How I Overcame 4 Game Dev Secrets I Wish I Knew Sooner

Рет қаралды 14,753

Күн бұрын

In this video I cover several tips for beginners to game development and anyone planning to make their first commercial indie game! I wish I had known all of these sad game dev truths before making my game Seamless, as it would have saved MONTHS!
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🕒 Timestamps:
00:00 - Intro
00:05 - Idea is KING, Code is USELESS
01:25 - How to find the PERFECT idea naturally
03:06 - How to find your gem 10x faster
04:03 - The darkside of when an idea is TOO good
05:24 - Commercial game dev is a lot harder than they tell you
06:58 - Why failure is FANTASTIC
07:34 - These secrets have the potential to KILL our games
08:15 - This is SERIOUS, an Indie dev received a DMCA takedown for it
08:52 - Giving up control gives you more control + burnout sucks
👀 This video was inspired by ButWhyLevin's amazing video 'I Wish I Had Known This Before I Started Unity Game Development...', so go and give it a watch!
• I Wish I Had Known Thi...
🎁 All Resources used in this video can be found at the following GitHub repository: github.com/tobyrcod/GameDevRe...
🎧 Music from Lofi Girl:
Kupla - Lavender
- Provided by Lofi Records
- Watch: • Kupla - Lavender
- Download/Stream: fanlink.to/MelodyMountain
WYS x Sweet Medicine - Arizona Zero
- Provided by Lofi Records
- Watch: • WYS x Sweet Medicine -...
- Download/Stream: fanlink.to/Evermore
Kanisan x Wishes and Dreams - morning moon
- Provided by Lofi Records
- Watch: • Kanisan x Wishes and D...
- Download/Stream: fanlink.to/MistShadowsAndI
Ornithology
- Nocturnal
- Provided by Lofi Records
- Watch: • Ornithology - Nocturnal
- Download/Stream: fanlink.to/SleeplessNight
brillion. x Sleepdealer
- Melatonin - Provided by Lofi Records
- Watch: • brillion. x Sleepdeale...
- Download/Stream: fanlink.to/bedtimestoriespt3
Happy Coding Everyone! ❤️💻

Пікірлер: 78

@sutsuj6437 Жыл бұрын

I honestly think that the execution of an idea is what is actually important. Anyone can come up with some kind of grand Idea of thier dream game, but actually executing that idea can only be done by a small amount of people.

@BLANKdev Жыл бұрын

I'd love to know this for sure but I feel like it's a balance between the two. Great execution of a standard idea can be just as good as a pretty basic implementation of an amazing one, with everything in between. I suppose it comes down to how insane the idea is, execution will matter a lot more for a massive open world rpg with online multiplayer than it will for tik tak toe remake. Definitely worth looking into more!

@vexywat14747 Жыл бұрын

an idea could be amazing and the code could be great but if the levels/world your in is boring then its not going to be fun

@BLANKdev Жыл бұрын

Yeah level design is a whole other part, and hell a terrible game can be carried by music too sometimes. It's definitely a lot more complicated than it seems!

@TimConceivable Жыл бұрын

@@BLANKdev yeah, having a good hook is important if you want people to notice and play your game, but the execution of your idea is even more important. to say "Code is USELESS" is ridiculous. you don't have a game without code. no one is going to play a buggy mess of a game from an indie dev. gamers only put up with that from large IPs they really like (ie. Pokemon). no one is going to care about it if it's not aesthetically pleasing and fun to experience. otherwise, good tips in the video. best of luck on Seamless!

@BLANKdev Жыл бұрын

Thank you for that respectful take, I really appreciate how you can disagree with just parts and still enjoy the rest. There definitely isn't an objective answer to any of this, and I totally agree with you to an extent. Code isn't useless, but I think after a point improving your code becomes pointless as long as it 'works'. Comparing it to Pokémon was probably a mistake - but it's a nice comparison because it's brand new, and everyone knows about it. That was my thought process anyway. Thank you for the kind words about seamless too! More coming on it soon 😁

@b4ux1t3-tech 9 ай бұрын

Speaking as someone who writes games in his spare time as a way to unwind, I can say that I'm always a thousand percent more productive working on little prototypes than I am on any of the large-scale games I've tried to start. I've come to realize that I'm never going to make a game of I don't enjoy the process of making it, no matter how good the idea is. And so, I've spent the last little while really focusing on making little prototypes, or even just singular systems. I haven't found the one (or the few) that I'm going to turn I to a released game yet, but, hey, I'm building a lot of experience and confidence.

