Game, Develop, Repeat

Suddenly Bird by Fev Games: https://fevgames.itch.io/suddenly-bird Game:  Super Chicken Jumper, Super Meat Boy, Binding of Isaac, Incredible Crisis, Parappa the Rapper  There is no one right idea  Making absolutely insane ideas  Letting people look at you funny  Confidence in yourself  Chasing the Market   Develop:  Limitations on chasing what interests you  Are limitations just bumper rails?  Gam...

Game:  Brief comparison to The Legend of Dragoon   Blending Narrative and Gameplay  Job System  Character Personalities  Summons  Adding flavor to classic mechanics  Like a Dragon combat vs standard Yakuza combat  Develop:  The purpose and weight of a story  The purpose and weight of gameplay  Is this immersion? My development:  A major test drive of indie game dev  Godot is amazing  TileMap, Terr...

Game:  Creative dreams   Lifestyle Dreams Develop: Purpose of a dream  Expectations  Difficulty  Required Suffering Repeat:  Oops, my bad  Projection Challenge for myself: Open Godot every day for a week. My first game, "Sut" is out: https://store.steampowered.com/app/2638880/Sut/ Email me: anxiousbuddhagames(this sentence is to confuse bots@)gmail.com Join our discord: https://discord.g...

Game:  Showing progress  Spreadsheet style progress Develop:  Consistent effort  Gradual progress  Project cycles  Momentum  Godot progress Repeat:  What brings you joy? Tip: Consistent, gradual improvement. Challenge for myself: Open Godot every day for a week. My first game, "Sut" is out: https://store.steampowered.com/app/2638880/Sut/ Email me: anxiousbuddhagames(this sentence is to c...

Game:  Testing vs researching  The allure of analysis paralysis Develop:  Unity  Unreal  Gamemaker  Godot Repeat:  What type of games do you enjoy?  What type of game do you enjoy making? Tip: If you're stuck, try something else out Challenge for myself: Finish the Godot 2D "first game" walk-through My first game, "Sut" is out: https://store.steampowered.com/app/2638880/Su...

Game:  Yakuza Like a Dragon  FF8  FF10  The turn based combat spectrum  Sprinkling skill on top Develop:  My ideal turn based combat  Why I dislike equipment  Undertale  Linear JRPG with no experience system Repeat:  What do you love about your favorite games?  What do you ignore about your favorite games?  What are your game design pet peeves? Tip: Escape the internet's opinion My first game...

Game:  Incredible definitive edition  Large number of high-impact variables  Compared to WC3  Picking a skill to focus on learning  MOBA comparison Develop:  Giving up on your dreams vs quitting a project Repeat:  What managable challenges would you enjoy taking on right now?  What level of zoom are you looking through right now? Get some sleep. Links:   Real-time strategy is incredible and you sh...

Game:  Why do I love this game?  Less upfront decisions  Less complexity, more targeted growth Develop:  Greatest game ever nostalgia  Nostalgia for specific game mechanics  Letting nostalgia be  A rant about learning and development cycles Repeat:  Is there any one skill you're particularly excited about right now?  Are there any old games that might help you reconnect with your passion?  Wr...

Game:  Learning starts with noticing  Vampire Survivors - Simple gradual education  Soulslike games - Harsh attention based education  League of Legends - Hidden difficulty, social constraints Develop:  "Comprehensible Input" in language learning  How to learn development skills effectively  How not to teach players  When teaching players becomes too complex  Soft observation and pixel a...

Game:  Fast paced  Simple, compelling gameplay  Desirable frustration  Style  Polish Develop:  Ways to handle player failure   Repeat:  Do you expect frequent player restarts?  How much polish can you reasonably add? Get in touch with what drives you. My first game, "Sut" is out: https://store.steampowered.com/app/2638880/Sut/ Email me: anxiousbuddhagames(this sentence is to confuse bots...

Game: Expectations Unexpected emotions Finishing vs releasing Unrelatable feelings Develop: Lessons learned How the process felt Energy management Scope management A million other tiny things Confidence in ability to figure it out Unwinding/starting the next thing What the heck is next? Repeat: What are your expectations for your project? How do those expectations serve you? Will they motivate or...

  Game:  Timers and Terror  Genuine consequences  Scary gameplay vs scary aesthetic  Gore in games  Story through gameplay  The power of a soundtrack  Develop:  Setting up consequences  Story scale  Doing more with less  Devlog:   Game is out and I'll talk about it next week.  Designing next game, but scope is too big still  Might just need a breather.  Repeat:  What moment to moment feedback...

