What it takes to make a game by yourself • Hacker News Board

Re: What it takes to make a game by yourself

#101

Post by meheleventyone » Sat, Sep 17, 2022, 9:15 AM UTC

c0mptonFP wrote: post #72

ivars wrote: post #65

Earlier quoted context omitted.

"No prototypes. Just make the game. Polish as you go. Don't depend on polish happening later. Always maintain constantly shippable code." - John Romero

> Polish as you go Best way to end up bikeshedding.

This is why it’s good to intentionally go between the micro and macro and define some design goals or pillars. The latter give you a razor by which to judge the game and the former stops you getting stuck in the weeds.

I broadly agree with the Romero quote, getting the game playable as quickly as possible and keeping it playable is easily the most effective way of crafting a game because it enables you to routinely playtest and understand your progress. A key element of that is making the game legible and for that you do need to spend some time on “polish” because it’s an intractable element of the whole.

Re: What it takes to make a game by yourself

#102

Post by lioeters » Sat, Sep 17, 2022, 9:25 AM UTC

flykespice wrote: post #47

I haven't made a game yet (not even a prototype) though I have been tempting for years. I can't point the issue, whether my coding skills aren't up to the task or because I can't make assets for my game, or because I can't hire a staff and my game ideas scope needs a team to realize them. The problem is I don't know what is the right next step to take in front of all the issues aforementioned, and I have been thinkin…

I'd say, make a small thing that works. Then another, and another. They might start as independent little projects, but eventually can grow up into parts of a larger whole.

Re: What it takes to make a game by yourself

#103

Post by MrDresden » Sat, Sep 17, 2022, 9:31 AM UTC

warrenmiller wrote: post #98

I have a game with +10 million installs on the both app stores, the truth of it is making the game is about 25% of the work - the rest is dealing with marketing, screenshots, videos, user reviews, Ad/IAP SDKs, waiting for Unity to switch between platforms, dealing with Unity bugs/upgrades, etc.. When you're making the games it's a joy - the rest of the stuff can be a real grind.

With that kind of insight into each market segment, what monetization model are you seeing working the best on each platform?

I've had an idea for a small mobile game in mind now for a while, but I find the idea of potentially having to place ads in it to make back some of the investement not appealing. So I delay starting the project.

The dream would be to be able to offer it for a low price (1.5$ - 3$) and reach enough of an audience.

Re: What it takes to make a game by yourself

#104

Post by lienhoangduy » Sat, Sep 17, 2022, 9:36 AM UTC

Can a no-coder create a game by himself?

Re: What it takes to make a game by yourself

#105

Post by piinecone » Sat, Sep 17, 2022, 9:43 AM UTC

I love reading these kinds of posts. Whenever I’m reminded that I’m not alone, I get a little bit more self-compassion and that makes me more excited to release my game and helps me appreciate all the progress and hard work to date.

I’ve been working on King of Kalimpong [0] on and off since playtesting a one-week prototype of it in 2014. I had no idea how much work a networked physics vehicle/movement shooter game would be. (I should have, I was 8 years into a programming career).

Working part-time was critical (for many reasons), but so was learning that progress is a product of discipline, not motivation, and that I needed to learn “infinite endurance” (I think that’s what Chris Hecker called it).

Once I adopted the perspective that I was some finite number of 3-4 hour blocks of concentration away from turning a goofy idea into a game that anyone could play, finishing became something that felt inevitable — as long as I kept going.

I’ll take the time to write about my experience after I release (which is now months instead of years away) in case any other game developers get anything out of it. Until then, thanks for another reminder that I’m not alone!

[0] https://store.steampowered.com/app/1989110/King_of_Kalimpong...

Re: What it takes to make a game by yourself

#106

Post by Cryptonic » Sat, Sep 17, 2022, 10:11 AM UTC

Great advice, wish I knew that earlier in my life. I mean the start small and finish experience. I have so many ambitious abandoned projects, I even lost track xD

Re: What it takes to make a game by yourself

#107

Post by sfjailbird » Sat, Sep 17, 2022, 10:20 AM UTC

Kiro wrote: post #97

TEP_Kim_Il_Sung wrote: post #70

Earlier quoted context omitted.

He failed to complete the game well before that.

And what's the problem with that? I've been working on a game for 15 years, and probably need another 10 to finish it.

Glad I'm not the only one. Keep up the good work!

Re: What it takes to make a game by yourself

#108

Post by neolithicum » Sat, Sep 17, 2022, 10:21 AM UTC

scoofy wrote: post #79

darepublic wrote: post #66

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Personally the map with little icons always turns me off of sites. Maybe just a random course with quality photos where the map is, and some way to navigate to the next one? Maybe you don't fully aggregate the courses but you can scrape behind the scenes, automatically compile a bunch of content, and then edit it down. So you've proofread vetted all the content but doesn't have to be done manually.

>Personally the map with little icons always turns me off of sites. I actually agree with you, but I really don’t know how else to get people to physically see courses they’ve never noticed before. Also I suck at Leaflet so it’s ugly. >Maybe you don't fully aggregate the courses but you can scrape behind the scenes, automatically compile a bunch of content, and then edit it down. I thought long and hard about this, b…

I'm surprised you think it's ugly, my immediate impression was the opposite.

I personally don't mind the icons on the map, they give a good overview and, above all, immediately explained to me what the website is about.

Re: What it takes to make a game by yourself

#109

Post by phreack » Sat, Sep 17, 2022, 10:22 AM UTC

It's certainly a huge endeavor. I probably have a pile of projects that I started and abandoned at some point for various reasons. The saddest of all was the first one that started to get traction... a story based game developed iteratively chapter by chapter where the writer got a hard case of imposter syndrome and just quit (it was just the two of us). Success is also hard to manage for some people.

Right now my newest moonshot is joining a friend who's just started trying to make an educational game for developers, that teaches you in a fun cyberpunkish style how to develop an NES from scratch, step by step. It's an absolutely bonkers idea but it's something we'd have loved to have and that we're having a blast making, just for ourselves. I doubt it's ever going to be successful if we make it to the finish line and ship it, but luckily it's just for fun. I'm thankful of posts like these, it helps getting motivated to make it through.

Re: What it takes to make a game by yourself

#110

Post by scanny » Sat, Sep 17, 2022, 10:48 AM UTC

bambataa wrote: post #100

I dream of creating “the thinking player’s Stronghold” with more complex defences and economy, but articles like this confirm that it will only ever be a dream. Hell, perhaps DF is already 80% of what I want.

Consider modding! Using an existing engine that is malleable (or even has the assets you want) can be a great way to prototype or even achieve it without doing the really gritty stuff first.