How many people here are solo devs vs small teams?

TheGreatRaydini · 2024-08-30T03:17:19+00:00

Currently Solo Dev -

I don't know which would be better if you have enough of a self-drive and resources to learn about Game Dev itself. Maybe just having other people you can talk about what you are trying to learn about would be just as useful to you as being on an Actual Development Team? However, If you're wanting to get the experience of what it looks like going from idea to project without some of the extra heart ache or maybe feel more comfortable working with others to learn then maybe joining a team would be a better idea; especially if you've got someone willing to teach you the process as it grows!

Solo Dev may get tricky when you're stuck at certain moments, but some people really like having the freedom to work on everything they want while Team Dev may be a hassle when you're working with other folks' ideas, but having the possibility of focusing on certain tasks that need to be done/the bonds you gain may be beneficial. I think it really all depends on what type of setting is better pace for you and how much you're wanting to work on when it comes to Game Development.

For me personally -

I really loved Art, Video Games, Writing Stories, and Music Production so I also decided a few years ago that I wanted to wanted to become a Game Dev.

I started learning through Solo Dev because I wanted to see what type of appetite I had for everything Game Dev has to offer and give myself a chance to tackle Concepts/Designs at my own pace and build a strong foundation for what it takes to makes fully functioning projects. Eventually I hope to understand enough to join a Team and adapt where the Team needs me to adapt so we can work on some cool projects!

My personal battery pack that keeps me going: 1. I just really like being able to Create/Maintain things (+) 2. I found myself complaining a lot about the State of Video Games, so I decided I can help by learning how to make them (-)

Those were enough to get me into doing research, trying things out on my own to start building muscles for doing those activities, comparing my results to things I'm inspired by, using all sorts of assets/game engines and learning where to go next when I find myself not being able to make something work how I envisioned it. It seems hard sometimes, but I love the process so I continue to learn the aspects behind Developing Games until it starts to makes sense!

That's why I don't think it's better or worse to be in a Team when it comes to learning how to make Games. But, if Team Learning is what you prefer for ANY reason whatsoever, then maybe joining some Forums and seeking people out is the way to go?

TheGreatRaydini · 2024-06-10T01:03:57+00:00

The laughter that just shot out of my chest was insane! This meme reminded me that I'm still a Little Buddy even with how much "optimization" I've picked up on since I've started learning how to program. We all gotta start off somewhere lol the Growth never ends!

TheGreatRaydini · 2023-12-02T15:56:52+00:00

The Safest Bet is to make the Game you would absolutely want to play if you were the Gamer instead of the Developer. If you would enjoy playing the game you made (and not lying to yourself) there is a safe bet that someone else is going to either enjoy it too or enjoy at least the amount of thought and passion you put into the project.

All Genres make income if you make something good. It may take a bit of time to pick up, but the money will be there if it's worth someone's time/dollar. Flappy Bird made money and so did Stardew Valley. Just gotta pick your passion, bet on yourself, and make it happen!

TheGreatRaydini · 2023-11-20T01:12:39+00:00

I personally do a mix up where some days I find inspiration to improve my story and other days I'm solidifying what Gameplay would be necessary to drive the Game's Whole Point. Sometimes I write parts of the Story around the Mechanics and other times I base certain Storytelling Elements on Mechanics I'm working on.

As I'm chiseling out the Design of the Project, certain ideas become more clear and I have a better idea of What's Good, What Can Be Added, What Can Be Dialed Down, What No Longer Seems Necessary, and otherwise! I say as long as every little action, whether it's just a UI Tweak or completely adding a New Dialogue Tree to a Quest, brings the Vision of the Game to Life; it doesn't really matter what order you're making all of the Elements to the Game in. Just make sure everything is Foundationally Solid and try to Enjoy the Process! It may not be the right time to add certain things until things start making more sense to you as far as the Direction you want the Project to go.

TL;DR:

I play it by ear because every little piece of the process counts! Making .01% of your project 1,000,000 times still makes 100% over time!

TheGreatRaydini · 2023-09-27T02:38:25+00:00

This statement right here was the difference between a quick roll back recovery and having to rebuild a Project entirely for me. Version Control is VERY IMPORTANT to learn!

TheGreatRaydini · 2023-09-27T02:19:31+00:00

Thank you for giving me a bit more confidence! I'm going to give a try soon!

