Introducing the Game Fund

Yeah I’ll probably go with a 500k budget, I plan on showcasing many unique social features in my game and how I’ll market/monetize the game.

In retrospect I should’ve spent more time outlining the gameplay as I spent a majority of my time outlining innovation, what would come from the Game Fund, business choices, and quality of the game. However, I did outline several mechanics and I linked a Trello board for further information so I should be fine…

What did you use for each of these requirements?

  • Concept / design document for your project, with total funding requested
  • Information about your team and their backgrounds if applicable
  • Project roadmap, including milestone schedule, budget, and KPIs per milestone
  • Planned release date (launch out of beta)
  • Any other relevant information**
    I’m thinking of doing a text document and google slides downloaded into a pdf but I’m unsure.

Well, as I follow the norm of not saying what’s in something you applied with, I can say that what you’re planning is a good idea. I recommend creating a section for everything you need to cover, combine what should be combined, and then make sub-headers for those sections. That’s all I’ll say for now.

I don’t understand, I’m asking which program you use to create your submissions not what you put in it.

Ohh… I used a document, so google docs/Microsoft word. I also used additional resources off of the pdf for time saving reasons.

Will this be a one time opportunity or will it be recurring like the accelerator program?

One time opportunity in terms of the person applying or in terms of it happening more than once?

I think it’s important to note that what you’ve made wasn’t an actual, ‘full-on game’. It was an ‘experience’ made on Roblox. A complete game wouldn’t just be the use of default Roblox terrain and free tree models alongside an atmosphere instance - a complete game would be shaping textures and models specifically for the game you’re making, coding unique gameplay aspects, etc (not to suggest that what your dev team has done isn’t good - but making a game on Roblox and making a game that sells for money on a platform like Steam is a VERY different thing). That’s where Roblox’s limits come into play. Universe optimization is poor and slow, so transporting people in-between areas for every little part of the game can be challenging. I don’t care if you think Unity an Unreal is too complex - that isn’t the point of this. The point is that Roblox wants more complex, advanced games on their platform that extend beyond something simple or a small experience more closely resembling a minigame. There’s a reason why larger games like Vesteria are low poly - if you were to make it using higher resolution textures and models Roblox would not function. A budget of 500k suggests they want people to make their own full-fledged games - low poly models, use of Roblox’s terrain tools, etc. don’t cost 500k, they’re awfully cheap. This means Roblox wants developers to make more advanced experiences. This isn’t possible. There is a very good reason why you don’t see AAA games on Roblox, and there’s a very good reason why Roblox isn’t used as a dev platform as much as Steam is. It’s restricted and underpowered.

I also mentioned the ‘retro’ style, because that’s what some of your images look like - imitating a older-style game (and doing quite good at it too). Obviously a game meant to look and feel older is going to also run much better. As for the images above those, all I see you’re doing is using Roblox terrain, placing free model assets, and adding a few simple buildings with textures. You’ll also have to specify what AI you’re using for the mobs you have, and I also want to reiterate that 17k parts is not very high in terms of a larger creation. But this isn’t talking about your game, I’m talking about the fact Roblox expects us to hire a dev team worth 500k USD to use a platform that is easily dwarfed by others. With 500k USD I could make my own game that would actually sell for money on Steam, rather than get a couple thousand Robux on Roblox. Join a game of Adopt me (the most popular game on the platform). Do you think that cost 500k to make? No? That’s because Roblox is a kid’s platform, and kids aren’t attracted to high-fidelity games . They’re attracted to low-poly, bright colors, and games oriented towards… well… kids. I don’t know what a game studio would do with anything more than 50k, in fact.

I am still yet to see something on Roblox that can rival what you can do in Unreal Engine or Unity in seconds.

Also, a note: I’m a studio-only dev on Roblox. I don’t import anything beyond images into the platform, and I make everything using their engine and tools. If anyone should know the limits of this platform, it’s someone like me. Like you, I used to think Studio was the best thing ever because of how simple it was to learn, until I switched over to using Unity and (although it was more unstable) I could do MUCH more impressive things. I could configure properties of a level, pathing of AIs, and LOD zones all whilst never even touching a single bit of code. And it was very simple to do so, as well. The only difficulty comes with learning what you’re doing. Studio restricts you in many more ways than you may realize. If you’re a knowledgeable developer I highly recommend looking into stuff to get you started with Unity. Modding another Unity engine game is probably the best way you can possibly learn how stuff works.

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While, yes, that is true I have to disagree. You can’t simply call a Roblox game not a game since it’s called an experience, the same goes for every project on Roblox. We are simply a different engine to the likes of the Unreal Engine and Unity, but that does not make us inherently lesser. Nor should we classify any Roblox game, even a simple obby, as something that isn’t a ‘full on game’ to you.

Firstly, how can you confirm that said trees are free models? Secondly, not all ‘complete games’ use custom assets. Even the Unreal Engine has a lot of free assets that are used to create their games, it’s simply something expected on the development market. Furthermore not all games create their own textures, nor do they shape them perfectly all the time. While, yes, AAA developers would do this, not all indie developers would. Additionally, there are countless parody games or games that copy other games with little change, or quite frankly anything in terms of not modernizing game development. You can not simply state that Roblox games can not, or do not, do that. Now, yes, marketing is a lot harder on steam, however marketing for large-budget games is harder on this platform. Due to Roblox TOS, we are not allowed to do as much marketing as these ‘full on’ games that you’re referring to.

