Packages like this always rely on the userbase to look their best... and steer the package towards more complex features. User friendliness, ease of use, those are not weaknesses and should never be considered as such. If the package is easier to use, then that balances the difficulty involved in making good media. If anything, a package like this should encourage people to learn modelling, so they can customise their game properly, or so they can achieve the game that they have intended.
I would prefer to see a complex shooter than something that only took a minute to create - because a game that took a minute to create is not something I'd be proud of, feel ownership of, or would want to share with people. Now a package that takes 2 weeks to make a good shooter, that's a different flavour of horse entirely.
Doodle Game suffers a similar problem to this, lets call it ''Falling between the gap between users common sense and reality''. Someone makes a package to let other people make games, maybe the creator of that package started out as a youngster with SEUCK in the 80's, or 3DCK in the 90's, or GameMaker in the naughties. Common sense dictates that an end user should be happy enough making their game...but they won't be. Most users will want the package to cover much more than it does. In fact, everytime I consider making a game creation package, I procrastinate over all the things people will demand, and I give up. You have a package for $50, and people will expect this one package to let them model ships and scenery, texture, edit sound effects, create music, allow full custom coding, custom AI, and basically do everything that the end user can't do for themselves. And that's why these packages always fall into the gap, because there are too many potential users aren't prepared to compromise or learn. One similarity is the final game distribution, both Tall Guy and TGC have left out game distrobution, and I think a lot of people can't understand why. Well it's a vital necessity for me, I was distributing my own SEUCK games on the C64, now we have the internet there is no reason why I wouldn't expect an option for distribution. I'd say SEUK was the bigger villain though, as My Doodle Game might not necesserily be expected to make standalone games. We have the youtube generation these days - people who check youtube for absolutely everything, and anything they can't find on youtube instantly sucks. People will look for SEUK videos, and when they find a game made in SEUK that they want to play, poor old early adopters will be left in the dark - talking about a game nobody else can really play. Wouldn't it be awesome to build your shooter, upload it somewhere, then link to it in youtube videos, or on facebook, or twitter. People want to make their OWN game, not a game that they can only share with people who also like to make their own games - people want to share their game with friends at school, their family, university. Seriously, I would never have bothered with SEUCK if I couldn't record the games to tape and give them to people to play... without the release point, there is no real buzz - finishing a game should go with a bang, not a week or so of convincing people to buy your package so they can try their game.
With these packages, people have to make themselves heard, and dare I say it - they have to adopt the package and push it to it's limits. For example, the StarWraith series of games actually fostered some additions to DBClassic, features that were needed to achieve some things in StarWraith warranted an update to the core language. But it works both ways, because it's a good advert for DBClassic, when people can't believe the game is written in it.
It's a lot easier to justify spending time adding features if you know that they will definately be used - even if that's just 1 instance. If someone is asking for more features before they even try the package, then the chances are they'll never use the features that are 'so important'.
What would be ideal I think, is if someone took on a big project with SEUK, like a 3D remake of R-Type, or my old favorite Salamander. Something with some meat to it, high visual and sound quality etc. Perhaps what is really required is a competition... get people making a game, in an engine that has it's priorities in the game design... perhaps even release a time limited version for the competition (ends on the competition deadline). I think it would be very valuable to get some good modellers on board, making or remaking a shooter, and showing off their talents and vicariously showing off your game engine. IMO it's the best way to promote a product within a community like this one - we aren't looking for a product to be creative with, we are looking for products to be productive with.
Long, rambling post I know, I doubt anyone will read it except for maybe Tall John... so bullet points!
* Game distribution is vital, make a runtime that can be packaged with games, or a game builder, but anyway that is a key feature.
* Consider having a competition, to envigorate youtube with good videos of more complex game development.
* Make a bigger game, something more like the game the end user will want to make - think Super Stardust HD, not space invaders.
Health, Ammo, and bacon and eggs!
