Making Your First Indie Game (5 Tips for 2021 & 2022!)
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 5 พ.ค. 2024
- Start your first indie game right! Here are 5 tips I've learned as a full time dev.
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Hey Thomas, first of all i would like to thank you for all your videos about indie game development they really helped me out so far. I do have a question regarding your 2d Game Kit: so i downloaded it a few days ago and im trying to make a 2d shooter but i didnt got the player rig to move how i want it too since the bones/sprites arent moving in playmode and i think its because the animation system. I did got it to work when i edited the script and removed the animations but then i dont have animations ofc. I think you might even know what my problem could be since you made a 2d shooter with your game kit yourself. I would highly appreciate a quick answer from you since i have been struggling with this issue for a few days now. Best regards and greetings from Germany
Releasing my game "The Glade" on steam on the 16th wish me luck!
What advice would give a person who wants to focus on creating a mobile game
I was about to start making my first game my “dream game”. Glad I saw this and now I’m gonna get a few small games under my belt before my dream game.
same. i might try with some low poly characters in some small arena level
It is really important at the beginning of your GameDev journey. Cause if you start with trying to create your "dream game" you might drop the project very fast, because of lack of experience etc. It is best to start by making really small games. Maybe even some classic games clones like Pong etc. If you don't mind let me know about these small games that you were about to create ;)
@@quantumdev6577 I immediately jumped into making my dream game. Now I have been doing it for almost half a year, but I wanted to make it so much that I just couldn't focus on anything else. It's hard sometimes and a bit slow but I don't even notice it because of my motivation, which is still the same or even bigger than when I started :D. I guess it depends on a person, it's probably still better to do smaller games first and I'm not saying you're not right.
if your game involves multi-player/open world delay it until you work at ubisoft
I wasted my time trying to make my own game 😅 .
I started my 2D platformer when I was just starting to learn Unity and C#. I ended up taking a break to make a smaller game; a 2D bullet hell shooter called HyperShot. I put it on Steam, and I still get a sale now and then. Now I'm almost finished my platformer, which will be on Steam next year.
thats great , i am really discouraged at this point and made a lot of mistakes last year, started many projects then dumped them in middle , did not finish any them as they got complex(i know thats no an excuse ) , but i am trying to make a 3d game right now and planning to finish it this time without starting anything new or distracting.
Yeah, it's easy to get distracted. It happens to me a lot, but I try to do something every day. Even if it's something small, it's still one more step to completing the game.
Congratulations man. I started unity this year and I'm starting making a map with trees and a path and am gonna make a character that walks around and looks at buildings and some roaming animals. Like a walk through a medieval town.
what engine did u use to create the game that u posted on steam ?
@@pedroaboffa Unity
I wanted to make a 3D survival game, with a massive map with multiple biomes, weird animals, diseases, allergies and of course cut scenes. once I drew the design on some paper I realized that I never had coded before, so this would be way to hard. now I watched this video and I think my first game will just be a simple platformer.
It might also be worth breaking your idea into multiple smaller things. For example a survival game all about getting food and water
You and me both pal
Maybe you can mix the idea but in a smaller setting, like a platformer with survival elements?
Hey, glad to see this, I'm about to start making my first game. Thomas always has the best advice
That's awesome! Its a real journey. Just never give up!
I'm about to make my first game too I just bought a laptop but it didn't start so I need to get it repaired first ahh I feel like the world hates me
@@theeye6581 but not me
How is it coming?
@@RM22201 I finished! Its on the playstore and if you wanna check it out my channel is called BoiledEgs and the game is called Greedy Pill, I made a video discussing it
I've never subbed so fast before. This breaks it all down, is clear, and honest. I've got no end to technical skill and planning and an experienced WEB developer, but translating that to solo game development projects has been surprisingly difficult. Thank you for this
I really enjoy these tip type videos Thomas. They are really motivating. I have my first small-sized project game in mind and it motivated me to not b afraid of using assets if needed. Thanks for being motivating. Proud to be part of the gamedev community. :)
Thank you so much. This is such a wonderful video. I'm taking the leap into becoming a solo indie game developer and I'm quitting my job as a professional animator to pursue my dreams. I can't wait to see where I end up in 10 years from today! I've got so many games I want to make. :)
For now, I'll start small and learn as much as I can. Goodluck to us all!
