M.A.D. didn't make the final round of the IGF. That's not too much of a surprise though. Action/strat combat games of this nature haven't fared well at the IGF in recent years. There's a growing love of indie games that are offbeat and/or charming. They receive fanfare by being quite different from mainstream titles, and place emphasis on personality over cutting edge graphics, while still providing quality artistic aspects.
Charming and offbeat games have limited mileage with me and maybe other avid gamers, but I agree with that approach to making an indie game. Occasional gamers are likely to enjoy such games a great deal, and you may find an audience that extends well beyond traditional gamers. I would personally find it challenging to go that route because it would take me on a path away from the type of gaming that I enjoy most. M.A.D. may be taking more of a mainstream/indie direction, but I think there's a lot of room for diversity in that arena.
Now on to the status of the project.
- The programming aspects of the game are looking quite solid. Many daunting milestones were achieved. The list of accomplishments there could fill a page. I'd say that the versatile in-game editor and the scripting API are among the most significant.
- Planning, design and coordination have been the greatest challenges and problems. These aspects were going to suffer regardless because we're a loosely knit group, most with other major obligations. The best team arrangement seems to be a team that can physically meet and work together often. I've had my eye on two teams that meet and work together often: http://jforcegames.com and http://elysianshadows.com/project. These guys put together videos of their meetings and developments, and you can see some benefits of real face-time when you watch the videos. Their games are simple and not hugely ambitious, but you can still see that it's an ongoing struggle to make progress. What this shows is that is extremely challenging for a group of bright people to make even a simple game. This makes it all the more amazing that MAD has come this far, but also all the more daunting.
- Finding time away from RL to work on this game is quite a challenge. I currently have no day job (this may change, I may have to stop being a bum and get a job) and can devote extensive time, but still distractions mange to pull me away sometimes. Other MAD participants have nearly overflowing schedules, and some things in life are simply more important than the indulgence of game development.
- Art developent has nearly stalled. I'm looking to address this, and am in contact with artists with whom I've worked before. Time will tell.
- Game development expertise is needed. When you look at the successful indies, you'll see that in almost all cases, the team members have substantial education/expertise in core areas of game development. I sought out some very bright people to help with the MAD project, but there's still no getting around the learning curve, no matter how bright. I'm something of a professional programmer, but hardly a professional game designer or manager, so there is much learning in store for me as well.
- I've had some contact with Valve's Steam personnel about possible distribution in the future. I was encouraged to actually get a response from them asking for more details. I've read elsewhere about indie developers being frustrated by silence despite repeated attempts to contact Valve's Steam group. However I'm starting to know how they feel. I'm having trouble etablishing further contact myself, but I should be patient. This shows how lonely and disheartening indie development can be. Some might suggest seeking a publishing deal, and hey maybe you can get funding to make the game better if you have a good demo, but the game development doesn't seem to work that way. You are either an indie developer who must reach the finish line yourself, or you're an established studio who is owned or funded by a publisher.
