7 Tips for Solo Game Developers

Summary

In this video, Joytocling Games, a solo game developer, shares their journey and offers practical advice for aspiring solo developers. They emphasize the importance of collaboration when possible but also provide several strategic tips for those going it alone, such as starting with small projects, understanding personal strengths and limitations, and effectively managing the game's scope. Additionally, they highlight the value of visuals, the 80/20 rule in game development, and the significance of marketing to ensure a game's success.

Highlights

• Collaboration can greatly enhance a solo developer's journey. 🤝
• Starting with small, manageable projects helps build necessary skills. 🛠️
• Understanding genre expectations can guide game development priorities. 🎮
• Consistent art direction is crucial for player immersion. 🎨
• Apply the 80/20 rule to prioritize the most impactful work. 📊
• Outsourcing some tasks can alleviate stress and improve quality. 🌟
• Successful marketing can make or break your game's success. 📣

Key Takeaways

• Start small and learn the ropes before diving into a big project. 🎮
• Find someone to collaborate with if possible, but know you can succeed solo too. 💪
• Know your tools and build experience with small scale projects. 🛠️
• Define your game's scope by understanding player expectations for the genre. 🎨
• Use the 80/20 rule to focus on the tasks that yield the most results. 🏆
• Outsource where necessary; solo doesn't mean alone. 🤝
• Market your game early and validate concepts through feedback. 📣

Overview

Starting a career as a solo game developer might seem daunting, but Joytocling Games offers insight into managing this unique path. With tips on how to start small, build your skill set, and set realistic expectations, they guide viewers through creating their own indie hit.

The video underscores the importance of understanding your strengths, maintaining coherent art direction, and using strategic resource allocation such as the 80/20 rule. Joytocling shares personal experiences about striking a balance between ambition and pragmatism in game development.

Marketing is emphasized as a vital step in a game's journey to success. Despite fewer resources, solo developers can gain traction through clever marketing strategies and ongoing engagement with their audience, ensuring the game not only exists but thrives in a competitive market.

