I'm trying to start a small business developing 16bit style games and I need to do some research for my business plan. So I've put together this short questionnaire to find out what people are looking for. For your response simply copy the survey text below and delete the answers you don't wont.
Do you like games from the 8 to 16 bit era such as Super Nintendo or Mega Drive/Genesis games?
Yes / No
Would you be prepared to buy a new game made in a retro style?
Yes / No
Would you prefer to play retro games complete with retro graphics or would you prefer retro game play with more modern graphics?
Old Graphics / New Graphics
Some aspects of retro games are considered annoying or frustrating by today's standards. Such as flying back 10 feet into spikes or death pits when hit, one hit wonders or enemies being able to hit you multiple times. Would you like those kings of elements removed or would you rather play retro styled games “warts and all”?
Old Graphics / Warts and All
How much would you be willing to pay for a new game made in a retro style?
$10 / $15 / $20
What are your favourite aspects of retro games from the 8 and 16 bit era?
Well that's basically it. Pleas use the answers provided for the first 5 questions. You can use the last question to add any further comments you would like to make. My games will start out on PC and I may move on to making iphone and XBox Live Arcaid games later on.
Thanks for all your help
~Disthron
"Oh, my god! A lightning monster just ripped out this poor woman's eyes, and your mocking her shrubbery!" - The Spoony One
Do you like games from the 8 to 16 bit era such as Super Nintendo or Mega Drive/Genesis games?
Yes
Would you be prepared to buy a new game made in a retro style?
Yes
Would you prefer to play retro games complete with retro graphics or would you prefer retro game play with more modern graphics?
Old Graphics OR New Graphics. doesnt matter, as long as its good.
Retro Studios is proof of modern retro games. Metroid Primes is one of my all time favorite games. Retro-remakes are awesome but i still love a good old retro classic game.
Some aspects of retro games are considered annoying or frustrating by today's standards. Such as flying back 10 feet into spikes or death pits when hit, one hit wonders or enemies being able to hit you multiple times. Would you like those kings of elements removed or would you rather play retro styled games “warts and all”?
most of those aspects are aspects of BAD retro games. there are not very many true classics that i would find very frustrating now days. if they stand the test of time then they are truly retro classics. i would also like to mention shadow complex by chair entertainment. takes the classic metroidvania style game and puts modern day graphics and gameplay in it. while not having played it its highly recommended, and looks fantastic fun.
How much would you be willing to pay for a new game made in a retro style?
5$ or under is usually good price for a bite sized retro game nowadays. unless the effort shows and the content is there to back up a 10$ 15$ or 20$ price tag, youre probably going to do terribly in sales. you'll probably have a lot of pains in marketing and the likes as well if you want to get your game out there at those prices as well. word of mouth only goes so far.
What are your favourite aspects of retro games from the 8 and 16 bit era?
i love a good sidescrolling platformer or rpg.
good luck with this btw. there arent many games made with clickteam products id pay for. the ones i WOULD pay for are free.
Edited by Cecilectomy
n/a
Assault Andy Administrator
I make other people create vaporware
Registered 29/07/2002
Points 5686
21st November, 2009 at 08:17:18 -
Are you a fan of retro games?
Yes
Do you like games from the 8 to 16 bit era such as Super Nintendo or Mega Drive/Genesis games?
Yes
Would you be prepared to buy a new game made in a retro style?
Yes
Would you prefer to play retro games complete with retro graphics or would you prefer retro game play with more modern graphics?
Doesn't matter (same as Cecil)
Some aspects of retro games are considered annoying or frustrating by today's standards. Such as flying back 10 feet into spikes or death pits when hit, one hit wonders or enemies being able to hit you multiple times. Would you like those kings of elements removed or would you rather play retro styled games “warts and all”?
Removed. Just because it's "retro" doesn't mean it has to suffer from bad game design. Make the game fun to play.
How much would you be willing to pay for a new game made in a retro style?
$10 - more only if it was really good.
What are your favourite aspects of retro games from the 8 and 16 bit era?
Fast Paced Action. Co-Op things are also fun.
Do you like games from the 8 to 16 bit era such as Super Nintendo or Mega Drive/Genesis games?
Yes
Would you be prepared to buy a new game made in a retro style?
Yes, if it was good
Would you prefer to play retro games complete with retro graphics or would you prefer retro game play with more modern graphics?
Both, retro has its charm but newer graphics can add so much more detail and set the scene better.
Some aspects of retro games are considered annoying or frustrating by today's standards. Such as flying back 10 feet into spikes or death pits when hit, one hit wonders or enemies being able to hit you multiple times. Would you like those kings of elements removed or would you rather play retro styled games “warts and all”?
