Why I Almost Gave Up On My Indie Game - Devlog
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- Опубликовано: 28 май 2024
- Making games is hard, but finishing them can be even harder. Follow along my devlog as I struggle my way through successfully releasing my first mobile game.
If you have any questions or helpful advice, please leave a comment below. Thanks!
Check out Kana Pond here:
shorturl.at/cvFJW
┈ Who is Goodgis? ┈
I’m a full time Graphic Designer, Game Dev, & RUclipsr. I specialize in making cute, colorful games in Godot and telling my story through my videos. I also run my own little game studio called Firith. My dream is to hire my friends and make Firith a full-time job. I’m known for games such as The Keeyp, Wizbirds, Snomes, and Dewdrop Dynasty.
┈ Ways to Support ┈
💖 Patreon: / goodgis
┈ Join the Community ┈
💬 Discord: / discord
🦆 TWITTER: / gooodgis
┈ My Game Studio ┈
🍁 Website: firith.studio/
🕹️ Itch.io: firith.itch.io/
🐦 Twitter: / firithstudio
┈ Timestamps ┈
Introduction - 0:00
Creating My Game Idea - 0:54
Mistake #1 - 2:13
Mistake #2 - 3:20
Mistake #3 - 5:30
Conclusion - 8:00
#devlog #Japanese #mobile #education #indiedev #goodgis #gamedev #indiegame 
Игры
"Quit being cringe, just finish your game" This is exactly what I told myself a few weeks ago and now I've "completed" my first mobile game! One step at a time...
That's amazing! Congrats! haha
can you tell the name of your game? i wanna play it! :D
@@ThunderStormFortnite Of course! It's called Slashy and it's available on the play store, not sure if you can find it tho since it doesn't have a lot of downloads
@Jireh Newcomb exactly
@Jireh Newcomb Thanks! Feel free to leave some feedback :)
The "infatuation" phase is so real and addictive. I tend to day dream about the next project while still working on the current one. Gotta fight it!
Yeah, it's really hard to fight. I think the hardest part is thinking you have to be in love with a project to work on it!
What I found out that works for me is that I watch videos about games similar to the project I am making, and I suddenly get motivated to jump on my project again
@@Goodgis What works for me is just to write down the new ideas to a big list of game ideas (in Evernote) while working on the main project. This helps me to get it out of my head and I can forget about it. I never sidestep from the main project, but when I finish it, I can pick the idea that sounds the best from that list.
I felt like ive just watched a feature length film with a full redemtion ark. it was awesome to hear your story
It kind of does feel like that? haha
I'm not even gonna be apologetic about it, you spelt redemption incorrectly.
Wow that was a beautiful compliment
i guess im asking the wrong place but does anyone know a way to get back into an instagram account?
I was dumb forgot the password. I appreciate any tricks you can give me
@Alexander Junior Instablaster =)
cool vid! I'm a dev too and always tempted to start some quirky side project minigame in the middle of bigger games, haha
Thanks so much! It's really hard to not get distracted. haha By the way, I love your videos and the Super Cat Tales series!
Dude i thought this channel had like 200k subs or something, where's that
Nah, haha I just started two weeks ago, but thanks for the kind words.
@@Goodgis You sound successful. ;D
I know right?! The quality and stuff is so amazing.
I love when commments age so well @Goodgis
I totally agree, I'm almost at the end of my project and I have gone through all these phases. I know what it means to lose interest in your own project, but you will see that it is only momentary and that the satisfactions will come. This video is very useful, keep working on your projects guys :)
Well said! Thanks!
Tip 1#: "Double your timeline" **Sweating at my current 1 year timeline**
**Also sweating that I haven't done any sound, menus, or saving**
Anyways, amazing video editing, great story telling and some solid advice for GameDevs! Also, I love the froggy hats :P
I know, I literally just ran into the same issue with my current project but this time I at least caught myself doing it. haha Thanks so much! And who doesn't love a cute froggy hat?
That is literally where I am now, save for some sound and some menus
6-8 month timeline for my game is now a 1.5-2 year deadline. definetly double it.
bro I scoped out 4 years now it's turning into 8 ;;__;;
@@magdiel6709 That's rough man
Man, this is exactly what I'm going through. I was procrastinating watching your video instead of making progress on my game. At least I found a good new youtube channel to follow ;)
Thanks man! Now turn off RUclips and work on your game! haha
Outstanding video! I love the editing and writing. This is genuinely extremely well made and deserves to be watched by more people.
