Invasion TBS game

[ozangumus]

I am making an independent TBS computer game for 4-5 years. I nearly completed it. In short its like combination of Sid Meier's two game : Colonization and Civilization.

There are 10 civilizations, different bonuses for every civilization, special units. In cities citizens can work on not only gold, food and production they can work on food, cotton, tobacco, fur, wood, stone, gold or petrol. In city buildings citizens can convert cotton into cloth, tobacco into cigar, grape into wine and fur into coat. Player have to collect stone to build buildings in cities. There are science charts like in civilization. Please examine details and give your ideas and advices about game.

There are different buildings and wonders which effects military production, science research speed and culture in the city like in civilization.

One or two small pictures are currently taken from civ2 and they will be replaced very soon.

You can examine game details from http://www.ozangumus.com

I finished the game but I am not sure about what to do with this game. You can give me advices about how to consider my efforts. This game has a different taste from both Colonization and Civilization. I both like these two games and connected them. If you want to contact me you can both use this forum or send me mail from ozangumus@gmail.com

Screenshots :

[stormbind]

If it ran on a cellphone..

Do you work in the industry, or have you sent this to games makers as a showreel?

[ozangumus]

No, I am not working in industry I new graduated from computer engineering I will start working in industry but for now its an independent game. I made it by myself including AI. I did not send it anywhere, first posting info about game here.

[Fetus4188]

If nothing else you can put it on your resume.

I guess there are four options: don't distribute it, distribute it at a cost, distribute it as freeware, distribute it as open source. I imagine there are different sorts of licenses you would need for each situation.

[stormbind]

My hunch would be to make a showreel and send that around the gaming studios because you obviously have strong maths and a deep commitment to programming. You are perfect for the production phases of any large project.

Also, if you're looking for one more year of study, check this out. All links relate to the same course and you won't find it anywhere else. I know the leading professors and they are very good: they would turn your commitment and ability (already commendable) into a serious creative force beyond mere programming. Professor Latham knows this industry and I really think his courses could lead to people like you being head-hunted.. there are so many big names around him!!

http://www.goldsmiths.ac.uk/computing/computer-games/
http://www.goldsmiths.ac.uk/pg/msc-c...ertainment.php
http://doc.gold.ac.uk/games/

If you apply, let me know

[ozangumus]

Thanks stormbind for your ideas and links you posted. I will examine them. I got some proposals from some game studios in my country, they knew me here because there are not very much game developers even independent.

But I want to consider my long efforts and get return of my game. I am thinking about some solutions. Maybe I can sell game via web with a low price.

AI in Invasion is very complex like in civ series too, only my disadvantage is graphics are not so good because I am not graphic designer.

[Masquerouge]

It seems like you put a lot of effort in this game!

Given that it is more than inspired from Civ, and that as you said, the graphics are not tremendous, you should probably make it available as a shareware/freeware. Post it in a lot of places, ask for feedback. It will make your work known and will be a tremendous experience.

[stormbind]

Making the right product at the right time is a very difficult problem. Invasion was obviously your hobby and not a product determined by market forces.

For example, most big publishers will have one candidate for each genre and won't sponsor any more than that. Studios are bound by publisher requirements. Consequently, the market is very much dictated to developers.

My interests are in a completely different domain so take my advice with a pinch of salt. I have the feeling you're in a weak position and I would really like a succesful name to steer your talent away from difficulty.

There are few studios in the UK which I'm sure would like to hear from you

[stormbind]

Originally Posted by Masquerouge

Given that it is more than inspired from Civ, and that as you said, the graphics are not tremendous.

One of the things Goldsmiths' is world-renowned in are the intellectual domains leading to original narrative and art (storyboardng, graphics, design). I think a little of these skills could go a long way with the technical ability of programmers like ozangumus.

[ozangumus]

Yes, Masquerouge I really put lots of effort on this game (as an example, wrote 60.000 lines of code) Firstly I want to see reactions of civ-fans to my game. Later I will somehow make it available. In my page it wrotes demo will be avaible 20 days later maybe this can be 30 days or more I am still thinking what to do. I want to get return of my efforts too also I want to see people are playing this game after tons of effort. Anyhow it will be avaible soon.

Thanks for all ideas/thoughs.

[Mise]

What country are you from?

[ozangumus]

Originally Posted by stormbind

There are few studios in the UK which I'm sure would like to hear from you

Stormbind, are these few studios want to publish Invasion or are they want to take me in their game development team? In first step I want to somehow make my game avaible, I need a solution for this step firstly. Yes I am at weak position because I developed game by myself and still alone after finishing and not know the industry well.

[Abaddon]

Can I buy shares in you?

[Patroklos]

Full sized pics please (I want to look at the details)

[stormbind]

Oz. As I said, studios do not (normally) publish and neither do developers (normally) publish. There is a reason for this situation and its not likely to change. The serious financial power - which is many millions of dollars - is controlled by publishers. To these businesses, human effort is worth nothing and they really want to stay in control of their market. Taking them on is... upto you. I think it might be easier to the play their game.

I imagine the studios would slide you into their development team where your many programming skills are needed.

I understand that you want your game to be available, because it's your game and you deserve the whole world to rave about it. I just don't have ideas of how to make money from a product that was not requested. If you pack Invasion into Java and ship it with a cellphone then maybe I would be more enthusiastic purely because it would then have novelty power.

Incidentally, control is the reason I quit programming :P

[ozangumus]

You can look at full sizes from Invasion Gallery

[Mise]

Originally Posted by Patroklos

Full sized pics please (I want to look at the details)

There's full-size pics on the website.

@Ozangumus: What language was it written in? Is it easily portable to, say, Java, so that it can be played on other platforms, e.g. PDA or mobile phone? This is quite the type of application that people would pay for on their mobile phones. EDIT: Or into whatever language Symbian runs on so that it can be used on Nokia N-series phones etc.

What about facebook? Can it be turned into an application on facebook "easily"? I know facebook uses a very ... particular language, but it would give you access to a huge number of people very quickly.

Another option is packaging it as shareware and distributing it via PC gaming magazines. There's not much of a market for shareware games anymore though.

Have you looked into distributing it via Steam?

[Perfection]

Why can't you build wood buildings?

Wood is good for building buildings!

[ozangumus]

I developed Invasion in Borland Delphi with using DelphiX (DirectX package). Not suitable for cell phones. It works in 1024*768 and all graphics and other things designed depending on this resolution.

[ozangumus]

Originally Posted by Mise

Another option is packaging it as shareware and distributing it via PC gaming magazines. There's not much of a market for shareware games anymore though.

Have you looked into distributing it via Steam?

Yes I am thinking about this option at most. Can you give information about Steam.