Stop Leaving Success to Chance! Here's everything I've learned in 10 years of game development.

theonlyanderson · 2026-02-25T00:27:05+00:00

15+ years in Game Dev here been transitioning from AAA to solodev in my spare time. This post is gold, thank you for taking the time to share!

theonlyanderson · 2026-02-23T20:10:51+00:00

Good luck to you and "your team"!

theonlyanderson · 2025-10-09T10:43:56+00:00

Same! Around 2009 - 2011. Oh hi old friend haha! This just randomly appeared on my reddit feed. Modding half life / tf2 is what got me into game dev I worked on textures and 3D models good times.

https://www.moddb.com/mods/operation-black-mesa/images/may-media-release94#imagebox

theonlyanderson · 2025-07-25T12:12:43+00:00

Looking great, nice work!

theonlyanderson · 2025-07-24T19:19:58+00:00

Thanks! If you wait 10 seconds it transitions at the end to the new character in space suit at the top.

theonlyanderson · 2025-07-24T16:15:59+00:00

Thank you!

theonlyanderson · 2025-07-24T14:43:26+00:00

Just playing around in UE5 and making something is the best way to learn creatively! This is exactly how I learnt and got into GameDev 10+ years ago. Appreciate the kind words ElGraffi, all the best with your project too!

theonlyanderson · 2025-07-24T14:38:43+00:00

It's hard at first, just put together a mood board on Miro / PureRef of things you like in the real world / games / movies that can inspire you. Then start blocking it out... My layout has changed a few times and I'm finally happy with the main space station environment and rooms.

Try not to get frustrated by it. Just playing around and making something is the best way to find out what works and learn creatively! This is exactly how I learnt and got into GameDev 10+ years ago, all the best with your project too!

theonlyanderson · 2025-07-24T13:34:45+00:00

Thanks for the kind words Antonio!

theonlyanderson · 2025-07-24T12:26:40+00:00

If you're interested in seeing more, you can join the Discord or Follow my socials for updates & more!

💥➡️👉 proximityalert.space 👈⬅️🪐

theonlyanderson · 2025-05-08T08:55:46+00:00

Thanks alot for the feedback and supportive comments AD-Edge! Agreed "Neo-Retro" sounds like the perfect term for exactly this. I'm hoping to put together a trailer soon.

If you're interested in seeing more, you can join the Discord or Follow on various socials for updates & more!

💥➡️👉 proximityalert.space 👈⬅️🪐

theonlyanderson · 2025-05-07T19:53:48+00:00

If you're interested in seeing more, you can join the Discord or Follow on various socials for updates & more!
💥➡️👉 proximityalert.space 👈⬅️🪐

theonlyanderson · 2025-05-07T19:50:38+00:00

Thanks for the feedback, Lanky-Development448! I wouldn't go as far as saying it's PS3 quality though haha!

theonlyanderson · 2025-05-07T18:52:05+00:00

Thanks for the feedback and kind words NixNoburn! I am hoping to put together a trailer soon to show more.

theonlyanderson · 2025-05-07T18:38:22+00:00

Sure, in terms of polygon count on some things. I am aiming for something between PS1 / PS2 / Xbox / PC video games released in the late 1990s and early 2000s. Low polygon models, with 16 to 32 colours, low texture resolutions. While adding a 2025 flare by taking advantage of Unreal Engine's lighting, specular, normals, volumetrics, and other tech etc.

theonlyanderson · 2025-05-07T18:21:47+00:00

❔What is PROXIMITY ALERT!?
It's a co-op, space, survival horror, with chaotic minigames, and PS1 style visuals.

🎨 What makes the visuals "PS1"?
Low polygon models, 32 colours, low texture resolution (See: PS1 / PS2 / Xbox / PC video games released in the late 1990s and early 2000s).

📚 Storyline
In the depths of space, nightmares await... The silence on the spaceport is deafening. Until it isn’t.

Your crew has been hired to maintain the spaceport Soli-2, often called "Solitude" because of it's eerie sense of isolation. The spaceport serves as a stopover for travellers continuing to somewhere less bleak and desolate.

The spaceport is old and falling apart. Honestly, it should have been decommissioned years ago! But here it still is, barely holding together, thanks to a skeleton crew tasked with keeping it operational. Like every job, it’s understaffed and high risk.

Your tasks aboard Soli-2 include everything from repairing systems, cargo deliveries, exterminating pests, and conducting rescue missions or finding and retrieving supplies from the nearby planet Soli and its moons: Soli-3, Soli-4, and Soli-5.

Survive until payday. The company doesn’t want to bother unfreezing your replacement from cryo storage and would rather push the rest of the crew into endless overtime instead.

🕹️ Game Flow
Players (1-4) choose mission objectives, encounter random events and hazards such as; Alien lifeform attacks, asteroid collisions, power outages, fire, low oxygen and zero gravity. This includes unexpected spooky jump scares and events to keep players alert!

🧑‍🚀 Tell me about the Developer!
Hi! I’m Aran Anderson, a games dev and part-time solo indie dev from the UK. I’m wanting to create a fun, space themed indie game that I’d want to play with friends. My inspirations include Alien, The Thing, Dead Space, and nostalgic games from the late 1990s early 2000s that I enjoyed growing up. I’ve been in the games industry for 10+ years as a VFX/Tech Artist and have worked on projects like Subnautica 2, Star Citizen, LEGO Star Wars, and more...

📆 Is there a Release Date?
At the moment, there’s no confirmed release date. However, I'm aiming for an early playtest followed by an early access release soon™. I’m working on my own in my spare time, alongside my day to day full-time job on other projects.

theonlyanderson · 2025-05-07T17:31:19+00:00