I did release my own game on iOS about ten years ago. It was the only personal project I ever released. I outsourced all the creative assets just to save myself time. Crossing the finish line with this stuff is very challenging. I totally agree making your crap game first is the way to go. Great video!
I released my first "real" game on itch (i.e. a non-game-jam, 100+ dev-hours game); a roguelike! I have no idea what effect it'll have on my gamedev career, but even as small as it is it's inspired me to keep making roguelikes :)
This is so incredibly inspiring. I have been on the fence about going into solo game development but have been scared to fail. Starting small and working in stages is the best, most simple advice you could give. I accept it may take years to make something I love, but I feel so driven to go down that road. Thanks for the inspiration
You are inspiration for so many indie devs, so give as DEVLOGS of your new inspiring game! btw your shors are hilarious!
This really is fantastic advice. Love your dedication and encouragement!
I love your videos, never stop making these!
Lol Im so glad I had notification turned on! Love the video! Keep up the amazing work
Tip #5 is very important, and one I overlooked while I was working on my frist project. I also think that doing something like a dev log can be very motivating later on when you look back and see all your progress.
i cherished my trash game and wanted it to be kinda big due to it "looks better than other games" and took that to heart. now i realize that you can not bank on something doing good and get but hurt when no one plays it. now im taking time to reflect and figure out what i want to do next as well as doing major updates to my first game.
I like your attitude! Whats the name of your game?
Starting is easy, but finishing is hard.
I started without any concept, just practicing, but the whacky sketches turned into a full game eventually (nothing serious or released though). It was hard tying up the loose ends. I said to myself, for the next project ima think it all through so I can work according to a plan, instead of changing things back and forth.
But making a plan can be difficult too. Sometimes I find myself over a blank page, thinking ok how shall it start, whats the premise?
Many ideas just come along the way, while simply doing things without overthinking.
I took a lesson from it. The better you become as a game dev, the more thought you can put into it. But at the start, just "play" with development and it'll lead you somewhere :)
Thomas, you're a really nice indie game developer. I really get inspirations from you. Such a good developer :)
Thank you for all your tips they have been helpful on my journey. I have made 2 games and currently working on one of my dream projects, guys like you help with motivation
Tip # 1 - Consider your hourly rate as a dev, and its relation to your budget.
Tip # 2 - Don't make everything from scratch. Time is money!
Tip # 3 - Don't make your first game your dream game. It should be your 15 minute crap game. You'll figure out your strengths.
Tip # 4 - Focus on prototyping. It's easier to build in pieces, and funding will motivate you.
Tip # 5 - Build a community. Discord and Social Media.
I too watched the fucking video
These are some amazing tips and the one about not doing everything from scratch really made me realize how much time I'm wasting.
As for games I worked on a game for most of last year and now that I look back on it I made a lot of mistakes mostly related to planing but I did find out I am much better at programming and designing systems than actually making art plus I learned a lot about the type of games I am mostly good at making
hey, same for me but the other way around. doing art is the place i am comfortable but adding game mechanics make my head spin, totally underestimated how complex even simple stuff like a checkpoint system takes or intergrating a new animation can get. Cheers and good luck with your games✌🏻
@@rageinthecage3900 under the right conditions we can make a nice team lol 😅
Thanks for staying engaged and posting stuff like this.
Thanks for the tips Thomas. I really appreciate all you do. You are a spitting image (both physical and character) of a great friend I grew up with. You needed to know that 😆
I'm inspired. I'm starting my first commercial game next year. I'm going to use the rest of this year for prep work and finishing up a game jam, and then next year get to work on my first real project.
One giant leap for you!
I just released my first game after watching your videos for over a year. It’s called SCP:Abhorrent and it’s pretty noob level lol. I really appreciate your advice throughout all your videos Thomas. I’m about to release my second game this month and I’m working with a team on my “dream” game now too! It’s really challenging but super fulfilling.
Love your videos man you've been holding my hand for a while now and I appreciate it
God bless you Thomas. This video is divine intervention to help those seeking out to become full time game developers. Thank you!
Your tip about knowing your forte really resonated with me. I too pride my self in character building and story telling. Those are my passions what keeps me making my game. This being my first game you’re other tip was perfect, I should make a small short game before putting my all into my dream story / dream game. This video hit at the perfect time for me, and thank you for your content. One question about your stories, do you have them all laid out first before you start building your games or do you kind of build the story and the small details of the story as you go, drawing inspiration from some of your worlds and art?