I am 1 month into a (for my standards) huge C2 project myself, so this is very helpful and relatable.
Aww, you're too kind. I wish you the best of luck on your project!
@@Goodgis Thanks! I wish the same upon you! :)
I found this at a great time, I was just thinking about all of the animations I've left half finished in favor of starting something new the second the infatuation ends lol. even though I don't make games, this is very relatable!
Glad this was helpful! I think that's awesome that you applied it to you animations. Best of luck!
I love the pixel art in the game at 7:30
I'd totally watch a tutorial video on this style.
Thanks! That's from a dinosaur survival game I was working on called Stone & Bone. I actually might have to do a whole video on it.
Soo true, I made a Jam game a few weeks ago and I still haven't gone back to my long term project. Thanks for the kick in the A&% I'm gonna jump back on it. Thanks 👍 Subbed
I'm glad you were encouraged by it! Thanks so much and best of luck!
I love finding new dev's to keep an eye on, love the content my dood!
Thanks so much! :D
Some really solid advice here. I definitely fell through some of these pitfalls like getting the timescale on my project wrong. Currently I suspect I'll finish in December but I had originally aimed for September. Either way I'm going to finish it!
Haha yeah, that's just the nature of working on a project. Best of luck to you!
This feels like such a sign from the universe. I downloaded and played your kana game ages ago. It helped me learn my kana, and now Im trying my best to learn C++ for game creation. Thanks so much for what you do. Keep it up, dude!!
This is so interesting; your story, editing, and information/tips are wondeful! Thank you
No, thank you! :D
i just watched through all of your other videos & you're quickly becoming my favorite devlog channel. they've helped get my gamedev juices flowing (i don't really program. i can do basic stuff, but i really like the limitations of bitsy, so i just use that). i can't wait to see what you put out next. keep up the good work!
Thanks so much! :D That's means a lot. I love Bitsy, it's a great story telling tool. Best of luck to you and I hope to see you around in the future!
This video appeared to me in the perfect timing. I'm not a gamedev (yet) but I have real problems with side-projects. I was literally about to jump to a new one without finishing my last one. Thanks! Your editing is really pleasing too. I'm looking forward to watch your channel growth :)
Hey, thanks so much! :D
This is good advice for more than just video game development. I will occasionally loose motivation on videos or scripts and it can be really hard to keep going when you think of a new fun idea.
I 100% Agree! haha
Your story telling is amazing! You're quite close to 1k, good luck on the future of your channel and games! :D
Thank you so much!
The production of this video is amazing, keep it up if you can! Very helpful tips too! :)
Thank you! It was a fun project to work on.
Great video! Found you a couple of days ago and I’ve been watching through all of your stuff! Looking forward to seeing what you do in the future!
That means a lot! Thanks! :D
Looking forward to your future videos! Great production quality!
Much appreciated! :D
Great video! Amazing production value for such a small channel, I could learn from that for sure
I really appreciate it! Thanks for watching!
Just watched all your videos and I'm excited for even more! Subbed!
Thanks so much, dude! I can't wait to make more!
You got a sub my man :) stay focused, I've over 10 unfinished games and I feel inspired by your video to get them finished
Hey, I appreciate it! I'm glad it could help. :D
you got this broski
Ayee, thanks for the encouragement! Also love your videos by the way. Looking forward for Slimekeep!
Great video! Ended up downloading your game and I find it really useful when learning kana, and the video was also useful for motivation, thank youuuuu
So glad to hear it!!! Thanks! :D
I've been looking for an engaging way to finally drill kana into my thick skull. You just came in clutch, thanks man.
Thanks so much! Also I love your Ralf Bakshi Gandalf picture! Haha
Hi, Really nice video.
Helps me, when hitting yet another input problem in my now 1 year project.
Good luck with the bug themed metroidvania game =)
Thanks so much! :D
Great video editing! I love those frog sprites btw
Thanks! :D Hope to see you around.
I got two things I really needed in one video, gamedev advice and a cool game for learning hiragana and katakana. I think you could improve the game by telling the player which letter was the correct one, so the player can learn and practice at the same time. I don't want to have to go to the larning tab and learn all the letters by heart. Other than that, a great game and very cool video.
