Single player games on BYOND in Off Topic

ID:114626
 
Jun 16 2011, 1:37 pm
What do people think of single-player games on BYOND like Regressia and Your Money or Your Life? Are they enjoyable? Do people play and like them?


I've been considering making my own single-player game on BYOND, focusing more on narrative and dialogue than on gameplay. It wouldn't be a visual novel, and it would be fun to PLAY, but I'd like to make something like Half Life where you keep playing to find out what happens to Gordon Freeman and co. I've also toyed with the design of making the game in small chunks, much like a TV series makes episodes and seasons. The first release would be two or three pilot episodes, and about a weekly or bi-weekly update would add more episodes. Of course, there would be regular bugfix updates as necessary, but more content would be added per week. How many people would be interested in this kind of game?


Regarding Fantasie:

http://www.byond.com/games/FantasieProductions/Fantasie

There is nothing more I need to say on the matter.
#1 Jun 16 2011, 1:44 pm
i dont really like single player games, it makes me feel like im alone
#2 Jun 16 2011, 2:03 pm
Because... you are alone?
#3 Jun 16 2011, 2:09 pm
trollface.jpg
#4 Jun 16 2011, 2:10 pm
In my opinion, BYOND's strongest advantage is the built in multiplayer functionality. You CAN do a good job of making single player games here, as shown by the ones you mentioned, but it is a lot more work than a MP game, where the players provide a lot of the entertainment for each other simply by all being there together.

My suggestion for purely single player games would be to make it in another language that focuses less on networking, design a really good GUI, and go for something bigger than a BYOND game.

You're free to try it though, if you are confident that you can do a good job. If you do go ahead with a SP BYOND game, try to get in touch with other people who have done the same and see if they're willing to share some advice.

I wish you the best of luck with your endeavor, regardless of which choice you make.
#5 Jun 16 2011, 2:54 pm
I am not very fond of the single player games on BYOND. Honestly I think the appeal of BYOND is that you can do multiplayer and enjoy fun games with your friends and even make new friends. Even if that is just in a chat room or actually playing a game. I mean honestly if I wanted to play a game by myself I would play facebook games or most flash games. I am sure you could make a good single player game but I think a more popular choice would be multiplayer.
#6 Jun 16 2011, 2:57 pm
Bout to change all your minds!!
#7 Jun 16 2011, 3:03 pm
Single player games have always appealed to me and I always wonder why BYOND has so few of them. Sure, BYOND is a multiplayer game engine but that doesn't stop it from having the ability to create some truly awesome single player games.
#8 Jun 16 2011, 3:11 pm
I think it goes back to my reasoning. If I wanted to play single player games there are better places to do it. I mean really, a lot of people spend a decent amount of time on facebook so it makes sense to have games on there to pass the time. Not everyone can access BYOND from school or work and download the needed things to play certain games, but most people can access flash sites to play games. And with such a wide variety of them it makes more sense to just go to them and play then search BYOND for good ones, or even to make them on BYOND.

At least with other websites you have a larger audience and more places you can stick your game for people to play. Just look at games like Farmville. You can play it on facebook, but you can also play on there website, and you can play the iPhone app and you can play on Android now as well I believe. but with something like Regressia, you can only play if you have downloaded to BYOND software or if you have a .EXE copy of it somewhere.

There are some cool single player games one BYOND though don't get me wrong, I just think people don't come here to play by themselves they come to play with others, or to make games for others to play with them.
#9 Jun 16 2011, 3:24 pm
I didn't say I would distribute the game to BYOND audiences only. There are, in fact, ways to create executable files that allows people that don't have BYOND to run the game.

If I wanted to code small games like Farmville, Angry Birds, etc. for mobile devices and browsers it is definitely in my power to do so. I've got nothing against people who prefer playing games casually on the bus or whatever, but that's not how I play games. I'm not going to create something that I won't be able to appreciate. Yes, I know, if that was the mentality of everyone in the world we'd still be in the stone age.
#10 Jun 16 2011, 3:50 pm
If you read my comment carefully you will notice that I mention the fact that you can use EXE's

I think however distributing a EXE would make the same issue. Why download a EXE when you could just play flash games or other single player games on the internet? or single player games on your phone or gameboy or whatever? Lol.

You should of course make games that you can appreciate but you have to keep in mind that you aren't making a game for you. You are making a game for the people who are going to play that game. (Unless you are the only one planning on playing your game in which case then you are making a game for you) And you shouldn't make the game based on your specifications but specifications that will appeal to those who are playing your game. Which is probably why most people make multiplayer games.

But seriously, if you are really interested in a single player game game you should go for it! Who knows, your game could be the one that turns things around and makes people want to play single player games. Recently I played this game Choices and although it was short it was VERY cool and I liked it a lot. I wish more games like this were on BYOND I love choose your own adventure games! =]
#11 Jun 16 2011, 4:41 pm
Some games work only as single player, some work only as multiplayer, some work as both. If you have an idea for a singleplayer-only game, don't force it to have a multiplayer mode. Yes, BYOND gives you built-in networking, but that doesn't mean you have to use it.

The examples of BYOND games you mentioned (Regressia and Your Money or Your Life) don't appear to be games that have to be singleplayer. They could easily have multiplayer modes, they just don't. If you're going to make a singleplayer-only game, make sure it's because the concept wouldn't work with multiple players, not because you're being lazy.
#12 Jul 31 2011, 8:34 am
Sup Duel.
#13 Jul 31 2011, 9:03 am
Squeegy wrote:
Sup Duel.

Herro.