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To a developer, easy cross-platform compatibility is great. But compatibility among platforms in different markets is priceless.

I love free stuff. If I can get cross-platform development for free (or close), I'll take it. The ability to create a substantial application and have it run well on Windows, Mac OS, and Linux means I can reach a greater audience. But what XNA promises is almost impossible to resist: the ability to develop a substantial game that runs on your desktop, in your livingroom, and on your keychain -- three large markets that do not directly compete.

Applications drive an operating system; a stack of exceptional programs give consumers a reason to buy your OS. A complaint I've long had with Palm is that they haven't made it easier to develop for Palm OS. Microsoft gives its development environment away for free. In fact, it's possible to develop simple games concurrently for Windows Desktop and Pocket PC. If XNA can make it possible for a small studio such as mine to develop our more complex offerings concurrently for Windows and Pocket PC, will I care about Palm OS, Mac OS, or Linux?

What I'd like to see from companies such as Apple and PalmSource are environments like Torque, which makes it possible to write for Windows, Mac OS, and Linux by abstracting each environment. But Torque is really an ad-hoc solution (in both senses of the term); it's not a hollistic system, and it's not supported by the OS vendors. Though an awkward combination, if it were possible to develop substantial applications for Mac OS, Palm OS, and Windows, I might. But if XNA allows me to develop substantial applications for Windows, Pocket PC, and the Xbox concurrently -- three different, juicy markets -- that's even better.

Seeing as how none of the other replies mentioned it, one reason is to do cutting-edge OpenGL development under Linux. There is significant interest in doing Linux game development using cross-platform toolkits of various types. One example is Garage Game's Torque engine. Write to that, and get Windows, Mac and Linux support with very little (if any) tweaking. IMO, Linux is the best and most cost-effective platform for game development.

This is why, once again, my next video card purchase will most likely be from NVIDIA. I'll get ATI if I manage a G5... ;-) (I wonder how soon the G5s will get these cards?)

I saw these guys at the Linux Desktop Summit...

GarageGames

They have some fun games, and a great startup kit to make your own.

I'm hoping that Electronic Arts's transition from boutique software house to publishing juggernaut leaves room for -- well -- other boutique software houses. Many here must recall the early days of EA. They published titles that their small teams were passionate about; and while I've enjoyed many of EA's recent, grander offerings, they appeal to me in a much different way.

For the time being, the advent of a middleware industry is making it easier -- not harder -- for smaller studios to produce good-looking titles with depth. Consider that there are many audio libraries, 3D engines, and AI middleware libraries which are quite reasonably priced. Smaller studios seem to go strange and wonderful directions with these; (if you haven't already, try some of the Indie Game Jam titles, which make use of a simple, standardized physics engine).

I labor under the impression that the gaming public has a desire for boutique products; if I'm wrong, I don't mind taking my licks and moving to something more productive.

"If Microsoft can woo more developers to Xbox, the balance of power in the next round could change."

I'm blatantly biased here, but I'd be thrilled if Microsoft were to make overtures to the independent game developer community. Some noises were made along those lines in November, 2000, but they didn't follow up tangibly. As an independent developer, I don't feel drawn towards Xbox development the way I did, Pocket PC development. In that arena, MS gave the development tools away for free, (something I always felt Palm should have done to keep Pocket PC from gaining market share from 2001 onward).

Xbox development is said to be technically similar to Windows desktop development, so from a development standpoint, I imagine that authors of 95/2K/XP software would feel comfortable developing for the console. Further, 3d engines such as Torque and Conitec's 3DGS make it possible for modest-sized groups to develop popular titles. But both the developers of such engines, and the developers of games, face restrictions imposed by the console manufacturer(s). Conitec's Doug Poston states his case -- the manufacturers make the cost-of-entry too high for smaller studios.

Does the manufacturer-imposed barrier-to-entry for console development raise the quality of games, or does it mean fewer interesting titles and less experimentation? (I suppose the businessman-side of me would be thrilled if larger studios abandoned the desktop PC, leaving the market open. But somehow, I think that'd be a phyrric victory for all of us.)

I was working for Garage Games at this conference.

The large robot game is Dark Horizon's: Lore and it will be released for linux in a few weeks. It is already available for windows and osx.

We also showed Think Tanks, Orbz, and Marble Blast. All of these are available for windows, mac and linux, from the Garage Games site.