@igorthelight Жыл бұрын

The greatest quote of the day: "I was you. I AM you!".

@richbuilds_com Жыл бұрын

NGL, having your sprite bounce around the "next you tube video" link at the end was pretty clever :)

@sudhansubalasahoo Жыл бұрын

I really liked your calming voice and the suggestions

@BLANKdev Жыл бұрын

Hope they can help :)

@whateep Жыл бұрын

that house metaphor was really on point! great video!

@BLANKdev Жыл бұрын

I think its the same house I said was yours in our golf game collab, sorry about knocking it down 🤡

@Joshuahendrix Жыл бұрын

Never felt so good about my failures before this video

@claytonharting9899 10 ай бұрын

Thank you for making this video! :) I’m a programmer turned aspiring gamedev and this is maybe the most helpful advice and perspective I’ve gotten so far. I’m really glad you mentioned getting overwhelmed by a success. I have an idea that’s not even tested and I’m overwhelmed because I’ve fallen in love with it and want to do it justice Also what you said about demo vs full game is absolutely true. I’ve been making a large scale mod for an existing game and it’s the hardest thing I’ve ever done. I thought it would be easy, maybe a 2 month process. It’s been almost a year and a half since I started.

@stasisboothgames Жыл бұрын

Really good video! It's great you're mentioning things such as trademarks as they're so rarely touched on, and the importance or scrapping your project as a learning experience. Can't wait to see more of Seamless, the idea looks awesome.

@BLANKdev Жыл бұрын

Really glad you found it interesting! Seamless has been a really fun project for us but I'm loving it now for everything like this it has taught me, I'm sure there is an absolute load more to be covered!

@GamesBySaul Жыл бұрын

Excellent video, some fantastic tips in it too! I think what you're saying about Game Jams and giving up control are some of the most important ones. And they can go hand in hand thankfully! Want to start a team project to work on the next big game? Well plan that idea in a jam, and make it in a team to see how everyone functions, and get some experience at working in a team!

@TheShelfman Жыл бұрын

This was a really good video. Great way of sharing your own experiences while giving tips to others

@BLANKdev Жыл бұрын

Thanks Shelfman! It was a very rewarding video to make, super happy you like it!

@Fungle_Official Жыл бұрын

this really helped im trying to learn to make video games and you gave some great tips, im subscribing

@BLANKdev Жыл бұрын

I'm really glad I could help, best of luck making your games I really hope you enjoy it ♥️

@Skeffles Жыл бұрын

Great tips!

@BLANKdev Жыл бұрын

Thanks skeffles!!

@ChipboardDev Жыл бұрын

I wish to have that life-changing experience one day. My last game flopped and I know why. The game just isn't what people want.

@BLANKdev Жыл бұрын

Oh I'm so sorry to hear that. What's the game called? I'd love to take a look :)

@ChristopherFranko Жыл бұрын

great video man, it sounds like youre being held hostage and afraid your captors will hear you making good content. The whisper voice is nice.

@kaboomsihal1164 Жыл бұрын

I didn't think anyone would need to be told that players don't give a shit about well written code lmfao

@BLANKdev Жыл бұрын

It's way too easy as a dev to think that perfecting a section of code will just make the game 'better', which technically it will, but no one will ever be able to tell or care as long as it works 😭😂

@apo11ocat Жыл бұрын

cool video! earnt a sub!

@BLANKdev Жыл бұрын

So glad you like it 🥳

@somedude5951 Жыл бұрын

The graphics of that game look nice. Players might not care about code, as long as is does its job, they do generally care about the graphics.

