5:35 "Always keep your game finished" finally someone mentions this!! This is a typical mistake I see every time when working with a team. People tend to develop games in all directions at once, with every feature kind of started but not done or bugged. That is not what you should do for many reasons: it's hard to keep track of what's done or working, code tends to mix everything together, which creates many bugs, players can't test your game because there are always things breaking or unfinished, and you'll probably never finish it. What you should do instead is slice your game into small independent systems, and implement each system one by one, starting with the most essential ones. For example, start by coding your player movements. Only when that is working without bugs, start the next most essential feature. This takes a bit of self-control when you are motivated to start many cool features, but has many benefits: a game that is always playable, theoretically publishable at any time, in which you know exactly what is done or not, with cleaner separated code, less bugs, and it's easier to cut your scope if you overscoped (which happens approximately 100% of the time).
i would like to add that i think it is a good idea to prioritize function over form!! worrying about the visuals of a product mid-development can very easily be a HUGE time sink, especially if it gets redone multiple times during development. also, spending too much resources on trying to get visuals right can often distract from the mechanics which make the game actually fun (a great example being to greybox levels before you start putting in assets - assets might make the level pretty, but they wont make a bad level more fun!). and in fact that is a common practice in game dev- see Factorio or any Nintendo game it is absolutely still possible to build a "complete" game without having the "complete" visuals to show for it, and that is what i think is the right sentiment to take away from this piece of advice. as you say, different kinds of systems and functionality should be complete + working well before too many tasks and works-in-progress pile up!
Oh yes, same. Taking a break at the wrong time is extremely dangerous... Especially if you take the break due to a lack of motivation. In that case it's just a gentle way to drop the project really... :D
My best advice is Make Your Own Tools! Once you have your prototype down think about how you are going to build content in your game and make a system that helps you do it faster. For a jrpg Im working on i made a unity extension that cut down on the time it took to make new levels easily by 50%. It took a week to do but in the long run will save me months of time!
I am hoping every single time. This will be my new level set video to ground me. Now, I am just starting off so I am lucky that my first project has this great advice to start with.
My advice: Have a production-mindset. Make a development plan and mostly include things that you KNOW you can do and you already know how you'll do it. Update that plan constantly. Track your tasks, know exactly when you want to be finished and how much you'll need to do to get there. Invest the time into those production considerations early so you don't lose tons of time later on. One of the biggest time sinks is not working because you're at the end of a task and don't know what to do next / have another blank page in front of you. Also part of the production mindset is to work smart but don't get too obsessed with the "beauty" of your code. The result counts. And getting there as easily and quickly as possible. Be pragmatic here. Don't build your own engine out of programmer pride, only to make a game with it at the end you could have made with established software in way less time and with a higher level of polish.
My advice is that you don't want to make a game more complicated than you are able to develop. Example: I wanted to make an online game but it was way to hard for me to make so i had to let the whole project go.
Yeah also lately i have seen a huge increase in services that allow people to play normally Offline Coop/Versus Games (called Couch Coop most of the time) online anyways (like Parsec, Steam Multiplayer etc.). So i think we don't really have to focus on that (really really hard and tedious) part of game development, because other software just takes that work away from us basically for free. Sure there are games that wouldn't work in Couch Coop, like Shooters, but still this is a biiig step.
Yeah, I was gonna work on a space shooter with skins and levels with bosses and planets (This was gonna be my first game) So instead I started working on a platformer which I will add more things in the future as I go.
More and more I'm starting to realise the benefit to having the game "complete" as often as possible. It not only means your game is in a releasable state most of the time but it also improves your morale while testing as you haven't got things spoiling the experience.
There is a lot of advice one can give for new game developers or developers starting a new project. Don't overscope is certainly a very common one, for a good reason. I also have to agree a lot with trying to playtest early and often - and let others playtest your game, don't only do it yourself. As creator you will grow blind to things that might not be as apparent to someone who plays the game for the first time, like how controls work or which objective to follow in the game. So yes, let others play your game and gather feedback, so you can address it and make quick iterations to your game. If possible, watch them play your game, so you can see where they struggle, or which parts are confusing - such a feedback is often more important than simply reading feedback in text form, because there is a chance that the players misinterpret their reasons why they struggle with certain parts of the game - so you can say that watching them play removes a layer of abstraction/translation. If you have remote playtesters, you could ask them to record gameplay footage along with a recording of them playing the game (like how streamers do it). This comment is already getting pretty lengthy, so I just want to say that there are really great questions in the video I think everyone of us should attempt to answer for our games. I also had a lot of fun with your intro this time! Keep up the good content :)
I think good advice is to really consider -why you want to make a particular game-. Go deeper than just "it has this fun mechanic". Why is it fun to you? Why would it be fun for the player to play? Is it really something you care about? Those are not easy questions to answer, but if you get a sense for it, you'll be able to better work on the game and make decisions. Say the mechanic was not actually fun, but you found some exploration aspect interesting about it. You can then change it to go more in that direction and you can actually work towards something you really care about. And that's pretty nice if you're serious about it, cause making games takes a LOT of time
Thanks for the quality advice! Before I was trying to make a quality game but then I thought of another good game idea (At least what I though was a good game idea) and just ended up confused on what to work on and had half made prototypes. So, I started prototyping a bunch of ideas I have; I picked the one I was most passionate about and has passed the marketable test of throwing it on Itch and getting feedback (still not at that point yet.
