Comment by Folcon
1 month ago
I've been slowly hacking on game ideas on and off for the better part of a decade and I've finally switched tracks and trying to seriously build something full time
I've given myself 6 months
It's a bit scary basically 180ing like this but I figure if I don't try it now I never will
I've already started prototyping various ideas, and to be honest just sitting down and spending time doing this has been really quite lovely
One thing I'm finding fun is slowly unearthing what I actually find interesting
I started with messing around in minecraft and tinkering with rimworld-like game ideas, but I'm slowly moving away from them as I've been tinkering more and more
Don't get me wrong, I do want to revisit them at some point in the future, but I do find myself circling more around narrative, simulations and zachlikes
It's a bit of an odd mix and in some ways they look like paradox style games, but I'm well aware that taking one of those behemoths on is going to be a bit silly, so I'm trying to slim down until I get to a kernel that I actually find enjoyable tinkering with
A toy if you will
Currently I'm trying to work out if there's anything interesting in custom unit design, basically unpicking how games like rollercoaster tycoon's coaster design maps to stats like excitement ratings and seeing how that might mix with old school point buy systems
It feels like it might be small enough to be a good toy and I'm having fun tinkering with it, but I have no idea whether other people will xD
It might honestly be too niche for anyone and I've successfully optimised for an audience of one :shrug:
Well it's not something somebody does perfectly on the first try, from my experience or rather If I put myself to the same idea I would fully know that I'd be way better at making a game after 6 months of fucking around.
Essentially the hardest step is to throw yourself into the big enough fire that easier and simpler things would seem like a child's play.
Even less time is fine but throwing yourself at the hard stuff you don't know how to do is smart, cus after that If You Were to repeat it, it'd be easier for you to do.
Niche or not, it's about being satisfied of the project.
So it's more about who you are as a person, I like to throw myself into fire and I fully understand that I might get disenchanted quickly, but simpler tasks or projects will be easy easier to make.
Thanks for the kind words :)
I've got to admit throwing myself into the deep end is always how I've learned
It's been difficult at times, but in the end I've always found it more rewarding
I think I'm just struggling with trying to do something so different to what I've spent a lot of my career doing whilst being really aware this is such a challenging field
It's a bit like when I first decided to go all in on being a founder over 15 years ago