Does anybody else think it would be good if companies would listen to pitches for game concepts with just the design document, rather than a working demo? Freelance programming companies could listen to the pitches when they prepare to start a new project. I realize it''s harder to see if an idea will work without the code, but I have a feeling there are some good ideas out there that individual programmers are having who don''t have the time or means to make a really impressive demo to pitch to people. Unfortunately, I doubt that a programming company would ever look at outside work. They usually have lots of ideas coming from their own people that they''d rather develop, don''t they? It would be nice, too, if GDC, since it has a demo contest, could also have a design doc contest. Thoughts?

For a while, the industry was evolving towards a system with proposals... the *little* desdoc you would send to a major publisher to be tossed repeatedly into the trash until you got lucky. Kind of like Hollywood.

I don''t know if this system went out of style or what, what it sure looks like it did. I think the current system actually has it''s own set of advantages, for instance, a writer-designer usually sticks around and makes sure the project doesn''t suck. In the system you''re describing, sure, random writers could get their games made, but the end result would be more written by the publisher than the writer.

They''d rake their oily black claws over whatever you wrote, invoking the holy name of market demographics.

I worked for a publisher / developer that got a ton of submissions consisting of nothing but design docs. You're right that it's hard to see if an idea will work or not just on paper. But there's another big problem: "Ability to execute." Producers I've talked to tell me that this is the reason so many publishers will only consider teams with a track record. Because games have become multimillion dollar ventures with abysmally low rates of return, people that have that kind of money want more solid guarantees. Design docs unfortunately don't show this, and are rather like religion, with *everybody* thinking they've got the truth (heh, I know I do ) but no one able to *prove* it.

The thing that sucks about game development is the span between idea and finished product. An artist can scrawl on a cocktail napkin. A writer can jot a few notes in a notepad. But the actual process of bringing up code, sound, music, art is such a difficult gulf.

I think once we get better content creation tools, this will abate somewhat. It'll be the difference between having paper and pen, and a typewriter. But I think that that time is a bit far off, as most tools worth anything right now are highly technical (more like the printing press, really).

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Just waiting for the mothership...

Edited by - Wavinator on October 16, 2000 4:30:10 PM

The worst thing, in my mind, to being creative, is to have so many ideas that you won''t have the time to implement. This happens to me a lot, and I often find myself falling back on certain things to work on something else, or losing ideas to forgetfulnes (I know, I should write them down). Being able to just submit ideas rather than elaborate demos would be great, because as an ameature (Sp), I can have the best ideas in the world, but have no idea how to bring them to life.

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official Necromancer of GameDev forums Game Writing section

When I get an idea, I begin a story around it, then, it soon grows and completes itself in my head (the wording I use suggests how I feel it comes about, I don''t write the story, it writes itself). I start writing, too, and soon I have two or three pages written.

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official Necromancer of GameDev forums Game Writing section

Plus there''s the whole legal issue behind it. You''re using somebody else''s idea when you make THEIR game, and they''re nor getting any royalities or anything out of it. Developers don''t want to have to face the lawsuits for something like that.

As the great Cliff Blezinsky said about breaking into the gaming industry, "Get off your ass and make a game." If you have a design document, get together a team of ratbag programmers and artists in your city or even across the country and whip up a little jewel of entertainment for people to play and enjoy.

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A world destroyed, a myth rebord. Some truths should remain untold...

Check out NightRise today, coming eventually from DanAvision Software Entertainment.

http://www.danavisiongames.com

quote: Original post by TheDarkening
The problem - no wait, its not a problem - the reason is that no one has a team of developers sitting around that have no ideas about what game to design.

On top of that, ideas are free, development costs money. I know its not suppose to be "all about the money" but it is, we all need to pay rent and buy food and new computers...

Is this why about half the games out there today are either remakes or sequals?

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official Necromancer of GameDev forums Game Writing section

I suppose I''m the only one who enjoys searching the back pages of the forums, searching for ancient threads to return to the light. I''m just an board archeologist (sp) I suppose... Anyway, lots of these old issues are still important today, so reviving a still relevent forum to a new generation of users will bring new insight on an old issue.

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official Necromancer of GameDev forums Game Writing section