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[Feep]

Mind giving a general overview? No need to dive into specifics, but I would love to hear some of the broader things that the professionals picked up on that managed to skirt around a developer's perception. I'm sure there's a lot of valuable insight there.

Players are good at feeling that something is wrong, but they have no real idea how to articulate it if they don't have a base understanding of how gameplay mechanics and systems tend to influence people. They might say something like, "Oh, this part was really hard", or "Things moved too fast", but those statements are merely an indication that *something* was wrong. You can always try to prod them toward being more specific, but usually, they just won't know why.

Game designers, on the other hand, are much better able to give specific, actionable information that you can use to mitigate issues. They might tell you that the visual feedback on the UI wasn't significant enough to draw players' attention away from the battle and let them know a specific character was taking damage. They might say that certain weapons don't have a satisfying enough feedback loop and therefore fell out of favor, leading to an apparent lack of strategic options for a certain situation.

It's just good to talk to people who know what's up, man. = D

Oh damn. I'd love to have one of them playtest M.O. for me. Probably rip me to shreds. I should engage one of them that follows me on Twitter. WayForward was really cool when they approached me so I'm not too shy about reaching out.

If James comes and tests it, say hi for me!

 

[beril]

So how do people deal with post release depression? I still have tons of things I should do but don't have any energy for it.

Kindof sad to see how fast the discussion dies down after launch. That doesn't necessarily mean anything for sales, though it's too early to make any judgements about that. Gunman Clive was a game that sold well but was mostly unknown outside certain circles, and I'm happy it's not the other way around, but after working on something on my own for a year (and way longer since I last released something) it just feels rather anticlimactic to have a couple of days in the spotlight and then quiet again. I guess I have a pretty strong need for acknowledgement that probably isn't very healthy to try satisfy by reading internet posts by random people...

 

[Feep]

So how do people deal with post release depression? I still have tons of things I should do but don't have any energy for it.

Kindof sad to see how fast the discussion dies down after launch. That doesn't necessarily mean anything for sales, though it's too early to make any judgements about that. Gunman Clive was a game that sold well but was mostly unknown outside certain circles, and I'm happy it's not the other way around, but after working on something on my own for a year (and way longer since I last released something) it just feels rather anticlimactic to have a couple of days in the spotlight and then quiet again. I guess I have a pretty strong need for acknowledgement that probably isn't very healthy to try satisfy by reading internet posts by random people...

I sympathize with this post, but I'm not sure how much advice I can give. To a developer, there's an unbelievable long period of build up, and then it's out, and over so quickly. The consumers don't much care for the buildup, usually.

I guess just try to multiply. Yeah, it's been a few days, but if a thousand people played your game in that time, the actual span of play far extends beyond that. It's just...compressed.

 

[Mystic River]

Wow, I just noticed that I've been stuck for almost 3 weeks planning and writing code that I deleted the next day, it was frustrating at first to figure out how to mix all together and make it look good but after so many tries I think it is taking some shape, here is a screenshot showing progress in the last 3 weeks, and the last one just took me a day to do after throwing everything again and using the lessons learned from the previous attempts

More details at http://mysticrivergames.blogspot.com/2015/02/planetary-landing-progress.html

Map is procedurally generated so I had to either do it fully in 2d and draw all the transition sprites for all the biomes or do something more intelligent since I am the only one doing this game, I can't see myself drawing so many transitions in a reasonable time frame. Lights really break the map apart from the plain view from 3 weeks ago. Now I can think about adding plants and other things.

 

[Blizzard]

So how do people deal with post release depression? I still have tons of things I should do but don't have any energy for it.

Kindof sad to see how fast the discussion dies down after launch. That doesn't necessarily mean anything for sales, though it's too early to make any judgements about that. Gunman Clive was a game that sold well but was mostly unknown outside certain circles, and I'm happy it's not the other way around, but after working on something on my own for a year (and way longer since I last released something) it just feels rather anticlimactic to have a couple of days in the spotlight and then quiet again. I guess I have a pretty strong need for acknowledgement that probably isn't very healthy to try satisfy by reading internet posts by random people...

Like Feep, I'm not sure I have specific advice, but I did want to say that I probably agree with the last sentence. It may be tough, but I don't think it's wise or healthy to try to satisfy that from the internet. This is ESPECIALLY true in any sort of media-production endeavor such as book/movie/music/game creation. Random opinions on the internet can destroy your soul if you are too invested in what they say.

