Game Design Star Wars

[The Sith Master]

I am 16 years old and an extremley interested in computer games and making them. I am going to college to study Animation and 3d modelling, then hopefully going to university.

 

Now I have a question. I have been designing a game on paper for a few months. I have some quite good ideas in the design and I have loads more which I plan to put into the design.

 

Now on other forums people have told me that if I plan to make this game pulbically available then I will need approval from lucasarts. I have 2 ideas

one is for me and a team to make the game and only the people who made the game have a copy of it, and not to sell it or make it available to otheres. This way I have been told that I will not need approval by Lucasarts.

 

Or I could get a team together and make the game and get approval from lucasarts then market it and whatever. Only thing is a few problems

 

1. what would be the best idea get approval from lucasarts, or make it just for the people who made the game.

 

2. I need a team of people who are foing to help me on this, who I can trust prefferably people who live near me or in england, so we can meet up and stuff.

 

3. I am finding very hard to get a team someone please help me.

 

I have no skill in making computer games at the moment, althuogh I have been experimenting with software such as 3ds max 7. Although I have a head bulging with ideas and am not too bad with a pencil and paper.

 

Please reply thanks Kelky

 

If you have got msn address then reply and maybe we can swap addresses and use msn chat. Thankx again

[Kalfear]

I am 16 years old and an extremley interested in computer games and making them. I am going to college to study Animation and 3d modelling, then hopefully going to university.

 

Now I have a question. I have been designing a game on paper for a few months. I have some quite good ideas in the design and I have loads more which I plan to put into the design.

 

Now on other forums people have told me that if I plan to make this game pulbically available then I will need approval from lucasarts. I have 2 ideas

one is for me and a team to make the game and only the people who made the game have a copy of it, and not to sell it or make it available to otheres. This way I have been told that I will not need approval by Lucasarts.

 

Or I could get a team together and make the game and get approval from lucasarts then market it and whatever. Only thing is a few problems

 

You been told correctlly, As long as you are not making it for distribution of any type, copyright laws dont effect you.

 

1. what would be the best idea get approval from lucasarts, or make it just for the people who made the game.

 

Best way would be to contact Lucas Arts and ask them. The chances of them giving you permission are next to none though. Again, you only need to worry about contacting them if you plan to distribute the game.

 

Assuming that you even get their attention and get in the door to make your plea (which is rare but has happened in the past) You would want to create a bussiness presentation detailing your ideas, where you are going with them, projected earnings, ect. Basically you need to have a bussiness model ready for them covering all aspects of earnings and ideas and such. You would definately want to speak to someone that has experience in this area to help you along with a lawyer or 2 so your aware of how the copyright laws affect you in the country you live in. Many copyright laws change from country to country so I wont even hazzard a guess of how strict or loose English laws are compared to Canadian and American copyright laws.

 

2. I need a team of people who are foing to help me on this, who I can trust prefferably people who live near me or in england, so we can meet up and stuff.

 

Well obviously you will need to find people interested in design and programming first off. Since you stated you dont plan to release this, you will also want to make sure you can trust these people to NOT turn around and release it behind your back anyways when finished. A good place to look for these will be when you goto University/College. There you will find others of like mind and interests.

 

3. I am finding very hard to get a team someone please help me.

 

LOL, at age 16 I would imagine that you would have trouble finding folks. Thats not a insult btw, just making a game takes a huge amount of dedication and sacrafice in todays games. Long gone are the days where one or 2 people can sit down and design a complete computer game. Today it takes teams of many people. Best bet will be to write down your ideas for future reference and when you enter university or college to find other people of like minded interests.

 

I have no skill in making computer games at the moment, althuogh I have been experimenting with software such as 3ds max 7. Although I have a head bulging with ideas and am not too bad with a pencil and paper.

