GhostQlyph: This thread is enough to make me want to leave GOG again.
I've had to shelve TWO different projects a friend and I are working on because we don't have and can't afford artists. I tried paying -- 400 dollars got me a blockout (READ: all flat surfaces, no textures, no modelling -- Doom 1 level design without the pain of texturing or silly details like stairs or doors) of the interior of a space ship, and a screenshot of a half-finished engine prop. And I don't have that money anymore because I got laid off from my last job.
While I agree plenty of indie games with retro graphics fail to focus on gameplay sufficiently, one SHOULD NOT simply say "HURRRR RETRO GRAPHICS IT'S PRETENTIOUS/LAME INDIE SHIT HURRRRRRRRR".
That's a good way to arouse my wrath, because I'm having difficulties making a goddamn pixel art game. I cannot draw. I'm a musician and game designer, not a graphic artist. And people in the visual arts tend to cost ludicrous amounts -- a quote I got for 4 walking animations of a single character was 200 dollars. That's PIXEL ART. US DOLLARS.
To put this into perspective, we may end up going to the MUCH HATED ultra-lofi 8x8 character sprites because at least we can actually MAKE THOSE.
And if our shitty graphics are just hurrrrrr retro indie hogwash hurrrrrrrr then why don't you stump up the fucking money to help us make better graphics, bucko? Don't talk nonsense about shit you don't know, or start paying the people who WISH they had more options.
ENRAGED,
--Cassy
This. I've been developing games on my own for years now, and the biggest thing that keeps me from finishing projects is the fact that I'm not a very good artist. I can program, I can compose, I can write, I can design mechanics, but when it comes to art I'm just not good enough to do anything more than pixel art, if that. I CONSTANTLY have to come up with creative, fitting ways of disguising my lack of artistic skill. Interesting, minimalist art styles and the like. Why? Because my wife and I both work minimum wage jobs, and I simply cannot hire someone to do art for me. What's more, adding another person into the mix complicates the development process immensely. It takes away artistic freedom, as well as practical freedom (to do what projects you want when you want on your own schedule).
Also, I happen to really like the look of pixelated visuals. I think of them as a sort of videogame form of visual impressionism.
GhostQlyph: And if our shitty graphics are just hurrrrrr retro indie hogwash hurrrrrrrr then why don't you stump up the fucking money to help us make better graphics, bucko? Don't talk nonsense about shit you don't know, or start paying the people who WISH they had more options.
Mentalepsy: I've got my own project going, and what I dread the most is reaching the point where I have to start commissioning assets. I'm developing the game on my own, but I am neither an artist nor a musician. I need somebody competent to handle those aspects for me. I don't have any quotes yet - I'm a long ways from that point - but I'm steeling myself for a beating.
What sort of music are you looking for? I'm an experienced composer, and I have the resources for doing some midi tracks (although if you're looking for lush orchestral stuff, I simply don't have the libraries for that yet).
PM me if you're interested. I can send you some samples if you like. And as a fellow game designer, I wouldn't bleed you dry :)
Crosmando: Stupidest thing I've read all week. I bet you're one of those "games were only turn-based because of technical limitations" people aren't you.
Robette: The iconic fog of Silent Hill is in place because handling the vast environment would have been otherwise troublesome for the PSX and much of the horror of Resident Evil came from the combination of clunky controls and the immovable camera related to the pre-rendered background.
Where do people get the idea that RE's horror came from the fixed camera? Although I've only played the gamecube remake (so the originals might be very different), I found that most of the tension came from resource limitations and the limited saves.
