PreMortem.Games

APRIL 12, 2024

“Solo and tiny dev teams have a lot of superpowers, but we have some weaknesses too”, he explains. Here Below is an attempt to pool resources between small devs. You can be a solo dev, but you need the right partners to push your project forward.” I’m not a solo dev. I try to keep a balanced life.

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PreMortem.Games

DECEMBER 16, 2024

RimWorld is balanced around sitting on a single map, with everything easily accessible. This also meant we had less dev time to fix bugs or optimize performance. The post Ascent of Ashes dev switches to Godot halfway development Not as chaotic as Unity appeared first on PreMortem Games.

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PreMortem.Games

JANUARY 30, 2025

And of course, balancing everything like coding, art, marketing, and playtesting can be exhausting. I sketch things out by hand, hang up the drafts all over my wall using tape and sit on the ideas, prototype mechanics, and just see what clicks. The toll on mental health can be quite high for solo devs. How do you deal with that?

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Development Playtesting Prototyping Point and Click 138

PreMortem.Games

OCTOBER 2, 2024

What started as a simple concept quickly turned into a game that challenges players with a mix of strategic depth and risk-reward mechanics. Solo devs have to be generalists, and that’s not for everyone”. I think we have a similar attitude about what ‘good game design’ is, mechanically.

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Dev Development Mechanics Writing 104

PreMortem.Games

FEBRUARY 2, 2024

Throughout development, you may often be tempted to include incredible features and mechanics that weren’t originally planned, which can make the project’s completion elusive. Finally, maintain a healthy balance between work and rest. Beware of mutant scope. It’s preferable to cut elements rather than add new ones.

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PreMortem.Games

OCTOBER 28, 2024

The control mechanics are integral to the gameplay, allowing players to operate Kazimir and his staff both together and independently. The way you control the old man and the magical staff at the same time is a neat mechanic that I am proud of,” Khoroshavin says.

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Prototyping Indy Games Concepts 104

PreMortem.Games

MAY 19, 2023

Drawing inspiration from their own experiences in bouldering, the team sought to incorporate the exhilarating mechanics of climbing into the game. To strike a balance, the team aimed to automate as much of the body movements as possible while retaining the meaningful choices that players make while climbing.

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Indy Dev Studios Playtesting 104

Brand Game Development

SEPTEMBER 24, 2019

As I said last week , “rules regulate the way mechanics are implemented. A mechanic is the concept behind the game and the rule is the way that it’s handled to ensure balance.” ” Rules are really tricky to do right because you have to serve two purposes: balance the game and communicate clearly.

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Balance Games Communications Mechanics 130

PreMortem.Games

OCTOBER 23, 2023

It is hard to balance something deep and meaningful with game mechanics while keeping things enjoyable for the player. The post Solo dev Michael Schmidt “Adding spiritual traditions to games is hard” appeared first on PreMortem Games. To Greg Malone , wherever you are, thanks!”

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Brand Game Development

JULY 17, 2017

The following excerpt is from Games Speak through Mechanics, Not Rules (Dev Diary: 04/28/17). If you strip out all the mechanics that put obstacles in your players’ path, what’s left? The core engine is the bare minimum set of mechanics you need to have a functioning game. That’s a mechanic. Chess tells a story.

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Communications Game Development Game Developer Development 130

PreMortem.Games

OCTOBER 9, 2023

What originally started out as a treehouse building simulator prototype, slowly evolved as the duo gradually added different mechanics. “It From the building mechanics, all the way to the third person character movements. Does it improve the mechanics of the game? We judge each feature based on three criteria.

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Engine Engineering Build Mechanics 129

PreMortem.Games

SEPTEMBER 28, 2023

He took some online courses on programming and he was in business, as a solo dev operating under the name of Frambosa , only six months later. So, his solo debut game Billy Bumbum might be the first and last game he made as a one-man-dev-team. But for me it might be different than for other solo devs. There are many lessons!

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Dev Puzzle Prototyping Development 104

Deconstructor of Fun

FEBRUARY 3, 2025

Written by Ahmetcan Demirel , the maestro of product management and a podcast host ( Game Dev Diary ) from Germany! Titles like Match Factory , Triple Match 3D , and Tile Busters have successfully carved out space by introducing fresh mechanics to the puzzle category. With a knack for puzzles, arcades, and simulation games.

