I’ve been working on my game for almost a year, mostly by myself
The budget is running out,
The game feels rushed when I promise it isn’t
People said, “At least he tried,” In my first game, which really discouraged me.
I regret making my game, which I have been working on. There are so many bugs, and still too much to work on; I need to hire more voice actors and find write and write and write. This isn’t self-promotion. I need something that’ll help me because now I’m getting tired of working on my game.
(Why don’t you just take a break)
I can’t, I really can’t take a break. When I do, I get so stressed about this game. “I could’ve been done with that today if I didn’t take a break!!”
This is more advice than anything else, but I hope it’s helpful.
Think back to whatever inspired you and come back to that. Or heck, look at and play movies, art, video games, etc. This can give you a creative spark.
Listen to something in the background! Silence sucks when working. Put on a youtube video, music, or something else that suits you. I recommend Pyrocynical.
Step back and plan. If you aren’t using a flowchart tool or a planner, take a break and do so. You will thank yourself. I personally use codecks-criminally underrated and made for game development.
Listen to indie dev stories. The stories of tbese people really can inspire you. Anything about the creation of Undertale or Stardew Valley is great.
I’m sorry, but take a break. Especially if you’ve been working on this nonstop for around a year, you really need a break, lest you want to burn out more and quit altogether. If you’re worried about not finishing stuff in time, you’re your own boss! You don’t need to adhere to a strict deadline, and planning can really help with that “I could’ve been doing work now” feeling. If it suits you, get a friend or hire someone to help out with tasks. And, there’s no shame in using tutorials or the toolbox, no matter what anyone says. Really.
Plus, make sure to have others test your game. You can get really helpful advice and steer your game in a clear direction.
As a closing note, you’re not alone! There are other game devs out there that feel and have felt exactly as you have. And they’ve handled it well and made some remarkable projects. Your game will get better. I promise.
Your average fnaf copy and paste fan game. Honestly there is so many fan games I just want to stop but cant. I’ve gotta finish what I started. If I give up all of this 10 hours a day for atleast 8 months was a waste of time.
There’s no point in having big plans if it means your brain can’t comprehend anymore. Cut, cut, cut until your plans are reduced to the most impactful ones. Trade more minigame plans for a solid security cam system, for example.
As a solo developer, I understand the challenge of big plans too well. Something that really works for me is having a checklist of objectives. I’ll jot down an idea for what I want to do, then have subitems of each step, basically breaking down the idea into tiny quests. Each time I complete a step, I get the dopamine to keep going. There’s never more than 5 tiny quests per objective.
Additionally, I define a clear, simple minimum viable product (what constitutes as an acceptable, playable version of your game), which lets me know when I’m going too far or straying away from the main goal. I like to wander with my development sometimes, which makes me develop new systems with their own problems, and I quickly get overwhelmed. I always check to make sure that any objective I list is always making progress toward the MVP, rather than straying away as a “side quest”.
Your game is ready for a release, stop torturing yourself, you can add more things for future chapters, just make a simple first chapter to hook players, gather a community and you’ll regain your motivation with money and fans flowing in.
I’m sorry I might have forgotten to say this, I have to cast and find actors, and write, rework, and add art because there is many unfinished stuff to the point it’s not playable.
Trust me. Take a break. I don’t care what you say. Don’t listen to anybody who tells you otherwise. You need one. Some great ideas have come to people only after they pause their project.
Nobody really cares about the amount of work you put into developing games, players only care about the finished products, as a solo dev you should only care about money and growing a community so you’ll have players and fundings for your “real” games, just make simple games, there’s no reason to go crazy especially on roblox
I am not doing this for money, that’s the last thing I care about. There will be no expensive game passes or anything like that. I’m doing this for the experience.
Now if the game gets popular.. That’s a different story.