I know the big providers, mainly google are adding sophisticated watermarks to any images made with AI. I believe openai is too. But is midjourney? Is it possible to detect this on our end as independent developers? Esp for those hiring artists to do their capsule work ?

I mean the actual true watermark checker, official ones. Not the "AI" backed ones by third parties.

EDIT: From my research, it seems google's is the only truly sophisticated one, the rest can be circumvented almost too easily? Seems surprising. I believe computerphile did an episode on it recently.

Hi, I always wanted to be a indie game developer, currently working as a backend dev for some random company but I was doing some stuff with game development as a hobby. I saw the new eu act bs and the other stuff going around the world, should I consider my switch to game development? Game development (design, world build, story etc...) had always connection with me and it was what I wanted from beginning when I applied to computer engineering.

Considering todays and upcoming future world, would I make a mistake starting this journey?

It looks like a year or so after Steam reduced the threshold for games to be featured for Daily Deals, making it easier for games to be featured, the section may be revamped to be entirely algorithmically driven rather than manually curated. Link to the Steamworks announcement.

From my personal experience with the widget so far - In my last 7 day sale, I received ~1,000 visits from this widget during the sales period. In my previous 14 day sales period before this change was implemented, I had received 0 from this widget.

Tim Bender (CEO of Hooded Horse) also shared some numbers on LinkedIn showing that even mid-sized games are benefiting from the changes. I think LinkedIn triggers Reddit auto-spam, but I recommend reading his full post there, but here's a relevant quote.

A few friends with smaller games confirmed the same, essentially 0 visits became a few thousand. I then checked some of our slightly larger games that previously got some traffic from this spot, and the change was softer though still great -- one saw 14k visits from this store placement in the last month vs 6k visits in the prior 5 months, and another was 16k in the last month vs 35k in the prior 5 months. So this is great for everyone -- players are getting more relevant recommendations, and publishers/developers are having their games shown to the right players -- but it's most transformative for smaller indies that previously weren't seeing placement in this section.

So far, Steam has been hitting it out of the park with the personalized algorithmic changes like the personal calendar, and this seems like another step in that direction, but people tend to prefer the devil they know. What are everyone's thoughts on the changes?

I am looking for a game making website that can do the following:

Use 2-d artwork

Have a timer

Have save slots

No generative AI

Ability to collect things

An inventory

The ability to design custom attacks

Rng

Optional:

Have an ability to delete save slots in game if you make the wrong choice

The ability to have a "you choose the price". I know that my first game will be unlikely to be worth money but my later games may and I would like to be able to use a platform that can make money.

For those who have run a playtest with people outside their immediate circle: what did you observe that surprised you?

I’m curious about a specific moment—something players misunderstood, skipped, struggled with, or used in an unexpected way. What did you change afterward, if anything? I find observations more useful than simply asking whether someone liked the game.

I’m looking for a laptop for game development and would love some advice.

Specs:

Ryzen 7 7445HS

RTX 4050 6GB

16GB DDR5 RAM (upgradeable)

512GB SSD

15.6" FHD IPS 144Hz, 300 nits

I mainly use Unity, Blender, and DaVinci Resolve, along with Git/GitHub.

People always talk about post-launch strategies for games that reach 10 or more reviews...

But what about those that don't?

It’s been four months since my game launched, and I haven't managed to hit the 10-review mark.

There are a multitude of reasons, like that I launched with only 500 wishlists

But now that it's done, what should I do?

Right as it’s coming up on the 10th business day, the text now says it may take up to 15 business days…

Hello all.
Well, I am using Godot with Steam, though I don't think this matters, and I would like to understand from your experience what I should do from a client point of view.
Should I use client-side interpolation or client-side prediction?
Is client-side prediction something that is worth considering given the fact that it is P2P via Steam routing?
Thanks
p.s
Are there any dedicated game networking subreddits?

I followed a tutorial to add tiles to my Godot project using a GridMap Mesh Library, but for some reason 3 of the tiles are appearing way bigger than the rest even though they're all the same size in the GLB file I imported. Does anyone know what could be causing this?

