Open discussion about something that I consider an interesting question.
Personally, I consider that a Mod and/or indie dev team has to be held to higher morale standards than a "normal" game developer. As an indie, your only chance is to have a community around you that helps you develop the game and also promote it. You don't have millions to spend for marketing. Word of mouth is the one and only way to make indie games a success.
This kind of community is a very special one, and has it's unique ways. They usually stick around longer if things go wrong. They can accept bugs as part of the unique character of the game (as long as it's within bounds
), but in return, they ask for more. They ask for communication, interaction, honesty - in short, they don't want to get fucked over. That's the most important part. It also sounds like a nobrainer, but the big players in the industry show us that it's not really an importance for them. Fuck something up as a big player? Just throw more money into the marketing. Fuck something up as an indie? Gone for good.
I think this is the reason I love indie developing, from both POVs (if you get what I mean). You don't have this streamlined shit, with every decision triple checked by economists if it might increase sales by another 0.1%.
So indie developing must be the paradise then? Do whatever you want, and eventually, you will hit that big success?
Well, obviously, it's not that easy. Indie devs have to fight against different dangers. Indie devs often lack money and diversity. A big studio can buy any necessary dev qualification in an instant. Indies don't have that convenience, they either have to learn it themselves, find someone who is crazy enough as themselves to work for free, or buy it with money. Then there is also licensing costs, and those can fuck you up for real too, because there's so much licensing needed, it's horrible.
So, long story short, indies need money, as sad as it is. Now the interesting part: where to get it from? And what is acceptable as an indie dev? How far can you go without compromising your integrity, your morality, your honor, your commitment to the community? What if you are offered a low-hanging fruit, that might have a slightly bitter taste for some, yourself included? What about solving your problems by giving up some of your independence temporarily, allowing you to finance your own idea in the long run? Does the end justify the means?
