next »

[Drean64]

Hi, I worked as a programmer on some videogame projects, apart from that, my main professional activity is web development with PHP.
I've been wanting to make games independently from quite a long time now, but never actually achieved to even get started on any project.
As a comparison, another side project I wanted to make was an NES emulator, and I did that, although I made it on my free time and it took a long time, I had no problem starting it, doing small steps of improvement and take it to a point where it does actually run many roms and looks quite well.

But with the game projects it's different for some reason.
One thing that happens to me is that I have many ideas and never decide which one to do first. As soon as I start working on one of them, I regret not working on the others.
Other thing is that I work from home, even my "daytime" job, so I find it very hard to manage time even for that main job, so managing my free time to work on the game and every other activities I have to do in my regular life, is even harder.

I go regularly to many local dev scene events, I've made some good networking there, I've talked to good indie game designers, but I can't seem to find out what is keeping me from making it.
I've once been told that maybe it's just not my thing, that indie game development is not for everybody.

I've worked in the game industry because that's what I loved and wanted to work on it. Some years into it I realized that I was just programming some else's designs and ideas, and in practice it was not too different from making any typical CRUD application. So I went there, having my resume with mostly PHP works, I realize the best paid jobs I can get are on PHP, so I moved to freelance so I can manage my own hours. The idea is minimize the work hours and maximize the pay, so I can manage to create myself enough free time to develop games without having to worry about making money with them, so I can really pour my ideas and design into them. (For the best or the worse)

But it's not quite working for me.

Any ideas are welcome, thanks in advance.

[Superb Joe]

Start simple and iterate. Even if it is below you to do so, it is immeasurably helpful in providing a beginning. Pick one idea, draw it to its initial logical conclusion, and then try to introduce your other ideas to the codebase.

[s0]

One thing that happens to me is that I have many ideas and never decide which one to do first. As soon as I start working on one of them, I regret not working on the others.

do a bit of soul searching and find the idea that you're most passionate about that is still manageable for you to realize. in the end you'll want to find the best possible middle ground between those 2 things if you want to get things done.

[michaelplzno]

Finishing games is a skill that can be practiced. Start by setting out to finish small projects rather than worry about your biggest and best idea. Be disciplined about it. A finished tetris clone is much more impressive than some great thing that isn't defined that will never be done.

Edit: you'll probably find it feels different to focus on finishing a game rather than working on your favorite ideas without direction. You also have to build systems that cater to players like tutorials and other things players want that might not be as fun to make for you. If doing that kills your enthusiasm completely you may only want to do gamedev as a hobby.

[Drean64]

...You also have to build systems that cater to players like tutorials and other things players want that might not be as fun to make for you. If doing that kills your enthusiasm completely you may only want to do gamedev as a hobby.

That would be a happy problem, I'm not worried about that yet, when I have at least a demo I can release, then I will worry about tutorials, feedback, marketing and whatever else needs to be done. And yes, most likely gamedev will be just a hobby for me, I don't plan to make a living out of it.
But even then, I'm having trouble starting a project, so much more finishing one.

[michaelplzno]

So start cloning something. Sometimes the simple rhythm of typing gets us from page one to page two...

[Claude Ruelle]

Just start.

[Photon]

Finishing games is a skill that can be practiced. Start by setting out to finish small projects rather than worry about your biggest and best idea. Be disciplined about it. A finished tetris clone is much more impressive than some great thing that isn't defined that will never be done.

Edit: you'll probably find it feels different to focus on finishing a game rather than working on your favorite ideas without direction. You also have to build systems that cater to players like tutorials and other things players want that might not be as fun to make for you. If doing that kills your enthusiasm completely you may only want to do gamedev as a hobby.

I'll piggyback on this post a little bit because I touch on some of its points in a recent blog post I wrote:

https://gamingobservatory.com/2017/02/28/dev-thoughts-the-dangers-of-flailing/

In short, pick an idea, identify the core and then dedicate yourself to making that small slice of functionality. If you still feel confident about it after that, great. If not, then you can start thinking about one of your other ideas. Remember, there are a lot of ideas that sound fantastic on paper but are simply just that: fantastic on paper.

[Drean64]

... In short, pick an idea, identify the core and then dedicate yourself to making that small slice of functionality ...

About the core idea, the thing is that the game ideas I have, I feel they will be relatively medium to big games, so for the first project I'd like to do a simpler idea. Actually I have no specific idea, I just want to make a pixelart platformer to get me going around unity and around publishing a game.
If this first project (or the following 3 for that matter) proves to be an idea that only worked on paper, I really don't mind too much. I'd rather have a published game first, which you can actually play. Even if it's not fun to play, it will give me valuable experience and feedback.
Thanks for your advice and I will definitely try to implement it and read your blog post.

Just start.

Haha, thanks, it's a good advice actually.

[Photon]

Actually I have no specific idea, I just want to make a pixelart platformer to get me going around unity and around publishing a game.

That's my point though. If you haven't even defined your idea, how do you work on it? Even simple platformers can be nuanced. Make the idea more concrete, break it down, and start with the core slice of functionality. Give yourself defined checkpoints that are based on details and not just pure passion.

