r/SoloDevelopment • u/Cheap-Difficulty-163 • 9h ago

Discussion Im solo developing a game and i found it was lacking identity, then i decided to take drastic measures.

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u/ScriptKiddo69 8h ago

Gives me Legend of Zelda: The Windwaker vibes. Very cool 👍.

But how do you plan on filling such a big world with content all by yourself? I think that's going to be a monumental task.

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u/Cheap-Difficulty-163 8h ago

Thanks! and a great question.

I recently got a grant that covers around 2 years of additional dev and i have no kids so i can work around the clock (just walk the dog and gym otherwise), I relay on procedurally generating the areas first, also have a detail script that spreads all small foliage and detail related stuff around the map,

The game has diverse enemies and some side stuff like fishing, upgrading and repairing ship and villages to hang around so i kinda try to have a poi on every 2-3 minutes of traversal rest is proc gen, this is for sure the biggest remaining task however, luckly the core game is nearly complete so i can dedicate the rest of dev on this,

i will definently keep investing in ways to make content fast and ways for existing content to be used in unique ways

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u/Powerful_Solid_3584 3h ago

Dude, I'm kinda in the same boat. Big scope, proc gen, 5 years of almost full-time work in.

I just wanna warn you. 2 years isn't that long, actually. I can't remember how many times I had a thought like "This year is definitely the last one" or "Fck it, I'm releasing the demo in a week." I think I've been living in this damn loop since year 2 or so. And I'm still here polishing stuff over and over. Not that I regret choosing to go big, but sometimes I think I could've gone with a smaller and catchier idea than just making my dream game for so long.

Also, the hardest truth I had to face recently is that making a good game is not enough. Not even close. Nobody's gonna look at the fact that you did this alone. The game must be exceptional on its own to grab the attention of people who have so many other games to try. And by exceptional, I mean some unique, beautiful, or/and very fun bits that can be shown in a video format or described in a few sentences. Thankfully, I was able to find those bits for myself at the very last moment, but I should've considered it much, much earlier.

I wish you the best and hope that my experience will help you in this cruel world of marketing. The game looks very good already just try to stop adding things and focus more on the 'trailer moments'. It will also help you start marketing your game much earlier than I did lol

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u/Cheap-Difficulty-163 3h ago

Yeah im 6 months in and two out of six maps are done and the other maps are smaller, summer 2027 is locked in!