We did NOT demo Doom. People were playing that because some of the machines didn't have good enough 3D acceleration (i.e. no nvidia cards) to run the other games.

I was working for Garage Games at this conference.

The large robot game is Dark Horizon's: Lore and it will be released for linux in a few weeks. It is already available for windows and osx.

We also showed Think Tanks, Orbz, and Marble Blast. All of these are available for windows, mac and linux, from the Garage Games site.

We did NOT demo Doom. People were playing that because some of the machines didn't have good enough 3D acceleration (i.e. no nvidia cards) to run the other games.

The Torque Networking Library is being GPL'd, not the entire Torque engine.

At least that's my understanding. But yeah, I'm sure they do have some better stuff up their sleaves. Checking out the headlines on GarageGames.com, it looks like they have a Shader engine coming out soon too. Pretty crazy s***, especially for such low prices.

Does anyone know for sure: when it comes out, if you license Torque Shaders, you get the source code too, right??

Well, it may not be completely free but you can buy an engine license for Torque which *IS* the tribes engine.

There are demos on the GarageGames website, some of them run on Linux, download a few for yourself and see. If your system meets all of the requirements (P2-500 or higher, 256M of RAM, NVidia TNT2 or higher, OpenGL/Mesa and SDL, the games that specify that they run on Linux will (as far as I've experienced) run without problems.

If you are talking about writing games yourself, it depends how you write the game. With the Torque engine, you get the source code for the engine itself and you basically do your own thing. If you add a lot of Windows-specific C++, you are just asking to have issues when you try and port it. If you write a game specifically for Linux, though, obviously, it will not be a problem. The best thing to do is download the Torque engine demo from the GarageGames site and give it a try, and if you like what you see, get the Indie developer license for the Torque engine source code ($100). The features that come with the engine make it a lucrative proposition - commercial quality games are possible (Tribes 2 uses the Torque engine, for example).

OpenGL is used in the Torque engine alongside Direct3D (D3D on Windows, OpenGL on Mac and Linux). It would be great if OpenGL could eclipse Direct3D, and become the premiere 3D platform once again. Perhaps we will see this with the release of OpenGL 2.0, but for a few years Direct3D has been slowly but surely catching up and then surpassing the aging OpenGL standard.

A lot of our customers demand Linux in their solutions (networked gaming terminals) to avoid the cost of licensing Windows XP Embedded for each machine, and the option so far has been to go the Mesa/OpenGL/SDL route (WineX is still too slow for what we do), which, while it has worked, is technically slightly inferior to our Windows equivalents. Hopefully OpenGL 2.0 will change this.

Chain reaction was done by the same guy that made T.I.M.

Its more stuff like ThinkTanks, that feature kinda psuedo-unique gameplay that's a bit hard to master but very fun. Reminds me of the good old days of shareware games on DOS.

The big companies aren't willing to take any risks. That's why there is GarageGames.

...gaming is next to be rearranged by OSS and ultracheap top quality stuff. As I said the other day.
Unless MS comes forward with DX9 and some good tools for Linux I don't see this taking off.

Pangea Software have a lot of fun games for kids. Take a look at Enigmo , it's a great puzzle game.

There is also The Incredible Machine but it may only works on OS 9.

If you want something a little more "arcade", you can find on GarageGames Marble Blast .

And FroGames will soon release a fun racing game : MiniOne Racing . (ad)

These independant game designers make games for MAC/PC/Linux.. very cool. I purchased the Bridge Construction Set. Go here: Garage Games

This is a geek site, isn't it?
Where is the Linux version? What you say?
XBOX Version but no Linux version?
OK. Bye.

I'm not buying any new windows games anymore. Yet I am thinking about how diffcult it would be to build an free/open sneak person shooter like Metal Gear Solid/Thief/Splinter Cell. Especially with engines like this one.

I have attempted to work as good as I can, see what you think of my game, it is a bit difficult to wear the hats of Programmer, Designer, Developer, Musician, and Artist!

Well, I just downloaded your game. One of the things I like about this is that I take your comments at a higher value seeing that you're actually "down in it" building games on your own. I think your kind of game could really appeal to a lot of people.

