As a solo developer I have shifted my way of making games to be more early access oriented, so small chunks can be taken out of a large game and released over time. If I want to make a large open world game, I segment it into multiple unique zones that can be finished individually and released every month or two. It would be awesome to keep both parts of your game, but maybe release one large mission in one zone at first, later releasing other missions and zones. The cool thing about early access with releasing on steam is that your game gets two front page releases, and update exposure.
This is the way. One of the pitfalls of early devs is not realizing how much work the final project is. Most likely 2-4 times what you thought at least. This also comes with other challenges. (and really burnout.) I'd try to focus on similar areas. Then move on to something more fresh like another are of the game that feel different or mechanics that are different ect.
But Steam doesn't give you any extra visibility though, dies it? You gotta ask for one of the five visibility rounds. Only the Early Access launch is picked up by Steam to see how you do. I think that's what I've read from Chris Zukowski.
I think they do. You get 5 visibility rounds to use. Also events throughout the year. But You really want to start off strong and people don't like EA for EA. They want it like 70%+ there. Idk if they actually say what they do. But if you drop EA it dies off and then you put a patch out no vis round but it draws traffic it will put you out there more. I may be wrong tho. At the end of the day just build WL like a mad man and don't drop EA until its nearly done. (Shoot for 10s of thousands of WL.)@@tymondabrowski12
Sounds like you could have a lot more varied gameplay with the driving. You said it yourself, FPS is oversatured. I can't think of many Driver-likes, and you've done a lot of great stuff with the car deformation.
Hey man don't give up, the work you put into this has been amazing. I almost gave up on mine but I pushed through and now it's just about actually designing and assembling the levels, then adding the cutscenes. Boring and tedious, but it can be done. I think since this is so far along it's probably best for you to finish it on your own, so don't worry about teaming up with anyone at the moment. My advice personally as a designer is that while I see really fun gameplay mechanics and features, I see no story, direction or setting. Think of how Driver levels have different aesthetics based on where you are or even GTA games. Maybe make a short demo (literally just something that could be beaten in 5 minutes) and see what player feedback is? I'm not trying to preach or anything just want to help! Been following your work for a long time and I'm using your particles in my game haha
I'd say fork the project, focus on driving, put the FPS idea in the freezer for when you'll master the wheels, and scale down the city a little bit. You don't need a humongous map for this type of game, especially for your first project. A small yet detailed and well thought-out city would be a lot better than half-empty urban jungle. Driving AI is definitely pain, speaking out of my own very limited experience, so you'll have to focus on that the most, as that would be a key component to the gameplay, and solo development is no joke. It's good to have ambitions, but you also need to have a very solid scope if you wish to continue working on this project alone and deliver it within the next few years. Otherwise I really can't propose anything other than seeking additional helping hands. By the way, I've always wanted to score a Driver-like game, something along the lines of Driv3r's original soundtrack though, so if you'll ever need music close to that moody style, feel free to reach out!
I would also vote for driving. However, I wouldn't take on the huge task of creating an entire city. Your game doesn't need to be an open space. Look at how old racing games and rally games made their race tracks procedurally (basically tiles, or sections if you will, attached together at runtime). They can be linear, just like that, maybe with a branch or two. This will make designing levels easier for you, help the player understand where to go, and let you add lots of fun things inside those limited race tracks. These can include jumps, police barriers to avoid, spike strips, and maybe even stopping to pick up a few people who join your car. You could also include avoiding helicopter attacks by reaching a tunnel. Think about adding weather conditions; for example, heavy rain makes it hard to dodge obstacles. You could also add destructible objects on those linear tracks. Consider adding time trials where you have to outrun pursuers or escape a natural disaster. I believe by keeping the driving, which looks unique because of its retro style, and making the levels linear instead of a big city, you could do a lot while also being digestable in development.
Wow umm idk you or your game and youtube decided that this video would be good to put in my recommendation.....and i agree! From the video i just saw your game looks really fun, and it would be sad if part of it was removed. I know that it's easier said than done, but if i was in this type of situation i would focus on the essential, stuff that it seems like you already got (movement, driving, shooting) i would try to make them feel good and then switch to the story? Or whatever gameplay it's. As others have said make a single level or part of the city and move from there, maybe you will get the support from the fans if you did it right! It's hard to stand out from the crowd and i know how difficult it's to make a game, but keep in mind that it's possible and people have done it before, keep up the good work buddy, i know you can do it. Good luck with your journey and have a wonderful day!
In the immortal words of Ron Swanson: "Never half-ass two things, whole-ass one thing." IMO the getaway driver angle has the most potential, especially if you really build it around stylish and creative driving. If you want to evoke the heist aspect, you could have the player start parked off nearby, starting a mission with the alarm going, police flooding in, but ignoring the player. You drive in to pick up the people, and _now_ the police notice you. It doesn't have to be dynamic, could just be a cutscene. You park up, black bars top and bottom, dudes rush to the car, once the scene ends the police kick into gear and start pursuing. It would definitely make it feel like you're whisking a bunch of criminals away from the scene of a crime. Have lots of nooks and crannies, jumps, alternate escape methods etc to make it feel like you're making on-the-fly decisions. Can't remember which film it is but there's one where they drive into the back of a lorry and wait, losing the tail as they seemingly vanish. You could do all sorts like that, make the player feel smart for finding these creative solutions. Driving onto a moving train, jumping onto a ferry, idk just riffing but there's lots you could do and that discovery would be addictive. Every time you found a new way to escape, it'd be a rush. I think that would make the game feel really engaging, if it evoked that sense of wonder. "Can I do this?" followed by "no way that actually works!"
i vote for driving, and this comes from someone that cannot drive so much i even suck in driving games. but it's simply a more attractive concept, the vehicle damage you created is the most impressive part of this project. and vs a simpler shooter game, allthough in your style wouldn't be bad, it just doesn't stand out as much, especially since it will also compete with all the retro boomer shooters out there.
I feel this has everything to do with planning. I am currently working on a very large project and the team consists of me and another dev. But one thing we have that a lot of people dont going into this project is an actual plan. A 500 - 1000 word GDD , let alone even having one is not going to cut it when planning any game that isnt just a fun side project. The planning of this project took me around 2 months. This involved research into the various systems needed from both the art and mechanical perspective alongside detailed breakdowns of each inch of development. Not to mention this game is multiplayer with a dedicated server setup. 4 months into development and we have blocked out nearly every system we need and have began to scale the systems into a full game. If it wasnt for the plan I can promise you this 4 months of work would have taken us 2-3 years. All assets for the game are being hand crafted. So to anyone about to jump into a large project... Plan the plan, then plan planning the plan :).