 

[Paz]

Players are good at feeling that something is wrong, but they have real idea how to articulate it if they don't have a base understanding of how gameplay mechanics and systems tend to influence people. They might say something like, "Oh, this part was really hard", or "Things moved too fast", but those statements are merely an indication that *something* was wrong. You can always try to prod them toward being more specific, but usually, they just won't know why.

Game designers, on the other hand, are much better able to give specific, actionable information that you can use to mitigate issues. They might tell you that the visual feedback on the UI wasn't significant enough to draw players' attention away from the battle and let them know a specific character was taking damage. They might say that certain weapons don't have a satisfying enough feedback loop and therefore fell out of favor, leading to an apparent lack of strategic options for a certain situation.

It's just good to talk to people who know what's up, man. = D


If James comes and tests it, say hi for me!

It's incredibly valuable to have developers you trust give focused feedback like that, and depending on what type of game you're making there aren't always a ton of those folks around so I'm glad you found some

Actually the exact reasons you stated are why I prefer non-designers for feedback most of the time, I find it's really helpful to identify problems even without specifics or solutions because I can use my own skills and deep understanding of the game to figure out an optimal solution, meanwhile a lot of designers/developers feel the need to be overly specific even if they don't really have a strong understanding of the game itself.

And I think one of the best things about doing play/feedback sessions is that it gives a great perspective on what is and isn't useful for when others ask me to try their games, a great incentive for being part of an active community.

 

[beril]

Like Feep, I'm not sure I have specific advice, but I did want to say that I probably agree with the last sentence. It may be tough, but I don't think it's wise or healthy to try to satisfy that from the internet. This is ESPECIALLY true in any sort of media-production endeavor such as book/movie/music/game creation. Random opinions on the internet can destroy your soul if you are too invested in what they say.

Fortunately online comments have generally been kind to me and the overall receptions positive. It's just not frequent enough when you're only releasing a game every other year or so. I sometimes envy writers, podcasters or youtubers etc who put out stuff every week; though I can imagine that's a whole different kind of stress. But yeah, not very healthy to care too much about it regardless.

 

[Mystic River]

Fortunately online comments have generally been kind to me and the overall receptions positive. It's just not frequent enough when you're only releasing a game every other year or so. I sometimes envy writers, podcasters or youtubers etc who put out stuff every week; though I can imagine that's a whole different kind of stress. But yeah, not very healthy to care too much about it regardless.

I am wondering about one thing, post release depresion may be similar to what women experience after giving birth to a child, maybe I am wrong, but after releasing your game it just goes away from your control , perhaps we can hear something from women?

Maybe to cope with that depresion you may be in charge of doing an early release and do monthly updates to your game so it keeps growing still under your control until finally it reaches the point where it just walk by itself.. I am wondering about that too and I am really inclined to do early release and see what people think about it.

 

[plagiarize]

So how do people deal with post release depression? I still have tons of things I should do but don't have any energy for it.

Kindof sad to see how fast the discussion dies down after launch. That doesn't necessarily mean anything for sales, though it's too early to make any judgements about that. Gunman Clive was a game that sold well but was mostly unknown outside certain circles, and I'm happy it's not the other way around, but after working on something on my own for a year (and way longer since I last released something) it just feels rather anticlimactic to have a couple of days in the spotlight and then quiet again. I guess I have a pretty strong need for acknowledgement that probably isn't very healthy to try satisfy by reading internet posts by random people...

I can only talk about how I felt after finishing my last self published novel, since I haven't released a game yet either. I thought I had mentally protected myself quite well from negativity.

I was dropping links on friends walls to let them know the book was out since I figured not everyone would see it if it was on my wall and someone who I thought was still a good friend, that I dated in a previous life said from very nasty things about it, and I basically just stopped self promoting the book. It completely knocked the wind out of my sails.

Realistically I know that there is a number of people I want to play Primitive. I don't know what that number is yet, but I know that I'm going to find out when the game either passes it or falls short.

But that all said, there are people that hate the best games (and movies and books, etc), and not every game is going to be for every person. You won't see a gamer say 'this isn't my kind of thing' very often even when that's the case. Gamers throw loads of hyperbole around like 'worst ever' and that kind of thing. We all know that.

And I know you weren't fishing for this, but a guy I know who doesn't have much of any online presence once just started talking to me about this cool game he'd found on the 3DS eShop called Gunman Clive. The point isn't that a few years ago someone liked your game, but that there are people out there playing your game that really like it, that you'll never even know exist. There still could be people discovering the game that you don't know about.

What we see is just a random sample, and probably not enough to accurately gauge the average reaction.

