Insta-Game 3 years later.

MrColossal · Tue 08/06/2004 06:08:23

Hello,

My name is Eric, you may remember me from such games as "6 Day Assassin" and "Time Out" [if anyone remembers Time Out then you get a cookie].

Anywho, I'm here with a question.

Sylpher and I made Insta-Game, http://sylpher.com/ig almost 3 years ago and we were excited.

Many conversations with various people later on why hardly anyone used it brought up the following reasons:

1. It was too limiting.

2. It was too open.

Not very helpful.

So now I ask the forums in general. Why after so many years did so few people use Insta Game?

Now I know no one asked for it and I can't expect people to just jump up and use something that they didn't ask for, and this isn't me going all "Boo hoo, why don't you play with my toys?!" I'm just curious.

Dave Gilbert made an excellent game mixing IG and RON together, MillsJRoss made 2 [?] games with it, Erica McLane made 1, there were a few hour games and maybe a few more scattered here and there [or am I wrong and there are tons out there?]

The reason IG was created was because people complain about not being able to make graphics easily and people always link them to RON, so I was hoping that IG would act as a secondary source for games that didn't have to take place in RON.

Is it because there was no starting game like there was RON [not that I personally wanted another RON]. Some people said to me that it was too hard to come up with ideas to fit the backgrounds and characters and I just can't buy that at all.

So, anyone wanna try helping me out? I just want to make it clear that I'm not trying to sound whiny or boohooy, I just want some feedback. It's just frustrating to think I'm doing something good for people and the majority of feedback I seem to get is people saying "Yea this is great for placeholder art or making test games..."

Love,
Eric

EDIT: Oh yes and I forgot to mention, IG has been downloaded a little around 5000 times this year...

Rui 'Trovatore' Pires · Tue 08/06/2004 06:42:32

I guess some people just don't like to use "standardized" graphics, which would make a lot of games feel the same. I know I wouldn't. But I still believe the pack is extremely useful, and I'm still waiting for some game packs.

The problem, of course, is that using the game pack and NOTHING ELSE would make all insta-games similar, unless a miracle happened. As a matter of fact, most insta-games out there ARE very similar - "A Better Mouse Trap" being the exception, that's a work of art.
And if you use other graphics WITH the insta-game, the graphic style would have to be fitting, wouldn't it? And speaking of which, with the insta-game as it is, you can't really make a "serious" game, as the graphics are pretty cartoony.

juncmodule · Tue 08/06/2004 08:18:10

Insta Game is the reason I use AGS today.

I used that silly little alien and his little cave to create a small game where the character walked from one cave to the other.

That's it. Nothing else ever happened in my little game. Now, while many feel compelled to release works of art such as this...I did not.

Without something so easily accessable where I could import the backgrounds and characters and start to understand the basics of AGS I doubt I would have ever started using it. My little "demo" game looked really good (to me) and took only about an hour or so to make. The fact that it looked "good" is probably the reason I stuck with AGS.

On the other hand There was one problem with insta game. Unless if you were making a space game you were rather stuck.

I would love to see an insta game 2 where you have a basic male schmo, female schmo-et, with basic walk animations, and a basic small town for them to walk around in. I think this could open up the possibilities a little.

I guess my point is, I consider InstaGame to be more a part of AGS than even the real demo game. So it has served a great purpose for me. It has been in my sig since as long as I have known what a sig was. So, thank you Eric and Sylpher, and please, make another one

It will get used. Just because you don't always see it doesn't mean it doesn't help people out.

InstaGame changed my life!

later,
-junc

Privateer Puddin' · Tue 08/06/2004 08:29:45

I would have to agree with juncmodule here

i've used IG extensively since it's release. art (or lack of) is the reason nothing proper of mine has been finished, IG has allowed me to try what i wanted with ags without having to do a whole new set of art on the side of the stuff i already do..

I did start making one proper game with it, but it turned out to be a silly star wars / trek spoof

Gilbert · Tue 08/06/2004 10:53:34

Quote from: redruM on Tue 08/06/2004 06:42:32
I guess some people just don't like to use "standardized" graphics, which would make a lot of games feel the same. I know I wouldn't.

Right, don't use that generic emotionless spaceman, use Roger instead -->

Actually I think the IG should got its content increased, currently there're only a few errr... things in it, making all games made with it looked identical.

YOke · Tue 08/06/2004 11:13:18

I would have to chalk myself up as one of the people who used the instagame gfx for testing the AGS engine.
I agree with Gilbot that the pack is a bit low on content. Maybe packing it all into a template would make it more accessible to people?

Andail · Tue 08/06/2004 11:56:56

All it needs is more backgrounds, in various themes.

