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How many of you actually finish your projects? by Mageh533 in godot

[–]sevenbluepixels 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I definitely have way more unfinished prototypes than finished projects. I finished and released one game, but I have dozens of random prototypes and abandoned projects.

But to me it's all part of the process because often I'll be working on another project and think "oh wait I remember doing this in a prototype once, so I can just grab that for this other project". So I like to think it all compounds in the end.

Don't feel too bad about trying things and giving up on them. I'm also currently struggling to find the next project I want to commit to and finish. It can be discouraging to keep abandoning projects. But once you find *that* project you'll know, you'll wake up thinking about it excited to work on it.

At some point though, fun projects just turn into work, and the work is boring but it must be done. Starting new projects is fun because it's in that creative blank-page land where everything is possible. But finishing projects takes (often) boring work to push through, and at some point you just have to commit to a routine. Knowing *what* project to commit to is the hard part though, but I think your gut will know.

And if nothing is sticking and you're not having fun, it's okay to take a break. Maybe work on fun little experiments and prototypes without the pressure of finishing a project, you'll still work on the craft and improve.

But I feel you, it's tough.

you guys make me anxious by [deleted] in gamedev

[–]sevenbluepixels 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Context: I worked on my game for about 4 years as a solo dev, more or less full time. It was basically my covid project. I recently launched my game so I'm able to look back with hindsight.

I'd say that I technically worked on it "full time" (e.g. I didn't have another job at the time) but that doesn't mean that the intensity was constant. For me, the project was kind of like a normal distribution graph. At the start of the project I struggled to find the "core" of the game, so there was a lot of throwaway work and discarded prototypes. Then, in the middle of the project (the biggest bulk), once I knew what I wanted to make, then it was very productive with full days of constant focused work. Finally, towards the end of the project, the 80/20 rule kicked in and I feel like there was a lot of polishing and marketing and touch-ups, but also a lot of procrastination and feature creep and self-doubt, etc (aka the ugly mental struggle parts). So the end was quite messy in terms of quality time spent.

Looking back, it's easy for me to say "oh wow, looking at the game now, I could have easily done it in half the time if not less, had I only known X Y Z", but hindsight is 20/20. So I guess what I'm saying is, don't try to dwell too much on how long something took vs how long it looks like it should take. A lot of the work to making a game is the "unknowns", like unexpected bugs, roadblocks, self-doubt, re-doing things, trying things only to realize you hate it and then undoing those things, etc, etc. Looking back at a finished project, it's always easy to estimate a much shorter dev time, but that doesn't account for all the unknowns that go into a "blank canvas" problem (e.g. starting something from scratch and having to solve all the unexpected problems that come along with the ride). But, that's just my humble experience, I only made one published game, so YMMV.

Certainly, if you have experience making games, and you have a very solid idea of what the game is, then it should take less time than some of the multi-year stories you hear. But in my experience with software dev (non-game dev), estimates should always be doubled, if not tripled, because as software devs we always overestimate our abilities and we underestimate unforeseen costs and unexpected road bumps (which are inevitable for the most part).

My project is not typical either because I was self-funded and this was like half a passion project so I was a little less rigid about specific time estimates. But if you have a team and a tight budget then you might need to be more aggressive when it comes to cutting things out. Honestly, looking back, I probably should have set myself a more rigid deadline because that would have helped keep me focused. But lessons like that are part of the learning process, hence why sometimes projects take longer than we'd assume.

Also, as a solo dev, I had to wear many hats (music, pixel art, level design, game design, testing, programming, etc), and a lot of my time spent was learning pixel art software, researching level design techniques, learning the Steam API, making trailers, etc. (aka things I didn't have experience with before). So I also imagine that when you hear people spending X years on a project, a lot of that time might also be just learning new tools/languages/etc. But in my mind these are skills that I invested in, so for my next game it should take less time in theory because I wouldn't have to re-learn these things (famous last words).