Find out what makes it worth it. For me so far working on a game it's putting the latest builds into people's hands and watching them play it. I won't be able ride that one out forever, but that's a joy you can't get with a novel without seeming really really creepy.

 

[SpacePirate Ridley]

Love it! The non 1-1 pixel outline around the text kinda breaks the cool pixel art though

True. Will tell him that, with so much attetion to detail he puts on this things im sure he will fix it for the next.

I can only talk about how I felt after finishing my last self published novel, since I haven't released a game yet either. I thought I had mentally protected myself quite well from negativity.

I was dropping links on friends walls to let them know the book was out since I figured not everyone would see it if it was on my wall and someone who I thought was still a good friend, that I dated in a previous life said from very nasty things about it, and I basically just stopped self promoting the book. It completely knocked the wind out of my sails.

Realistically I know that there is a number of people I want to play Primitive. I don't know what that number is yet, but I know that I'm going to find out when the game either passes it or falls short.

But that all said, there are people that hate the best games (and movies and books, etc), and not every game is going to be for every person. You won't see a gamer say 'this isn't my kind of thing' very often even when that's the case. Gamers throw loads of hyperbole around like 'worst ever' and that kind of thing. We all know that.

And I know you weren't fishing for this, but a guy I know who doesn't have much of any online presence once just started talking to me about this cool game he'd found on the 3DS eShop called Gunman Clive. The point isn't that a few years ago someone liked your game, but that there are people out there playing your game that really like it, that you'll never even know exist. There still could be people discovering the game that you don't know about.

What we see is just a random sample, and probably not enough to accurately gauge the average reaction.

Find out what makes it worth it. For me so far working on a game it's putting the latest builds into people's hands and watching them play it. I won't be able ride that one out forever, but that's a joy you can't get with a novel without seeming really really creepy.

This post is really good.

Beril, I hope you can get past that post release depression soon and your game sells well so you can be happy and have more enrgy to create new things.

 

[plagiarize]

Progress on the Shopping Mall area:

This gives you a decent idea of the size of this small shopping mall section. There are 9 outlets in all. So far I have dealt with 5 of them. As expected this area is relatively slow progress, but it's really starting to come together.

by Alli. The clothing store for the modern glamazon. You can only see the window display in this store.

Big Box TV. One of the most time consuming things in this area has been creating the signage... and most of it is just going to be single use stuff. I've got to keep the style of the stores looking relatively different to really sell that 'mall' feel. So far so good I think.

This is a covering over an empty store. I thought this would be a quick way to not have to fully detail the inside of a store, yet still found myself making a logo. The logo is a direct reference to the mall in Silent Hill 3 which actually already featured lettering similar to what I've been using in the game, so it was a no brainer doing this.

What a conspicuous looking store! I wonder if this could perhaps be the one that the player must exit through...

Well, time to get back to it. 4 more stores to fill.

 

[SpacePirate Ridley]

Progress on the Shopping Mall area:



This gives you a decent idea of the size of this small shopping mall section. There are 9 outlets in all. So far I have dealt with 5 of them. As expected this area is relatively slow progress, but it's really starting to come together.



by Alli. The clothing store for the modern glamazon. You can only see the window display in this store.



Big Box TV. One of the most time consuming things in this area has been creating the signage... and most of it is just going to be single use stuff. I've got to keep the style of the stores looking relatively different to really sell that 'mall' feel. So far so good I think.



This is a covering over an empty store. I thought this would be a quick way to not have to fully detail the inside of a store, yet still found myself making a logo. The logo is a direct reference to the mall in Silent Hill 3 which actually already featured lettering similar to what I've been using in the game, so it was a no brainer doing this.



What a conspicuous looking store! I wonder if this could perhaps be the one that the player must exit through...

Well, time to get back to it. 4 more stores to fill.

Wow, love the design.
Sorry if im out of the loop, but what kind of game is? An RPG, action game, mall simulator?

 

[plagiarize]

Wow, love the design.
Sorry if im out of the loop, but what kind of game is? An RPG, action game, mall simulator?

It's actually a first person puzzle platform title most of the environments are much less detailed and you have to figure out what is and isn't solid by changing perspective and experimenting.

Most (thought not all) of the levels end with much more detailed environments that play into the story a bit.

This video from the end of level 5 should give you a bit of an idea of the gameplay and the back and forth.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MRRz8b2yFFA

More outlets being filled in.

The Tablet Store and Booker.