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Puzzle Mechanics Tile Games 52

Grid Sage Games

NOVEMBER 16, 2023

Cogmind generally has fewer such direct escape options, but teleport mechanics are out there, if an advanced tech not usually available until the late game. How about we add one, maybe using this new type of charging mechanism (described towards the end). Controlled Teleporting?

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Mechanics Concepts Balance Terrain 52

PreMortem.Games

APRIL 17, 2023

Staying motivated isn’t hard at all for the solo dev. “It But the morale and quality of life it can bring can be quite motivating, balancing & inspiring – if not all the above.” Balance your mental health. So for things like these, I take the above steps to counter balance. Why did you become a solo developer?

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Game Development Game Developer Development Games 197

Brand Game Development

APRIL 23, 2018

Much like my old staple How to Get Big on Twitter as a Board Game Dev , I’ll be covering everything you need to know to get started on Facebook as a board game developer. New game devs: don’t write off Facebook because it’s expensive. You have strike a balance. We’ll get to that in more detail below.

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Build Dev Advertising Games 130

Brand Game Development

DECEMBER 22, 2017

Dev Diary posts are made to teach game development through specific examples from my latest project: Highways & Byways. After all, I’m checking to make sure there are no serious balance issues that come out of repeated plays. ” “I wish I could Photoshop as good as Brandon the Game Dev,” said no one.

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Point and Click Dev Games Mechanics 130

Brand Game Development

JULY 14, 2017

Dev Diary posts are made to teach game development through specific examples from my latest project: Highways & Byways. When I talk about game design itself, I often talk about the relentless play-testing , balancing , and different levels of communication that you must master so that your game is understood and enjoyed.

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Art Dev Mechanics Game Development 130

Brand Game Development

MARCH 13, 2017

In this breakdown, we’ll delve deep into the enigmatic balance of leaders running away and losers catching up. I’m going to use the term “runaway leader” to refer to a specific, purposefully included design mechanic. Colony has a “runaway leader” mechanic, but it reigns this in with different mechanics that act as counterbalances.

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Mechanics Games Advertising Build 130

PreMortem.Games

NOVEMBER 15, 2023

RimWorld is balanced around sitting on a single map, with everything easily accessible. This also meant we had less dev time to fix bugs or optimize performance. The post Ascent of Ashes dev switches to Godot halfway development “Not as chaotic as Unity” appeared first on PreMortem Games.

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Dev Development Feature Prototyping 118

Brand Game Development

FEBRUARY 6, 2017

rule book, I use visual examples to explain how the energy mechanic works. It’s a tough balance. Yet if you strike this balance, the reward is precious: you can prime a player’s experience. appeared first on Brandon the Game Dev. In my own game, War Co. , In the War Co. Make it visual.

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Balance Concepts Render Mechanics 130

Brand Game Development

OCTOBER 20, 2017

Dev Diary posts are made to teach game development through specific examples from my latest project: Highways & Byways. I’m just adding another mechanic and a tweaking a few rules. Major issues are ones that involve sweeping changes to the game such as new mechanics or sweeping rule changes. Click here.

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Point and Click Games Mechanics Dev 130

Brand Game Development

MAY 12, 2017

Dev Diary posts are made to teach game development through specific examples from my latest project: Highways & Byways. That includes popular games, mechanics, and themes; well-known designers; and how to run a successful Kickstarter. Key Takeaways for Game Devs. Just here for Highways & Byways updates?

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Dev Game Development Game Developer Balance 130

PreMortem.Games

OCTOBER 25, 2024

It’s a brutal journey of persistence, frustration, and constant restarts, where the stakes are as emotional as they are mechanical. Internal debate The development of Ascending Inferno wasn’t just about embracing punishing mechanics though. For Oppolyon Studio’s co-founder, Isaac Iozzi , this hellish struggle is all too familiar.

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Studios Indy Mechanics Games 118

Brand Game Development

DECEMBER 11, 2017

Game rules are how we regulate the mechanics of our games so that they are consistent with the messages we want to send to players. Short-term mechanic testing. Brandon: At the short-term mechanic testing stages, you’re really just using rules to help underlying mechanics manifest themselves! Private testing.