my most given out advice is to not let yourself get burned out Yes you should work on your game but take breaks or open new projects and play around with stuff, create small games that nobody except you will play even stop working on the project when it gets frustrating and let your mind rest for a bit trust me this will save you in the long run Also dont be afraid to push yourself at times try out new things you never did before in your game or in a totally different project A burned out dev is a unhappy dev and a project that will never be finished
Having not finished any published projects other than a flappy bird clone and a few game jams, I'd say my advice here ought to be taken with some salt. We right now are in the early stages of developing a game where we got some basic gameplay and art going. Our first step was to make what we termed our "Initial Prototype", which is basically circle sprites representing the player and enemies doing the ultra-basic gameplay happenings. This is where we made sure the basic idea of our game worked well and wasn't inherently unfun or broken. Right now what we are working towards is our Minimum Viable Product. This is where we intend to "finish" our game, so to speak. That means we have enough of the planned mechanics, art, features, levels, and feel of the game to demonstrate the vision we have for it. We want to have a single, finished level that we can use to collect marketing material (videos, trailers, gifs), publicly playtest, and properly utilize as a base from which to build more content like levels, enemy types, bosses, abilities, and world-building aspects. This is also where we will find whether or not there is a demand for our game and is worth continuing. The hope is that after we have completely finished our MVP, we will have a clean, strong foundation and versatile building blocks from which to build the rest of our game quickly and cleanly. The trick, of course, is that we don't give up before we get there. I think we've planned and scheduled well, but one of the biggest of our risks is loss of motivation. Right now we feel we are going strong, but we always need to be wary and keep ourselves accountable for our progress.
I would say be sure that you know what your actual catch for this game is :) I was making a project some time ago which was a stranded deep clone with stranded zoo animals originally. Then it became a pirate sea survival... then an rpg. What I am saying is find a catch and stick to it early to finish.
Good point. That's what I meant when talking about the unique selling point(s) but I guess those can differ from the catch at times. What makes your game special might not always be what gets people hooked on wanting to try it out.
yeah there are a lot of game systems that don't really make sense in the setting they are in, trying to match system and setting is a key point in my opinion.
@@NinjarioPicmin Yeah aiming for precise goals would be, what I could condense it into. Not adding new features if it really drags down the dev process.
That sounds like it could be fun. Perhaps it could be about manipulating the environment around it? It doesn't seem like it has enough room for depth that most roguelikes need, though.
I have a suggestion dont end up like yandere dev like use pre made assets as a place holder is fine but when ever you haven't changed the pre made models for years then that's a issue
the best advice I have is to plan the scope of the game from the very start so you keep on track with your initial vision as in if u know u want 25 levels and 2 modes from the beginning you should probobaly write that down on a one page "Flyer " of your game
Good to see you are taking some of my advice into consideration as well :) As for WYS; I think it's time to start putting small clips of the AI mocking you on Twitter and Instagram. Just post daily, short clips with the clever lines; this might get some social traction, especially if you can put it in a way people can have fun with it, maybe go 'tag a friend who could beat this', or, 'tag a friend who would never be able to complete this', 'reply with your best snarky comeback', stuff like that.
"Making a game" sounds like a huge task. However, it is just made of a lot of much easier tasks that don't seem so intimidating. Whenever you're stuck at a point where an upcoming task just seems way too challenging for you, try to divide it into smaller tasks. Looking at a large project like this can really help you stay motivated. Every time you finish a small task you feel accomplished instead of being intimidated by the scale of the project.
We all different but do mostly the same mistakes... game dev is like walking through a mine field.. usually we step on the same mines even if we know exactly were they are :/ So this is super useful Im adding this to my collection of vids and checklists for starting a new game :) Also, not related - I saw Gamranx picked "Islanders" in one of their vids! was really exited to see it with "the big boys"!!! your content is gold as always keep it up :)
@@JonasTyroller yup when you start you have only one life.. as you progress in your game dev journey you level up and can take more then explosions before dying - aka quitting game dev altogether
so many things are here that applies to me. Especially when you said "You are STUPID", felt like that line was for me exclusively. Loved your video as always.
You are inspiring man, thanks for all your good insights. I can tell this comes from logging your experiences in real time which is valuable for people like me. I truly appreciate how well thought out videos like this are.
Thanks so much for this video! I just started making my own custom mod in Terraria, and after watching this video, I actually have a decent idea on how to progress through the development stage of it! :D
@@ilyas6323 I learned from trial and error, I just searched up how to make a certain item or thing. Assuming you have some basic knowledge on coding and de-bugging, you can learn by copying the code (as a reference) and teaching yourself how to change and mix-and-match to your pleasure. Also for basic 8-bit editing for a first time Piskel is a great tool, and I still use it to this day. I hope this helped and let me know if you have any questions. :D
I really like the advice of keeping your game in a finished state, like how some games seem to release as a finished game, and then add more features with updates. In my case, this tells me that I can start small, with the option of adding onto it in the future. I've heard the advice before, particularly from Extra Credits (Infrequent foul language warning), that your first game should be something small. But some, perhaps prideful and arrogant, part of me basically heard that as "You will never make anything more than a dirt simple clicker game." And responded with "Well, I'll show them! I can do this!" But I think I missed the point of the advice. I think I was able to "prove them wrong" in that I could piece together some core gameplay and make something that could be developed further. . . But then, what I lack is the experience that comes from having made a finished game. Same problem I have with writing, I suppose. After trying for so long to make some grand, sweeping epic, I know a lot of writing theory, but I've not written a finished story.
