XNA Project Investors? in Off Topic

ID:80205
 
Aug 23 2009, 8:25 pm (Edited on Aug 24 2009, 8:16 am)
Last weekend, I finally decided to give XNA development a shot. I settled on the FlatRedBall engine and decided that I ought to stick to something simple for my first project, just to get a feel for the process and the engine's functionality. So my first "game" barely even qualifies as one; I'm writing a Rooftopping simulator, based aesthetically on my other blog's logo. There are no enemies or objectives, it's just straight up side-scroller platforming on an infinite series of rooftops.

It has only been a week, so I'm pretty satisfied with my progress: the game is mechanically complete, and all that's left to be done is adding more variety to the rooftop pool used by the map generator. You can check out some FRAPS footage of the results thus far here.

I also chose this project because I have been planning a much more elaborate game that will use a lot of similar mechanics, and now that Rooftops development is winding down, I feel much more prepared to take on the next game.

The only problem is, I can't deploy to my 360 or the Indie Games channel on Live until I buy a Creator's Club membership, and I cannot honestly spare the $100 fee at the moment. So I am looking for potential "investors," who could spare a little cash; if this game sells (or the next game, I suppose), I would gladly repay any investors two-fold before I take any money myself, but there would have to be sales. Any takers? Leave a comment or come find me in Dream Forge =).

Oh, and I'm still open to sprite work or programming jobs.
#1 Aug 23 2009, 8:46 pm
I don't mean to be rude, but I do not think that game is worth the $100 investment. I do see what could be an awesome 2D Mirror's Edge/Assassin's Creed though.
#2 Aug 23 2009, 8:47 pm
i don't think he expects someone to just hand him $100, but more like 10 people with $10 each.
#3 Aug 23 2009, 8:51 pm
I don't think that either, but I'm just saying he aught to come up with a finished product before putting it on Xbox Live.

Right now you could say the independent games channel is very much like BYOND. It's completely saturated with bad games and it's hard to pick out the good ones which weren't made by an established game company.
#4 Aug 23 2009, 8:53 pm
No, I can completely see where you are coming from, SuperAntx; it would not be worth getting that membership with the intent to only sell this game. However, I want to give the Indy Games channel a shot, and have that experience before I sink a huge amount of time into a more substantial project.

Even priced at $1 (80MS Points), Rooftops would still be a bit of an iffy purchase, simply because there is no objective. I considered trying to tack something on, like a timer, or adding actual hazards and checkpoints, but the goal here was to develop something quick and simple.

However, if it takes a long time for me to raise that money, maybe I'll go ahead and add those things anyway, as I haven't got much of anything better to do in the meantime.
#5 Aug 24 2009, 8:01 am
Lol, your first XNA project is a lot better than my first iPhone project. You're making an actual game. I'm making a program in which you choose a picture on your phone, and you can make it ripple by touching it (a lot easier than it sounds, the engine I'm using has built in 3D effects).
#6 Aug 24 2009, 1:26 pm
I've been dabbling in C# for some time now and I plan on going the XNA route, I feel your pain. I mean, it's a risk of a low amount but still. How many people have $100 to throw away. Maybe make a finished product that's a little more fun then advertise it a bit and see if you could pick up donations.
#7 Aug 24 2009, 1:46 pm
Lord of light wrote:
I've been dabbling in C# for some time now and I plan on going the XNA route, I feel your pain. I mean, it's a risk of a low amount but still. How many people have $100 to throw away. Maybe make a finished product that's a little more fun then advertise it a bit and see if you could pick up donations.

I think Rooftops is plenty fun--though pointless--, but that's because I really enjoy games that let you run and climb on rooftops; I knew from the start that it would be too niche to seriously advertise, but I still enjoyed making it.

I'm now leaning toward just moving ahead with a larger project that I've been planning for some time. I think Rooftops has given me enough perspective on how to approach the game, at least on the PC end. I would have liked to at least been able to move it over to my own 360 so I would know how to plan this next project accordingly, but the FlatRedBall website makes it sound relatively painless.

I nearly bought the Creator's Club membership back before graduation, when I had a job and money, but back then I didn't think I'd have the time to put into another game, and now I have plenty of time and no money...if I actually had the money to risk, I'd do it in a heartbeat. I'd essentially be buying a year's worth of chances to make something successful, and as long as I'm unemployed I'll have a good reason to keep working on something XNA. Of course, if I find a job before I break even on that, $100 won't seem like much of a loss.

Anyway, good luck in your own XNA endeavors =)
#8 Aug 24 2009, 3:37 pm
I use XNA every so often. It's a bit too complicated for me to learn so I'm sticking with DM.
#9 May 18 2010, 12:21 pm
Hey I might have some work for you. I might also be able to pay you for it depending if you can icon what I need. Add me at valoesdte@live.com or email me at ionicsavior@yahoo.com
#10 May 19 2010, 2:40 pm
Valoesdte wrote:
Hey I might have some work for you. I might also be able to pay you for it depending if you can icon what I need. Add me at valoesdte@live.com or email me at ionicsavior@yahoo.com

Thank you for the offer, but since this post, I have found employment, so it's more important that I spend free time on my own projects. Good luck finding an artist =).
#11 May 19 2010, 3:16 pm
Yeah, and I've already drained up enough of his time begging for pixel art. Find your own artists to exploit!