• Unpopular Opinions V6 You know maybe fascism wasn't all that it was cracked up to be
    5,009 replies, posted
I honestly don't understand why anyone would want to become an Indie developer at this point in time. Sure it might be fun to develop a game of your own, can't argue with that, but it sure as hell isn't going to be a job you're likely going to be successful with. The reason for this is the massive oversaturation of games on the market currently (and the number is still going up every month it seems). To give a concrete example, in the past 3 months, about 850 games have come out on Steam (be it brand new ones or re-releases). That makes up about 1/9 of the current total number of games on there. (!) This of course means that the probability of your game being noticed by the public out of these 250+ releases per month is incredibly low. Even games by otherwise well-known developers like 3DRealms (Bombshell in this case) didn't really manage to sell. It almost seems like you have to be either a really big name AAA studio or developer, or get incredibly lucky and get some popular Youtuber's attention or something. In my opinion, you might as well play the lottery with that development money. Saves you the effort of actually working at least.
[QUOTE=Doom64hunter;49960645]I honestly don't understand why anyone would want to become an Indie developer at this point in time. Sure it might be fun to develop a game of your own, can't argue with that, but it sure as hell isn't going to be a job you're likely going to be successful with. The reason for this is the massive oversaturation of games on the market currently (and the number is still going up every month it seems). To give a concrete example, in the past 3 months, about 850 games have come out on Steam (be it brand new ones or re-releases). That makes up about 1/9 of the current total number of games on there. (!) This of course means that the probability of your game being noticed by the public out of these 250+ releases per month is incredibly low. Even games by otherwise well-known developers like 3DRealms (Bombshell in this case) didn't really manage to sell. It almost seems like you have to be either a really big name AAA studio or developer, or get incredibly lucky and get some popular Youtuber's attention or something. In my opinion, you might as well play the lottery with that development money. Saves you the effort of actually working at least.[/QUOTE] Creating something functional can be stuck in a portfolio which can look pretty nice to prospective employers. But going balls deep? Good luck is all I can say. [video=youtube;Q4F-zdpFb9I]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q4F-zdpFb9I[/video]
[QUOTE=EliaMoroes;49950030]advertised in the past months as the messiah of open world and shooter games, capable of changing the genre forever[/quote] this never happened btw [QUOTE=EliaMoroes;49950030]And the sad thing is that people keep jumping on such bandwagons with zero critical spirit and learned NOTHING from the Destiny debacle[/QUOTE] except people are already calling it "destiny but good" even after destiny has been out for a year and a half and has been improved a ton since release. [editline]18th March 2016[/editline] what is this binary think of "GAME BAD" and "GAME AMAZING" can we have games that are considered a non-IGN score of 6-7/10? cause that's kinda what the division is to me, it's a great time killer with solid mechanics, like killing floor.
oh, this is a good one: I think side-scrolling platformers are [b]insanely boring.[/b] they are literally the most inane kind of game. Yes, that includes [your favorite platformer]. I could not think of a more limited experience than one that takes place on a vertical two-dimensional plane; there is so little room to do anything interesting with the gameplay there. They came into existence because they are hilariously cheap to render and program, and they should've phased out of existence when we started measuring ram in megabytes.
[QUOTE=Sector 7;49961201]oh, this is a good one: I think side-scrolling platformers are [b]insanely boring.[/b] they are literally the most inane kind of game. Yes, that includes [your favorite platformer]. I could not think of a more limited experience than one that takes place on a vertical two-dimensional plane; there is so little room to do anything interesting with the gameplay there. They came into existence because they are hilariously cheap to render and program, and they should've phased out of existence when we started measuring ram in megabytes.[/QUOTE] You can dislike what you want but this is just narrow minded. Not all games work with 3d.
