Comparing my own Universe to Walking Dead's

[Flawless Melon]

Hello, recently I've been down. It's always been my intention to create a zombie RPG survival horror. However after playing the incredible game, The Walking Dead. I've had douts on my own imagination. Realising how great and detailed the game is, and how it has effected me. The story and characters has made me fallen in love with the series. But it's also got me down, to know that I want to make a similar game when I'm older. But despite wanting mine to be more open world with similar mechanics to Fallout, but keeping to my own.... I still feel upset. I hope to leave a mark on the gaming world, but with such an exciting series. It seem's almost impossible to do so. I don't want to out match Walking Dead, it's a great series. I just want to make a game which impacts those as much as this series has to me.... should I have douts?

[Saoralba131]

To be honest,you should have doubts,but This is a pretty good company,I am sure you would do fine.It would be hard to match something like this,as long as you try as hard as you possibly can,you can do it!!I hope your game goes well,and I hope one day to find it on my local game shops shelves.

[thestalkinghead]

Originally Posted by Flawless Melon

Hello, recently I've been down. It's always been my intention to create a zombie RPG survival horror. However after playing the incredible game, The Walking Dead. I've had douts on my own imagination. Realising how great and detailed the game is, and how it has effected me. The story and characters has made me fallen in love with the series. But it's also got me down, to know that I want to make a similar game when I'm older. But despite wanting mine to be more open world with similar mechanics to Fallout, but keeping to my own.... I still feel upset. I hope to leave a mark on the gaming world, but with such an exciting series. It seem's almost impossible to do so. I don't want to out match Walking Dead, it's a great series. I just want to make a game which impacts those as much as this series has to me.... should I have douts?

well if its getting you down that means you care, and i that would mean that you care about making a good game, so as long as you still care about making a good game when you do eventually do it, it will be good, so it shouldn't make you upset or doubt yourself, it should just be inspiration for the future

[xsstreem]

Stop doubting yourself and just do it if I thought like you everytime someone criticized my WD remix videos I'd of just gave up. Not everyone is going to like everything you do Take a chance it's hit or miss.

[That1Guy]

I bid you good luck on your game and make sure to do your best. And, if your game turns out to be good, it could also become an amazing series.

[Flawless Melon]

Thanks you guys. It's a shame you said I need to have douts :S .... but still I suppose your right. I hope it turns out well for the future too

[Jokieman]

If writers did not write because someone else already wrote something on a similar subject, they would have stopped producing books a century ago.

Kirkman's stuff isn't all that. Fact is, there are a lot of holes in his content. He just happened on a time when people wanted something a bit different. Timing is as much the key to doing well as the content itself.

I can't tell you how many times I have seen better products fail just because of the timing or Company X having a better marketing Department.

Is it just me or are there a lot of generally depressed and self doubting people pulled to the TWD universe? Seeing these depressing self doubting posts on a game developer's forum is a little.... odd.

[Saoralba131]

Originally Posted by Flawless Melon

Thanks you guys. It's a shame you said I need to have douts :S .... but still I suppose your right. I hope it turns out well for the future too

Sorry,it's just that I needed to let you know that you won't make a game as emotional as The Walking Dead,yet...though I am sure your series will do well,and eventually you may be a multi-millionaire.

[HelloCthulhu]

Make a game you want to play. The rest will come. And don't get George Lucas syndrome and keep revising and changing it once it is done. Just let it stand on its merits and flaws.

[Vainamoinen]

Originally Posted by Flawless Melon

But despite wanting mine to be more open world with similar mechanics to Fallout, but keeping to my own.... I still feel upset. I hope to leave a mark on the gaming world, but with such an exciting series. It seem's almost impossible to do so. I don't want to out match Walking Dead, it's a great series. I just want to make a game which impacts those as much as this series has to me.... should I have douts?

Telltale impacts the gaming world with concise narration. That's what you're feeling. The characters are thought through, they're stirring emotion without the fear that hardcore gamers could think of the Clementine plot as uncool, and you care about these people. But all that comes at the price of a very narrow world. I have often wished for more freedom to go where I want and do what I want, but let's face it: "open world" freedom and a gripping story are balanced against each other.

Whatever balance you strike, it's still the idea that counts. If you have more to add to open world themed genres, go ahead. If you want to pull people's heartstrings more, understand how stories are told and then go ahead as well. Whether you have something to give to the gaming world will only become clear if you try to.

[SkatesSC]

Originally Posted by Vainamoinen

Telltale impacts the gaming world with concise narration. That's what you're feeling. The characters are thought through, they're stirring emotion without the fear that hardcore gamers could think of the Clementine plot as uncool, and you care about these people. But all that comes at the price of a very narrow world. I have often wished for more freedom to go where I want and do what I want, but let's face it: "open world" freedom and a gripping story are balanced against each other.

Whatever balance you strike, it's still the idea that counts. If you have more to add to open world themed genres, go ahead. If you want to pull people's heartstrings more, understand how stories are told and then go ahead as well. Whether you have something to give to the gaming world will only become clear if you try to.

Hmmm, I disagree. Open world doesn't mean poor story/poor characters. You can have a solid linear story take place in an open world game, and leave the exploration to side quests that give you additional lore/items/exp/etc. An open world *zombie* game with a rich story would be difficult. Very difficult. The mechanics of the zombie apocalypse alone make the two combined very hard to pull off.

Difficult but not impossible.

To the OP: Just start writing. Write write write. Get started on it now, don't wait. If you start writing now, and do not actually get started on making the game itself for, say, five years then you have five years of written content to work with. Engaging characters need fleshed out fully with a full backstory. Even if they are some NPC that wonders around a town, write them a short background. Even if we see a character for three minutes before he gets demolished, flesh out his storyline before that. This is a good start to what you want to accomplish.

[Vainamoinen]

Originally Posted by SkatesSC

Hmmm, I disagree. Open world doesn't mean poor story/poor characters. You can have a solid linear story take place in an open world game, and leave the exploration to side quests that give you additional lore/items/exp/etc. An open world *zombie* game with a rich story would be difficult. Very difficult. The mechanics of the zombie apocalypse alone make the two combined very hard to pull off.

Difficult but not impossible.

I see that my idea of "balance" between narration and open world has suggested that I see the terms as completely opposed to each other. That is actually not entirely the case. "Difficult but not impossible" actually is far closer to what I believe.

Narration means: Specific events happening in order at a specific time between specific entities/characters at a specific place. The entire idea of an "open world" is that a player chooses his actions - when he desires, with whom he desires, where he desires. A certain opposition is there, no doubt.

I see your suggestion working out, and it could well mean a great game - but it does not mean much more than distributing game elements between story and open world. The 'solid linear story' has the aforementioned unity of action, time and place - the side quests or exploratory elements do not. This does not dissolve an opposition between story and open world.

[HelloCthulhu]

It might if they were timed events... meaning you only have enough time to do one of many choices in the open world...you could go to woodbury, but to do this would mean you would not make it to savannah in time to save the people there...you could go to macon but then you would not have time to go to the cdc...See what I mean? And vice versa....