5:35 so as someone about to start a course in game design... how can I keep my game in the finished state? Is this linked to the MVP? and are there any pitfalls to avoid in doing so?
I'm not even close to getting a game done but just a tip, make sure you know what ur game is about and what will happen instead of diving in to designing what will be there for ex.g creatures.
I would say another big point is to be inspired by your game, your game can be the funniest thing in the world, but it means nothing if you don't like what it has become or don't like developing it.
Dude you're a genius. Thank for sharing your knowledge and making this a place fore people to share their experience. Looking forward to more content :)
My advice: if your game has skills then think about them as early as possible and start testing them on first level you can make later known skills accessible from first level on next game plus etc. and it allows to test balance of your games
"Always keep your game finished" Wow I never really thought of that, but that's a good advice. I always try to end the day with a stable commit, so when I come back It's not a complete mess.
I can't stand leaving a feature half coded and buggy, makes me worry I'll forget what specific part of it I was tending to- DAMMIT MOM I'M BUSY I'LL SLEEP LATER
Prototyping on paper first is better imo because you can go through a number of ideas and throw them out and narrow in on an idea before spending a lot more time making prototypes in engine
I think it has been done before. Those "message to myself in 2 years vids" for example where you record a video and schedule it to go live 2 years later. :D
or i specifically remember someone that recorded half of a conversation and 10 years later or so recorded the other half and had a real (well pre scripted but anyways) conversation with himself (10 years apart)
my main goal for my game devolopment is to make a first person adventure game im proud of full of fun puzzles n good story. I plan to start it small like a 5 hour demo n grow from players feedback. Inspirations of my game project idea are the old school pc adventure titles like the Myst series, and zork as inspirations.
@@FeNniXX3 well for what i have planned for my first medium sized game. I'm trying to shot for it to fun n storytelling engaging similar to the myst n zork series, n u can say im trying to find a good medium length for a demo of similar type.
I have a suggestion, PAY FOR A TEACHER, paying for a teacher to help me code was one of the best decisions because I learned how to do things faster and in different ways. I recommend Udemy's Ben Tristan who has a comprehensive 2D unity course.
Hey jonas! It's my first time commenting here but I've been watching you for a pretty long time, I've also watched your entire Will You Snail playlist, i just have one question for you :)
My approach into making games is that I'm more focused on making features i need for my "Ultimate game" than focusing on the current game to be completed, this way i can decide at any time when the game is ready and what new game i need to make, and every new game is built on features i made from the previous ones, it might be the worst approach to follow but its the best for someone that want to make a gigantic game while monetizing the development, say you want to make a GTA V like game, you will start by making a single player 3rd person shooter game 1st, then make a multiplayer game, after that an open world game with a rich story, and finally finish with a car game. when you've done all those games its just a matter of combining all features and building the content. this is the game I'm making for now ichidown.itch.io/one-last-planet . good video btw !!!
I think that is actually a pretty smart approach. Good idea. This way you don't have to built your crazy 10 year project right away but have a couple of other releases along the way that help you get there. Cool. :)
Can you make a video about how to push a video game out to potential playtesters? I am making a game right now, but I have no idea how to push updates to them. Do I need to have a mechanic to cause the program to expire after 30 hrs of gameplay so old versions cannot be played after a while? Especially, if I am looking to not sell on steam. What does this look like? Thanks.
Have all of your playtesters in a Discord group and ping them every time a new version is available so they can download it. That's how I'd do it. Or if you can even better: Make a web build you can play in the browser. :)
Hey Jonas you will probaly not read this but it would be fun if you in far future did a video telling your past self (this one) what you where wrong about or what is more/less important now
Never think your game will be done soon, if you don't have a deadline, don't treat it like you have a deadline, take it at a reasonable pace so you don't blow yourself out.
Make at least some polished artwork very early on in development. If the player, or an enemy, is really attractive for all your game making and play testing, it will make you feel good every time you see that texture or animation.
For indie games I'd say keep the beta smaller than 100 people. Depending on your current audience size you can either make it public or keep it closed. :)
@@RedstoneinventeArmoredGuy Tip number one by far is Appeal. Make an appealing game. That means great visuals, a fantasy people are into and visuals that communicate the fantasy. If you manage to nail that people will care. Second tip is to build up a community by providing value to them. People only care about things they find useful, entertaining or in some way enriching. Third tip is to care about others first. I'm not implying that you don't do that. I'm sure you do. All I'm saying is people tend to care more if you show them you care about them. (For example by playing their game or leaving a somewhat meaningful comment on something they posted) And here is a finished blueprint for a video I can make... Thanks for the great question. Hope that helps. :D
@@JonasTyroller thanks Jonas, you helped a 16yrs old boy... Would you mind taking a look to my game on itch.io? Redstoneinvente is my username... Thanks 😀
"Unity is constantly updating" - ha! Not if you ignore all update prompts. #MasterPlan As for your advice - even though I already know all of these things, I still tend to ignore it. Story-driven games sadly don't work well with "always keep it finished".
Yeah... Unfortunately knowledge doesn't always translate into the appropriate actions. :P I'm not sure if it can not be done with story driven games... Depends on the game and the story I guess. Most stories can be broken down into chapters or can be expanded with additional scenes that give additional context later. Hmmm. It's probably tricky, though. You're right:
@@JonasTyroller It doesn't help that I made the story so interconnected that I can't really take much out anymore. Oh well, but since I treat it more as a hobby than serious job (well, yet), I'm fine with it. ...for now. I still want to become a "real" Indie dev at some point, but the time isn't right at the moment.
