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Watched this documentary called Indie Game yesterday on Roku. I've actually noticed it on the archives for a while, but Mom suggested I give it a watch after I had a breakdown following the total price Jake estimated that someone he knew would charge for some spritesheets alone.

Not that I actually thought anything would be cheap, but there is the fact that Dad didn't immediately have much for me to do besides vacuuming the basement when I first asked him about stuff I could do for money. I've only made two bank deposits recently, raising my personal budget to so far just $388.

This is why I desperately need a job, before I commission for anything at all. Doesn't help that the agencies that were supposed to have expertise in finding work, and were supposed to be acquainted with people who were willing to hire autistic folks, hardly actually did anything meaningful for three years after I finished college until Mom and I both decided to sever ties with VESID after that whole deal with Community Enterprises.

So far, Mom and I have been meaning to go over this book together covering job-seeking advice for autistic people. However, she did notice a link to the Occupational Outlook Handbook website, and advised me to have a look at that, but I'm gonna need her help on where to start looking and what to rule out on that site.

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Yeah, about that movie... As you'd expect, the folks behind Fez, Braid, and Super Meatboy among other games were just a few individuals who got together and decided to live out their dreams while also having their games published for Xbox Live Arcade. One of the first things even said in the film was that part of it is about not trying to be professional or trying to cater to the masses. And yet, even though Fez got fucked up due to some last-minute changes to its coding, the other two sold extremely well despite being simple platforming games.

Of course, none of those games have any deep story to them, which is the #1 thing I've been seeking for Starbound (more so than even the game itself, with only the original flavor of the Earthbound trilogy taking equal priority). Seeking more collaborators for Starbound's story was the whole point behind starting my pursuit of a game demonstration in the first place, which would then be placed on YouTube to attract fans of both Lucky Star and the Earthbound trilogy, where in turn I would open up storyboarding as just one of the different aspects of the game available for anyone interested.

Sent an email to the Mother 4 development team last night, asking for tips on how to get my own project off the ground. Whether they actually get back to me or not is up in the air. According to Jake, though, they probably needed to hire a studio rather than individuals in order to get storyboarders among others for the project, but that can't be right since they don't actually own the rights to the Earthbound property and will be distributing the game online for free when it's done.

Here are all the staff, btw.

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In any case, I'm already tired of thinking about either version of Starbound at this point. Right now, I'm just gonna have a break from the whole thing, like I did between the fanfic's second and third chapters, and find other stuff to focus on. Namely, back to JavaScript, since Brian will be coming back home in just a couple of weeks.

I will still be in charge of creating prototype maps for at least the overworld, since those need to be at least somewhat consistent with their real-world counterparts. When I get back to that, I'm probably gonna be using screenshots of Google Maps to utilize in Gimp, and create a layer over those on which to decide what to reproduce, where, and how.

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It might just be more cost efficient to use the sprites you already have. You can't really avoid compromises entirely while on a project this big.

Either way, those sprites are the only ones I ever created. Once I'm done with that JavaScript book (which Mom, Dad, and Brian have gotten on my case to continue with at separate times), I'll decide then what to take upon myself to create instead of commissioning for (or cutting altogether, in cases of aesthetic stuff like voice-acting). That would include everyone's sprites whom I still don't have, which I'll probably start in pencil before digitizing in Gimp.

I hadn't seen this before I got your note, the M4 reference makes sense now in context. I guess my reply was kinda redundant. I'm not really sure what you asked about now, though, if not the deal with hiring studios.

No, I sent you the note last night. I posted this entry just this morning, after having read your reply.

Here's the thing: It's a well-known fact that ideas alone are too cheap for anyone to have any reason to fund. If one wants funding, they need to prove themselves capable of actually putting something together and willing to commit themselves to it, even if they need to form relationships with total strangers first.

This whole thing is a form of telescoping, not just with the story, but for what actually defined the Earthbound trilogy. It all goes like this:

Goal: To develop the story and maintain the original flavor of the canon games.

To get that: I need to find people who are more capable of that than I am.

To enlist their help: I need to get people interested in the first place. Anyone could fit that qualification, but it wouldn't do any good to simply go around harvesting email addresses and asking them. Same as if you're a job employer looking for people you don't even know yet to fill positions for you. Going to a forum might work better than that, but probably not much, since it would constitute a form of soliciting. (I once did that before with The Furrysitters' Club, and only got ridiculed until the thread was locked.)

To get people interested: I need to go somewhere where it would be more appropriate to advertise positions.