Game: Medievil is an extremely "playstation era" game. Pseudo-platformer adventure genre Camera control issues The whole picture is better than the parts Spooky themes mixed with comedy Develop: Blending genres Making the most of unconventional ideas Small issues can make all the difference Sut:   Game comes out on Friday (if all things go according to plan)  Already brainstorming new ga...

Sut Steam page: https://store.steampowered.com/app/2638880/Sut/ Game: new fish new lore  a hint of danger in every step  learning in games Develop: Discovery and suspense Games with no discoveries Sut: Steam page & release date Miscellaneous fixes Final decisions, letting go of perfect. Repeat: What am I discovering through this project? What do players discover while playing my game? My first...

Game: Sheer number of skills How can one person do all of this Who do I think I am Perfect vision. Massive commitment, massive expectations Creative vs specific instructions Develop: Huge ambition, must fix everything vs teeny tiny steps faith in self vs forced confidence Patience, with occasional spells of absolutely losing my mind. Repeat questions: Pay attention to how you respond to your own t...

In this episode, we discuss... The impact of your game's setting Your game's emotional intent The problem with cloning games Game: Setting, defined Age of Mythology vs Age of Empires Effects on gameplay Effects on emotional impact Develop: Could you make a different setting with identical gameplay? Sci-fi shoother vs fantasy shooter Stardew vs Graveyard Keeper The issue with cloning game...

In this episode, we discuss... Rapid iteration Structuring a project to optimize learning Learning to focus on small details Feedback loops Game: Why a platformer Quick level design iteration Tons of example projects to compare to "Is it fun" becomes obvious Forces creativity or polish Level/Data management & other challenges Small changes, huge impacts Develop: Accept commercial fai...

In this episode, we discuss... Growth as a developer Exploration and discovery Calm but fast paced gameplay Calm, passionate game development. Game: Too much that I love Peaceful or stressful, you decide Connect with others Explore and discover new things Develop: Stardew as an analogy for game development Developing a game without freaking out Consistent growth, gradual progress. Enjoy the proces...

In this episode, we discuss... Player Immersion UI  Maintaining the illusion Quality of Life Develop: UI is absolutely essential Position the player correctly to maintain illusions Sut: Hit a brick wall with save/load system Figuring out JSON Need to study for a bit after completing this project. Repeat questions: Is UI an essential part of your game? What QoL improvements could you make? What ski...

In this episode, we discuss... Suffering in games Emotional spectrums in gaming Games with intentional messages Game: Homeless survival simulator Ties to reality Games with intentional messages Develop: Be genuine Making suffering into gameplay Devlog: Suddenly feels finished (put in all SFX & multiple songs) Individual level bugs Time management + learning Art drawabox.com Repeat questions: D...

In this episode, we discuss... Designing Decisions Character motivation Scope of consequences Game: Characters with powerful motivations Interpersonal stakes Exploration & multiple solutions Black and white vs grey Develop: Establish character backstory/motivation Limit scope Limit consequences Repeat questions: What part of your game is likely to blow up in scope? How can you lock the scope d...

If you cannot tell, I am currently obsessed with Dungeons and Dragons. I blame Baldur's Gate 3 The Journey: Journey, not destination Everything changes. Improvise like a Dungeon Master Even if you fail your main quest, your character has grown massively, and you've had fun. Imagine being at the table and ONLY wanting to get to the final fight.  Risk and Reward: Take worthwhile risks, don...

In this episode, we discuss... Core game mechanics Exploiting one idea The purpose behind visuals and I rant intensely about the importance of execution over just having "good idea" Game: Single mechanic gameplay Fully exploiting one idea Basic humor Minimum visuals Develop: How much fun can one mechanic provide? What actually makes visuals matter? Repeat: What are the core mechanics of...

Game: Comfort Anxiety and Nature Forced Disconnection Empathy Exploration Develop: How can we instill the urge to explore? Is tension a requirement of good game design? How do we make short experiences satisfying? Repeat: Does your game instill a specific mood? Are there any clever ways you can reuse your game space? Do you want the player to explore? Step away from the phone/Disconnect My first g...

In this episode, we discuss... Hedonistic Adaptation Dark humor Efficiency as gameplay Polish Weird game ideas Game: Cookie scares me/Hedonistic adaptation Sense of humor Fully committing to a goofy idea Efficiency as gameplay Polish/Juice Creative game design Develop: Any idea can be fun Explore a human experience Be shameless, your idea is cool. Questions for your own projects: Does this game re...