I completely agree, and that is a planned update if I ever get around to it. It's more so for practicing the characters if you already know them. But I think it would be awesome to actually teach it so that people with no prior Japanese experience could learn it.
Such an underrated channel i love your videos! I always find good insight and inspiration from them
I appreciate that! Cheers! :D
currently working on the alpha for a game that's very ambitious and has taken 1 year to get even remotely close to the finish line, if you're trying to make something huge having a team to fall back on when you get demotivated helped me out, but that's not for everyone. IDK what advice I would give other than "just finish it, its worth it" because we're close to the finish line for the alpha and its really exciting for a years worth of progress to finally be coming to a head. I also treated every large feature that I was making like a side project, which helped me because when I finished a huge system, it felt great to finish that feature fully, because it alone felt like the development of an entire small game.
That's really great advice! Thanks for sharing.
Nice video! I had the same experience when I had the gloriouse idea to make a meditation app as a side-project while working on my indie game xD
Haha how did that turn out? See, I'm all for experimenting and taking a break from my main project but it always eats away at the back of your mind. :p
@@Goodgis I saw something in the news where I immediatelly saw an opportunity in... but the opportunity turned out to be a unique chance of time-waste (lol) even tho I learned a lot making it!
@@MNenad Aw dang! haha Yeah, at least it was a learning experience.
This is genius. I love the popping colors!
Good work, you've motivated myself.
Got a new subscriber and I hope you get lots more and keep motivating more people.
Thanks so much, and welcome aboard!
Thank you so much for making this video.
I have ventured into making "games" last year, it wasn't anything big but I wanted to prove myself in my coding ability. A few days later, as I was coding my game, I started to think about making new games and that really took a blow on my game's quality. Ouch.
Wish I could do game dev again but my laptop's broke and my country is politically unstable + covid so I'm too scared to go out and send my laptop to a repair center lol.
dang, I wish you the best of luck!
this is so underrated, please keep making videos they are great
Thanks so much! My goal is release a new video every Wednesday, so stay tuned.
Funny, the last project I thought will take me three days started on the 29th of July. Now it is the 10th of November, and I'm quite happy that only two more months are needed to finish it, so I guess I kinda feel you.
It's the worst! haha
Before watching this video, I was making a game in Godot, then I started thinking that I should make a side project in Construct... and then this video showed up. Thanks Goodgis, because this really helped me focus on my main project.
Oh boy haha glad I could help.
great vid, love your editing style!
Thanks! :D
There's another thing that happens to us developers which is the refactoring addiction. When you are developing something you always are learning things, new methods, new algorithms, new patterns, etc. Then after that learning lapse you look back your "old" code and finds several ways to "improve" them and spend time refactoring that code and it becomes a infinite loop of improving older code. This also applies to every area, graphic design ("ohh, that character could have this new outfit" and you redraw the entire character again), music.
That's a great point! Thanks for sharing!
Amazing video and story :) I think people can learn a lot from you, including me XD
Thanks so much! :D
I feel that. For my current project I was also about to givr up tho I thought I can just make devlogs to keep me working on it and since then its much more fun and I'm working more active :DD
You can do it!
My first game ever, I’m making what I thought was a simple arcade top down shooter. I thought there’s plenty of tutorials and it wouldn’t take that long. I had a concept within a day or two. I’m now a year later. Though to be fair, I went on holiday for two months and I have a full time job so can only work on it a few hours a night if at all
I think some (me) have a problem where something just isn't quite right, with the graphics, animations, sound, code, etc, to the point where we convince ourselves to "take a step back" and come back with a fresh mind, which allows us to start a small project... which becomes a large project that we end up taking a step back from ... ... ...
Haha You're absolutely right!
Very good video man. Love it
Hey, thanks! I'm still definitely learning.
Just watched a couple of your videos and I gotta say, this is some high quality content! The editing is fantastic and I really adore how you do pixel art - is there any chance you'd release a tutorial on what program and tips for it some time?
Thanks so much! :D I definitely will release some tutorials at some point.
@@Goodgis Can't wait! :D
Construct is amazing, I also tried Godot and it tied my brain into a pretzel. 🤣
I feel this… I’ve spent the last 5 months jumping around with different programming languages when it wasn’t really necessary
I'm not a game dev but this is good advice for me since I work on non-game coding projects! Thanks!
Yeah, this definitely applies to any hobby really! :D
This is such a good concept! Also I'm trying to learn Japanese as well! Good luck !
