Barely Surviving 10 Years Of Solo Game Dev
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- čas přidán 19. 10. 2023
- Everyone's Game Dev journey is different, and it doesn't always start with a line of code.
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#madewithunity #gamedev #indiegame - Hry
heh yup overscoping is the thing that seems like everyone falls into, I remember how for my third Flash game for some reason I decided to make a huge MMO which obviously was abandoned after a few months.
Best of luck in the next 10 years of your learning journey!
I used to think there was no limit on the amount of time I should spend polishing and perfecting my game before letting anyone else play it. My first games literally took 5 years or more to make. Switch to present time... my biggest commercial success is a game that took just over 9 months to make and snowballed in Early Access, bugs and all. Looking back to when it launched in April, it now has 10x the content and features. It's sobering to realize that having your game played and getting feedback from players will shape it to become so much more than you envisioned.
Thank you so much! It really is the struggle we all face haha.
This is fantastic to hear. I feel like perfectionism is something I can struggle with as well, and it can really hold me back. Sometimes you just need to let things be, and that can be SO hard to do.
What's funny is I JUST got done watching a video from another content creator who interviewed you, and in it, you mentioned the MMO game, haha. It's a small world 😄 It was a great video btw. I found it very informative.
Billionaires just say you ain't workin' hard enough if you're not rich.
Haha, not everyone can be that 0.000000001% of people witu super success stories. But I do agree, most of success is a lot of work, and sometimes it's hard ;)
It is tough haha. It all comes down to balance and taking advantage of opportunities that come your way. And it can be SO hard sometimes haha
You're not alone! That story sounds familiar. I came from a background where I got to go to college, learn programming and other disciplines. I realized that games are something you can actually do so I worked for years. Making stuff, not finishing, not sharing. Then I got a job in the industry. At the same time I learned about jams. I've been making games for over 20 years and I still feel the same way you do sometimes. All of you keep it up! Work on your art! Most importantly, share your art. It does no good on your hard drive and you won't grow.
My name is Wenceslao "Jay" Villanueva Jr, I have a technical game design background, and my journey currently has lead me to be a lead product designer on UEFN at Epic Games. Keep making stuff everyone, even if it's on paper with dice.
The real question is why is there stock video of playing League of Legends with a controller
Congrats on 10 years! I'm also celebrating/pondering a decade of gamedev. I hope to see many more!
Things that take a long time to build also take a long time to break.
Thank you Kevin! Its really is wild to reflect on it all.
I've barely been started, but still going strong. Got myself and an artist friend, and I'm learning to program and how to operate the program all in the same go.
You rock, and keep on going, Soul. ^•^
When you said that it started back when you were just a kid, I instantly thought: Lego? I'm dev too, and god, I loved Lego.
Dude, I would literally spent hours with them lol
kinda insane how similar ur story is to mine, minus the actually eventually getting my shit together part haha
keep it up! wishing ye good fortune o7
I'll keep it up if you do too! You got this!
thanks for posting this! this really helps to give a sense of scale and the kind of time a solo dev needs to spend and what kind of things to expect. i'm glad you've continued with it and found a way to go forward.
Thank you so much!
Love the story. Im am artist and spent years looking for anyone with coding knowledge to make a game with and could never find anyone. Im 40 now so when i was around 36 i gave up looking for people and decided to look into coding. Now after 4 years of coding i love it and am finally on my journey making games when i can while working full time and raising 3 kids with my wife of 19 years.
That's amazing, thank you for sharing! The fact that you took on coding and didn't give up says it all. Keep it up!
@@SoulEngineDevI appreciate the kind words. Here's a short clip of the racing game I'm making. czcams.com/video/1_Sa6H7Pw6E/video.htmlsi=X5nUhJJIV_uf0SFW
I promise this isn't spam but an actual CZcams video. Lol
Learning game dev and coding has been an awesome experience for me, always great to see other people who are further along the path than I am. Keep up the amazing work you have my support!
the classic too big of a scope lol, great video, i really enjoyed you going over you history with game development and hopefully i picked up a few things, best of luck for your next 10 years
Thank you so much!
Thanks for sharing this, You gave me the hope to start some of the things and dreams i had given up on. I thought if i had spent so much time and not been successful there wasn't any hope down the path for me, but being able to see your journey unfold i realize the true failure would be quiting
Hey, that’s your own strength right there. I’m just happy you found it within yourself!
I actually started with Sonic fangames. I got a Mega Drive for my 4th birthday along with Sonic, and had wanted to make my own videogames ever since. When I stumbled across the huge Sonic fangaming scene back in my teenage years and realized I *could* actually make my own games, I was hooked. I made some crummy Sonic prototype things in The Games Factory and Multimedia Fusion (which were the most common engines for Sonic fangames at the time) but eventually started to learn programming languages and went hopping from engine to engine. Now I'm making 2D platformers my kid self would've loved back in the early 90s. I hope.
