http://www.gamasutra.com/blogs/ Gamasutra Blogs Thu, 09 Feb 2012 09:41:44 EST en-us scarless@think-services.com (Simon Carless) http://www.gamasutra.com/blogs/JoshuaMcDonald/20120209/9402/What_the_current_RPG_can_learn_from_Diablo_1.php Game Design,Console/PC Though outdated in many ways, Diablo has many valuable lessons for the more recent RPGs. http://www.gamasutra.com/blogs/JoshuaMcDonald/20120209/9402/What_the_current_RPG_can_learn_from_Diablo_1.php Thu, 09 Feb 2012 06:45:00 EST http://www.gamasutra.com/blogs/RyanCreighton/20120209/9397/Double_Fines_Kickstarter_Windfall_Will_Patronage_Supplant_Traditional_Game_Publishing.php Business,Indie In which the Cult of Celebrity emerges as a new funding model for games. http://www.gamasutra.com/blogs/RyanCreighton/20120209/9397/Double_Fines_Kickstarter_Windfall_Will_Patronage_Supplant_Traditional_Game_Publishing.php Thu, 09 Feb 2012 11:55:00 EST http://www.gamasutra.com/blogs/TylerYork/20120209/9398/The_Principles_of_Game_Monetization.php Business,Social/Online As a part of Betable’s community outreach, we asked indie devs on the IndieGamer and TIGSource forums to weigh in on how they balance gameplay with monetization. The response lead to interesting insights into what monetization tactics are appropriate. http://www.gamasutra.com/blogs/TylerYork/20120209/9398/The_Principles_of_Game_Monetization.php Thu, 09 Feb 2012 10:47:00 EST http://www.gamasutra.com/blogs/DustinClingman/20120209/9396/Did_DoubleFine_Just_break_the_publishing_model_for_good.php DoubleFine Productions raised over $400K in less than 8 hours to fund an original title. Does this mean the publishing model is broken for good? http://www.gamasutra.com/blogs/DustinClingman/20120209/9396/Did_DoubleFine_Just_break_the_publishing_model_for_good.php Thu, 09 Feb 2012 06:41:00 EST http://www.gamasutra.com/blogs/JoshBycer/20120208/9387/The_Devil_Is_in_the_Details_of_Action_RPGs__Part_One_The_Logistics_of_Loot.php Game Design In this first of several parts aimed at Action RPG design, I examine the use of loot as a motivator. http://www.gamasutra.com/blogs/JoshBycer/20120208/9387/The_Devil_Is_in_the_Details_of_Action_RPGs__Part_One_The_Logistics_of_Loot.php Wed, 08 Feb 2012 04:27:00 EST http://www.gamasutra.com/blogs/BenjaminQuintero/20120208/9390/Xbox_LIVE_Indie_Games_at_it_Again.php Console/PC There has been a lot of buzz (again) around Microsoft's attempts to bury anything under their Dashboard that isn't a Zune or Doritos advertisement. http://www.gamasutra.com/blogs/BenjaminQuintero/20120208/9390/Xbox_LIVE_Indie_Games_at_it_Again.php Wed, 08 Feb 2012 03:02:00 EST http://www.gamasutra.com/blogs/TimothyRyan/20120207/8779/Merging_Waterfall_and_SCRUM.php Production,Console/PC How to marry both methods of scheduling and the benefits of doing both http://www.gamasutra.com/blogs/TimothyRyan/20120207/8779/Merging_Waterfall_and_SCRUM.php Tue, 07 Feb 2012 06:15:00 EST http://www.gamasutra.com/blogs/MikeArcuri/20120207/9377/Business_Post_Mortem_Wolf_Toss_Prelaunch_Planning__Blended_CAC.php Business,Smartphone/Tablet This post first covers our goals for the game and the promotion budget we set to achieve them. Then it discusses our strategy for standing out in a crowded field and our results. http://www.gamasutra.com/blogs/MikeArcuri/20120207/9377/Business_Post_Mortem_Wolf_Toss_Prelaunch_Planning__Blended_CAC.php Tue, 07 Feb 2012 08:56:00 EST http://www.gamasutra.com/blogs/WesleyPaugh/20120206/9375/Minmaxing__Is_turnbased_fun_anymore.php Game Design Are turn-based games less fun when a programmer does his best to win? http://www.gamasutra.com/blogs/WesleyPaugh/20120206/9375/Minmaxing__Is_turnbased_fun_anymore.php Mon, 06 Feb 2012 04:14:00 EST http://www.gamasutra.com/blogs/BrentKnowles/20120206/9368/PRICED_TO_DIE.php Business,Indie,Smartphone/Tablet This is a repost from a recent article on my blog that generated some interesting discussion. It discusses app development as well as the new surge in self published fiction. Original post is here: http://blog.brentknowles.com/2012/01/20/priced-to-die http://www.gamasutra.com/blogs/BrentKnowles/20120206/9368/PRICED_TO_DIE.php Mon, 06 Feb 2012 03:11:00 EST http://www.gamasutra.com/blogs/MaxwellZierath/20120209/9401/Student_Post_Mortem_Primordia.php Production,Indie A post mortem of a top down shooter built in Unity, created by a group of 15 students across multiple