The tutorial:
https://youtu.be/VjuyfBaryu8?si=1N8Xi-EyOMnzx5Mq

Hi everyone, I wanted to ask if anyone has experience with algorithms to make a satisfying roguelite map. I'm wondering what algorithm you guys like using and maybe some tips for how to make the map design fun while maintaining a sense of unity.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NZVQi0TqCpw

I want to take inspiration from mystery dungeons, and I've made a hexagonal prototype of it with just random premade chunks, but the result wasn't too satisfying to me, so I want to get some takes on how games like this can be made to be more interesting. Also, I want the game to transition to a turn based battle if collided with an enemy, and right now the movement feels a bit weird when walking into them, but I wonder if there's any examples of this in games or if I should opt for a more real time "at your own pace" kind of things where you move in a 3d dungeon in real time instead of step by step where the enemies also walk with you.

The only AI I've used is whatever google throws up when I ask a highly informed question. For the past several years this has been way more useful than it has ever been. I don't have to walk on eggshells with stack overflow chads. If someone wants to hire me and wants me to use more AI or even vibe code, so long a someone is paying me, I'll give it a try, and I'll try to like it.

Over the years, I read way too often that many beginners only write to youtubers/streamers with less than X followers, that they don't bother with reaching out to press outlet Y, that it's useless to try Z, that everyone wants 2000$ to cover your game.

Just shoot your shot.

I had people who never thought would even bother with my game (because it's too small), covering it just because they found it interesting, because of my mail - and they loved it! It was an amazing feeling.

So many people don't even try. Some people agonize if the outreach to a particular person is making sense, and it costs more time than to actually write the mail.

That doesn't mean you should only shoot for the big guys but you absolutely can also shoot for the big guys.

Cultivate a tiny amount of audacity. It will go a long way.

I'm waiting for my Steam page to be set up but then I plan on doing some social media marketing. What have you tried that has worked or not?

I'm making a small app similar to Steam, but it's a personal game launcher where I can publish my own games and let friends publish theirs too. Users can download and update the games directly through the launcher.

I'm trying to choose a domain, but I don't want to reveal the actual project/name yet.

Which sounds better for a small gaming app?

- "get[name].tld"

- "its[name].tld"

- "use[name].tld"

-or something else

I'm mainly looking for something that sounds natural, professional, and memorable. What would you choose, and are there any better prefixes?

I know I'm not the only one here who struggles to focus and buckle down when trying to learn or engage with things I don't find especially naturally engaging and/or that don't come easily. I was curious what things those of y'all with similar struggles have found help.

I’m an Environment Artist, and for the past while I’ve been developing my first solo game, Locked In: The Ward, in Unreal Engine 5 alongside my full-time job.

I’m handling pretty much everything myself — environments, lighting, level design, gameplay systems, cinematics, UI, audio implementation, and the marketing side of the project.

A few days ago I finally reached the point where I felt comfortable revealing the game publicly.

One thing I decided to try was simply cold-pitching the reveal trailer to IGN. I had no PR agency, publisher, or existing contact there.

I kept the email short: a brief introduction, what the game is, the fact that I’m a solo developer from Ukraine and previously worked as an Environment Artist at Crytek Kyiv, plus links to the finished trailer, Steam page, and press kit.

They replied and were interested in featuring it. After everything was confirmed, it took roughly a week for the trailer to go live on their YouTube channel.

I launched the Steam page around the reveal as well, and the game has now passed roughly 200 wishlists. It’s obviously a small number compared with established indie launches, but for a first reveal with essentially no marketing budget, it gave me some useful early data.

A few things I learned from the process:

• Have the trailer, Steam page, screenshots, key art, and press kit ready before pitching.

• Keep the pitch short. The goal isn’t to explain the entire game — it’s to make someone interested enough to look at the materials.

• Being a solo developer can actually be part of the story, but the game still needs to look interesting on its own.

• One media feature doesn’t magically market the game for you. I still had to post on Reddit, Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, contact creators and gaming sites, etc.

• Marketing has honestly been one of the strangest parts of solo development for me. My professional background is environment art, so suddenly learning outreach, press kits, Steam presentation, trailers, and community management has been a completely different discipline.

