Game Developers of Kiwi Farms

[Battlefield42]

Far Cry 2 AI feels better than the later ones. Mainly because you don't have the wallhack spotting ability later games have. I once ran out of ammo/meds ads the AI followed me to the jungle. They sneak while searching and don't talk at all. They managed to surround me pretty well. They also try to run you over with car too if you are on foot and see you. Only kinda bad thing is the vanilla AI will always chase you with a car. Can get pretty bad if you just drive through enemy checkpoint.
MGS feels fake in AI feel.

 

[Soi Woh Jak]

Far Cry 2 AI feels better than the later ones. Mainly because you don't have the wallhack spotting ability later games have. I once ran out of ammo/meds ads the AI followed me to the jungle. They sneak while searching and don't talk at all. They managed to surround me pretty well. They also try to run you over with car too if you are on foot and see you. Only kinda bad thing is the vanilla AI will always chase you with a car. Can get pretty bad if you just drive through enemy checkpoint.
MGS feels fake in AI feel.

You're referring to reactivity, combat ai is a reaction to player action. I'm referring to the NPC actions in the absence of player actions, if the world is supposed to be immersive then it should be a self contained functional ecosystem without the player, not to the point it causes immutable changes to the world and possibly hinders progress but just enough to maintain immersion. I can understand if it's too high an expectation since we don't have enough processing power to generate a dynamic world without player interaction (outside of dwarf fortress) but having an ecosystem where things only respond to player interaction is less immersive than one which functions on its own.

 

[Lukie]

Something from the archive - Happy Halloween!

 

[CircuSphere]

You're referring to reactivity, combat ai is a reaction to player action. I'm referring to the NPC actions in the absence of player actions, if the world is supposed to be immersive then it should be a self contained functional ecosystem without the player, not to the point it causes immutable changes to the world and possibly hinders progress but just enough to maintain immersion. I can understand if it's too high an expectation since we don't have enough processing power to generate a dynamic world without player interaction (outside of dwarf fortress) but having an ecosystem where things only respond to player interaction is less immersive than one which functions on its own.

If you are looking for stuff to put through the ringer...

Not sure if proper top down sims count. You mentioned Dwarf Fortress, there is also Rim World of course and I like Prison Architect because it is a little more focused (have not played the sequel) and is another with a 'human fish tank' vibe going, they will try to escape, stab each other, riot, etc... There are tons of great city/zoo/amusement park/empire builders as well (Timberborn is the one I will shill until something supplants it). Stellaris will cost you a small fortune in DLC but you can watch space empires annihilate each other of the their own accord for hours.

For something more immersive Mediaeval Dynasty is like management sim meets survival crafting game where you found a small fiefdom but the perspective is very on the ground compared to most of these management sims. There are very few menus, you ride to town and barter with the people, you build the houses yourself. The world is small but the routines are pretty detailed because the townsfolk walk around, eat, drink, sleep, acquire skills and run a small economy and live their lives out. The game was grindy when I played it though, maybe they have eased up since that was a while ago and there is supposedly more content. It's kinda like Palworld but serious.

Kenshi is also probably something to check out (I haven't put enough time into grokking it yet) as is SsethTzeentach as he covers all these hyper autistic games.... there is a ton of over engineered AI behavior in Star Citizen too but that's a whole bag of worms.

 

[Soi Woh Jak]

Not sure if proper top down sims count. You mentioned Dwarf Fortress, there is also Rim World of course and I like Prison Architect because it is a little more focused (have not played the sequel) and is another with a 'human fish tank' vibe going, they will try to escape, stab each other, riot, etc... There are tons of great city/zoo/amusement park/empire builders as well (Timberborn is the one I will shill until something supplants it). Stellaris will cost you a small fortune in DLC but you can watch space empires annihilate each other of the their own accord for hours.

Not really. Tycoon, simulation and God games need self contained functional ecosystems, it's a part of their mission statement so it's a requirement, a necessity of sorts. Same for rts games to some extent. For open world sandboxes it's not a requirement but it does enhance the experience and that's what I'm looking for, a self contained functional ecosystem in an open world game.

 

[ZMOT]

which is why AAA games use that engine and not godot

or they write their own and it takes even longer, just look up some stories about destiny

And to achieve that, I need my games to make money, and since I'm just a mediocre dev, I need to conduct market research. I was going to make a roguelite, so I decided to check how many roguelites were presented on last Steam next fest, which was about 300. Sure, you might say that 90% of everything is crap, but that still leaves us with 30 games that are pretty good. Which is a lot, given that roguelites are intended to be replayed over and over.

that's because your goal is to make money and a career out of it, not just make games. what I mean is if you're just in it to makes games because you like making games, the economic factors aren't really that important, otherwise you're right anyone needs to do some basic market research even if it's just getting a grasp on basic bitch supply & demand. funny enough even AAA seem to fail at that shit lately, and they spend big bucks for that data, let alone millions on failed games.

you also need to be aware that it will inevitably affect the game you're making. just like a band that "sells out" to sell as much or even more than their debut album they produced in a garage, it will affect the gameplay, look, etc. since you're not doing it for yourself or what you like, but "what's hot right now" and trying to appeal to a large enough demographic to make enough money. which, in turn, can affect how much "fun" you'll having making games as a career, let alone for the next few years or decades. worst case you're switching from crud apps you don't use yourself to games you don't play yourself.

not trying to dissuade you (or anyone else) from going in that direction, but that's just the mundane reality anyone should be aware of. the lucky few that makes games for themselves first and manage to find a big enough audience are more rare than finding a tradwife in SF.

