Finally.
I accepted a bid on Star Relic after a month it was on FlashGameLicense.com (FGL). The game will be sponsored by FlashRelax and will be online next week.
The fact is I am a bit disappointed, since I am about to receive a small amount of payment for it compared to the time it was under development. As I claimed in previous posts – development without a definite idea in mind is a disaster. Star Relic was modified and patched with ideas and mechanics throughout the development. While people who play it are enjoying the orbit mechanics, many others claim the game is too difficult to understand.
“Flash strategy games are usually not commercially profitable because of their learning curve”.
(King.com, conversation on the FGL chat).
Doh. This is true. But when I look back, this is not actually a problem for me. I have started developing games not only because of the potential profit, but because I enjoy playing games, thinking of new ideas, implementing them, and sharing them to the world.
“Gamers think they can be good game designers. Most of the time it’s completely wrong”.
(Ofir Katz, colleague).
Oh well. There is still much to learn and improve. :)
On the other hand, Star Relic was not in vain. After showing the game shortly on a monthly meeting of Israeli game developers, I was recruited for a new studio called Imba Games. Obviously, I cannot speak of the nature of the games I am developing there at the moment.
I released the Star Relic beta for a few testers today. The game mechanics are fully operational (besides a few minor bugs), and now the focus goes to the campaigns and character customization. So far, it seems I’ll manage to finish the game completely by the end of the deadline (end of January).
My second project using the Packed engine was released today:
MagickA
It’s another tower defense game made in a week of work, under the contract with Packed. All the graphics and level design were made independently by myself. Though the Packed engine has many limitations (well, it is still in beta), I’m actually enjoying making these little games. The next games, though, will be released on a longer interval.
Well you see, five courses, one seminar and two jobs (Star Relic is a JOB!) are very demanding. Once everything gets settled again, I’ll start working on a new Tower Defense game (hopefully with a newer version of the engine with supports campaigns) and push towards a Star Relic beta (oh my).
Talking about Star Relic…
I got the habit of finishing one Star Relic task a day. “I got three projects to hand in by tomorrow? I don’t care, I have to finish this!”. Without putting some pressure I’d end up finishing the beta by 2012 instead of in a month. The game looks great so far, and I wish I could show what the game looks like and how it sounds, but it is early to do so. The work consists mostly of a few, yet major, programming tasks, since all the graphics, sounds and voices are already done (weeks ago).
I assure you that by the next update, Star Relic will be very close to its beta. I aim to December the 15, but you can never be sure with all these university assignments following you in each move.
I have signed a contract with Packed.com to develop tower defense games for their brand new engine. Give a go to my first game developed using the engine: Star Command, and expect to see a few more games using the Packed Engine in the near future.
In addition, I am very excited as Star Relic is approaching beta stage. Currently, if everything works according to plan, the game will be out in the beginning of January.
Star Relic is under heavy development these days, and should see the daylight of the web approximately in two months. Until then, you can check the new screenshots and art from the game in the Star Relic page.