Is Dreams PS4 Still A Useful Tool? - Momin Game

The demise of Dreams as a live service game has prompted worries about Dreams' future utility as a creative tool in its final condition. We worked with members of the Dreams community to acquire insights regarding the value of Dreams, notably in the areas of music and animation exports, portfolio building, professional project prototyping, and brand establishment. 

Dreams, according to the majority of designers we spoke with, is still an accessible starting point into game production. Dreams, according to Eupholace, developer of Trips Voyage and Level Designer at Moon Studios, converted the frightening parts of game design into a joyful and understandable experience. True Parkour game designer Henry Blue called it as the "ultimate crash course in development." Dreams, according to Byvsen, is a "one-of-a-kind tool" that is highly recommended for the gaming and animation industries, among others.

However, the author of Bolt Bot Screwy Viruses stated that, while Dreams offers certain advantages in Unity, improving the game through Dreams prototyping may not give the same benefits as experimenting directly in the final engine. They stressed the possibility of unique and surprising inventions emerging from the final engine's iterative process. Aecert, a Dreams designer who is now working on Towercraft in Godot, had a similar perspective, adding that Dreams is highly recommended as a block-out tool for 3D platformers but that investing effort directly in the intended engine for other projects is a better use of time.

Given that game exporting from Dreams will never be viable, people who wish to export and sell their games will ultimately need to migrate to another platform. The amount of time spent planning and prototyping in Dreams is determined by the availability of alternative tools and the user's experience with Dreams. However, despite the smaller player community, garnering attention outside of Dreams may be difficult, especially for free and widely available games. Despite this, Dreams may still be a helpful source of input for game developers.

Opinions on the present worth of Dreams are heavily impacted by each creator's initial aspirations. Dreams, according to Jordan Hedges, Senior UX Designer at Netherrealm and developer of Project: S.A.M. and Grit in Dreams, is a hobbyist tool that meets their requirements, whereas typical gaming engines seem more like labor. Aecert, on the other hand, went all-in on Dreams with the hopes of establishing a career in streaming, game creation, and YouTube content. While they believe that certain efforts were misdirected and may have been better put toward development utilizing Godot, they recognize the valuable lessons, experience, and portfolio they obtained through Dreams.

Dreams portfolios are regarded in professional settings and have opened doors in the game development business, leading to lucrative game development jobs. Eupholace, for example, landed a job at Moon Studios after impressing the creative director, Thomas Mahler, with their project, Trips Voyage. True Parkour founder Henry has also garnered great response from industry professionals. When applying at The Game Assembly, a game development school, Byvsen exhibited Dreams projects such as The Snowball, Ghostbusters Afterlife, and Noguchi's Bell.

Michael, the founder of CyberSheep Studio, feels that a Dreams portfolio is still valuable, pointing out that exceptional dreamers may easily migrate to larger projects. He claims that if their ability can be shown in their Dreams pastime projects, it may also be noticed by possible employers. However, because to the diminishing player count, Dreams' value as a vehicle for developing a distinctive brand or intellectual property and garnering an audience has deteriorated. The newest project by CyberSheep Studios, Ronin of Okane, a prequel graphic book to NOGUCHI'S BELL created with Dreams, reveals that the potential to cultivate an audience with a unique IP has most certainly passed.

Nonetheless, Dreams allows you to export artwork, audio, and animation utilizing the PS4's built-in sharing capabilities. Byvsen's work has been successfully transferred to third-party platforms such as YouTube and Spotify. While Dreams production will come to an end in September, Media Molecule will continue to issue updates and improve the accessible tools, such as Animation 2.0, which seeks to make animation more efficient and time-consuming.

To summarize, the use of Dreams as a creative tool is subjective and dependent on individual aims and circumstances. It may be a useful stepping stone into game production, as well as a venue for portfolio development and criticism. However, due to the diminishing player population, its efficacy for exporting and selling games or developing a distinct brand has declined. Nonetheless, Dreams offers options to export art, music, and animation. The continuing upgrades and enhancements by Media Molecule, such as Animation 2.0, reflect their dedication to improving the toolset for the surviving creators.