Warts and All
How much would you be willing to pay for a new game made in a retro style?
$15
What are your favourite aspects of retro games from the 8 and 16 bit era?
The mystery. Most new games, even lots of the indie games I've played seem to have removed the mystery. Playing stuff like Turrican or other classic games have lots of intricate secrets that sometimes just dont show up at all. As a kid they always puzzled me (in Turrican theres a flashing sign on level 2-3 that sometimes appears, which lead me into so many hours of just testing to see what triggered it).
Do you like games from the 8 to 16 bit era such as Super Nintendo or Mega Drive/Genesis games?
Yes
Would you be prepared to buy a new game made in a retro style?
Yes
Would you prefer to play retro games complete with retro graphics or would you prefer retro game play with more modern graphics?
Eh, depends on the game.
Some aspects of retro games are considered annoying or frustrating by today's standards. Such as flying back 10 feet into spikes or death pits when hit, one hit wonders or enemies being able to hit you multiple times. Would you like those kings of elements removed or would you rather play retro styled games “warts and all”?
Old Graphics
How much would you be willing to pay for a new game made in a retro style?
Depends on the game, not much.
What are your favourite aspects of retro games from the 8 and 16 bit era?
8-bit is for nostalgia and the very very occasional simple arcade-y 8-bit game. Otherwise I say skip that old crappy art. 16-bit I absolutely love, because it's a detailed and still fairly simple style. SNES-era games also had a certain something that's hard to pin down but adds charm.
Do you like games from the 8 to 16 bit era such as Super Nintendo or Mega Drive/Genesis games?
Of course.
Would you be prepared to buy a new game made in a retro style?
Sure.
Would you prefer to play retro games complete with retro graphics or would you prefer retro game play with more modern graphics?
I'm having trouble understanding this question, but I'll say that I'd enjoy a good game.
Some aspects of retro games are considered annoying or frustrating by today's standards. Such as flying back 10 feet into spikes or death pits when hit, one hit wonders or enemies being able to hit you multiple times. Would you like those kings of elements removed or would you rather play retro styled games “warts and all”?
I'm assuming that you're thinking of poorly designed aspects of older games, in that case it's kind of obvious that you'd want to improve upon their flaws. Although most of the things you mentioned could work well in a game - depending on the game at hand.
How much would you be willing to pay for a new game made in a retro style?
Depends on the game's quality. However I wouldn't purchase a poorly made game in this "retro style" you speak of.
What are your favourite aspects of games from the 8 and 16 bit era?
I guess because there was a lot more visually 2D games on those consoles, and as with all eras, there were many good games to play.
What I mean by retro style games with more modern grapics are things like the more recent Castlevania games on the Nintendo DS and games like the original oddworld on the playstation 1. It had high quality pre-renderd graphics but it was still a fearly standerd patformer.
For an example of new retro games made comleat with retro graphics go and check out "Retro Game Challange" on the Nintendo DS. You should be able to find screen shots and videos online. All the games are actually new but they are made to look like they are from the 80's
"Oh, my god! A lightning monster just ripped out this poor woman's eyes, and your mocking her shrubbery!" - The Spoony One
Do you like games from the 8 to 16 bit era such as Super Nintendo or Mega Drive/Genesis games?
Yes
Would you be prepared to buy a new game made in a retro style?
No!
Would you prefer to play retro games complete with retro graphics or would you prefer retro game play with more modern graphics?
Doesn't matter, just make them look nice.
Some aspects of retro games are considered annoying or frustrating by today's standards. Such as flying back 10 feet into spikes or death pits when hit, one hit wonders or enemies being able to hit you multiple times. Would you like those kings of elements removed or would you rather play retro styled games “warts and all”?
It's better to remove anything that's frustrating to the player.
How much would you be willing to pay for a new game made in a retro style?
$0
What are your favourite aspects of retro games from the 8 and 16 bit era?
Interesting character and level design.
Discarded pizza boxes are an indispensable source of cheese.
Originally Posted by Disthron Hi alastair john jack,
What I mean by retro style games with more modern grapics are things like the more recent Castlevania games on the Nintendo DS and games like the original oddworld on the playstation 1. It had high quality pre-renderd graphics but it was still a fearly standerd patformer.
I wouldn't say that the Castlevania games on the NintendoDS (or GBA for that matter) are retro styled, they're just following the rules of a metroidvania - usually simple challenges/obstacles, exploration, occasional action or puzzles, backtracking, usually grinding, finding items (occasional useful, usually meaningless) etc. Metroidvanias have been alive for decades and, unfortunately, remained fashionable.
The Castlevania game on PSP and the new one on Wii, would probably have been better examples for your point. As there are few modern games (that I'm aware of) that are producing challenging, satisfying platform games in this 'old style'.