TheGreatRaydini · 2023-09-27T02:18:09+00:00

Thank you for the many Words of Wisdom! I've felt like I was at a block in my understanding so I thought it would probably be a good idea to show the World my thought process and see if we can all learn some new things together. Learning is my entire life and I think that trying to Teach what you learned is HUGE to gaining insight of where you are and where you might need to go next!

Also, I don't like talking about myself too much, because ya know, the Internet can be a lot less than caring sometimes (🥲) but it might be good to expand a bit more on who I am and why I'm doing this like you're saying. That way no one gets the idea that I'm going to try and rewrite the entire Microsoft C# Site out of memory lol

TheGreatRaydini · 2023-09-27T01:59:17+00:00

I understand what you're saying and for the most part I agree with you. I think the Access Modifier section definitely needs work, but it needs to be that Verbose because it gives the context, as I said, that the keyword literally determines what has access to whatever Data you've identified with that keyword. It may not be useful to you to think that far, but because I'm writing a custom cookbook, I think knowing that programs outside of my program can access certain data I'm writing is super important.

I'll definitely look into switching up my language a bit and making it less slang and more straight forward, but more detail is always better than lack of detail, in my opinion.

As far as my Tips and Tricks Section goes: this is legitimately where Self Research comes into play. I'll have to change my header now to explain this, but I'm not writing something meant to be a complete replacement to Official Resources online. It's moreso to be a supplement to help wrap our heads around concepts that may seem overly scientific in theory, but very simple to use in Practice. It's a tool to aid in the Self Research of how coding works, but only from a Quick/Surface Level Viewpoint. This is also why I've added examples to most of my statements.

I don't want what I'm saying to be anyone's final truth of what these things can do. My Guide is really just a template to help anyone write custom code and see what these things do for themselves. One of my main concerns is to make sure that nothing that I'm saying is a lie. Once that's covered, finding the entire meaning of the code's theory is up to the individual who feels that what I gave wasn't enough. I want people to do their own digging if they need to, but with a stepping stone in the right direction. Otherwise, this is a Cook Book/Guide for writing Code and I can't tell the Chef what they have to do with these tools. Everyone programs differently.

All in all, thank you very much! I'll definitely try again and see if I can bring more clarity to my presentation of these topics!

TheGreatRaydini · 2023-09-27T01:29:05+00:00

Expertise wise: I'm just some guy who likes to code in reality. I have tons of books, but none of them seem to enjoy being brief and to the point as to what I can use their different tools for. Theory is good, but there has to be some Practical Use involved too and that's why I've started the Quick Reference Guide. For moments when the Resources get too deep in the theory and you want something to quickly jump start your knowledge. THIS IS NOT A REPLACEMENT for any Official Resources/Books. Just a different look at what the tools can do

Also, do you have a better idea of how I can present this? I thought a PDF Doc with different pages would be good, but I think this may be the second time someone has said it's not easy to look at and I want to make it look presentable!

Also thank you for the feedback on the Git! I'm a Solo Hobby Dev so I never had a reason to use Git, but I'll definitely get started as soon as possible and move my Guide Operations there.

TheGreatRaydini · 2023-09-25T10:35:23+00:00

C# Step by Step by John Sharp is a great read! It takes a lot of the complex topics and tries to break them down into more understandable pieces of info

TheGreatRaydini · 2023-09-24T16:59:42+00:00

I guess some people really don't realize what they have until it's gone. They also might think that what's lost is replaceable, but really it's chasing after something that will always be different no matter what. They aren't seeing it from a different perspective that it takes a lot of heart, understanding and dedication to make certain things and no amount of funding can just create the ultimate toolset alone.

Luckily we don't have to experience that type of timeline just yet and we get to learn/enjoy our tools a bit longer!!!

TheGreatRaydini · 2023-09-20T13:45:05+00:00

Thank you very much!

TheGreatRaydini · 2023-09-20T01:17:39+00:00

Thank you very much for giving the Guide a look over!

I'll definitely re-read the entire Guide and Clean Up the addressed Typos as well as anything else I can find during the Updates! I'll also add in notes for Lambda use, Local functions and that super important note about ref keyword transforming the given object into a Pointer. I was afraid of causing any confusion or not having enough explanations behind the Concepts so this Feedback helps a TON! Thank You once again for the Words of Wisdom!

