You forgot two types of solo devs. The kind that start a long term project and partway through realize that they need money and put what they have ready up for sale on steam as an early access game. Then they give up on it or grow tired of it and never finish the game. And the second type, same as the first but the mad lads actually keep adding content, features, and fixing bugs as they keep working on the game for years and years, eventually releasing v 1.0.
I feel like my brain is built around short term but i only desire putting everything into a giant passion project. Which is extremely counteractive and leads me spending 7 years, moving project to project every 6 months with not even a couple prototypes finished by the end.
its truly unfortunate ur vids dont do better, theyre unironically entertaining enough for me to sit through, which is rare. helps that the game itself interests me, but doesn't take away from the vids genuinely being good. keep it up man
Thank you I appreciate the kind words! I struggle with the YT algorithm sometimes but I've learned to ignore it and just try to improve each video one at a time
There's also the third type of game dev. The ones who make one small 2 dollar game but it still takes them years..... *cry*. Also I absolutely love the style of this vid. Keep up the good work!
Working at a larger game dev studio helps a lot. When you hit a wall, there is someone who is there to help you, even if it's the lead and they think you're asking stupid questions. You still learn a lot. You can also observe how other departments work. You can learn how not to do stuff, and why. Yes, the project will likely not be what you want to make, but it's far better than doing accounting software. If you ultimately want to be a solo dev, you can move to smaller and smaller studios, where people are less specialized and need to wear more hats. And one day you know enough about enough things to break free. And not needing to answer to anyone, log time, go to a standup or any of the other corporate stuff, can be very liberating.
Great content! Solo development is hard, which is why I've relegated it to a hobby (at least for now). I wish we lived in a world where creative endeavors like game development were profitable, but it seems like there's a great deal of luck and timing involved (in terms of marketing). Similar to making music, though, I'm still going to keep doing it simply because I enjoy it. I look forward to seeing your progress.
I agree with you! That's really all we can do! Keep pushing forward and watch for the opportunities that arise. A big part of this process is recognizing opportunity. We're usually blind to it in the moment because they present themselves as risk or change, then we look back on it with regret. So always take opportunities that get placed in front of you!
I’m working on replicating RuneScape 3’s combat, solo. Instead of trying to become an artist I just buy Synty Packs when there’s good deals and UE4/5 mannequin anims when there’s deals. MoCap Central has a great tool for retargeting animations from the mannequins to Synty characters. I basically now have enough game art to make a demo, so now I am focused on programming and BP scripting.
Everything is so hard and uncertain. I hope you will be able to build your game to the end, it looks really good, especially with all the colorful particles in the darkness!
Great video! :D ....7 years in my basement... I am still alive XD lol learned a ton :D Love the struggle and mountain climbing - truly found a passion, that helped me get a job too!
Hi hello. The clinically insane checking in. Not broken, not depressed, no imposter syndrome, and my game doesn't suck at all...although it is taking FOREVER. I work on this game every day all day, and I have a full-time day job too,, I'm just lucky I can do both. But what I don't have time to do are videos. I don't understand all the devs doing all the videos, but then I see "dev log 0" is like the last devlog ever. D=
I'm glad you have a product you're confident in!! You've probably been working on it a very long time haha. Yes video creation definitely consumes a large majority of my time. In fact, when I had a full time job it was impossible for me to do RU-vid and development. I told myself I'd start youtube after I quit the job and it probably takes up 30-40% of my time alone. The videos have their benefits 1) It allows a platform for you to share and talk about your game 2) With a lot of effort, it can eventually provide an alternative source of revenue to fund the project 3) It builds a community of people you can bounce ideas off of when you feel stuck. It's definitely a huge time commitment and might not be for everyone. If a game takes you 2 years to make, it might take you 3 years if you're dividing your time with youtube. It's all a trade off
@@EdomGames1 well, I'm confident that it's good for me, I don't really care if it sells or if anyone likes it, to be honest. I know that's an odd thing to say maybe, but I set out to make a game in 2020 after being stuck in an empty office with no work to do. I needed to fill time, I started with an adventure game. I put that game on the back burner in 2022-ish when I realized I could make a dungeon crawler. My favorite game from when I was a kid was Shining in the Darkness, and I really haven't enjoyed a DRPG like that since. So I'm really just making this for me, because no one else is going to make it. But yeah making videos seems like it could get an audience for sure, but maybe not in my case, it's a turn based first-person dungeon crawler for god's sake lol. I'd like to make more videos, but I also feel like if I do I'll get caught up in that and probably die before this gets finished. Anyway I'll keep my eyes glued to your progress mate!
So, here is a thing. Hiring a skilled artist costs a lot of money and I mean a lot. Cooperation for beginner dev is will usually with beginner artist so your game will 95% not be visually appealing. Assets are good but they make your game look generic as there is at least 10 or 100 games made with them so people will know that you are recycled artwork that isn't yours. That being said you creating art and even good art is a long path to learn with no guarantee that you will reach skill level you want in time you want it to take. As you can see, every decision has a drawback and you need to choose. I would advice pairing up with artist as you both can grow and create things together. There is also other person to keep you up with motivation, obligation and throw ideas and feedback at you. As for me, I know I want to do pixel art, I did it before, I could do stuff I was happy with, gained more knowledge about generic approach to learning and art (fundamentals) so I am pretty confident I can pull that off and it won't burn me off (because I like it). As for spending X hours a day after work, I do feel called out but to be honest, there is nothing else I would prefer to do, other than hit a gym/swimming pool ~3 times a week and cook something once in a while. When I am in zone, I feel amazing. Writing tests, tools, features, theory crafting. Whatever. I feel fulfilled, happy, excited. This is what people need in life, find something that drives them. And clean up their room once in a while, definitely let some light and fresh air in. Cool video, cheers.
😮I also make the game alone. To make a good game, I studied music writing, the artistic foundations of urban planning and fine arts. In general, everything except the technical part. 😓I have no idea how to build game logic, but I create a great environment.😂
Yeah I've tried it myself as well. It's not that straight forward as I make it seem (I was mostly making jokes) you have to know what you're doing and actually have a solid skill set. But if you're ok doing slightly uninteresting jobs it can be profitable
You know how mediocre of a dev I am, when devs say that SIX FUCKING MONTHS OF DEVELOPMENT, is a short time. Motherfucker, i can't stay on the same project for more than a week. 6 months is AN ETERNITY!
It depends on the size of the game truthfully. Like "Baba is You" was a one man show and it's pretty good. So was "One Step From Eden" and "Undertale" and "Getting Over It". So it just depends on what you define as "the best". But I agree it's best to work on a small team if possible!
Na. I Dont relate to you. All youre Talking about is at first you fail, and get fckd and fckd more, and then maybe after long struggle, when you dealed hard enough, your worked yourself out and then you mabe succeed when you used all the resources..... Sorry. But no.
You may have misunderstood a little. The reality of solo development is that it is a hard road and getting lucky on your first or second game is not a reality for the vast majority of people. If you look at the most successful developers, they usually have a long history of games they've released that no one has ever heard about. It's those experiences that help you grow. You have to learn the pitfalls to find the right road to success. For example, I've learned how important having a playable build of your game is. Sure people have told me this many times, but learning it first hand solidified it in my brain and I'll never make that mistake again.