Two of those places would be: Job Offers and YouTube. The former is self-explanatory; the latter is a good place to host something tagged with both "Lucky Star" and "Earthbound"; even though it isn't EB-related per se, it will still run in a similar vein, just like how Rosenkreuzstilette had attracted fans of both Mega Man and Castlevania as a Spiritual Adaptation in terms of gameplay and tone respectively.

And, of course, a website dedicated specifically to that game, just like Mother 4 has. That is, if I'm able to create one.

And so on...

Feel free to point out anything wrong with this kind of logic if you see fit to. However, with the fic alone, you did say before that soliciting for ideas under the guise of "invitation" will only turn people off, since they'll know that it really means it's probably gonna stop midway through. This seems like a paradox of sorts when combined with the fact you had also mentioned before that most stories aren't the product of just one person with a brilliant mind.

[(Anonymous)]

If one wants funding, they need to prove themselves capable of actually putting something together and willing to commit themselves to it, even if they need to form relationships with total strangers first.

Actually, no. The proving yourself capable usually comes before striking up ties with others. It's what proof you can deliver that makes strangers interested in supporting you.

One crucial thing's missing from that telescope : you need something substantial to get people interested. You speak like the only obstacle to getting people interested has to do with locations to advertise. But how are you going to get other people passionate enough to want to be involved with the project?

You have two things to build strength on : story experience and game mechanics. Can you advertise either of those? You mentioned a demo before, what exactly did you have in mind? (Don't require people to download it, ideally you have a site where they can try it out right in the browser.)

This seems like a paradox of sorts when combined with the fact you had also mentioned before that most stories aren't the product of just one person with a brilliant mind.

Most movies and games are a product of multiple people who works together for optimal story combined with visuals, music, mechanics, production, acting, lightning, atmosphere, etc, all within the timeframe that they have to produce something.

Most published books and fanfictions come from only one mind who had no deadline to meet, and editors only come in later. Furthermore, publishing a WIP fic online and asking strangers for ideas =/= working in the privacy of a home to write a novel or the privacy of a studio setting where any help is hired and understands what the final product will be.

Different platforms, different media, different settings, different restraints and times. Where's the paradox?

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One crucial thing's missing from that telescope : you need something substantial to get people interested. You speak like the only obstacle to getting people interested has to do with locations to advertise. But how are you going to get other people passionate enough to want to be involved with the project?

That's exactly what I plan for the demo to be. That would have been the rest of it: To either create stuff myself to be assembled, or commission others through Job Offers, since I'm not likely gonna be able to do everything on my own.

You have two things to build strength on : story experience and game mechanics. Can you advertise either of those? You mentioned a demo before, what exactly did you have in mind? (Don't require people to download it, ideally you have a site where they can try it out right in the browser.)

Yes, I will make a point of exploring how the game would work. Gonna have to anyway, in order to give either Brian or Matthew (or anyone else interested) an idea of what kind of game engine I'll be needing.

Different platforms, different media, different settings, different restraints and times. Where's the paradox?

More specifically, you said not to wait until I have a perfect outline, with each arc in place and all plotholes fixed, before finally getting started. That seemed to imply that, putting everything else aside, all blanks in the plot would be filled in along the way via group discussion before each of those parts of the story are actually written.

Anyway, yeah, if I do find myself able to continue with the fic at any point, then the game will be just an end unto itself. Again, I'll be sure to describe what the game would be like as well.

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My point was that you're probably gonna have to get at least the demo on its foot on your own. I've read you talk a lot about how to get a team, and heard very little about plans for the gameplay itself.

Yes, I will make a point of exploring how the game would work.

I meant, what will it be? A combat scene, an exploration scene?

More specifically, you said not to wait until I have a perfect outline, with each arc in place and all plotholes fixed, before finally getting started.

I said that about your fanfiction, because you were not and still are not making much progress, so I advised you work on the stuff you already know so at least something gets done. I said this several times, and the context was always "How to write a novel".

Then we had a conversation about games and publishing. Right above, I'm advising you to just stop fretting about a team and work on what's already available. For a game, you're going to need more people for the stuff like bg and so on. Letting them help with the story is also optional. This doesn't take away from the advice that you should work on what you already know.

Again, where is the paradox?

That seemed to imply that, putting everything else aside, all blanks in the plot would be filled in along the way via group discussion before each of those parts of the story are actually written.

Fanfiction writing is not the same as game creation. I meant that you shouldn't wait with actually writing anything till you have it all sorted out. How do you take that to mean "you should wait with actually writing anything until you have a team"? That's the opposite of it.