[MUD-Dev] Indie MMOG's

[Rob C]

<EdNote: Quote whacked down to size>

Adam Martin wrote:
> Derek Licciardi wrote:
>> Adam Martin wrote:
>>> Samantha LeCraft wrote:
>>>> "Sean Howard" <squidi at squidi.net>  wrote:

>>> Having spoken to quite a few of them, I would say that lack of
>>> funds is far from their biggest cause of failure. Ignorance,
>>> naivety, and complete lack of knowledge about how to develop any
>>> major game - let alone an MMOG - are much larger barries on the
>>> way to their release (let alone success).

>> I'm sorry I have to totally disagree with this.  Our single
>> biggest weakness is funding.  Toolsets, development kits, team
>> members and

> You could, of course, be the odd one out...

...

> I don't mean to be rude, but that makes it sound like you found
> project management and planning to be a bigger problem (did you
> move ahead with spending when you had insufficient guarantees to
> cover development? How come you ran out of cash?).

...

> So why can't you get a publisher contract? Not being able to do
> that suggests some major problem somewhere (although I'm happy to
> accept the major problem is due to publisher ignorance or plain
> silliness which are both still depressingly common...).

> What about the other funding options (like the funky
> financial-services stuff)?

I've been trolling the board here for a while enjoying some of the
very insightful thoughts and ideas that people have been putting up
here but after reading some of Adam's comments in regards to indie
MMOG's I really felt that I needed to throw in my 2 cents on to
Derek's side.

I have to agree with the comment that proper funding is the first
and foremost problem facing most small development shops. Speaking
from the experience of one of these smaller studios, if you can't
keep the lights on then your in the same boat as a screenwriter
shopping their movie around, someone may pick up your idea but you
wont be the one to make it.

With the advent of powerful and less expensive middleware engine
solutions it's very possible for a small group to bring a great idea
to life. I would also say that a good game design and proper
management is the foundation of any game that hopes to hit the
market. Blaming bad management for the funding running out before
development was finished seems like simple finger pointing, don't
get me wrong, it may be the reason but it seems that a little more
investigation would be in order before throwing around damming
accusations. Development takes time and time cost money (rent,
payroll utilities, licensees, I could go on for a while) all of
these things need to be paid for and if no new funding is found then
your out of luck.

I heard lots of rumbling after GDC and E3 that many people felt the
next great game ideas would be coming out of the indie
studios. These studios have more creative freedom to let
non-conforming ideas grow into full-fledged games and the public can
decide if it's the next great thing. Without the money needed to
bring all the pieces together and to hire the people with the
experience to bring the project across the finish line, most great
ideas will die on the garage floor.

I'll hop off my soapbox now, thanks.

Rob C.
Sojourn Development
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