 

[Jacksinthe]

Players are good at feeling that something is wrong, but they have real idea how to articulate it if they don't have a base understanding of how gameplay mechanics and systems tend to influence people. They might say something like, "Oh, this part was really hard", or "Things moved too fast", but those statements are merely an indication that *something* was wrong. You can always try to prod them toward being more specific, but usually, they just won't know why.

Game designers, on the other hand, are much better able to give specific, actionable information that you can use to mitigate issues. They might tell you that the visual feedback on the UI wasn't significant enough to draw players' attention away from the battle and let them know a specific character was taking damage. They might say that certain weapons don't have a satisfying enough feedback loop and therefore fell out of favor, leading to an apparent lack of strategic options for a certain situation.

It's just good to talk to people who know what's up, man. = D


If James comes and tests it, say hi for me!

Aye. At this point I am taking feedback from everyone but I am glued to the feedback other devs have for me. There is a guy that helped me beta test IC and was tops. Crazy detailed in his feedback without even asking. He proudly displays "beta tester" on his twitter account. No clue who he is other than he joined the beta randomly but he's now on my list of go-to peeps. He's not a dev but he plays and plays and plays and even found ways I didn't to cheese a few mechanics in IC I thought I safeguarded well enough. If you want his info let me know, I threw him M.O. without direction and he didn't disappoint. Its borderline scary the little things he mentioned I thought nobody would.

Also, ain't nobody coming to my crib in Chicago with 50 thousand feet of snow haha. Plus its literally my crib. I can't afford an office at the moment . I know you know Lisa but if you know Austin at WF I'll tell him you said hi next time I talk to him. Incredibly cool dude.

 

[RollingTorque]

Hello

I am developing an FirstPersonShooter kind of game in Unreal 4.

3 weeks ago i started streaming on twitch.
At first i didnt know if i would like it, but its ok and im planning on doing it more often.

Anyway, here is my Channel

Its mostly a german stream, but it depends a lot on the chat
feel free to ask me questions in english

http://www.twitch.tv/kirushuwassa

The last weeks we were doing some Behavior Tree Stuff, Enemy AI...
This week we startet our first DemoLevelTestingGround

NOTE:
Since i am getting this asked a lot, even thought its in my FAQ...
No, i didnt made these Enemies, Monster and Assets.
I bought most of them on the Unreal 4 Store.
At the moment i focus more on Blueprints and Unreal Stuff, and not content creation.

Keep up this awesome Thread!
i'm sorry. I am mostly just lurking ...

 

[Mechanical Snowman]

It's actually a first person puzzle platform title most of the environments are much less detailed and you have to figure out what is and isn't solid by changing perspective and experimenting.

Most (thought not all) of the levels end with much more detailed environments that play into the story a bit.

This video from the end of level 5 should give you a bit of an idea of the gameplay and the back and forth.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MRRz8b2yFFA



More outlets being filled in.



The Tablet Store and Booker.

OH! You posted this in the Oculus thread! I thought I'd read the bolded somewhere else and went back to check.

It's funny because I saw the toy store environment further up the thread, and my first thought was that it would look amazing in VR. I'll try out your Rift demo when I can, are you developing in Unity?

It looks great and the concept is interesting, keep it up

 

[plagiarize]

Also, ain't nobody coming to my crib in Chicago with 50 thousand feet of snow haha. Plus its literally my crib. I can't afford an office at the moment . I know you know Lisa but if you know Austin at WF I'll tell him you said hi next time I talk to him. Incredibly cool dude.

One of the smartest things I did working on my game was buy an Nvidia Shield tablet and Shield controller. I can compile builds of my game for android and take it on the road. If I'm somewhere with good internet, I can even stream the regular build proper, failing that while performance dips quite a bit in places on the tablet, the game remains playable. It's even got a video out I can hook into TVs and projectors with.

It's been invaluable for getting feedback, etc. I can just throw it in a small bag whenever we're going somewhere with people who might potentially be interested in it. It's really justified the tablet purchase, which otherwise I don't think I'd have gotten much use out of. Now it seems invaluable.

OH! You posted this in the Oculus thread! I thought I'd read the bolded somewhere else and went back to check.

It's funny because I saw the toy store environment further up the thread, and my first thought was that it would look amazing in VR. I'll try out your Rift demo when I can, are you developing in Unity?

It looks great and the concept is interesting, keep it up

It's Unreal Engine 4, but since I'm not pushing it too far, it should run pretty well on most systems. Thanks for the interest. I haven't tested this area out in VR yet, but I'll be diving in later once the area is finished. UE4's built in Oculus support is wonderful. Thanks for the encouragement! Every piece of motivation is invaluable.