First of all, as the article describes, the industry is really stretched by new 3D worlds that require huge investments of time, staff, and money. Getting back to the lone developer model of gaming, or even a 2 or 3 person development team, could be one solution. Also, if you visit Usenet groups like comp.sys.ibm.pc.games.rpg, you'll find a lot of people who miss isometric games with smaller, tighter storylines. I personally would love to buy a few games like Baldur's Gate 1 & 2, but which had only maybe 20 hours of gameplay, instead of 60. Those games would be more "complete-able" by 30-something and 40-something parents (like me), and more "build-able" by developers like you. And we seem to be a bigger part of the market nowadays anyway.

Garage Games is also catering to this market, at least in part. Smaller games, simple in scope, faster development & deployment, but great gameplay. I would encourage you to do more of this. I think the only difficulty is getting the word out, especially if you hope to charge money for the game. I don't know how you'd draw in traffic, except to say that Google's AdWords might be useful.

I just recently discovered the Torque engine. $100 gets you the complete engine source behind games like Tribes 2. Pretty amazing stuff, its piqued my interest for sure.

You dont have to write mega epics, and you dont have to expect millions in return. Write what you love and just enjoy the creative process. There's so many more free engines out there too. I just wish people would get back into designing fun, easily accessible games rather than taking the benchmark against these million dollar budget titles that take years to make.

EA has bought its way to the top. Bullfrog, Westwood, Maxis, Origin have all fallen before the giant. Eliminating whole divisions--even highly successful ones--is nothing new. Just ask the people from Dynamix who got chopped shortly after Tribes 2 became a hit.

Infogrames, er, Atari, is no better. They went a from a small publishing house to one of the titans of the games industry by buying everything they could. Adopting the name "Atari," plastering it over their corporate monolith as a relatively cheap facade (the company was only a few million dollars) is, to me, the most cynical thing I've seen from a gaming company in a long time. Yet, there is no media outrage, not even a notice that they're a completely different company that adopted the same name.

Creativity is dead. There are no more juicy steaks of games, no more Command and Conquers or Homeworlds, the games that bring gaming into a whole new dimension, at least from the major houses. Instead, we get reheated leftovers or ground chuck, tossed on a bun and served up McDonalds style. Yet another game in the same series, yet another Sims expansion back--Is this the future of gaming that you want? This is the future of gaming as in the hands of EA and "Atari." EA did not produce a new, original game in 2003--only rehashes and expansions.

Support an independent developer with fresh ideas, or support an open-source game. Look to the endless parade of closed studios and stifled creativity, sequels following the same pattern, only with few shiny new features. Is this the way you want your games? Or do you want something fresh and new?

I'd would suggest ThinkTanks as it's reasonably cheap, runs on Linux, Mac and Windows and is easy and fun to play. I downloaded and played the demo for a couple of days before ordering the full version. Love it. Good for firing up for an half hour (or 5) and getting in a few rounds of scrum

Interesting. The first interesting Torque Engine releases that I've seen. Strong network code here.

I happen to like Orbz. It can get boring after a while, but for some quick cheap multi-player fun, its pretty good.

Windows, Mac and Linux versions here...

to just learning and mastering level design? While level design is an art form in and of itself, you will be much more marketable if you have skills in other areas of game development. Get one of the cheap engines, like Torque - $100(http://www.garagegames.com) or even a free one like Crystal Space 3D (http://crystal.sourceforge.net) and learn as much as you can about the overall process of making games. There's TONS of them available (3D Engine List) and you'll be one step up on everyone else. Soon you'll be on your way to making the real money in the game industry... which is being a producer. Just my 2 cents...

The first thing you should do is hop on over to 3D Buzz. They have video tutorials that you can download for free. Thats how I learned to use Unreal Ed. Unreal Ed is easy to use compared to any of the other editors that I tried. I tried the Valve Editor for Half Life. It is also very good but a little more difficult to learn than Unreal Ed I found. Maybe it was because I didn't have the easy video tutorials though.

I also used the Neverwinter Nights Editor which was pretty easy to learn just using my previous knowledge and experience with other editors. You might want to start with something REALLY basic if you don't have any experience at all. Try making some levels with the Starcraft Editor. It is very very basic. If you know C++(or any language like it) that will be a big asset too because any of the really cool stuff that you can do to create dynamic events is done with script in any editor that you pick.

I'm also interested in getting into game design. One of the things you can do is to get a group of people together and create a mod. That is one way of getting in the door. I think you'll find it hard to get into a game company without a resume with some actual experience with a published game. Otherwise they won't even look at you.