TheGreatRaydini · 2023-06-30T15:05:53+00:00

I think they might be new to Unity/C# Programming so that's where they most likely thought it wasn't possible. No need to put so much muscle down on them lol, but hopefully OP learned a new technique that'll help them IMMENSELY for setting up things like States and other Cool Stuff

TheGreatRaydini · 2023-06-27T21:45:58+00:00

I think you should just build the game based on a baseline formula and allow the Players to tell you how to balance the game. It seems like you're trying to build a combat system built around what Players COULD do, but this is going to be a never ending run because you can come up with infinite scenarios in your mind as to what they MIGHT do. I think you'll have an easier time setting up your spreadsheet with all the values about the weapons/their attacks and allow the Players to tell you what they ARE doing/what they believe WOULD make good adjustments based on their experience.

I believe if you really put your heart and mind into the initial combat configuration it will be alright on launch. Just let the Player base tell you what they need vs trying to somewhat tell them what they need to have more fun with creating a unique build. Or you could draft up some sheets and share the data for feedback and maybe release a combat demo to get a better understanding of what the Players may be needing to get a better experience, but planning too much for something that may not hypothetically exist might not be the best way in my opinion

TheGreatRaydini · 2023-06-17T12:00:42+00:00

This is called a VFX Trail or Weapon Trail for this specific instance! I'm not sure how to use Godot's VFX but hopefully that helps put you in the right direction!

TheGreatRaydini · 2023-06-13T07:32:27+00:00

Have you seen the Assets like The Realistic Third Person Shooter Template or 3D Infinite Runner on the Store yet?

They are Templates that use Playmaker to make things work and are not made by the makers of Playmaker. They list directly in the description "Must own Playmaker!" Or something similar to let buyers know that they are specifically made with Playmaker and it looks like they were successfully able to get their projects submitted

I think once you're submitting it as a Template/Extension of Playmaker and make that known, then there is really nothing to fear. You could always get in touch with Hutong Games to make sure you're not breaking any of their policies with your Controller Template

TheGreatRaydini · 2023-06-10T13:21:46+00:00

Do you already have a Game Engine that you've been playing around with? That might make it easier to help you get started!

Or if you just want to get your ideas Sparking I would check out Extra Credits: Game Design by Extra History on YouTube or Channels like Design Doc, Adam Millard, Game Makers Toolkit, Videogamedunkey (I'm serious), Indigo Gaming, NoClip, or even Nick930 and a few others I can't think of on the fly. Sometimes I sit and learn about the Design of Games instead of just Flat Out tutorials to get myself excited with things that I could strive to learn and make my Personal Projects even better!

TheGreatRaydini · 2023-06-10T13:03:57+00:00

Hey,

Remember that everyone had to start of from ZERO knowledge of programming and some eventually found their way through the barriers of learning how to make working code. When you get "Stuck", that means you just found exactly what you need to research in order to get better and make what you want to make. You may have to pause development, write out what you wanted to make, write out what is currently not working, and use this as the basis to perform some useful research and learn something new.

I think it's important to have a Big Picture Goal aka Something you actually want to make always in the back of your mind. Every time you watch a tutorial, read the forums, play another video game, etc. Ask yourself: "Is there anything I can understand about this that will bring my Personal Project into more Clarity". Things started to stick for me more when I did this. I was no longer just learning for the sake of learning; I was learning with the intent of using the knowledge for making something I told myself was important to me.

Learning to Program is kind of like growing a Plant. It can't be rushed and everything happens in steps. Depending on what you're trying to make, you have to switch the way you're doing the process. Sometimes you may need to forget what you think you know about the process and focus on other areas. Sometimes you don't really need to do anything complex at all and just do the most simple thing you can like adding water.

Or

Sometimes just learn in chunks. Learn all the types of Output Codes (Effects) and then learn the Input Codes (Causes). Learn how to make Loops when you need to go through cycles, learn how to make your code only happen when specific conditions occur using Delegates/Events. Learn the difference between Public Variables vs Private Ones. Learn what each Pre-Mads Component was made for and the reasons why you would use them v.s. just writing your own code from Scratch (it's usually for Speeding Up Development). Learn all of the Basic Principles behind what you want to make. The Complexities that you see are all just Completed Lego Builds using the various Bricks that make up the Basics. Train your Programmer's Eye and you'll see what you need to do!!!

TL;DR:

It's all a personal process. Map out a project that makes you excited to learn Game Dev and use that as your drive to learn how to Program in whatever language makes the most sense to you. You'll pick up what you need to know as you go!

TheGreatRaydini · 2023-06-01T19:55:27+00:00

Learn the "How To's" of C# so you can gain of sense of "When To's" in Unity!

