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Game Success

Have any games been published using Sphere? I'm just curious about past successes with the engine.

Re: Game Success

Reply #1 –
I'm pretty sure Sphere has a "no propriety use" license, which means you can't sell game or release them with intention to profit.
We've had small demos made, but as far as a full-scale game none has been completely made because mainly real-world priorities and time it would take.

If we'd built an honest team with the programming knowledge, skills, and team management, then we probably could.
However this has already been attempted once for a community game, but nothing became of it due to poor management and again, priorities.

We're an open-source community, so we establish ourselves and our projects around this idea, and small scale reception reinforces this ideology for the better.
Propriety-use would just limit ourselves even further in a user base. Reason: Nobody wants to buy cheap one manned projects that don't register in today's market.
Some do it mainly for the nostalgia, or artistic endeavor, or even perhaps practice leading to actual programming.

As far as official publishing, none to my knowledge.
Though Metallix could probably for his work on Aquatis. We all hope to see more of it someday.
And I think it was FireTalon who actually made a pretty sweet game called Rin's Quest (though not with Sphere).
So we tend to just release for the small share of enjoyment and entertainment purposes.

Re: Game Success

Reply #2 –
I just like showing off :)

Re: Game Success

Reply #3 –
Vakinox, what? There have been plenty of actually completed games made in Sphere! As for the definition of "publishing" here, that means no more than "putting it public". We all do that. And I don't understand how the open source argument is even relevant here. :P

There's been a few completed games, though usually they're not that large. Radnen's known for probably having the most completed projects. :) Beaker has some, and so does SDHawk, and I released Sir Boingers (which is small, and I want a v2, but nonetheless it's a complete stand-alone release). Flying Jester has some small stuff, and I'm sure I'm forgetting a lot of people who completed and released something or other.

When I get home, I'll be uploading these games on the games repository. When I do, the actual completed games will be appearing here.

Re: Game Success

Reply #4 –
As a senior Sphere member, I can honestly say that it is completely possible to make a commercial game with Sphere. In fact, if you want to you can ask the creators of the engine their input, but seeing as they perhaps almost forgot about its existence by now I doubt the source code is going to be that legally binding.

You can make a commercial game, it's GPL license does not stop you from doing that. Remember, commercial != closed source. That said, it really hasn't been done precisely for the reasons Vakinox suggested.

I have had thoughts of turning Blockman into a commercial project, seeing that Desura is really friendly to indie game devs. I'd probably start it at 5 dollars, or 10 depending on the content. Of course, it would have a completely free open source demo so you can learn how it was made, and use its code in your own games. But My pixel art has been getting better and I think my skills are really improving to the point where some of the content would be commercializable to the indie snes-oriented gaming audience.
If you use code to help you code you can use less code to code. Also, I have approximate knowledge of many things.

Sphere-sfml here
Sphere Studio editor here

Re: Game Success

Reply #5 –
Quote from: Vakinox – on

I'm pretty sure Sphere has a "no propriety use" license, which means you can't sell game or release them with intention to profit.


Incorrect.

The Sphere engine is GPLv2 and while nothing's legally stopping people from making commercial games that use the engine, the engine's design and execution is way more conducive to open projects. You can see the source of all the resources in a Sphere project if you really wanted to even if the thing has been compressed into an SPK, so Sphere users feel less compelled to make a commercial game with the engine since the packaging is so open.

Re: Game Success

Reply #6 –
That damn Vakinox and his "pretty sure" assumptions. Where does he get off?
Was just going off of the Wiki-page on the subject, I guess I misread it somewhere.
My bad.

Though, still say no full-scale games in the terms of RPGs and story-driven platformers have been made, for honest reasons why.
Mostly Demos and small projects finished to demonstrate what one can do with Sphere and to provide examples of scripts and projects.
That's atleast the way that I see it. Guess I could say that there have been completed projects for competitions, but they were still pretty small scale.
Radnen's tower defense game was definitely something I forgot, and was definitely pretty much complete.
And never got the chance to play Blockman, though kinda wanted to honestly.
I'd say the artwork, last time I seen, was definitely palpable and good enough to be launched for a suitable indie market.

As for Beaker and SDHawk, I hardly remember most of their projects, so my perspective is largely flawed and hardly accountable.
Though I think it was Beaker who made Midget Chainsaw Hands, which has to be one of my absolute favorite projects to play in my free time.
Which if anybody has a copy, feel free to link it. I've lost mine over the years.

