Thief 4

[brethren]

Agree with Morat - it seems the bigger a project gets, the more generic (and boring) the game becomes. Call it selling out, appealing to the masses, whatever. Thief 4 was the epitome of this - it was a bunch of ideas rolled together from other games like Assassin's Creed and Dishonored (among others), but nothing unique in and of itself. A very forgettable game, despite the pretty visuals.

 

I thought Summer made some great points above as well. The Architect's Manor was such a disappointment once you got inside, I think there were a total of like 5 rooms between the two floors. Not exactly a 'mansion romp." And I don't think a single mission asked you simply to return to your starting point when done - they all had to end with the bang of some escape sequence or crazy chaotic collapsing structure scenario.

Edited March 27, 2015 by brethren

[chakkman]

This is why indie games for the PC gaming crowd are blowing up in a big way right now.

 

What exactly is the definition of an indie game? I mean, stuff like Kingdom Come could also be seen as an indie game, yet the crowd funding, and funding behind the game is huge, and comparable with big game studios production. And there's 70 developers developing the game, maybe more by now.

Edited March 27, 2015 by chakkman

[lowenz]

 

What exactly is the definition of an indie game?

Not-hollywoodian game?

[brethren]

Everyone will have their own definitions, but I think as long as you aren't reporting and accountable to businessmen (i.e. non creatives) in a large corporation, or a publisher, you can be considered indie. The project should be self-inclusive, meaning everything cost wise is directly related to the production of the game itself. The size of the game and the number of people working on it shouldn't be a factor.

[chakkman]

Well, going by that definition, Kingdom Come is definitely not an indie game. And most of the games Morat mentioned probably aren't either.

[brethren]

How do you figure? Maybe I'm being naive, but it would seem logical that games that seek out crowdfunding likely lack a publisher or any type of large corporate backing, at least initially. How do Minecraft, Dwarf Fortress, and even Kingdom Come not fit into that mold?

[chakkman]

What i mean is that there is surely some businessman somewhere in the chain. A game like Minecraft needs a website, it needs a large server compound, it needs marketing, there's games reviewing it which affects sales, and and and. All stuff where there are businessmen involved. No matter if the game itself seems like an indie game or not. Not to talk about distribution over platforms like Steam.

 

Ok, if we're talking about the production of the game itself, or the independence of the developer(s) from a publisher, or someone trying to steer the game in some direction, the term "indie" game would be appropriate, but there are many external people and things involved usually i guess.

Edited March 27, 2015 by chakkman

[lowenz]

It's on sales today on Steam, -80%

[demagogue]

IMO indie has two meanings, and people should specify which one they mean. Technically and formally it refers to a project which is self-financed in some way, whatever the actual content (although the manner of financing influences what kind of game gets made, of course). Aesthetically and informally it refers to a kind of ethos or design philosophy that caters to an indie spirit that's hard to put into words, but something to do with challenging an audience beyond its comfort zone and self-consciously distinguishing itself from a mainstream aesthetic.