NiahaksPlace

QuickGuideGameDevStoryPC
TheotherdayIsawawonderfulthreadonNeoGAFaboutaniPhonegamecalledGameDevStory.Itsa
simgameaboutstartingavideogamedevshopinthe80sandpushingitintothe90sandbeyond.Given
thisscreenshotofthePCedition,youmightseewhyitsmycupoftea.

OK,sure,lotsofJapanesetext,whatever.Butlookitallthosenumbers!Iforgottobringupasales
graph,butyoucanimagineoneImsure.
Unfortunately,thePCversionavailablehereisonlyavailableinJapaneseanddoesnthaveallthe
featuresfromtheiPhoneedition.However,itisstillincrediblyaddictiveifyoucanfigureouthowto
playit.
Ifiguredaswhatpassesforapublicserviceontheinternet,Idpostupalittleguideonhowtoplayitfor
peoplethatdontreadJapanese.
IfyouwanttoseetheJapanesetext(whichisusefulformatchinggenres/themesaccordingtothetables
below),youneedEastAsianLanguageSupport(youcaninstallitviatheRegionstab)andawaytostart
thegameusingJapanesefornonunicodeapps(googleAppLocaleforthebestway).

Startingagame
OpentheMenumenu(M)andchoosethetopoption(NewGame).ThechoicesareNormalModeand
BeginnerModeBeginnerModehasabunchoftutorialtypestuff,inJapaneseofcourse,soitsunlikely
tobemuchuseuntil/unlesstheentiregameistranslated.
Thatdone,youllnameyourcompany.UsingEnglishworksjustfine(itsactuallybest).

Mainmenubar

Fromlefttoright:

1.Savegame
2.Loadgame
3.InvestinPromotion:Spendmoneytoimproveyourcompanysreputationinyourtown.Increases
yourgamesbasedesirabilitysomewhat.(NOTE:Youcanonlyinvestonceperweekinanyof
thethreetypes)
4.InvestinGenreVariety:Improvetheselectionofgenresyoucanpotentiallygetwhenmakinga
game.
5.InvestinInfrastructure:Improvetheamountofgameunitsyoucanmanufactureinasingleweek
slightly.Thiswillbedoneautomaticallybasedonyourmanagementselection
6.Hirenewworkers.YouhavetopaytheiryearlysalaryonhiringandattheendofMarch.(dont
hireinMarch)
7.PurchaseTechnology.Willbeexplainedseparately.
8.Getaloanfromthebank(30%interest!)listscurrentloans.
9.Purchasecomputerstodevelope.g.16/32/64bitgames.Thesedontdoanythingexceptletyou
developthatsetofgames(andbelow).
10.Buyalicensetodevelopforaparticularsystem.

11.
12.Managementoptions:1Autoinvestmentininfrastructureat3/100millioncashonhand,or
manually.2sendworkerstorestautomaticallyatnever/100/80/60stress.3Returnworkersat
40/20/0stress.
13.Personnelmenu

14.
15.Softwaremenu(Name,Price,UnitsSold,Unitsleftunsold)
16.Rankings(Gamename,UnitsSold,CompanyName)
17.Help
IftheJapanesepredispositiontousingtenthousandsofthingstocountannoysyou,thesettingsmenu
(S)thennumberdemarcation(N)letsyouchangetothousands/millions.

