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    Home Unlabelled Diary of a relentless play-tester who can't code ~ what I've learned about development.

    Diary of a relentless play-tester who can't code ~ what I've learned about development.

    September 30, 2021

    Diary of a relentless play-tester who can't code ~ what I've learned about development.

    Diary of a relentless play-tester who can't code ~ what I've learned about development.

    Posted: 30 Sep 2021 04:44 AM PDT

    Avid Indie supporter here, and relentless bug-tester. In all my years of gaming, nothing has brought me more joy than helping developers fix up their games. However, I would be remiss if every developer had the chance to have their game tested when the time was right. If you are new to development, working alone, or have released a game only to receive an overwhelming amount of reports; there's few simple rules I follow that can just as well be used for preventative maintenance in your on-going development.

    ​

    EDIT: Thanks for all the love; I did not expect this to be so well received. While I am only one person, I am open to anyone sending me info to spend some time on their game. ~ However as a volunteer, my response and the amount of time spent is up to me. Thanks again for your understanding.

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    • Wrong Buttons at the Right Time:::
      First thing I have learned. Developers are used doing all the right things at the right time, and coding all the right inputs for the right outcomes. However, It is with the panic of the player that allows unintended inputs which grants us unintended results. Here you lose the how and what to sniff out your bug. So, while you play your game to make sure all the right buttons do work, make sure the wrong buttons don't work. Especially during Cutscenes, and even more importantly, within Menu screens.

    ​

    • The Vision's Complacency:::
      A missing collision box is one thing, but your eye's ability to adjust to what you're seeing is another. Never doubt the delicacy of your potential player's senses. First and Foremost; be kind to the eye. Room transitions aught to be soft, Screen-Shake aught to be toggle-able, Higher Pitched Sounds can be heard just fine at a lower decibel, and Screen Flashes don't have to be Jet White. Before we lose ourselves in general accessibility ~ Always account for what you are used to seeing, and what may provide even a moment of displeasure in your potential player's first impressions.

    ​

    • Input Intuition:::
      A players exploration of your game is not nearly as deliberate as yours. We want to be able to take back our mistakes. And they usually happen because muscle memory from the last game tells us what buttons to push. Always bank on your player going for the Esc button. There will always be a reason we want to use it. If we're fumbling with unique inputs for menu navigation, we're doubly breaking our momentum of assimilating the game. Every Menu and sub-menu aught to allow a player to back out. If a player decides on a different name, If a player accidentally clicks 'Delete Save' or 'New Game', give them a second chance.

    ​

    • Along The Periphery:::
      While you're building your world, you can often put what is considered done out of sight while piecing together your next concept. Any addition to the games mechanics has the potential to breed new bugs in old places. When you check off another box and complete another mechanic, test it against anything that may have collected some dust in your journey; Especially Title and In-Game Menu features.

    ​

    • The Infinitude of One:::
      Bugs are a constant. No software is without its bugs. No matter how many fixes. Some are charmers, some even beneficial, but the game breakers and save corrupters are what nightmares are made of. They break us down and demotivate us. Just as any part of life, there are things we have no control over. Unfortunately, this is one of them. So, Take the Deep Breath of Acceptance Now; the presence of bugs is not a measure of your intelligence or ability to program*.* I have seen many a developer go dark after a detailed bug report. Bugs are not the evidence of failure, they are a part of the process.

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    • The All Seeing I's:::
      This may be a bit of speculation on my part; Fans of Indie Games know you don't have the same resources as the AAA big shots. We also know you did a LOT of work before being able to release a game ~ regardless of quality, it's no easy task. However, what Indie Gamers know about you will directly correlate to their attraction to the game itself. Seeing a Brand New Indie Game that has no trail of development or presence in the social communities is a breeding ground for skepticism. On one hand, there is the fear of having a great idea stolen from you, and on the other hand, there is the ever-present doubt of authenticity. I get it, we have it backwards. AAA companies are they who can't be trusted, but your audience doesn't trust them anyway. We want to trust you, and the sooner you get our feedback; the better.

