367 replies to this topic

[chance]

I've only skimmed the articles so far, so I can't comment on the content. But this issue seems like someone actually did some editing, instead of just slapping the articles together under one cover.

The writing quality is much improved, and fairly consistent throughout. Not sure what's changed, but it's a change for the better.

[BretHudson]

What the hell is the point of tweets of the week? Most of them are irrelevant and cut off.

Entertainment. It's just suppose to be something fun to read. The team had to slap it together last minute because I forgot to send them the ones we were going to put in there.

I think you could instead include a page or section about what some developers are working on - a WIP page

Just like King Terito said, we're going to be doing that next week. I'm currently gathering WIP's that are worth mentioning in the magazine/worth getting all excited over.
-Bretboy129 ~ Bret Hudson

[iPacMan]

I've only skimmed the articles so far, so I can't comment on the content. But this issue seems like someone actually did some editing, instead of just slapping the articles together under one cover.

The writing quality is much improved, and fairly consistent throughout. Not sure what's changed, but it's a change for the better.

Definitely make sure you find time to read it and let us know what you think!

With my arrival at indie(Magazine); on issue 5, we instated a system of processing individual articles through a thorough grammar and spell check. My job is to make sure the content that you receive every Sunday is of a good quality, that the articles are not dogged down by dodgy spelling and punctuation. Some articles don't even make it to the issue. It's encouraging to see that this has made a visible impact on our content and that it is being noticed by our readers.

Edited by iPacMan, 18 July 2011 - 02:13 PM.

[theg721]

Well I was told to expect a response within 48 hours and it's been longer than 48 hours. Did you even get my application? And yes, I now realise you use Skype to do the radio, so I'll download when I get a mic (or rather, one that will fit into my new sound card).

[BretHudson]

Well I was told to expect a response within 48 hours and it's been longer than 48 hours. Did you even get my application? And yes, I now realise you use Skype to do the radio, so I'll download when I get a mic (or rather, one that will fit into my new sound card).

Sorry about that, something went wrong with our database. I fixed it Saturday, and then had to leave right afterwards. It's on my list of things to do today, right after update a minor bug on the website, which I'm working on right now.

EDIT: Forgot to mention I was gone all weekend, so that's the reason I didn't reply Saturday when I checked it or yesterday. I've been super busy with this annoying thing called real life. xP
-Bretboy129 ~ Bret Hudson

Edited by bretboy129, 18 July 2011 - 07:36 PM.

[theg721]

Well I was told to expect a response within 48 hours and it's been longer than 48 hours. Did you even get my application? And yes, I now realise you use Skype to do the radio, so I'll download when I get a mic (or rather, one that will fit into my new sound card).

Sorry about that, something went wrong with our database. I fixed it Saturday, and then had to leave right afterwards. It's on my list of things to do today, right after update a minor bug on the website, which I'm working on right now.

Alright. Just checking, but my application is in there right?

I've been super busy with this annoying thing called real life. xP

You think you've got it bad?

P.S., turns out my old mic works, just with hideous wiring.

[BretHudson]

Sorry about that, something went wrong with our database. I fixed it Saturday, and then had to leave right afterwards. It's on my list of things to do today, right after update a minor bug on the website, which I'm working on right now.

Alright. Just checking, but my application is in there right?

That would be correct. You should check your email.

I've been super busy with this annoying thing called real life. xP

You think you've got it bad?

You have no idea. Combine it with running indie(Function); and it's like releasing hell upon myself. xD I like it though, keeps things interesting. I hate being bored. lol
-Bretboy129 ~ Bret Hudson

[True Valhalla]

Going to just write what I think as I read/browse.

...

*mildly unattractive front page*

The news article "New YoYoGames.com has 54% Fewer Uploads and 38% Fewer Game Plays" - Hmm, I know I've already read this...write your own articles (and credit the correct source if you don't want to put in that effort!). I shouldn't even have to say that.

Yay! Interview! Questions were lacking and somewhat unprofessional, but Uriel gave good answers nevertheless.

Poor grammar and sentence structure through reviews...probably some poor spelling too, but I stopped reading too early. Again, games didn't interest me. I'd also recommend putting the developer name in big, bold text rather than the reviewer name - it looks kind of obnoxious.

Wall of tweets is still interesting. You cut Matt Thorsons message off? Also try to get some new names...

*skips through 7 pages of FlashPunk I don't care about*

*magazine ends*

Well...disappointing.

Edited by True Valhalla, 18 July 2011 - 10:12 PM.