Just take your favorite 'simple game' and make it. You can even expand on it a little to keep it interesting.
I just chose sort the court as my simple game and I'm making a new version that has elements of harvest moon.
Thanks for all of the videos and inspiration! Some days I would just listen to your videos to keep my mind on the task of completing my first project. Keep up the good work and I'll keep turning in!
You make incredible videos, i'm learning gamedev as a hobby in the pandemic. Your videos are top tier, gained a sub 👍
Thanks for the tips! Now I know I’m going on the right directions. Working on small games before my dream game
Through High School I was learning to make games on my own on Unity and I was starting little projects and following TH-cam tutorials like a religion and getting confused and burnt out sometimes so I'd start a new one and didn't really realize how much I grew from that "failure". I would draw my own pixel art, follow someone's code and start to add my own features and learn a few new programs. And at the end of my junior year I had made a game with a friend for a school project and then made one over the summer I put onto Google Play called Pixels & Dragons which is like Asteroids. Now after a few years I'm starting a new game with that same friend to see what we can do in a month and what we can learn. Great video! Put the value of time into perspective. Don't slave over what you aren't good at, pay someone who is good at it!
Thank you for makeing this it has helped me so much to get started
Glad to see this as a newbie game developer thank you Thomas
great tips for marketing and networking! still working on a first release but im excited to get to a stage where I feel like part of the community :)
Love that game you've got in the background there
wow first to my suggestions list! Thank you Thomas! God bless you and your family!
The first game I released was a little game called bird stealth psycho mission, it had horrible controls and probably wasn’t at the top of my bucket list when it was made. But it taught me many things which I had not gotten to, due to when making everything from scratch, such as how to get sound effects into your game, or how to switch between scenes.
thanks for sharing your numbers, highly interesting!
Newbie here, thanks for the tips. I'm going to now build a small game that I just made up. I'll see how well I do
great video man amazing tips there im making a fps survival horror game its getting there but takes alot of work since im a solo dev but im definitely using unreal 5 for it and youtube guides to help me out there so useful but keep up the work
Your designs are so amazing😭😭😭...Please make a video on atmosphere designing for beginners...thank you in advance
Thank Goodness I saw this video. Helped a lot. Thanks
Thomas I would LOVE a video about the first things you do when you open unity. You open unity, create a new file, then what? what are the first things you should do? Every video I see is either just showing off the features of unity or its a 7 hour long tutorial video that I don't have time or attention spand for. Love everything you make!
i guess makes files to orgnize your work and assets , folder for prefab , scripts , scenes , music , sound effect etc
These tips are amazing and the way you present stuff is great for my adhd
This will help me in making my first game, thanks dude!
Thanks for this 🙌
super pragmatic tips. thx for this. subscribed.
Since i was a little kid in the 90’s i’ve always wanted to make my own game(s). I will now begin the journey at least 25 years in the making. Wish me luck
Sub’ed to your channel from this video alone; thanks for putting it out there.
Speaking of time, this style of video at 1.5-2x speed is always better. Great vid btw 👍👌
you are now my favorite TH-camr now
I honestly don't think I'd be able to do game development as a career, I want it more as a hobby but I'm legitimately scared to start. I hate failing and when you try something new you're bound to fail. This video did help boost my confidence some to try, though. Thank you for the tips!
He just helped me more in 8 minutes than others have done in hours!
I needed this . I didn’t get the TH-cam notification, however I did get your email, thank you Thomas.
Thanks! Great video!
Thanks for this video man.
very helpful bro, thanks.
i like your balance between money and passion. I find only focussing on passion to lead to burn out, but then only doing it for the money would feel soulless.
Thank u so much , u open my mined from these tips .
Thanks so much for this video, I was getting discouraged until I saw this vid
I was making my first game a decent small little horror game but I’ve become in love with this project and now wanna do some big stuff without technically I made a game before but accidentally deleted it all
Dear Thomas! A very happy holiday season to you! Your videos and experience are most inspiring for us amateurs! Thank you for taking out the time to share everything with us.
I wanted to ask you, have you ever tried Visual Scripting? You have said in all your videos that you're not a coder so it's hard for you to work in C#. I haven't seen you ever use any VS tool, so why haven't you? And would you try in the future?? Since Bolt VS is now embedded with Unity, it's not too hard if you want to try.... I'm curious to see how you'll handle it.