    ​

    Enough prostrating out of me. Thank you for reading if you've gotten this far, and let me know your thoughts; tips from testers or any other supporters are welcome.

    submitted by /u/laroqsoqs
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    Kickstarter Postmortem - What did I do wrong?

    Posted: 30 Sep 2021 10:21 AM PDT

    The Kickstarter campaign for my indiegame, Operation Outsmart, ended today and it was a far cry from the target. I could have guessed I wouldn't hit the target based on the pre-launch signup numbers, but I wanted to do it anyways for the sake of learning and experience. So the overall experience wasn't a failure. I learned a lot about indiegame marketing and the entire ecosystem around indiegame Kickstarters. So here is a summary of the major mistakes I made:

    1.The crowd:

    If there is only one thing you can take away from this postmortem, it's this: If you have a big crowd, your game will fund no matter what. If you have a small crowd, your game will not fund no matter what. There might be very few exceptions to this, but do not tie the future of your game to luck.At the time of launch, I had 112 Kickstarter signups, 1220 Twitter followers, and 45 Discord members. Now this is extremely tiny to get that initial momentum on launch. The Kickstarter pre-launch signup is a good indicator of how big your crowd is. For an average project, legend says you roughly end up having backers anywhere from half to double the number of pre-launch signups. I will try to verify this hypothesis in a separate article based on robust data. But here is the data for other campaigns that launched around the same time as I did. Most of these are still on-going so I will edit the article with final results:

    • Below The Stone ~ 660 signups -> 478 backers
    • Kokopa's Atlas ~ 800 signups -> 1054 backers
    • Harvest Days ~ 500 signups -> 542 backers
    • Midautumn ~ 300 signups -> 583 backers
    • Akita ~ 143 signups -> 262 backers

    TLDR: Do not expect extraordinary results if you're launching with less than 500 pre-launch signups. This is a special number because it allows you to cross the chasm, which I'll write a separate article on that. Work aggressively on marketing before launch. Discord, Mailing List, and Twitter are perhaps your best bets to build a fanbase and communicate with them. Imgur, Reddit and TikTok are better suited for raising awareness, so you need to direct the viewers to your fanbase platforms through a call to action.

    2. The Target

    The target was ridiculously high. There was no way I could have hit it. Although I was aware of it, I would have been better off with a smaller number, like £10K. Again there is something special about this number. It's all about crossing the chasm (will be discussed in the chasm article). The problem is Kickstarter displays the percentage funded, and it will look really bad if the number is low. For the entire project we were below 10%, which puts off most potential backers. We've had a better chance of gaining more backers if the target was £10K. This would have made us appear above 20% for the most part, which would have led to a positive feedback loop of more backers.

    3. The Tiers

    A big mistake was the gap between the Joey tier and the Koala tier. It jumps from £15 to £40. A lot of backers would have happily pledged £20 - £30, but not £40. So we lost on all those potential pledges. This figure shows the pledge distribution. You can see that enormous cliff at £15. Too big of a gap. Wasted potential. The very high tiers were also super ambitious for the size of audience we had, but they're usually good to have if you anticipate getting around 500 backers. You can expect 1% will peldge high, and they can add up to £5K or more.

    4. The Press

    A good practice is to approach press 2 weeks in advance and tell them about the game, send them a playable demo, and get them excited. Press wouldn't work if your campaign is too tiny, but they can bring in new people who otherwise wouldn't have found about the game. I didn't secure any press beforehand, but I doubt it would have made much of a difference anyways.

    Conclusion

    I think I did bunch of other things right. Our page was pretty good thanks to our amazing artists, we had a demo, streamed the launch on Twitch, personally thanked backers, sent out updates with great content, and got the 'Project We Love' badge. But as I said, it doesn't matter how well you do with everything. It's the size of your crowd that determines your success. Crowd is the cake, everything else is cherry on top.

    submitted by /u/seyedhn
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    Tell me about your failed game

    Posted: 30 Sep 2021 02:58 AM PDT

    Hi everyone, I would live to connect with game devs whose game has failed to gain traction or to even materialize (due to tech constraints etc.) I'm especially interested in projects that had one or several following elements: web and or mobile, mmo, micro transactions, story driven mechanisms, asynchronous multiplayer, multiple narrative branches. Keen to know more and also connect if you have the time. Thanks!

    submitted by /u/No_Cabinet_7171
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    Game Devs modeling female characters in games:

    Posted: 30 Sep 2021 11:40 AM PDT

    Replit is hosting a gamejam w/ $16,000 in prizes!