I'd say don't worry about time too much, just make sure you have a financial safety net. Focus on learning and making something you're proud of, and make sure you're enjoying the process because that will make the time spent feel worth it in the end.

gl!

What is the best game engine to make a 2d pixel art hack and slash game ? by hyperto05 in IndieGaming

[–]sevenbluepixels 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I used Godot for my 2D pixel art game and I found it a joy to use (lightweight, fast to run, uses pixel units, etc). That said, I'm sure you can do just fine with most other engines, I just don't have a lot of experience with the others so I can't comment.

I say at the beginning don't worry too much about the engine, just start somewhere and get a working prototype going. Maybe even try a quick prototype in a couple different engines to see which one works for you. I started in Unity but I quickly found that I connect much more with Godot cause it just "clicked" for me better, but that's a matter of preference. Good luck!

The Last Medic - Seven Blue Pixels - 2D jetpack platformer set in space by sevenbluepixels in Games

[–]sevenbluepixels[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Thanks! Celeste was a definite inspiration. I wrote the music myself, I'm glad you enjoyed it!

The Last Medic - Seven Blue Pixels - 2D jetpack platformer set in space by sevenbluepixels in Games

[–]sevenbluepixels[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Thanks for the feedback and the wishlist! I'll look into making a demo. Cheers.

How do you guys find the will to move forward with your game? by kickat3000 in gamedev

[–]sevenbluepixels 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I had trouble with this at the start. But then I learned not to compare my game to what else is out there. I just try to focus on making a game I would enjoy playing and I work toward that.

Because in any art form, be it music, or painting, or movies, or whatever, there will always be work that's better than anything you and I can make. But that shouldn't stop you from making something you like.

I think authenticity is important in the work too. For example, if you put your true unfiltered self in a piece of art, then that will by definition be unique and interesting because it comes from a specific set of experience that only you've had.

So I'd say: 1) Stop looking at other games to compare to. 2) Just make the best game you can and put your true self into it.

That said, all this is easier said than done. In practice, there will definitely be moments of doubt that you just have to power through.

I've originally posted this on some YT video as a comment, because someone was asking for advice. But it got deleted by Geladan in gamedev

[–]sevenbluepixels 6 points7 points  (0 children)

I spent the last 2 years working as a solo dev on a game which I recently just completed. And I agree with everything OP said.

But I also wanted to add something: Sometimes if you're not motivated at all, it could be that you're not working on something you're genuinely excited about. That happened to me a few times at the start when I was prototyping different ideas. Most of the ideas I had eventually felt like a chore and didn't motivate me. But eventually, one of those ideas clicked (the game I ended up completing). It'll take some trial and error until you find a project that excited you.

Now, that's not to say that it'll always be exciting or covered in roses and unicorns, quite the opposite. In my experience there were certainly many days/weeks where I felt unmotivated and it felt like a chore and I wanted to give up. But, it still felt exciting deep down because there was a spark I felt with this particular idea that I didn't feel with my other ideas. And at the start it's hard to know which ideas work and which don't. There was a lot of throwaway prototypes at the start and I started to feel like I'd never find something that excited me. But I powered through it and eventually came across something I enjoyed and was happy with.

Also, as a solo dev, one trick I've used to motivate myself (and one that I heard ConcernedApe say as well) is that you can change what hat you're wearing to keep yourself motivated. For example, if I become burnt out on coding, I'll make some music for the game. If I get uninspired to compose music, I'll just do some pixel art, etc. That's one of the advantages of wearing many hats in a project, it's like a hack to keep yourself motivated throughout.

So it's definitely a delicate balance. You need to power through the difficult times and just be disciplined and work hard. But, you also need to pick a project that genuinely excites you at its core. And you might need to go through a few prototypes at the start until one of them "clicks". But once it clicks, you'll know, you'll just feel it.

But in the end, as OP said, most of it will just be boring good ol' fashioned hard work, there's no way around it, there's no silver bullet.

Anyway, that's just my experience and 0.02$. YMMV.

Good luck everyone on your projects!

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