 

[Jacksinthe]

One of the smartest things I did working on my game was buy an Nvidia Shield tablet and Shield controller. I can compile builds of my game for android and take it on the road. If I'm somewhere with good internet, I can even stream the regular build proper, failing that while performance dips quite a bit in places on the tablet, the game remains playable. It's even got a video out I can hook into TVs and projectors with.

It's been invaluable for getting feedback, etc. I can just throw it in a small bag whenever we're going somewhere with people who might potentially be interested in it. It's really justified the tablet purchase, which otherwise I don't think I'd have gotten much use out of. Now it seems invaluable.

This is an incredibly good idea. I should build for Android and just carry my N7 with me and a charged controller. I have a laptop but the tab is far more portable. Great idea - thanks for the heads up!

 

[Mechanical Snowman]

It's Unreal Engine 4, but since I'm not pushing it too far, it should run pretty well on most systems. Thanks for the interest. I haven't tested this area out in VR yet, but I'll be diving in later once the area is finished. UE4's built in Oculus support is wonderful. Thanks for the encouragement! Every piece of motivation is invaluable.

Oh, I'm using UE4 too! You're right about the out of the box Rift support, it's a pleasure to work with.

 

[beril]

I can only talk about how I felt after finishing my last self published novel, since I haven't released a game yet either. I thought I had mentally protected myself quite well from negativity.

I was dropping links on friends walls to let them know the book was out since I figured not everyone would see it if it was on my wall and someone who I thought was still a good friend, that I dated in a previous life said from very nasty things about it, and I basically just stopped self promoting the book. It completely knocked the wind out of my sails.

Realistically I know that there is a number of people I want to play Primitive. I don't know what that number is yet, but I know that I'm going to find out when the game either passes it or falls short.

But that all said, there are people that hate the best games (and movies and books, etc), and not every game is going to be for every person. You won't see a gamer say 'this isn't my kind of thing' very often even when that's the case. Gamers throw loads of hyperbole around like 'worst ever' and that kind of thing. We all know that.

And I know you weren't fishing for this, but a guy I know who doesn't have much of any online presence once just started talking to me about this cool game he'd found on the 3DS eShop called Gunman Clive. The point isn't that a few years ago someone liked your game, but that there are people out there playing your game that really like it, that you'll never even know exist. There still could be people discovering the game that you don't know about.

What we see is just a random sample, and probably not enough to accurately gauge the average reaction.

Find out what makes it worth it. For me so far working on a game it's putting the latest builds into people's hands and watching them play it. I won't be able ride that one out forever, but that's a joy you can't get with a novel without seeming really really creepy.

Great post. I feel like my original post was probably a bit too whiny. I'm really very fortunate; the response is overwhelmingly positive, sales look promising, and tons of people, and new people every day, played my old game, and seemingly enjoyed it for the most part. But there's a lot of feelings to process after a release.

 

[Roran Stehl]

Great thread. Beside the kickstarter thread on GAF, is there a place to find "backable" projects?

 

[plagiarize]

Great post. I feel like my original post was probably a bit too whiny. I'm really very fortunate; the response is overwhelmingly positive, sales look promising, and tons of people, and new people every day, played my old game, and seemingly enjoyed it for the most part. But there's a lot of feelings to process after a release.

I don't think success prevents how ugly doubt can be. Hugely talented people suffer from almost crippling doubt at times. Russell T Davies who brought back Doctor Who (and has a whole other massive list of accomplishments) regularly gets almost paralyzed by self doubt, thinking that his stuff is crap, and he's a fraud, and all that. If someone that talented and successful can't be sure of themselves how can anyone expect us to be? Not to say that people shouldn't be confident and sure of themselves, naturally, just that no degree of success stops doubt, and stops it being a rough thing to deal with.

 

[Noogy]

So how do people deal with post release depression? I still have tons of things I should do but don't have any energy for it.

Kindof sad to see how fast the discussion dies down after launch. That doesn't necessarily mean anything for sales, though it's too early to make any judgements about that. Gunman Clive was a game that sold well but was mostly unknown outside certain circles, and I'm happy it's not the other way around, but after working on something on my own for a year (and way longer since I last released something) it just feels rather anticlimactic to have a couple of days in the spotlight and then quiet again. I guess I have a pretty strong need for acknowledgement that probably isn't very healthy to try satisfy by reading internet posts by random people...

