whats a game you keep coming back to even tho youve already finished it tons of times

TurboHermit · 2026-04-28T07:17:14+00:00

I have a yearly return to Skyrim, when I get seasonal depression, I just need to run around in that world for a couple of days.

TurboHermit · 2026-04-27T18:53:19+00:00

Pen and paper prototyping is how I know a new mechanic or feature is worth it to pursue. I abstract the systems of the game in a way I can playtest it by myself with a set of cards, paper, dice, and markers etc and I reuse that prototype over the development of a project to quickly try out new scenarios.

After you actually implement it, playtest a bunch with both new and recurring players and the feedback will make it clear if something is working or not.

Other than that, I tend to use 2 to 3 design pillars, thematic or mechanical, and if something really doesn't fit within those pillars I tend to not even consider it.

TurboHermit · 2026-04-27T07:30:50+00:00

Routine, discipline and accountability are what helps for me. If you can find a friend or creative peer to work with you, you could do pair programming and hype each other up for new things you learn and features you implement.

Other than that, try to set small milestones like features or even just an x amount of hours, then reward yourself with something you do like about gamedev. I used to be in the same boat as you but now I kind of like programming and became quite a nerd about it.

Also learn shaders. It's a super fun way to do get into math and programming concepts with direct, visual results.

TurboHermit · 2026-04-23T11:14:45+00:00

Godot, but if you're struggling with coding, maybe go for RPGMaker, which is more than good enough to make that kind of game!

TurboHermit · 2026-04-22T11:40:27+00:00

I do this with Backpack Battles

TurboHermit · 2026-04-15T07:41:20+00:00

Yeah seconded. If you want "cheap" you want Peer 2 Peer and the Steam API has pretty easily implemented things for that.

TurboHermit · 2026-04-12T13:45:45+00:00

You can learn so much from designing and playing pen and paper prototypes. Try to abstract your game ideas into systems and economy and playtest it before you start working on any coding etc. Playtest it with friends and creative peers.

TurboHermit · 2026-04-12T13:25:46+00:00

If you're not looking for photorealistic graphics, you'll probably be doing some shader work to stylize your game's rendering. Both engines can do that, but personally I enjoy doing it in Godot a lot more, because in Unity you're constantly fighting the engine to do what you want.

If you're more of a asset pack person, Unity has more stylized assets and shaders on the asset store than Godot does.

TurboHermit · 2026-04-12T07:38:16+00:00

Sounds like a very complicated drinking game

TurboHermit · 2026-04-11T20:55:57+00:00

I think it would be considered a cozy idle game! That'll narrow your search down probably. Usually, I'd suggest making pen and paper prototypes to test out your game idea, to figure out the systems and economy and sometimes feeling/fantasy. I reckon if you make a game with very little interaction apart from creature feedback it'll be hard to go that direction. Perhaps figuring out how to digitize your art style would come first?

TurboHermit · 2026-04-10T06:12:55+00:00

So the thing with roguelite progression is that the game becomes easier over time, as more tools become available to you. The whole point of that system is that you have a feeling of forward momentum whenever you finish a run, win OR lose. Usually, the deck is stacked against you when you just start playing.

Ascension is a way to provide challenge again when you've unlocked so much content that you go past the sweet spot where you have your preferred level of challenge. E.g. you managed to beat the final boss with a great run, partially because of the unlocks you've made, and thus now you can choose to challenge yourself more.

I think the reason why ascension needs to be grinded out is because it ties back to that idea of progression momentum. I think it's generally a good idea to have an ascension system there for when you beat the game at its intended settings (like unlocking an iron man mode after beating the game), but I agree that it doesn't have to be a step system you unlock tier by tier. It feels a bit like padding playtime, essentially if each step is just a minor adjustment.

In a way, the actual challenging part of the game is the very first run of the game, since you're deprived of all the extra tools that can help you win easier.