[BretHudson]

The news article "New YoYoGames.com has 54% Fewer Uploads and 38% Fewer Game Plays" - Hmm, I know I've already read this...write your own articles (and credit the correct source if you don't want to put in that effort!). I shouldn't even have to say that.

The news was done last second by someone on the team. Sorry about that, I didn't notice that it was copied. I'm incredibly embarrassed.

I'd also recommend putting the developer name in big, bold text rather than the reviewer name - it looks kind of obnoxious.

I'm aware of this issue, and we're making sure it gets fixed next magazine.

Wall of tweets is still interesting. You cut Matt Thorsons message off? Also try to get some new names...

Glad to hear you like it. It got cut off? Damn. Yeah, I'm working on more names, this was also put together last minute.

*skips through 7 pages of FlashPunk I don't care about*

Haha, funny. Would a tutorial about online gameplay in Game Maker be better? *hint hint* Hope you get what I'm hinting at.
-Bretboy129 ~ Bret Hudson

[True Valhalla]

*skips through 7 pages of FlashPunk I don't care about*

Haha, funny. Would a tutorial about online gameplay in Game Maker be better? *hint hint* Hope you get what I'm hinting at.

Heh, unfortunately I've already written 40 pages and 5 examples on that topic

[iPacMan]

The news article "New YoYoGames.com has 54% Fewer Uploads and 38% Fewer Game Plays" - Hmm, I know I've already read this...write your own articles (and credit the correct source if you don't want to put in that effort!). I shouldn't even have to say that.

Great feedback. As explained by Bret already, time constraints this week made it impossible to do our own News piece. Although the articles where copied, that was made clear at the end of every news section with text showing the main URL of the source (although we realize it may have been better to link to the source directly).

That article was also featured on GameJolt: http://gamejolt.com/...ame-plays/6569/ - because our source was this website, we gave credit to this website and hope that GameJolt did the same (although GameJolt just basically used an iframe to the main news source).

Again, thanks for the feedback.

Edited by iPacMan, 19 July 2011 - 01:02 AM.

[TheUltimate]

OMG MY GAME GOT REVIEWED HERE!!!

It's always neat to read about indie stuff like this. Nice job. I enjoyed it a lot. By the way, according to your post in my topic, you DID beat the game lol, betcha it was posted after the article was written though.

Anyway, your magazine lags horribly on my computer because it can't handle its SHEER AWESOMENESS! (Okay, it's probably because I have so much stuff open at the moment lol... but really, the graphic design's decent. I like the variety, but it definitely needs some colour.)

Just a suggestion, I think you should have a bunch of THESE in your articles, just to break up the huge blocks of text.

You should also... er... spell-check a little more thoroughly next time. I understand that this issue was a little rushed, so it's not that big of a deal. It's still readable.
Post.End; (Couldn't resist. Sorry. )

◊ TheUltimate ◊

Edited by TheUltimate, 19 July 2011 - 11:28 PM.

[Desert Dog]

*skips through 7 pages of FlashPunk I don't care about*

Haha, funny. Would a tutorial about online gameplay in Game Maker be better? *hint hint* Hope you get what I'm hinting at.

Heh, unfortunately I've already written 40 pages and 5 examples on that topic

A "tutorial" would be redundant, but I don't see how an article debunking some 'GM online myths', or maybe about how work on your own online game goes.

[chance]

I've read Issue 6 in more detail now, and have some comments.

-- Webster's article "The Art of Game Theory" contained some interesting observations. But I was puzzled why he felt the need to invent a new category called "game theory". Conventional "Game Design" covers everything that was discussed here.

One complaint was that the article's premise (i.e., gamers can influence their "world", while narrative fiction readers cannot) is obvious. That should be the starting point for discussion. It shouldn't take three paragraphs -- half the article -- to get there.

The article's focus should be how to use that difference when making games. Admittedly, he finally got to this near the end. But he didn't make any striking observations before the article ended. It was a missed opportunity to dig more deeply. Maybe he should consider a follow-on article.

btw, the article ended with this horribly written phrase: you can force the player to learn something about their self [sic], and that i [sic] find is very important. You guys need better editing.

*****************
-- Suleyman's article "The Homebrew Taboo" touched on a topic indie developers are concerned about. But it made me chuckle. He asks these questions, and then answers them:

Are the big players in the game’s industry frightened of competition? Are they worried about loosing [sic] millions of dollars invested in the latest formats, game engines and modelling software to cube-based, sandbox, openworld, affordable homebrew innovations? Maybe. Possibly. Very likely.

