearthstone, there’s a lot of problems I have with it, so I hope Jagex makes a card game that’s more enjoyable, and preferably with more single player content because I don’t enjoy playing against real players.

All real players do is recycle the same decks and cheese strategies they see everyone else using, and so every game feels like you’re playing against the exact same opponent. This is why the only enjoyable aspect for me in Hearthstone was their Naxxramas content. The PvP was horrible – every other game was the same Unleash the Hounds/Buzzard combo deck or Zoo deck and I got tired of going against the same crap in 90% of my games."

Harsh but speaks to a large part of what I dislike about Hearthstone/CCG's. OP (overpowered) builds and flavor of the week decks.

OVERPOWERED CARDS/DECKS

Balancing an entire game with hundreds of cards is incredibly hard. Plus it PAYS to have imbalances (people will drop a lot of cash to get that OP deck built). There are just so many variables making it hard to balance.

That's why I've designed Grimslingers differently. Players attack at the same time, and have the same set of 6 spells (Fire, Water, Earth, Ice, Wind, Lightning) which means there is a foundation for balance in PVP there. 

In addition to "element" spells there are "signature" spells. This is where the CCG part comes into play. You'll be able to customize your deck with these signature spells. However, you can only have a max of 3 signatures (currently it's only 2 until we add more). 

There are only 6 signature spells in the game right now. That's not because I couldn't think of more, but because I wanted to focus on balancing what I had. Each signature is no more powerful than the next. In Grimslingers, the cards you build your deck with only change how you play, not your power. How you use the cards (your personal skill and strategy) is what gives you power over others. 

In time, more signatures will be added. Keeping the limit to 3 signatures makes balancing the game easier and avoids having too many variables. Because each signature is as powerful as the next, I also avoid a "pay to win" business model, forcing players to drop tons of cash, trying to get the best signatures from a random outcome.

Another reason for only allowing 3 signature spells is that it makes the game much easier for first timers to card games. You don't need to coordinate 30 cards to work in unison, just 3. This helps even the playing field and allows non-hardcore players to feel competitive and competent when facing others. No need to Google the  deck of the week.

The game is geared towards mobile players, which are inherently more casual in their play styles so the overall process of deck building is very simple here.  There are planned features that support more serious card gamers who like lots of customization.

I can't share specifics at the moment, but it's called the "Boon" system.

THE CASH GRAB

I've already written a lengthy blog about p2w (pay-to-win) games here: http://isaacblacksstudio.blogspot.ca/2014/09/pay-to-lose.html , but I wanted to talk about it in the current context some more. 

In Hearthstone, your chances of getting the cards your WANT or even NEED (to be competitive) are not in your favor when purchasing a booster pack of 5 randomly selected cards. It costs a 2.99 USD for 10 cards (two packs, you can't buy just 1 with money). The more you buy, the better the price is (though as a digital game, it literally costs them nothing to give you more booster packs. At least physical card games can be connected to distribution and packaging). It's a cash grab, plain and simple. One that works very well, mind you. Millions are buying into it. 

But millions are not, and would like a different approach to competitive card games.

Grimslingers doesn't need the income to support a big studio of employees, so the game doesn't need to take this kind of cash-grab-pay-to-win approach to game design/monetization. 

Grimslingers is only being produced by two people for the app version and just plain ol' me for the physical card game. I can't share all the details on how the game will be monetized, but it will be free-to-play with IAPs (in app purchases). I can say that it won't have a pay to win approach, as nothing in the game design supports that. 

PVP vs PVE

Card games are fun, but not everyone wants to play them against others (as stated in the comment I posted earlier). It's why I like FFG's LOTR coop card game. It's why, after having perfected our PVP experience in Grimslingers (or close to it) we're shifting our focus to PVE content. 

I'd also wager that for a mobile game, a PVE experience will appeal to a larger audience than PVP. I must admit that I enjoyed Hearthstone's new PVE content more than playing others to rank up. 

How PVE will look in Grimslingers is still being designed. Initially it'll come in the form of challenging AI opponents, and I hope to build on that and add unique boss mechanics and story content (suppose it partially depends on how much our kickstarter funding ends up being). 

One thing I've seen a lot of people ask for in Hearthstone are coop battles. The Grimslingers app has been designed around having 2-4 players. It's something myself and my partner, Jeff Faust, are super excited about producing.

IN CLOSING

Grimslingers aims to be a truly unique and refreshing experience for those that love card games and those who don't (yet). 

If you disagree, have questions, or agree, leave a comment!

TAKE COVER!!!!

Howdy 'Slingers, 

Welcome back! I'd like to share a few updates to the Grimslingers gameplay.