Thus the additional budget from the Game Fund. Good developers on the platform can, have, and will continue to optimize such issues. Roblox is simply large and is growing at high rates, thus it may be hard to keep up even with their resources. As for the challenge, it may exist but that’s why people like me remain in development, innovation will come out from it. Look at the likes of Starscape, it’s a great game that shows innovation upon said challenge by making it feel proper if that makes sense.

They’re moving to UE5, the issue was optimization from what I can tell.

They’re trying to appeal to a larger demographic? Do you or do you not want Roblox to progress in this way? Personally, I’d say yes I do want that. I am a part of that demographic and I develop within that demographic thus it supports me in two major ways.

Future optimizations can, and will, be done. Nor does every game have to be as large as Vesteria, nor set like it. The Game Fund is set to allow for bridges to get more prepared for those improvements, in my opinion at least. Quite frankly, I’ll make my own game to prove you wrong here or eat my words if I obtain the Game Fund.

The creation of full-time jobs is the goal from what I can tell. While, yes, it’s cheap but that doesn’t mean you’re stuck with it. I’ve seen people in my group, and others, create entirely new methods of map creation along with ways to innovate upon where Roblox’s smooth terrain can go wrong.

Ahh yes, since that’s a smart decision for them to do. Spend millions of dollars on something that’d never work… Personally, I’m confident in Roblox even with its numerous faults. You can even check my first post on the DevForum, it was asking if large games were even possible. But quite frankly, there are ways to fix that by innovating and innovating and innovating. Push the limits and create new standards.

No, it’s due to the lack of payment mainly. Iirc 25% goes to developers, whilst the remainder goes to the platform for a variety of reasons. I’m sure that if it were increased significantly we would see more developers come here, possibly even AAA developers.

To create long-term full-time jobs for developers on the platform? It’d gain Roblox quite a bit more by launching a few studios to teams that can keep industry-standard payment, or possibly sub-market standards in terms of payment. While, yes, Roblox is dwarfed by size, it’s not worse in every way possible.

I agree, it didn’t. It took more. Creating jobs isn’t cheap when you’re 18+ and quite frankly they can pay for their large teams. You and I can’t, and we’d probably wish we could for a variety of reasons. But, in the end, it’s up to the consumers to choose what’s popular and what isn’t. If Roblox allows for games that you’re mentioning they’re suggesting, then they’d get more players/consumers coming to the platform to play these potential games.

Create full-time long-term jobs?

Obviously, go take a look at some software Roblox developers are using such as Blender, Maya, or Substance Painter.

Now, I have to go to town to get dinner, thanks for reading.

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A lot of people earn a living on Roblox earning more than and sometimes more than double the average wage without even owning a game themselves. I think the $500,000 minimum is completely reasonable for the direction and quality that Roblox is going for.

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There are plenty of studios on the platform offering this amount to each of their developers, I really don’t get why Roblox trying to boost the amount of real, full-time jobs is such a problem.

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For every 1k Robux you get 3.5 USD, I’m not sure where people get the 25% (mathematically) as Roblox provides servers and many other things without devs needing to worry about it (though in my opinion, the Roblox servers are kinda trash). I honestly don’t see a problem with the current percentage, games that blatantly rip off other games and other people’s IPs have made hundreds of thousands of USD.
I don’t think there is a way to optimize the engine as coding something over it would always be worse since it’s over the engine.

Also, I’d like to point out that you seem to be looking into the far future while the other guy is thinking currently/near future. I’m also fairly confident that “Adopt me!” on release didn’t cost more than 100k USD.

Edit: If anyone is wondering my opinion on the 500k, I’d rather they invested the half a million into roblox studio and/or upgraded the servers in all countries.

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The far future is now. As for making an engine that’s worse, mine is not even close to that. Optimizations in some areas are up to 16x better with the engine.

It more than likely was, they had a decently big game before making Adopt me. Treelands btw.

Well, we disagree and can let it be at that.

Based on a resource I obtained from a Roblox developer a while ago, however, they likely give more now. Also to get that 1,000 Robux you have to get through the tax…

Can someone please inform me what it means to “leverage ‘Metaverse’ items” and what are the methods to accomplish this?

It’s so cool seeing Roblox is giving such an opeertunity to their developers!

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As I understood, it’s something like platform-only items. Xbox-only for example.

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The tree models are free, it’s an asset pack that Roblox gave away themselves. We have some other asset packs as well that are both free and paid for though. I don’t really see how using an asset pack isn’t making a game though… It would be very unwise to not utilize such good packs :man_shrugging:

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It is very limited however, I wish they’d explain a little more, of course, you’d need a studio to make a big amazing game, especially with that type of funding. I don’t know if they’re only looking for ideas or the actual developers. But all I can say is that for 500k USD, you can get the best of the best no doubt about it.

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