1) Unless you've made some highly successful games before nobody will care about your game idea. 2) In game design it's all about the details. People can't copy the details of your design just by looking at some tweets. 3) Who is likely gonna make the better game? The one who has to rely on stealing ideas or the one who is actually good at create them? 4) If they really launch first you can learn from their mistakes and community feedback. 5) Not finding an audience and getting no attention is a WAY bigger risk than somebody stealing your idea. Hope that answered your question. :D
Have you tried getting people to care about your game idea? It's hard. Ideas can't be stolen and you never were owed a piece of a market. If your idea is that great I am sure there is room for a competitor. Learn from their game, avoid their mistakes and overcome.
How much you think your game is small, boy oh boy it's NOT, literally I spend 80-60% of my time just polishing stuff(it's always bigger than what you imagine it to be) So keep your idea manageable don't be me adding a feature every two minutes (keep your head around the game)
Don't build on top of your prototype if you decide to go ahead, make a whole new project file! and import what you need or just start over, it will save you a lot of heart ache! and build often!
Hello, i have a small project like now, named GravityBot Arcade (or something like this) but i am stuck in designing the menu.. Maybe can you make a "Menu Design Tutorial" once? :D
I wonder how many videos like this one, Jonas is going to make. Do you remember "Most Annoying Game Dev Mistake That Just Keeps Happening"? It's hard to find rules, but it is way harder to live by them.
@@microman502 guid = guide :-) What about advice: search something like "Platformer in Unity" on UA-cam and start watching and following steps showed in video. Book about Unity may also help. Also, Unity is not the only solution. There are things like Godot 3, GameMaker Studio 2, GDevelop 5, Construct 3. You have to know WHY do you chose Unity.
5:35 "Always keep your game finished" finally someone mentions this!! This is a typical mistake I see every time when working with a team. People tend to develop games in all directions at once, with every feature kind of started but not done or bugged. That is not what you should do for many reasons: it's hard to keep track of what's done or working, code tends to mix everything together, which creates many bugs, players can't test your game because there are always things breaking or unfinished, and you'll probably never finish it.
What you should do instead is slice your game into small independent systems, and implement each system one by one, starting with the most essential ones. For example, start by coding your player movements. Only when that is working without bugs, start the next most essential feature. This takes a bit of self-control when you are motivated to start many cool features, but has many benefits: a game that is always playable, theoretically publishable at any time, in which you know exactly what is done or not, with cleaner separated code, less bugs, and it's easier to cut your scope if you overscoped (which happens approximately 100% of the time).
You worded that very nicely. Thanks. :)
Just in general
"Only when that is working without bugs, start the next most essential feature"
One of the most important skills
i would like to add that i think it is a good idea to prioritize function over form!! worrying about the visuals of a product mid-development can very easily be a HUGE time sink, especially if it gets redone multiple times during development. also, spending too much resources on trying to get visuals right can often distract from the mechanics which make the game actually fun (a great example being to greybox levels before you start putting in assets - assets might make the level pretty, but they wont make a bad level more fun!). and in fact that is a common practice in game dev- see Factorio or any Nintendo game
it is absolutely still possible to build a "complete" game without having the "complete" visuals to show for it, and that is what i think is the right sentiment to take away from this piece of advice. as you say, different kinds of systems and functionality should be complete + working well before too many tasks and works-in-progress pile up!
Noted, add player state machine and functioning physics *BEFORE* in engine level editor and interactive elements.
Wow! I'm a newcomer to game development, but how could you develop anything workable like that? The amount of bugs to sift through must be massive..
make sure to keep working. I have lost to many projects by taking a month off.
Oh yes, same. Taking a break at the wrong time is extremely dangerous... Especially if you take the break due to a lack of motivation. In that case it's just a gentle way to drop the project really... :D
Taking 1 week break is actually what saved me from burning out
My best advice is Make Your Own Tools! Once you have your prototype down think about how you are going to build content in your game and make a system that helps you do it faster. For a jrpg Im working on i made a unity extension that cut down on the time it took to make new levels easily by 50%. It took a week to do but in the long run will save me months of time!
Excellent point. Save time wherever you can.
@Lolthisisasillyname Glad to hear it!
I wonder how many times Jonas is going to watch this video in the future.
Me too. That kid is unpredictable... Can't teach him...
I wonder that too.
I am hoping every single time. This will be my new level set video to ground me. Now, I am just starting off so I am lucky that my first project has this great advice to start with.
x) Funny train of thought.
Part of your selling point is your personality that I know through UA-cam. "Hey, I like you. Such a cool and nice guy. I will support you games"
True. In the best case scenario I hope to reach people beyond my YT audience, though, so I guess I shouldn't rely on that alone... :D
My advice: Have a production-mindset. Make a development plan and mostly include things that you KNOW you can do and you already know how you'll do it. Update that plan constantly. Track your tasks, know exactly when you want to be finished and how much you'll need to do to get there. Invest the time into those production considerations early so you don't lose tons of time later on. One of the biggest time sinks is not working because you're at the end of a task and don't know what to do next / have another blank page in front of you.
Also part of the production mindset is to work smart but don't get too obsessed with the "beauty" of your code. The result counts. And getting there as easily and quickly as possible. Be pragmatic here. Don't build your own engine out of programmer pride, only to make a game with it at the end you could have made with established software in way less time and with a higher level of polish.
Oh yes. Planning. Should have included that in the video. Damn. :D
So what I’m hearing is I should not have made a battleroyale game by myself
Hey, I subscribed to you
@Enraged Pixels you can make it but it takes a longer time than with a team
@@mikaelkolehmainen9098 Nah, I'll just make it in about a week or so.