You should definitely focus on the driving, because it’s the more interesting part of this game and also what got me interested in this channel. Also I didn’t even know there were FPS sections😅
You are torn between two halves of a dream project that will have to be a sequel. So you show the community the best aspects of both halves, even if one half is clearly standing out, and added a poll so you can gauge which half people want to see most and get them invested in the project. I know you're making a huge sacrifice in your development process, but you just pulled off a really clever marketing trick. I'm taking notes.
here's a solodev suggestion: keep the shooting for like indoor maps, so you can keep it simple and maybe make enemies spawn dynamically inside of it to make it replayable. and for outdoors driving, make just a few different buildings, with a set of textures and make them randomize through code (this will even keep the driving scenes different each playthrough). you can even go beyond and make each building dynamically place some distinctive like a sign, ACs or stairs outside. and it would be a thing of just modelling 3 or 4 things once to make your system stand out :)
its interesting to imagine choosing where to park, or how to leave the zone being puzzles of their own. More about just not crashing or dying on your way our, rather than navigating a whole city. Considering the effort you've put into destruction, i can imagine a very breakable and difficult to handle vehicle being a fun challenge for a much smaller scale. Anyhow best of luck, and your assets are oustanding, its great that youre sharing them. You're just gonna keep getting better at this.
Im a solo developer and i felt that with my last project... i worked on it everyday for a year and i felt the scope of the project grew way to out of what i can realistically do in a time frame of actually releasing a game sometimes bringing it back is what is key.
Sorry to hear its gotten out of scope, ur skills are amazing and im sure however u ultimately decide to handle it, will turn out to be a fantastic game, best of luck.
Gateway, the city can be small, like two or just one island of gta 3, but if it is well designed and has terrain variety it will feel a lot bigger if you just do the fps part you will have a generic game, if you master the driving part (that looks really nice btw) you maybe will have a fun and special experience on a niche that will apreciate it :) greetings from Argentina
You can have a small map and still make it fun. GTA Vice City is an example, despite its outdated graphics, the city is densely packed and every street feels unique. And that map is smaller than GTA3, yet still feels big and extremely fun. Another factor that comes to mind when talking about the map GTA3 or GTAVC is the idea of being able to know the map like the back of your head, there's a certain fun factor when you're able to plan out your routes or quickly improvise your route through map knowledge, something the older NFS games, especially Most Wanted nailed perfectly. This is one thing bigger and larger maps can usually deliver, at least not to the extent of these older games.
@@gibleyman Yeah i was trying to say that haha, just one third of the map of gta 3 could do an amazing game and let the dev explore a lot of possibilities , the thing i preffer about 3 than vice city is the variety, 3 has metro, subway, tunnels, bascule bridge, green terrain and height diferences etc, gta vc map is a lot simple but adds variety to he options of the sandbox (motorcycle, helicopters, crouching, properties, outfits, etc, making a more simple map (the game was made in less than 2 years) a lot more funny to explore because of the different options the player has but yeah i agree, a smaller map makes everything of it more iconic and familiar and thats something today games dont always understand sorry for my english
As someone who spent a significant time of their childhood gaming days just driving around in various games (GTA, Midtown Madness, Driver) I am very much leaning towards the driving part. I didn't even do many missions or races :D. There was something fascinating about getting to know the environments and finding little secrets or unexpected paths. Man, now I'm getting really hyped for this game. Of course I'm still looking forward to it, if you decide to go with the FPS part. ;)
As a game developer, I respect you for being honest about what you are realistically capable of achieving on your own. I would suggest taking inspiration from NFS MW 2006 police chases. Good luck on your project whatever you choose.
i see multiple options for this. 1. Make the heist game, then make a second with the car as a sequel. 2. Add shooting with the car driving, being able to shoot at the cops. 3. Make whatever makes you happy and what you think is fun. personally im more gravitated towards the car part, but in the end its whatever makes you feel most satisfied with :)
i think the getaway game sounds more appealing not just because of the cool deformation but also because the premise is interesting from being somewhat unique. also just wanted to add that if you wish to make both parts of the game, the one you dont choose could always be made after the other (if that's still desirable!) and the getaway driver game or fps game can be little tests/prototypes for your bigger dream game!
A Driver-like with shooting also sounds like my dream game, a polished Driv3r. If I had to choose between the two, I'd rather have a new Driver-like over "another retro fps game", but the vision behind the combination was extremely exciting.
It's a very interesting idea! And it's of course inspired in Driver 1, which is also a great ideia. When i played Driver 1 and 2 back then, the graphics looked just like that for me as a kid, lol! If you don't try, you'll never know what's going to happen. It's like a movie review on internet: if you base your ideias just on what people already made, maybe you'll never finish up a game, cause you will always find things that will make you give up. Having a lot of ''GTA like'' games on internet won't make your game be just one more. You have to implement things that the other don't have. Most of them just have one side of the story; or it's a shooter or a driving game. You're already doing it right by showing your project to the public. We're suffering with the ''remake, reboot and scam game sickness'', where people will sell you an ideia, get your money and never come back to finish the game. If that's not the case, the companies will try to remake a very old game instead of creating something new, never giving you a complete project. So that's the right time for you to come with a good ideia and the real intention to finish a game for real, without creating dlc's or things that don't matter. Just make a complete game, that's what we are hungry for unfortunatelly. You won't need to spend all your money on advertising, as you have the whole internet ''for free'' for it, just like you're doing here. If know how to do it, the most complicated thing here is dominated. At least in my opinion, a good game is a game where you can do unuseful things like opening a drawer, interacting with a lof of things, doing things on your own way and so on. Driver 1 didn't have a lot of things, but it was fun, misterious and interesting. How do you do about the vehicle AI? I'm using Unity and the streets have AI navmesh, so the car can navigate through it while chasing the target. That's the only way the car will avoid other vehicles most of the time. Is there a better way? Tx
I'm in the same boat. After 2 months working the action combat of my first game, I realized I don't have the experience necessary to make a fun action game, I would need tons of custom animations that I can not provide currently. Now I'm going to repurpose and adapt the idea to a turn base game.
Maybe the Bank Heist segments could be like the game "I AM ALIVE", which is less about the shooting itself, but about aiming and intimidating enemies and to avoid an all out confrontation. Maybe if a civilian or security guard is getting aimed at, their arms stand straight up, if you aim away they will slowly try to escape or attack. You have to get close to them to restrain them. Those segments could have like a rating system, the more violence you use, the higher the "wanted level" in the driving section will be.
I agree, forming a team or working with someone can become complicated with creative differences. Though it can also shorten work, but from what I can see, your project is looking good man.
The driving is what attracted my attention to your project! Although it would be cool if you could find a way to keep the walking / shooting mechanics around in some form. Perhaps do it more like Driver 2, where you can walk around and steal other cars? I could imagine even shooting working in a way where there would be no interiors, only outdoor shootouts - e.g. missions where you have to drive up to some alleyway and shoot some perps, then escape - think GTA 3. That way you would only have to model the city, but you wouldn't have to completely ditch your shooting mechanics. If all else fails, a spiritual successor to the first Driver will always be welcome in my book.
I'm having deja vu, I was in the exact same situation ~8 years ago. I was working on a driver-inspired game and realized the whole thing was extremely overscoped, so decided to shelve it and think of a new concept which eventually turned into a soapbox racing game. Anyway I've been working on my DOWNSCOPED game for the past FIVE YEARS now and it's still not finished :D Honestly my best piece of advice I can give is downscope and then downscope more and then downscope even more, especially as a solo developer! Find your core nugget of mind-blowing gameplay (in this case probably car chase + cool damage) and then come up with a least-effort way to make a game with that. Maybe a modular proc-gen city? Maybe skip a story? Whatever you can think of to get a first game out the door sooner. You can ALWAYS expand on the game later through updates or sequels, so you're not really throwing anything away. You're just condensing whatever you're doing into a feasible first commercial product.
