Its GREAT to contribute!

I am going to sound like a Stardock fanboy but what the hell.  I have to say that the way Stardock involves its customers in the game design process is simply outstanding.  My profession has NOTHING to do with game design but I have always dreamed of designing and publishing my own game.  But lets face it...I do not have the time, and/or the programming skills required much less the funding needed.  I have to assume there are many other gamers out there just like me.  Traditionally there has been no outlet for our creative muse until Brad and Stardock came along.  Now, by virtue of the open beta process I, along with thousand of others, can now contribute our ideas and vision for future games.

There is no guarantee that any of my ideas will make it into a game (I dare say none have yet). But if, on that most magical day, I see one of my ideas imbedded in a stardock game all the play testing on unstable builds, reading posts on how my ideas suck or seeing all that karma go to the other guy, will all be worth it.  Most importantly, however, I know that the process used to create the games I play involved me!

 

 

8,890 views 9 replies
Reply #1 Top

Welcome aboard!

Reply #2 Top

If the mod tools are anything comparable to what Ironclad supplied with Sins of a Solar Empire without much effort you could tailor Elemental to your choosing . . . and then we could all play it.

Basically, you don't need coding skills, just some effort to learn the tools and be creative.

Reply #3 Top

Well put, GFCL.  I'm not a programmer, but I think I can provide good input and suggestions.  Stardock balances out those suggestions with their own idea and the ultimate product is something that not only appeals to a lot of folks, but makes it fun, too.  The only cautions are that sometimes just the "hardcore" gamers give feedback during Betas, so what they need/want and what Joe the Plumber (to borrow a current political phrase) wants can be at odds or quite different.  But, that's what patching is for! :)

Reply #4 Top

They took a LOT of the user input from beta testers in galciv 1 and added it to the game.

As far as I can remember, the whole idea behind starbases suggested by beta players. and I agree, Stardock is great exactly for the pre-order beta reason. everyone wins!

Reply #6 Top

I think all would be in agreement if I was to say that games from Stardock is truly 'By gamers for gamers'.

 

Reply #7 Top

HEY HEY!!  I agree. I wish most game makers were like Stardock.

Reply #8 Top

Quoting Mentora, reply 6
I think all would be in agreement if I was to say that games from Stardock is truly 'By gamers for gamers'.

Wow. I used that line just recently over at GC2, only I was whining about the demise of decent game review sites. I'm so used to how Stardock works that I completely took this for granted. Although it might be slightly more accurate to say, "By working gamers, for paying gamers." Not as fun a line, but devs gotta eat too. (Wish we had the smiley button, can't stand those drug-addled new things and don't know char-codes to get to the old-school ones.)

Reply #9 Top

That is a most appropriate saying for a company if I ever heard one. Maybe SD should take it as an official slogan.

:frogboy: