From the Ground Up - Building a Game Company

[Eosin the Red]

I got no response. I emailed again saying I wasn't interested in working with a company that couldn't be bothered to reply to an inquiry on a sales matter, since it meant once they had my money they would likely be *more* unresponsive. That also got no reply. .

-Emiricol

That sounds like a case of bad email address to me. A real bummer. I had a little problem emailing Hal also - I clicked on his hyperlink in his sig and it did not work but I could still see the email address.

It sounds like your problem is resolved (one way or the other) but if not, why don't you write to Hal directly - hal@mysticeyegames.com I am positive from seeing him and Doug both on these pages that niether of them just ignore querries. Hal was also pretty super in the email exchange we have had - except that he said I ask too many questions. Well, maybe he did not say that He did tell me that when I speak to him next week, he will not be wearing pants, I did not know if that should make me happy or scare me?

 

[MEG Hal]

Hi! Following this thread with interest, and definitely cheering for you As to MEG and C2C - I'm not sure your results, but when I once tried to contact them to hire their services, I got no response. I emailed again saying I wasn't interested in working with a company that couldn't be bothered to reply to an inquiry on a sales matter, since it meant once they had my money they would likely be *more* unresponsive. That also got no reply. I shrugged and moved on.

MEG Hal has always been a great poster here, and I'm truly not trying to flame anyone, but for whatever it is worth that was my experience trying to give him money for services he advertised.

-Emiricol

Emircol, I am sorry you had issues with that side of us (MEG), we do get overwhelmed at times and miss e-mails, and I am sure if you sent e-mail #2 then they would not of followed up on it . So while we have slowed down talking about C2C it can be a viable option for people to get great prices on printing up to much, much more.

If you get no responce please forward the e-mail to me so I can deal with it.

Thanks

 

[MEG Hal]

That sounds like a case of bad email address to me. A real bummer. I had a little problem emailing Hal also - I clicked on his hyperlink in his sig and it did not work but I could still see the email address.

It sounds like your problem is resolved (one way or the other) but if not, why don't you write to Hal directly - hal@mysticeyegames.com I am positive from seeing him and Doug both on these pages that niether of them just ignore querries. Hal was also pretty super in the email exchange we have had - except that he said I ask too many questions. Well, maybe he did not say that He did tell me that when I speak to him next week, he will not be wearing pants, I did not know if that should make me happy or scare me?

LMAO---shaving legs now

 

[Eosin the Red]

I got the website up and running. It is pretty bare - just a skeleton but feel free to check it out. The sig has changed and I am too pooped to do anything else.

Randy

 

[Janx]

An interesting account of how to start a business. This should be useful reading for all newbies.

Now for some comments on expenses:
The e-publishing forum here on enworld had an excellent thread on how to make PDFs for free. Namely print to file with an Apple driver, then convert PS2PDF with Ghostview. Free, effective, and optimized for size. Just use your favorite word processor (which the newest ones act like desktop publishing apps).

Map making: If you're such a good map maker, why did you pay someone else to make them? Know your skills and use them, it's cheaper usually. Now maybe you do really know your skills (and you could do better by paying), but your early comments implied your maps are pretty good.

Good luck,
Janx

 

[Eosin the Red]

I will make some more comments tonight after my tabletop - in the mean time, this is the caliber of my home maps. I do need to say that like the freaky 80-year-old grandmother who can spot a fleck of dust on the 50's shag carpet that looks like it was installed yesterday, I will spot flaws and be very critical of my own stuff in a way that will always leave me unhappy with the finished product. (I like Aristotelian sentences).

This is a map that I have used for about 2 years and will use as the “regional map” but the maps that I am getting produced by Clayton are much smaller slices [100x100 miles]

 

[Janx]

well to be honest, that map looked pretty good. Mighta needed some tighter font control (picking fonts that look right for the style). Pretty minor stuff to fix. I'd shipped it in a product (if I made products).

As an editor type person, you have to know what level of quality is acceptable, and go with it. A clean map with no bugs is better than a beautiful map with a errors. That also means knowing what level of quality you're paying for.

Now if Eosin's happy, great, I'm sure he'll have a fine product. But for others out there, the advice is (and its free so be wary): Try to do it cheaply, but watch the quality level. If you can do it yourself and have time to do it, do so.

Janx

 

[LiVeWiRe]

I looked around for fantasy templates. Don't try this at work - you can get some pretty interesting results. I finally found something that I liked at Lipstick Monkey. It has imbedded pop ups, automated feedback, style sheets, and some good navigation.

Eosin,

Just curious...what template did you use if you don't mind me asking?

Thanks,
-LW

 

[Eosin the Red]

Eosin,

Just curious...what template did you use if you don't mind me asking?

Thanks,
-LW

First In Flight

Lipstick Monkey

That should take you to the correct page. They do have a variety of excellent templates for FP. They are also very easy to modify and since I am a web guru "poser" I need all the fakery I can get.

 

[Eosin the Red]

But for others out there, the advice is (and its free so be wary): Try to do it cheaply, but watch the quality level. If you can do it yourself and have time to do it, do so.

Janx

I think this is good advice. Here is my own advice.

Determine your production standards before you start. I know that I am a demanding chump, in my own way, not in a mean demeaning way. I know what I like, and I have made decisions - some of those decisions can mean that instead of making money writing game stuff, I will actually lose money. Very possible.

This gets to the second point - know what you want. Here is my 3-tier strategy.

1. To sell rights to The Last Dominion setting to MGM for 1.5+ million dollars. Well, really, if you are going to aim big, why not AIM BIG!

2. To turn enough profit yearly that I can afford to pay myself and my partner a small stipend on top of being able to produce quality supplements.

3. To break even or take a small loss but get a world produced that I can be proud to have made.


Number 3 is, of course, most likely. I still get to design a cool game world, brag about having written a gaming book, and have some cool pictures and maps done by pros. I also get to solicit help from friends and give them some credit for the many years of gaming.

Number 2 is the worst of them, since that tends to tease people into doing things for much longer than they should. I know people who believe in something and just refuse to let it die even though it has not done anything for them in some time. As I tell my 3 year old "Poop or get off the pot."

Come on lucky number 1!!! Daddy needs a snake eye! We all dream don't we? Well, here is mine.

I know what I want, so that allows me to make competent decisions about production and quality based solely on my goals. The lowest acceptable level for me is the production of something that I can be proud of - I am doing that. You* may not like it. Critics may not like it. BUT, when I pack my bags and head home after the first book is put to bed, it will be the best book that I can do. The second book will take what I learned in the first, and I will produce an even better book, and so on. [You* is used in a general meaning not a specific one].

When I am no longer putting my heart in it, you* will know, I will know and if it is at level 3 or 2 then I will walk away from it. If it is at level 1 then I will pay someone to baby sit while I take a quick walk on the beach with my wife.

I ran a good game tonight. Much fun was to be had.

Expect a small hickup from me. The wife is going to have surgery on Monday in the wee hours of the morning so I will likely spend the majority of tomorrow with her. She will remain in the hospital for several days - meaning it is just me and the three hellions around here. I imagine that I will be very wasted by the end of the day and it may be as long as a week before I am able to come back here. Rest assured that I will come back.

If you feel like giving me a hand, say a little something for my wife when you make your peace Sunday night with whatever you make peace with.

.