Hey Marcis long time no see, I see you are struggling with your progress but that's OK because you are one individual who is working on this project. In my opinion keep both driving and fps gameplay even if it's minimal, as long as your game is fun you can succeed and I hope for the best.
for the large scale navigation you could implement a mix of fixed map sections (maybe some specific roundabounds or some specific buildings and roads) and procedurally generated sections to fill in the rest. you could implement variation in the game too without having to create multiple gigantic maps from 0 that way.
What if you swap the roles (just to keep both driving and shooting) For Example, the player is actually the Cop, recieves call of on going heists and other types of felonies, needs to get there by car then pew pew with gun. Also would be helpful if it is a game based on missions rather than having a whole city to explore so during chases etc. you just create paths (literally like racing tracks), you can have a more "scripted traffic" and focus on 1 AI only (the thief) Keep it up and don't give up
driving games that aren't racing are really in need of some love. I'd definitely play a game that has simple FPS mechanics that lead into a neat driving sequence
do both, it looks fun as it is - as you say, it could be seen of as simple, but to finish a game means your next one will be better, and you can always return to your core idea later. the game looks fun to me, especially the aesthetic and combining the gameplay of both types of games. It doesnt have to be overly involved, it fulfils the fantasy of doing a heist. Good luck whichever way!
I am currently dealing with the same exact problem, I was working constantly by myself and loved the work but now it feels my love for developing has slowed down. It's SUMMER, I honestly think that is the problem, were humans and we need sunlight, we need to touch grass. I know it sound counter-intuitive, there are self proclaimed deadlines, we need to grind hard everyday and crunch the project, but I think if you take a break for a while, you'll fall right back in love with development with a clear and re-energized mind.
Don't ever lose hope man. I have a dream game of my own as well. I'm not leaving this earth until its done and set in history. I know that it's impossible to do everything on your own in a certain amount of time, but I think that if you build a solid portfolio and enough of an audience, one day we'll get the financial and physical help we need to fulfill our dream videogame
Gateaway would be more fun in my opinion. The heist part can be maybe a mini-task in some levels/missions just to bring some variety to the gameplay loop, though not to the extend you wanted to. Maybe some backup fire or shooting while driving in some missions would be a cool way to make the player prioritise looking at the road and/or shooting at the cops. Though even without the shooting, we really need a good chasing car game since the only thing close to that we ever got was need for speed's wanted series. And you having the freedom of creativity compared to that dead on the inside corpo bs i bet you can make a 10x more enjoyable and fun to play gameplay loop. Either way whatever direction you go i wish you good luck on your project!
Best solution is to add more complications to the project so that the current situation looks easier after a while. I suggest making it a Wreckfest like online multiplayer vehicle demolition derby game with modding support for adding custom vehicles & gamemodes.
maybe the problem is the open world part. i think its possible to maintain the FPS with the driving. the driving can be a small 1 lap race against the cops for every heist, on every "race" you can have multiple simple scripted events like: police cars blocks a fake path, police car crashes, etc
Personally, I say a getaway driver game. You could simplify the map so it's a smaller sandbox rather than a huge open world. Multiple levels in the same city but the goal is to just get over a bridge to escape or something. Maybe even make linear levels that are more like a race, just survive police attacks as you get to the finish line.
I totally get it! Creating the Driving Game is a lot more work, but everything related to the vehicles, including their damage system, shouldn’t be overlooked just to churn out another FPS. It’s way more worthwhile to go for something Driver-like. Plus, there’s a much better chance of getting organic marketing for the project this way, especially with so many FPS games in the bodycam style being released lately
Friend, your game idea has actually good potential, maybe there is a way to keep both. It seems the shooting part is polished and the problem with the driving part is the scope, so what about creating missions inside the buildings where the heists take place, and have different escape routes, and these escape routes will have different cars to be used as escape, and then once player has chosen, you can treat the driving section like a ps1 race, like ridge racer type 4, something constrained where streets are blocked by police and you can have different challenges, like getting to the finish line under time runs out, or staying alive before car explodes, and these challenges will be determined by the escape route chosen by player during the heist, aka player freedom and also you will be reducing the scope of the driving section by not making an open world map but rather an exhilirating race againts the police
Definitely keep the driving. It’s your main selling point and why most people come to watch videos about this game. Might have to sacrifice city size for a more varied environment. Make the enemy car AI your main focus for development time since you already have the player driving and vehicle deformation done. Most buildings of the era in racing games were just rectangle boxes so as long as your texture work is efficient, it can be relatively easy to make lots of different types of buildings. Gameplay is the most important the most important thing to worry about though and is what will keep people playing.
The vehicle deformation/damage system seems like something you could expand on and make into the prime feature of the game, it seems like you're currently at an impasse as to where the project is going, which is both a hard decision, but also an opportunity. Personally what instantly comes to mind is making the game more into a vehicle combat game, kind of like the Mad Max game, you could add different weapons and rams, and turn it more into trying to damage enemy vehicles as much as possible while staying in a drivable condition yourself. Making an open world for that is also "easier" because it would be more just terrain deformations and rocks, as opposed to an entirely 'constructed' environment. Maybe you could even repurpose the FPS systems for on-foot combat if you get knocked out of your car, ETC. This is just one idea of many, but I think you should be thinking about how you can spin what's there into something more interesting than your original idea.
As a fan of the old Driver games and like many others have pointed out, the Getaway/driving part would be the better choice. If you can nail the driving physics and the difficulty and the overall feel of the classic Driver games I would definitely buy into it. A good Blender user could model tons of building and road side assets in no time, especially if you could give them good guidance or a template of what you want. I could even do some for you in my spare time for free.
Making a driver homage is a no-brainer. There is a hungry fanbase waiting for a game like that. You could make the menu a safe house & garage that you navigate in 1st person if you reslly miss the 1st person mode.
I think you're leaning toward the driving game, and if you had to do one I'd choose that, but I think you're gonna lose out a lot with no shooting aspect at all. I'm not convinced that the only way to scope down is to choose one or the other. If you do choose just the driving, I hope you can get a bit silly with it, go a little James Bond or Twisted Metal and incorporate combat into the driving.
I personally think u should keep the driving maybe u could just have the vehicles in some parts of the map kinda like halo, your vehicles look very fun I think it’s a waste to just get rid of it all together I think u should just keep both. But just do what u think is best
Im a 3D artst with at least a short time in the industry. Right now im teaching 3D art in Blender or CAD. I might not be the best programmer, but I have alot of experience in Unreal and been working with it since UDK. Feel free to reach out if you just want assets done mate.
Split the game into two potential titles: one an FPS game in which you execute the heist and get to the vehicle, and the other a driving game where you run away from the heist. Release the FPS game first since it's the one that's closer to being finished, and keep the second game as a potential title for the future if there is enough interest.
I randomly stumbled on this. Driver is the clear winner between the two. Simple gameplay is a a pro tbh. IMO it's better to iterate off of simple game mechanics than to try and wrangle a complicated game into being enjoyable. Take some time to reassess and plan out your game's pillars and how you think you'd like to structure the project. My only other advice is to create a demo first, playtest often and early and with a lot of different people, and don't be afraid to throw away work when it's necessary (it's really really easy to stick to poor designs when you try and justify the amount of time you worked on them).