Do you like games from the 8 to 16 bit era such as Super Nintendo or Mega Drive/Genesis games?
Not as much as modern games
Would you be prepared to buy a new game made in a retro style?
No
Would you prefer to play retro games complete with retro graphics or would you prefer retro game play with more modern graphics?
Old Graphics
Some aspects of retro games are considered annoying or frustrating by today's standards. Such as flying back 10 feet into spikes or death pits when hit, one hit wonders or enemies being able to hit you multiple times. Would you like those kings of elements removed or would you rather play retro styled games “warts and all”?
Warts and All
How much would you be willing to pay for a new game made in a retro style?
$3
What are your favourite aspects of retro games from the 8 and 16 bit era?
The joy of actually winning. Back in the old days, it's almost impossible to win.. and winning meant huge bragging rights. These days, games actually become easier to suit the (lack of) skill of players - no bragging rights anymore.
But seriously though, don't ask people who make games what they want to see. You get a very, very flawed interpretation. Especially on price. Everyone who makes games want to push prices higher and wants to believe that it's worth more and you're going to get bloated numbers.
Also, by selling retro games, you're only appealing to people who grew up in the retro era. There's a huge, huge world outside retro and you're appealing to a niche market.. against people like Derek Yu and Konjak. People who started playing games in the late 90s or this decade just won't see any appeal in it at all, and a lot of people from the SNES and Genesis days have grown up to love more recent, shinier games.
If you want real survey results, ask your RL friends. Or go to a retro game site and count the number of members. In fact, you'd get a whole lot of info from retro game sites, especially what people there are rating high and stuff.
Disclaimer: Any sarcasm in my posts will not be mentioned as that would ruin the purpose. It is assumed that the reader is intelligent enough to tell the difference between what is sarcasm and what is not.
Assault Andy Administrator
I make other people create vaporware
Registered 29/07/2002
Points 5686
24th November, 2009 at 02:08:58 -
Muz is completely right. If you're doing this for the money then you're going to be appealing to a very niche audience.
This year I've been buying a lot of games (Mainly through steam) because I'm now working more and I like to support developers. But $10 is a lot of money for a game to some people. I would say that if you're making retro games the market is quite small unless you make a cult hit. I'm not saying that you can't make money from it, because you definitely can. There are many succesful games with retro graphics, but like Muz said you should conduct a survey from people who aren't developers. Ask normal gamers what they think. Lurk on game forums and see what people like and don't like.
Well, I'm going to be making games with Multimedia Fusion 2. Possibly Developer. So the kind of games I'll be making will be platformers, over the head games, shmups, beat-em-ups. I had thought that those kinds of games were considered old fashioned by today's standards. So that's why I'm asking about them. I can't think of another way to come at it, but if anyone has a better idea I'm all ears.
Also, I'm entered into a government program calls the New Enterprise Incentive Scheme. Part of the requirements is that your business is accommodating a niche market. The reasoning is that a new business can't compete with well established ones so don't try.
Anyway, sorry I've taken so long to reply but I've been trying to get this business plan written.
"Oh, my god! A lightning monster just ripped out this poor woman's eyes, and your mocking her shrubbery!" - The Spoony One
Do you like games from the 8 to 16 bit era such as Super Nintendo or Mega Drive/Genesis games?
Yes / No
Would you be prepared to buy a new game made in a retro style?
Yes / No
Would you prefer to play retro games complete with retro graphics or would you prefer retro game play with more modern graphics?
Old Graphics
Some aspects of retro games are considered annoying or frustrating by today's standards. Such as flying back 10 feet into spikes or death pits when hit, one hit wonders or enemies being able to hit you multiple times. Would you like those kings of elements removed or would you rather play retro styled games “warts and all”?
I agree with Cecil, I don't think those aspects made a retro game a classic so old graphics balanced with modern advances in gameplay would be an absolute winner. That said, Megaman 9 is frustratingly hard, yet me and my housemates stayed up until extremely late trying to beat it out of pure nostalgia for old games that tormented the hell out of us for days on end!
How much would you be willing to pay for a new game made in a retro style?
$10 - That's about £7 in our money, which isn't bad for a well crafted, well presented slice of retro goodness. Compared to buying yet another bog-standard run and gun FPS with next gen graphics for £40...
What are your favourite aspects of retro games from the 8 and 16 bit era?
Appealing and clear-as-day graphics on an extremely limited palette, or not having to rely on shiny graphics to draw a fan-base. Take most of the "classic" old-skool games and most had a simple concept with even simpler graphics, yet have stood the test of gaming time by being memorable and generally awesome!
There are 10 types of people in the world: Those who understand binary and those who don't.
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Edited by Cecilectomy