    Posted: 30 Sep 2021 10:12 AM PDT

    Free (CC0) Stylized Low Poly Mushrooms pack to use in your projects

    Posted: 30 Sep 2021 08:56 AM PDT

    I've got an idea for a game, and bits of the story written out, but i don't know what to do first. Where do i start?

    Posted: 29 Sep 2021 10:40 PM PDT

    Hi there! I've recently got my first good-enough idea for a story driven RPG (inspired heavily by Toby Fox' Undertale and Deltarune). I've got the general story and few of the main chars, but i have no idea how to proceed. Obviously i can't go into the game engine and start programming right away, i need to plan everything first, but where do i start with planning? Do i first make all the chars and stick to them, or do i make all the areas first, or something else? How do i go about making the full-fletched story? Do i continuously iterate over all the parts until they're detailed enough? You get the idea - is there some list of in which order and how to go about planning the elements of the game?

    Thanks!

    submitted by /u/Mymokol
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    Should/Can I use splash screen from other software?

    Posted: 30 Sep 2021 01:46 AM PDT

    For example: I used Autodesk for the 3D models and Substance for Texturing, is it okay if I add like a logo/splash screen while the game is booting?

    Edit: Alright, after reading some ToS, I am not obliged to using any of their splash screens, nor crediting them for using their services. This applies to Maya AD, and Substance Painter, if you are using other software, I recommend reading their Terms of Service.

    submitted by /u/El_C_Bestia
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    Make good use of your trailers!

    Posted: 30 Sep 2021 03:43 AM PDT

    I recently launched a new teaser trailer for my game and it grew my wishlist count from 10,000 to 15,000 in one month!

    Here's what I did:

    1. Make a new trailer. (https://youtu.be/HebsQE464Wc)

    It had been a year since I released a trailer for my game. The old one was super outdated and the game has improved significantly since then. Waiting so long hurt me because the older/more amateur trailer was still being shared around and it wasn't doing the game any justice.

    2. Share the trailer everywhere.

    I shared it on all my social platforms (Instagram, Twitter, Facebook, YouTube, etc.) but the real stars were platforms that I expected to perform poorly. I shared the new trailer on 9gag and it reached the front page (amounting to 24k upvotes)! The same thing happened on Reddit as well!

    3. Don't stop once the initial hype dies off.

    I accumulated approximately 3,000 new wishlists in those first 3 days which was a direct result of my initial push on socials, 9gag, and Reddit. After that, I slowly started looking for more niche communities where I could share the new trailer - Facebook groups and smaller subreddits. After those first 3 days, my daily wishlist additions dropped to 50-100 wishlists a day (my previous average was ~10). Totaling in 5,000 new wishlist additions in a single month!

    This might seem obvious to some people but I've seen trailers get released as a 1-day marketing beat when they should be a month-long marketing beat.

    Another benefit. A trailer has a low maintenance cost - once it's done, it's done. It will still get shared around through word of mouth and you can point people who are interested in your game to the new trailer as well - including publishers, press, and new potential players.

    In summary, make a good-looking trailer, share it everywhere, and keep sharing it everywhere.

    submitted by /u/MisterMorrisGames
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    Terrified of failure!

    Posted: 29 Sep 2021 12:46 PM PDT

    Hello I am a 26 year old African American developer with a bachelor's in Game design/development and I'm too scared of failing to make a game. I graduated 3 years ago and since then I haven't done anything. I start projects and GDDs but I never finish them. If I hit a snag I get discouraged and quit. I have nobody who knows gamedev to vent to. My big brother is a lawyer who worked himself through college and he is constantly on my case about getting a game published. He wants to see my portfolio and wants me to apply to all these companies, but I feel like I'm not good enough. When covid started I told myself I would do 10 game jams to add to my portfolio but I chickened out. I don't want to be like this anymore, I have a fiancee and other people who are depending on me and I'm too afraid to even try. Sorry to dump this here but I have no one who can understand what I'm going through.

    submitted by /u/InFerNal_ProDiGy
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    Developing an RTS game?