I'd say do both. Go with the one you feel is faster to build, release it and later, when u have the time, make the second one as a dlc, prologue or second part. Good luck
Please don't abandon the idea of combining driving and shooting elements. As a player from the PS1 era, this kind of game has always been a dream for me. Sure, there are many driving and shooting games out there, but it's not just about what the player is doing. It's about the style, the story, and the unique feeling the game world. This project has a truly special vibe that I haven't found anything like on Steam. I am just a beginner with Unreal Engine, but my suggestion is to consider teaming up with other developers or outsourcing some work to freelancers. I believe this could pay off in terms of sales. Perhaps you could consider a smaller scope for the project initially, but in my opinion, it's important to keep both the driving and shooting elements for the best experience.
I, like many others really like the sound of both parts of the game, I'm not a dev or anything but perhaps a good idea would be to narrow the scope for the initial release as a sort of demo thing with only a couple of missions, then if it does well perhaps you could get more support for it
Hi, I was watching you from the beginning, and the fact that you had both fps heist and driving sequence interested me the most, I think maybe you could have focus on the driving, and shooting be like a fun fast paste part, to diversify the game loop, plus if you’re planning for story, FPS part will have more impact.
I think the vehicle game would be more appealing. It's a bit old school, but grinding down the shooting mechanics to a auto-lock-on vehicle shooter may be more appealing to the retro style. You still get the satisfaction of shooting, but through the vehicle. This could bring different strategies/ mission types during a pursuit. Use your driving skills to navigate traffic and avoid police patrols/ searches, or full on highspeed getaway while shooting out tires.
I dislike both driving games and FPS but seeing them together in your game seems super cool. Solo dev here, focus on one, perfect it, then move to the next. I wouldn't scrap either. Scale it all back, just do one mission or one area.
I reckon you should go for the getaway driver idea, evading cops while your car takes on damage sounds like an amazing idea. it is a shame you don't have enough time to complete all your ideas though
Hard decision indeed. I also threw away so many ideas I had for my game so I'll actually be able to finish it in a sane amount of time. I would prefer you take the driving-route, since not selling your game due to oversaturation is harder to handle than selling your game because of a smaller target audience. Regarding the driving AI, don't think about it too much. AI is always connected with some degree of smoke & mirrors, so don't be afraid to at least take some shortcuts and to embrace the emerging chaos! Assets can always feel intimidating, especially if you try to build a whole city. Cutting corners here by reusing is totally fine (even AAA does it, so why shouldn't you?), but I'd also advise looking into tools a bit. I know there are multiple city and building generator plugins for blender which you can feed with map data and buildings parts to create whole cities/city blocks for you. Those also work fine with odd-shaped buildings iirc. You could then also go ahead and iterate on the results. Nothing has to be perfect on the first iteration :) Also, thank you! Your videos are very inspirational and have pushed be back into developing my own game more than once!
It could be a cool idea to work on the two games, but keep the story the same. In the FPS version you collect certain items during the heists that will impact the difficulty and the story/ending for your character. In the driving version those items that you selected in the FPS version could impact again impact the difficulty/story. Could be a cool way to segment the ideas but keep them connected still. I think focussing on the driving game second also gives you the chance to focus on what works in the FPS version and the polishing that's required for the driving which may be more difficult.
I’ve never dived into game development but I think there could be a way to compromise without entirely deleting either element. Not every heist needs to require a driving getaway section, maybe you escape by train or an npc character trades spots with you as the driver intermittently. Maybe driving sections are made linear with scripted roadblocks as opposed to an open world sandbox being necessary. Make either the shooting or driving segments a rare treat to end a chapter and keep some variety. Just my thoughts 🤷♂️
i think you should do what you enjoy more out of the 2, so you could finish the driving game then make the heist as a separate game afterwards but it takes place at the same time as the driving game did... driving is more fun than shooting too
Got to go with a modern Driver game. You could even keep some on foot sections using some of the gameplay ideas you spoke about with cops driving past and such.
"simple gameplay" is not a con. There's a difference between simple/complex and shallow/deep. You can have a complex but shallow experience and vice versa - and evading cars is inherently deeper than pointing a gun, so you get a head start on making an engaging experience. The best games usually fall into the simple but deep category.
I can help with 3d and textures. I have ability to work with this full-time without paycheck, because I have passive income and lots of free time for creativity ❤ Please, don't cut your game❤
Combine driving with FPS! World's Scariest Police Chases for the PS1 has a partner leaning out of the window. You could make WASD control the car, and the mouse control the crosshair to aim with.
can do both? do vehicle based stuff to go from A to B. then enter cylindrical circles to load missions in FPS mode. small levels where you steal or collect stuff. better car. cash. break into safe. or demolition. stealth whatever. then the open world aspect can be vehicles and hauling trucks with loot. whatever else. similar to Mario navigating the top down ''open world'' but level selection screen. and with the level selection stuff you can always add more levels in the future. since they are just levels
Funnly enough I've asked myself a few days ago "what happened to that 'fps driver' game", searched for your channel and found it inactive, I imediatly thought something about development hell just like you describled. Its sad to know you want to scrap one of the two main aspects of the game, in my opinion you could keep it all but try and not exagerate and take your time, heists could be simplified by making it just npc combat with maze like mevhanics such as needing key cards to progress in a building, as for the getway driving aspect you already have a really solid gameplay, you just need to work on AI and world building. I'm not a professional game dev but one thing I can surely say is take your time boss, better a slow peaced development cicle than to rush it all and lose yourself on the point of it all
What I think is you should make a smaller game and chosse either fps or car gane and stick to it and after you publish your first game and experience you can patner with you someone or make the game you wanted by yourself ❤So choose carefully
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I admire how you mention struggles with scope, it's something I would say all devs struggle with.
Smugglers run is a great game to get ideas from too. I used to play the hellout of those and driver.
@@PixogenPixels I never heard of it - now I'll have to check it out. Thanks🙂
Getaway is inherently both simpler and more attractive.
agreed
As a solo developer I have shifted my way of making games to be more early access oriented, so small chunks can be taken out of a large game and released over time. If I want to make a large open world game, I segment it into multiple unique zones that can be finished individually and released every month or two. It would be awesome to keep both parts of your game, but maybe release one large mission in one zone at first, later releasing other missions and zones. The cool thing about early access with releasing on steam is that your game gets two front page releases, and update exposure.
Very interesting 👍
This is the way. One of the pitfalls of early devs is not realizing how much work the final project is. Most likely 2-4 times what you thought at least. This also comes with other challenges. (and really burnout.) I'd try to focus on similar areas. Then move on to something more fresh like another are of the game that feel different or mechanics that are different ect.
But Steam doesn't give you any extra visibility though, dies it? You gotta ask for one of the five visibility rounds. Only the Early Access launch is picked up by Steam to see how you do. I think that's what I've read from Chris Zukowski.
