I just finished another game of Armageddon Empires. It’s still as fun, if not more, than the last game I played of it.
So, Vic Davis, what do you want to do with your career? Are you hoping to get funded by a large publisher, build up a team, then make the game of your dreams? What do you do for your day job? Do you want to continue on with your current job and develop the sequel on the side?
I always wonder what goes through the minds of the talented independent developer. I assume many of them want to “make it big”, and get funding for their dream game.
However, many of them are just as happy making their games as a hobby.
I guess this is more of a question for all the indy devs out there. Are you building your resume to get hired into a development house? Are you displaying talent for an eventual funding investment by a larger publisher? Or are you just doing it for the pure fun of it all, and could care less what it pays, as long as you can just continue on?
First you get the money, then you get the power, then you get the women.
A room with a view
A chocolate Factory
Seriously though, If I may call you Surely, my situation is sort of pseudo unique as an indie. I’m not the primary bread winner in the family unit at this stage. I fold laundry and wait at the bus stop to earn some beer money. My wife’s an academic so she has to be somewhere and my skill set is portable because of the glorious internet. My realistic longterm goals for Cryptic Comet are too keep it small and build up a portfolio of games that service a small segment of the Long Tail. If there is anybody I’d like to emulate it would be Jeff Vogel’s Spiderweb Software and Cliffski’s Positech. I’ve been small time entrepreneuring it for so long that it would really be tough for me psychologically to go back and work with a team of these “humans.” I’m glad people do that though. We’d all be hunting with spears and warming ourselves over campfires otherwise.
Those are great people to emulate because they allow you to keep your games niche and still make a nice profit. I wish there were more people like, to be honest. I had a hard time learning AE, personally, so I’ve barely tried it, but I’m glad games like this are being made. The AAA games just won’t do turn-based strategy or RPG games anymore. It’s sad.
