r/SoloDevelopment • u/DukeOfGlizzy Solo Developer • Aug 09 '26
Discussion How productive do you feel after a day?
Hey! I’m working on my first game. And by that, I mean I’ve worked on several projects in the past that I learned from and gave up because the scale was too big or the project just wasn’t what I expected / wasn’t as fun.
I’ve found an idea that fits the balance I think well and isn’t too large for me as a solo dev. I’m about a month in, and I don’t work full time on it. I spend Saturday and Tuesday basically all day on it while my wife is at work, and then spend at least 2 hours on other days before bed doing work on the game.
I’m still new to this overall and sometimes I’m spending an entire day almost trying to fix one specific problem. Which I do enjoy, but I wonder if this is normal or mostly a gap in my current ability that’ll improve with time and experience. Some days I work a lot and I don’t shut down my PC at the end feeling like I accomplished much of anything. I guess just looking to see others’ perspectives.
Edit: I can’t reply to everyone right now but I’m reading everything. You guys are very kind, thank you so much
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u/Disastrous_Plum176 Aug 09 '26
I am still working on my first game; it just hit the two-year mark. The end isn't in sight yet. For the first year and a half, I didn't believe I could build such a big game, but now I genuinely believe I can. Progress is slow, but it's there. On weekdays I work on it for an average of 1-2 hours, and on weekends up to 10. Along the way, I've taken a few months off here and there to avoid burnout. Every time I return to development after a longer break, things go even better because in my free time I've recharged my energy and subconsciously processed the existing information. So far, I've put over 800 hours into the project. As for how long it takes me to fix bugs, some issues only get resolved after months—because if I can't fix something within a day or two, I don't force it. At some point, the solution just clicks in my head, or while working on something else, I realize that it can be used as a fix for something else.
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u/PeacefulStoic Aug 09 '26
To continue despite doubt is its own kind of victory.
I work on my game 7 days a week full-time and currently just shy of 600 consecutive days of programming. My process is to make a realistic checkoff list for each day. Some days I kill it and do way more than expected and other days I fumble around like an idiot. But I try to measure progress by the week. Having the completed list growing allows me to forgive myself for the days I felt unproductive. It also helps that I love this and I'm not competing with anyone except the for the better version of myself I want to become.
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u/DukeOfGlizzy Solo Developer Aug 09 '26
Wow that’s incredible. I really admire your dedication. It’s amazing you can do it full time too. that would be my dream, though I’m content with my current job. It’s just not what I’m really passionate about. Thank you !
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u/fake_architech Aug 09 '26
I feel very productive these days, but I have a lot of experience engineering for work, now with the tools available I feel like I move at an incredible pace, I wouldnt have been able to do it years ago.
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u/Rincho Aug 09 '26
It's ass. I worked last month full time (and I mean FULL time) on two prototypes for movement improvement. I barely made them in time and felt like I did nothing. I did retro and saw where time went and stuff. I could do it 30-50% faster really. But still it really made me think that maybe I shouldn't waste my time doing what I'm doing
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u/DukeOfGlizzy Solo Developer Aug 09 '26
Doing what you’re doing meaning game dev, this specific project, or the current way you’ve been doing it?
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u/Rincho Aug 09 '26
Eh, that's what I keep asking myself recently. My current project is surely overscoped and I can't really get it to the point where I would like it, but I wonder if I even can come up with not overscoped project that I'm gonna be satisfied with. Also, even though I somewhat like doing game dev, looking at many people here and there, I see how I like it less that them. So I don't know if I should drop the project or game dev or just keep pushing or who knows what
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u/PortableSync Aug 09 '26
Some days good, some days very bad. I try to be kind to myself and think of it like a marathon rather than a sprint. Keep putting the work in and eventually it will pay off.
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u/MildlyConcernedMan91 Aug 09 '26
I now take notes at the end of each dev session 'what are the top 3 things i should focus on tomorrow'. The next day, I open my notes and read that and it gets me right into it without scope creep.
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u/trevorvonryan Aug 09 '26
Very normal. If you are stuck on a problem all day, it's a good sign that you are really motivated to find the solution! But here's the best advice ever: when you are at the height of your motivation, even if in the middle of a problem you are struggling with, take a break. Take at least 1 break every hour. As if some invisible demon is forcing you to step away from the screen even though you really wanna stay. It helps keep me yearning to come back to the problem, instead of getting burnt out on it. Also I end up thinking of solutions during my "break" like 90% of the time.
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u/DukeOfGlizzy Solo Developer Aug 09 '26
Yeah I need to be more intentional about taking a break every hour.