Chapters

• 00:00 - 00:30: Introduction and Background The chapter titled 'Introduction and Background' focuses on the narrator's recent journey as a solo game developer. After being laid off from their previous job, they have dedicated the last 3 months to developing a top-down action roguelike game. The game is described as a hybrid of 'Hades' and 'Binding of Isaac'. The narrator expresses a need for support, suggesting potential players to wishlist the game on Steam. They also highlight the challenges of solo game development and humorously suggest that finding even one collaborator could be beneficial.
• 00:30 - 01:00: Finding Collaborators This chapter discusses the benefits and challenges of finding collaborators. Working with others can help in bouncing ideas, validating concepts, reducing workload, and boosting motivation. However, it can be difficult to find people with similar interests. The chapter provides some tips and insights from the author's experience on how to successfully find collaborators, particularly for those who are starting out and looking to create a successful independent project.
• 01:00 - 01:30: Start Small and Gain Experience In this chapter, the focus is on encouraging beginners in game development to start with small-scale projects to gain experience. The advice includes creating simple games like Flappy Bird or a basic platformer, which can be completed within two weeks. The aim is to learn and enhance skills in game engine programming and art without relying on asset packs. For those with some experience, the chapter suggests moving on to more advanced projects.
• 01:30 - 02:00: Working Towards a Commercial Release The chapter, titled 'Working Towards a Commercial Release,' discusses the importance of focusing on various aspects critical to launching a game's first commercial release. It highlights the valuable experience gained from this process and encourages indie game developers to observe what other developers are creating through platforms like devlogs and Reddit posts. These can serve as inspiration and research points for understanding industry standards and goals. However, it warns that what is showcased by others is often their best work, and many have put in substantial effort over time.
• 02:00 - 02:30: Understanding Scope in Game Development The chapter emphasizes the importance of recognizing and understanding personal strengths and limitations in game development. It advises against comparing oneself to veterans from game studios who have extensive experience. The key takeaway is to set a realistic scope for game projects based on individual capabilities, which aids in completing games more efficiently.
• 02:30 - 03:00: Choosing the Right Genre The chapter 'Choosing the Right Genre' discusses the significance of selecting the appropriate genre for a game, emphasizing how it affects the project's scope, including time and resources. The genre dictates player expectations, such as varied player builds in action roguelikes or interconnected areas in Metroidvanias. The chapter suggests considering these elements carefully, though scaling down is an option.
• 03:00 - 03:30: Managing Expectations and Timeframe The chapter discusses the importance of managing expectations and timeframes in game development. It advises new developers to start with small scope genres like horror or adventure walking simulators, which are more manageable. It also emphasizes choosing a genre that the developer is passionate about, as this passion will be crucial during the development process. The author shares personal motivation for developing a Roguelike due to its scope suitability.
• 03:30 - 04:00: Implementing the 80/20 Rule In this chapter, the concept of implementing the 80/20 Rule in game development is discussed. The speaker emphasizes the importance of noting the essential features a game must have and setting realistic time frames for development. It is highlighted that estimated timeframes often need to be doubled, as experienced by the speaker, who anticipated having a demo ready in two months but found it extended to three months and expects another month before initial playtesting. The speaker invites listeners to join a Discord server for playtesting notifications.
• 04:00 - 05:00: Outsourcing and Visuals The chapter titled 'Outsourcing and Visuals' discusses the importance of the 80/20 rule in solo game development. It emphasizes that 80% of results come from 20% of efforts, a principle that is valuable to solo developers who have limited time and resources. This concept can be applied to various aspects of game development, such as prioritizing essential features or focusing on key elements like color and lighting in art direction.
• 05:00 - 06:00: Prototyping and Development Phases The chapter focuses on the principle of finding the critical 20% of tasks that produce the most significant impact, particularly in the context of game development. It emphasizes the importance of identifying and prioritizing tasks that enhance the main features of a project. The example provided discusses melee attacks in a game as a primary focus, and highlights how small tweaks in these areas can lead to a more polished and enjoyable combat experience. The strategy aims at delivering substantial visual appeal and effectiveness by concentrating on the most influential aspects of a project.
• 06:00 - 07:00: Maintaining Motivation In the chapter titled 'Maintaining Motivation,' the discussion focuses on strategies to prioritize important aspects of game development. It emphasizes the utility of outsourcing certain elements, such as visual assets or development tools, particularly in areas where solo developers may lack confidence. The chapter reassures developers that solo development does not necessitate handling every aspect alone, highlighting that outsourcing can save considerable time and reduce frustration. Additionally, it stresses the importance of visuals in the development process.
• 07:00 - 09:30: Marketing and Validation This chapter emphasizes the importance of a well-crafted art style in captivating players and drawing them toward a game. It reassures developers that they don't need to be talented artists themselves but should focus on maintaining consistency in their art direction to preserve immersion. For 3D games, deciding on an art style that aligns with the game's theme and sticking with it, whether low poly or otherwise, is crucial for creating an engaging experience.
• 09:30 - 10:00: Closing Remarks and Invitation for Feedback This chapter focuses on the importance of maintaining a consistent art style in game development. It highlights the use of custom shaders, such as the Tune Shader, to quickly achieve a polished look. The chapter emphasizes the 80/20 rule and advises using assets from the same or similar publishers to ensure uniformity. Additionally, it suggests maintaining similar polygon counts across different assets to enhance consistency.