@BLANKdev Жыл бұрын

Graphics absolutely matter, I shouldn't have dismissed them so quickly in the video, but I saw another comment here that I replied to that put it quite well I think. Either amazing graphics and so so gameplay and amazing gameplay but so so graphics can cancel eachother out, but overall I'd say the gameplay and hook are more important

@SheepUndefined Жыл бұрын

@@BLANKdev When people say that graphics don't matter, more often than not I think they mean that photorepresentational graphics don't matter. Aesthetics, visuals, audio, all of that is what adds up to make the game more than a glorified ascii game with painful codersprites.

@BLANKdev Жыл бұрын

Aesthetics are definitely the key you are right. I do believe the gameplay or 'coolness' factor of a game is more important for its long term, I can't lie some games are just a beautiful world to be in, emotions they manage to invoke or just relaxation from their style which totally make up for the game itself being pretty average

@somedude5951 Жыл бұрын

@@BLANKdev Emotions generally are invoked by some kind of story line. I don't mean the story of the whole game, although could be, but rather characters the player gets involved in. Sometimes communities or animals, maybe even things. If the story is strong enough, graphics become less important, but every game is different. Graphics general are important for first impressions, and your game succeeds in that. I like the design.

@BLANKdev Жыл бұрын

I think Undertale is a perfect example of idea and story hooking you in right away I remember actually wanting to cry at that start, ni no kuni same thing. There are different ways to do it and hopefully we find the right balance between them all. Really glad you like seamless too! Been going back and forth on the visuals for it lately if it needs some sort of update but I like it how it is!

@funreloadedgamedev Жыл бұрын

Thanks for your tips I will take it in my mind nice vedio tho 😀😊

@BLANKdev Жыл бұрын

Thank you too 😊

@vexywat14747 Жыл бұрын

thanks for the tips im gonna need them

@BLANKdev Жыл бұрын

Best of luck, if you ever have any questions please do ask!

@g_cabbige5 Жыл бұрын

I like how this vidoe is kind of like a commentary video :) Must be a nice break just to speak about your projects in hindsight :D

@BLANKdev Жыл бұрын

It really was! ❤

@Zer0Flash Жыл бұрын

same ngl even i wish i knew this stuff sooner and even tho i know this rn i still cant do half of the stuff because im just too laxy to

@BLANKdev Жыл бұрын

Even knowing it exists is half the battle, don't worry too hard about thinking you need to perfect it all now just if you ever do need to do any of it you won't be totally blindsided (hopefully..!)

@wazaDev Жыл бұрын

I wish I knew most of this stuff before, don't have a big enough sample size to see how people love my game so not sure how well the hook stands up

@BLANKdev Жыл бұрын

That's a great point, it's really hard to know if other people will actually like it :( Getting play testers in early is always a great idea, but for how to actually do it? If it's a new game idea then a game jam works amazingly, people will actively want to find and play a game with a new cool hook. If it's a pre-existing game try and share it around a bit, twitter, tiktok, KZfaq anything really and follow your intuition and the numbers with it. Don't let them control you though, you can't please everyone and that's ok!

@wazaDev Жыл бұрын

@@BLANKdev thanks, the getting play testers Early part is what I pushed for getting a demo of the game with the game play loop(the way it is now) and the mechanic just to see if its actually fun. I'll just work toward getting the numbers a bit high for a better analysis

@theshadowunity8260 10 ай бұрын

0:05 Idea is KING, Code is USELESS me learning to code improving on it and spending over 1500+ hours on coding Me:- well that's hurtful

@BLANKdev 10 ай бұрын

It definitely depends what your goal is. From the sounds of it you are like me and just love coding for the sake of it, and that is absolutely amazing no one can take that from us, and makes it worth it by itself! It's definitely a hard lesson to learn but as far as selling games is concerned it really does not matter how well you can code other than it not having loads of bugs. If the goal is solo game dev you have to learn to balance all the aspects that come with it and not just programming. All of that said though, 1500+ hours programming is a huge achievement to take into pretty much any industry you want, don't let this demotivate you at all, YOU GOT THIS! ❤

@theshadowunity8260 10 ай бұрын

@@BLANKdev thank you very much for the warm words bro i needed that and I'll definitely implement the advices your gave and I wonder how do I learn this other stuff like creating art works and all specifically sounds how do I learn to create them i have literally no idea how to compose music

@RegenerationOfficial Жыл бұрын

EA guid to how low you can set the bar, while indi devs keep it up

@TidaliCreative Жыл бұрын

Is there like a website where a lot of virtual game jams are listed?