Yes, he's right. Those are the answers. So... why does he end the article by asking us:

...why is our capacity for creativity being stifled and reserved to the mega large and mega rich game studio’s only?

I mean, he just answered that question himself. lol... what's the mystery?

Instead, I'd like to see a discussion about whether an "open console" model could work as a business model. Examine possible ways for the "big players" in the console industry to sustain a profit by sharing their technology with indie developers. Consider whether indie developers would also be willing to go open-source themselves.

**************
Anyway, a good magazine overall, so don't take my criticism as a complaint. I just think with a bit more thought you could have something truly exceptional, instead of just mundane.

I have some comments about the reviews too, so I'll post them later.

.

Edited by chance, 19 July 2011 - 10:03 PM.

[iPacMan]

@chance, precisely the type of constructive criticism we love. Keep them coming.

Chance, if you noticed, my intent was to ask the question. I didn't give a yes or no answer, but i did entertain the possibility by using "maybe, likely, possibly". So at the time of writing i didn't regard this as "answering the question". Just my feelings on that.

Look forward to more of your posts.

Edited by iPacMan, 19 July 2011 - 11:47 PM.

[chance]

Chance, if you noticed, my intent was to ask the question. I didn't give a yes or no answer, but i did entertain the possibility by using "maybe, likely, possibly". So at the time of writing i didn't regard this as "answering the question".

I understand the "answers" were offered rhetorically. But my point was that they are obvious answers. I mean, it's clear why big console developers are reluctant to open up their console IP. Doing so would allow competition to share their market, i.e., their profits. No mystery there.

So I'd like to see the article go farther than just stating the obvious. Maybe in a follow-on article you could discuss whether there are other business models that might work for them. Examine whether the growing casual/mobile games market might force big console developers to adopt business models like Apple and/or Google/Android have for their devices.

There's lots of interesting trends and questions right now, regarding the future of consoles and console games: Are they dying out? Changing? How so, and why? What does their future look like?

[iPacMan]

Thank you Chance for your suggestions, i'll review them immediately.

[BretHudson]

If anyone has any requests for tutorials, game reviews, or any other articles they'd like to see in indie(Magazine);, post a reply with your request and we'll take it into consideration.

Thank you for your time,
-Bretboy129 ~ Bret Hudson

Edited by bretboy129, 20 July 2011 - 11:51 PM.

[TheUltimate]

Hmm... You want some more suggestions? Well, you shall get suggestions. And some other stuff. There isn't much to add to chance's huge post, but I do have a couple of points I want to mention.

First of all, the variety of articles and topics in the magazine is nice. They all talk about video games, but there's enough of a variety to keep you interested. There are plenty of visuals too, which adds to it. The only thing that might turn people off is the fact that several issues feel a little rushed. Typos are scarce, but there are a bunch of avoidable grammatical errors peppering the magazine, and some of the articles just sort of skim ideas without being engaging and completely exploring the concept. You guys seem to know exactly what kind of content you're aiming for, but I think a little more time to research and write couldn't hurt. If it improves anything at all, everyone would be even willing to wait a month between issues instead of a week. I know I would, since the basic ideas behind everything are pretty well founded. It just needs some time to ripen to perfection.


I also don't know if this only applies to me, but I really suggest you give people a little heads-up if you're going to review their game. I personally really enjoyed the surprise of coming to my topic one day and discovering a post with a link to the published article, but I'm not sure whether others would take too well to the same situation. I know you've told someone ahead of time at least once in the past, since it was mentioned here, in an earlier page.

The review itself was quite good, actually, and I enjoyed it a lot, especially how you put some humour into it. Since it had already been written, I read through it like I would any other review, but deep down, I was hoping that there wouldn't be any sort of incorrect conclusions that were drawn. Luckily it only happened once. (Some of the graphics were still placeholders in that version, they weren't permanent. I know it was mentioned in the first post of my topic.)

My only complaint would be that the description of level 2 wouldn't make any sense at all unless you've played the game before. It kind of defeats the purpose, because the true purpose of a review is to convince people to try a game rather than entertain those who have already played it.

Here are some suggestions for new things: add more features that let the readers have some input, like a poll or maybe a guest writer every issue. Hope that helps!

◊ TheUltimate ◊

Edited by TheUltimate, 22 July 2011 - 11:16 PM.

[bllaahh]

Theres a link from the high score in another game so i found this and read it.
its quite good and there are alot of intersting things in it. when will the next be out?