Game Design, Programming and running a one-man games business…

Going Away

cliffski

I’m going away for a few weeks tomorrow. It’s fairly good timing because Kudos 2 is out and stable and I really need time off! Hopefully I’ll come back and throw myself into some Kudos 2 extra patches and modding stuff, and then whatever my next game is.

I seriously doubt it would be Kudos 2 or Democracy 3, but it won’t be an FPS or a casual match-3 game either.

Feel free to hype up Kudos 2 to everyone you know while I’m gone :D

7 thoughts on Going Away

  1. I think you are tired Cliff:

    “I seriously doubt it would be Kudos 2 or Democracy 3, but it won’t be an FPS or a casual match-3 game either.”

    You just finished Kudos 2!

    Go get some much needed rest.

  2. Hmm…
    I’ve looked through all the pirating going on about Kudos 2. And Cliff, I feel really sorry for you. I really do. I’ll be honest – a few weeks ago, I downloaded Rock Legend through a torrent simply because I can’t buy stuff online.

    But see things this way:

    No matter how much you try, you won’t be able to stop pirating. England tried and got a figurative ‘middle finger’ from Pirate Bay. Asking ‘Why do you Pirate’ is like asking ‘Why do you buy free games?’ People do it because they can save money on something they otherwise don’t want to spend money on (or can’t, like me).

    I don’t say this to offend, but it’s the bitter truth. Don’t dwell on it too much – it’s going to happen no matter how hard you try. If I could buy your game, I would. Since I can’t, I was going to pirate it, but looking through the comments has changed my mind. Kudos 2, other than the demo, won’t be on my computer.

    Anyways, yeah. Just a word of encouragement: Be glad your games are AWESOME and popular enough for people to want to pirate them.

  3. Hi Cliff,

    Firstly – I don’t agree with the above post on pirating. Yes pirates will always be with us ( we all are pirates at once stage of our lives – never copied a mates CD or Tape to your own tape? (why else would the electronics manufacturers create twin VCR or Twin deck machines in the old days?)) – Hey I was young and poor once!!!

    However as a person matures they (hopefully) learn a set of morals which allows them to stop this sort of thing. However within that set of morals lies a sense of (for wont of a better word) “justice”. Where the hell do some companies get off charging what they do for a game / DVD / CD when you keep reading about how much it really costs to make and where the money is split (Royalites / Manufacturing / Reseller profit etc etc)

    Also as a side issue some times you struggle to find older stuff when you want it so the only way to get it is to pirate it.

    But all that said I would never think to pirate a game / track / movie from a small indi such as yourself as it just isn’t right.

    Anyway – I’ll climb down off my soap box now and just say……

    PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE let the next game be a refresh of Starship Tycoon !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

    I love this game and you can just leave it running in the back ground like the old sim tower but it is a little dated now and I need something more challenging.

    PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE Cliff – I’m on my knees, Man – I’m begging you – I’ll even cry if you want

  4. Above poster, here.
    When I say ‘pirating will never cease’, I don’t mean me specifically. I’ve significantly curbed my pirating recently. No, I was talking about pirating in general. Even when the old pirates grow up, new ones’ll come along and replace them.

    Just thought I’d clarify. Also

    STARSHIP TYCOON ROCKS! I’d love to see a rehash of THAT masterpiece – a game I DID buy through legal means. (:P)

  5. Hi Cliff,

    Are you making a living out of your games? Can’t remember if I asked this before. You seem very busy with Positech.

    Andy H.

  6. I know it’s a bit early to start making suggestions for your next game, but I’d love to see you do an economics based game in some context for your next game. Considering the “credit crunch” is all that’s in the news at the moment, it would be very relevant and appropriate, and I know you have an interest in economics.

    One of the things a number of people have said about Democracy 2 is that there should be more realistic economics – the ability to set different rates of tax, inflation, etc. I was playing an old Spectrum game the other day (using an emulator) called 1984 (http://www.worldofspectrum.org/infoseekid.cgi?id=0000017) and, although its now rather out of date (when you try setting the interest rate to the sort of value we have today, it refuses to allow you on the basis that it’s “unrealistic”!), it was good fun. I’d love to see something similar for your next game. Obviously there’s a risk that it could be a bit too dry, but given the Positech treatment, hopefully economics could be made fun, and people could learn something too! I think it would fit in well with the Positech catalogue, and you could bring elements of many of your existing games into the new one.

  7. Hey Cliff,

    I think what you’re doing is great and I fully support indie developers that don’t treat their customers like criminals.

    My suggestion for a new game would somehow be a mixture of Cute Knight/Princess Maker and Kudos. If you could mix the life-ending stories of Cute Knight/Princess Maker with the modern day setting of Kudos, I reckon that’d be pretty interesting.

    P.S. I’ve written a review of Kudos 2 on my blog and have given it an above average rating stating that the game is good but there’s so much more that can be done with it :) – please don’t feel too discouraged and feel free to disagree by writing comments.

    Mark G

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