I'm quitting my Indie Game after 5 years

Summary

In this video, the creator shares the difficult decision to stop working on their game after years of development. Despite mastering technical skills like programming and design, they struggled with game design and scoping, resulting in a project that didn’t meet their expectations. They reflect on the challenges of balancing multiple mechanics and features, and after realizing they were building on a single gimmick, they’ve chosen to focus on smaller projects. The creator remains passionate about game development and will continue to create new projects and videos moving forward.

Takeaways

• 😀 The creator has decided to quit working on their game project, which may come as a surprise to viewers.
• 😀 Since the age of 14, the creator has dreamed of making video games for a living.
• 😀 After successful work in Unity assets for five years, the creator moved on to a full game project, which gained attention online.
• 😀 Despite technical skills in modeling, programming, lighting, and sound design, the creator struggled with game design—particularly finding the fun and defining the core loop.
• 😀 One of the biggest struggles was the game's dual mechanics (shooter mode and climbing mode), which felt disjointed and like two different games.
• 😀 The creator frequently added new features to the game, hoping to solve problems later, rather than addressing design challenges directly.
• 😀 Last year, the creator restarted the project, focusing on defining a vision and creating a testable vertical slice of the game.
• 😀 Despite working on a variety of game elements like animations, level design, UI, and mechanics, the creator still felt far from releasing the game.
• 😀 The creator faced issues with scope creep, often adding more gimmicks instead of refining the core gameplay experience.
• 😀 After watching a talk titled 'Don’t Ship the Wrong Game,' the creator realized the importance of testing achievable and interesting concepts before committing to them.
• 😀 Despite quitting the current project, the creator is still passionate about game development, prototyping smaller games, and building a vertical slice for a new project.

Q & A

Why did the developer decide to quit working on their game?

The developer decided to quit working on the game because they struggled with game design, specifically in defining a clear vision, finding the fun, and managing the scope. Despite technical skills in modeling, programming, and sound design, the lack of proper game design caused delays and made it difficult to complete the project.

What has been the developer's experience with game design?

The developer has faced challenges in game design, particularly with scoping, finding enjoyable mechanics, and knowing what to keep or discard. Despite growing design skills over time, the project's development suffered because of the ongoing design struggles.

What is the core mechanic of the game, and what issue did it present?

The core mechanic of the game involves switching between a shooter mode and a climbing mode. While it created interesting movement possibilities, it made the game feel like two different games in one, which undermined the gameplay experience.

Why didn't the developer implement the idea of giving the player a gun while climbing?

The developer considered adding a gun while climbing but realized this would make the human form redundant, removing the main hook of the game. This decision led to further design complications.

How did the developer attempt to address these issues over the course of the project?

The developer restarted the project, defined a clearer vision, and aimed for a testable vertical slice. Despite working non-stop on various elements like animations, level design, and mechanics, they still felt far from being ready for playtesting.

What are some examples of tasks the developer has worked on since the last video?

Since the last video, the developer worked on a range of tasks, including grass and creature animations, climbable surfaces, level design, slow movement, breakable glass, gun effects, puzzles, new characters, and camera improvements.

What tools did the developer use to try and stay focused on the project?

The developer tried using different planning tools to stay focused on the most important parts of the game. However, they found that the scope was too large for these tools to be effective.

What advice did the developer take from a talk titled 'Don't ship the wrong game'?

The main takeaway from the talk was to carefully assess whether a project is both interesting and achievable before committing to it. The developer realized they had been building on a single gimmick rather than testing an actual game loop to see if the concept would work.

Does the developer plan to stop making games altogether?

No, the developer plans to continue working in game development. After deciding to stop working on the 'weird shooter' game, they prototyped smaller games and are working on a new project.

What is the developer's plan regarding videos after ceasing the game project?

The developer will continue making videos, including the death vlogs, which were intended to be a source of inspiration for others, despite not releasing the game.