I think they do. You get 5 visibility rounds to use. Also events throughout the year. But You really want to start off strong and people don't like EA for EA. They want it like 70%+ there. Idk if they actually say what they do. But if you drop EA it dies off and then you put a patch out no vis round but it draws traffic it will put you out there more. I may be wrong tho. At the end of the day just build WL like a mad man and don't drop EA until its nearly done. (Shoot for 10s of thousands of WL.)@@tymondabrowski12
Sounds like you could have a lot more varied gameplay with the driving. You said it yourself, FPS is oversatured. I can't think of many Driver-likes, and you've done a lot of great stuff with the car deformation.
It already looks like the original PS1's Driver. I think still could have shooting, but be a small and secondary part of the game.
Hey man don't give up, the work you put into this has been amazing.
I almost gave up on mine but I pushed through and now it's just about actually designing and assembling the levels, then adding the cutscenes. Boring and tedious, but it can be done.
I think since this is so far along it's probably best for you to finish it on your own, so don't worry about teaming up with anyone at the moment.
My advice personally as a designer is that while I see really fun gameplay mechanics and features, I see no story, direction or setting. Think of how Driver levels have different aesthetics based on where you are or even GTA games.
Maybe make a short demo (literally just something that could be beaten in 5 minutes) and see what player feedback is?
I'm not trying to preach or anything just want to help! Been following your work for a long time and I'm using your particles in my game haha
Would hate to see the hard work put into the cars go to waste and I agree the driving makes for a much more unique game.
I'd say fork the project, focus on driving, put the FPS idea in the freezer for when you'll master the wheels, and scale down the city a little bit. You don't need a humongous map for this type of game, especially for your first project. A small yet detailed and well thought-out city would be a lot better than half-empty urban jungle. Driving AI is definitely pain, speaking out of my own very limited experience, so you'll have to focus on that the most, as that would be a key component to the gameplay, and solo development is no joke. It's good to have ambitions, but you also need to have a very solid scope if you wish to continue working on this project alone and deliver it within the next few years. Otherwise I really can't propose anything other than seeking additional helping hands.
By the way, I've always wanted to score a Driver-like game, something along the lines of Driv3r's original soundtrack though, so if you'll ever need music close to that moody style, feel free to reach out!
the car damage system is super cool
I would also vote for driving. However, I wouldn't take on the huge task of creating an entire city. Your game doesn't need to be an open space. Look at how old racing games and rally games made their race tracks procedurally (basically tiles, or sections if you will, attached together at runtime). They can be linear, just like that, maybe with a branch or two. This will make designing levels easier for you, help the player understand where to go, and let you add lots of fun things inside those limited race tracks. These can include jumps, police barriers to avoid, spike strips, and maybe even stopping to pick up a few people who join your car. You could also include avoiding helicopter attacks by reaching a tunnel. Think about adding weather conditions; for example, heavy rain makes it hard to dodge obstacles. You could also add destructible objects on those linear tracks. Consider adding time trials where you have to outrun pursuers or escape a natural disaster. I believe by keeping the driving, which looks unique because of its retro style, and making the levels linear instead of a big city, you could do a lot while also being digestable in development.
I think nowadays marketing play 90% role in a game success
Wow umm idk you or your game and youtube decided that this video would be good to put in my recommendation.....and i agree!
From the video i just saw your game looks really fun, and it would be sad if part of it was removed.
I know that it's easier said than done, but if i was in this type of situation i would focus on the essential, stuff that it seems like you already got (movement, driving, shooting) i would try to make them feel good and then switch to the story? Or whatever gameplay it's.
As others have said make a single level or part of the city and move from there, maybe you will get the support from the fans if you did it right!
It's hard to stand out from the crowd and i know how difficult it's to make a game, but keep in mind that it's possible and people have done it before, keep up the good work buddy, i know you can do it. Good luck with your journey and have a wonderful day!
In the immortal words of Ron Swanson: "Never half-ass two things, whole-ass one thing."
IMO the getaway driver angle has the most potential, especially if you really build it around stylish and creative driving. If you want to evoke the heist aspect, you could have the player start parked off nearby, starting a mission with the alarm going, police flooding in, but ignoring the player. You drive in to pick up the people, and _now_ the police notice you. It doesn't have to be dynamic, could just be a cutscene. You park up, black bars top and bottom, dudes rush to the car, once the scene ends the police kick into gear and start pursuing. It would definitely make it feel like you're whisking a bunch of criminals away from the scene of a crime.
Have lots of nooks and crannies, jumps, alternate escape methods etc to make it feel like you're making on-the-fly decisions. Can't remember which film it is but there's one where they drive into the back of a lorry and wait, losing the tail as they seemingly vanish. You could do all sorts like that, make the player feel smart for finding these creative solutions. Driving onto a moving train, jumping onto a ferry, idk just riffing but there's lots you could do and that discovery would be addictive. Every time you found a new way to escape, it'd be a rush. I think that would make the game feel really engaging, if it evoked that sense of wonder. "Can I do this?" followed by "no way that actually works!"
i vote for driving, and this comes from someone that cannot drive so much i even suck in driving games. but it's simply a more attractive concept, the vehicle damage you created is the most impressive part of this project. and vs a simpler shooter game, allthough in your style wouldn't be bad, it just doesn't stand out as much, especially since it will also compete with all the retro boomer shooters out there.
I feel this has everything to do with planning. I am currently working on a very large project and the team consists of me and another dev. But one thing we have that a lot of people dont going into this project is an actual plan. A 500 - 1000 word GDD , let alone even having one is not going to cut it when planning any game that isnt just a fun side project. The planning of this project took me around 2 months. This involved research into the various systems needed from both the art and mechanical perspective alongside detailed breakdowns of each inch of development. Not to mention this game is multiplayer with a dedicated server setup. 4 months into development and we have blocked out nearly every system we need and have began to scale the systems into a full game. If it wasnt for the plan I can promise you this 4 months of work would have taken us 2-3 years. All assets for the game are being hand crafted. So to anyone about to jump into a large project... Plan the plan, then plan planning the plan :).
You should definitely focus on the driving, because it’s the more interesting part of this game and also what got me interested in this channel. Also I didn’t even know there were FPS sections😅
I have nowhere near your game dev experience but this looks very impressive, I'm sure this is going to be huge when it comes out. Don't give up!
You are torn between two halves of a dream project that will have to be a sequel. So you show the community the best aspects of both halves, even if one half is clearly standing out, and added a poll so you can gauge which half people want to see most and get them invested in the project. I know you're making a huge sacrifice in your development process, but you just pulled off a really clever marketing trick. I'm taking notes.
here's a solodev suggestion: keep the shooting for like indoor maps, so you can keep it simple and maybe make enemies spawn dynamically inside of it to make it replayable. and for outdoors driving, make just a few different buildings, with a set of textures and make them randomize through code (this will even keep the driving scenes different each playthrough). you can even go beyond and make each building dynamically place some distinctive like a sign, ACs or stairs outside. and it would be a thing of just modelling 3 or 4 things once to make your system stand out :)
its interesting to imagine choosing where to park, or how to leave the zone being puzzles of their own. More about just not crashing or dying on your way our, rather than navigating a whole city. Considering the effort you've put into destruction, i can imagine a very breakable and difficult to handle vehicle being a fun challenge for a much smaller scale. Anyhow best of luck, and your assets are oustanding, its great that youre sharing them. You're just gonna keep getting better at this.