[QUOTE=thelurker1234;49961234]You can dislike what you want but this is just narrow minded. Not all games work with 3d.[/QUOTE] The gameplay of sidescrolling platformers would only work in 2d, yes; but I'm saying the gameplay itself is rubbish. I have never found a platformer that I would willingly play without the prerequisite of being very, very bored
[QUOTE=Doom64hunter;49960645]I honestly don't understand why anyone would want to become an Indie developer at this point in time. Sure it might be fun to develop a game of your own, can't argue with that, but it sure as hell isn't going to be a job you're likely going to be successful with. The reason for this is the massive oversaturation of games on the market currently (and the number is still going up every month it seems). To give a concrete example, in the past 3 months, about 850 games have come out on Steam (be it brand new ones or re-releases). That makes up about 1/9 of the current total number of games on there. (!) This of course means that the probability of your game being noticed by the public out of these 250+ releases per month is incredibly low. Even games by otherwise well-known developers like 3DRealms (Bombshell in this case) didn't really manage to sell. It almost seems like you have to be either a really big name AAA studio or developer, or get incredibly lucky and get some popular Youtuber's attention or something. In my opinion, you might as well play the lottery with that development money. Saves you the effort of actually working at least.[/QUOTE] If you think it's bad on PC, wait till you see mobile app stores, even Apple's app store. The thing is that there are actually heaps of really, really good games, but they are all buried under mountains of low-budget indie games, of which half of them are rip-offs of other games on other platforms, or even other apps, and so you can't find those good games. Case in point: RollerCoaster Tycoon 3. Yes, that game! It was officially ported to iOS and on an iPad it's actually really awesome! It has no in-app purchases too. But it was actually really hard to find. For one, I didn't even know that it was ported over. Two, it isn't prominently displayed anywhere. It's not a featured game, it doesn't even show up in Apple's list of 'big-name games', and I only found it, accidentally, because I was scrolling deep-down into the top-selling simulation game apps list. The state of the video game market was much better back in like 2008 where indie games (and games in general) were fewer and farther in between, but each game was more prominent and they were actually of good quality. Braid, World of Goo, etc. Now, there's just too much shit. [editline]19th March 2016[/editline] Sudden change in topic: I was reading about Trump's healthcare plan, and I was thinking about healthcare reform in America, because it's a big issue right now. This isn't really an unpopular opinion, as it's more of an idea than an opinion. People advocate for consumer-driven healthcare (low premium, high deductible) because it's believed the exposure to costs will have consumers make better decisions, like actually choosing to visit a competitively-priced GP. In relation to GPs, it's also the case that consumers who pay out-of-pocket can generally negotiate down to a lower price than if insurance paid for the care. Why couldn't government work with that? So like say there was a new tax on earnings. Relatively small, just 1%. That revenue is deposited into a fund, which will accumulate and could even be used to invest in government securities. Then, every person with a Social Security ID is given a kind of debit card, and onto their debit card, everyone receives equal and regular deposits from that fund. Small example: Taxpayers A, B and C earn $30k, $50k and $80k per annum, respectively. They each contribute $300, $500 and $800 into the fund per year, also respectively. Onto their debit card, they each receive the same benefit of $533.33 per year. With their debit card, they can use it to pay for certain medical expenses, such as GP visits, prescriptions, co-payments and deductibles. On deductibles: The kinds of healthcare plans offered to consumers, such as on the healthcare markets, would exclude benefits which people could reasonably make out-of-pocket, such as the GP visits. That would bring everyone's premiums down. People who already have health savings accounts can keep them, so they can save for more than just what they receive from that government fund. The purpose of having everyone receive the same benefit from the fund is so that the more-wealthy can help the less-wealthy meet their healthcare expenses, who wouldn't be able to save up for them otherwise otherwise. Just an idea to float. Because let's be realistic, single-payer healthcare won't be a thing in America.
[QUOTE=Sector 7;49961201]I could not think of a more limited experience than one that takes place on a vertical two-dimensional plane; there is so little room to do anything interesting with the gameplay there.[/QUOTE] Restricting to two-dimensions lets games get around problems with depth-perception: you'll always know the distance between two platforms, two characters etc. This in turn allows for tight game mechanics, e.g. most popular fighting games. Hell, I've had more fun with Divekick than I have with many AAA titles.
Nothing is stopping America from having single payer healthcare besides republicans; it's not like it's unviable, it's just republicans won't have any of it. We could easily take that shit out of our over inflated military budget to spend money on our actual, own people.