Post-release depression was not something I was prepared for. I think it's taken me over two years to finally get over it, despite my game selling twenty times my wildest expectations.

Personally I'm finding the best way to combat the depression is to work on something new. I'm not sure if my experience is unique, since I've only shipped one game (and its various ports), but I admit I'm not looking forward to dealing with that post-launch experience again. I find I'm always happiest quietly developing, and worrying less about marketing and reception.

One bit of advice, try not to find redemption through you audience. No matter how many compliments you receive, that one negative complaint will bring you back down again. There was a great extra in the special edition of Indie Game: The Movie where Team Meat talked about dealing with online feedback. I personally find getting back to my wife and kids, and spending time with family and church is the best cure for post-launch depression.

 

[Feep]

I think one benefit of me working one hundred hour workweeks continuously for like three months is that I'm just desperate for it to be over. I think the utter and sheer relief of being able to sleep and breathe will help me get over any issues with post-release. I want to see my friends again.

 

[V_Arnold]

I think my girlfriend has been tainted by League of Legend's splash arts.
She keeps creating enemies in the game with PIXEL TITTIES!

The rest of the content (95%) is completely non-sexualized, and the remaining enemies are not exactly scandily clad women either (we will have a sucubbus and a male incubus as well, and centaurs wearing bras, stuff like that), but sometimes I wonder if it will piss off someone.

And gender selection is a given. No bikini armors either

 

[Jobbs]

I think my girlfriend has been tainted by League of Legend's splash arts.
She keeps creating enemies in the game with PIXEL TITTIES!

The rest of the content (95%) is completely non-sexualized, and the remaining enemies are not exactly scandily clad women either (we will have a sucubbus and a male incubus as well, and centaurs wearing bras, stuff like that), but sometimes I wonder if it will piss off someone.

And gender selection is a given. No bikini armors either

what's the game?

 

[V_Arnold]

what's the game?

"Match 3" type puzzle meets proper RPG
It has no name yet. More details once all systems are in place. I plan on writing more on my ordeals with the battle system too - once I put it behind me

Here is a little sneek peak:
(One of the color variaton of sucubbus. The hero does have a proper get-hit animation too, his part is just placeholder.)

Edit: Here is another one, showing a different enemy and a proper get-hit/idle animation

 

[SpacePirate Ridley]

It's actually a first person puzzle platform title most of the environments are much less detailed and you have to figure out what is and isn't solid by changing perspective and experimenting.

Most (thought not all) of the levels end with much more detailed environments that play into the story a bit.

This video from the end of level 5 should give you a bit of an idea of the gameplay and the back and forth.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MRRz8b2yFFA


.

Oh! I love how you need to guide with the lines of lights to know were to jump. And the ending with the vortex is amazingly cool!

 

[Jobbs]

"Match 3" type puzzle meets proper RPG
It has no name yet. More details once all systems are in place. I plan on writing more on my ordeals with the battle system too - once I put it behind me

Here is a little sneek peak:
(One of the color variaton of sucubbus. The hero does have a proper get-hit animation too, his part is just placeholder.)

Edit: Here is another one, showing a different enemy and a proper get-hit/idle animation

I don't see anything offensive.

 

[Jobbs]

I think one benefit of me working one hundred hour workweeks continuously for like three months is that I'm just desperate for it to be over. I think the utter and sheer relief of being able to sleep and breathe will help me get over any issues with post-release. I want to see my friends again.

I'll talk a bit about what it's like for me working on a long project where I've made a commitment to finish it.

I'm neurotic. I can't always focus on the project because I don't always have the energy and sometimes I do get annoyed with it or sick of it, but I also have trouble recharging by doing anything else. If I do something else, I feel like I'm wasting time. It's this weird rock and hard place type thing.

I try to still get some escape and check out new games that come out and stuff, but I just can't really commit to anything. I'm utterly neurotic from this and I don't know how long that'll take to wear off after it's over.

 

[Kritz]

To bring things a little offtopic - when I'm taking a break from my game and want to run idle for a few hours, I watch gamedev related videos on youtube.

I came across this playlist half a year ago, and it's filled with brilliant slices of people talking about their game. It has some Vlambeer, some Jon Blow, some Cactus - the people who I routinely look up to. I also dug up this other playlist, which has substantially more Blow, some McMillen, Tom Francis, etc.