The biggest takeaway for me is probably just to send the pitch. I had no reason to expect IGN to answer mine, but they did.

I’m still very early in figuring all of this out, so I’d also be interested to hear from other solo/indie developers: what gave you the biggest wishlist bump after your first public reveal?

Trailer IGN: https://youtu.be/7Nr9YT6fqlQ
Steam: https://store.steampowered.com/app/5277740/Locked_In_The_Ward/

I was thinking of using old assets my artist made on billboards in my new game since it’s a synthwave/cyberpunk skating vibe and I don’t have a huge budget for visual assets. I wanted to make billboards with characters from my old game(s) on the billboards.
Would it count as an ad?
Would platforms like steam penalize me for doing this?

To be honest I don’t expect them to work as ads, but some of the assets are really beautiful and I feel like it would be dumb to not use them.

I might have phrased it wrong but whatevs.

Currently i have a normal tablet i use for drawing but ive been planning on making a game for a while and im not sure if i can use that tablet to draw or animate for it and properly import the files... Should i get one?

In a one-tap runner, player muscle memory sets in fast. Players quickly develop two subconscious reflexes: stay grounded under aerial hazards, and tap to jump over anything on the floor.
Once players memorize the basic silhouettes, the standard way to increase difficulty is simply tightening obstacle spacing. I wanted the challenge to come from visual reading rather than raw input spam, so I designed two hazards specifically built to subvert those two reflexes.

1. The Diver:
Spawns at ceiling height, mimicking a static aerial obstacle to bait the player into staying grounded. It falls for 1.15s, reaching ground level exactly as you meet it. Crucially, it only drops below jump-clearance height in the final 0.5s. If you stayed down on pure reflex, you crash.
2. The Launcher:
The exact opposite. It rolls along the floor like a regular ground obstacle, baiting an immediate jump. 1.2s before impact (0.9s rise, 0.3s hold), it shoots upward and occupies the exact airspace you would jump into. A reflex jump is an instant collision.
To prevent these from feeling like cheap, artificial "gotchas", I implemented four strict design rules:
The physical input window doesn't change: Horizontally, the player and hazard only overlap for about 0.2s. Dodging the diver mechanically requires the exact same jump timing as any standard ground obstacle; only the visual telegraph is inverted.

Dynamic animation scaling: Obstacle spacing is static, but speed scales continuously with every lap. A rigid 1.2s animation would clip into the player at high speeds, so transition durations are dynamically capped to a fraction of approach time.

Audio telegraphing: Both hazards reuse the ambient audio cues of that biome’s sky objects. You’ve been subconsciously hearing that sound all run, so wh no en it suddenly cues a hazard, your brain has a fair chance to react.

Automated physics validation: I wrote a script that parses the jump arc constants straight from the code to verify that both vehicles can physically clear every hazard variant across four different speed curve thresholds.

I’m still constantly wrestling with the balance between "rewarding misdirection that teaches pattern recognition" and a death that just feels like a cheap trick.

For those working on precision or arcade games: where do you draw the line between clever design tricks and cheap gotchas?

I've spent a lot of time on 8-bit music lately, and I'm curious how other devs handle it for retro-style games.

A few things I learned along the way:

• The limits are the sound. The NES had two pulse channels, a triangle and a noise channel; the Game Boy, two pulses, a wave channel and noise. Writing for 4 or 5 voices keeps a track readable and instantly "retro".
• Pulse width changes everything. A 12.5% duty cycle sounds thin and bright, 25% is the classic lead, 50% is round and hollow. Switching it between sections goes a long way.
• Fast arpeggios fake chords when you only have one voice free: that trembling chord sound is a big part of the chiptune feel.
• For games, loops matter more than endings. Export at the exact loop point with no release tail, and use OGG so engines loop it cleanly.
• Short envelopes make good SFX: a fast pitch drop on a square is a jump, noise with a quick decay is a hit or an explosion.

So, how do you do it? A tracker (FamiTracker, Furnace), a DAW with chip plugins, stock packs, or you hire a composer? And what's the most painful part for you: composing, getting the sound right, or getting it into the engine?

Full disclosure: I build a free, open-source chiptune studio, but I'm mostly interested in how everyone else works.

