Ask HN: Any solo game developers here?

#1

Post by YesBox » Thu, Aug 04, 2022, 2:07 PM UTC

Hey HN,

I'm a full time game developer nine months into creating my city builder game. It's a lonely journey so I put together a very small group of other solo game developers.

We meet up every week (currently Tuesday nights, EST) to relate to the struggle, hang out, and rotate one person who presents for the night (they can teach or talk about anything game dev related, including their game). It's been a success and motivating for all involved.

I'm looking to add 1-2 people to the group who can commit to (preferably) weekly or bi-weekly meetups. I have a strong preference for other full time developers. Must be serious about finishing/releasing your game.

About the group:

We are late 20s - 30s and serious about releasing our respective games. We are pretty open and honest with each other, and will question each other/provide feedback freely.

Email is in profile

Re: Ask HN: Any solo game developers here?

#2

Post by amerine » Thu, Aug 04, 2022, 2:34 PM UTC

FWIW, the programming section on twitch often has solo devs working away on projects. You should check that out too.

Re: Ask HN: Any solo game developers here?

#3

Post by k__ » Thu, Aug 04, 2022, 2:46 PM UTC

Half-OT:

Anyone got pointers to game engines for solo devs?

Something to get 2D multiplayer games out of the door quickly.

Re: Ask HN: Any solo game developers here?

#4

Post by psahgal » Thu, Aug 04, 2022, 2:49 PM UTC

I took 3 months off last year to get a game project finished up and released to Steam! Glad to see other indie developers here on Hacker News. I can't commit to weekly meetups, since I'm back at my job full-time, but I wish you the best of luck on your game!

Re: Ask HN: Any solo game developers here?

#5

Post by psahgal » Thu, Aug 04, 2022, 2:51 PM UTC

k__ wrote: post #3

Half-OT: Anyone got pointers to game engines for solo devs? Something to get 2D multiplayer games out of the door quickly.

Unity and Godot are the most popular choices, based on my time spent hanging out with other indie developers. If your game is a 2D RPG, RPG Maker is also a great way to get started. You can also use GameMaker if Unity and Godot seem intimidating.

Re: Ask HN: Any solo game developers here?

#6

Post by savanaly » Thu, Aug 04, 2022, 2:51 PM UTC

k__ wrote: post #3

Half-OT: Anyone got pointers to game engines for solo devs? Something to get 2D multiplayer games out of the door quickly.

Hard to say without knowing what kind of game you want to make. I would say look to the games you play that inspire you and to which you aspire to make, then look up what engine they use. For instance, I really like Nuclear Throne and might some day try to make something similar. If I did I would use GameMaker since that's what they used and thus it can probably let you do a lot of what I liked about that game with ease, such as the ultra-juicy hit feedback.

If on the other hand you like Slime Rancher, well it uses Unity and probably that would be a better choice than GameMaker for that kind of game.

I also second Godot though, which is not widely used by many projects but seems awesome to me and totally capable of moving a 2d game out the door quickly.

Re: Ask HN: Any solo game developers here?

#7

Post by Kivutar » Thu, Aug 04, 2022, 2:55 PM UTC

k__ wrote: post #3

Half-OT: Anyone got pointers to game engines for solo devs? Something to get 2D multiplayer games out of the door quickly.

I'm using love2d, which is good if you want to see only code, no graphical interface.

Re: Ask HN: Any solo game developers here?

#8

Post by alberth » Thu, Aug 04, 2022, 3:05 PM UTC

https://itch.io

Itch is a great indie game community where individual developers are easily share/sell their games.

Re: Ask HN: Any solo game developers here?

#9

Post by guyhance » Thu, Aug 04, 2022, 3:09 PM UTC

Hey I've been developing a game by myself for the past 7 months. Would love to be a part of your community to share ideas and contribute. Thanks!

Re: Ask HN: Any solo game developers here?

#10

Post by levmiseri » Thu, Aug 04, 2022, 3:10 PM UTC

Not a full-time developer, but I have been struggling with developing my first game a lot as a side project next to a regular day-job. It's already in a kind-of beta state (https://yare.io), but still far from finished and would love to be part of such group!