I'm a complete sucker - I can listen to people talk for hours about their games, development processes, theory on programming languages and development environments, and the stress (and wonder) that come from putting everything on the line to do something you love. On some level it's a mix of my own daydreamy wish fulfillment, conformation bias and egocentrism. Though at the same time it's intoxicatingly entertaining. I'm also a dag for Indie Game the movie, Super Game Jam and the upcoming Game Loading. Maybe it's unhealthy for me to idolise the people who have been radically successful, but it sure sets a fire under my ass.

Does anyone else have any kind of favourite dev playlists or videos that they use to simultaneously unwind and geek out on? Anything ranging from cool GDC Vault videos to podcasts to film, anything that's similar?

 

[okiemok]

In regards to post release depression, it is very difficult to avoid when you are in a very small group or essentially solo.

Some advanced planning is helpful, such as marking when you know development is going to be over, and then pulling back on your work load.

I would also recommend helping a buddy with their project if you can - the fact that you are not "in charge" and "the one responsible" can be a huge relief while you are still being productive. Sometimes pushing a broom can bring solace.

More advanced planning - when you know you are about to dive into the project deep - take a day or two and write a design synopsis for other ideas - then just file those away. When you get to the end of the road for your project, break those back out and see if any of them catch your attention. Understanding that you don't always have to be coding/drawing, but should be thinking of a new direction is important.

 

[SeanNoonan]

In regards to post release depression, it is very difficult to avoid when you are in a very small group or essentially solo.

Eh, I just shipped Watch_Dogs, Far Cry 4 and my own, Jack B. Nimble... and now feel like I'm in a rut I can't get out of.

I took part in the Global Game Jam last weekend in an effort to "snap out of it" but no dice...

 

[plagiarize]

The Mall is open for business!

The last two stores in are Rowdy's Convenience (the same company as the Gas Station) and Baggins frozen yoghurt. Get it? FroYo Baggins.

The creator isn't going to let you into another Rowdy's after the mess you made last time.

Glowing FroYo. Yum!

A couple of views of the finished area. Not bad for a couple of days work right?

 

[Jacksinthe]

The Mall is open for business!



The last two stores in are Rowdy's Convenience (the same company as the Gas Station) and Baggins frozen yoghurt. Get it? FroYo Baggins.



The creator isn't going to let you into another Rowdy's after the mess you made last time.



Glowing FroYo. Yum!



A couple of views of the finished area. Not bad for a couple of days work right?

I like it all and the use of color is great. The fact that everything is lined so perfectly makes it that much nicer to look at.

 

[plagiarize]

I like it all and the use of color is great. The fact that everything is lined so perfectly makes it that much nicer to look at.

Thanks a bunch. I put a load of work into this area over the weekend. It was really daunting starting out with these 9 retail spaces to fill and the whole thing. Every comment like this really helps keep me on target. You guys are the best

Being able to build almost everything at right angles is one of the big benefits of this art style and my game idea. Time to run through this in VR then hit the hay.

I actually went out and took pictures of a FroYo place to get Baggins just right. Like a proper game developer!

 

[Jacksinthe]

Thanks a bunch. I put a load of work into this area over the weekend. It was really daunting starting out with these 9 retail spaces to fill and the whole thing. Every comment like this really helps keep me on target. You guys are the best

Being able to build almost everything at right angles is one of the big benefits of this art style and my game idea. Time to run through this in VR then hit the hay.

I actually went out and took pictures of a FroYo place to get Baggins just right. Like a proper game developer!

Or, for other nefarious plans because you moonlight as a spy. I'm on to you. Either way, looking good

 

[plagiarize]

Or, for other nefarious plans because you moonlight as a spy. I'm on to you. Either way, looking good

The scale all felt good in VR so I'm done for the day. Thanks again for the encouragement.

I'm starting level 7 tomorrow which is the midway point for the environment design stage. So much work done, so much work left It took someone about an hour to run through the first six levels (without dialogue). That's right where I want it to be, so that's great too. 2 to 3 hours is the goal for the final thing for a first play through.

 

[Jobbs]

using charge blast causes this screen ripple now. seems to work (in addition to the screen shake and chromatic abberation).

http://www.gfycat.com/DetailedTenderAsiantrumpetfish

 

[Jacksinthe]

using charge blast causes this screen ripple now. seems to work (in addition to the screen shake and chromatic abberation).

http://www.gfycat.com/DetailedTenderAsiantrumpetfish

I think it looks good but perhaps a slightly faster speed on the ripple, IMO. Otherwise it and the RGB separation look good.

 

[-COOLIO-]

using charge blast causes this screen ripple now. seems to work (in addition to the screen shake and chromatic abberation).

http://www.gfycat.com/DetailedTenderAsiantrumpetfish

that is a damn satisfying cannon blast. this actually convinces me to buy your game.