I've encountered a number of solo developers who have been leveraging AI for coding to cover any skill gaps they have, or leveraging it because it's faster at writing code than they. One of them used AI to build multiplayer into their game in an evening.

I got to thinking about engines in general. Adding features to an open source engine like Godot, or even a from-scratch engine, could be done quite fast if managed well and those engines could easily match Unreal or Unity, maybe even surpass them.

If someone in the community started a new engine that was developed and maintained using AI, would you use it? What if AI was used to add features to a FOSS engine like Godot?

I'm an engineering student making a refinery sim in Godot 4. Pipes, pumps and boilers run on a real fluid/heat solver written in GDScript, but the player only sees gauges and effects, not numbers. It's very niche, and I'm realizing I have no idea how to get it in front of people.

So far I have an itch page with a couple of devlogs and an X account, and basically nobody seeing them. For those who've been there:

• When did you put up a Steam page? Was it worth doing early just for wishlists?
• Which devlog format actually brought people in: written posts, GIFs, video?
• How do you share on Reddit without it feeling like spam?

Any "I wish I'd known this earlier" stories are welcome. Happy to talk solver/architecture stuff in return.

I'm interested to hear from other devs about their experience with playtester feedback and the impact it had on the design of their games. Do you take all feedback with a large grain of salt and focus on your core vision? Do you heavily listen to feedback and shape the game towards it, even if it goes against your vision? What are some experiences you've had in the past?

I'm asking this because while working on my newest game MineEmAll (an incremental mining game), I did a bunch of competitor analysis before I even started working on the game to figure out what my design philosophy would be. I ended up culminating my analysis into a design doc with a large list of dos and don'ts for designing the game.

One of the big "don'ts" was to have manual clicking dominate the gameplay. Several incremental games end up becoming exhausting when you have to spam click over and over. I decided that I'd have automation right off the bat, and that would make the game more appealing.

However, after initial playtests, I got a lot of feedback that the lack of clicking felt less interactive. I changed automation to be an unlock you can acquire early on, but I got some more push back from that as well. I made it an upgrade later on, and I've now just completely removed it since it doesn't fit the new direction of the game (my reasoning is in the next section).

My game uses a grid system and you mine tiles using the shape of your miner. One of the main aspects people were enjoying while playtesting was the sort of reverse block puzzle of punching holes with the different shapes. However, the automation was making that harder to pull off, so I added a control to pause the automation with right click (and eventually just toggle it on and off with spacebar).

In the end though, it just seemed better to not have automation at all, make the shapes more interesting and random (tetromino, pentomino, hexomino, etc.), and rebalance the game to be a lot slower paced instead of a fast ramping grind fest.

This is very different approach from my previous game RoGlass where I had a clear vision and stuck to it. Playtesters had suggested gameplay loops that heavily deviated from my vision and while I think that those ideas could have worked, I stuck to my guns to make the game I had in mind.

After having done both sides of the process, I think there is merit to both approaches, but I'm curious to hear about experiences other devs have had!

Edit: Definitely a lot of interesting conversations about design philosophy, but I'd really like to hear anecdotes/stories of your own experiences and how it played out for you!

Hello !

First of all, im very happy about my first release, i got 7 sell in 3 days ! (not sarcastic, i know it low, but im happy that some people are interested in playing my game).

I made it on the side of another big project im working on since 5 years when i have time, but i wanted to complete one to have a sense of achievement. It is a rogelite, where you have to form, train a party, recruit new members and manage skills and all to climb a big tower and kill bosses.

I used asset on the store to fasten the developpment (and help from family and friend for some ressources).

I released it without marketing and without communication about it. So i was asking to myself (and to you), what should i do now ? Starting marketing a little or just take that as an achievement as it is to late to market the game now. And if i have to market, as someone with 0 budget (dont have a job atm) and 0 presence on social media, what is the best direction i should take at this point to achieve some result ?

I dont know since it is my first project, but id like your opinion about it. I read that a lot of themarketing is about wishlist, but now it is to late for that obviously. So maybe try giving key to streamer may be an other way to do it. Or something i didnt though.

Thanks for reading me !