 

Well, wish I could give you a more possitive reply but in todays market (not just gameing) Ideas no longer get you in the door many times. Your still very young though and you have a passion, so expand on that passion, get training in that feild and make contacts from that training. University and College are SO important in todays markets that they have become mandatory aspects. Go out and get that training, dedicate yourself to it. After your trained, earn experience in the feild and work your way up. Once you hit a certain plateu, then you cna start to get notice for your ideas (this is the safe route). If your not into the slow but steady route you can always try for a bussiness loan, hire some friends (contacts you can make in many cases by going to school) and take a chance that your idea will sell. Its more risky but the up side is, if your right and your product does sell, you only have to answer to yourself and have 100% control over your own creativity.

 

Please reply thanks Kelky

 

If you have got msn address then reply and maybe we can swap addresses and use msn chat. Thankx  again

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

 

 

What I said probably not what you want to hear, but in todays markets, education and training are the way things get done. Your 16 so your a step up right now because you know what you want to do.

 

Keep a journal of your ideas though so you can come back to them at any time in the future. As you grow you can expand on them.

 

Also, just a FYI thing, while you might plan to make a star wars game. If you tweak it enough (names and such) and avoid using copyrighted material (lightsabres, ect) you can change your SW ideas into Sci Fi ideas. And if its sci fi, Lucas has no control or say over it what so ever.

[Volourn]

Kalfear wins.

[The Sith Master]

Yes, everything you said is right, and I did know some of that already. Oh and thanx for all the advice you have been helpful. Yes I am going to college this september then I will be going to university after. From there I will keep working my way up. And work for gaming companies, then later on in life I hope to start up my own company. So in the future remember the name Joe Kelk. Because I swear I screwed up school and I am not going to screw this up. So in the future I hope to see my name on the credits of games. Thanx again for all the advise aoh yeh and please repply. So would you say just keep expanding on my ideas and keep designing and keep them safe till the future, because even thuogh I am young I think this idea would bring in big bucks for lucasarts. I have level designs, for every area and I am working on a completre story line with everything from start to finish. Only 15 pages as of yet thuogh. Anywayz please reply as you have been a help cheers. :D

[alanschu]

If you wanted to SELL the game, it'd probably be pretty difficult to distribute the game.

 

If you wanted to give it away, it'd probably be a lot easier. I know Lucasarts actually supports the mod scene, and the only stipulations they seem to have is the music, since it's John Williams' work.

[Snipergoat UK]

Sith Master, check your PM's

[The Sith Master]

Yeh snipergoat I have done so.

[Arch Enemy]

If you're planning on a game which would even have a chance at retail then you'd better wait til you've gone to college. Either way, Lucas Arts will want their cut of the deal.

 

 

Funny how George Lucas doesn't like the fact that he owns a Corporation.

[metadigital]

I would develop the mod.

 

First of all, it will be excellent practice; you will gain more skills in the doing than can be got in ten times ten times the corresponding time in a passive learning environment, like a classroom.

 

Secondly, if you have a mod to show, this is your "killer app" for your resume. Even if you don't go inot game programming, or design, you will have demonstrated:

initiative,

self-starter drive and motivation,

determination and closing ability to finish.

 

All of these skills are in high demand in the workforce: if you can produce proof of them, you will walk into a job in front of people a lot older and more experienced.

 

Once you have the mod, whether you sell it is another matter altogether. I wouldn't try to sell it, because I doubt very much whether you will get permission; even should this be overcome, you will still have penurious royalties to give back to LA.

[Arch Enemy]

If you're really lucky. Like Trauma Studios, then you're Modding Team would be gobbled up by a Corporation like BioWare of Lucas Arts, then you'll be able to make games without having to go through college.

 

 

Best of luck, I'm getting into modding as well. PM if you want assistance.

[RevanRedefined]

At any time, most likely in the future, if you decide to make the game, you should be very discreit with it. That's in terms of publicizing it. If you're game is a remake or has anything to do with the storyline of one game, most companys will not hesitate to pull the plug on it.

 

Many remakes of games, that had extremely good potential were stopped.