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Community Question

Eminence

By Eminence
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Eminence Newbie

Eminence

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Do you think Sonic Fangames HQ should expand to become an independent game creation website?

I have plenty of nostalgia surrounding this website and to be quite honest I am surprised this site has lasted the test of time as it is. There have been many times I've questioned myself though:

How active of a community could this site become?

There have been A LOT of interesting people that have come and gone on these boards. Many people with interesting skills that have showcased said skills. Many interesting projects.

But it seems some of the 'talented' people disappear or never make this place their home.

Some of them have found careers in the Video Game industry, others probably lose interest in creating Sonic the Hedgehog fangames.

Why would expanding to an independent game creation website be beneficial?

1.) Appeal. While Sonic the Hedgehog is a very likeable and marketable entity, the only people we lure to this site are people wishing to recreate it. This has brought some very intelligent / talented people to our community and if these are just the blue chips from the Sonic the Hedgehog pool; imagine what exists outside?

For every graphic artist we've had, web designer we had, programmer we had, there are probably thousands more that have never found this website because they were not avid Sonic the Hedgehog fans. Think of what these brilliant minds could have contributed to:

Discussion, tutorials, projects, etc.

2.) Retention rate. What I've seen more than anything else is people getting into game creation through our site and then moving onto bigger and better non Sonic the Hedgehog related things.

I understand that the internet is fickle but if we fostered an environment dedicated to the general video game creating industry; I believe the community would be much larger.

I feel people come here, become a big fish in a small pond, and move on.

3.) Mainstream (mass) attention. Look at all the attention SAGE receives. Now imagine if we had a community event that showcased all types of gaming, including multiple custom projects?

Within those multiple projects people trade and share their many secrets whether it be in C++ or Gamemaker. Tutorials on non Sonic the Hedgehog related game elements. Focus on streamlining file sizes, frame rates, etc.

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It's obvious that the video game industry is a HUGE market. Creating video games is the reason most of us wound up on this site. I dare to say I have seen more than a few thousand users trickle through our site.

I feel like what this community achieved on a small scale is a perfect data set. I think there is huge potential here.

Thoughts?

EDIT: 300th Post.

This has largely been inspired by Strife's project Freedom Planet. I would love to see more independent projects like this and I know our community is more than capable itself; bring in some outside sources and watch it boom.

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ila Newbie

ila

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I brought this point up back in... I can't remember. SFGHQ's forums have always been welcome to game from any genre, but as you noted the site is still Sonic. I see your point but I think trying to rebrand at this point is a futile effort. Also, while generalizing has the potential to bring about more people, it could also potentially alienate people as well.

Basically, if someone can get it to work i'm all for it, but I don't see any gains from it right now.

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Serephim Newbie

Serephim

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I bring it up frequently. I dont think we need to change our brand, we can just expand our forum count a bit. It wouldn't hurt.

We dont need to change what we are. Just like i think it would be wise to have a "newbie" fangaming forum, we could also have one devoted specifically to things like indie development. Sonic Worlds is a tool that could easily be molded into a shitload of platformer applications.

I dont think it needs any heavy priority, but a little push for it wouldnt hurt i guess.

I think actually developing and finishing any sonic fangame easily branches out into developing your own. Some of us already create custom content. All you have to do is remove the copyrighted material.

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Rawr Newbie

Rawr

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I've mentioned this before, but if I recall a good point was made how fangaming is inherently a little easier than just doing your own stuff and so this is kind of that 'learning' step of things. A lot of the people here tend to ere on the programming side of things rather than graphics, and it shows. A lot of the graphics in all these fangames are usually pulled from various different sources (as is the music). In some cases we've got a lot more original than rip-off, but to make a full team to create something new is a lot more work than to make a team to make fangames.

There are exceptions though obviously to this like Strife, although Freedom Planet still retains lots of elements of 'fangame' to me all the same, but all the content is original as fuck.

Personally though I'd love to see more indie game development popping up here rather than Sonic fangames but I doubt much would happen, since it seems like a lot of people can't even finish a fangame haha (hey remember that time I was working on a fangame once back in 08-09? Yeah. That was a thing that never got very far).

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Duckboy Newbie

Duckboy

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I don't think there's enough demand, to be honest, for SFGHQ to become a general game creation site. It's a small site, all things considered, and the main site itself isn't even as active as MFGG. (in fact, while I don't post there anymore, the site and forums are still really busy, with the minigame competitions and such). I just don't think SFGHQ is big enough to bother.

That being said, more could definitely be done to encourage more projects like Freedom Planet (I still wish the main character didn't look so much like a "sonic character" but besides that it looks great).

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Strife Newbie

Strife

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I agree that fangaming is a great way for aspiring game developers to get their foot in the door, much like fanfics are for writers. And, in the same way that fanfic writers benefit from having a pre-established world and characters, Sonic fangames already have an entire set of core gameplay mechanics, so most of the workload just involves level design, graphics and presentation.

I think we're fine as-is personally. ^_^

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Serephim Newbie

Serephim

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For the record. Sonic fan games are far harder to make than Mario.

Only because of the nature of its collisions, but we've had that down for years now. There's really nothing in sonic that you have to think about more than in mario when it comes to design.

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OverbounD Newbie

OverbounD

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Not only collisions. Sonic levels are massive compared to Mario levels and have sprawling multiple paths. The shading on Sonic graphics is also harder to replicate than Mario. When I say this I'm thinking of SMW vs the Genesis games.

Not that I actually think this topic is going anywhere, but a merger with MFGG would be the direction I would want to take it. Nite hangs out over there, Black Squirrel, Techokami. Even if we only merged the forums I think it would benefit all. Its a pipe dream though.

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luksamuk Newbie

luksamuk

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I don't know if I can say anything about the subject, because I somehow always feel like a newbie, although I've been here for about 4 years, I guess.

But because of that I think I can speak with the same voice of the same ordinary user I've always been. Sonic fangaming and game hacking teached me SO MUCH, and so did SFGHQ.

Perharps we should just expand our horizons of programming into whatever programming languages we could find -- and I'm pretty much saying this because I don't see an opensource C++ Sonic engine over there that could be compared to Sonic Worlds or Sonic Revival. This and expanding the user count too, as you guys mentioned; having more people active here would be neat, specially for when you have a doubt or etc. Makes discussions faster, more people thinking around a problem, the solution comes faster as well.

SFGHQ has been more than a home for everything I learn about gaming. Even though I'm working on a personal project right now, I back and forth come around here again to check what's new and what more could I learn about.

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Serephim Newbie

Serephim

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Not only collisions. Sonic levels are massive compared to Mario levels and have sprawling multiple paths. The shading on Sonic graphics is also harder to replicate than Mario. When I say this I'm thinking of SMW vs the Genesis games.

Not that I actually think this topic is going anywhere, but a merger with MFGG would be the direction I would want to take it. Nite hangs out over there, Black Squirrel, Techokami. Even if we only merged the forums I think it would benefit all. Its a pipe dream though.

in comparison, the genesis sonic games take far less time to complete than your typical mario game, and while they dont have large stages and sprawling paths they have a shitload of levels, and this is without the secrets you can find around them. And each mario game has its own share of powerups and gimmicks, just like a sonic game.

you trade one workload for another...assuming both games arent trash.

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