    Posted: 30 Sep 2021 06:07 AM PDT

    Hi! I am trying to make a simple RTS game in Unity. I learned some basics and made a few small games but I don't know what to do next. I searched everywhere for RTS game tutorials but there aren't many.

    I am trying to learn part by part as in learning camera movement, unit selection, basic AI vs. However I can't make them work together. I need some guidance.

    I am not asking for a guide that I can learn how to make a full RTS game from scratch, just asking some tutorials. Many are so old and outdated.

    Is there any sources about RTS game development in Unity you can share? Video, text, documentation, advice... anything is ok.

    Thank you!

    submitted by /u/hiccupq
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    Finally got our first game page to Steam! As a newcomer, Steamwork seems pretty cryptic. Any tips to share to make the most out of our Steam page before the release?

    Posted: 30 Sep 2021 02:53 AM PDT

    What was your first ever game ??

    Posted: 29 Sep 2021 10:28 PM PDT

    Just curious

    Mine was a 2D platformer

    EDIT: what i meant was which was the first game you developed!

    submitted by /u/Striking_Ranger_1313
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    Is godot a good FOSS to use for my specified purpose

    Posted: 29 Sep 2021 11:27 PM PDT

    ( I want to say ahead of time sorry for the absolute butchering of both describing the features and grammar) I'm looking to start making a 2d top down pixelated game and I'm wondering if godot would be a good game engine to make a pretty detailed game, on par with as much details as a game like death trash has. I also want to know if godot has or can be set up to have a hit box or interact box type thing where if you get in a certain distance of an object or foliage of any sort it will play its animation e.g if you were running in the game and instead of all of the animations playing for everything like the grass, bushes, trees, etc all at once it only plays when you get within a certain distance to it and all of the other things outside of the limit don't play until it gets in that certain area or hitbox

    submitted by /u/Inevitable-Neat-9830
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    Steam Lifetime Units Returned in 2021

    Posted: 30 Sep 2021 09:35 AM PDT

    Has anyone else noticed an uptick in their Steam returns of their games over the past few months? The last data I have is from January but just looking back, June or so was the first time I saw a trend in higher returns. Before, we were at 3 to 11%, now we're at 5 to 13%. None of the numbers are particularly high or low from what I can tell, but it surprised me that every single game has increased by 2 to 4%. The games are across different genres and art styles, some created just by myself, some by a larger team.

    submitted by /u/tag4424
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    A problem I consistently have with any project - getting long play times. What are the solutions?

    Posted: 30 Sep 2021 05:43 AM PDT

    Even if you look at retro games that have comparable scope to indie titles, they still reach playtimes that range from 20-60 hours. What's the secret to getting that run time without reusing the same content too much? I know text and cutscenes can account for a lot of time, but even without them, I still feel like these games would still have at least 50% of their length at a minimum.

    Difficulty is another thing that keeps people playing for a while, where the game's next content can't be accessed until they're able to beat the current area (Super Mario Bros is an example of a game with not a lot of content, but has a long average play time because people will keep dying. Arcade games like Metal Slug also follow this formula) That's another option, but one that I'm hesitant to lean on too much because it can get frustrating for users.

    For me, it can take half a year to make thirty minutes of gameplay. Which is not sustainable. I would love to just get a game that lasts five hours, let alone ten or fifteen. What are solutions to this? What are your guys' opinion on what makes game length sustainable?

    submitted by /u/Large_Accident_5929
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    Game Engines - Team size and development time

    Posted: 30 Sep 2021 12:00 AM PDT

    Hey there devs!