Developingagame

Youstartoutwithoneemployee,twogamedevelopmenttables,8bitcomputersandalicensetodevelop
ontheMSGgamesystem.Hiringafewpeopleisagoodmoveatthestart.
Leftclickononeofyourgamedevtablestobringupthedevelopmentmenu:
1.OriginalGame
2.Sequel(requirescertain#ofsales)
3.GamebasedonManga
4.Cancel
Pickasystemandatargetaudience:
Yourdeveloperswilldecidewhatpercentageofworktheyshoulddevotetoeachaspectofthegame
(Japaneseleft,Englishrightorderisthesame)
AllAges
ElementarySchool
MiddleSchool
HighSchool
YoungMen
MiddleAged
Grandparents
Leftclickonyourdeveloper(s)(restinginthelounge)andrightclickonadeskatthegamedevareato
getthemworking.Theyllautomaticallyrestwhenstressed,unlessyouchangeit.
Oncegamedevelopmenthits50%,itsinAlpha.Yourworkerswillsuggestseveralsubjectsorthemes
forthegame,withmorevarianceifyouhavemoreworkersandmoreinvestmentingenre/subject
discovery.
Ivelistedseveralsubjectshere,butIdoubtIvefoundthemall:
GameSubjects(alphas)
GameCompany
CampusLife
HorseRacing
Horror
Anime
Skiing
Baseball
Sumo
FengShui
Shogi
Toy
PrettyManCampusLife
ProWrestling
GreatAdventure
Dungeon

Football(yes,American)
Snowboarding
Swimming
Dance
Drum
PlayingCards
Pachinko
TheseeachhavevaryingPointincreases(furtherdevelopmentrequired,morepointswillgenerally
meanhigherotherscores)andcostincreases(whichapplyimmediately).
Onceyouhit80%onyourgameinalpha,itwillbeinbetaandyourdeveloperswillaskyoutopicka
Genre.Hereis,again,aselectionofgenres:
GameGenres
Shooting
Adventure
Puzzle
ActionPuzzle
MusicGame
Racing
BoardGame
Entertainment
TableGame
CardGame
FortuneTelling
Database
Eachgenrehasapointincreaseandcostincrease,justlikelasttime.
Onceyouhit100%,yourgameisreadytoshipifyoudlike.Youwillprobablyhaveafewbugs(red
number),andyourdevelopersmayormaynotrecommendfixingthem.ThetopoptionisShip,the
secondoptionisFixBugs.
Ifyouchoosetofixthebugs,youllbeshippinglater.Youllseeaballoonoverthetablesaying
(BugCheck,Debugging)andyourbugnumberwillgraduallydecrease.YourgamewillNOT
automaticallyshipwhenthebugsarefixedyoullhavetoshipfromthegamedevmenu(bottom
button).
Onceyourereadytoship,yougetacartridge/discsizeautomaticallybasedonthegamessizeinKB,
thenpickanamounttoship(thenumberendingin)andthepricepoint(in).Thetableshowsthe
costperdiscthenthecostforthisshipmentatthetop,andtherevenuepersaleandthentotalrevenuefor
theshipmentonthebottom.Youcanalsoenteryourgamesnameabovethenumbertoship(using
Englishhelpstopickoutyourgameinawardsceremonies )
Thenyouseereviewersscorestheyincludedetailsofwhy(Itsabuggymessforexample).You
maygettheeditorschoiceawardifyouscorewellenough.

Inthesalesgraph,theonebuttonyoucanclickonletsyoumanufacturemorediscstosell.THISIS
VERYIMPORTANTsinceyouwillalmostcertainlysellyourfirstshipmentforyourfirstseveral
games.Youcanmanufactureonceperweek(eachbarofthegraph),soyoudohavetobabysityournew
gameforawhile.
Onceyourgamesonthemarket,youcanstartanewonebyclickingonthegamedevboard.
GREAT!Youveshippedyourfirstgame.Heresstuffyoumayhaverunintoandignored:

Yearly/RandomEvents
EveryyearattheendofMarch,youhavetopayyourteam.Youwillseeabunchofcheckboxes
nexttothepersonnelinfo.Ifyouuncheckabox,thatpersonwillbefiredwhenyouclickthe
OKbuttoninthelowerright.
Attheendofeveryyearisanawardsceremony,forbestgraphics,music,originalityandbestgame
overall.ThefinalcategoryistheWORSTgameoftheyear.Thefourgoodcategorieshave
rewards,whilethebadonewilltakeawaymoney.
EverysooftenyouwillgetnotificationthatanExpoisgoingon.Youcanselectgamesandfor
promotethemfor1millionyeneach.Thiswillincreasethepublicityofthegameschosenbut
theymusthavepassedtheAlphastage.
Yourdevelopersmayrunintoariskysituation,andyouwillhavetostart/stopthehighlighted
line.Thishasahighchance(usually75%)ofgivingyou60bugs(verybad)butitcanalsohave
positiveeffects(+30or+100inaparticularstatforthatgame).
Developersmayalsoinadvertentlygoldplatethegameincreasingthecost(byincreasingthesize
significantlythisisthestareyedgrinpictureseffect).
Itrarelyoccurs,butsometimesarivalgamecompanywilltrytohireoneofyourdevelopers.You
willhavetoofferthemasalaryincrease/bonustostayon.Theleftbuttonincreasessalary,the
rightbuttonisanimmediatebonus(whichtheystilltakeiftheyleave).
Ifyoureleaseagamethatsbuggyenough,asuitwillbefiledagainstyouandyouwillberequired
torefundalotofpeoplesmoney.Thisisnotrecommended.

GeneralTips
Gamestats:

Developerwindow:

COMINGSOON:Technologysection,moregenres,andsoon.

76Comments
1.niahakSaid,
February17,2012@6:30pm
Otheremployeestats:
Upperleft:NotsuremaybeProlificness?
Middleleft:Expressiveness
Bottomleft:Intelligence
Upperright:Job/Employmentpoints
Middleright:Creativity
Lowerright:Drawingability
TheoneIskippedbetweenTakeamangaandHireanassistantwasPurchaseEquipment.
Ithinkthatseverything,letmeknowifImissedsomething.
2.einworBSaid,
February24,2012@7:30am
SoItsmeagain
StoppedplayingMangaStoryforawhilebecauseofthesamereasonasGameDevStory:once
youmakegoodprofitsmotivationdeclines
Butnowafteronly2minutesofresumingtoplayIeventuallyreceivedaprize.
IalreadyaskedmyselfbeforewhatIgottodotogetthem.
AndnowIhaveoneIwouldliketoaskyoutodecipherthedescriptionofit
Heresthescreenshot:http://www.imagebanana.com/view/5dukf1hk/prize.jpg

Thanksinadvance
einworB
3.niahakSaid,
February24,2012@8:29am
Itlookslikeacharacterismissingorblurredbetweenand,sothebestguessIhaveisthat
youvepublishedanespeciallylargecollectionofmanga(23).
4.einworBSaid,
February24,2012@10:16am
CouldbepossibleasImadeafortunewiththismangaseries(IthinkIcancallitthatway)
Had5or6releases,sometimeswithapictureofavideogame,sometimesabookorsoiguessits
theadaptionthing
ButIgotnoideawhatthe23represents.
Madealittlescreenofthestatsoftheseries/adaption/whatever :
http://www.imagebanana.com/view/l5vyv839/2.jpg
Dothetitlesoftheotherprizescarryanyinformationaboutwhatyougetthemfor?
5.niahakSaid,
February25,2012@12:05am
Well,justoffhandintheupperrightofthisstatsyouvegota24.Thatsprobablythenumber
thatwas23onthetrophypage.NotsurewhatthatrepresentsChapters,maybe?
ImafraidImextremelybusythisweekendsoIcantdoanyactualtranslation.Illbebackupand
runningonMonday,though
6.niahakSaid,
February28,2012@8:03am
Upperleft:Title(#2here)
Belowthat:SeriesTimespan(thesecondpartmeansongoing)
Belowthat:Magazine(inwhichitappears).Themagazinenamelookslikeitscorrupted.
Belowthat:Manuscriptsomething(thirdkanjiisalittletoughtofindwillfollowupon)
Belowthat:Animeadaptation(here,Inproduction20episodes)
Hopethisisatleastsomehelp.
7.niahakSaid,
March1,2012@7:53am
Belowallthatstuff(thetable):