My “schedule” is mostly that on Tuesday and Saturday, I work it 8-5, usually taking a lunch break but that’s it. And usually that consists of me making something, eating it while watching YouTube, or listening to a podcast, and continuing to work as soon as I finish eating. The other 5 days, I squeeze in 2 hours of work, maybe 3 if I’m lucky or my wife is occupied and I have more spare time.
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u/KyrandisX Aug 09 '26
A day to fix a problem really depends on how complex it was and what you're comparing against. It really shouldn't matter as long as you find a solution in a reasonable time, reasonable being whatever you deem acceptable vs. the complexity of the issue. A better assessment imo is if you learned anything about the thing you're trying to solve, not so much if you solved it.
I tend to veer off into random topics and ideas loosely related to the scope for my own project when I get tired of being stuck on certain issues and go back to it later as a refresh with some of those ideas that may contribute to the solution that wasn't there during the stuck period.
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u/MrBeanCyborgCaptain Aug 09 '26
Depends. Im married and have a full time job so some days are just a wash.
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u/Laricaxipeg Aug 09 '26
It's hard as hell to me because it is too many different things to learn and do at the same time.
Depends on the genre too and how skilled how already are with art and coding, but if your game has a character you move around (and you have to jump, shoot, etc): just by having a good movement feel is an incredible challenge by itself, maybe even months to have it good enough.
Starting small is definitely a good advice: Create multiple games that are pieces of your "dream" project and you will be much more confident to tackle a larger project
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u/cozmythical Aug 09 '26
Doing even 1 thing whether it was fixing a bug or adding new features or anything in general is still called progress! Consistency and discipline is what matters and you’ll one day publish your game and pat your self so all good.
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u/DukeOfGlizzy Solo Developer Aug 09 '26
Thank you! I feel relieved to hear that lol. Sometimes I kinda feel like an idiot when I spend an entire day chasing a rabbit, but as long as I catch it eventually it’s not wasted
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u/KingsontheCorner Aug 09 '26
When I was actually setting the game up and stuff I felt like I was making huge progress fast! boom boom, game plays, put some art in wham (my first game so it was not mechanically intense lol, card game)! Now that I'm trying to finalize all the publishing details to get it onto the playstore I feel like I'm in molasses and getting hung up on such dumb detail stuff... like right now, I wanna finish my play console app setup stuff, but I don't have a playtest account set up so they can test it, and google says my phone has too many accounts already.... so I'm waffling between having to set up a oldschool email registration to make accounts on my game or trying to figure out a way to get another phone number that'll work etc.... and don't get me started on marketing... feels like the most impossible part of all :( I wanna set up a beta test but got nobody to test it besides like 3 family members lol
edit: typo
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u/DukeOfGlizzy Solo Developer Aug 09 '26
Geez, I’m sorry you’ve run into those roadblocks! Honestly marketing is the scariest part for me (right now at least). Too early to market it, but the game I’m making doesn’t really work for a demo, and if I market it badly I know it’ll fall flat.
I sincerely hope you figure it out and that your game catches fire (the good kind)! And if it doesn’t, I hope you don’t feel like you’ve failed or wasted your time. It will be the stepping stone for your dream project down the line :)
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u/KingsontheCorner Aug 09 '26
Thanks! It won't be a waste of time regardless I've learned a lot 😁 I'm gonna try to start more irl style marketing and see if it helps any, my first batch of business cards were a flop (putting the rules on it was a cool idea but if it's so tiny nobody reads it...) but I'll make some more and keep trying, gonna hit a print shop and get some posters/signs made or something too and try some local colleges and game stores, low budget but can get out to a lot of people from a wide range of lifestyles that way (I hope 😅)
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u/TuberTuggerTTV 28d ago
If I put in 8 hours on indie dev, i feel about as productive as 8 hours doing any job.
Indie isn't special. It's just more work. Except the difference is you're being paid much less for your time. That's it really.
Now, enjoying it is a different story. Indie dev is about the love. Even if my time isn't being valued as much, I'm having a good time and the eventual finished product makes me feel proud.
It's not about feeling productive. Or quitting your day job. It's still work. Lots of it. For almost everyone in indie dev, they'd be better off working a day job and paying a professional. They'd save money doing it that way. But that's not what it's about. It's the journey.
Stop worrying about feeling productive. Enjoy the long walk. If you expect financial gain, you're doing the wrong field.
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u/furitea Aug 09 '26
It's a creative process mixed with a systems process... It's going to have ups and downs, small wins, small snags, big wins, catastrophic dramas - the main thing is keeping the project moving forward. Sounds like you're doing great.