You can also search on google for free 3D engines, or inexpensive ones like Torque. I've also entered the Make Something Unreal Contest. The first round is over but I think you can still enter the second two rounds. I could be wrong on that though.

I have done level design for a few engines and a number of different games. I do it as a hobby, so I am no professional. The most fun I have had designing maps, though, has been with the Torque Engine.

I say this not because it is the most advanced engine out there, but because I have actually done work on games and not mods. A few of my maps will actually be released in the wrapped version of the independent games I have worked on. That is a cool feeling.

By working with the torque engine on an indie game, I also get to work with the engine developers to add needed features.

As far as the tools used to create the maps, QuArk is used to create buildings (that same site has more information) and an in-game map editor.

Capitalism can be most rewarding to those people who take those risks. Do they usually fail? Absolutely, but those people who keep trying are the ones who eventually succeed. The individual DOES make a difference here, because they have the power, along with everyone else, to make a change by choosing what they will and will not buy. Collectively, this is a powerful force.... A "Market force" if you will. :-)

If gaming companies only look out for themselves, and snub the consumer, there WILL be a backlash, and the consumer will definately turn to those people who can fill the gap. Some of the best games comming out are made by indie developers. Just checkout Garage Games. They have some really new and refreshing games out there, and a community that supports them! I definately do. Check out Mutant Storm. Its one of my favorites.

Capitalism can be most rewarding to those people who take those risks. Do they usually fail? Absolutely, but those people who keep trying are the ones who eventually succeed. The individual DOES make a difference here, because they have the power, along with everyone else, to make a change by choosing what they will and will not buy. Collectively, this is a powerful force.... A "Market force" if you will. :-)

If gaming companies only look out for themselves, and snub the consumer, there WILL be a backlash, and the consumer will definately turn to those people who can fill the gap. Some of the best games comming out are made by indie developers. Just checkout Garage Games. They have some really new and refreshing games out there, and a community that supports them! I definately do. Check out Mutant Storm. Its one of my favorites.

This project is not only "technologicallty feasible" it has been done before, did no one played tribes and tribes 2? I mean seriously, halo, battlefield 1942 and call of duty are based on concepts they invented. Yet everyone thinks they are revolutionary.

Actually in Halo you can only handle terrain vehicles, while in Tribes2 you are able to drive flying ships and have passengers, pilots and bombers on them. Also you were able to switch armors AND have a trird person view.

Heck , ANYONE with enough coding knowledge,a budget and some talent can give a try to code a game like this, they sell their engine for $100 at GarageGames.com

Wanting to break into the area of indie game development myself, is that the way to go? Or what? Anyone have any experience in this area?

Well, poster, all the stuff you listed is major publishing mainstream content. It is widely known that usually, and even more so in times of low sales, slow economy, etc., mainstream publishers will shun any and all risk and put out nothing but surefire titles, i.e. either sequels or stuff with a movie license.

So if you look for originality, you're simply looking in the wrong place.

Some of the original games I've bought and/or played (some are free) this year:
(note: I'm Linux-only, so these games are as well, you might find even more in the windos or console world)

Marble Blast
3D roll-marble-around and complete puzzles game.
Originality factor: Combining marble games with FPS and turning it into a fast-paced, thrilling action game.

Bridge Construction Set (only played the demo on this one)
Build a bridge game. Simple, fun, addictive. It is a sequel to an older game of the same kind, by the same guy.
Originality factor: I don't know any other games of this kind, the idea is brilliant.

Orbz
Shoot-yourself-around-the-track game. Somewhat tricky to describe what exactly it is about.
Originality factor: No other game of this kind exists, AFAIK.

Scorched 3D
3D Clone of Scorched Earth.
Originality factor: While the idea is old, this is one of the few games really benefiting from the 3rd dimension, and it was done greatly. It is one of the few "clone" games that are actually more original than most of the "original" games you find which just rehash a basic idea (FPS, RTS, ...) without adding anything new.

Savage
A blend between RTS and FPS.
Originality factor: Combining two genres in a unique blend. No, it wasn't done this way before. It's not an RTS with first-person perspective for the commander, it actually is a full-blown FPS for all the non-commander players.