7 Tips for Solo Game Developers Transcription

• 00:00 - 00:30 I have been working as a full-time solo game developer for the last 3 months ever since I was laid off from my last job since then I've been developing this top down action Rog likee game which I would describe as somewhat of a blend between Hades and binding of the Isaac I would really appreciate it if you could wish list it on Steam thanks so you want to develop a game all by yourself stop it get some help I mean seriously even finding just one other person to
• 00:30 - 01:00 collaborate with can significantly help you in terms of bouncing ideas uh validating Concepts reducing workload and boosting motivation but I know it can be hard to find people with similar interests sometimes it just doesn't work out so let me share a few tips that I figured out in my journey that should help you as well if you are just starting out and hoping to make the next Indie hit then you might get disappointed instead you need to familiarize yourself with your
• 01:00 - 01:30 tool sets and gain that initial bit of experience I would advise that you start with very small scale games like flappy bird or a platformer or something that you can finish within 2 weeks try not to use any asset packs or anything the goal should be to learn and level up your skills for the game engine programming and a bit of art either 2D or 3D now if you are not a complete beginner and you have already made some projects then I would advise you to start working
• 01:30 - 02:00 towards that first commercial release since the experience you will get by doing so will be a lot more as you would be focusing on these other important things which go into making a complete game and you should also probably look into what other indie game developers are making through devlogs Reddit posts and so on it can be a great source of inspiration and a research Point as to what you should be aiming for but know this what they are highlighting is their best some of them have been working for
• 02:00 - 02:30 a lot longer than us and a lot of them are veterans from game studios so they already have a lot of experience in at least one aspect of game development you shouldn't compare your games to theirs or expect to make games like that right off the bat my advice to you would be to thoroughly understand your strengths and limitations and then decide on the scope of the game accordingly this approach will really help you finish a game faster speaking of
• 02:30 - 03:00 which scope is how much time and resources it will take you to implement features for your game there is one thing that will heavily influence the scope of your game and that is the genre of the game you decide this is due to the expectations players have with a genre for example action Rog likee games need to have a variety of player builds and Metroid vanas need to have multiple interconnected areas bosses and so on obviously you could scale it down
• 03:00 - 03:30 removing bits here and there but you will still have to provide the essentials expected in your game so if you're just starting out I would advise picking a small scope genre like horror games or Adventure walking Simulator games but also make sure to pick a genre that you would enjoy making since it's you who will have to spend all the time developing it and if you don't feel strongly about it now you will have a harder time convincing yourself in the future that's partly the reason why I am developing a Rog like although scope is
• 03:30 - 04:00 getting a bit tricky to handle so definitely note down the features that your game must have and what you want to add and come up with a time frame and then just double that it's especially true in my case I was thinking I would be ready with the initial demo within 2 months uh and it's already been 3 months and I think by next month I should be ready for initial play testing by the way if you would like to be notified when I do play testing feel free to join my Discord server okay next
• 04:00 - 04:30 tip you need to know and follow the 8020 rule 80% of the results or outcomes depend on 20% of the work this is going to be super useful for a solo Game Dev since we don't have the time and resources to focus on everything this rule can be applied to almost any aspect of game development be it managing your time by focusing on essential features of your game be at Art Direction by focusing more on color and lighting that
• 04:30 - 05:00 can give something visually appealing really fast but this rule does not mean that you just need to do 20% of the work and say you applied this rule instead you need to figure out which 20% of tasks or efforts will yield maximum results if you focus on them for example melee attacks are the main focus of my game so I identified and added all these small tweaks which really makes the combat feel polished and fun so use this
• 05:00 - 05:30 rule to prioritize important aspects of your game and it will save you tons of time another thing I would like to add is don't hesitate to Outsource certain aspects of the game like getting some assets be it visual or tools to help in development where you are not confident solo development doesn't mean you have to do everything and it will save you tons of time and frustration in the long run yes visuals really matter visuals are
