General Game Development Advice

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Starting Your Game Development Journey 

• Start your game development now, instead of waiting for the perfect moment. 
• The best time to start was in the past, but the second best time is now. 
• Start with a small scope for your game. 
• Overwhelming yourself is easy as a beginner if you plan a massive game without preparation. 
• Start with one mechanic and make the entire game revolve around it. 

Managing Game Development Projects 

• Quitting a game is okay if the scope is too large. 
• Finishing a game is important when you are mostly done. 
• The more games you finish, the better you become at game development. 
• Cycle through different workflows to avoid losing momentum. 
• Switch to art if you are stuck on coding. 
• Making a game design document is beneficial for projects taking more than a couple of days. 
• A game design document provides a basic outline and saves time. 

Game Design and Marketing 

• Use the “this but that” rule to come up with game ideas. 
• The “this but that” rule involves using something proven and adding a twist. 
• Make marketing a priority to ensure your game appeals to an audience. 
• Ask yourself, “Who do I want my audience to be, and what do I want them to feel?”. 

Motivation and Tool Selection 

• Give up now if you’re in game development for quick money. 
• Successful games take years to make and require experienced developers. 
• Your game engine does not matter much. 
• GDevelop or Unity are good game engine options for beginners. 
• Unreal is harder to learn initially due to fewer tutorials. 

5 Core Game Mechanics and Feedback 

• Start by making your game feel good first. 
• Responsive main mechanics help the rest of the game fall into place. 
• Don’t take criticism personally. 
• Detach your self-worth from game feedback. 
• Pay attention to repeated feedback, as it may have a point. 

Learning and Development 

• Failure is a good thing and an easy way to learn. 
• Save and document everything you make for future reuse and inspiration. 
• Execution is more important than your idea. 
• The way you make a game matters more than the initial concept. 
• Luck is not everything, but you still need to get lucky. 
• A good game will gain traction if a famous person plays it. 

Art Style and Prototyping 

• Choose a style and stick with it for your game’s art. 
• Mixing completely different art styles can make a game look messy. 
• Prototype your game, especially if you think it’s an amazing idea. 
• Prototyping helps determine if the game is fun. 
• A prototype serves as a semi-demo and free advertisement. 
• Prototypes allow you to get feedback and understand the scope of the game. 

Balancing Robustness and Quick Fixes 

• Find balance between robust code and quick fixes. 
• Avoid spending too much time on perfect systems for minor elements. 
• Avoid hand-coding repetitive elements when you have many instances. 
• Balance short-term and long-term solutions to maximize time and quality.