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Mechanics Writing Concepts Games 130

Brand Game Development

JUNE 20, 2019

The reason is that Cover Your Assets’ core mechanic is deceptively quite compelling. The core mechanic of stealing and defending sets of cards that increase in value is essentially the whole game. Wide audiences find the core mechanic of Cover Your Assets really compelling. Two Stacks Per Player.

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Asset Mechanics Games Balance 130

Radiator Blog

MARCH 16, 2023

Last month, game industry documentary makers 2 Player Productions debuted a massive 32-part YouTube game dev doc series Double Fine PsychOdyssey , chronicling the development of Psychonauts 2 from its earliest glimmers of pre-production in 2015 to its final release in 2021.

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Art Concepts Dev Studios 147

Brand Game Development

NOVEMBER 24, 2017

Dev Diary posts are made to teach game development through specific examples from my latest project: Highways & Byways. Once the core engine and mechanics are in place, board games can be dragged down by easy-to-fix but hard-to-identify issues. I-4 comes with art applied, slightly simplified rules, and tighter balance.

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Point and Click Games Dev Mechanics 130

Brand Game Development

JANUARY 13, 2020

Sure, cooperative play is not exactly some exotic unseen mechanic too. Balanced asymmetry leads to greater variety. The trick, of course, is to make sure all varying powers are definitely distinct while remaining balanced. Lastly, the variable player powers are balanced in such a way that the game stays fresh for a long time!

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Game Design Game Designer Games Balance 130

Brand Game Development

JANUARY 29, 2018

I also work with indie dev companies on a more casual level discussing challenges, goals and brainstorming solutions. There may even be some storytelling to convey the reason or meaning behind a particular series rules and mechanics. The gameplay section should focus on round mechanics. Brandon: I definitely agree with that.

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Writing Games Mechanics Balance 130

Game Analytics

FEBRUARY 14, 2023

That’s interesting and new gameplay for Among Us” There were plenty more features and mechanics the team considered adding. And many of the regular tricks that devs use to save on rendering costs are lost when building VR games. “It You wonder, can I trust them or not? It does take much longer to build a great VR game.

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Dev Playtesting Fantasy Render 91

PreMortem.Games

SEPTEMBER 26, 2024

” But as is often the case, plans change, and the solo dev path transformed into a collaborative journey. ” From Healer to Necromancer The inspiration for Necro Story came from a simple idea: take the mechanics of Healer’s Quest, where the player controls one character in a party, and apply it to a different role.

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Development Indy Games Mechanics 104

Brand Game Development

DECEMBER 8, 2017

Dev Diary posts are made to teach game development through specific examples from my latest project: Highways & Byways. With enough games, outliers tend to balance each other out. That’s not necessarily good or bad, but it’s something game devs need to be wary of. Just here for Highway s & Byways updates?

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Point and Click Games Dev Prototyping 130

Brand Game Development

OCTOBER 12, 2020

In keeping with our theme of nostalgia, I will also talk about which of my four favorite nostalgic game mechanics it incorporates. These four nostalgic game mechanics are: Dynamic character roles Great art or colors Incorporates a clicking noise Tactile, but not needlessly fidgety. There just are not enough event cards! Final Thoughts.

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Point and Click Games Mechanics Editing 130

Brand Game Development

OCTOBER 23, 2017

I’ve split it into five sections for your convenience: How Ben, Sarah, and Will Got Started How Working in a Team Feels The Downsides of Teamwork Communication in a Team Advice for New Game Devs. This is unusual for most game devs, I think. Brandon: How I imagine teams as a solo dev. Advice for New Game Devs.

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Prototyping Games Playtesting Game Design 130

Ask a Game Dev

OCTOBER 10, 2024

World of Warcraft's old raid system where raids supported only 10 or 25 players are examples of such where tuning and mechanics were modified to specific player numbers. However, doing this for one to eight players (or, as it stands now in WoW anywhere from 10 to 30) means eight balancing passes for every encounter.

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Fighting NPC Balance Mechanics 52

Astral Clock Tower Studios

AUGUST 5, 2020

Hello, and welcome back to another issue of the Kristala game dev blog! Stay tuned at the end of this dev blog to get a peek at all the progress we've made on Kristala in the last 12 months. But first, let's dive into what the dev team has been up to over the course of the last sprint. 3D Asset Design. Level Design.

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Dev Clipping Texture Concepts 52