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In developing a niche market, is it imperative to have fan input for further development?
It's a priority for me, simply because it allows me to create a better gaming experience for more players.

You work hard within your niche. What are the challenges for you in doing this? What makes staying with this sandbox you've created worth it?
Being the only person working on the development is probably the biggest challenge. I have to prioritize and balance the time I have between coding, artwork, music, sound effects, model work, textures, websites, technical support, etc. which keeps me very busy and probably limits what I can do in some ways. The enjoyment of putting all of the pieces together into a completed game and joining with other space-sim enthusiasts in playing the game while also discussing future directions for development definitely makes the process worth it.

Foggy asteroid field.

Any thoughts of developing outside of this island you've created for yourself?
Depends on how far off the island I would get. I enjoy space-themed games the most, so departing too far from that objective doesn’t really appeal to me. A different game play approach, such as RTS or turn-based could be possibilities, but the setting would probably be space with those concepts as well.

Any suggestions for developers thinking of focusing their talents into single genres?
One of the most important pieces of advice I would offer is - plan. Learn your market, talk to other like-minded fans of the genre you’re interested in developing a game in. Draft a design for your game and don't be afraid to dramatically change it, even before you type one line of code. Be prepared for change at any stage of development and design your game to accommodate those changes. Make sure you’ve got what you need to finish the project, not just to start it. Get all of the tools you need early and budget your time as efficiently as you do with any other resource. Don't lock yourself into an unrealistic timeline, don't rush, do it right the first time. Then go for it!

Thank you, Shawn. For those interested in further observing the process of developing a niche, I'll suggest having a look through the Starwraith 3d Games' Forum. When observing the process of "relationship marketing" in conjunction with playing the games as they were and are developed, a much clearer example of successful marketing is brought to light.

So start from square one: follow the below links to not only have a look at Starwraith Games but also to download some of Starwraith’s earlier games. They’re Freeware! Try them out and follow Starwraith's development to their current status.

If you have an idea for an article related to indie gaming, we'd be happy to investigate. Just send an email to suggestionbox@bytten.com.

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Published on 17 Feb 2008
Written by David Simpkins