Am I Wasting My Time?

[LinkxPeach]

I'm not saying I wasting my time working on the game. I working on my game on paper and I keep doing starting over from where I left off because most of the ideas I wrote was taken , so I have to start all over again because of that to avoid anything that would get me sued. I also started all over again on paper because I damaged the paper a little bit or put a tore on it on accident.

 

[RangerX]

Is this a serious thread?
Its good to plan on paper, its very good. But just make the game you want to make. That's all.

 

[leonfook29]

Here's your main issue:

I keep doing starting over from where I left off because most of the ideas I wrote was taken , so I have to start all over again because of that to avoid anything that would get me sued.

Nothing you wrote will be new if you dig deep enough, and no, idea of something cannot be patented, the execution/look/function however, that's another thing. If the current process doesn't work for you, maybe you have to change your work behaviour, maybe like making a prototype in 24/48 hour first before planing to expand it.

Also what are you writing anyway? Idea? Design? Story? Character? Level? Item? Mechanic?

 

[TheouAegis]

If, for example, you want to use the GURPS model of game design for an RPG or whatever, then technically I think you do need legal permission to do so. Although, if you were just making a game for fun, the developer of the game model doesn't really mind as long as the game is not offensive. If you wanted to make an RPG using the SPECIAL model, then you would need to get permission from Betsheda, who own the rights to Fallout. If you want to make an RPG using your own model INSPIRED by another RPG, then that is totally legal. And if you were going to make a platforming game, well, anything you can come up with would have been inspired by something that already existed, so as long as you use your own character, there will be no legal issue. Hell, look at Castlevania and Ninja Gaiden. They were practically clones. No legal issue though because the characters were different. Symphony of the Night, basically a mutated clone of Super Metroid. Again, no legal issue. So just be creative and don't worry about legalities. And so what if you cross over into a legal issue? You will get a cease-and-desist order and then you can just make a couple changes to release your game around that legality.

 

[Yal]

Yes, the way you treat your plans at the current point is a waste of time. So here's how to improve it...

I would say that the best plans aren't the ones that are the most detailed, or even the plans that are followed the most thoroughly once actual work starts. The best plans are those that lets you structure your creative chaos to a level where you can get things done properly, and that's it. Creation of anything is a very unpredictable process, and trying to plan ahead for everything that could go wrong will always fail. On the other hand, working with no goal or structure at all usually ends up in feature/content creep or loss of motivation before the project is complete. You'll need to find a middle ground that suits you, but I'd always recommend planning less than necessary when there is doubt.

I don't see GDDs as something very important. They're tools with temporary use: you use them to store ideas and data you worry about forgetting, structure up information, and such. They have more importance when you work in a team, since they are also used to keep the artistic vision consistent between members. But since you don't, don't worry about that at the moment. Don't overdo your design documents. Make simple doodles and jot down a bunch of sentences explaining them when necessary. That's what I do; going in too deep detail in design documents is just a waste of time you could've spent implementing your design instead.

Here's snapshots of two GDDs I'm currently using for my current project. Not the best image quality, but it should give you an idea about how detailed and structured I usually make my one-man-project design documents. I see them more like long-term to-do lists than anything else.

 

[zchang]

^ This ^
Another thing to keep in mind is to start simple and think more than write.
One thing I learned with GM is that biting off more than what you can chew is not only bad, but dangerous.
Once, my team and I tried to design a game bigger than all of us together, and it ended up collapsing because it lacked direction. You must not limit yourself though. Never think "This mechanic might be too hard for me". Try anyways, because elsewhere you won't grow as programmer/designer.

And about thinking more than writing, this one might be a little subjective, but I believe that writing stuff down takes way too much time compared to thinking, and it's useless if the idea wasn't good anyways. Keeping things on paper is always a good thing, I've damned myself so many times for not writing 'that good idea'... But the truth is that bigger concepts should stay without details in your mind, where they are abstract. Then you will have an easier time rethinking and modifying them. It's difficult to explain and may be only my experience, but I can only hope to help a fellow designer.