[QUOTE=Wunce;49961557]Restricting to two-dimensions lets games get around problems with depth-perception: you'll always know the distance between two platforms, two characters etc. This in turn allows for tight game mechanics, e.g. most popular fighting games. Hell, I've had more fun with Divekick than I have with many AAA titles.[/QUOTE] Well, consider Dying Light - that game's platforming mechanics are basically perfect, and the 3d environment allows players to plan routes and move in ways that would be completely impossible with a 2d platformer. Solving depth-perception problems is just a matter of clever level design: 3d platformers are typically designed so that vertical and horizontal distances are very consistent (i.e. all roads are clearly too wide to jump across but all alleys are clearly jumpable)
[QUOTE=Sector 7;49961608]Well, consider Dying Light - that game's platforming mechanics are basically perfect, and the 3d environment allows players to plan routes and move in ways that would be completely impossible with a 2d platformer. Solving depth-perception problems is just a matter of clever level design: 3d platformers are typically designed so that vertical and horizontal distances are very consistent (i.e. all roads are clearly too wide to jump across but all alleys are clearly jumpable)[/QUOTE] I haven't played dying light so I can't say for sure, but isn't the concession here that you will only be platforming across static objects? Also you will be focused solely on platforming or attacking, rarely both at the same time?
[QUOTE=thelurker1234;49961119]Creating something functional can be stuck in a portfolio which can look pretty nice to prospective employers. But going balls deep? Good luck is all I can say. [video=youtube;Q4F-zdpFb9I]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q4F-zdpFb9I[/video][/QUOTE] "Indie Platformer" is just a recipe for disaster. No one wants more of those.
[QUOTE=Sharker;49962249]"Indie Platformer" is just a recipe for disaster. No one wants more of those.[/QUOTE] So you're saying you wouldn't want something as good as say, super meat boy, or risk of rain?
My unpopular opinion is that most indie games are bad to mediocre at best. The okayish indie games constantly being released give each other so much competition that they're kind of doomed to make low profits and keep being mediocre/flawed unless they get a lucky break (like publisher backing). It's not quite like gaming used to be, where the relatively unknown "medium-sized" games weren't as numerous and accessible as the new indie pool. Back in ye olde days, you played an okayish game because you didn't know what the better games were (or because you were a kid who picked the wrong game to rent). Now, it's very easy to see what's good and what's not, and there's plenty to choose from. It's a blessing for genius devs and a curse for fledgling ones. The good news is that fun and original indie games are still being made. That's the key thing, though - [I]original[/I] games that create or innovate genres get the big attention. Next down on the list are games that are very well made and have some kind of artistic element. Below that, you have the homage games that are practically low-budget reboots of older good games. Then, below that, you have the piddling pool of games clamoring for attention that don't stand out. (And way below that you have the YouTuber bait meme games.) The other good news is that there's still room for more originality. There are genres that are waiting to be made or revived by a surprise hit (beat-em-ups? 3D platformers? old school arena shooters? action-adventure games that aren't Tomb Raider-influenced?). With VR on the way to mainstream, there's going to be an entire new avenue of gaming to explore and make the air feel less stuffy. The time of cool, quirky, original games being sleeper hits with cult fanbases has passed. These games are the new headliners. But now the pile of sludge to wade through has become more visible, and games with no original pixels in their bodies somehow keep coming to drown out the above-average (but not fantastic) games. Some of them are fueled by their nature (dating sims, kids playing survival and Minecraft ripoff games, meme games) but I'm not sure what keeps dead horse genres like JRPGs and "retro" platformers afloat at this point.
[QUOTE=Crimor;49962719]So you're saying you wouldn't want something as good as say, super meat boy, or risk of rain?[/QUOTE] a new risk of rain would be pretty good. i dunno about a super meat boy 2 though, doesn't seem necessary.
[QUOTE=Crimor;49962719]So you're saying you wouldn't want something as good as say, super meat boy, or risk of rain?[/QUOTE] I haven't played those but they don't appeal to me anyway so no.
From my experience this seems to be unpopular, but I think that a real world setting hasn't been explored enough in games. There is so much potential to make an interesting story in a real setting that simply hasn't been tapped into much outside of military games.
