Small time startup, game design Q's... Thread

Hello IndieDB community,

my name is tmer and I am a 'returning game enthusiast'. What this means is that after an extended leave from the world of PC games, I find renewed interest and inspiration in game design. To elaborate a little; this leave lasted roughly 6 years. In this time I was primarily occupied in studying various uni level courses. My studies however spiralled into a familiar pattern of losing interest and motivation leading me to drop out of uni. The current period of unemployment has left me in a bit of a soul searching crisis.

In this phase of uncertainty I am beginning to find new hope and energies from looking at the indie game scene. Revisiting game worlds has stirred my imagination and ambitions. Now (and hopefully hereafter) I am excited by the possibilities of designing games. My academic background is in Science (mostly pure math) and Design (Architecture). I hope that the skills I have learned in these can contribute to a career in game design ?

My new goal is to get experience in designing a simple game. I think that a good starting point is an iOS mobile or IPad game. I have some questions about forming a team to create such a game.

Say I want to create a game similar in type to a 'puzzle board game' (maybe somewhat similar to: Chess, Stratego, Battleships, Rush Hour)
1. How many specialists would compromise a team: Is [ 1-designer, 1-graphics personal, 1-Programmer ] enough?
2. How difficult or easy would it be for a graduate level student in Computer science to program something of this complexity?
3. Is there added difficulty in programming something like this in Unity 3D engine, over iOS ?

I believe I am able to come up with design and art ideas but I have 0-programming knowledge...
Your suggestions, answers and guidance appreciated please.

Edited by: tmer1

Hey there. If you are a Computer Science Graduate then learning a gaming programming language would be pretty easy for you. Virtual Board Games are really cool and in my opinion pretty easy to create them. A team that could make this project come true could be formed by at least these persons:
-A Graphic Designer
-A Programmer
-A Network Designer (If you want Online Multiplayer)

Board Games don't include fighting, special effects or a story so the team can easily be formed by a few persons. (The more the better of course)
Starting to learn a Programming Language may seem hard in the beginning but if you are interested in doing this then you will be able to master it in a very short period of time. Also it would be great if you could share a few details of your concept because usually it is hard to get a unique board game idea.
I would love to help you, so if you got any question feel free to ask at any time.

Edited by: Mistergeorge

Thank you MisterGeorge.

-How come a programmer can't handle network design? is it another specialist language?

-Scanning the iOS games scene I find that how you dress up your game visually is quite important. So things like special effects; short animations (maybe pieces attacking each other or moving) can be very valuable in selling your game. I imagine these are like 'sprites' ? and the graphic specialist is in charge of animating them. (what is the title of a team member doing the graphical side of things?)

- For example I am a Gameplay Programmer myself but I am not really skilled in Network designing. Of course if I am intersetd in doing it I can start learning more advanced things in a certain Network Language.

-Of course there will be special effects and animations for the pieces but these can't be compared to Action Games where the whole game is based on effects.

Graphic Designer is the general title of someone doing Graphics. Here is a full list of jobs in the Gaming Industry for artists:
-3D Graphic Designer
-2D Graphic Designer
-Animator
-Concept Artist
-GUI Designer: Designing the Graphic User Interface or HUD (Heads Up Display)

What would be the payment breakdown in an independent game project, with say 1-designer, 1-programmer, 1-2d illustrator, 1-musician/audio ?

Is it common to work for free with expectation that game will sell copies later ?

Edited by: tmer1

Beginners usually start projects with Profit-Share jobs where everybody works in the project and claims his precentage from the final profit. But of course this is a more risky job since the game may make a small or none profit, that's why it is much easier to find professionals when offering a Paid job. I would recommend you to write a presentation of your idea and concept and then post it in the Recruiting & Resumes thread by also saying what are you searching for.

There may be Programming languages that may include both Gameplay and Network design but it is like 2 different things you have to learn. Here are some of the most popular languages used for Network Development:
PHP,ASP,JSP,C#,PERL,PYTHON,RUBY

Hey guys, if you are interested on more game design I recommend you to go and check some "Extra Credits" on YouTube; they give a nice introduction to game design and concepts, so you can get a lot of pointers.

If you are thinking of doing a boarding game probably start on paper for gameplay prototyping and testing; then go ahead and plan to translate into 0s and 1s.

There's a lot of 1-man projects who handle game design, programming and art (which could be the three heads of the game development monster), so it's up to you, it depends on personality, preferences, skill and the scope of the project.