Starting Over - part II

Yep  - it's been around 6 years since I started this blog.  All those years ago when I decided to get back to retro programming and create/finish something.. well.. that didn't quite work out as planned.

I would have loved to make old games for the Amiga, but to tell the truth there's nothing in it..  I still enjoy programming in assembly (I even kicked right back to the c64 the other month and tooled around pushing sprites and writing code) - but to be honest, it takes way too long to get things done and there's ultimately no future in it for anything more than a fun hobby (and I really don't have the amount of time needed to invest  in something that will only ever be 'a fun hobby').

I'm sure the fan community will disagree, but from where I'm sitting there isn't a market for new Amiga software, in the form that I'd be willing to put it out (digitally) - my take from forums and such is that they would be willing to pay for something that came with full color art, nice box graphics, and an actual 3.5 inch disk that works...  Which at the end of the day is a big outlay for the same 'pennies on the dollar' you'd get publishing it yourself digitally for 5 bucks.

Also, although the community is willing to pay outlandish amounts of money for hardware (both old original and newly minted add-on and replacement parts), it seems for software there is very little enthusiasm at all.... So by all means program for the platform, if you have the spare time and energy, but make sure it's for the right reasons (fun only).  If you look at as a potential market - even just to cover 'smokes and cokes' consumed in development... you're best off looking to (the much more active) C64 scene.


So... that's what I've stepped away FROM.. where have I gone TO? And why am I reviving/revamping this blog?

Well.. I still have the desire to write games, I still have the goal to eventually supplement my income by doing so (even if it's just smokes n cokes, or a new computer every 5 years).  I still want to write the style of games I played and loved in my youth, and all the various games I tried to design and create back then.
Nowadays we have a great variety of platforms - and unlike the 'old days' people have a variety of them that they use personally - there's the PC, Mac, Linux, Android devices, iPhones/Pads/whatevers and the web...  I don't think it's enough to write a small game and say 'this is just for platform x' - a much nicer solution would be writing a small game and saying 'you can play this on just about everything you own, and take it with you'... and this is what I'm working towards (eventually).

Now you could roll eyes and think 'well - another 6 years of watching and waiting' - but truth be told, I've already finished more in the last 4 months than I've don in the last 4 years... choosing Java as my development language of choice I've already written 2 games and started working on my third.. over the next couple of weeks I'll make posts to catch up and detail them, then keep folks updated on what I'm working on currently...

Cheers!

Sig.