disciplines. http://www.gamasutra.com/blogs/MaxwellZierath/20120209/9401/Student_Post_Mortem_Primordia.php Thu, 09 Feb 2012 06:20:00 EST http://www.gamasutra.com/blogs/JorgeAlbor/20120209/9400/Gated_Learning_in_Rayman_Origins.php Game Design,Console/PC Rayman Origins utilizes a gradual teaching method with amazing finesse and offers a great opportunity to explore the risks and rewards of gated learning. http://www.gamasutra.com/blogs/JorgeAlbor/20120209/9400/Gated_Learning_in_Rayman_Origins.php Thu, 09 Feb 2012 02:41:00 EST http://www.gamasutra.com/blogs/MatejJan/20120209/9394/Be_prepared_not_to_breakeven.php Business,Indie You need another source of funding. For us it's the contracting work the guys at the research and development studio do. For you it might be your “other” day job or a rich uncle. http://www.gamasutra.com/blogs/MatejJan/20120209/9394/Be_prepared_not_to_breakeven.php Thu, 09 Feb 2012 05:01:00 EST http://www.gamasutra.com/blogs/MatejJan/20120209/9393/The_Unsustainability_of_Starting_in_Independent_Game_Development.php Business,Indie You know what gets me down? The fact that it’s hard or impossible to start from zero, make games, sell them and earn enough to cover your next one. http://www.gamasutra.com/blogs/MatejJan/20120209/9393/The_Unsustainability_of_Starting_in_Independent_Game_Development.php Thu, 09 Feb 2012 04:56:00 EST http://www.gamasutra.com/blogs/CraigEllsworth/20120208/9391/Meandering_Ramblings_From_the_Tabletop.php Game Design Wherein I babble about board games and videogames, friends and strangers, roleplaying and abstraction, and ultimately wonder if it's possible to create a single-player board game the way we create single-player videogames. Know any? http://www.gamasutra.com/blogs/CraigEllsworth/20120208/9391/Meandering_Ramblings_From_the_Tabletop.php Wed, 08 Feb 2012 05:26:00 EST http://www.gamasutra.com/blogs/PatFlannery/20120208/9389/Game_Dev_Therapy_Advice_For_Aspiring_Developers.php Game Design So you want to get started making your own video games, eh? Well there’s a few things that you should know before you dive headfirst into what is a vast and deep ocean of possibilities. Let this article, along with our advice compilation video, guide you. http://www.gamasutra.com/blogs/PatFlannery/20120208/9389/Game_Dev_Therapy_Advice_For_Aspiring_Developers.php Wed, 08 Feb 2012 02:27:00 EST http://www.gamasutra.com/blogs/ChrisShen/20120208/9388/Chinese_Finger_Traps_The_Four_Most_Common_Failures_When_Entering_the_Chinese_Mobile_Gaming_Market.php Game Design,Smartphone/Tablet China is poised to be next big mobile frontier. It's 900-million mobile users make it a desirable region for mobile game developers looking to make a profit overseas. Here's four common mistakes Western mobile developers make when taking a game to China. http://www.gamasutra.com/blogs/ChrisShen/20120208/9388/Chinese_Finger_Traps_The_Four_Most_Common_Failures_When_Entering_the_Chinese_Mobile_Gaming_Market.php Wed, 08 Feb 2012 02:15:00 EST http://www.gamasutra.com/blogs/MariaSifnioti/20120208/9385/Game_Usability_Testing_for_Indies_Its_Easier_than_you_Might_Think_Part_1.php Game Design,Production,Indie,Smartphone/Tablet Tips in doing usability sessions for your mobile game, from our indie studio. This is Part 1 in "Games Usability for Indies" and deals with hardware and software equipment. We give examples from A Clockwork Brain, our most recent game for iOS. http://www.gamasutra.com/blogs/MariaSifnioti/20120208/9385/Game_Usability_Testing_for_Indies_Its_Easier_than_you_Might_Think_Part_1.php Wed, 08 Feb 2012 11:00:00 EST http://www.gamasutra.com/blogs/GuyRedwood/20120208/9383/What_are_the_top_ten_features_for_mobile_games.php Game Design,Smartphone/Tablet In just over 10 years mobile gaming has gone from Snake II on a Nokia 3310 to a multi-billion dollar industry, but what makes a handset or tablet-based game great? What problems can hinder the experience? Usability experts SimpleUsability found out. http://www.gamasutra.com/blogs/GuyRedwood/20120208/9383/What_are_the_top_ten_features_for_mobile_games.php Wed, 08 Feb 2012 04:37:00 EST http://www.gamasutra.com/blogs/EricSchwarz/20120208/9382/A_World_Without_Reckoning.php Game Design,Console/PC Kingdoms of Amalur provides players with a huge world to explore, but its sheer scale comes at a cost to the quality of the experience. http://www.gamasutra.com/blogs/EricSchwarz/20120208/9382/A_World_Without_Reckoning.php Wed, 08 Feb 2012 01:41:00 EST