BattleMaster
Ok, shameless plug, this is my own game. I do, however, honestly think that it's quite original.
(it's a turn-based, multiplayer strategy game)

You will note all of these games come from small or independent developers.

Games are really like music in that regard: If you are looking for originality, look to the small and unknown. If you are looking for polished, perfectly produced, know-what-you-get stuff, shop in the mainstream.

Well, poster, all the stuff you listed is major publishing mainstream content. It is widely known that usually, and even more so in times of low sales, slow economy, etc., mainstream publishers will shun any and all risk and put out nothing but surefire titles, i.e. either sequels or stuff with a movie license.

So if you look for originality, you're simply looking in the wrong place.

Some of the original games I've bought and/or played (some are free) this year:
(note: I'm Linux-only, so these games are as well, you might find even more in the windos or console world)

Marble Blast
3D roll-marble-around and complete puzzles game.
Originality factor: Combining marble games with FPS and turning it into a fast-paced, thrilling action game.

Bridge Construction Set (only played the demo on this one)
Build a bridge game. Simple, fun, addictive. It is a sequel to an older game of the same kind, by the same guy.
Originality factor: I don't know any other games of this kind, the idea is brilliant.

Orbz
Shoot-yourself-around-the-track game. Somewhat tricky to describe what exactly it is about.
Originality factor: No other game of this kind exists, AFAIK.

Scorched 3D
3D Clone of Scorched Earth.
Originality factor: While the idea is old, this is one of the few games really benefiting from the 3rd dimension, and it was done greatly. It is one of the few "clone" games that are actually more original than most of the "original" games you find which just rehash a basic idea (FPS, RTS, ...) without adding anything new.

Savage
A blend between RTS and FPS.
Originality factor: Combining two genres in a unique blend. No, it wasn't done this way before. It's not an RTS with first-person perspective for the commander, it actually is a full-blown FPS for all the non-commander players.

BattleMaster
Ok, shameless plug, this is my own game. I do, however, honestly think that it's quite original.
(it's a turn-based, multiplayer strategy game)

You will note all of these games come from small or independent developers.

Games are really like music in that regard: If you are looking for originality, look to the small and unknown. If you are looking for polished, perfectly produced, know-what-you-get stuff, shop in the mainstream.

Well, poster, all the stuff you listed is major publishing mainstream content. It is widely known that usually, and even more so in times of low sales, slow economy, etc., mainstream publishers will shun any and all risk and put out nothing but surefire titles, i.e. either sequels or stuff with a movie license.

So if you look for originality, you're simply looking in the wrong place.

Some of the original games I've bought and/or played (some are free) this year:
(note: I'm Linux-only, so these games are as well, you might find even more in the windos or console world)

Marble Blast
3D roll-marble-around and complete puzzles game.
Originality factor: Combining marble games with FPS and turning it into a fast-paced, thrilling action game.

Bridge Construction Set (only played the demo on this one)
Build a bridge game. Simple, fun, addictive. It is a sequel to an older game of the same kind, by the same guy.
Originality factor: I don't know any other games of this kind, the idea is brilliant.

Orbz
Shoot-yourself-around-the-track game. Somewhat tricky to describe what exactly it is about.
Originality factor: No other game of this kind exists, AFAIK.

Scorched 3D
3D Clone of Scorched Earth.
Originality factor: While the idea is old, this is one of the few games really benefiting from the 3rd dimension, and it was done greatly. It is one of the few "clone" games that are actually more original than most of the "original" games you find which just rehash a basic idea (FPS, RTS, ...) without adding anything new.

Savage
A blend between RTS and FPS.
Originality factor: Combining two genres in a unique blend. No, it wasn't done this way before. It's not an RTS with first-person perspective for the commander, it actually is a full-blown FPS for all the non-commander players.

BattleMaster
Ok, shameless plug, this is my own game. I do, however, honestly think that it's quite original.
(it's a turn-based, multiplayer strategy game)

You will note all of these games come from small or independent developers.

Games are really like music in that regard: If you are looking for originality, look to the small and unknown. If you are looking for polished, perfectly produced, know-what-you-get stuff, shop in the mainstream.

That would be Bridge Construction set, also a Garage Games creation.

I had great fun with the Bridge construction set indy game. Well, the demo, I'm too cheap to buy a $20 game. Of course, I'm also the guy who watches "When buildings collapse".