Thanks awesome! I wish you well on your Japanese adventure. It's a tough road but I'm sure you'll do great! If you're curious about some learning resources I can send you a list of what I used.
@@Goodgis Yup that would be great! Thanks! I took it in highschool but never really applied myself but I've been trying to learn languages seriously lately
I gave up on a project that I had to rewrite 4 times. It was an IO type of game, but I decided to do it in pure vanilla JavaScript.
A detail being, I didn't know jack shit of JavaScript or multiplayer code in general. I thought an IO type of game would be simple, but it's actually not.
At least I learned a ton. The experience helped me land a better job as a programmer. So it's not all lost. I may pick up this project again one day.
That's a great point! Good or bad, you'll always learn from an experience.
Glad you finished Kana Pond ;)
I would sure hope so! haha Thx
I personally have a lot of experience with making games, but because of never finishing a game for a very long time I don't have much to show for. However, watching these videos and thanks to game making communities I managed to finish a game. After years of unfinished little tech demos, that felt good :)
That's fantastic! :D
Really cool video :) Try to lower the music volume a little bit to make your voice more audible.
Thanks for the tip!
I tried making a Let's play, got about half way through the game, and just kind of stopped. Maybe it's not the healthiest solution, but I haven't played that game since; it's not because I didn't like the game, I really enjoyed it, but I had to punish/reason with myself that I always quit doing something and never finish anything. That let's play was the closest I ever got to finishing anything, and I still couldn't do it. But, the fun of video editing became more and more like a chore: at first I was making lots of small visual gags, and near the end it felt lifeless. I felt like I didn't have the creativity or energy to make it fun, and my gameplay/commentary definitely couldn't do it on its own. Makes me mad at myself whenever I think of it. It's been over a year now, and I don't think I could back, out of shame or whatever.
Glad you were able to drag yourself to the finish line.
Thanks so much!
Just wanted to say thanks because I just realized I am making the same mistakes as you..... so I am taking this video as advice! Thanks for showing me what I am doing wrong :D
I’m glad I could help. ✌️
I don't know whether side projects are *as* dangerous, as long as you're aware of what you're doing. I think opening little experimental projects and just prototyping one or two things really quickly can be incredibly helpful in building up your familiarity with your engine. As you mentioned, sticking with an engine you're comfortable with helps drive you to completion, and I think anything that helps you get better _overall_ at the act of game development is, when handled properly, probably a net positive.
I completely agree, I think the only time for me that it can be a distraction is when I already have a main project that I know what I need to do. Most of the time I work on side projects to take a break from my main. But you're absolutely right that it's a great way to prototype games and experiment.
this video made me motivated to work on a game that has been abandoned over a year
That's awesome! :D Good luck!
@@Goodgis :D
Thank you for inspiring me to finish my game
The only side projects I work on whilst I make my big RPG game is game jams. It works for me.
I feel like that's okay because at least with a Game Jam there's a deadline haha
Cool video man, thanks for sharing :D
Well, thanks for watching!
If you absolutely HAVE TO make a side project, for sanity or inspiration sake, make a mini-game or new mechanic for your main game.
I completely agree! Great tip.
when experiencing burnouts i often take reasonably long breaks and come back to whatever project i had going on before to finish i find it a lot easier than suffering and progress stopping just because you don't feel like it.
That's smart!
I really like the idea of learning Japanese with cute frogs. I'll definitely play it! I'm glad you didn't give up on it :D
Thanks! :D
If you ever want to start a side project, find some way to integrate it into the main project, so you can have as many side projects as you want only making the main game bigger
I've actually thought about doing that! haha That's a brilliant idea.
Hi. It was an interesting video. Thank you. Could you make a video about your android market jurney / release process and give some advice to indie developers? What was hard what are the obstacles what is the proper way to upload your games into that store? It would be really interesting as well.
That's a great question and I'll definitely have to make a video on it!
@@Goodgis Thank you! I'm looking forward for it! You are great! :)
Haha, when we were at uni they said to take your timeline estimate and triple it, then the manger would half it at that's the time you'd have to work on that feature
XD
Sound advice all around !
Quick question, though, what's the game at 3:13 ? The one with the pig and the mushrooms ?
That was one of my prototypes for a game called Fuzzites. It's a creature raiser game with grid based combat.
@@Goodgis Wow, well from the few seconds of gameplay you've shown it looks really fun !