My advice is that you don't want to make a game more complicated than you are able to develop.
Example:
I wanted to make an online game but it was way to hard for me to make so i had to let the whole project go.
I'm in that same boat but for now I'm just focusing on making a single player game, the multiplayer will come later (if needed and possible).
Sometimes you have to try it in order to see what can and what can not be done... :D
I agree, though. Keep it zzzimple.
Yeah also lately i have seen a huge increase in services that allow people to play normally Offline Coop/Versus Games (called Couch Coop most of the time) online anyways (like Parsec, Steam Multiplayer etc.).
So i think we don't really have to focus on that (really really hard and tedious) part of game development, because other software just takes that work away from us basically for free.
Sure there are games that wouldn't work in Couch Coop, like Shooters, but still this is a biiig step.
Yeah, I was gonna work on a space shooter with skins and levels with bosses and planets (This was gonna be my first game) So instead I started working on a platformer which I will add more things in the future as I go.
@@JonasTyroller the famous kizz principal...
More and more I'm starting to realise the benefit to having the game "complete" as often as possible.
It not only means your game is in a releasable state most of the time but it also improves your morale while testing as you haven't got things spoiling the experience.
This combined with your marketing video, really helps discect a good design from an ok one, thankyou for that Jonas!
There is a lot of advice one can give for new game developers or developers starting a new project.
Don't overscope is certainly a very common one, for a good reason.
I also have to agree a lot with trying to playtest early and often - and let others playtest your game, don't only do it yourself. As creator you will grow blind to things that might not be as apparent to someone who plays the game for the first time, like how controls work or which objective to follow in the game. So yes, let others play your game and gather feedback, so you can address it and make quick iterations to your game. If possible, watch them play your game, so you can see where they struggle, or which parts are confusing - such a feedback is often more important than simply reading feedback in text form, because there is a chance that the players misinterpret their reasons why they struggle with certain parts of the game - so you can say that watching them play removes a layer of abstraction/translation. If you have remote playtesters, you could ask them to record gameplay footage along with a recording of them playing the game (like how streamers do it).
This comment is already getting pretty lengthy, so I just want to say that there are really great questions in the video I think everyone of us should attempt to answer for our games.
I also had a lot of fun with your intro this time!
Keep up the good content :)
Oh yes. Can only agree.
Glad you enjoyed the intro. ;P
FM always with the huge ass novels that make so much sense
I think good advice is to really consider -why you want to make a particular game-.
Go deeper than just "it has this fun mechanic". Why is it fun to you? Why would it be fun for the player to play? Is it really something you care about?
Those are not easy questions to answer, but if you get a sense for it, you'll be able to better work on the game and make decisions.
Say the mechanic was not actually fun, but you found some exploration aspect interesting about it. You can then change it to go more in that direction and you can actually work towards something you really care about. And that's pretty nice if you're serious about it, cause making games takes a LOT of time
Thanks for the quality advice!
Before I was trying to make a quality game but then I thought of another good game idea (At least what I though was a good game idea) and just ended up confused on what to work on and had half made prototypes. So, I started prototyping a bunch of ideas I have; I picked the one I was most passionate about and has passed the marketable test of throwing it on Itch and getting feedback (still not at that point yet.
my most given out advice is to not let yourself get burned out
Yes you should work on your game but take breaks or open new projects and play around with stuff, create small games that nobody except you will play even stop working on the project when it gets frustrating and let your mind rest for a bit trust me this will save you in the long run
Also dont be afraid to push yourself at times try out new things you never did before in your game or in a totally different project
A burned out dev is a unhappy dev
and a project that will never be finished
amazing information thanks Jonas I will use these in my next game project. and these vids inspired me to start my own devlog series... thanks
Having not finished any published projects other than a flappy bird clone and a few game jams, I'd say my advice here ought to be taken with some salt.
We right now are in the early stages of developing a game where we got some basic gameplay and art going. Our first step was to make what we termed our "Initial Prototype", which is basically circle sprites representing the player and enemies doing the ultra-basic gameplay happenings. This is where we made sure the basic idea of our game worked well and wasn't inherently unfun or broken.
Right now what we are working towards is our Minimum Viable Product. This is where we intend to "finish" our game, so to speak. That means we have enough of the planned mechanics, art, features, levels, and feel of the game to demonstrate the vision we have for it. We want to have a single, finished level that we can use to collect marketing material (videos, trailers, gifs), publicly playtest, and properly utilize as a base from which to build more content like levels, enemy types, bosses, abilities, and world-building aspects. This is also where we will find whether or not there is a demand for our game and is worth continuing.
The hope is that after we have completely finished our MVP, we will have a clean, strong foundation and versatile building blocks from which to build the rest of our game quickly and cleanly.
The trick, of course, is that we don't give up before we get there. I think we've planned and scheduled well, but one of the biggest of our risks is loss of motivation. Right now we feel we are going strong, but we always need to be wary and keep ourselves accountable for our progress.
I would say be sure that you know what your actual catch for this game is :)
I was making a project some time ago which was a stranded deep clone with stranded zoo animals originally. Then it became a pirate sea survival... then an rpg. What I am saying is find a catch and stick to it early to finish.
Good point. That's what I meant when talking about the unique selling point(s) but I guess those can differ from the catch at times. What makes your game special might not always be what gets people hooked on wanting to try it out.