Im a solo developer and i felt that with my last project... i worked on it everyday for a year and i felt the scope of the project grew way to out of what i can realistically do in a time frame of actually releasing a game sometimes bringing it back is what is key.
Sorry to hear its gotten out of scope, ur skills are amazing and im sure however u ultimately decide to handle it, will turn out to be a fantastic game, best of luck.
Gateway, the city can be small, like two or just one island of gta 3, but if it is well designed and has terrain variety it will feel a lot bigger
if you just do the fps part you will have a generic game, if you master the driving part (that looks really nice btw) you maybe will have a fun and special experience on a niche that will apreciate it :)
greetings from Argentina
You can have a small map and still make it fun.
GTA Vice City is an example, despite its outdated graphics, the city is densely packed and every street feels unique. And that map is smaller than GTA3, yet still feels big and extremely fun.
Another factor that comes to mind when talking about the map GTA3 or GTAVC is the idea of being able to know the map like the back of your head, there's a certain fun factor when you're able to plan out your routes or quickly improvise your route through map knowledge, something the older NFS games, especially Most Wanted nailed perfectly.
This is one thing bigger and larger maps can usually deliver, at least not to the extent of these older games.
@@gibleyman Yeah i was trying to say that haha, just one third of the map of gta 3 could do an amazing game and let the dev explore a lot of possibilities , the thing i preffer about 3 than vice city is the variety, 3 has metro, subway, tunnels, bascule bridge, green terrain and height diferences etc, gta vc map is a lot simple but adds variety to he options of the sandbox (motorcycle, helicopters, crouching, properties, outfits, etc, making a more simple map (the game was made in less than 2 years) a lot more funny to explore because of the different options the player has
but yeah i agree, a smaller map makes everything of it more iconic and familiar and thats something today games dont always understand
sorry for my english
As someone who spent a significant time of their childhood gaming days just driving around in various games (GTA, Midtown Madness, Driver) I am very much leaning towards the driving part. I didn't even do many missions or races :D.
There was something fascinating about getting to know the environments and finding little secrets or unexpected paths.
Man, now I'm getting really hyped for this game. Of course I'm still looking forward to it, if you decide to go with the FPS part. ;)
As a game developer, I respect you for being honest about what you are realistically capable of achieving on your own. I would suggest taking inspiration from NFS MW 2006 police chases. Good luck on your project whatever you choose.
Police AI in NFS MW is excellent. I've been thinking a lot about how it all works.
i see multiple options for this.
1. Make the heist game, then make a second with the car as a sequel.
2. Add shooting with the car driving, being able to shoot at the cops.
3. Make whatever makes you happy and what you think is fun.
personally im more gravitated towards the car part, but in the end its whatever makes you feel most satisfied with :)
i think the getaway game sounds more appealing not just because of the cool deformation but also because the premise is interesting from being somewhat unique. also just wanted to add that if you wish to make both parts of the game, the one you dont choose could always be made after the other (if that's still desirable!) and the getaway driver game or fps game can be little tests/prototypes for your bigger dream game!
A Driver-like with shooting also sounds like my dream game, a polished Driv3r. If I had to choose between the two, I'd rather have a new Driver-like over "another retro fps game", but the vision behind the combination was extremely exciting.
I really find the driving aspect of this game the most attractive.
It's a very interesting idea! And it's of course inspired in Driver 1, which is also a great ideia. When i played Driver 1 and 2 back then, the graphics looked just like that for me as a kid, lol! If you don't try, you'll never know what's going to happen. It's like a movie review on internet: if you base your ideias just on what people already made, maybe you'll never finish up a game, cause you will always find things that will make you give up. Having a lot of ''GTA like'' games on internet won't make your game be just one more. You have to implement things that the other don't have. Most of them just have one side of the story; or it's a shooter or a driving game.
You're already doing it right by showing your project to the public. We're suffering with the ''remake, reboot and scam game sickness'', where people will sell you an ideia, get your money and never come back to finish the game. If that's not the case, the companies will try to remake a very old game instead of creating something new, never giving you a complete project. So that's the right time for you to come with a good ideia and the real intention to finish a game for real, without creating dlc's or things that don't matter. Just make a complete game, that's what we are hungry for unfortunatelly.
You won't need to spend all your money on advertising, as you have the whole internet ''for free'' for it, just like you're doing here. If know how to do it, the most complicated thing here is dominated. At least in my opinion, a good game is a game where you can do unuseful things like opening a drawer, interacting with a lof of things, doing things on your own way and so on. Driver 1 didn't have a lot of things, but it was fun, misterious and interesting.
How do you do about the vehicle AI? I'm using Unity and the streets have AI navmesh, so the car can navigate through it while chasing the target. That's the only way the car will avoid other vehicles most of the time. Is there a better way? Tx
I'm in the same boat. After 2 months working the action combat of my first game, I realized I don't have the experience necessary to make a fun action game, I would need tons of custom animations that I can not provide currently. Now I'm going to repurpose and adapt the idea to a turn base game.
i think with properly balanced arcade elements and level disign driving mechanic can glow up
Maybe the Bank Heist segments could be like the game "I AM ALIVE", which is less about the shooting itself, but about aiming and intimidating enemies and to avoid an all out confrontation. Maybe if a civilian or security guard is getting aimed at, their arms stand straight up, if you aim away they will slowly try to escape or attack. You have to get close to them to restrain them.
Those segments could have like a rating system, the more violence you use, the higher the "wanted level" in the driving section will be.
I agree, forming a team or working with someone can become complicated with creative differences. Though it can also shorten work, but from what I can see, your project is looking good man.
Definitely agree with focusing on the getaway driving. You could even start it with some people leaving a bank and getting into your car
Oh man, I never seen a video so relatable as an amateur gamedev.
dont stop this looks amazing
The driving is what attracted my attention to your project! Although it would be cool if you could find a way to keep the walking / shooting mechanics around in some form. Perhaps do it more like Driver 2, where you can walk around and steal other cars? I could imagine even shooting working in a way where there would be no interiors, only outdoor shootouts - e.g. missions where you have to drive up to some alleyway and shoot some perps, then escape - think GTA 3. That way you would only have to model the city, but you wouldn't have to completely ditch your shooting mechanics.
If all else fails, a spiritual successor to the first Driver will always be welcome in my book.
Well... That's idea of just being the driver is amazing... And that's remember a lot about the Drive movie
I'm having deja vu, I was in the exact same situation ~8 years ago. I was working on a driver-inspired game and realized the whole thing was extremely overscoped, so decided to shelve it and think of a new concept which eventually turned into a soapbox racing game.
Anyway I've been working on my DOWNSCOPED game for the past FIVE YEARS now and it's still not finished :D
Honestly my best piece of advice I can give is downscope and then downscope more and then downscope even more, especially as a solo developer!
Find your core nugget of mind-blowing gameplay (in this case probably car chase + cool damage) and then come up with a least-effort way to make a game with that. Maybe a modular proc-gen city? Maybe skip a story? Whatever you can think of to get a first game out the door sooner.
You can ALWAYS expand on the game later through updates or sequels, so you're not really throwing anything away. You're just condensing whatever you're doing into a feasible first commercial product.