Gilbert · Tue 08/06/2004 11:59:18

More characters, too, like a space girl in tank top.

SSH · Tue 08/06/2004 14:20:28

You could make an Insta-Game .agt file template... that would make it even easier to use.

Moox · Tue 08/06/2004 15:08:14

I downloaded it to use as reference when drawing or for an occasional hour game i never upload. My main problem with it is the fact they are pcx files, I didnt have a converter till a while ago. Many people dont have psp or photoshop etc...

Dave Gilbert · Tue 08/06/2004 15:14:40

Quote from: MrColossal on Tue 08/06/2004 06:08:23

The reason IG was created was because people complain about not being able to make graphics easily and people always link them to RON, so I was hoping that IG would act as a secondary source for games that didn't have to take place in RON.

Oops.

Sam. · Tue 08/06/2004 17:28:37

i think IG would be tonnes better if it was more of a tutorial source like with walk animations and wireframes of different roms so people could colour things and do their own characters but alot easier. Could it maybe include some basic codes as well? I used instagame when i first started and it helped me loads. it gave me a good point to learn graphics form.

LGM · Tue 08/06/2004 17:37:50

I would've used IG, but at that time.. I had no idea what character went with what or how to exactly cut them all out and little stupid things like that.

It was just kindof a big mess of good art I wanted to use, but didn't exactly know HOW..

And yes, there wasn't much to choose from.

MrColossal · Tue 08/06/2004 19:26:18

Quote from: juncmodule on Tue 08/06/2004 08:18:10
On the other hand There was one problem with insta game. Unless if you were making a space game you were rather stuck.

I would love to see an insta game 2 where you have a basic male schmo, female schmo-et, with basic walk animations, and a basic small town for them to walk around in. I think this could open up the possibilities a little.

Heh but this makes no sense! If we did that people would have said "Now we're stuck making a game set in a town!"

And I disagree that you couldn't make a serious game with IG.

However I never thought of the whole unable to open PCX files thingie [and at the time I thought MSPaint could open them because that's what I used to make my Alien Test Game...]

zooty: I already have tons of tutorials on my site and I even made a tutorial just for making backgrounds for Insta Game. All the colours I used came with the game so you didn't have to guess or load a room up to steal colours, I still think people would have just taken the wire frame walk cycles and used them for other games.

as for there being too little art in the pack: RON started with even less. 3 walking characters and 8 backgrounds [about] and that took off somehow. Here are 3 walking characters and tons of backgrounds and objects and things and nothing.

Again I'm not whining and comlaining just very curious.

Phemar · Tue 08/06/2004 19:36:45

I tried to use IG at some stage, but all the animations were bundled into one file, and had to be split up before being imported into AGS...

MrColossal · Tue 08/06/2004 19:43:05

you mean a sprite sheet?

LGM · Tue 08/06/2004 19:50:31

Yes.. If they were already .cha files, then way more people would use it, I think.. Lazyness of people is not good.. But if you don't take it into consideration, your projects will fail.

Anyways.. Yes.. That's what I forgot about.. The PCX file format threw me off. Paint saves in PCX, I believe.. But it mucks up everything due to compression rates and God knows what else.. And the spritesheets did too.. Mainly because I'm not a pixel artist.

juncmodule · Tue 08/06/2004 20:41:36

QuoteHeh but this makes no sense! If we did that people would have said "Now we're stuck making a game set in a town!"

No!

I mean do it now, not if you had done it instead of. I'm talking about expanding IG.

For me IG allowed me to learn how to import things into AGS, so having characters .cha files would kind of take that away. How is anyone ever going to learn? They already don't have to create their own graphics. That type of person doesn't have the dedication to finish a quality game anyway.

Regarding the PCX thing, I can't imagine that there isn't something out there that is free that would open them. However, I think since BMP is more widely available it would probably be better to convert them to it.

So, Eric, do you intend on doing any more with IG? Or are you just wondering why there is such little use of it?

later,
-junc

mätzyboy · Tue 08/06/2004 21:35:05

I was interested in IG for a while, but I couldn't find it. It was some time ago and I think I searched the forums for it, giving a lot of results, though none showing a link of where to find it. But 5000 downloads does seem to prove me wrong about it being hard to find.

Question/Suggestion: Can people add things they make for use in the IG environment, i.e. their own characters, backgrounds, objects, for other people to use? That would make the whole thing grow by itself, giving more possibilities of use.

just a thought....

Dave Gilbert · Tue 08/06/2004 23:38:03

It's been awhile, but I think I redrew some IG pics for "A Better Mousetrap." I took the desert oasis and a forest picture and merged them to create a forest with a lake. I think I might have done some others, but I don't remember.

Of course, I don't know if Mousetraps qualifies as an Insta-game anyway.