• More Standoff Abilities Added: Take Cover! and Create Distraction.
• Water's element effect is now a red banner. 
• Fire's effect only discards elements now instead of all spells. 
• Reckoning scores adjusted.
• Elements are now deactivated when used. 
• Solo element effects have been removed.

Alright, so lets go over each bullet.

More Standoff Abilities Added

My design philsophy with Grimslingers is that you ALWAYS have a chance to turn the duel around and come out on top. Well, there were times when you only had 1 hp and 0 energy. Which meant you could do absolutely nothing but wait to die next turn. Not cool!

Hence the "Take Cover!" ability being added. Here's what it does:

"Try and find some cover. +2 energy, foe’s element spells will do no damage or red banner effects if you succeed. If you fail, you will not be allowed to use any spells this turn. Draw a number card, 3 or 4 is a success."

So, if you happen to be at 1 hp and 0 energy, you could try and find cover. Your chances are slim, but you DO have a chance!

"Create Distraction" wasn't put into the game to solve any problems but rather to add to your options. You'll only ever be using 1 spell per turn, so this ability lets you get some decent use out of your unused spells.

Here's how it looks:

"Use any active element spell to create a distraction. Deduct energy costs and deactivate it. Foe will take double damage this turn if successful. Draw a number card, 5 is a success."

If both players successfully distract each other, the effect is nullified for both. Creating a distraction doesn't guarantee you anything, but it COULD be awesome if you manage to hit them with a spell. Personally, I'd try and distract, then if successful I'd surge, cast Foresight, pop in lightning. That'd do 8 damage, potentially 18 if I apexed in a face-off and my opponent busted. Single turn win. Now....the chances of that going perfectly aren't great, but they are there!

The skills are located on the back of your character card. You can only use one or the other, so you'll flip the card over and state which one you are attempting to use.

Water's Effect is now a Red Banner

If you aren't familiar with the game's mechanics, blue banner effects are guaranteed to happen, red banner effects only happen if you successfully hit for foe. 

I switched water to red because healing in a game that is meant to be quick slows it down, especially if said healing is guaranteed (which it was if you used water). Water is still very effective when you do get healed, because you can convert that health back into energy after. It also made Earth a more practical defense (instead of water) because it's "-2 damage from foe's attack" is guaranteed to happen. So...if you need some defense and energy, try and use water. If you really need to avoid damage, use Earth. 

Fire's Effect

Fire's effect use to discard any spell at random. Now it will only discard element spells. The reason behind this relates to reckoning scores, which requires a longer explanation than anyone would want :P.

"The Reckoning" Scores Adjusted

Lots of testing in the app version of Grimslingers has helped me fine tune the scoring system for the physical card game. Admitedly, this is probably going to require more adjustments. It works good as is, but until we get players really testing it out and providing feedback, it's as good as it's gonna get. 

Deactivate After Use

Elements are not deactivated after each use (deactivations only last one turn). This was implemented to prevent players from spamming a particular element over and over. Spamming didn't break the game at all, it was just annoying. This way, players are forced to try different spells from turn to turn.

Solo Element Effects GONE!

I've removed the solo effects of each element. So now, if the element's synergy is broken, the element will no longer have any special effects. For instance, water will give you +2 HP if your ice is active. But if your ice ISN'T active, your water will no longer have that special effect. This has had a huge a meaningful impact on the strategy of the game.

That's all for now folks.

This Ain't Yer Typical Western! Part 2

As promised, here's this weeks lore drop! Enjoy! :D

The clouds clear momentarily, the blazing sun piercing through to your sensitive eyes. As you wince in pain, Bo offers his tattered hat as solace from the light.

“Eh, Don’t mention it...as I’ll be taking it back right quick when the sun hits the hay”.

“Guessin’ you’ve realized you don’t ‘member much. It’s not uncommon fer folks to have an awful bout of amnesia after bein’ sired. All that tinkering with yer brain meats is bound to cause a few problems up in there”.

Origin of the Forgotten West

Yer keester is currently located in the god forsaken, damnable Forgotten West. God bless it! Downright powerful magics created it as a prison for dear ol’ Icarus.

See, he was one of the Architect’s “Golems”. Legend has it that Icarus tried to save humanity from a...sort uh family feud, I ‘spose you could call it, among the “Light”. Unrestricted by organic flesh or the weakness of a spirit body, such as the Light had, Icarus possessed greater power than either side of the feuding parties. I mean, this is the Light we’re talkin’ bout here! So it’s sayin’ somethin’ that not even those folks could destroy him.