    I started watching a lot of game engine videos on YouTube lately and it has sparked some questions.
    As far as I've come to understand it an engine consists of:

    • Entity-component system
    • Graphics engine
    • Physics engine
    • Audio engine
    • Input system
    • GUI system
    • Script system

    Now, if I were to gather a team to build an engine at the level of Source, UE, Frostbite etc. from scratch (No I don't plan to build one - I'm asking out of curiosity) what roles are required and roughly how large are the teams? Would one or two people per engine/system be enough if you have let's say a 2 year deadline with a very experienced team or is it more in the lines of something like 30 people engine/system?

    submitted by /u/rezaiwow
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    godot pdf guide

    Posted: 30 Sep 2021 02:44 AM PDT

    Can you recommend a pdf guide to godot and in particular to 2D/rpg games?

    Edit: I need a beginner guide. I just know python for data analysis and wanted to learn something about game davelopment. I know there are many tutorials online, but I'd prefer a written guide.

    submitted by /u/elasticboundary
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    Making my publishing website, help with site map?

    Posted: 30 Sep 2021 08:34 AM PDT

    So i am going to self publish

    I purchased my domain and right now i need to finish the site map

    So what would i need beside

    Home

    About us Games Blog Contact us

    This is my first game ever (MOBA)

    Any tips would be great

    Thank you in advance

    submitted by /u/kelghazaly
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    Share/Show and Tell: your UI strategies

    Posted: 30 Sep 2021 06:19 AM PDT

    Hey all! Long time lurker, full time worker (non game dev), and I'm finally at a place where I need a UI

    Please share your UI tips/tricks, or not and just show off some of your UI features!

    In a perfect world it would follow this format:

    1. Thought process.
    2. Any UI Assets you use
    3. Game Engine
    4. Whatever you want!
    submitted by /u/software_account
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    How many of you are capable of developing a deformable terrain like the one in SpinTires/SnowRunner?

    Posted: 30 Sep 2021 12:07 PM PDT

    Hello guys, I'm a web backend programmer, and I'm curious about a thing in game dev. I know that deformable terrains are not such a popular thing in games. A particular game has successfully implemented a proper deformable terrain, with mud effects and more: SpinTires (2013).

    The concept has evolved since that time; SpinTires became MudRunner, then SnowRunner, released in 2020. SnowRunner is using the Havok Engine for his physic.

    I'm not a game dev, and I would appreciate having some opinions from you. There are not many games with terrain tech like that, so for me, it means that a tech like the one in SnowRunner is challenging to implement or requires many years of experience, no? yes?

    I have an idea for a game that mixes Farming Simulator & SnowRunner, and this is why I need some opinions. Do I need to hire an exceptional developer? Is this developer a rare resource that is difficult to find?

    All the comments will be greatly appreciated. Thanks!

    PS: Sorry for my English; it's not my primary language.

    submitted by /u/coolfarmer
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    Could you use a few picoCAD 3d models in the godot 2d game engine

    Posted: 30 Sep 2021 12:06 PM PDT

    I am also looking to use this (if possible) for shadows by using "invisible" 3d models for more realistic shadows but this isn't near as important because I already know it'd be pretty difficult and time consuming to do anyway

    submitted by /u/Inevitable-Neat-9830
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    Need help deciding which degree to choose - BSc Game art and design or BCA game development

    Posted: 30 Sep 2021 05:56 AM PDT

    So my university has an option to choose between bca which is all about the programming part of the game so learning c# c ++ java and engines like unity unreal godot etc. Or Bachelor in science, Game art and design which is all about the artistic side of games so learning everything from sketching to rigging, lighting, level design, board game design, pixel art, environment des, character des, in Photoshop, Maya, z brush, and unity.

    So I'm extremely confused as to which one to choose. Because right now I'm neither good at programming nor at art. But I definitely would prefer designing over coding. But I think the job opportunities for coding are much larger than designing because game designer is still a very niche and rare job.

    submitted by /u/Straight-Dark-4964
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    Should we be studying game design example from old games?

    Posted: 29 Sep 2021 10:25 PM PDT

    I mean, games that are popular but over 30 years old. Such as Super Mario Bros, Megaman games, etc. But I suspect that changes that design principles have changes so much during the last 3 decades, and that people have changed. What do you think?

    submitted by /u/11Warlock11
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