Hope you can soon brake this designing block. The most important thing about a game is not it's Graphics, Aspects, Story or Gameplay. Is the design.

 

[Fern]

Everyone has already given excellent advice here. Just wanted to tack on this quote though,

“If you spend too much time thinking about a thing, you’ll never get it done.” ~ Bruce Lee

You need to actually make the game because just writing about it or thinking about it won't make it.

 

[LinkxPeach]

Here's your main issue:

Nothing you wrote will be new if you dig deep enough, and no, idea of something cannot be patented, the execution/look/function however, that's another thing. If the current process doesn't work for you, maybe you have to change your work behaviour, maybe like making a prototype in 24/48 hour first before planing to expand it.

Also what are you writing anyway? Idea? Design? Story? Character? Level? Item? Mechanic?

I writing ideas, story, characters, items, and mechanics on paper. Once I done writing ideas I keep writing and editing, I'll start to design on paper.

 

[metateen]

Don't waste your time with starting and stopping for it to be a success. Keep on making the game as it is. Don't hesitate to change it if needed, an error or 2 is a temporary hold back until you over come it.

Add on to your idea's if posted down and move forward when needed.

 

[leonfook29]

I writing ideas, story, characters, items, and mechanics on paper. Once I done writing ideas I keep writing and editing, I'll start to design on paper.

Then find a medium to actually put all those idea down. There's no point to these planning if you didn't actually do it. Get a prototype out and you might be surprised that half of the thing you wrote can't even be used, whether it sounds cool or might be awesome.

 

[Widget]

If this is an issue with trying to get an original idea out there before someone else does - don't worry about it. Almost nothing is original nowadays.

Demon's Souls might be regarded as creating a new genre that other developers are now following suit, but it actually takes a lot of queues from NES games like Castlevania. And take a look at Salt and Sanctuary. That's literally a 2D Dark Souls - not too many people are screaming "UNORIGINAL" at it.

 

[Yal]

I concur... I think a good execution of an idea is a lot better than a good idea in the first place. First of all, basing a game around a single idea won't make it varied enough. Just look at The Witness and how many people panned it for its repetitive gameplay. Its creator literally stated that he wanted to make a game about taking a single gameplay idea to its extreme.
Secondly, let's look at Undertale... it's very creative, but it doesn't really do any single completely new thing. There's been other games that integrates storytelling into gameplay before, there's been other games with morality systems before, there's been other RPGs before and there's been other bullet hell shooters before. The reason the game is so popular, though, it because it does all these things so well. The different gameplay mechanics don't just stick together properly, they make up for each other's shortcomings. Stat progression by level grinding, and healing items, allows players that are bad at dodging bullets to do more mistakes. Dodging bullets means that even combat with very weak enemies gives you something to do, which means being overpowered doesn't make it stale.
And I guess that's the third and final lesson... a single good creative idea isn't as enjoyable as a bunch of decent not-so-creative ideas that goes well together.

 

[dweedes]

If you're straining to think of a good idea for the sake of having a good idea, just stop.
For me the best ideas come out of nowhere - from THE VOID.
Shut your brain off, go for a walk, go lift weights, go talk to people, put it out of your mind.

Only worry about copyright or copying ideas or anything like that if you intend to make $$$ off your game.
Otherwise go nuts.

 

[Jon]

Game ideas and concepts are essentially unprotectable. The whole business is one of clones and minor evolution of existing themes.
You can't blatantly rip off graphics, story and audio, but gameplay is impossible to protect.

 

[stainedofmind]

There's almost nothing original about the project I'm (allegedly) working on. It's a horrific mashup of Dragon Warrior I, Final Fantasy I, a little bit of Zelda, thematically inspired by Ghosts n Goblins, and might have a smattering of procedural dungeon generation. Mind you, I'm making this game because it's what I want to make, and if other people like it, bonus.