• 05:30 - 06:00 often the first thing players notice about a game a well-crafted art style can really Captivate players and draw them toward your game now before you go on to say I am not an artist I can't draw or make beautiful scenes I'd say you don't have to be you just need to be consistent with your art direction to never break that sense of immersion and if you have a 3D game decide the art style of the game based on the theme and keep it consistent whether it's low poly
• 06:00 - 06:30 or stylized or realistic or retro it needs to be that way throughout the game one easy way to ensure a consistent art style is to use custom shaders like tune Shader it also adds that polished look really fast remember the 8020 rule or if you're using assets for the art simply use assets from the same or similar publisher alternatively ensure that the poly counts are Sim across different
• 06:30 - 07:00 assets and modify textures to create a sense of cohesion in the visual style next tip is you need to efficiently plan for both the prototyping and development phase and know when to switch between these two during the prototyping phase you'll test various elements to see if they yield desired results this phase can be time consuming as you search for Optimal Solutions such as determining if a mechanic suits the game or if a
• 07:00 - 07:30 particular style complements the game play it's an exciting and rewarding phase as you learn in witness results however during the production phase you probably won't be doing anything new which can become monotonous but it needs to be done in order to complete the game so you need to watch out for this and make a proper plan and schedule to keep things on track there's an incredibly helpful video on how to plan for these two phases by heartbeast I recommend
• 07:30 - 08:00 checking it out after this next tip is we generally start off very motivated when beginning a new project it feels exciting to see results quickly but over time the progress can slow down and you probably won't have that initial level of motivation how do you handle it then well I am not going to say I have fully figured it out but what works for me most of the time is simply opening Unity every day and trying to implement something for the next 20 minutes and
• 08:00 - 08:30 usually that turns into a few hours even if I don't Implement something I try to play my game and identify areas for improvement or this happens anyway what also works sometimes is remembering my goals I set out initially so I would advise you to write down your goal for the game these could be related to earning money or simply completing the game and sharing it with your friends among other things and when you're not feeling it remind yourself of these goals and imagine in the sense of
• 08:30 - 09:00 accomplishment you will experience once you achieve them this should hopefully refuel your interest additionally using a Trello board to list tasks for the future should allow you to start working on them promptly and stay organized throughout the development process but make sure you are also taking breaks from development and avoid getting burned out quickly once you've navigated through all the hurdles and you have something to show for your game then it's time to face the final boss
• 09:00 - 09:30 marketing is hard you need to convince people your game is worth their time and you need to do it within a few seconds since otherwise people might move on to the next it won't matter how many features or how much time and effort you put into it this is where having a unique hook to your game really helps since your game can stand out more easily and it can be a lot easier to Market anyway I would strongly suggest validating your game early on by posting it somewhere or if you're game relies
• 09:30 - 10:00 too heavily on mechanics preparing a prototype this approach not only helps you gather early feedback but also should set the right expectations for your game so you have posted about the game and it doesn't go that well what do you do then that's the kind of position I feel I'm in I've been posting about my game but so far I haven't been that successful with it although I'm not heavily marketing it I'm focusing on learning how to Market it better but yeah it hasn't been that great so far far so I am planning on putting the best
• 10:00 - 10:30 things that my game has to offer and putting it to the test by giving it to you guys through play tests and eventually a demo to other YouTubers and streamers to really decide how I want to proceed forward and set the right expectation with this game this might all seem negative but it's not all that bad you don't need your game to be a mega hit to consider it a success my advice would be to constantly validate your expectations and your goals with the game if you don't see expectations being met consider scaling down the game
• 10:30 - 11:00 but focus on polishing the added content extensively ultimately players want to have a fun time with the game if you can provide that sales should follow there are also some really great Talks by Chris that offer valuable insights into steam marketing I highly recommend it anyway I am still learning about many things Game Dev related and I feel I am not credible enough to give more tips since I haven't released any game yet but I believe these tips should help you
• 11:00 - 11:30 as it has helped me so far and I will be sharing my ongoing Learning Journey with all of you so feel free to subscribe like and share this video if you found it helpful now I'd love to hear your thoughts on whether you agree with these tips or if you have any additional tips please share them with everyone in the comments below thanks for watching [Music]