[Drean64]

Actually I have no specific idea, I just want to make a pixelart platformer to get me going around unity and around publishing a game.

That's my point though. If you haven't even defined your idea, how do you work on it? Even simple platformers can be nuanced. Make the idea more concrete, break it down, and start with the core slice of functionality. Give yourself defined checkpoints that are based on details and not just pure passion.

I see, thanks, I will try that.

[Drean64]

I'll piggyback on this post a little bit because I touch on some of its points in a recent blog post I wrote:
https://gamingobservatory.com/2017/02/28/dev-thoughts-the-dangers-of-flailing/
In short, pick an idea, identify the core and then dedicate yourself to making that small slice of functionality. If you still feel confident about it after that, great. If not, then you can start thinking about one of your other ideas. Remember, there are a lot of ideas that sound fantastic on paper but are simply just that: fantastic on paper.

Great post, and I totally agree. I definitely would go that way with the more elaborate game ideas I have in my backlog.
What do you think about the following approach: Make a game with some vague idea, a dungeon platformer for example, and when the engine is in place and you can actually move your player on the screen see where it takes you from there, maybe having the basic functionality inspires you on what to add next, puzzles, enemies, time bending, a back story...

[Photon]

I'll piggyback on this post a little bit because I touch on some of its points in a recent blog post I wrote:
https://gamingobservatory.com/2017/02/28/dev-thoughts-the-dangers-of-flailing/
In short, pick an idea, identify the core and then dedicate yourself to making that small slice of functionality. If you still feel confident about it after that, great. If not, then you can start thinking about one of your other ideas. Remember, there are a lot of ideas that sound fantastic on paper but are simply just that: fantastic on paper.

Great post, and I totally agree. I definitely would go that way with the more elaborate game ideas I have in my backlog.
What do you think about the following approach: Make a game with some vague idea, a dungeon platformer for example, and when the engine is in place and you can actually move your player on the screen see where it takes you from there, maybe having the basic functionality inspires you on what to add next, puzzles, enemies, time bending, a back story...

I wouldn't use the word "vague" so much as I would "simple." Again, you're not going to be able to foresee everything upfront, but again you want a direction to be moving in. Its one thing to move in one direction and later change your mind, and its another to move without direction at all. Even if you want to just start with a very basic prototype and look for inspiration in that, go for it, but make sure you've still defined what that basic prototype is supposed to be.

TL;DR - You don't have to overly-commit to one idea, but you still want a specific point of reference to adhere or deviate from.

[ViktorTheBoar]

In my anecdotal experience, people have more trouble finding a developer then an artist. Find some good artists that make art you like, get them involved in a project and you will have a harder time giving up to do a different project

[Drean64]

In my anecdotal experience, people have more trouble finding a developer then an artist. Find some good artists that make art you like, get them involved in a project and you will have a harder time giving up to do a different project

That's a good idea. It would be great to have a sub-forum here for gathering distributed teams.

[ViktorTheBoar]

Jams and events sub-forum might be a good place to start

[Photon]

Jams and events sub-forum might be a good place to start

Just doing jams in general is a good place to start, whether you solo it or find a group.

[airman4]

Start simple and iterate. Even if it is below you to do so, it is immeasurably helpful in providing a beginning. Pick one idea, draw it to its initial logical conclusion, and then try to introduce your other ideas to the codebase.

Yep
Just start and keep adding stuff on and on
that's what i did for my next minigame and now it looks nothing like the first time in 2012

[JWK5]

I've just given in to the fact that my mind refuses to do anything in any kind of reasonable manner whatsoever and I am at this point just kind of doing this part here and that part there and riding the sea of overanxious and hyperactive distractibility that I am overwhelmingly prone to no matter where it seems to want to take me.

In doing so, I am making excruciatingly slow progress but it is still better than the utter lack of progress I was making before, so I guess it kind of works (probably not really, but delusion and denial keep me going even when caffeine can't).



EDIT: I suppose as helpful advice I'd recommend figuring out what manner has you working the most fluidly and intently. There is a lot of advice out there but not all minds work the same, you've got to figure out you at least to the degree that you aren't stuck wasting most of your mental energy fighting yourself.

I hear of a lot of indie developers hanging themselves on their own expectations. They don't get shit done in the time they thought they would, things are harder to create than they thought they'd be, their ambition doesn't match their goals, etc. (I've suffered from all of the above all at once) and they get stuck and overwhelmed and eventually give in to avoidance and the project dies. I've always found expectation to be a creativity killer.

I'd recommend giving yourself a general direction but stay flexible and be okay with things not going the way you imagined they would. Roll with the punches, be willing to take alternate paths and less-than-ideal options. Focus on momentum, not perfection.



Also, bear in mind I don't give this advice as a successful indie developer. I give this advice as someone who has failed to make anything substantial for well over a decade due primarily to the problems I mentioned above. I don't know how you go about succeeding, that is just what I know about failing.

[airman4]

For those who have problems starting or finishing