I remember the first time I worked on making a game, it was 6th grade and me and the other nerds were hard at work to build a game where our imaginations were jammed together and rules were scribbled down as we went. We would eventually play the game we worked so hard on for about two to three weeks and then would go back to play the games done by professionals.
The myth.
When we started Daywalker Syndicate there was this small thought in the back of my mind ... how hard could this be? I love playing games and have been playing games for YEARS, so have the other guys in the company, we GOT this! We will have a game out to the public within six months!
The reality.
We have been working steadily on developing and designing games for almost two years now, and I can say without hesitating - there is so much more to it than we ever thought there was!
To illustrate this I found this great graphic that clearly represents what goes into making a game:
As you can see, there is a lot more that goes into a game than most people will really ever know, and that's okay. Our goal as game developers is for you to enjoy our creation, not stress over all the time and energy that we spent putting into it.
Then comes the fun part ...
Not only do you have to account for the development and design time, now you actually have to let people play the game and let them tell you what they really think of the game. This is not for the faint of heart. People will (and did) tell you what they think of your game and it won't all be "sunshine and sausages" as our friend Dave says. But that is exactly what you need, the truth.
This is just one of the many folders of feedback we have, not to mention our own personal notes and digital files of changes and edits done on the game. If i could offer a word of advice before starting - make sure you have a good filing system!
I see a light at the end of the tunnel.
And this is where it keeps going, now we are at the next big step along the path. November 4th is approaching quickly and just because we have a date set for crowdfunding doesn't mean we get time to rest. On the contrary, it means we have to dig in and see this through to the end, when everyone who ordered has a copy in hand - then we can finally breathe deep!
More fun ahead.
Thanks for being part of our journey as we have put everything together. I hope that you've enjoyed taking a peek behind the curtain, learning a bit more about game design.this four-part In the next week, we will be publishing Wild Realms free-to-play online via Tabletopia and Tabletop Simulator (requires Tabletop Simulator app). Sign-up for our email list to get notified when you can play the game. Until then, Stay Wild!