Hidden object game...?

I'm just curious about it...

How do you guys manage to get art for those hidden object-type games?

The objects themselves are pretty easy, just get a picture, cut the object out, do some color/brightness/contrast change, and it's ok... but what about the backgrounds itself?

The coding part looks pretty simple, just draw images with zorder, add a small polygon around it and check for mouse clicks inside it... anything else I may be forgetting here?

...and yeah, I had the sudden "urge" to make one :)

Well most of the companies making them have a big art budget and they hire artists so that their games have unique backgrounds. Also most HO games these days also have a) minigame/puzzles and/or b) some kind of adventure element (like room escape puzzles).

It's not that simple.

You need random objects every level. So when I start a new game second time I shouldn't know the exact locations of objects.(Re-playability)
Lots and lots of objects
Animations or at least 2-3 slides between each level telling the story
As Grey Alien said, puzzles or minigames needed like taking pictures of objects or opening a door with the proper combination of stones etc.
Particles and eye candy are the easiest stuff among these things

And if you are planning to submit it on portals, I guess you need very pretty graphics.

random objects... not a problem, I just noticed about that trying some games :)

I'm really not interested at this time in story, or other bells and whistles, just to make something "good looking" and working... implement the basics, sort of.

The ultimate goal is, of course, sending it to portals... let's see how far I can go with this :)

Thanks guys!

For the record, my wife was just introduced to HO games the past few days and even the simplistic non story "where's waldo" versions were still fun to play. (For both of us actually.) So I'm guessing there are 2 distinct markets for these types of games. The noob ho player and the one who has played a few and is ready for more of a challenge, story line, etc.

which is the biggest market now I wonder?

HO games bore me to death but even though, I plan to make one. I just can't understand why "especially the women" LOVE that games.

its co-operative rather than competitive

eye-spy-with-my-little-eye something beginning with "D" and ending will "ollars" :)

Maybe you should read this: http://greyaliengames.com/blog/passion-vs-profit-photos-from-casuality-2008/

Maybe you should read this :D

http://www.gameproducer.net/2008/12/01/mystery-case-files-franchise-sales-stats-25-million-units/

lol haha, Touché.

I read it this morning. The new MCF game has made very big sales...

What about a missing object game? Not hidden objects, but identifying which object is not present at all?

Hell yeah, that could be fun.

"No kippers! No English herringbone tweed! No meat pies! No Rolls-Royce petrol caps! No original pressings of Hey Jude!"

That's a nice idea actually, you can mix hidden object and missing object.

Just flipping it on its head, instead of trying to find which object is present, try to find the one which is not. There are lots of areas in game genre's where you can flip things around like that and get a whole new kind of game.

I also thought of a Hide the Object game where the computer is trying to find stuff and you have to hide it.

I saw the missing object idea in use recently in a neat game.