For open world sandboxes it's not a requirement but it does enhance the experience and that's what I'm looking for, a self contained functional ecosystem in an open world game.

the X games have a whole universe running in the background doing it's own thing, but it's more high level, not every individual NPC.

 

[Whatevermancer]

you also need to be aware that it will inevitably affect the game you're making. just like a band that "sells out" to sell as much or even more than their debut album they produced in a garage, it will affect the gameplay, look, etc. since you're not doing it for yourself or what you like, but "what's hot right now" and trying to appeal to a large enough demographic to make enough money. which, in turn, can affect how much "fun" you'll having making games as a career, let alone for the next few years or decades. worst case you're switching from crud apps you don't use yourself to games you don't play yourself.

I think of it as of an Euler diagram with three sets:
"Games I want to play"
"Games I can make"
"Game that I think will sell"
And the intersection of these sets has a handful of game ideas. So, it's not like I'm completely selling out, just making whatever brings the most money. Otherwise I'd probably hire a furry artist and make a porn game.

 

[Gender: Xenomorph]

I need some publishing advice. I've been working on this project and I really like the way it turned out. I have a few months and need a few more to finish it up.

What I need to know is, how do I proceed now?
* Free on itchio/indiedb/around the web: the pros are that I don't need to pay anything, I can publish whenever. But I'm probably gonna get swarmed by indies, nobody is gonna play my game.
* Paid on itchio/etc: I can do a bit of publishing, etc. but I have the same problems: visibility, no players, etc.
* Steam: for visibility mostly; publishing will be easy, I have a community, huge boost from SteamNextFest, easy port on Steamdeck etc, but it's not guaranteed.

I don't expect to make a profit, but I want my game to be pkayed. I don't hope for much. None of these venues guarantee success, but I'm wondering, for an indie game, max visibility, what should I do?

No I will not approach a publisher, they are scum and offer nothing. It's a seller's market (publishers are the sellers) and I'm not begging for a shitty deal.

Like most indie games, it's probably not gonna be hugely successful, unless I get played by a big streamer or run into an angel investor.

Any advice?

 

[DumbDude43]

I need some publishing advice. I've been working on this project and I really like the way it turned out. I have a few months and need a few more to finish it up.

What I need to know is, how do I proceed now?
* Free on itchio/indiedb/around the web: the pros are that I don't need to pay anything, I can publish whenever. But I'm probably gonna get swarmed by indies, nobody is gonna play my game.
* Paid on itchio/etc: I can do a bit of publishing, etc. but I have the same problems: visibility, no players, etc.
* Steam: for visibility mostly; publishing will be easy, I have a community, huge boost from SteamNextFest, easy port on Steamdeck etc, but it's not guaranteed.

I don't expect to make a profit, but I want my game to be pkayed. I don't hope for much. None of these venues guarantee success, but I'm wondering, for an indie game, max visibility, what should I do?

No I will not approach a publisher, they are scum and offer nothing. It's a seller's market (publishers are the sellers) and I'm not begging for a shitty deal.

Like most indie games, it's probably not gonna be hugely successful, unless I get played by a big streamer or run into an angel investor.

Any advice?

itch is super small and niche, the exposure/visibility you can get there is very limited.
if you can, go for steam.

 

[CircuSphere]

I need some publishing advice. I've been working on this project and I really like the way it turned out. I have a few months and need a few more to finish it up.

What I need to know is, how do I proceed now?
* Free on itchio/indiedb/around the web: the pros are that I don't need to pay anything, I can publish whenever. But I'm probably gonna get swarmed by indies, nobody is gonna play my game.
* Paid on itchio/etc: I can do a bit of publishing, etc. but I have the same problems: visibility, no players, etc.
* Steam: for visibility mostly; publishing will be easy, I have a community, huge boost from SteamNextFest, easy port on Steamdeck etc, but it's not guaranteed.

I don't expect to make a profit, but I want my game to be pkayed. I don't hope for much. None of these venues guarantee success, but I'm wondering, for an indie game, max visibility, what should I do?

No I will not approach a publisher, they are scum and offer nothing. It's a seller's market (publishers are the sellers) and I'm not begging for a shitty deal.

Like most indie games, it's probably not gonna be hugely successful, unless I get played by a big streamer or run into an angel investor.

Any advice?

I have no idea really but the plan as it stands is put it up for what it is really worth on steam, $15 - $30 bucks, whatever it is actually worth, whatever it's peers are charging for a similar experience. Then run DEEP sales whenever anyone big is streaming it/during weekend/seasonal sales to seed interest and create word of mouth/reviews.

