"City Builder" is the name I gave my monopoly ripoff game. I was working on it last night. I added the ability to sell properties and started making the graphics prettier. I was actually feeling pretty good about it. I even started a game as a real player and played for a few minutes. And everything is all nice and right in the world until someone says, "Well, why don't you make it do this" or "Why did you use that color?" or "You should make it look like this.". Not that they mean anything by it. They are just making a suggestion on how to make it better, which is a good thing because that is how things get better. But often I still feel the need to justify what is already there because the stuff that is already there took a lot of work. I guess you don't realize how much work something requires unless it is you that has to do it.
And it isn't like I think it is done. I know there is a lot of work I can and will do to it. It's just right now, I have something that is functional and basically does all it really needs to. I know that it is missing all the "frills", but that doesn't mean that I'm not proud of the fact that I actually wrote a functional game. You always have to start with the basics, but there is nothing wrong with the basics. Sometimes it would just be nice for someone to look at the basics and be like "Wow! That is amazing! Great work!". And I'm sure there are plenty of people out there who would appreciate that because this does not just apply to programming. And I'm sure, just like me, they realize that this will probably never happen because there are so many cool things out there with all sorts of "frills" and extras that the basics just isn't amazing any more. If it was 30 years ago, maybe, but not today.
So what does that all mean? I guess, if you want something to be amazing (including yourself) you have to work harder and longer and do more then ever before (not that this means adding all sorts of extras, because often times, the simpler and easier, the better but then the graphics have to be outstanding!) and put up with a million and a half "Well why don't you..." suggestions and actually consider most of them.
And this all seems so confusing because half of the documentation on how to make your software better for the users says that you need to keep it simple and easy to use and straight forward. Which is kind of the opposite of what I hear about my game. So maybe it is different for games then it is for application software. I guess that would make sense (are there books on how to write good games?). When people are working they want software that does exactly what they want, when they want it and nothing more. But when people are playing, they want to be able to do whatever they want and more. They want to drive off road and go into buildings and shoot the good guys and they want it all to look amazing and run quickly. I guess with the level that games are at now (like the one's they want you to pay $60 for), no one is really interested in something that doesn't deliver everything and more then what they can get from somewhere else. Why have a hotdog when you can have Lobster?
Hmmmm... at this rate this will be "The Urban Babble"!
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