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Evaluate an identified market
For research I've been looking at the popular games on itch.io.
As you can see the main reoccuring theme is not only horror but also when we look futher into the popular horror section we can see that the current in everyday location eg. homes and workplaces. However the most popular is based in the unknown.
The Game I have decided to make will be based in the unknown and will be known as Fun-Time Maze.
The platform I will be publishing on (For original release) will be pc as it will give me the most reach.
Plan and manage a game development process
Level Design
For the demo the levels are going to be fairly linear to allow the player to get a feel for the game. However for the full game I plan to use hidden areas to tell the story, add challenges and make it more interesting. Every level will be a different maze with its own features and themes.
Collaborations
As there is always atleast one area of development that you are not experienced in. Mine is audio and seeing as with all games if you dont have the right sounds and music then the feeling can be completely missed.
To get around this I go on to Freesounds.org and in order to get into communications with sound artist.
My experience with this method of getting audio is really positive as its always agreed that the artists get credited for exposure (Links, Names) and I always make it a point to agree on a percentage of any profits to go to the artist out of fairness and encouragement.
The process of getting the right sounds is as simple as messaging the sound artist with a list and a deadline then watch collect on the deadline. The key to this is keeping communications short and effective.
Marketing Stratagies
For a marketing stratagy have created a small diagram to show how I can create traffic and appeal to my game.
After spending abit of time getting assests made adn collaborating with audio creators I have released a game prototype. Play Here
Collaboration
Seeing as I worked with people ive met online rather than people I know in person there has been a few road bumps that in the end led to a great first acheivement
The first stuggle I found was finding the right person for the right job so I listened through lists of sounds before finding the rIght one. After that i needed to get in communications. Luckily FreeSounds.org provides a simple messaging service. However keeping up communication proved difficult with differing sceduals. Because of this I kept it simple asking how they would like credit for their sounds.
From there it was smooth sailing and as a result I am really happy with what has come out of it. I will definatly be reaching out to the same people for future projects.
I believe the biggest benefit to me using external sources for collaboration is it allowed me to contact people with more experience and therefore producing more better quality sounds than if id of collaborated in my social group.
To conclude I will sum up the indie experience I have got through this project. I have found that working through indie means proves difficult in the way of starting out you dont have a pre-made audience ready to buy you're product. However the biggest benefit is you get the freedom to go in any direction you choose and take bigger risks than some studios would allow.