Ok..., so this has been bothering me for a while and I'm not even sure why it's an issue. When you go to publish something, (in particular a game), on the hub, there is a warning I'm sure everyone has seen, (probably have not read though):
Warning of the Day: Never announce something you have not yet done. Try, and you will be instantly robbed of the determination to do it. 100% guaranteed!
*This warning has been there for YEARS now. I remember back in 2001 when I first saw that warning... but how effective has it been?*
So why do people get an idea for a game, put it on the hub, and then go to the forums asking for help to create this game. That's kinda... back-ass-wards to be honest. Now if you have a working/playable product and you want to put up an Alpha or Beta version of your game, then that fine. You should always stress test your products and that's a good way to test. Although, if you're just wanting to put your game idea out there, then save yourself some time and don't do it. The hub is getting filled with game ideas and not games. One such example that I found last night was this game:
http://games.byond.com/hub/Sinjiking/narutomaster
This was my inspiration for this rant...
So I have a suggested solution, screening! Could, perhaps, the Byond staff do a simple screening before they allow games on the hub? Perhaps check to see if the game is at a playable state and not just a game idea being put up there? Maybe the staff has a good reason to not implement screening, or maybe that's an idea being brought up already, but whatever the situation is, I think it would be a good idea. It would definitely help filter out all of those game ideas and help keep only serious games on the hub.
Another suggestion would be to create a filter for games that are still in the idea phase, and games that have playable/working versions out. I think some people just get too excited about their game idea and they want to publish something about it, but like the warning states, they'll be robbed of the determination to complete the game.
They have to create the hubs because an entry is now required to even host a game. Before, they could just host and an empty one would be created, but since a certain someone tried to get around the staff's wishes, they are now mandatory for the game to show up on the hub at all.
Unfortunately, there is no feasable way for the staff to screen every entry. Also, for your second suggestion, that's what the published channel is for. | |
My only issue is with non-playable games that don't need to be hosted. Also, last night I was able to host my game and connect to it via IP.
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It's not required to HOST, but it IS required to make hosting PUBLIC.
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Squeegy wrote:
It's not required to HOST, but it IS required to make hosting PUBLIC. "they are now mandatory for the game to show up on the hub at all." Yea, I know. Sorry, my first statement was unclear. "last night I was able to host my game and connect to it via IP." They don't want to connect to it themselves, they want players to join so they can either talk to them, ask for opinions, or maybe revitalize their inspiration Unfinished games being hosted can't be helped. Although, if the staff adds the screenshot section to hub entries that is currently being suggested, you could use that to decide how far along the game is. | |
That thing about determination isn't always true. When Faction Wars wasn't even playable, I went around looking for help so that I didn't have to do the thing by myself (I ended up telling the people who offered help the whole game concept).
Did that rob me of my determination? No. Faction Wars is now playable (it was playable after a few days of development, actually), and is almost a complete game... if it isn't already. | |
*This warning has been there for YEARS now. I remember back in 2001 when I first saw that warning... but how effective has it been?*
I made a post about that a while ago.