Looking back, starting with fangames was actually a lucky move, because I could focus on the gameplay side of things. I could just pull art assets and music from the original games, or use stuff made by the community, so I didn't immediately feel like I had to learn multiple jobs at once. And having the original games as a template helped prevent overscoping, since you were already busy enough just trying to get close to them to think of much beyond that. Anyone who has ever experienced the old Clickteam physics knows what I'm talking about...
Haha, You saying you feel lucky for finding the fan games feels a lot like me finding Halo's Forge. Being able to focus on the game play really planted that seed.
I appreciate your frank retrospective on your journey thus far. You talked about a lot of relatable experiences and I'm glad to hear that you're still moving forward on this track you've laid out before you. Best of luck in the years to come. Thanks for the inspiration.
I appreciate that! Thank you so much!
"I feel like I don't have a story like most because I've failed so much."
Reality check, MOST people don't have those tear jerking stories. A lot of people just scrape by, this is a tough world to get into. A lot of people fail or have to abandon their dream, or some just do it as a hobby. We need to stop only paying attention to the 1% that succeed, because it creates false expectations. And even those who do make it, have to deal with an industry that's completely unhinged, in need of regulations.
Congrats on 10 years game dev! I've been in game dev for more than 10 years myself and barely surviving also but I'm happy of becoming a game dev.
That's wild! You got this, keep it up!
Great video bro. ☺️👍 I'm still starting out with my game dev journey. I'm 8 months in, developing my first indie solo, and it's been a rollercoaster ride full of ups and downs. And yeah, the community is one of my reasons to keep moving forward and grind developing my game daily.
You can do it!
Good luck man! We all need it as game devs :D I teach pixel art and stuff if anyone cares to see.
That's awesome! Thank you!
My journey started in the summer of 2016 I was on summer break from high school and was playing Yu-Gi-Oh with a friend when he told me he had made a game like this. For a long time, I knew I wanted to be a Game Designer since I saw an AD for Full Sail University in the back of GameInformers when I was really young. So when he told me that it lit a spark and I wanted to recreate this game he made with him. We never finished that game together but I took what we had and made my first trading card game and kept making games throughout high school after that. Straight out of high school I went to Full Sail and graduated with my bachelor's last year. Now, I'm using what I learned and still working on projects!
This guys reaction to cave story was my reaction to undertale - got me right into game dev in a big way.
Bruh, changed my life. Haha
@@SoulEngineDev honestly just like you said. I was like 'omfg i can do that!'
RIGHT!
Thanks for the video. Ive been on a similar dev journey. I am going strong working on my first commercial game. And i will tell you each new thing seems like the hardest thing i have done yet
I feel this so much haha. I was just in Unity last night adding new things, and I felt like a new born baby haha. I'm not sure if that feeling ever goes away...
I related with your experience of chronically starting and abandoning projects, though in my case as a writer. The "everything is going great" part especially hit home. Good to hear someone else went through it and figured out a way forward. Best of luck moving forward!
Thank you so much! The realm of self expression can be filled with a lot of mixed feeling. But we need to keep going!
I've been making prototypes for the last 4 years... I've dabbled in everything from 2d platformers to first person shooters and RPG's. I finally dedicated myself to finishing a game and I've been working on it faithfully for the last 6 months. I know most devs would probably frown on how long I've spent on making random prototypes, but I am thankful for the time because I have learned so much that I could probably work on any type of project and feel comfortable doing so. Also, having tried so many different things, I actually know what I like and it had been showing in the passion I have for my project.
That’s a great idea, and perceptive people don’t typically have. You got this!
Keep up the awesome work!
We will!
My project was certainly far beyond my skill level when I started it, both in terms of technical skill and in terms of understanding of game design, but after nearly 2 years of working, it finally feels like within my reach. It is getting close. Soon I can finally put more effort in art and music
That's awesome, your SO close! Do you have any idea's as to how your going to tackle the art and music?
@@SoulEngineDev Not so sure about music, but I will make my own art.
I do have some experience for art.
Hey, wanted to share my little story so far. It all started when I took it upon myself to make a mobile game for my son to play. More than six months later, still working on the game. Never did game dev in my life, background in photography and little bit of graphic design. I have been modeling all game assets in blender and putting all together in Unity. Learning everything through tutorials. All this while working full time and putting about four hours a day into game dev.
Recently had to take a huge break because of life getting in the way of things. Losing motivation and drive. Right now slowly trying to get back into the grove of things.
