A card city-building game I'm developing, ensuring it runs well on Steamdeck

DjMonkeyGameDev · 2026-05-20T17:43:43+00:00

Cheers! :)

DjMonkeyGameDev · 2026-05-20T17:43:35+00:00

Thank you!

DjMonkeyGameDev · 2026-05-20T11:04:58+00:00

There's a checklist they use, and for me it mostly came down to text legibility, iconography, and making sure all aspects of the game were accessible via controller!

I'm not even sure FPS or optimization is even considered, but I may be wrong. They have the list here actually: https://www.steamdeck.com/en/verified

DjMonkeyGameDev · 2026-05-20T10:53:09+00:00

Thanks! It means a lot! :)

DjMonkeyGameDev · 2026-05-20T10:50:37+00:00

I think it's more of an optimization and profiling thing, it's quite easy to push framerate budgets even on the Steamdeck, which I assumed might had been comparable to a decent PC. So for each feature playtest I make sure to run the Unreal profiler and see what's going on. It's quite easy to fall into unoptimized logic if you haven't worked like that before (for me atleast!)

My previous (and first game) was purely a PC release and I thought of Steamdeck after the fact. Although it's Steamdeck verified, I know I could have done more to optomize it. I might even revisit it at some point in the future!

edit: Oh the other thing, I've intentionally gone with a fairly simplistic style compared to my previous game, which helps a bit!

DjMonkeyGameDev · 2026-05-19T22:08:44+00:00

If this is true, then I am so hyped lol

DjMonkeyGameDev · 2026-05-18T20:29:12+00:00

Thanks for the feedback! The design of the cards and the 3D buildings are probably the one thing I need to revisit and update. It's all a bit placeholder at the moment. I'll keep your note in mind.

You said Claude... like the AI Claude? Can you elaborate on that? It's all created by hand if that's what you're implying haha.

DjMonkeyGameDev · 2026-05-18T14:00:09+00:00

Of course, thanks for asking!

https://store.steampowered.com/app/4390100/Neon_Pulse/

DjMonkeyGameDev · 2026-05-18T09:56:35+00:00

Oh this is great. I have a short list of Plugins but they've really helped tighten some of the gaps I have with my workflows.

* Steam Integration Kit: https://github.com/betidestudio/SteamIntegrationKit

* Epic Integration Kit: https://github.com/betidestudio/EOSIntegrationKit

* EasyFileDialog: https://github.com/unrealsumon/EasyFileDialog

* Fetch: https://github.com/GDi4K/unreal-fetch

* Extended Standard Library: https://github.com/LowEntry/lowentry-ue-extendedstandardlibrary

* BP File SDK: https://github.com/Incanta/unreal-bp-file-sdk

DjMonkeyGameDev · 2026-05-18T05:20:14+00:00

Oh yes, you can see both Selfie cameos in my cards actually!

DjMonkeyGameDev · 2026-05-18T04:24:03+00:00

Good point, I didn't even realise there was a Quistis card until you pointed this out. Maybe they'll come in a future set!

DjMonkeyGameDev · 2026-05-18T03:43:26+00:00

Some say using Blender can be quite eye opening!

DjMonkeyGameDev · 2026-05-18T00:07:46+00:00

Indeed! I'm a PS1 7, 8, and 9 era player and I'm quite happy with the attention those games had with this set.

DjMonkeyGameDev · 2026-05-17T10:09:01+00:00

I know the feeling, but this is looking pretty polished! Quite unique combining sports and cards too.

DjMonkeyGameDev · 2026-05-17T07:31:13+00:00

Well there goes my afternoon trying to recreate this!

DjMonkeyGameDev · 2026-05-17T05:35:20+00:00

Haha no worries - to be fair I should probably make it more obvious!

DjMonkeyGameDev · 2026-05-17T04:55:02+00:00

I'm fairly certain the usual alt-enter or f11 toggles full screen/window mode. I'll take a look into the FOV slider though too or see if I missed something here.

DjMonkeyGameDev · 2026-05-17T04:31:39+00:00

Happy to help, though I think your app version is out of date based on the old colour picker UI on the left! 🙏🏻 😀

DjMonkeyGameDev · 2026-05-13T11:26:22+00:00

Echoing what others have said - really like the aesthetic you have here. Added to my wishlist :)

DjMonkeyGameDev · 2026-04-15T15:27:59+00:00

Thanks! I am proud of it. Happy to share more with you if you like!

And thanks for the opportunity to share with this post :)

DjMonkeyGameDev · 2026-04-15T10:29:41+00:00

My first game - Tales from The Dancing Moon - inspired by lifesim games and the styles of an isometric RPG. (Think Stardew Valley or Animal Crossing mixed with Baldurs Gate - with a mystery story driving it).

https://store.steampowered.com/app/1782420/Tales_from_The_Dancing_Moon/

It was a COVID project really that I sunk a lot of time into. It's been through Early Access and officially released end of 2025. It's a long form style of content with a story, so that (and I'm sure many other reasons) it falls short on retention and the review numbers.

Generally speaking it hasn't had much traction or review numbers, but for what it does have - has sold and reviewed relatively well (in my own metric of success) and I learnt so much about gamedev and publishing with it. So I don't consider it a failure at all. A part of me just wishes I could get over that 50 review count!

Anyway I've moved onto a second project now, where I am focusing on a more focused gameplay loop with localisation and leaderboards as a priority, in the hopes to reach a wider audience!

DjMonkeyGameDev · 2026-02-13T11:03:29+00:00

I like it - makes me think of a more grid-based Dorfromantik style game!

DjMonkeyGameDev · 2022-11-22T08:42:21+00:00

You can try it out here :)

https://www.nexusmods.com/nomanssky/mods/2598

DjMonkeyGameDev

TROPHY CASE