[QUOTE=jackteam54;49966927]From my experience this seems to be unpopular, but I think that a real world setting hasn't been explored enough in games. There is so much potential to make an interesting story in a real setting that simply hasn't been tapped into much outside of military games.[/QUOTE] Expanding upon the general concept of Crusader kings games would be amazing. Military conquest taking a sidebench to strategic marriages, conspiracy, incest, sin and virtue, and occasional catastrophic heart failure and self-combustion of all functioning limbs
[QUOTE=Sharker;49964889]I haven't played those but they don't appeal to me anyway so no.[/QUOTE] Wait why do you give a shit about a genre you don't play?
[QUOTE=GarbageCan;49952332]I never said it was just liberal arts, it's having a well rounded higher education. There's a reason they make you take unrelated classes to your major as electives. I have a history major and I still have to take math and science classes, and I'd say those are important to having a well rounded education as well.[/QUOTE] Nah man, didn't you hear? STEM fields are the only [I]real[/I] science, all that shit about cultures and art and philosophy is just unquantifiable hogwash that's only holding us back! [sp]I fucking loathe people who think like this.[/sp]
[QUOTE=Crimor;49968345]Wait why do you give a shit about a genre you don't play?[/QUOTE] Because SMB and Risk of Rain are the only indie platformers in the universe.. ok.
I dislike that the notion of leaving your country over a displeasure of the path it's taking is considered stupid. I mean it's not just "HURR DURR TURMP GET ELEKTED IM GUN GO TO CANADALAND :^))))." It's even beyond the fact that I'm now completely ashamed of America. It's about the fact that I can barely support myself in this country, let alone if I wanted to start a family. The overall state is absolutely embarrassing of a country that prides itself as being the big dick on the block.
[QUOTE=kyle877;49968635]I mean it's not just "HURR DURR TURMP GET ELEKTED IM GUN GO TO CANADALAND :^))))."[/QUOTE] whenever someone does [i]this[/i] to help make an argument, I immediately dismiss everything they have to say. trust me: if you try to sound stupid while imitating a person you disagree with, you are the only one who ends up sounding stupid.
[QUOTE=kyle877;49968635]I dislike that the notion of leaving your country over a displeasure of the path it's taking is considered stupid. I mean it's not just "HURR DURR TURMP GET ELEKTED IM GUN GO TO CANADALAND :^))))." It's even beyond the fact that I'm now completely ashamed of America. It's about the fact that I can barely support myself in this country, let alone if I wanted to start a family. The overall state is absolutely embarrassing of a country that prides itself as being the big dick on the block.[/QUOTE] For each person that leaves the country due to dissatisfaction you have one less voter that could make a difference for that country. I mean, it's clear why people would want to leave, but this is usually why leaving the country as a reaction to an election or similar is considered stupid.
[QUOTE=Doom64hunter;49972132]For each person that leaves the country due to dissatisfaction you have one less voter that could make a difference for that country. I mean, it's clear why people would want to leave, but this is usually why leaving the country as a reaction to an election or similar is considered stupid.[/QUOTE] I can understand that. I just get irritated with people being condescending about me fast-tracking my plans to get the fuck out of the US with how the election is going. I always planned on it, but this is certainly lighting a fire under my ass, so to speak.
[QUOTE=kyle877;49972239]I can understand that. I just get irritated with people being condescending about me fast-tracking my plans to get the fuck out of the US with how the election is going. I always planned on it, but this is certainly lighting a fire under my ass, so to speak.[/QUOTE] And then you respond with being condescending? Seems counterproductive
I can never understand how people can enjoy large scale turn based strategy games over the internet. Won't you spend more than half the game staring at a blank screen? IMHO, these games are far better enjoyed with IRL friends, since you could be doing other things in the house while your friend borrows your computer for their turn.
[QUOTE=Géza!;49968417]Nah man, didn't you hear? STEM fields are the only [I]real[/I] science, all that shit about cultures and art and philosophy is just unquantifiable hogwash that's only holding us back! [sp]I fucking loathe people who think like this.[/sp][/QUOTE] Lol, most of the people who say this are computer science or engineering majors, not physical, environmental or life scientists. So I wouldn't qualify them as "real" scientists either.
The new Battlefront is slightly enjoyable than I thought. That DLC season pass and four maps from the get-go is still bullshit.
I never found things like, "children are cancer amirite", "kill the children lol" or just hating on children for being children in general funny. Maybe because I have three younger siblings, but I never found the appeal of those kinds of jokes.
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