That's amazing you would do that for your son, I'm sure he will love to play. It can be super tough being a dad, and learning game dev, but your not alone! You got this!
@@SoulEngineDev Wow you responded to my comment, thank you so much. My full time job takes a lot out of me and I have not been able to fully get back into the groove just yet. My motivation has been lost, I don’t feel like I have the support I need, and home life is a constant roller coaster. But I’m trying to find my motivation and drive again. Thank you again for answering back it feels great!
@@typicaltoronto Of course! haha I'm a dad of two boy's, so I absolutely understand where your coming from. If you ever wanna chat on Discord, let me know! I love meeting new people!
@@SoulEngineDev With a full time job, a child, wife, home life. I don’t know how to find the time and motivation/drive lately to do any kind of work on my mobile game. I don’t know your situation but I don’t know how you do it. If you are able to get things done then I command you. The fact that you responded to my comments makes me feel great. Thank you!
You know what? It's refreshing to hear a retrospective about game development, while the journey is still going. Usually you only hear these stories once that person finally "made it" with a big, successful project.
Your story is certainly relatable, and i wish you the best of luck
Thank you so much!
I'm stuck in solo dev limbo for 4 years at this point, so I feel you bro! But if you started with Unity in 2016, that doesn't add up to 10 years)
Only just started, and I’m pretty old. Well at least I’ll try to enjoy myself while Im at it
Nice work! 😊
Thank you!!
I loved project spark. I was probably too young though and I couldn't do much, but going to other peoples' games was so fun. Just messing around was so much fun. I forgot about it until you mentioned it.
Seriously underrated channel. Why don't you have more subs! You truly inspire me. I'll share my journey sometime in a video :)
Wow, thank you so much! That's what we're trying to do here! Also, your videos look amazing!
Really great video bro
Thank you so much!
You are so awesome bro!
You rock! Thank you!
As a solo game developer, I 100% understand the feeling of isolation and lonliness. My story and how I got my start is very different than yours. I got my start much later than most. I'm 34, and I didn’t get into game development until I played a game called Dreams for PS4 just a couple years ago. If you've never heard of Dreams, it's a video game created by Media Molecule that is a simple game engine in and of itself. It teaches you how to use node based programming, and was honestly an incredibly inspiring experience. Over time I began learning how to code and started creating gameplay prototypes for a horror game. I created several prototypes and got quite far into it. Eventually I loved the idea for my game so much, that I felt creating it entirely in Dreams wouldn't do the vision I had for it justice. So I took the leap and decided to start learning how to develop in Unreal Engine to make it a reality. Fast forward a year later and I'm well into the development of my first game, I've made so much progress, and I'm very proud of it. To my amazement, it's even been picked up and talked about by a few online gaming publications! which is a surreal feeling. My background is in 3D animation, so I feel like I have a leg up on a lot of people who are just getting into game development. I'm very used to working in complex programs, and having to have incredible patience to see things through. I'm glad that although your journey has been long and arduous, you've learned a lot from it, and finally got a handle on things. Never stop doing what you love to do, and always believe in yourself. (Especially when others don't believe in you). It doesn’t matter how long it takes, as long you learn and get there eventually. I'm a living example of "it's never too late." with my age. I wish you only the best in your future endeavors!
What a great story, thank you for sharing! It really is never to late. Im pumped to play your game some day!
@SoulEngineDev Thank you! I'd love to play your games as well.
This was great! I'm 12 years in and have only released a small demo and worked on one collaboration for a few months which was pretty nice. Just now seriously considering a CZcams routine to motivate me to release more demos. Just been bouncing between a few projects the last 7 years
It really is a journey that takes time! Keep at it though, the more the learn, the easier it will get. You go this!
This whole story hits WAY too close home
Thanks for the vídeo!
My pleasure!
I am making my game but i do not want to make a 2 d pixel art or something but rather a high graphic modern open world game and it is very complex so i had to subscribe to Houdini because the procedural aspect of it will help me create larger cities. But making the tool to generate a random city with roads, buildings, street signs, props ect is very tough... but with it. I just finished three system to handle roads intersection and i am very happy because it was very complex... But now i can generate a city by just drawing a curve. Do very long to create the too but in the end i save time of time because i won't have to place each building, create each building ect... I just draw a curve
Biggest thing I've learned about game dev is patience. It's easy to have a solid and tangeable idea and think it's taking waaaaay too long once you get heavy into development. Doesn't mean your project is out of scope. Even super simple indie games sometimes take years to make. The longer you work, the more you'll learn, and it'll pay off in the end. That's not to say that some scopes aren't simply too large, but sometimes it just takes longer than you think, even for the smaller games.