VolumePriceSoldamountRemainingStock
Imsureyouvefiguredoutthenumberingsystem,means10,000(or10.000,dependingon
yournumberingmarker).
8.niahakSaid,
March3,2012@6:24pm
Bottomleft:Movieviewership
Bottomright:Totalincome(moreblockinesshere,soitmaynotbeacompletetranslation)
Iftheresanythingyouwantmetolookintofurther,IcanbutIfiguretheresenoughheretoget
by.
9.einworBSaid,
March4,2012@7:10am
Yesitis.
Thankyouagainfortranslating(:
10.Kairo=coolSaid,
March4,2012@3:57pm
ificouldfindahackerwouldyoutanslateniahak?
11.niahakSaid,
March4,2012@6:48pm
Yeah.Ijustfinishedupaproject,butIvegotacoupleothersonthebackburnersoIcantcommit
toatimeframe.ButImsureIcoulddoitsometimethisyear.
12.einworBSaid,
March5,2012@8:19am
Thiswouldbeawesome.IevenwouldpayforanEnglishversion
13.tdotoplayaSaid,
April2,2012@7:36pm
heyniahak,thereareafewofusfanstryingtotranslatethis.sofaritscomingalonggoodthanksto
thegreatworkofoneman.Wouldyouliketohelpbetatestorevenhelptranslatesomethings?
Emailme

14.JetpacSaid,
April4,2012@9:48am
JustlikeTdotsaid,atranslatedversionofthegameisnearingcompletion..Idloveifyoucould
helpwiththeDialogtranslations.
15.niahakSaid,
April4,2012@8:17pm
Yep.IfiredanemailofftoTdot.Unfortunately,Iwontbeabletohelpoutuntilnextweek
sometimebutImwillingtohelpout.
16.einworBSaid,
April11,2012@5:06pm
Pleasepostithereifyoufinish
17.HasSaid,
April15,2012@8:55am
Reallythnxniahakforyourgreatefforts!
18.EdwardRSaid,
May13,2012@7:54am
Dearniahak,isthereanyprogress?
19.niahakSaid,
May14,2012@6:59am
Unfortunately,haventheardbackfromTdotorJetpac,soIhaventbeenabletogetstarted.
20.ForestWhiteSaid,
May17,2012@6:01pm
IgottheGDS2DXtranslation,buttheycanttranslatethedialogue.Youthinkyoucanhelpthem?
Ifsotellme.
21.jamesensorSaid,
May17,2012@11:33pm

Anotherfan.Hopeitdevelops,thetranslationproject.Regards!
22.niahakSaid,
May21,2012@4:36pm
Forest,Isentyouanemail.Icandefinitelyhelpout.
23.EdwardRSaid,
May22,2012@6:53am
Progress?^^
24.einworBSaid,
May24,2012@9:28am
niahakjustlookathttp://kairospot.net
theretheydiscussthattranslation(andalotmore)
JetpacistheleaderoftheprojiectIthinkIthinkyoucancontacthimviaPNthere,too.
Ithinkforviewingthetopicaboutthetranslationyouneedtoregister.
http://kairospot.net/community/index.php?threads/gamedevstory2translation.3158/
IdsayeasywaytohelpwouldberegisteringandcontactingjetpacviaPMorinthatthread.
einworB
25.kurokelSaid,
June9,2012@12:03am
Iwantittoo!!!T_TButIcanthelpyouallcozIdunnoanythingthatcouldbeusefulSorry!
26.ColinSaid,
June12,2012@3:41am
Betatranslatedversion
runthegamesavebuildertocreateanenglishsavefile
[linkdeleted]
RSSfeedforcommentsonthispostTrackBackURI

LeaveaComment
Name(required)

Email(required,neverdisplayed)
URI

SubmitComment

Search
Search

Pages
AboutWebsiteandStuff
Jesus:TaleoftheDreadfulBioMonster
JesusTranslation
MyFAQs
DerLangrisserGuide
DestinyofanEditor
QuickGuideGameDevStoryPC

Categories
Books
Games
FAQs
GameoftheMoment
GameReviews
JapanStuff
Rantings
ThreeKingdoms

Archives
2015
2014
2013
2012
2011

2010
2009
2008
2007
2006
2005

Meta
Login
RSS2.0
Atom
WordPress
PhoenixBlue