Re:Unreal Engine 5 enters Early Access
by modeless on Wednesday May 26, 2021 @12:00PM
(#27292221)
What you do is build your gameplay with the absolute minimum of graphics. For example if you want to build a platformer, start with a red square for your player character, blue squares for enemies, brown boxes for terrain. Do the physics first and add your unique gameplay ideas, but with the absolute minimum of artwork. No sound or music (unless your gameplay ideas require them). Once you have something fun to play with in this state, then you can add art.
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That's not normally an MVP game, which needs to be the minimum viable product. Of course, this is targeted to the audience. If your audience is a gameworld of blocks, that might work :-).
As many others have pointed out, a vertical slice is the term that applies to this vertical of making games. So, even the terms are audience specific - MVP for owners and Vertical Slice for staff.
Yes, but that doesn't sound like a MVP. A MVP (in this case) should be playeable. No one will play a platformer with a red square.
Surely you jest: https://store.steampowered.com/app/220780/Thomas_Was_Alone/
Has a lot of sound and music though. Its an animated square with jump anims etc. A lot more work went into that game than whats described above.
It's sad for Super Meat Boy that the comments underneath yours keep insisting it's "just a platformer with a red square".
The point is that Super Meat Boy would still be a fun game even if the player character was just a red square. It wouldn't have the same commercial success without the artwork and music, but you can easily see how you could make an MVP and have it still be a fun game, then add the graphics after.
Re:Unreal Engine 5 enters Early Access
by Hammershaft on Wednesday May 26, 2021 @12:46PM
(#27292841)
Super meat boy happened to have an extremely fast dev cycle. It only took 18 months to make the engine and game! https://www.gamasutra.com/view/feature/134717/postmortem_tea...
I get what you're saying, but if you read the replies, that's not what they're saying. Exact quote: "Super Meat Boy is basically that" (meaning, basically a red square).
Sure they will, if the gameplay is compelling. Maybe they won't pay full price for it (though there are many examples of games with very basic graphics that sell just fine), but an MVP doesn't need to be profitable. What you need at the MVP stage are playtesters who you can validate your gameplay ideas on.
You are confusing MVP (Minimum Viable Product) with MCP (Minimum Compelling Product). The red square is enough to enable key decision makers to assess the viability of the product. It is not intended to be a compelling product in that state.
Re:Unreal Engine 5 enters Early Access
by notdarkyet on Wednesday May 26, 2021 @12:05PM
(#27292285)
Super Meat Boy had done exactly that:
Re:Unreal Engine 5 enters Early Access
by atom-morgan on Wednesday May 26, 2021 @12:05PM
(#27292276)
I recently played Super Meat Boy. It's a great game and the character is basically a red square.