 

[OccamsBlender]

Another great playtesting session, courtesy of Insomniac Games.

How do I not see these things. I feel dumb.

Because you've been involved in the project too long to have a fresh perspective. It happens to the best of everyone, that's why people do it. You'd be dumb if you didn't playtest.

Screenshot saturday? Screenshot saturday. It's a small gif, to preview a more complete video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f6lkvLyvLKs&feature=youtu.be

Your animations rock, as always!

 

[WanderingWind]

Btw, if you guys need a musician, I highly recommend jellycrackers. Super professional and reasonable rates. Listening to the track that he provided for my game inspired me to get back to the grind and stop fretting about learning a new engine. I've officially settled on a battle system, which is a huge deal for RPG creation - bigger than I thought. I mapped out the story and the characters and the world map.

Now, I just need to get to work on the pixels. As I can barely draw stick figures, this part may take a while.

 

[mantrakid]

My mind is straight blown at the increase in sales #'s by putting Cosmochoria on 50% off this past week. Not sure how to process it exactly, but i feel like there's a deep truth in there somewhere.

http://store.steampowered.com/app/293240

 

[Violet_0]

My mind is straight blown at the increase in sales #'s by putting Cosmochoria on 50% off this past week. Not sure how to process it exactly, but i feel like there's a deep truth in there somewhere.

http://store.steampowered.com/app/293240

that was not very subtle

 

[HellBlazer]

My mind is straight blown at the increase in sales #'s by putting Cosmochoria on 50% off this past week. Not sure how to process it exactly, but i feel like there's a deep truth in there somewhere.

http://store.steampowered.com/app/293240

Can you share how much sales increased, percentage-wise?

 

[Pehesse]

Because you've been involved in the project too long to have a fresh perspective. It happens to the best of everyone, that's why people do it. You'd be dumb if you didn't playtest.


Your animations rock, as always!

Thanks

As for post-release depression syndrome, that's something I dread quite a bit, especially since I tend to have some of it even for important milestones within a single project. I also noticed I tend to slow down when the finish line is in sight because of that, which is not good either... I suppose it won't ever really go away (should it, anyway? One could argue it's the sign that the whole thing mattered in the first place), but as you gain more experience finishing projects, you can at least reel the feeling back in to more manageable proportions? I'll agree having another project, or side activity, to jump right back into helps a lot in getting back on track - if not getting sidetracked while you're working on your main task :-D I tend to have plenty of .txt files lying around with notes/ideas for other game projects, which I forbid myself from working on until the current big one is "done" - ideas come quick, and they allow to have some visibility as to what's next, just in case.

 

[Raonak]

New build of Nax of the Universe [Alpha 1.5] (6mb)

It's mostly the same as the last alpha in terms of content, but has lots of combat and visual tweaks. And plus this time, it's an executable!
Storyline is coming along... It's gonna revove around Nax, a rookie bounty hunter who travels the universe looking for legendary weapons.

Hope I can get this finished before Sony stops PSVita development, because I feel my game would be PERFECT for it (especially considering it's the exact resolution :O )


Controls and Stuff

(old gif, but whatever)

 

[OldmanAndroid]

I think one benefit of me working one hundred hour workweeks continuously for like three months is that I'm just desperate for it to be over. I think the utter and sheer relief of being able to sleep and breathe will help me get over any issues with post-release. I want to see my friends again.

Ya I think this is where I'm at too, I'm having more pre-release depression (though not clocking 100 hour work weeks, taking a break at least once a week.) Game should have been done by now, feel like Im running a marathon, and someone keeps moving the finish line. I just want my life back. And all I can think about is the next game I want to work on.

My first XBLIG took over 2 years and sold less than 100 copies, so I was pretty bummed about that. The one good thing that came out of it is that I feel like I cared so much about my game, that I genuinely stopped caring what people thought of me.

 

[Mr. Virus]

I think one benefit of me working one hundred hour workweeks continuously for like three months is that I'm just desperate for it to be over. I think the utter and sheer relief of being able to sleep and breathe will help me get over any issues with post-release. I want to see my friends again.

I can sorta sympathise with that, but the drop off into even a "normal" 9-5 routine has kinda left me wondering what the hell I should be doing for the game instead of anything else outside of it. Gets kinda all consuming if you're doing long weeks/months on it.

Also make sure you take care of yourself and get a decent amount of sleep/breaks man. It can properly mess with you otherwise .