 

[RangerX]

There's almost nothing original about the project I'm (allegedly) working on. It's a horrific mashup of Dragon Warrior I, Final Fantasy I, a little bit of Zelda, thematically inspired by Ghosts n Goblins, and might have a smattering of procedural dungeon generation. Mind you, I'm making this game because it's what I want to make, and if other people like it, bonus.

Well, that sure sounds good!!

 

[ConsolCWBY]

It's a horrific mashup of Dragon Warrior I, Final Fantasy I, a little bit of Zelda, thematically inspired by Ghosts n Goblins, and might have a smattering of procedural dungeon generation

This, I've GOT TO PLAY! WOW!

To the OP:
If you are looking for genuine, original ideas - they don't exist. Most ideas thought to be original are merely an evolutionary product of previous ideas. For example: The mechanics for platform games took an incremental step each time some one made them and some one thought of something new - like adding ladders. Eventually, someone thought that the player should collect the ladders in the game, placing them where ever. Then, someone thought it would be cool to collect wood and create boxes or ladders. Eventually, over the course of 40 years, someone created Terraria. It's an evolution - not revolution - of ideas. Sometimes it works. Sometimes it doesn't. The market and nostalgia decides this.
So, unless you are using someone else's IP, I wouldn't worry too much about lawsuits.
(EDIT: given some stuff links, some I can't remember the games' names... sorry.)

 

[pixeltroid]

I'm not saying I wasting my time working on the game. I working on my game on paper and I keep doing starting over from where I left off because most of the ideas I wrote was taken , so I have to start all over again because of that to avoid anything that would get me sued.

What kind of ideas did you write that were taken?
Its impossible to be 100 percent original all the time and it's ok to reuse some ideas some times. I'll make a machine gun that shoots in three directions. Should I be worried about Konami suing me??

I also started all over again on paper because I damaged the paper a little bit or put a tore on it on accident.

Just use a notebook to organize your ideas. Preferably use one with gridded pages, like this one:

Thats what I use and it helps me a lot with room design with each square representing a 32 x 32 pixel tile. Or even character or object design, with each square representing a single pixel.

 

[Micah_DS]

Ohhhhh~yyyeeeaAAAHH~!!! Saddle up your dusty donkey and ride to space with meeeee~! I have advice from the great galaxy beyond the over-sized sausage land that's filled with them blinnggg chicken babies!.... (forgive me, I just ate some delicious pizza)

NO MATTER WHAT, KEEP YOUR BRAINSTORMING PAPERS AND TREASURE THEM FOREVER:

Spoiler

I'm not sure if you're literally throwing away ideas, as in throwing the paper in the trash, but whatever the case I advise you to keep everything. I never throw away my ideas that I put on paper, no matter how bad they seem to be at the time, and no matter how alike they are to another game. Why? Because I threw down all of that stuff on paper because I wanted to. I was inspired to make it. It came from me; it came from what I enjoyed. And I've found that those notes and doodles can spark something in me years later if I look at them again, and what may have once been a crappy or tiny idea suddenly becomes inspiration for something super good and fun. You can even get some motivational nostalgia from old ideas and drawings.
I have 9 notebooks completely full of different game ideas and designs from over the years, and then I have a LOT more stuff in Microsoft OneNote as well. Even if I threw down some crappy fan game ideas years ago, it's amazing how I can look at some of those now and think, "what if I replaced the Nintendo characters with my own?", or "what if I used this part of the story in another game, scrapping all the stuff about Princess Zelda and the Goomba Unicorn Candies?"

As a result of me going over old papers and notes filled with game-related ideas and doodles, I've easily been able to get myself out of an uninspired rut multiple times. I've been able to get an idea on a script I want to create which lets me increase my skill and efficiency with GML. Sometimes I've been inspired to try a new prototype of some super weird thing... uh, but those have almost always turned out horrible... but that's beside the point, I guess. But anyway, lastly, there is a game I've been making for a while now and my old papers have played a key role in shaping the key points of the game, bringing in new mechanics and whatnot. So I'm basically just saying that you would be surprised how helpful "crappy" ideas and designs can be to give birth to awesome stuff.