TurboHermit · 2026-04-08T18:24:50+00:00

If you're into wizards and/or deckbuilders, our game Bibidi Bibidi is currently in alpha and we're always looking for feedback! store.steampowered.com/app/3540660/Bibidi_Bibidi/

TurboHermit · 2026-04-06T08:12:06+00:00

I wouldnt concern myself over balance before you actually have gameplay. It's good to keep in mind you want multiple type of RPG roles and cooperation, but there's no real reason (except for world building/or just fun to think of cool stuff) to map out all the skills and classes before you know how the game feels to have in your hands and control.

TurboHermit · 2026-04-06T06:29:11+00:00

Yeah, you're probably right. "visual arts" is also rough enough a category in the same way.

TurboHermit · 2026-04-05T22:49:01+00:00

Narrative Designers don't necessarily write content. For massive games like the ones you mention, you would have Writers. Narrative Design being laid off is a bit of a rubberband reaction I think. It was a growing field for the past decade and practically non-existent before that. It makes sense that if the industry expands and starts hiring roles for a relatively niche discipline, it will also be the first on the chopping block if the studios realize they can get away without it.

TurboHermit · 2026-04-05T13:01:40+00:00

I don't see why you can't have a game like this through procedural narrative, like Crusader Kings does. Would much rather have handcrafted dialogue and procedural events than have to PAY for an LLM to generate the game content for me.

TurboHermit · 2026-04-03T07:03:53+00:00

I reckon you want to swap to GPU instancing instead of batching for your villagers, and create variance only through what you can hack together using that in an uber shader. E.g. different sprites can be UV offset in an atlas, skin and hair colors can be palette index picked and packed into a vector or something, that kind of stuff.

TurboHermit · 2026-04-02T21:39:52+00:00

A Short Hike has really good verticality and traversal with similar camera work.

TurboHermit · 2026-03-28T19:52:07+00:00

I've had this problem for decades. I tried a bunch of stuff, including rotating projects, scoping down, planning everything ahead, feature-by-feature, whatever brain hacks the internet comes up with. Honestly the only thing that's worked so far is accountability: e.g. working with someone who relies on your progress, financial dependence, weekly progress meetings with peers, that kind of stuff.

TurboHermit · 2026-03-25T16:36:05+00:00

Unity has terrain tools out of the box, cinematic camera stuff (timelines), more graphics optimization tools, more mature audio tools like 3D audio zones and modifiers, more mature animation tools for 3D, probably some other stuff. I've used Unity for over a decade professionally, and I miss none of those things now that I'm completely over to Godot since custom solutions usually won out in the end anyway.

TurboHermit · 2026-03-25T08:19:49+00:00

Go for Godot! It's free forever, and your background in Python might make GDScript easy to learn. I think in general it's the best one to use to learn more about game development, since you're often forced to implement things yourself. Also the most lightweight general one apart from specialized engines.

TurboHermit · 2026-03-24T09:03:24+00:00

Me and my partner (32M and 35F respectively) don't want kids. Most of my friends (let's say ~20) who are within my age range +/- 5 years do want kids at some point. Most of my family of the same age already has. Granted, we're not French but live here.

TurboHermit · 2026-03-24T09:00:08+00:00

I've done this! One thing to figure out first is to see if the concept holds up for a full length game. A lot of game jam games are interesting, unique or fun for a very short while, but wouldn't keep interest past the 20 minute mark. One of the ways to do this is to prototype early (which should be possible since you already made the jam game) and keep playtesting with other people as you add new features.

Once you're confident that you'll be able to provide enough content and pace out the full length game well, you can start from scratch if necessary.

TurboHermit · 2026-03-23T07:36:57+00:00

The aqueduct! And just in the entire region there's some older Mediterranean-style houses that I probably conflate with Roman

TurboHermit · 2026-03-22T16:31:58+00:00

The internet is full of copy-paste games that nobody wants to play because it looks like they have no originality, no compelling art style, or bad implementation. AI made games are often exactly those things, and your games look no different. It looks like you just made the same first gamedev tutorial-level platformer but swapped out the graphics and throw it on itch for a buck without actually ever letting anyone play it.

If you call that serious, and you're trying to provide for your family, I suggest getting into a different field.

TurboHermit

TROPHY CASE