Anywho, either side alone wasn't able to defeat him, as I was sayin’, so they joined together and cast a spell to imprison him here. Feel bad for the guy...sentenced to an eternity in this dusty wasteland.

It’s a mystery that he ain’t escaped yet. Some mighty powerful hoodoo at work if you ask me! Know what? I don’t think Icarus minds the dust. I'm sure if he did, he’d terraform the whole damn place into a fine paradise. Lucky us though…

Current state of the Forgotten West

The Forgotten West happened ages ago, before the old worlder's were runnin' amuck the Americas. Before the natives sent up their little huts, before the buffalo roamed, before...get what I’m gettin’ at?? It’s old!

It’s awfully full’a ghost towns. Rumors say the Iron Witch did all kinds of experiments on the populace once it was established. Gives me shivers jus' passin through some parts, ain’t right the kind’a things yer peepers see.

No mass ghost-town-making experiments lately though. Just the usual. Criminals from all around sent here so high-minded lawmen need not git their conscience dirty or hands bloodied. Just exile ‘em here!

As you can guess, ladies and gents in these parts are low-lifes. Dirty scoundrels, supernatural riff raff. Yer general undesirables. Hey, I ain’t judgin! Ol’ Bo rubs shoulders with the lowest, heh heh.

Probably best you don’t remember much, wouldn't want that past of yer’s gettin’ ya down. Ain't that something? The Forgotten West givin’ the unredeemable a chance at redemption. Hoo hoo, what a thing!

Though, you’ll soon find out most folks don’t give a damn 'bout redemption. This here's the devil’s playground.

Inhabitants of the Forgotten West

Like I said, you got all manner of dirty deeders. Vampires, Witches, Werewolves, Ghosts, Ghouls, Demons, so on, so forth, et cetera...Generally people tend to stick to their own kind, but alliances have been known to form. At the very least, an agreement of peace.

Most of the tent cities and towns are gangs that have gone'n banded together fer survival. The “Valley” is where we’re currently squattin’. A decent establishment located below the Temple.

If folks can contain their persuasion to pernicious past times, they can etch out a decent life here. The Iron Witch and his coven’s presence is pretty common in the Valley, so folks don’t get too rowdy.

Magic keeps crops growin’ 'n food flowin’ year round, so a good many come and go from the Valley. Best get cozy!

The Light

As I understand it, they’re a host of extraterrestrial bein’s that watch over the affairs'a men, at times intervenin' on their behalf for the exaltation of the species. Scribbles on scrolls suggest the Light favors “righteous” and morally correct behavior...whatever the hell that is! Heh heh, anyway, they apparently act down right righteous themselves, though I heard some deviations have occurred throughout time.

Far as I know, they don’t vocally associate themselves with what some call the “Creator Of All Things”, though most assume their connected.

The Darkness

Oh the Darkness, their my favorite, heh heh. Nah just jokin’, they’re a menace to mankind in the worst way.

As I said earlier, a division occurred within the Light. One side wanted to force mankind into becoming a more exalted and evolved species, the other wanted mankind to find it’s own exaltation and help it do so in less direct ways.

Well, a war began up there in the Heavens, and those who we now lovingly refer to as the Light were the victors. They cast out all those who disagreed to the depths of the earth and they became the Darkness. Oooo, spooky! Heh Heh.

Huh? Oh well, yeah, the Darkness has been corruptin’ man ever since, your’s truly as proof! Not only that, but the pure ways of thaumaturgy and, of course, anything to devolve mankind, as an open opposition to the Light’s desires.

Golems

Golems, Golems Golems. Uh, I think I heard one time when I was peepin’ in on a lecture the Iron Witch was givin’ to his coven, that most living creatures began as Golems.

A Golem's basically an organic or mechanical thing brought to life through magic and at times, granted a soul. Mankind itself started out as one of these Golems, and as you now know, The Iron Witch as well. I’m guessin he’s got a beautiful little soul himself locked up somewhere in all that machinery.

The Iron Witch considers mankind one of the greatest Golems, what with the ability to think and procreate all bundled up in one lump of clay. Must say, I am right grateful for one of those things!

Ochre Stone

Oh yeah, ‘spose I did mention one of those Ochre stones. Well, they’re said to be a tool of both the Light and the Darkness to grant supernatural abilities. I figured it was nothin’ more than a myth until the Iron Witch started sirin’ new witches with one.

---------------------

Can't promise when the next lore drop will be but, here's what it will contain:

Vampires

Possessed

Skinwalkers

Werewolves

Aliens

Ghosts

Spirit Realm

Energy Source: Sun, Moon, Love, Hatred, Gaia,