Making a PC game / starting a game company?

[Agrajag]

Foodstamp said:
http://wildfiregames.com/0ad/

Hehe, your site looks pretty pathetic with adblock turned on.
It might be because adblock sees "0ad" in all of the urls for all of the images and thinks "0ad! ad! IT MUST BE AN AD! DESTROY IT!".

And yeah, programming computer games is hard to do successfully. I know, I've programmed like 10 of them (and by 10, I mean 100 tenths of games )

[HoneyBadger]

Actually, Gandalf, my initial idea was for a boardgame "world" or "map" (worldmap?) with all the fun props boardgames have, but including in the process a set of expandable cards akin to Magic: The Gathering. So that you could have (purchase) sets of miniature figures for each Nation, and then modify their abilities, cast spell effects, have events, etc. with the cards. Maps, miniatures, and cards, would all be collectable, expandable, hopefully profitable

[LDiCesare]

I spent a few years programming a game ( http://clash.apolyton.net ). I quit working on it because I started working in a game company, and didn't resume after quitting that madmen firm.
From my experience, it's very easy to find anything between 1000 and 1 million would-be game designers. But you really only need one.
It's much harder to find programmers, although it's possible. Even them, they're not always reliable, as you can't do anything if one decides to quit, falls ill or whatever.
Artists are also problematic if you want a 3d game. Even going 2d you have some problems finding them, but 3d art requires a lot of work, and indeed you're unlikely to get a lot done easily.

After leaving the project for one year, considering there was noone else left, I decided it was not worth cgoing back to it (particularly considering Civ IV was excellent in the same genre). I started another project to check, but stopped short when I started needing 3d artists.
I think I'll stick to 2d art (the way Dom is done) if I decide to start something again.
Not that 3d brings much to anything in most of the cases.

[Zeldor]

LDiCesare:

Heh, I remember that project. Project lead looked like he knows what he is doing and that he will get the job finished. I hoped they finish that game as Civ4 really sucks and next Civs will be probably even worse. Sad to see that project dead.

[Ironhawk]

I make games for a living and I'm also working on one of my own at the moment. IMO, the biggest hurdle is, as others have said, that making a game is not fun. Don't get me wrong, its rewarding - definitely so! But to make a game takes serious discipline and hard work. Both of those qualities are in short supply when you consider that all this must be done in someone's free time that they might otherwise be filling with wine, women, and song.

[chrispedersen]

I was a partner in the game Suzerainty, which won best PBM game .. years ago. Was partner in another venture called Western Kingdoms.

Lost my shirt on both. Had fun. YMMV.