@@JonasTyroller basically :)
yeah there are a lot of game systems that don't really make sense in the setting they are in, trying to match system and setting is a key point in my opinion.
@@NinjarioPicmin Yeah aiming for precise goals would be, what I could condense it into. Not adding new features if it really drags down the dev process.
I wanna see if my game sound appealing soooooo..
A rogue like game where you only have a leaf blower
Absolute perfection XD
Can I play it?
@@ilyas6323 there is no demo for now but i will try to make one soon
That sounds like it could be fun. Perhaps it could be about manipulating the environment around it? It doesn't seem like it has enough room for depth that most roguelikes need, though.
@@Catbattle thanks for the advice it a good idea !
I have a suggestion dont end up like yandere dev like use pre made assets as a place holder is fine but when ever you haven't changed the pre made models for years then that's a issue
Lots of great points. Proper scoping is incredibly important...if you want to ship games.
the best advice I have is to plan the scope of the game from the very start so you keep on track with your initial vision as in if u know u want 25 levels and 2 modes from the beginning you should probobaly write that down on a one page "Flyer " of your game
Good to see you are taking some of my advice into consideration as well :)
As for WYS; I think it's time to start putting small clips of the AI mocking you on Twitter and Instagram. Just post daily, short clips with the clever lines; this might get some social traction, especially if you can put it in a way people can have fun with it, maybe go 'tag a friend who could beat this', or, 'tag a friend who would never be able to complete this', 'reply with your best snarky comeback', stuff like that.
"Making a game" sounds like a huge task. However, it is just made of a lot of much easier tasks that don't seem so intimidating.
Whenever you're stuck at a point where an upcoming task just seems way too challenging for you, try to divide it into smaller tasks.
Looking at a large project like this can really help you stay motivated. Every time you finish a small task you feel accomplished instead of being intimidated by the scale of the project.
We all different but do mostly the same mistakes... game dev is like walking through a mine field.. usually we step on the same mines even if we know exactly were they are :/
So this is super useful Im adding this to my collection of vids and checklists for starting a new game :)
Also, not related - I saw Gamranx picked "Islanders" in one of their vids! was really exited to see it with "the big boys"!!!
your content is gold as always keep it up :)
I like the mine field metaphor... One mistake and it's over. :D
Thank you. :)
@@JonasTyroller yup when you start you have only one life.. as you progress in your game dev journey you level up and can take more then explosions before dying - aka quitting game dev altogether
Interesting content... everything is on point... main idea + timestamp in the description... this guy is awesome :D
so many things are here that applies to me. Especially when you said "You are STUPID", felt like that line was for me exclusively. Loved your video as always.
Haha. Oh no... :D
You are inspiring man, thanks for all your good insights. I can tell this comes from logging your experiences in real time which is valuable for people like me. I truly appreciate how well thought out videos like this are.
Ngl this thumbnail is so good that I couldn't just keep scrolling without clicking it.
Thanks so much for this video! I just started making my own custom mod in Terraria, and after watching this video, I actually have a decent idea on how to progress through the development stage of it! :D
How do you learn it?
I always wanted to make a Terraria Mod
@@ilyas6323 I learned from trial and error, I just searched up how to make a certain item or thing. Assuming you have some basic knowledge on coding and de-bugging, you can learn by copying the code (as a reference) and teaching yourself how to change and mix-and-match to your pleasure. Also for basic 8-bit editing for a first time Piskel is a great tool, and I still use it to this day. I hope this helped and let me know if you have any questions. :D
No zero day, work on it every single day even for 20 mins but EVERY SINGLE DAY!
This Thumbnail is so german xDD "Before your next game" muss los, aber schönes Video!
Huh? What's wrong with "before your next game"?
@@finleyyymtb5776 Typical sentence order in English would probably be "Watch this before making your next game", right?
it's correct english mate
Das ist normal
I really like the advice of keeping your game in a finished state, like how some games seem to release as a finished game, and then add more features with updates.
In my case, this tells me that I can start small, with the option of adding onto it in the future.
I've heard the advice before, particularly from Extra Credits (Infrequent foul language warning), that your first game should be something small.
But some, perhaps prideful and arrogant, part of me basically heard that as "You will never make anything more than a dirt simple clicker game." And responded with "Well, I'll show them! I can do this!"
But I think I missed the point of the advice. I think I was able to "prove them wrong" in that I could piece together some core gameplay and make something that could be developed further. . .
But then, what I lack is the experience that comes from having made a finished game.
Same problem I have with writing, I suppose. After trying for so long to make some grand, sweeping epic, I know a lot of writing theory, but I've not written a finished story.
5:35 so as someone about to start a course in game design... how can I keep my game in the finished state? Is this linked to the MVP? and are there any pitfalls to avoid in doing so?
I'm not even close to getting a game done but just a tip, make sure you know what ur game is about and what will happen instead of diving in to designing what will be there for ex.g creatures.
I would say another big point is to be inspired by your game, your game can be the funniest thing in the world, but it means nothing if you don't like what it has become or don't like developing it.
Dude you're a genius. Thank for sharing your knowledge and making this a place fore people to share their experience. Looking forward to more content :)
My advice: if your game has skills then think about them as early as possible and start testing them on first level you can make later known skills accessible from first level on next game plus etc. and it allows to test balance of your games
"Always keep your game finished"
Wow I never really thought of that, but that's a good advice.
I always try to end the day with a stable commit, so when I come back It's not a complete mess.
