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DOGVELOPMENT LOG #2 : Asset Flip
🕑 Added 2019-12-07 21:07:09 +0000 UTCYeah, that's a bit of a clickbait title, but it's the same quiet criticism that runs through my head every time I use a purchased package to improve a part of Dog Airport Game.
What if people write off my game, because they recognize that starscape, or that pair of shoes, or that character model?
Will I become an asset flip?
[Link to my talk on this subject at Game Devs of Color Expo 2019]
It's easy to forget how far the term 'asset flip' has expanded beyond its intended meaning. What was once a phrase to encapsulate the unethical practice of downloading a Unity package, renaming the executable, and shoving it onto Steam, was broadened to mean any use of existing creative material.
Which is ridiculous!
We don't need to make the same cup shape until the Sun burns out. Reuse is a part of every medium's creative process. Each moment we force long-suffering 3D and 2D artists to model a fork from scratch - again - takes away from time we could be using to build new worlds. And when I learned what goes into using an asset package for an original creation, any concept I had that buying assets or tech was in some way 'dishonorable' instantly evaporated.
Here's what it looked like to bring my Black Friday haul into Dog Airport Game:
1) Research the assets, ensuring they fit within the established style and technology base of the game. This takes hours.
2) Buy the assets.
3) Import the assets, which can take hours.
4) Fix the assets, which will inevitably be broken or missing something or require tweaks to actually work within our game environment, which can also take hours.
5) Actually implement the assets. This is a matter of using it to create content, building tools to fit it into our workflow (like Super Text Mesh), or both.
Hours and hours and hours.
LIMITLESS HOURS--
Time has been saved, but I didn't expect so much of this process to still be hands-on development or direction. Purchased assets aren't the magic ingredient some portions of the internet would have you believe - they just help.
And developers need all the help we can get.
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If you want to know what asset packs we're using for Dog Airport Game - just ask! I'm happy to share what I've found (good and bad).
Comments
Alex
Agreed. Also, it's a bit irritating, because many, many more games use purchased assets than people realize. It's the same kind of snobbery we used to see about engines (which thankfully is going away). I both like and loathe the messaging / use of pre-made assets in "Getting Over It."