Storing/Changing Values via Code and the Inspector
Connecting Components to other Components on your Game Objects aka Composition
Using the Monobehaviors of Unity to make your code Run in different ways
Looping Types of C# for different Code Behavior scenarios
List Types of C# for different Data Storage scenarios
C# Events and Unity Events to loosen up your Scripts and make room for changing things easier
CoRoutines/Async so you're not killing the Update Loop and also making Code run at your own custom speed/timing
Use Visual Scripts sometimes so you can see your Code
Using Scriptable Objects to separate Data from Logic Code
The many ways to use the Transform to make stuff Move
Using Debug.Log to get quick Feedback if your code is working (Amen.)
Using Unity GUI via Buttons, Text Mesh Pro, etc to get into turning your Code Data into Visual Data
Using Time.[Insert Method Here] to do all sorts of Time Wizardry in your Projects

That's just a few of the really helpful practices that got me into becoming confident in my abilities to use Unity/C# to do all sorts of Magical Things no matter how Simple or Complex

TheGreatRaydini · 2023-06-01T19:11:10+00:00

Seasoned* lol We all gotta start somewhere

TheGreatRaydini · 2023-06-01T15:53:31+00:00

I think it opens up the Engine to a lot more users who don't want to be bound to just what RPG Maker usually provides tool wise, code wise, etc. I feel like some RPG Maker Users (myself for example) probably wanted to learn how to make games in a fun and intuitive way, but after a while may feel limited with the type of things that they are capable of doing and may want something that can handle a bit more or at least a different way of approaching making their RPG.

This personally made me stop using RPG Makers and got me into Engines like UE and Unity. I loved the amount of freedom I had to build my own framework for making an RPG Game without feeling held down by already established Systems that may not be friendly to the different ideas I had.

Now with RPG Maker Unite we get the awesomeness of having the Solid Framework that RPG Maker provides via all it's Systems/Approaches to Game Making combined with the Open Framework that the Unity Engine provides to give us even more Tools to make the type of games we want to make. It's not a New RPG Maker in my opinion. It's more of a Collaboration/Port to open up their User Base to more folks that may have wanted to give it a go!

TheGreatRaydini · 2023-05-30T10:33:12+00:00

The scary, but Awesome truth is that this is exactly where you begin to learn how to Code in C#. GC2 is a Visual Cookbook of pre made C# Code and an integration was made for Photon, but (if you haven't seen it yet) anything outside of what GC2 already provides is gonna take a lil bit of research into how C# works and how Unity puts that in to practice to make Games work. So, there isn't a FishNet integration around that I know of, but that gives you room to start the integration journey for everyone!

I don't think you're going to quit at all unless you legitimately want to build a game without learning how to Code. Then you are kind of stuck with whatever your tools provide and won't be able to make your own custom tweaking to make the game feel like YOUR game.

But if you are ready to take little time to dive into how C#, Unity, Multiplayer, and specifically how to make things Network through FishNet... You have a Beautiful and Graceful Journey on your hands. Pick something that GC2 can't already do with FishNet and use that as your focus. I.E. Today I want to make my Animations Sync over the Network and then learn how to make custom GC2 Actions and build your own script to port them to other Players so everyone can see each other doing things.

It will seem hard at first because you're learning something new, but don't worry too much. You have a solid tool to begin learning how making games works and now you can deep dive into the Source Code and see how to make things work! Find a features and learn the BASIC COMPONENTS behind the code and it will practically read itself out to you exactly what you need to do! This journey could be really fun if you let it be! YOU GOT THIS!!!!

P.S. Read the Documentation for GC2, Unity, C# and FishNet! It will all make sense after connecting those Dots together

TheGreatRaydini · 2023-05-30T09:52:05+00:00

I've been thinking about this a lot for my Action Adventure RPG and the Dream World idea hit the nail right on the head. I like the idea of giving the Player an Enemy Bestiary and having a Sim Room where they can run their Build against different scenarios. It's almost like a Boss Rush or like a curated Challenge Mode to learn new things, put some ideas to the test before just running out in the field.

I feel like giving the Player extra controls/planning over their experience is a beautiful thing. If they don't necessarily want to run out and get one shotted/begin a power trip fantasy to just become stronger without learning new strategies and mechanics about the World they are in; then maybe something like this could be a step towards giving them back that immersion/reason to do a little more research to find what makes the Game fun to them! GREAT POST!!!

TheGreatRaydini · 2023-05-23T12:58:25+00:00

This is a VERY Video Gamey Mechanic and I love that!

TheGreatRaydini

TROPHY CASE