250 - Next Game Fears

Developer diaries about creating Neverending Nightmares.
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matt
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250 - Next Game Fears

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While I am really excited about our next project, it is also a terrifying time because there are so many uncertainties. Perhaps our project won't come together as it appears in my mind. In this video, I talk about the anxieties associated with the beginning of a project.

-Matt Gilgenbach
Lead Frightener at Infinitap Games
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evilkinggumby
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Re: 250 - Next Game Fears

Post by evilkinggumby »

odd. you are excited about the idea and seem to have a lot of faith what you envision for the next game, at least at its core, is solid. but you don't seem passionate or entirely confident that you and your team can pull it off. that is what it sounds like. without the art and assets and any degree of polish, it seems like the prototyping you are doing is really worrying you.

this means you are possibly going outside your teams comfort zone and capabilities with the next game. which I think is good, it forces you guys from stagnation and just making a new game piggybacking everything off the last one (assets, code, gameplay, etc)

But this can also lead to a lack of confidence (even if it is just perceived) by your team, which can be frustrating and counter productive for them. Watch yourself.

I wonder what it is like to sit in on a brainstorming/game jam with you guys hashing out the details for the game. is it explosive? argumentative? are they mostly just following your lead with little to no objections and input? or is it electric and everyone it building on everyone else's ideas? who does most of the talking? whose ideas get used (typically) when it is all said and done? I don't expect answers, it is all what I wonder in my head.

at this point iot sounds like you confidence, in gettin a title, in selling the game, in making the game right, in getting enough audience to buy the game and have it even break even, in getting the kickstarter funded, all of it seems to have you feeling "uneasy". Thats not good. I suspect it is not justified and so you are letting the negative voices draw you into the darkness again, which is also not good. Smile. Get excited. Stop and shout at the ceiling "FUCK THIS, my game is going to ROCK!" and stivck with that idea!

Ok so maybe don't do that..might scare your wife.

You had a lot of similar feelings early in NeN so I guess it is all part of the developers dance everyone does, just don't trip yourself up on your own feet any more than necessary.

If you do kickstart this new project, possibly consider doing a sister video series for a select tier of backers that are dev diary conversations between you and your team? Show us some of the creative process, at least in dialogue. You could easily record a google+hangout with everyone on camera or voice. Or whatever you use to collaborate with the team. I would love to see something like this prior to the kickstarter, as then it could be used as part of the kickoff to show people how hard you've been working on it.

and yes there is a potential for spoilers, maybe relegate the video to discussions that are not so spoiler-y like soundtrack, audio mixing, or art style/design (as by the KS you'll have assets to show already).

But really I think you need to fire up the excitement engine and just get all the hammers of hell firing on the team. Making this next game should be exhausting, exhilarating, and enticing. Not entirely scary, but rather feel like a risk worth taking, no doubts! No retreat! No Surrender!
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[I am Evilkinggumby on DeviantArt and Steam if you want to looks me up!]
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matt
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Re: 250 - Next Game Fears

Post by matt »

Well, due to my OCD, I always worry. Even after the kickstarter succeeded, I was worried about a ton of stuff. I think I alternate between excited and worried. A common cognitive distortion associated with mental illness is "all or nothing thinking". Either I'm super excited or super scared. I'm either a success or a failure. I hop between the two.

The core game design, story, and levels are determined by me. I know what I want to say with the game, and while I am open to suggestion, I haven't gotten many from the team. I'm not sure they read all of my really long docs in perforce or the wiki. hahaha

Mainly the brainstorming is focused on art direction or solutions to certain problems. We had an art asset that was in bad taste, then we had a brainstorm on how we could achieve the same goal without it looking so grizzly. Then we tried some stuff, and it didn't quite work out, so we had another brainstorming meeting on how to solve that problem. Finally we have a good idea of what we are looking for.

For better or worse, I'm kind of the captain of the ship, so the actual brainstorming or discussions we do might not be as exciting as with some companies. However, I've found it's tough to "design by committee" and at 24 Caret games, with two equal co-founders, it was really tough to solve stalemates.
-Matt Gilgenbach
Lead Frightener at Infinitap Games
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evilkinggumby
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Re: 250 - Next Game Fears

Post by evilkinggumby »

was nifty to see you did a video kind of continuing this concept/discussion as a dev diary. :) I really never expected that.
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matt
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Re: 250 - Next Game Fears

Post by matt »

I am always on the look out for new development diary ideas. :)
-Matt Gilgenbach
Lead Frightener at Infinitap Games
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