Great tips, thanks Thomas
honestly no matter how crappy the first game may be I will always be proud of it as I made it with me, myself and lots tutorials lol
I started messing around with unreal yesterday, heres to a long journey ;)
Great tips! Thanks a lot
Those are some good tips! Sadly, I didn't take into account all of them.
I've worked almost 4 years (in my free time) on my game and after I released it on steam I was disappointed.
I was kind of expecting it since I had about 100 wishlists. Game development is hard this days!
gimme the link bro ill play it
@@sadcakebbx7339 his nick name is name of his game: Escape: Underground
Bro, I will play it in a minute! And I will give a feedback! Keep going, man! BTW, how many copies did you sell already?
@@alexander.kushchin Hey, thank you! I sold just a few dozens.
@@escapeundergroundgame main problem IMHO is control of movement of the robot, very hard to stop on right place and hard to jump, he is like in some kind of jelly...
I actually like building things from scratch, from the items, to the characters, maps, weapons, UI. It's just a nice little break from the nonstop math and brain power used to figure out how to make Thing A do this one function, while simultaniously trying to get Thing B work with Thing C. I'm not hating on anyone or anything here, but from my experience I guess it just depends on your attention span and your soul drive and passion. Plus it really is an absolute amazing feeling when you see something you made completely on your own work on how you intended. Maybe some agree with me, maybe some disagree. All in all, we're all doing our best and that's a beautiful thing. I hope everyone here builds their dream game someday, and it brings you nothing but fortune and success :)
I absolutely agree 100% with u :D I love making my own stuff, even tho it means i am learning C#, Unity, Blender, videoeditors, all the same time 😂
Thank You 🙏🏾
Great video thomas!
tip about not making everything from scratch was especially useful, but I figured it out only after I started making my dream game. Initially, the progress in it was slow, but I started a very small side project in vr using assets and it took me about 3 or 4 days to make it look good and finished and at the same time almost be playable, so I am very impressed. I thought custom assets wouldn't save me much time and make game look unoriginal, but I was wrong. So tip for everyone: just use assets if you struggle on something, like I am on modelling :)
p.s. I think that youtuber Dani is the perfect example of how you should promote your game
p.p.s. My plan on making my dream game is to release it as early access with little amount of content and deliver it with updates, so I could get early bugs feedback to polish the game and release it as soon as possible
Great video, gives a lot to think about.
very good points and specialisation is key
Good points there Mr. Brush!
Thanks for doing this its so inspirational
I'm not a game developer but I am an animator and my very small team and I are working in exactly this manner. Yes, we're developing a lot of our own assets but we're not making them from scratch. When we're done, we're hoping to work with an indie Dev to turn our story into a game.
i finished unlimited simple car game , learned a lot of stuff in it , that is kind of special for me
All fantastic points Thomas :)
I completely agree with you! These tips are super important and I kinda figured some of these out on my own as I'm about to release my first android crappy game XD
One thing that most people don't mention is that if you want to make your game available on steam you need either a job or some way of getting money patreon or whatever it is to pay for the $100 dollar fee to download the software needed to put your on steam.
I'm 13 years old, I need to be mentaly prepared for my game idea, i really hope i can do this
i released my first game as a crap game for a game jam and i learned alot in the one week and it boosts my ego to know that i can do it
Awesome video, thanks
Dude i love you bro...thanks...!!!
Key concept is considering the "opportunity cost" in everything you do.
that's real great advice. Gonna start my making first crappy game soon.
Great video. Great information. But do you have any "how to make the game" videos. That walk you through the whole process ?
Wait, are you the one who made coma?? I played it way back when I was like, 12. It was the most memorable game I ever played on those sites full of flash games. Awesome work! 🤯
thank you for this tips pro
sick hat dude. I live right down the road from mckevlins!
My first game was crap but I learned alot from it, he is right, never start with a dream game start with a crap game or you would get nothing done
insightful.
Thanks bro to enlighten me 😍👍
Thank you so much this help to much to tell you but thanks so very much.
❤I just love this guy. ❤
I've wanted to make my dream game for a long time...
But now that I think about it, it must be very time-consuming :"
Thanks for the tips :)
2:50 honestly I didnt know before you told/showed it to me :D