Middleware opened a can of worms or Pandoras box in my view.
Suddenly people like myself who did not have the interest factor to go the hard route, learn programming, had access to the high and lofty realms of crafting games.
Very few of us had computer based training up to the point where we could instinctively operate a machine and know what we were doing.
For me, that changed when I took up computer grahpics as a career change, suddenly I was in amongst these guru's learning things like 'The Help File' and the 'Menu' system on applications and man. I was off...
Bought GameStudio after checking out a warezed version in 2002 I think it was and promptly set about accusing Conetic of holding me up with features that were not available but I wanted then and there, harrassing experienced users for not sharing or using suspect teaching methods to get me to learn scripting and then buying Torque 'cause it seemed more onto it than GStudio...BUT...I had to relearn a scripting style or programming AGAIN! and so on....
So now, I've read a few posts, met a few industry people, learnt a whole heap more and now - Wheres Tusk I wonder, I really need it right now
Any way, I soon learnt that Game Dev was actually Interactive story telling or movies and thats ok with me ;cause I know how to write stories, I know how to set stages up for theater performances and change sets as need be...in short, I do have all the skills needed to use middleware apps now but they are still toooooo far behind what I want to do! STILL!
Wheres the adventure....its in actually publishing titles and chasing up on leads and getting your business acuemen up etc...Its all there man
Its actually on publishing demos and scenarios and seeing how the comments go, what they are focussed on and how pertinent they are to the release
Its actually in Showcasing!
Graphics is critical and always has been, hence the resulting shaders, texture management and script management we have access to now,
Gameplay is critical,
Programming is a MUST!
We are now in need of Super Computers to handle all we have now so wheres the adventure...wait for the tech people to get over the marketing tricks before their gems can hit the markets cause thats all thats holding everybody up, the new computers not available yet for public consumption.
So get out there and actually publish, thats all you need to do to get the excitement back, publish