Money is really not important for us. There are other things with more value.
Yeah, probably it is different, since we have lots of free time and there are rarely students with part time jobs. Also, in our country there is nothing like game industry or game developers. Effort in order to be a pioneer at it is worth it, at least.
The game industry in general is becoming more and more saturated. Look at how much totally crap games are being released. Since when there is a really good game (not based on others) coming out? Evolution is not about copying and improving. It's about creating. We won't offer old ideas and we'll try new things instead.
“People in the industry have got jobs in game design from modding games, it's more likely to get in that way than making your own team.”
Sorry but that is a very wrong assumption and generalization.
Also, there are even more people trying to do mods for games they like, studying every detail of the game, how to import models into the game and such, wasting time in the end with one more of the tons of mods available and knowing nothing to few about game design. With indie, we not only have XBLA with XNA but there are hundreds of contests and competions for indie developers. Indie games are today's fashion. People no longer cry for the super graphics or super 20GB content. Players want FUN. They want GOOD games. They don't want to waste their time LEARNING how to play, they want to actually PLAY. These and more reasons make us a different, innovative and in many ways better indie team than your usual idea of indie team, believe me.
Why would we spend our time modding a game when we can use our own game engine and actually GET something? With our own game engine we can actually improve upon it, create something, not modify. Actually, this is on what most companies fail at the moment. They get something, modify it, say it's improved and sell it. We actually want to CREATE
Team 17 have some of the greatest games ever. Bethesda won't ever run from their “winning formula” so they might as well get modders for their RPG engine.
Other than that, what do companies get with more indie teams? Competion? New names to fear?
Look, we know it's hard, but everything worth getting always is. It might as well be hard in something we love.
It doesn't have to be a full time thing.
“There is some 3D stuff I'm sure you'd be able to pull off, as long as it's not a big epic story fantasy RPG thing.”
Don't worry, we won't make an Oblivion
I appreciate your apologies and no, we're not the “WE WANNA MAKE VIDEOGAMEZ AND BE RICH AS HELLZ” kind of people. We are very realistic and not seizing the opportunity (now that we have the free time) will be a really stupid thing to do. Soon we'll be working at full time in our boring as hell jobs and never get the time or spirit to risk it.
I appreciate your opinion and ideas but unless you want to take part in a mod team with us and assure us it will be 100% worth it in the end, we like our ideas better.
Sorry but Farmville is a stupid RPG-like brainless grind that offer no sense of achievement what-so-ever. I can't understand how people have “fun” playing it, honestly.
We'll try ^^. Thank you, mostly for your opinion