@BLANKdev Жыл бұрын

Absolutely! Itch.io is my favourite place to go, they do everything all focused around smaller indie games and development. Game jams, assets for sale, written game blogs, updates, it's a great place to get started! Best of luck ♥️

@TidaliCreative Жыл бұрын

@@BLANKdev ohh okay thanks, I'll look into it!

@subarnapokharel2218 Жыл бұрын

Hey I wan to become a game dev just like yu.What course tutorial u suggest me to become a game dev and get job and what advice u suggest me

@BLANKdev Жыл бұрын

Hey ok there is a lot here, I'll try my best :) for getting started making games, game jams are a brilliant place to begin. Everyone is a beginner and the small amount of time forces you to actually release something and get feedback from them, which is invaluable. If you want a job in game development then for some unity is wanted, others unreal, but by far the best thing is just some general programming knowledge. I'd always recommend learning programming without game Dev first to get the basics, brackeys has a great C# tutorial if you go for unity, which I used when I was learning. It is quite old now so might have a better version but I highly recommend it. Remember to have fun though! Any game engine or language or game jam or style or anything can work, you just have to use something you like so don't get discouraged thinking you are using the wrong one. All the very best of luck, hope it goes well!!

@kandy5129 Жыл бұрын

Love the AI generated game thumbnails

@BLANKdev Жыл бұрын

It was definitely fun to try out!

@mktutorials3770 Жыл бұрын

A big barji fan, are you?

@BLANKdev Жыл бұрын

Nooooooo 👀

@crimester Жыл бұрын

5:06 im BLANKdev or rather BLANKdev is me

@BLANKdev Жыл бұрын

Wait but then who am I?

@crimester Жыл бұрын

@@BLANKdev we are one

@pumpkin4129 Жыл бұрын

5:49 where is unreal engine???

@PhilDeveloper Жыл бұрын

I think the hook of you game doesnt necessarily have to be something new, in fact its almost easier to make a successful game using an idea that already works than trying to re-invent the genre

@BLANKdev Жыл бұрын

I think it’s definitely going to be easier to make a good game with a solid proven idea, but it’ll be a lot harder to sell unless you have something unique about it other than just being a new one other than exceptional cases where it really is just THAT good people play it anyway because it’s perfected the genre. I personally would care more about just making a good game, but if you are putting lots of time and effort into it how it will perform has to be considered too

@babijamjam Жыл бұрын

ai art :( but the video is cool

@mvillarreal6141 Жыл бұрын

P r o m o s m

@darksentinel082 Жыл бұрын

The gross AI stuff you put up for stuff makes the video nearly unwatchable I’ll be honest. Still good to listen to if I turn my screen off I guess

@RockyMulletGamedev Жыл бұрын

Yeah in the end nobody care about your code, a bugfree boring game running at 1000 fps is still a boring game. The end product is what matters, no matter how it works under the hood.

@BLANKdev Жыл бұрын

I know it's obvious in hindsight, but I can't tell you how much I tried to fight this one. At least we have personal pride in some of the code!

@RockyMulletGamedev Жыл бұрын

@@BLANKdev I feel there's a lot of gatekeeping among programmers, focusing on THE BEST CODE EVER, arguing about insignificant things over the internet, not realizing that if your BEST CODE EVER takes 2 days to code instead of 1 hour, you just lost 2 days you could've been doing something else and if you do that for everything, then those 2 days becomes weeks and months and you have a SUPER COOL AND PERFORMING FLEXIBLE SYSTEM that does... nothing yet.

@BLANKdev Жыл бұрын

You are absolutely right about the time differences there, they definitely are not worth it in a lot of cases. I'd hate to think gatekeeping is happening though, from my experience it has actually been pretty gates open come on in approach, I haven't seen anyone say anything badly about it other than what i hear people tell themselves about their own code. I know I definitely treat myself too harshly so I'll keep that in mind next time im about to spend 2 weeks on a button 🥹