Absolutely. I love what you said "The longer you work, the more you'll learn, and it'll pay off in the end" Taking the time the learn will pay dividends.
I Remember project spark. i think it released just a bit too early and overwhelmed me, pushing me away from gamedev for a while. wasnt until i finished college where my creative interest wanted to give gamedev another try. Proj spark was probably a bit too niche and too early to really kick off for lot of people
I'm also hitting 10 years, on my 6th project though the previous 5 were never finished. I have a bad habit of trying to make games that are too large in scope but hopefully I'll get there one day.
Keep at it my friend, and let the community help you on your journey! It never hurts to ask for help when you need it.
@@SoulEngineDev Sure thing. I need to reach back out again someday. I used to be social in different dev groups but I got to the point where I didn't want to "show my face" until I had a finished game. Or at least a demo. But after a few years of that I'm missing chatting with other devs.
Oh man, you can’t do that! Isolation can kill that drive! I totally know how you feel though, it can feel very disheartening sometimes. You got this though!
Thanks for your honest video and your experience, I myslef struggle to make a game, and it's already 22 years after I said I would create it.. Now it's time to do it, but I think that our experience should be heard by people that wonder, should I make this next step or is it too late?
Guys and gals, there is a saying, the best time to do something was yesterday (or 5 years ago :D), the second next time is today.
That's what I was hoping for. My story really isn't one of triumph, but hopefully I can encourage people to not give up.
Dude i always abandon my projects when the topic of art and music comes up
It’s definitely a pain point for sure.
I just love programming so much that when i have to take a break to make art it just loathe it so much that i never do it and just quit. I think it might be better to make all assets beforehand.
Totally. Like I mentioned in the video, I always wanna create these massive ideas, that I have no idea how to bring to life. The struggle is real for sure. Haha
I published my first solo game in 2009. Then I made and published another four. I'd say the key to this is hard work and dedication but that's hardly anything new ;) Less talking, more working. Simples ;)
Yesssss, so true. Are you a solo dev? That self-discipline is very impressive!
Hell yeah I am! ;)
Was that a video of league of legends with a controller at 2:29
I remember Project Spark and it made me think i could do it.
Do you publich the game to GOG when its finished? Because Being a Solo Dev like you are impressive for making a good game/making good games :)
We post our games on itch.io at the moment and Hopefully steam in the future! Also, I definitely don't make game on my own anymore haha As I mentioned in the video, I 100% recommend seeking help where you need it, like I did for myself! There's no shame in seeking help!
I'm a couple months later but anyway I'm 16 and I started two years ago because I always liked playing games and I also liked coding so I started game dev. I think I'm doing kinda good with the gameplay/coding part but my biggest constant fear is art and music: I'm a terrible artist so I don't think that I would like the sprites made by me; also I'm not good at music either, so my current projects are all just squares of different colors that move on a screen... Even if I had the best gameplay of the decade the game is not fun if the art and the music are missing. I try not to think about it but is something that I need to solve if I want to finish a real game. And the cherry on top of all that is that my friends aren't interested in those type of things so I need to do this journey all alone...
p.s. I'm sorry if my english isn't great, I'm not a native speaker.
Your never alone my friend! If you find that this is something you wanna take really seriously, I would really recommend reaching out to others for help! There so many free assets out there, that can help bring your ideas to life. You can also team up with others too! I just made a video about that process, but like I said, you don’t have to go the journey alone!
so how do you feel about the issues with Unity (run time fee etc)?
I hate what they did, and it felt under prepared. With the roll back and leadership change, I will continue to use Unity, but I will stay open and aware of other engines in the future. Do you use Unity?
You deserve more subs.
The production quality of your videos is quite high. Change up the stock footage a bit more and make the music a little quieter.
That said, I can relate to your story.
The revelation didnt come for me though.
I hope I would have the motivation of starting a new game dev project and sticking to it.
Wow, thank you so much, and thank you for the feedback, I really appreciate it! You live and you learn I guess haha
No need to be embarrassed, we all have a graveyard of projects under our belt. This is in a way learning by doing :p.
Failing so much is part of your story. This is the story!
Great Video
Thank you so much! I really appreciate it!
Don't wanna be rude, but I think videos like this need more recordings of gameplay of your games and less stock footage.
Not rude, thank you for the feedback! This was a tricky video to make, and I felt that I may have relied on it to much. I just hope the message gets across. Thanks again!
I'm in 3+ years of development =)
Thats amazing! Keep it up!
it all started with my own crappy ultima online private server lmao xD
Imagination is the biggest video game ever.
VERY well said, love that.
first commentor on my favorite channel !
You're the best!
Really good video but the music is too loud !
Man, your right! Thank you so much for the feedback haha Next time!