Being a indie developer can be very tough most especially if you are just starting out as most of your funding will come out of your pocket. Not having a shipped game or some game to show off is even tougher. But fret not, all indie developers started the same way. With a big question of how can I make this work. Now here are some tips for anyone just starting out as a indie developer.

1.  Set a goal. Having one helps you focus your resources into some direction. It might not be the right goal/direction but at least you are not just wandering about what you should do. If you always have somewhere you are marching towards then you are half way there 
2.  Build your network. Knowing the right people is very important. Even if you know people who cannot help you, just the fact that you know them and what they do has a astounding effect on you. Also do not forget close friends as very valuable assets to your indie development dreams. They can provide you support/money/skills, etc ... As a rule of thumb, keep your networks alive and healthy
3. Develop the necessary skillsets. If you want to be a Indie Developer then you better know atleast 3 of these skills. The more the better, because as a indie game developer you will be wearing multiple hats
   1. Programming
   2. Visual Art
   3. Sound Design
   4. Game Design
   5. Production
   6. PR
   7. Speaking
   8. Writing
4. Be passionate about what you do. This is probably the most important thing you should be having. Because without this all your games will become boring and lifeless as you are. Being Indie is a great way to express yourself, and it will show in everything that you do. So be sure you are willing to sacrifice alot in order to get your indie project done.
5. Also don't forget to have fun. I know it is alot of work but please have fun otherwise what is the point in doing all this?

The funny thing about game development from a one man team is that the first 80% is the easiest part of making a game. The last 20% includes 10x more testing, usability studies, gameplay tweaks, graphics updates, music selection, marketing, polishing, flame hoop jumping, sky diving, etc ... This last 20% is where all the other parts of making a game that is usually handled by other people creep up and needs more attention. This really detracts from making improvements to the code to make the game faster, leaner, and easier to update. Although it is the hardest phase of development, it is also the most fun part. It is at this stage where you start showing your game off to people to get their feedback into the game. This is also where you put the icing on the cake that really starts to make it look like it was developed with love rather than a collection of game ideas hoping to form a game. This also serves as a great accomplishment waypoint, where as when you first thought about your game, doubts about how the game will come out is high. Thinking if I will even have the passion to push through with this really hard endeavour. But I think this is really the first time you can deflate and relax, assuming things moved along to solidifying the core game mechanic of the game.

I'm in the last 20% of the game right now with Gum Drop. Now I have to gather feedback from multiple player demographics about the game. Not just asking them how the game is, but actually watching them behind their back and see how they interact with the game. Taking notes, in what works, what they don't understand. Of course listening to what they have to say is important too, but really just observing how they interact is the best way to get unfiltered response about the game. 

 The hardest part I have with the game right now is not actually the gameplay itself but the UI and menu design. I'm not really the best UI developer, or have the natural instincts to go with what works best. But I really have to sit down and start designing the HUD and the menu flows. Because this is how information is relayed to the player and it has to be precise and meaningful.

Other than that, development is chugging along. I took a 2 day break from working on the game to get my bearings back straight, too much game development can really take it's toll, and ultimately you stop having fun. Which is never a good thing :)

 *Warning some spoilers from the past Metal Gear Games

I've always been a fan of Hideo Kojima's Metal Gear series and there is a good reason why. Because Hideo Kojima likes to warp the game world and the real world together. For example, battling Psycho Mantis was a very surreal experience. He would demonstrate his latent psychic abilities by reading your game statistics for you, so depending on how you played he will tell you that you were either sneaky, item collector, etc... He would also tell you to put the controller down and he would demonstrate that he can move it using his will. Of course this was done by vibrating the controller. To add to the final pseudo gaming experience, the only way you can beat him would be to switch the controller to port 2, because he can read your mind if you have your controller set to port 1. 

Since the announcement at WWDC 2008, the iPhone is now suddenly on the gaming map. Having a  multi-touch screen and a accelerometer for input, the iPhone seems very suited to two of Blizzard's most popular games, Diablo and Starcraft. I picked these two games because of their popularity, ease of use, and that the iPhone's hardware is powerful enough to support these games. These are just my thoughts on how these two games can be implemented on the iPhone, as they are not news or actual ports to the game.

