Once again, @LbpGamerGirl is responsible for this post, so if you could kindly give her a follow.....ESPECIALLY if you are into anime style murder/detective stories in a schoolkid setting....

I took the time to comment a quick yet verbose response on her post, but there are a few things I left out so as not to overwhelm it. I'll elaborate on everything here.

Keep in mind that I speak from experience not only as a VN dev, but as a content creator in general who made more the half the mistakes I will be telling you to avoid and is now paying for them.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------

So for my list of DO's:

• make sure you COMMIT to finishing the projects you start to some degree (even if it's a little less than what you have in your head). Getting into this habit is the number one reason to START SMALL - with "game-jam size" games of maybe a few levels and/or scenes. It's good practice for success in every area of life, and actually improves the quality of your skills as a dev.

• have a dummy system of whatever you want to add to your game project outside of the engine's defaults. when the code is perfect, copy and paste it in. Naturally for web builds, you will still have to look for bugs that only show up in the browser, but this will count down a TON of the stress.

• Keep your project in the public eye as much as you can via posting, as it is very fleeting because of how saturated the internet is. It doesn't have to be very often, nor do the posts themselves have to be very big. They can be simple, silly/cool/cute reminders that your game exists and people should look forward to its launch. That's why apart from screenshots of the game, I write articles about topics pertaining to an aspect of it, or memes of the characters outside of story context.

• If life gets in the way of your proposed timeline, be sure to remember that slow motion is better than no motion - it would be better to take years to make a top-tier game than take months to make a rushed, makeshift game. Take breaks as needed for the sake of your mental health, as that WILL be reflected in the quality of your product.

• Keep the ten-percent rule in mind at all times. It tends to hold true on every platform to varying degrees depending on how niche your game is and how new you are as a platform user, so be prepared to scream loud and proud into an unresponsive void for a LONG time. I've been doing it for six years now, and I realistically plan on another twelve before I get "comfortable".

• Only use engines that you are comfortable with - by which I mean if you can't invest enough to use it for years, don't bother with it. If you go "Oh I wanna use this engine because this game I grew up with on my PlayStation or something was made with it", keep in mind that the devs(most often PLURAL, mind you) behind that game still had to train and master it for a long time, most likely years. You won't get to make games like them unless you commit like they did, and the number one thing to help is using an engine that doesn't make you wanna quit.

• Come CORRECT with your vibe whenever you tell the world about your game. This one is more of a personal preference, but I have years of observation to back up its real life significance. If you want people to get invested in your game, it is best to yell LOUD, PROUD and OFTEN about what you have done so far. Convince them that the game is worth their time and/or money using yourself as both an example and liaison between your work and their interest. Don't expect me to invest emotionally or otherwise in a game that you post about with zero confidence/interest (ex: saying things like "My game sucks, please play it", "I probably won't see this game through"). I know I am far from the only one to prefer acknowledging devs that are trying their hardest with love put into their work, and we all know that a lot of the best games come from devs like that.

So in short, be sure to know your goals, your limits, and your drive in order to create eye-catching games that can propel you to success!

-------------------------------------------------------------------------

Now for the "DONT"s:

• Do NOT equate the immediate reception (or lack thereof) of your game's launch to its quality. The internet is VERY saturated, so all games will take a LONG while to find their audience. Your game is NOT bad just because it doesn't get reception right off the bat/when you expect it to. No matter how good or bad you perceive it to be, traffic may always come late and slow - especially if your internet presence is as small as mine (as of this post, less than 350 followers). I'm honestly disappointed over so many games I will never get to try because their creator could not understand this and gave up.

• Just like the engine used, DO NOT make a game that you don't like/aren't interested in to begin with (this goes for team devving as well). When it comes to gamedev presence - for profit or otherwise - slow and steady will always win the race. It may take you longer to battle popular demand with your niche, but I guarantee it will make you happier (and potentially more skilled) than using popular demand to get higher quickly.

• DO NOT identify as a dev if you allow AI to do all of your coding for you. I will not ignore search engine AI for the tool that it is, but it gets to a point - you ought to at least know how to build a menu screen or movement logic without using AI if you are making a game. For the purpose of building applicable skills, it is best to try and learn as much of the coding on your own as possible. Your drafts can be wrought with errors depending on your skill, at which point search engine AI is helpful in simultaneously searching lots of references and providing the "common" solution to try between them (I use Google Gemini for this). For the art and visuals though, no excuses whatsoever.

• DO NOT feel like you failed if you lose time towards a deadline. Life happens, often in ways we are not prepared for. It is normal for most of your followers to lurk your page silently, leaving you in the dark about how much they care about your game's progress (hence the ten-percent rule), but users that speak out as part of your fanbase are mainly expressing excitement when they say they "can't wait". They know just as well as I do that you are human beings, with problems and emotions that deserved to be prioritized. You only fail if you give up - in which case, you may be giving up on nice people who are genuinely excited for your game without even knowing it.

• Most importantly, DO NOT forget how much of a win it is to actually commit to the work of devving a game. A lot of people can think of games they want to play that they have yet to see, but not a lot of them will actually take steps to try and realize it on their own, or be courageous enough to recruit the help they need. Once you commit, you go from follower to leader, from consumer to creator. Always remember that you as a dev deserve your flowers as someone willing to build a whole new world.

I'm glad I said all this cos I am really tired of fellow devs being unsure of themselves and their potential just because they don't see results immediately. We all know the best things come to those who work and wait.

As broke and busy as I am, I will always make sure to let yall know I'm rooting for you, so don't let me down! Start something you like and finish what you start!

#support #advice #gamedev #solodev #indiegame #art #music #platformer #shooter #horrorgame #AI #noAI #antiAI #strategy #towerdefense #python #unity #gamemaker #unreal #rpg #fangame #FNAF #community #mentalhealth #godot #vroidstudio #rpgmaker #pygame