[robertpelloni]

Hey, I'm not sure if this is more relevant here or in the Indie Game section, but my game is neither in-progress nor looking for help, so I'm putting it here where I can get more feedback.

http://www.bobsgame.com

Direct YouTube with annotations:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KrAYDSTkXgQ

I worked on this game for Nintendo DS for 15,000 hours over 5 years, basically locked in a room the whole time, and this is first time I've shown anything.

Keep in mind it's just an asset demo, I'm trying to get some publishers interested with the fact that the whole thing is done, without putting up anything really revealing about gameplay.

I did obsess over the thing for five years, so just trust me when I say there's a lot of cool stuff I don't think has been done before, and I'm also pretty paranoid about getting ripped off, after having worked so hard on it.
I've heard a lot of horror stories about publishers, and the developers I've talked to have told me that the "it won't happen, don't worry about it" attitude is naive and exactly what they use to screw you over, etc.

I'm not sure whether to push it as self-promoting or not.
I do know that it's very possible that this is the largest single-handedly made game ever, which makes it quite relevant and a unique point of interest.
On the other hand, people who either don't know or care that this is relevant seem to get defensive towards this point and say "don't talk yourself up, you sound like you think you're so great."

For me, it's really about the passion I have for it, I'm proud of it, and I did what I did because I think too many cooks spoil the broth and all the good games are the ones designed by one guy with a vision.
In this case, it can't be any more pure or true than that.

So who knows. I'm trying to keep a middle ground.
I'll stick around in this thread and answer any questions people have, but I'd like you to check it out.. and Digg me if you have an account, please. :)

[Cycle]

Colour me impressed. I definitely like the look of it. Would be the kind of game I'd play, I think, since I also want to play jRPGs without combat nonsense and a stronger focus on social interactions and such. Of course, I'd have to see if it all holds up as a single piece of work!

I HOPE THERE IS AN ARCADE WITH MINIGAMES, THAT WOULD BE SWEET.
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Man’s maturity: to have regained the seriousness that he had as a child at play.

[Broco]

Pure quantity of content seems like exactly the wrong goal for an indie game, you're competing on the very metric you are guaranteed to lose. And it's probably not even true that your game is the largest by a solo author: Yume Nikki and Cave Story are also impressively large (and that's only the ones that are good as well as being big: there are probably countless more huge and shitty RPGMaker and Megazeux games).

I don't think you'll find anyone willing to sell this for money -- adventure games are dead and the artwork isn't professional-looking. You could release it as a homebrew.
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[robertpelloni]

[robertpelloni]

[Broco]

[sawtooth]

broco why are you so determined to crush dreams

maybe



you had

dreams





of your own

once
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[Victor]

This looks really neat and awesome.

[sawtooth]

bob — what is the highest point you can reach in the game world: also, what is the highest speed you can attain in the game world?
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[manmachine plays jazz]

i like the music
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rujiel17
1 year ago
wow, what a douchebag. and I mean the guy who made this video, haha. weed owns, though.

[Focus]

is there any chance you can upload a .nds file of the game?
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[Vikram Ray]

[robertpelloni]

[sawtooth]

that's sort of disappointing in a way
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[Dark Age Iron Savior]

sawtooth is making fun of you.

[sawtooth]

[robertpelloni]

[wasted potential]

how vital is the touch screen to the game.

also,
do you use the microphone at all?
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[sawtooth]

bob ,something like "2 miles high in in-game units, 50 feet/second in in-game units, 50+(square root of 50) feet/second while moving diagonally"
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[Toptube]

I like the camera, makes the game nice to watch.
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[robertpelloni]

[plumcarrot]

i am not making fun of you. i would like to play this.

[robertpelloni]

[robertpelloni]

[oligophagy]

[Lurky]

[alice]

You're being awfully egotistic for a video that's purely technical. Frankly, no one cares that you custom sampled all your music and sound or that there are seamless transitions. They care about how everything comes together to make the final product. You're pushing this game like it's the greatest thing the community has ever seen. It's a cute marketing gimmick that frankly works but in this case you're giving us nothing to hype over except for a generic looking rpg with painfully smooth scrolling and some mildly entertaining AI driving cars that don't understand the laws of physics.

Also don't say stuff like "I do know that it's very possible that this is the largest single-handedly made game ever". If you're gonna say something, say it IS the largest single-handedly made game ever even if it isn't. Otherwise don't.

Also, completely ignore what I just said. I don't really like people who don't understand humility. Part of the reason why everyone loves pixel so much is because he is humble. He made a game out of his own passion for us to enjoy and never tried to substitute fun for words. It's the model of game development that I strive for :).

Also, completely ignore what I just said if you're trying to market the game because if you're silent about it, everyone is just going to ignore you :).

[CubaLibre]

The look and feel is nice enough, but personally I need to know what kind of a game there is there, which seems to be precisely what you won't tell us (for fear of having your ideas stolen).

I say, get the thing released one way or another.
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[robertpelloni]

[robertpelloni]

[robertpelloni]

Oh wow... just saw this.

http://www.dsfanboy.com/2008/08/11/five-years-of-work-bobs-game/

I'll be releasing a real gameplay video soon, I'll check back in here when it's out.
Should take care of everybody's complaints, I know you guys want to see it.
I want to see if I can get some interest from a publisher first with what I have, but I'll at least put out another tech demo showing touchscreen stuff.

I mean, my best friends don't even know the story. I want it to be a surprise for everyone, I worked really hard on it and I know it's well made.

Given this, there's nobody who can go out there and say "it's really awesome" except for me, and I'm stuck between a rock and a hard place because if I do, I'm a jerk. :)

[dessgeega]

so you havn't had anyone play the game besides yourself?
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[Focus]

[robertpelloni]

[robertpelloni]

[negativedge]

I don't think you're emphasizing the right things in this video. No one cares how many directions you can move in or what the character's speed is. I say this because the game actually does look interesting and probably would've benefited from some actual information and promotion rather than just being holed up in a room for five years. The indie game community is vibrant and could have been used to your advantage.

I am impressed with what I've seen here, but I hope your attention was in the right places.
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[108]

[Cossix]

[robertpelloni]

[robertpelloni]

Here's my stance on many of the issues disputed, here and elsewhere:


This is kind of one of those cases where there are two conflicting viewpoints, neither necessarily wrong.
Both have benefits, and both have disadvantages.

I think you have a point, but on the other hand maybe the insanity is something that turns out to be the best part.
I think the more extreme something is, the more people become opinionated over it. I'm fine with it if half of the players absolutely hate a section, and the other half says it makes the game.

I don't mean to sound cocky, but I don't think a lot of people are really seeing the point here- it's "bob's game."
Every detail of the game has been created the way I think it should have been.

That being said, I don't think your criticism is wrong at all, and I appreciate the feedback.

People have already pointed out several things that I'll be fixing or improving, but I'm keeping it under wraps because if I had gotten advice the whole way through, it wouldn't be the same game that it is.

[Schwere Viper]

It looks very nicely put together, certainly! Is what we're seeing in the video essentially the finished product? Given it's just you making this, did the game go through many forms before looking like this?
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boost chains explode brains