The price becomes a quality marker and the sale price creates a sense of urgency and is low enough to take in skeptics and push people over the fence. There are many $20 games that just sit on my wish list because they are never on sale for more than 10% off. When steam sale comes around they always get cut because "well I can just buy it when I want to play it, these other games I need to buy by the end of the week."

 

[779777]

Any advice?

Build a community around the game before you release it, you can do a free demo on steam to get playtesters.

 

[Private Tag Reporter]

I need some publishing advice. I've been working on this project and I really like the way it turned out. I have a few months and need a few more to finish it up.

Promotion is just another word - more or less - for paid engagement. Steam is 100 bucks for the price of entry, if you make that much, you get the $100 back. It's a bet you make against Gabe that your game will make at least that much money. I've heard anecdotally that itch.io doesn't get much attention except for porn; but from what I've heard, game demos on https://gamejolt.com/ with a link to your steam page can drive engagement.

Do some market research, find the subreddit/4chan general/hashtag for your genre, and just post it. Put together a list of 10-20 each of streamers and youtubers that play your genre, and shoot them an email with a free copy of your game. If there's one you like or whatever even send them some money to play it. At worst, your game gets passed over, but at best, someone picks it up and it gets in front of an audience. If it's in a specific niche, word of mouth will hopefully carry you from there. Sometimes a game doesn't find an audience, and that's life. But if you believe in your game and want it to be seen, getting it in front of as many eyes as possible is the way to find your players.

Set your expectations appropriately. Check out what other titles in your niche are selling for on sites like https://games-stats.com/. Make your game sale-able, try looking at other steam titles critically in your niche and seeing how they sell themselves, you want to both blend in to signify your genre/tone and also stand out by showing what's exciting about your game. Look at good games to see what they do well, and bad games to see what they do poorly. This helps: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fATEHq4Zv_Y.

You want your game to stand the shelf test. Steam is one gigantic game stop and your game is just one game on the shelf. Make your game stand out so that someone might want to pick it up. As bad as it sounds, people do judge a book by its cover, so make your game's cover - its steam sale page, trailer, banner, title art, etc. look as good as it can. (Edit: Reworded - find the shittiest looking indie games you can on Steam, 5-10 of them. Make your game NOT look like that).

The hard part is over: you've made your game. Get it out there.

 

[Whatevermancer]

Any advice?

Man, I dunno, I'm just gonna say what I did. I released my free game on itch and I posted about it on reddit and 4chan beforehand. Got about 18k plays.

 

[Smokeski]

Currently working on my art. Making music and creating concept art. When you're not asset flipping it takes a lot of work. I also need a better computer to fun the programs. Its a lot of fun, and I'm doing it for myself. I was thinking of doing a 2D project but now I want to do 3D and as realistic as possible. I can already tell im going to need years to do my vision, but thats fine. Its a passion project made by 1 guy. Maybe I make it shorter filled with content than longer and never release it.

 

[Big Judge Cock]

Any advice?

Pay a streamer? I get most of my games news from youtubers/twitch degenerates.

 

[779777]

Currently working on my art. Making music and creating concept art. When you're not asset flipping it takes a lot of work.

I agree, I've been learning blender modeling and animation to make a 3d zombie survival game and a lot of it has been tedious but I'm 80% of the way there for what skills I need. Hard surface modelling is pretty easy if you don't need details but doing characters with animation has been very challenging, at the moment I'm 200hrs ish in with a character and a walking animation. The only skill I really suck at is drawing, which is why I'm doing 3d.

 

[Smokeski]

I agree, I've been learning blender modeling and animation to make a 3d zombie survival game and a lot of it has been tedious but I'm 80% of the way there for what skills I need. Hard surface modelling is pretty easy if you don't need details but doing characters with animation has been very challenging, at the moment I'm 200hrs ish in with a character and a walking animation. The only skill I really suck at is drawing, which is why I'm doing 3d.
View attachment 6592719

Looks great man! I suck at drawing too, but I want to animate some things so I am getting better with drawing. I also want to do concept art. I thought about doing 2D, but 3D is where I want to go. But animating your own stuff takes an inordinate amount of time. Which is why my timeline is on years instead of months.

 

[Adash]

I've heard anecdotally that itch.io doesn't get much attention except for porn;

This is partly true; most people usually go to itch to download a game, not look for them. While I wouldn't say most of its attention comes from porn, it's not that far off. Sure there are some game jams that get attention, but usually it's not that popular. Sucks too though because it's pretty good in my experience.

 

[Gender: Xenomorph]

This is partly true; most people usually go to itch to download a game, not look for them. While I wouldn't say most of its attention comes from porn, it's not that far off. Sure there are some game jams that get attention, but usually it's not that popular. Sucks too though because it's pretty good in my experience.

What do people think about ecchi games? Don't they care? Or permanent black stain on their profile?

Overall thanks for the advice guys. Really good! A lot to think about!

 

[NerdShamer]

What do people think about ecchi games? Don't they care? Or permanent black stain on their profile?

Run it off an alt or an shell company?