@@robinvagner Thanks! I'll have to revisit it someday.
Ended up playing the game. Exactly what Hiragana Pixel Party should have been. Simple and effective
Thanks so much! :D
while you almost gave up, i in 7 years, 7!! i've never finished a game ever, not even a small one, not even a easy one, i don't know what's wrong with meeee
edit: very good video tbh
7 years?! haha That's crazy! You just got to set those deadlines. Thanks so much!
@@Goodgis glad i ended up here somehow by youtube, for some reason i thought you had 182k subs not 182 :D
@@cosmin835 I'm glad too! haha I hope to see you around.
@@Goodgis i'll be around behind a views, i do not comment that often
@@cosmin835 Same here, no worries!
Welp imma download Kana Pond now.
Hope you enjoy it! :D
PERFECT DEFINITION
:D
What happened to Kana Pond? I don't think it's on the Google Play Store anymore.
Lmao, almost made me quit making my game. I felt similar things as you have.
I'm also a graphic designer and a gaming lover. Learned unity for 6 months and the next 10 months developed some prototypes of 5 different style games. This happened between 2017-2018.
Then got admitted to a master's of business course in Germany. Right now after finishing my master's after 2 years, started unity again. Thought of picking up old stones from those I made earlier, but I don't remember the logic or motivation behind those codes. But with the skill of project management and personal experience in unity, Now I'm making fast progress.
Lessons I've learned personally.
~ At the end of each day, I'm writing myself what I've done, what else to do, what not to do - in a simple excel date wise.
~ Don't give too much attention to detail. Make things work for now.
~ Never break a working code in unity to try something new, or to add a new feature.
~ Never overthink, If u cant push the development- Stop right there and play a game. Come back, and thank me once you solved that issue.
~ If your idea is already existing, rethink them. Don't put your effort into making a clone.
Great advice, and best of luck to you!
I know it’s not an easy process, but I’d love to see this on iPhone. I would totally use it.
Maybe down the road! :D
These are some quality videos.
I tip my fedora to you! ;)
My black void of unfinished games isn't really a void anymore....
True haha
I love the art style of this game. If wanted to learn Japanese I might check out this game keep up the good work 👍
Thanks Man! :D
Ye welcome :)
6:38 Surprisingly solid advice from a random AT&T agent
XD
dude you are amazingg i love you
You too ;)
@@Goodgis thank you buddy ❤️👉👈
This game needs to be on iOS, period. It’s just too good.
Thanks so much! :D
For tip 1, i often do agree 2x is a good number, but often its even longer 2.5-4x.
SO sad the game isnt available anymore 😭 it looked super good though the graphics were really cute :)
Just watched this video and I was curious about the app, noticed it's not on the store anymore 😅
Reluctantly: Fiiiiiiine. Lol
Great video, bud!
Haha Glad you enjoyed!
The thing about the infatuation is that when I work on a game, I do it because I want to/ I'm bored. I don't think I've ever suffered the fatal brutality of infatuation.
Just wait haha
Media : cyberpunk 2077 will release in november
Goodgis : *-double dat-*
LOL, got em!
0:45 I was eating popcorn at that moment
Haha!
Video: *Discord Notification Sound*
Me: Scrolls through like a madman finding who tf texted me
And instead, you were just tagged with an @everyone. XD
Underrated channel
Thanks so much! :D
dewdrop dynasty is the best game of yours! i like this one too!
Thanks! :D
Underrated. Great. Cool.
Much appreciated! :D
my issue right now is to choose a game engine, have been looking at unity,construct3,Godot and Game maker 2 :)
Construct is great for understanding game logic and for beginners. Unity and Godot are super powerful if you have a decent understanding of C# or GDscripts. Game Maker 7 was actually what I started on almost 10 years ago. My advice is just pick one and start playing around with it. Keep me posted!
@@Goodgis thank you, i will :D
Hope you like the +1 engagement metrics
;]
Thanks! :D
If you want to stay motivated you can go outside or fin inspiration. Dewdrop dynasty for example is all about bugs, and getting to explore
That's a great point. :D
Is that bee game your working on published yet? If not, will it be in the future
Not yet, it's still in development but you can wishlist it. It's called Dewdrop Dynasty.
"Infatuation doesn't last forever"
Infatuation for my year long gamedev project: "Nonsense, I'm inevitable!"
XD
Why is the intro so relatable? Maybe because I...
XD