I can't stand leaving a feature half coded and buggy, makes me worry I'll forget what specific part of it I was tending to- DAMMIT MOM I'M BUSY I'LL SLEEP LATER
Prototyping on paper first is better imo because you can go through a number of ideas and throw them out and narrow in on an idea before spending a lot more time making prototypes in engine
Lots of useful tips here. Subscribed.
Jonas, the first UA-camr to talk to himself.
I think it has been done before. Those "message to myself in 2 years vids" for example where you record a video and schedule it to go live 2 years later. :D
or i specifically remember someone that recorded half of a conversation and 10 years later or so recorded the other half and had a real (well pre scripted but anyways) conversation with himself (10 years apart)
Yes, I saw this kind of videos. Although I was just trying to make a joke.
my main goal for my game devolopment is to make a first person adventure game im proud of full of fun puzzles n good story. I plan to start it small like a 5 hour demo n grow from players feedback. Inspirations of my game project idea are the old school pc adventure titles like the Myst series, and zork as inspirations.
Hmm... Is 5 hour demo small?
@@FeNniXX3 well for what i have planned for my first medium sized game. I'm trying to shot for it to fun n storytelling engaging similar to the myst n zork series, n u can say im trying to find a good medium length for a demo of similar type.
In my opinion 30-60 minutes for demo is quite optimal. How many hours of gameplay you intend your game to have when it's finished?
@@FeNniXX3for my vision I have for my game, I can do a 30 minute demo. Thanks so much for the helpful advice.
@@FeNniXX3 Agreed. I'd say a 30 min demo is more than enough.
Can you make a tutorial for how you made the prediction? I can't find out how you did it.
I have a suggestion, PAY FOR A TEACHER, paying for a teacher to help me code was one of the best decisions because I learned how to do things faster and in different ways. I recommend Udemy's Ben Tristan who has a comprehensive 2D unity course.
Hey jonas! It's my first time commenting here but I've been watching you for a pretty long time, I've also watched your entire Will You Snail playlist, i just have one question for you :)
Then I recommend asking it. :D
@@JonasTyroller
Will you snail?
Yeah, he will
@@ilyas6323 why hasn't he responded yet xD
Hi
I just want to know which laptop you use ,please make a setup tor.
I hope you made this video
Thank you sir
In next PlayYourGame video can you give us Chrismas theme game? I think most people want to see game about Christmas including me 🎅
My approach into making games is that I'm more focused on making features i need for my "Ultimate game" than focusing on the current game to be completed, this way i can decide at any time when the game is ready and what new game i need to make, and every new game is built on features i made from the previous ones, it might be the worst approach to follow but its the best for someone that want to make a gigantic game while monetizing the development, say you want to make a GTA V like game, you will start by making a single player 3rd person shooter game 1st, then make a multiplayer game, after that an open world game with a rich story, and finally finish with a car game. when you've done all those games its just a matter of combining all features and building the content. this is the game I'm making for now ichidown.itch.io/one-last-planet . good video btw !!!
I think that is actually a pretty smart approach. Good idea. This way you don't have to built your crazy 10 year project right away but have a couple of other releases along the way that help you get there. Cool. :)
Nice landing page btw.
@@JonasTyroller thanks ^-^
Shining reference in the beginning?? hahah
Can you make a video about how to push a video game out to potential playtesters? I am making a game right now, but I have no idea how to push updates to them. Do I need to have a mechanic to cause the program to expire after 30 hrs of gameplay so old versions cannot be played after a while? Especially, if I am looking to not sell on steam. What does this look like? Thanks.
Have all of your playtesters in a Discord group and ping them every time a new version is available so they can download it. That's how I'd do it. Or if you can even better: Make a web build you can play in the browser. :)
@@JonasTyroller ok thanks for the input.
can you tell the advantages and disadvantages of working in team Vs solo?
What music do you use?
Hey! I am going to release a game called "Units" to Android and you have really helped me in this video
*0:24** Is this you during the night?*
Thank you so much for these videoz. They’re incredibly helpful
Hey do any of you have any tips for making devlogs(not making the game myself but, friend is and he wants to start a devlog)
Woher kennst du deine "Teammitglieder" oder hast du Tipps um neue interessierte Hobby Indie Devs zu finden ?
Hey Jonas you will probaly not read this but it would be fun if you in far future did a video telling your past self (this one) what you where wrong about or what is more/less important now
Do you have any tips on how to get started making games in a team?
Maybe this helps: ua-cam.com/video/O_xC2Gskjm8/v-deo.html
Let me know if you have any questions. :)
Never think your game will be done soon, if you don't have a deadline, don't treat it like you have a deadline, take it at a reasonable pace so you don't blow yourself out.
Make at least some polished artwork very early on in development. If the player, or an enemy, is really attractive for all your game making and play testing, it will make you feel good every time you see that texture or animation.
Gakemaker and unity are great for making quick protypes in a matter of minutes
Gakemaker😜
I have a question when you're making a 2d pixle platformer what are the main fundamentals you should have?
I would say make the player movement as fun as possible in a small test level that has no objectives or hazards.
0:01 do you watch corridor crew or some other film making people? This shot looks too good to be done with no knowledge of making a film shot. 😃
so...make a photorealistic online battleroyal with a budget of 10 billion dollars with a deadline of 1 day all by myself?good advice
I am making my first game and idk how but I follow all these steps before watching this video 😂😂😂
Milk always helps me with this.
I'm making a game, should I have it as private beta during development or have it as a public one?