Hey Marcis long time no see, I see you are struggling with your progress but that's OK because you are one individual who is working on this project. In my opinion keep both driving and fps gameplay even if it's minimal, as long as your game is fun you can succeed and I hope for the best.
for the large scale navigation you could implement a mix of fixed map sections (maybe some specific roundabounds or some specific buildings and roads) and procedurally generated sections to fill in the rest. you could implement variation in the game too without having to create multiple gigantic maps from 0 that way.
if we have to pick definitely driving, however i think having both elements would be awesome even if it means cutting corners
Please do not give up on your project! I love the art style and you are on to something!
I didn't even realize this game was supposed to be a fps, I thought it was just driving.
What if you swap the roles (just to keep both driving and shooting)
For Example, the player is actually the Cop, recieves call of on going heists and other types of felonies, needs to get there by car then pew pew with gun.
Also would be helpful if it is a game based on missions rather than having a whole city to explore so during chases etc. you just create paths (literally like racing tracks), you can have a more "scripted traffic" and focus on 1 AI only (the thief)
Keep it up and don't give up
driving games that aren't racing are really in need of some love. I'd definitely play a game that has simple FPS mechanics that lead into a neat driving sequence
do both, it looks fun as it is - as you say, it could be seen of as simple, but to finish a game means your next one will be better, and you can always return to your core idea later. the game looks fun to me, especially the aesthetic and combining the gameplay of both types of games. It doesnt have to be overly involved, it fulfils the fantasy of doing a heist. Good luck whichever way!
Driving is definitely more interesting than another fps,at least personally.
I am currently dealing with the same exact problem, I was working constantly by myself and loved the work but now it feels my love for developing has slowed down.
It's SUMMER, I honestly think that is the problem, were humans and we need sunlight, we need to touch grass. I know it sound counter-intuitive, there are self proclaimed deadlines, we need to grind hard everyday and crunch the project, but I think if you take a break for a while, you'll fall right back in love with development with a clear and re-energized mind.
Don't ever lose hope man. I have a dream game of my own as well. I'm not leaving this earth until its done and set in history. I know that it's impossible to do everything on your own in a certain amount of time, but I think that if you build a solid portfolio and enough of an audience, one day we'll get the financial and physical help we need to fulfill our dream videogame
Gateaway would be more fun in my opinion. The heist part can be maybe a mini-task in some levels/missions just to bring some variety to the gameplay loop, though not to the extend you wanted to. Maybe some backup fire or shooting while driving in some missions would be a cool way to make the player prioritise looking at the road and/or shooting at the cops. Though even without the shooting, we really need a good chasing car game since the only thing close to that we ever got was need for speed's wanted series. And you having the freedom of creativity compared to that dead on the inside corpo bs i bet you can make a 10x more enjoyable and fun to play gameplay loop.
Either way whatever direction you go i wish you good luck on your project!
Best solution is to add more complications to the project so that the current situation looks easier after a while.
I suggest making it a Wreckfest like online multiplayer vehicle demolition derby game with modding support for adding custom vehicles & gamemodes.
finding myself in the same position, its a gutpunch for sure
I am personally in favour of the driving version, due to the oversaturated fps genre. And we need a new getaway driver game
maybe the problem is the open world part.
i think its possible to maintain the FPS with the driving.
the driving can be a small 1 lap race against the cops for every heist, on every "race" you can have multiple simple scripted events like: police cars blocks a fake path, police car crashes, etc
Personally, I say a getaway driver game. You could simplify the map so it's a smaller sandbox rather than a huge open world. Multiple levels in the same city but the goal is to just get over a bridge to escape or something. Maybe even make linear levels that are more like a race, just survive police attacks as you get to the finish line.
I totally get it! Creating the Driving Game is a lot more work, but everything related to the vehicles, including their damage system, shouldn’t be overlooked just to churn out another FPS. It’s way more worthwhile to go for something Driver-like. Plus, there’s a much better chance of getting organic marketing for the project this way, especially with so many FPS games in the bodycam style being released lately
Friend, your game idea has actually good potential, maybe there is a way to keep both. It seems the shooting part is polished and the problem with the driving part is the scope, so what about creating missions inside the buildings where the heists take place, and have different escape routes, and these escape routes will have different cars to be used as escape, and then once player has chosen, you can treat the driving section like a ps1 race, like ridge racer type 4, something constrained where streets are blocked by police and you can have different challenges, like getting to the finish line under time runs out, or staying alive before car explodes, and these challenges will be determined by the escape route chosen by player during the heist, aka player freedom and also you will be reducing the scope of the driving section by not making an open world map but rather an exhilirating race againts the police
Definitely keep the driving. It’s your main selling point and why most people come to watch videos about this game. Might have to sacrifice city size for a more varied environment. Make the enemy car AI your main focus for development time since you already have the player driving and vehicle deformation done. Most buildings of the era in racing games were just rectangle boxes so as long as your texture work is efficient, it can be relatively easy to make lots of different types of buildings. Gameplay is the most important the most important thing to worry about though and is what will keep people playing.
I read your comments! Great suggestions!
The vehicle deformation/damage system seems like something you could expand on and make into the prime feature of the game, it seems like you're currently at an impasse as to where the project is going, which is both a hard decision, but also an opportunity.
Personally what instantly comes to mind is making the game more into a vehicle combat game, kind of like the Mad Max game, you could add different weapons and rams, and turn it more into trying to damage enemy vehicles as much as possible while staying in a drivable condition yourself. Making an open world for that is also "easier" because it would be more just terrain deformations and rocks, as opposed to an entirely 'constructed' environment. Maybe you could even repurpose the FPS systems for on-foot combat if you get knocked out of your car, ETC.
This is just one idea of many, but I think you should be thinking about how you can spin what's there into something more interesting than your original idea.
Game development is a challenge. But if I was to choose, driving would be best choice.
As a fan of the old Driver games and like many others have pointed out, the Getaway/driving part would be the better choice. If you can nail the driving physics and the difficulty and the overall feel of the classic Driver games I would definitely buy into it. A good Blender user could model tons of building and road side assets in no time, especially if you could give them good guidance or a template of what you want. I could even do some for you in my spare time for free.
You should make a prototype / vertical-slice with the core gameplay for each option and see what's more fun, maybe releasing them on this community.
Making a driver homage is a no-brainer. There is a hungry fanbase waiting for a game like that.
You could make the menu a safe house & garage that you navigate in 1st person if you reslly miss the 1st person mode.
It's not like there are zero Driver type games. The Driver Syndicate is one example?
I think you're leaning toward the driving game, and if you had to do one I'd choose that, but I think you're gonna lose out a lot with no shooting aspect at all. I'm not convinced that the only way to scope down is to choose one or the other.
If you do choose just the driving, I hope you can get a bit silly with it, go a little James Bond or Twisted Metal and incorporate combat into the driving.
I personally think u should keep the driving maybe u could just have the vehicles in some parts of the map kinda like halo, your vehicles look very fun I think it’s a waste to just get rid of it all together I think u should just keep both. But just do what u think is best
Im a 3D artst with at least a short time in the industry. Right now im teaching 3D art in Blender or CAD. I might not be the best programmer, but I have alot of experience in Unreal and been working with it since UDK. Feel free to reach out if you just want assets done mate.