Seems like a pretty silly game, but I ran my demo time out and am seriously considering buying the full version. Orbz 2 demo and screenshots can be found here. Seriously, don't knock until you try it out.

an independent resurrection of a type of gameplay that was accidentally (bug) introduced in the first game of a franchise, was LOVED TO PEICES by the fanbase and introduced thousands of players to the game, and then was nixed in the second installment because an arrogant jackass

Actually, I'm one of about 5 Tribes players who liked the game a lot before they learned about skiing.

I also liked skiing. I was a pretty good flag runner for a while.

Point is: Many of the maps had not been designed with skiing in mind, and it showed. It would've rocked completely if it had been a server or map option ("skiing on/off"). I'd definitely have played both kinds, but if you just want to play on skiing servers, that'd be fine with me.

As to legends: From what I've seen it rocks. Also don't forget to mention that while it's based on the T2 engine, there have been quite a few improvements made to Torque.

I would recommend checking out Legends. The gameplay, weapons and physics are very similar to Tribes (in my opinion). It uses the same engine as Tribes 2 (Torque), but with many more bug fixes and updates.

Like I said in the subject, it is still Beta, but it does have a Linux Release and its free.

Dark Horizons: Lore is another Torque game that is also in open beta, but you need to sign up for it. I haven't played it yet, but I hear it is fantastic.

Support your local Indie Game developers!

check out the goods at GarageGames. They have several great games available for linux (download the demos to see how well they work - well for me!) like Think Tanks and Orbz. Check out Marble Blast as well, although it's not multiplayer. Priced reasonably at $20 too!

Oh, and how about TuxRacer commercial? The demo's quite fun.

Must... resist... urge....

Damnit, I knew I couldn't resist! Keep your eye on a game called Trajectory Zone. Beta 3 (it's a closed beta, sorry - but you can contact the author for beta signup information) The screenshots only show some of the environments, but you can also see some of the cool random level generation toys and the toys for modders (Trajectory Zone has an IDE in it. Not exactly normal for a game... :-) Or you can take a look here at another couple o' screenshots, including how particle based nuclear explosions look in the game.

However, this isn't just Scorched Earth in 3D. It's got the classic turn based play if you want, or a new simultaneous fire resolution mode (everyone locks in a shot, and they all fire at once), or you can get nasty with it and play the realtime versions of the game. There's just.... LOTS of cool stuff in there. And of course, it's going to be available for Windows, Linux, and Mac OSX.

Sorry - couldn't help but plug the game. I'm the owner of Midnight Ryder Technologies (the company doing Trajectory Zone), and plugging the game is just one of those things that's almost reflex these days :-)

Must... resist... urge....

Damnit, I knew I couldn't resist! Keep your eye on a game called Trajectory Zone. Beta 3 (it's a closed beta, sorry - but you can contact the author for beta signup information) The screenshots only show some of the environments, but you can also see some of the cool random level generation toys and the toys for modders (Trajectory Zone has an IDE in it. Not exactly normal for a game... :-) Or you can take a look here at another couple o' screenshots, including how particle based nuclear explosions look in the game.

However, this isn't just Scorched Earth in 3D. It's got the classic turn based play if you want, or a new simultaneous fire resolution mode (everyone locks in a shot, and they all fire at once), or you can get nasty with it and play the realtime versions of the game. There's just.... LOTS of cool stuff in there. And of course, it's going to be available for Windows, Linux, and Mac OSX.

Sorry - couldn't help but plug the game. I'm the owner of Midnight Ryder Technologies (the company doing Trajectory Zone), and plugging the game is just one of those things that's almost reflex these days :-)

Must... resist... urge....

Damnit, I knew I couldn't resist! Keep your eye on a game called Trajectory Zone. Beta 3 (it's a closed beta, sorry - but you can contact the author for beta signup information) The screenshots only show some of the environments, but you can also see some of the cool random level generation toys and the toys for modders (Trajectory Zone has an IDE in it. Not exactly normal for a game... :-) Or you can take a look here at another couple o' screenshots, including how particle based nuclear explosions look in the game.

However, this isn't just Scorched Earth in 3D. It's got the classic turn based play if you want, or a new simultaneous fire resolution mode (everyone locks in a shot, and they all fire at once), or you can get nasty with it and play the realtime versions of the game. There's just.... LOTS of cool stuff in there. And of course, it's going to be available for Windows, Linux, and Mac OSX.

