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The Secret Sauce of Indie Games

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The Secret Sauce of Indie Games EVERY ISSUE INCL. COMPANY INDEX 03-04/2017 € 6,90 OFFICIAL PARTNER OF DESIGN BUSINESS ART TECHNOLOGY THE SECRET SAUCE OF FEATURING NDIEThe Dwarves INDIE GAMES Can‘t Drive This I Cubiverse Savior GAMES GREENLIGHT BEST PRACTICE: TIPS TO NOT GET LOST ON STEAM LEVEL ARCHITECTURE CASE STUDY GREENLIGHT POST MORTEM INTERVIEW WITH JASON RUBIN HOW THE LEVEL DESIGN AFFECTS HOW WINCARS RACER GOT OCULUS‘ HEAD OF CONTENT ABOUT THE DIFFICULTY LEVEL GREENLIT WITHIN JUST 16 DAYS THE LAUNCH AND FUTURE OF VR Register by February 25 to save up to $300 gdconf.com Join 27,000 game developers at the world’s largest professional game industry event. Learn from experts in 500 sessions covering tracks that include: Advocacy Monetization Audio Production & Team Management Business & Marketing Programming Design Visual Arts Plus more than 50 VR sessions! NEW YEAR, NEW GAMES, NEW BEGINNINGS! is about 1.5 the world on edge with never-ending ques- months old, tionable decisions. Recently, Trump’s Muslim Dirk Gooding and just ban for entry into the United States caused Editor-in-Chief of Making Games Magazin within these mass protests and numerous reactions by few weeks it the international games industry which is seemed that negatively affected by such a ban in a not-to- 2017one news followed the other. The first big be underestimated way. Will 2017 be another conferences and events like Global Game troublesome year? Before Christmas, we Jam, PAX South, GIST, Casual Connect or asked acclaimed experts and minds of the White Nights in Prague are over, but the German games industry to name their tops planning for the next events like QUO and flops, desires and predictions – for both Nico Balletta VADIS and our very own Making Games last and this year. From page 64 you can read Managing-Editor of Festival, which will take place simulta- how different their opinions were. Making Games Magazin neously for the first time, as well as the German Computer Game Awards are still Wonder weapon indie developers under way, with the latter one making neg- That said, our focus this issue is on indie ative headlines due to frozen funds by the developers who never fail to surprise us over German parliament at the end of last year. and over again, who are a constant breath of In the meantime, the federal associations fresh air for the industry, and never cease to BIU and GAME have come to an agreement make us veterans aware of the fact that the with the Federal Ministry of Transport; the creativity of newcomers all over the world is pure fundings will even increase to 550,000 seemingly endless. Not only did we manage euros in 2017, excluding material prizes. The to get KING Art Games to enrich our cover FFF Bayern (Bavarian Film/Television Fund), story with their expertise on the topic of too, kicks off the new year with good news: Kickstarter campaigns; we also feature studi- While the Bavarians supported newcomers os and teams who are still at the beginning »In this issue, our and young developer talents with about of their career and share a look with us at 600,000 euros until recently, the funds will their first major projects. We’re particularly focus is on indie be tripled by 2018! happy about Josuhe Pagliery’s title »Savior« developers who never In the meantime, Goodgame, Deep Silver – Cuba’s first and so far only indie game. fail to surprise us veterans Fishlabs and Crytek, too, made headlines In the meantime, we are busy preparing with further job cuts. And while Capcom is the next issues and wish you all the best. over and over again.« giving us pleasant chills since January 24, thanks to their latest Resident Evil installa- Enjoy the latest issue! tion, the new President of the United States even has a lead time of four days, keeping Your Making Games Team 3 18 CONTENT 03-04/2017 03 Editorial A day in the life of... 38 80 Piranha Bytes 82 Preview / Imprint Focus GAME 06 by Timm Walter Event Calendar 07 Major industry events Industry / Minds 08 BIU Academy 10 It happened on makinggames.biz Interesting facts from the World Wide Web 50 45 80 4 COVER STORY The secret sauce of indie games Interview: Savior – Cuba’s first indie game 12 Josuhe Pagliery develops Cuba’s first indie game ever. Best Practice 18 Jan Theysen of KING Art Games provides 10 useful tips for long-term success for indie developers. Best Practice 24 The Pixel Maniacs explain how a game jam idea turned into a fast-paced multiplayer fun racer. Game Design Case Study 30 Cubiverse is all about cubes and puzzles. Simone Mändl and Caroline Flesch talk about the creation of their cubic puzzles. Steam Greenlight Best Practice 38 