SCREW EVERYTHING AND JUST MAKE WHAT YOU WANT TO:

Spoiler

In the end, just focus on what you love, and create a game from "that place" deep within your heart (ohhh~ feel-feels!). Unless you're going to use things like "Triforce" in your game title, or directly rip someone's graphics or sounds, you really don't need to be so worried about being sued. If you make the content, it's your content. There are some things (e.g. shader and algorithm patents) to be mindful of, sure, but just remember that it's a horrible thing to be so worried about something that it prevents you from making the game you want to make. Screw everything and just make what you want to. That's the privilege and joy of being indie.
Game first, legalities second (avoiding getting sued, etc.). Both are necessary, certainly, but the game is always first. Always try to remove as many compromises as possible, letting your creativity and gaming desire flow freely. I mean, for example, some days you just need to program without wearing pants, ya know?.... right? Anyone? TMI? Ah.. sorry.

DON'T BE AFRAID OF MAKING A GAME INSPIRED BY A BIG NAME FRANCHISE:

Spoiler

It's pretty easy to notice how lots of indies have obviously made games out of their love for Metroid, Zelda, Mario, etc. Yet they still ended up with their own game in the end: their own story, their own flair/character/feeling, mechanics they programmed themselves, original graphics, sound, music, game play, items, enemies, etc., etc. So don't be afraid to pursue making a game that is a lot like an existing game. If that is the game you love and want to make, then you will have an epic chance of ending up with a great game because you created what you enjoy and it will undoubtedly grow into a game with unique aspects that come from your own personality, setting it apart from any games it may have been inspired by. Even if it ends up being obviously inspired by some game(s), you'd be surprised how your own character gets put into a game when you just focus on making what you want.

Sorry. I did not expect to have so much to say. Dat nerdy passion, baby. Added spoilers. I'll end now with this: If you take a walk and see a delicious looking daisy, don't be fooled. It does not taste very good. May your papers have god-like inspirations, sir/ma'am OP, may you be OP, OP, and everyone else too. (dang, that pizza.....)

 

[LinkxPeach]

What kind of ideas did you write that were taken?
Its impossible to be 100 percent original all the time and it's ok to reuse some ideas some times. I'll make a machine gun that shoots in three directions. Should I be worried about Konami suing me??


Just use a notebook to organize your ideas. Preferably use one with gridded pages, like this one:

Thats what I use and it helps me a lot with room design with each square representing a 32 x 32 pixel tile. Or even character or object design, with each square representing a single pixel.

I writing down some moves based off of Pokemon on paper and I noticed that some of the moves I have are from familiar games, so I don't use them. Hmm... I find it really genius to use a Notepad for designing characters or objects. Well, I use graph papers to draw maps and a ruler to draw buildings with a straight line.

 

[LinkxPeach]

If you're straining to think of a good idea for the sake of having a good idea, just stop.
For me the best ideas come out of nowhere - from THE VOID.
Shut your brain off, go for a walk, go lift weights, go talk to people, put it out of your mind.

Only worry about copyright or copying ideas or anything like that if you intend to make $$$ off your game.
Otherwise go nuts.

Thank you. But, I started over again on the ideas I wrote on paper because most of them didn't make any sense, and was already taken. When I rewrite the same idea, it looks familiar so I can cross it off my idea list. But, what really bugs me is that I can't get the idea out of my head when I try to write down other ideas down.

 

[zircher]

Just to throw it out there, some ideas are tropes and as such they provide a framework to build upon. For example, WASD, you really don't want to re-invent that if it is what you need and what your players expect. If everything is original, the players will have no common ground to build their skills and expectations on.

Another example would be a deck builder game, concepts such as a deck, shuffling, and card shape are not bad things to include because that's what the user will expect for a game created in that genre. Of course, what interesting things you do with those cards and their presentation are critical to distinguish you from the herd.