Sorry - couldn't help but plug the game. I'm the owner of Midnight Ryder Technologies (the company doing Trajectory Zone), and plugging the game is just one of those things that's almost reflex these days :-)

There is nothing remotely offensive in this game - it is easy to play and flat out fun. Most importantly, you support the indie game dev community when you buy it at Garage Games Nuff said!

That said, there are a few well managed ones and/or developers with big enough hits that they can stay around a long time - Stormfront Studios is still in business I believe, and id Software isn't going anywhere any time soon. Some of the more successful developers deliberately decide to be absorbed into a big company, too, like Blizzard or Westwood - and didn't Valve do that also?

The other route is to keep expenses tiny, always, and just keep making games until they pry the keyboard and mouse out of your cold, dead, fingers. The fellow that did the Dink Smallwood games is still at it, at the Independent Games Festival I saw his teenage lawnmower game. I've been running my own Dragon's Eye Productions for over 10 years now, and doing better than ever. PopCap Games is doing really great (and their games are tons of fun, so they deserve it), and there's too many shareware, freeware, flash and java games and game sites to even mention. Yes, a lot of them suck, but there's some good ones too. There's a lot of interesting looking games at dexterity.com for one. I still hope that Garage Games will thrive, too - they're doing original game development using the Tribes 2 3D engine (which they made, at their last company). I don't think the development houses are dying any time soon - just some specific individual ones, which has happened pretty much every year, often with little fanfare.

ven if they're not quite up to the graphical, sound, or dialogue snuff of some major releases

That's the funny thing - many of them were up to snuff graphics and sound. (I didn't get to see FuzzeeeTeevee, so I can't speak about that one.) Not all of the games that appeared there were mentioned in the articles, nor were they in the competition, btw. Anyway - graphically, Dark Horizons: Lore, GravRally (which I can't find any links to at the moment!), and Trajectory Zone (our product) would set side by side with existing retail offerings. (However, don't expect something that looks like the Doom3 screenshots ;-) And sound? Well... pretty good actually :-) Unluckly, I can't show what they all sound like! :-)

Those types of people are great for the industry and it would be better that they sold their own games really well and got noticed by a big company and snatched up as a developer than if they couldn't make any money and had to get a job completely unrelated to video games.

I totally agree - this way, we get much cooler games (I was a huge fan of 21-6's Orbz - very different style of game that ROCKED!) and more innovation, instead of more sequils :-)

Ok, I gotta say it - one of my products had it's premier there at IGC '03. Trajectory Zone showed off for the first time to the public. That was a blast :-) (Keep in mind it's just it's first beta - beta 2 will be comming along here in the next two weeks or so.)

If you are an indie game developer lookin' for feedback, I highly recommend going to IGC next year with your game - there were 25 machine, and during any given ShowOFF session, you could get more face to face feedback about your game than you ever have had the chance to get before. Plus the organizers (GarageGames) did something smart - they also provide feedback forms for people to fill out. So no only do you get face to face feedback, you get 'annonymous' feedback where people don't have to worry quite so much about the effects of insulting the developer ;-) Plus, you get to WATCH them play the game - see what hangs the player up, what makes them laugh or curse, etc. It's unbelieveably great - testing across the Internet doesn't have nearly the power of doing it live.

Oh, and if you haven't looked at our game sneak peek yet... ;-)

No. This is clearly an attempt to compete with companies like GarageGames. I'm guessing that it will be met with a bit of fanfare. I can already see the ears perking and tongues lolling at the prospect of publishing a game using the Unreal Engine. This is tech that is largely out of reach for indie developers looking to sell their games due to the high price for a commercial license and now all of a sudden it's within reach.

"Wow, useful" is right, minus the cynicism.

Gamedev.net has a TON of resources relating to game development, including a giant reference section which points to a lot of information about anything game-related.

Related to your question, a good compromise between low-level OpenGL and a full game engine (or even a commercial one here) would be GLUT. Instead of giving a piss-poor explanation of what the GLUT library is all about, I'll just point you to their FAQ. For sound there is OpenAL or the ubiquitous FMOD.

Depending on what you're looking for, a library probably is out there just waiting for you to find it. Instead of asking very general questions like this, I highly recommend you check out a little search engine called Google to find libraries or engines that suit your specific needs. Cheers!