*all images here are just renders and are not real

Real Time Strategy - Starcraft

  Having the multi-touch screen lends well with RTS games as most of the unit commands can be executed on the screen. Selecting units is as easy as touching units on the screen, and then touching the appropriate action. Since Starcraft is runs in a 4:3 aspect ratio and the iPhone goes around 16:10 aspect ratio there would be black block around the game. This space does not need to go to waste as it can serve as extra icons that can be used in absence of the keyboard. This can also be fully configurable to have different icons represented as icons to increase available functionality. Sub-menus also allow more functional icons in view by touching a list icon that will display a translucent drop down menu right next to it.

Zooming in and out should also be implemented to help the player precision actions. This can be done by the standard pinch and reverse pinch that users are already accustomed to. Another feature important in RTS games is the group select and this can be accomplished by keeping two fingers on the screen without movement for 1.5 seconds, this will activate the selection box and then it can be resized and moved to wherever you want it to be. Releasing the finger will select the units, while de-selecting units can be accomplished by shaking the iPhone.

Action Role Playing Game - Diablo II

The simple point and click gameplay can easily be adopted to the iPhone.  The two mouse buttons can be represented as the green and red buttons on the left of the screen. The user uses the left thumb to touch the buttons while the right thumb is used to drag around the screen to select monsters or move. In order to see what is underneath the thumb, a magnifying display is shown right above the contact point, very similar to what the iPhone already implements in the native applications. The user can also use standard touches to use the potions on the bottom of the screen. Selecting the different powers just involves touching the skill icon below to expand the list of skills available. The user can toggle running and walking by shaking the iPhone.

The iPhone's interface is suited for almost all types of games imaginable. It will just need creative thinking to implement these new types of input to suit the game.

How the Iphone Stacks Up:

The iPhone definitely is the powerhouse of the 3 systems, coming in with the fastest processor at 620mhz, and the most amount of RAM at around 128. It also is the lightest weighing in at only 133 grams. However the PSP has the iPhone beat at the screen size, edging the iPhone's 3.5 inch screen by .8 inches. Although screen size is not the only deciding factor in displays, but resolution as well, that is where the iPhone beats the PSP on the horizontal resolution by 48 pixels horizontal. Wireless access is another winner for the iPhone due to the fact that it has GSM/EDGE and wi-fi, giving the user more options to connect online.  Finally, the iPhone is more than just a gaming platform as it also serves as a Smartphone.

Comparison Chart

Feature	Nintendo DS	Playstation Portable	iPhone 2.0
Processors	67 MHz and 33 MHz	333mhz	620mhz (unofficial)
Mass	275 grams	260 grams	133 grams
Dimensions	5.85 x 3.33 x 1.13 in	6.7 x 2.9 x 0.9 in	4.5 x 2.4 x .48 in
Screen Size	2x 3 in	4.3 in	3.5 in
Screen Resolution	256 x 192  each	480 x 272	480 x 320
RAM	4 MB	32 MB + 4 MB embedded	128mb (unofficial)
Storage	256 kB of Serial Flash Memory	Memory Stick Duo up to 4GB	8/16/32 GB internal
Wireless	802.11b/g	802.11b	802.11b/g GSM/EDGE Bluetooth
Input	Touch Screen and Buttons	Buttons	Multi Touch Screen
Speakers	Stereo	Stereo	Stereo
Media	Carts	UMD	None
Media Capability	None	Video and Music	Video and Music
Web Browser	Opera on Game Cart	Sony Built Browser	Safari

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Halo 3 and Gears of War have successfully integrated the narrative cooperative single play into their multiplayer experience and vice versa. Seamlessly weaving each person as part of the story and most importantly the experience during the whole game. This has blurred the lines between the online world and the singleplayer world successfully outside of an MMO context. These two games have been very successful in the market, received rave reviews, and are considered classics. However, why are not more games going into this kind of gameplay?

For a couple of good reasons...

1. It is already hard enough creating a interactive narrative where the players actions are often unpredictable, now multiply that by x number of players
2. Game engines are built to handle single player and multiplayer differently, cut-scenes, events, special single player objects
3. How do players handle saving progress, and how do you sync two different players who progressed differently in the game
4. When the player is actually playing single player alone, AI is usually there to help out, but it is not a simple task to create AI to help out the player
5. Finally, Budget, Halo and Gears of War have multimillion dollar budgets to solve these issues, lots of engineers, designers, and testers are needed to make sure the experience is properly defined

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Don't you find it funny that in GTAIV Ringtones are $100 while full service from a hooker is only 70 bucks? Oh noes, we are teaching our kids that ringtones will cost an arm and a leg while hookers are a bargain!