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I don't know why I am a programmer. I went into engineering because I wanted to make video games. I did controls engineering to make physical systems go vroom. Now I mainly write software to make specialized physical systems go vroom. When I was a kid this was not what I would have wanted to do with my life. My 10 year old version of me is standing over me looking down saying "Pathetic". I feel like I need to do something about this before I die.

I want to make a game system for RPGs that is similar to an authoring tool to allow me to make games with some very specific features. Think creation kit for arbitrary RPG games. I am thinking I could make the authoring tool a product as well. If people want to make their own games. But I also want to make moddable RPG games using the authoring tool. I want to give people the ability to mod the game. So I am struggling with how to allow modding and sell an authoring tool. License to distribute unique games? I dunno, maybe I will just keep it as a modding tool for the games I make. I feel like good quality games are moddable. I hardly want to play anything that isn't.

Comments
  • 9
    I understand.
  • 1
    This will have to be a labour of love because indie games seems like a saturated market.
  • 7
    I have a bunch of younger selfs standing next to me, mzmbling constantly "didn't you wanted...". But they don't pay the rent, I do.
  • 2
    0# Don't reinvent the wheel
    1# Don't reinvent the wheel
    2# Don't reinvent the wheel!
    3# use already existing tools to make it work (build a working and usable prototype)

    At this point you can seriously think about how to monetize it.
    I don't know, get a bunch of people to work with your tool and go the feature development for $$$ Route (you can do it the same way polyhaven does it). Crowdfunding, despite it's bad press works well, at a later stage you can go the foundation route, for which you'll definitely need investors though (how blender does it, they have a movie devision, so in your case it would be a games devision). Setup a patreon or similar to work on the project from time to time, etc.

    There are a lot of ways to make cash with software.

    Down the line:
    4# make it fast
    6# make it feature complete
    5# (optional) make it pretty

    In general: Marketing + Hype is important, however little people like these words. Constant flow of updates certainly helps too.
  • 1
    One potential solution to your licensing and distribution dilemma could be to offer two versions of the authoring tool. One version could be free and open-source, designed specifically for modding the games you create. The other version could be a paid version with additional features and functionality, specifically designed for creating new games from scratch.
  • 1
    @thebiochemic I will base my tools on an existing game engine. Not going to do anything from scratch. I just don't have the knowledge or patience.
  • 2
    @Demolishun i'd say just go for it. Read about the tools, watch videos about them, and try to inplement smaller things.
    Prototype and Scrap.
    Only if you try, you'll know, what you need to know, or what you need to solve. Communicate with people, who work with the tools, and don't be shy to ask.
    At some point, you will have a good prototype, that youre happy with, that you can rebuild into a full project and iterate on it. But until then you try out stuff and break things ^^

    Look into best practices for game developers, and see if you can apply them (without forcing them). just keep in mind, that people (other than you) need to be able to play/use the stuff you build (so building on the premise of 'know nothing')
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