And for reference, I took it to mean "published" as in actually bought/licensed/sold by a game publishing company, or made someway onto a marketing distribution site, or least gain some notoriety to be seen in a magazine article (literal "publishing").  Open source communities, according to my visits at Ycombinator, have a sort of attached stigma or following about them in regards to how one should publish and release the material they work on, which is relevant to the conversation.

Re: Game Success

Reply #7 –
Quote from: Vakinox – on

Though, still say no full-scale games in the terms of RPGs and story-driven platformers have been made, for honest reasons why.


Turbie, Jack, Midget Chainsaw Hands, Jesus Christ Bunny Rabit Hunter, Jäger (the rest of SDHawk), Trial and Error, Kefkas Revenge, Blockman, Hold the Line, Jump 3, Aquatis, and a few others. But they are very few and very far between. It's hard making a game by yourself to completion!

About Blockman: the first two were cute little games with okayish graphics. The newer one I'm working on will be loads better; a 100% closer realization of the game I originally wanted to make, but couldn't due to skill and design.
If you use code to help you code you can use less code to code. Also, I have approximate knowledge of many things.

Sphere-sfml here
Sphere Studio editor here

Re: Game Success

Reply #8 –
Quote
It's hard making a game by yourself to completion!


Which is precisely the reason I included "for honest reasons why" in the statement.

Most of those are not full-scale games, in fact I'd propose almost none of them are, so I don't know what you're attempting to argue.
By no means am I trying to devalue everyone's creative efforts, if that's how anyone including yourself is attempting to view it.
Just saying, call it like it is.

Few projects I recognize for sure, which I adore, as do others among us:
Aquatis, had immense extraordinary amounts of both extravagant, eloquent quality work and effort put into it, but was a demo.
Midget Chainsaw Hands, while a fun complete project, was a small-scale platformer.
Not bashing anyone, but most of these are definitely demos and small-scale projects, as they should be coming from a community made up of first-time developers and one-manned projects.
Nothing wrong with that, just nothing has come forth on the scale of Chrono Trigger, Final Fantasy, Oddworld, Return Fire, Doom, Mario Kart, etc and so on. which is the point that was being made.
It's insane to expect that level of work from one-manned development teams.
Full-scale projects are often much vibrant and bulkier in graphics, story, side-games, content, control, and detail.
That level of work should only be expected in the propriety field, which it is. Hopefully that's understood.


As for Blockman, personally can't wait to see what's been done, because I know it will be awesome.
 

Re: Game Success

Reply #9 –
You're making some good points (except on excluding KR and Trial and Error here I think! Those had big ambitions and a good amount of work done :P).

Quote
Nothing wrong with that, just nothing has come forth on the scale of Chrono Trigger, Final Fantasy, Oddworld, Return Fire, Doom, Mario Kart, etc and so on. which is the point that was being made.

Fair point, but the point was only being made from your side. AlexandrTheGreat just wanted to know about successes.

Re: Game Success

Reply #10 –
Quote from: DaVince – on

You're making some good points (except on excluding KR and Trial and Error here I think! Those had big ambitions and a good amount of work done


Afraid I haven't had the chance to play either one sadly.
I recognize Trial and Error by name, but don't even remember Kafka's Revenge.
Unless KR was the FF6 game somebody was remaking for sphere?

Re: Game Success

Reply #11 –
Quote from: Vakinox – on

Unless KR was the FF6 game somebody was remaking for sphere?

Well, kinda. It was a parody FF6 sequel with tons of humor and basically everything has gone to hell. It's also full of bugs, unfortunately, but it does have a few hours of gameplay.

See the downloads repo, in the folder Games (demos and incomplete).

Edit: I also uploaded a bunch of finished games! Those could be called successes. Go check it out. :)

Re: Game Success

Reply #12 –
@Vakinox: I see, you were looking for gameplay hours and features and stuff other than long demos. In that case only Jack and maybe KR would fit your bill completely.
If you use code to help you code you can use less code to code. Also, I have approximate knowledge of many things.

Sphere-sfml here
Sphere Studio editor here

Re: Game Success

Reply #14 –
Quote from: DaVince – on

It wouldn't - KR is long, but incomplete, after all. ;)


Oh, haha I never did complete it so I had no idea how long it went!
If you use code to help you code you can use less code to code. Also, I have approximate knowledge of many things.

Sphere-sfml here
Sphere Studio editor here