For indie games I'd say keep the beta smaller than 100 people. Depending on your current audience size you can either make it public or keep it closed. :)
@@JonasTyroller ok, thanks
How did you manage to get people to know your games? I've tried a lot of strategies but none worked
@@RedstoneinventeArmoredGuy Tip number one by far is Appeal. Make an appealing game. That means great visuals, a fantasy people are into and visuals that communicate the fantasy. If you manage to nail that people will care.
Second tip is to build up a community by providing value to them. People only care about things they find useful, entertaining or in some way enriching.
Third tip is to care about others first. I'm not implying that you don't do that. I'm sure you do. All I'm saying is people tend to care more if you show them you care about them. (For example by playing their game or leaving a somewhat meaningful comment on something they posted)
And here is a finished blueprint for a video I can make... Thanks for the great question. Hope that helps. :D
@@JonasTyroller thanks Jonas, you helped a 16yrs old boy... Would you mind taking a look to my game on itch.io?
Redstoneinvente is my username...
Thanks 😀
Great Tips! Thanks.
You're welcome. Thanks for watching. :)
"Unity is constantly updating" - ha! Not if you ignore all update prompts. #MasterPlan
As for your advice - even though I already know all of these things, I still tend to ignore it. Story-driven games sadly don't work well with "always keep it finished".
Yeah... Unfortunately knowledge doesn't always translate into the appropriate actions. :P
I'm not sure if it can not be done with story driven games... Depends on the game and the story I guess. Most stories can be broken down into chapters or can be expanded with additional scenes that give additional context later. Hmmm. It's probably tricky, though. You're right:
@@JonasTyroller It doesn't help that I made the story so interconnected that I can't really take much out anymore. Oh well, but since I treat it more as a hobby than serious job (well, yet), I'm fine with it. ...for now. I still want to become a "real" Indie dev at some point, but the time isn't right at the moment.
so make a massive game by myself with no exterior feedback. got it
XD
Yeah, but it has to be an online game.
Can you make a tutorial on how to make a Level in game maker
About posting games on social media early on. What if someone decides to pick your idea up and makes the game even faster than you?
1) Unless you've made some highly successful games before nobody will care about your game idea.
2) In game design it's all about the details. People can't copy the details of your design just by looking at some tweets.
3) Who is likely gonna make the better game? The one who has to rely on stealing ideas or the one who is actually good at create them?
4) If they really launch first you can learn from their mistakes and community feedback.
5) Not finding an audience and getting no attention is a WAY bigger risk than somebody stealing your idea.
Hope that answered your question. :D
Have you tried getting people to care about your game idea?
It's hard. Ideas can't be stolen and you never were owed a piece of a market. If your idea is that great I am sure there is room for a competitor. Learn from their game, avoid their mistakes and overcome.
Thanks for the answers. Appreciated.
ha that intro was epic!
How much you think your game is small, boy oh boy it's NOT, literally I spend 80-60% of my time just polishing stuff(it's always bigger than what you imagine it to be)
So keep your idea manageable don't be me adding a feature every two minutes (keep your head around the game)
Epic start
Good stuff. Thank you!
Sure. Glad you found it useful. :)
St0p being crazy
No!
That is his Unique selling point (USP), so he needs to focus on that. ;P
I'll try to keep a healthy mix. ;)
with all of this mans gaming knowledge, he can probably make chess 2
Well, youtube recommended this video about 2 days late...
That dope intro
Best intro :D
keep you eyes in the prize
I quit making the same game twice. So try make something as small as possible and realise it will take a lot of time).
This guy is a god!
if you start your timeline at 0:00 the timesteps willl show up under the viedeo
Don't build on top of your prototype if you decide to go ahead, make a whole new project file! and import what you need or just start over, it will save you a lot of heart ache! and build often!
Hello, i have a small project like now, named GravityBot Arcade (or something like this) but i am stuck in designing the menu..
Maybe can you make a "Menu Design Tutorial" once? :D
ua-cam.com/video/zc8ac_qUXQY/v-deo.html
ua-cam.com/video/VXK1KMDAldo/v-deo.html
@@donutdude4174 I know how to make a menu, but i need a design tip.. :D
"but i am stuck in designing the menu.."
@@darkliongames1845 ua-cam.com/video/bE_ZuNp1CTI/v-deo.html
I’m watching this video, and the gout on it calls me Jonas...
Thanks!
Sure. :D
great video :D
jonas watchinf jonas watching himself. Jonas-ception.
I wonder how many videos like this one, Jonas is going to make. Do you remember "Most Annoying Game Dev Mistake That Just Keeps Happening"? It's hard to find rules, but it is way harder to live by them.
I agree. Also yes, this video is basically the directors cut of that video. :D
My name is Jonas to
0:08 Hi!
Hi I have no idea what to say! But nice and a very useful video...
I need help I’m new to unit any suggestions on guid
guid? What do you mean by that?
@@microman502 guid = guide :-)
What about advice: search something like "Platformer in Unity" on UA-cam and start watching and following steps showed in video.
Book about Unity may also help.
Also, Unity is not the only solution. There are things like Godot 3, GameMaker Studio 2, GDevelop 5, Construct 3. You have to know WHY do you chose Unity.
Here is my tutorial series in case you haven't found that yet: ua-cam.com/video/pCBqgREiSUE/v-deo.html
Cool, a new video :D
I'm pretty thankful that you watched this video cloderaldo?
--futureme
Which video are you talking about? Ahhh.. You mean the one I'll make in two weeks?
--pastme
Well the video result:
am I an game dev making guru? *_no_*
am I a Jonas who think he's stupid? *_yes_*