It’s not easy to stand out from the crowd of indie games, if you don’t know how. Greenlight Post Mortem 45 How Wincars Racer got greenlit within just 16 days! by Javier Bargueño Level Design Case Study 50 How the environment design within a game affects its difficulty. by Pete Ellis Interview with Jason Rubin 56 Oculus’ Head of Content spent a lot of time talking to us about the first year and the future of Rift and VR in general. by Nico Balletta End-of-the-year review 2016 64 Veterans of the German games industry on 56 tops and flops of the past year and what they wish for in 2017. by Sebastian Weber and Nico Balletta Company index 74 The industry at a glance 64 5 Industry | Minds Making Games 03-04/17 FOKUS GAME HOPE IN THE POST-FACTUAL ERA? Timm Walter embarks optimistically on the new year and tells us why he thinks 2017 has been quite positive for the industry so far. his is going to be quick – which of them – sat down together, absolutely Timm Walter may be due to the fact that the year determined to raise the prize money against Head of Operations of the GAME has only begun and there isn’t too all odds. But material value aside, the Bundesverband der deutschen much to discuss yet. Okay, contrary industry also makes a contribution through Games-Branche e.V. (German to common logic, Donald Trump mentoring and media achievements. has actually been elected the 45th Something that’s happening for the first President of the United States and time this year and deserves utmost respect. Tis now happily spreading his »alternative But the German Computer Game Awards facts« (already my favorite term of the year). aren’t the only funding tool which raises the Timm Walter is a political scientist and as Head of Operations in charge of the operating business of GAME. Prior to his position in the And of course, the new Berlin airport »BER« available means. Bavaria, e.g., raises funds in association, he gained comprehensive experience in politics and the still won’t be opening its doors this year – three steps to 1.8 million euros by 2018. Now media industry as well as clubs and associations. literally. But as long as gamescom doesn’t there’s a strong message! move to Berlin, this fact will not affect the games industry too much. And with regard Events from and with the industry to Trump… well, I guess we don’t have to Strong messages are also coming from worry that he will be closing down PAX or E3. other areas. The individual associations and So what to talk about? Clearly that there’s networks are collaborating more and more hope for the German industry. Because apart as recently demonstrated by gamearea-FRM In May 2016, Stefan Marcinek (Assemble from a controversy at the very beginning joining both BIU.net as well as GAME. On a Entertainment) gave the industry a free of this year, 2017 actually started quite well, regional level, too, the interconnection of the conference: the GermanDevDays. The event both on a small and on a large scale. industry is progressing. There are more and will be held for the second time in 2017. more game jams or network events, not only The German Computer Game organized by the usual suspects, but directly Awards and more money for the by the industry. The result are not only industry traditional, but rather more creative formats Take the German Computer Game Awards, as shown by, e.g., the »Talk and Play« series for instance. Despite the negative and in Berlin or the GermanDevDays. rightfully criticized decision by the German What do things look like nationwide or government to freeze the prize money, it online? There, too, more and more formats was raised again this year after all. This emerge which address the industry and keep was possible because the organizers – and it informed. Be it »Der Reichart« with his yes, dear critics, the Federal Ministry of regular videos on current topics or the »Talk Transport and Digital Infrastructure is one in der Alm« video series – sometimes also starring guests. It seems that the industry has become more active again. Apparently, we feel the urge to talk to each other, connect, stay in the loop, and thus – sooner or later – make progress. Let’s hope that this upturn is not only owed to the annual New Year’s resolutions, but will last for longer. Because one thing is clear: a lot more can be achieved when working together. And in case Mr. Trump does close down PAX, a functioning scene which could then take it to Germany, isn’t that wrong after all. Maybe by then, the doors at BER can finally be opened… 6 DEVCOM – EUROPE‘S NEW Hans Ippisch Managing Director, Aruba Events GAME DEVELOPER EXPO GmbH and Computec Media GmbH »We’re proud that BIU and Koelnmesse have entrusted us with this wonderful project.
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