Grey obviously has more experience than I in the casual/indie games realm. But I thought I'd comment on the items he had problems with to assist Damp in gathering other points of view.
"But remember, it isn't the box that sells the game."
Probably sells the first one though.
"Paying $10 for a basic 'bejewled' clone is not a bargin." (depends who you are)
Yeah. But this whole article is opinion based, so it might be as valid as the rest of it. I personally side with Damp here, as I lost interest in the original Bejeweled (much less any clone of it) within about 15 minutes of play. $5 wouldn't be a bargin to me.
"Want to make a platformer? Make it fantasy themed and you'll find a lot more people are willing to buy it."
I think the key to platformers or any other game that falls out of the more formulaic realms (such as match-3, first person shooters, etc) is IP. In a platformer, a main character has to have some personality to set itself apart. Fantasy theme wouldn't be enough in my opinon.
"Most people don't like demos."
I personally don't like the breadcrumb crap that's left behind when I un-install demos. I prefer a crippled demo that lets me play the first level or so without a time limit.
"Obviously, graphics are the only way to make some 'bejewled' clone stand out."
There's some validity to this. Why would I pay for the same game unless there's at least one element that makes it more appealing. For Bejeweled, I'd say the best that can be done to that game and retain it's clone status is to improve the multimedia aspects of it.
"It seems like the indie games that get finished are all clones, bad ideas, or otherwise lame"
It appears that there is a confusion between indie games and casual games. Since most casual games are self-funded, I guess that makes them indie in that regard. I think the distinction is that casual games take less risk because they are made for the intent of sale. Indies may sink or swim on their own merits and are more of a labor of love than what the market expects.
"But the big bucks aren't on the portals." (... this one is hilarious.)
For the casual games developer, it obviously is where a lot of the money is made. Portals (from my understanding) are also not too terribly inclined to do something terribly risky. Therefore, an edgy "indie" title might hold no interest to them or be promoted prominently enough to get the types of sales a casual title would.
"The game doesn't have to look good to be fun, so don't focus on that" (again, depends on who is buying.)
A pretty, but crappy game is still a crappy game.
I understand a lot of casual developers sell a crap title if it's candy-coated crap, but that doesn't make it fun because it's visually appealing. Take "buying" out of the equation and his point becomes incredibly valid.
A fun game can have it's graphical element cleaned up later and still be fun. Harder for the opposite to happen.
"It could mean burning discs and handing them out on the street near a game store."
I'm pretty sure I'd never do anything with some home-made disk that someone handed to me off the street other than see how far it could fly or how many pieces it would shatter into against a nearby building.
"But remember, it isn't the box that sells the game."
Probably sells the first one though.
"Paying $10 for a basic 'bejewled' clone is not a bargin." (depends who you are)
Yeah. But this whole article is opinion based, so it might be as valid as the rest of it. I personally side with Damp here, as I lost interest in the original Bejeweled (much less any clone of it) within about 15 minutes of play. $5 wouldn't be a bargin to me.
"Want to make a platformer? Make it fantasy themed and you'll find a lot more people are willing to buy it."
I think the key to platformers or any other game that falls out of the more formulaic realms (such as match-3, first person shooters, etc) is IP. In a platformer, a main character has to have some personality to set itself apart. Fantasy theme wouldn't be enough in my opinon.
"Most people don't like demos."
I personally don't like the breadcrumb crap that's left behind when I un-install demos. I prefer a crippled demo that lets me play the first level or so without a time limit.
"Obviously, graphics are the only way to make some 'bejewled' clone stand out."
There's some validity to this. Why would I pay for the same game unless there's at least one element that makes it more appealing. For Bejeweled, I'd say the best that can be done to that game and retain it's clone status is to improve the multimedia aspects of it.
"It seems like the indie games that get finished are all clones, bad ideas, or otherwise lame"
It appears that there is a confusion between indie games and casual games. Since most casual games are self-funded, I guess that makes them indie in that regard. I think the distinction is that casual games take less risk because they are made for the intent of sale. Indies may sink or swim on their own merits and are more of a labor of love than what the market expects.
"But the big bucks aren't on the portals." (... this one is hilarious.)
For the casual games developer, it obviously is where a lot of the money is made. Portals (from my understanding) are also not too terribly inclined to do something terribly risky. Therefore, an edgy "indie" title might hold no interest to them or be promoted prominently enough to get the types of sales a casual title would.
"The game doesn't have to look good to be fun, so don't focus on that" (again, depends on who is buying.)
A pretty, but crappy game is still a crappy game.
I understand a lot of casual developers sell a crap title if it's candy-coated crap, but that doesn't make it fun because it's visually appealing. Take "buying" out of the equation and his point becomes incredibly valid.
A fun game can have it's graphical element cleaned up later and still be fun. Harder for the opposite to happen.
"It could mean burning discs and handing them out on the street near a game store."
I'm pretty sure I'd never do anything with some home-made disk that someone handed to me off the street other than see how far it could fly or how many pieces it would shatter into against a nearby building.