Split the game into two potential titles: one an FPS game in which you execute the heist and get to the vehicle, and the other a driving game where you run away from the heist. Release the FPS game first since it's the one that's closer to being finished, and keep the second game as a potential title for the future if there is enough interest.
i agree with the others, the driving seems much more unique and impressive, id definitely get it and i think others would too
I randomly stumbled on this. Driver is the clear winner between the two. Simple gameplay is a a pro tbh. IMO it's better to iterate off of simple game mechanics than to try and wrangle a complicated game into being enjoyable. Take some time to reassess and plan out your game's pillars and how you think you'd like to structure the project. My only other advice is to create a demo first, playtest often and early and with a lot of different people, and don't be afraid to throw away work when it's necessary (it's really really easy to stick to poor designs when you try and justify the amount of time you worked on them).
I'd say do both. Go with the one you feel is faster to build, release it and later, when u have the time, make the second one as a dlc, prologue or second part. Good luck
Please don't abandon the idea of combining driving and shooting elements. As a player from the PS1 era, this kind of game has always been a dream for me. Sure, there are many driving and shooting games out there, but it's not just about what the player is doing. It's about the style, the story, and the unique feeling the game world. This project has a truly special vibe that I haven't found anything like on Steam.
I am just a beginner with Unreal Engine, but my suggestion is to consider teaming up with other developers or outsourcing some work to freelancers. I believe this could pay off in terms of sales. Perhaps you could consider a smaller scope for the project initially, but in my opinion, it's important to keep both the driving and shooting elements for the best experience.
I, like many others really like the sound of both parts of the game, I'm not a dev or anything but perhaps a good idea would be to narrow the scope for the initial release as a sort of demo thing with only a couple of missions, then if it does well perhaps you could get more support for it
Hi, I was watching you from the beginning, and the fact that you had both fps heist and driving sequence interested me the most, I think maybe you could have focus on the driving, and shooting be like a fun fast paste part, to diversify the game loop, plus if you’re planning for story, FPS part will have more impact.
Maybe you could work on making just the driving game now, then if you decided to do a sequel, it could be a heist game.
I think the vehicle game would be more appealing. It's a bit old school, but grinding down the shooting mechanics to a auto-lock-on vehicle shooter may be more appealing to the retro style. You still get the satisfaction of shooting, but through the vehicle. This could bring different strategies/ mission types during a pursuit. Use your driving skills to navigate traffic and avoid police patrols/ searches, or full on highspeed getaway while shooting out tires.
I dislike both driving games and FPS but seeing them together in your game seems super cool. Solo dev here, focus on one, perfect it, then move to the next. I wouldn't scrap either. Scale it all back, just do one mission or one area.
I reckon you should go for the getaway driver idea, evading cops while your car takes on damage sounds like an amazing idea. it is a shame you don't have enough time to complete all your ideas though
Hard decision indeed. I also threw away so many ideas I had for my game so I'll actually be able to finish it in a sane amount of time.
I would prefer you take the driving-route, since not selling your game due to oversaturation is harder to handle than selling your game because of a smaller target audience.
Regarding the driving AI, don't think about it too much. AI is always connected with some degree of smoke & mirrors, so don't be afraid to at least take some shortcuts and to embrace the emerging chaos!
Assets can always feel intimidating, especially if you try to build a whole city. Cutting corners here by reusing is totally fine (even AAA does it, so why shouldn't you?), but I'd also advise looking into tools a bit. I know there are multiple city and building generator plugins for blender which you can feed with map data and buildings parts to create whole cities/city blocks for you. Those also work fine with odd-shaped buildings iirc. You could then also go ahead and iterate on the results. Nothing has to be perfect on the first iteration :)
Also, thank you! Your videos are very inspirational and have pushed be back into developing my own game more than once!
Never start with your Dream Game... This is Gamedev 101.. Good lucj
This is Great Work!
I think you should keep the police chase and just be a getaway driver.
There isn't any notable Driver spiritual successor out there, so I believe that sounds much more appealing
What about The Driver Syndicate?
It could be a cool idea to work on the two games, but keep the story the same. In the FPS version you collect certain items during the heists that will impact the difficulty and the story/ending for your character. In the driving version those items that you selected in the FPS version could impact again impact the difficulty/story. Could be a cool way to segment the ideas but keep them connected still. I think focussing on the driving game second also gives you the chance to focus on what works in the FPS version and the polishing that's required for the driving which may be more difficult.
I’ve never dived into game development but I think there could be a way to compromise without entirely deleting either element. Not every heist needs to require a driving getaway section, maybe you escape by train or an npc character trades spots with you as the driver intermittently. Maybe driving sections are made linear with scripted roadblocks as opposed to an open world sandbox being necessary. Make either the shooting or driving segments a rare treat to end a chapter and keep some variety. Just my thoughts 🤷♂️
i think you should do what you enjoy more out of the 2, so you could finish the driving game then make the heist as a separate game afterwards but it takes place at the same time as the driving game did... driving is more fun than shooting too
Got to go with a modern Driver game. You could even keep some on foot sections using some of the gameplay ideas you spoke about with cops driving past and such.
I'd personally like a dark mood for the driving game, kinda like hotline miami maybe
The game is epic, continue please.
"simple gameplay" is not a con. There's a difference between simple/complex and shallow/deep. You can have a complex but shallow experience and vice versa - and evading cars is inherently deeper than pointing a gun, so you get a head start on making an engaging experience.
The best games usually fall into the simple but deep category.
Please do the getaway driver idea!! Way more unique and interesting to me, and it also makes use of your awesome car destruction tech
The FPS part looks more interesting, although the driving part would complement it perfectly, but if it comes down to one thing, it's definitely FPS.
I can help with 3d and textures. I have ability to work with this full-time without paycheck, because I have passive income and lots of free time for creativity ❤
Please, don't cut your game❤
the fps gameplay looks so clean tho
Combine driving with FPS!
World's Scariest Police Chases for the PS1 has a partner leaning out of the window. You could make WASD control the car, and the mouse control the crosshair to aim with.
can do both? do vehicle based stuff to go from A to B. then enter cylindrical circles to load missions in FPS mode. small levels where you steal or collect stuff. better car. cash. break into safe. or demolition. stealth whatever. then the open world aspect can be vehicles and hauling trucks with loot. whatever else. similar to Mario navigating the top down ''open world'' but level selection screen. and with the level selection stuff you can always add more levels in the future. since they are just levels
this game looks really good
Funnly enough I've asked myself a few days ago "what happened to that 'fps driver' game", searched for your channel and found it inactive, I imediatly thought something about development hell just like you describled. Its sad to know you want to scrap one of the two main aspects of the game, in my opinion you could keep it all but try and not exagerate and take your time, heists could be simplified by making it just npc combat with maze like mevhanics such as needing key cards to progress in a building, as for the getway driving aspect you already have a really solid gameplay, you just need to work on AI and world building. I'm not a professional game dev but one thing I can surely say is take your time boss, better a slow peaced development cicle than to rush it all and lose yourself on the point of it all
don't give up in any case ❤
What I think is you should make a smaller game and chosse either fps or car gane and stick to it and after you publish your first game and experience you can patner with you someone or make the game you wanted by yourself ❤So choose carefully