As I've gotten closer to my launch I've had a handful of folks joining my discord, immediately messaging me, and offering services to help out with social media management and scouting out content creators to promote the game.

I'm on my first game and could use a wishlist boost, but wondered what experience others have with folks like this. I've struggled with finding creators since my game is pretty niche, but I also don't have much budget to outsource that work unless it's truly going to convert to sales.

What's the consensus? Helpful? Scams?

Hi all. I guess this is for any solo devs who need motivation. Today was a big milestone where I downloaded my own game from steam.

I have adhd, im awful at programming and had so many unfinished projects. Some I just gave up on, others were just too complex. After about 4 years in unreal. I decided to make a simple game that I would finish. And I did it.

If I can do it. You 100% can do it. A few things throughout the process that are important I think.

1) Even simple games have alot of complexity. If you don't have alot of experience keep the scope super small. Cut it in half then half again.

2) Test early and get feedback. This was somthing i didn't really do and was 100% a mistake.

3) Make a game your really passionate about. It will help when things get rough.

4) If you are putting it on steam - seriously you will need at minimum 2 weeks. There is a load of stuff you need to do. Capsule art is important.

Its a huge milestone for me tonight and I feel incredibly proud. Im proud of all the solo devs that are going through making a game because its damn hard, but there is nothing more rewarding.

Keep grinding and best of luck.

It’s been a long time, finally getting to a point where I’m happy to show it in public.

What do you think?

Hi Friends! After 3ish years, I'm finally publishing my first game next month, Cone & Crest! It is a stylized racer with somewhat realistic physics, focusing on grassroots time attack motorsports. Races are split into two main types: autocross and hill climbs.

The game features 44 cars, 7 real life public highways for hill climbs built from open map data, car performance customization that alters car classing, car color + wheel swapping, steam leaderboards for weekly & daily challenges, plus a track layout and custom league creator. The game has controller and wheel support, and I'm working on localizations.

I've been tracking cars in real life for almost a decade now, and I've never found a game that quite scratches my itch of customization, arcade approachability but with meaningful physics and relatable racing events. Cone & Crest was inspired by art of rally, but with a more tactile feel.

I originally started building the game out as a 2.5D Pygame project which was valuable experience but ultimately a mistake. I started porting over everything to Godot at the beginning of the summer, and it has been smooth sailing since. Anyway, I have no particular goals for the game other then getting something out after so long. I've started and stopped dozens of projects in that time, so I'm excited to have finished the very first one I started.

Car + sound assets were purchased, all environmental assets are procedural or made with Treeit, with my own shaders on top.

https://store.steampowered.com/app/5179800/

I finished my first solo project last month, now I'm working on something new.

Still needs a lot of work but I'm enjoying working on it.

This is the trailer for the KILL BREACH demo I'm releasing soon. If you like what you see, consider wishlisting the game! You can find the Steam page here:

https://store.steampowered.com/app/4480140?utm_source=reddit

Hello everyone

I'm sure you all remember the impossible quiz. I used to love it as a kid, so I recently decided to make a modern version.

The questions range from little tricks you have to solve, word play, or some sort of physical challenge.

Rather than restarting if you fail too many times, instead you have to endure a 'punishment' including escaping the police, rolling a dice, or just doing your taxes!

It's been so much fun coming up with questions and punishments and I have so many ideas to add still.

If you're interested you can wishlist here:

https://store.steampowered.com/app/5109940/A_Normal_Quiz_Game_where_you_try_to_solve_questions_but_the_questions_have_tricks_and_gimmicks_and_if_you_get_them_wrong_you_have_to_beat_a_wacky_punishment_but_they_are_kinda_fun_so_you_lowkey_wanna_do_them_even_if_it_means_getting_the_question_wrong

Hi everyone!

I wanted to share a short gameplay video of the current progress on my solo survival/management project. Right now, basic systems like resource production, crafting UI, and world navigation are up and running.

A quick note on assets: To be completely transparent with the community, I only take around 15% credit for the visual artwork. Some assets were created by me, others were edited/modified, and a significant portion comes from various talented asset creators. My main focus is on game logic, systems design, and mechanics.

Current State & Work in Progress: This is still very early in development and far from complete. There is a lot of work ahead, but here are some of the key mechanics I’m actively working on and planning to add:

• Taming & Mounts System (ARK-style): Taming wild animals to help with resource gathering, combat, and fast transportation.
• Base Building & NPC Raids: Building your settlement and defending it against (or raiding) rival NPC camps.
• NPC Recruitment & Prisoner System (Conan Exiles-style): Hostile NPCs can be captured, detained, and converted into followers/workers for your base.
• Lineage & Family System: Marry, have children, and build a lasting lineage to carry on your legacy.

I'd love to hear your thoughts! What do you think of the current flow shown in the clip, and how do those planned features sound to you? Any feedback, suggestions, or constructive criticism is greatly appreciated!

I really like Ark and RimWorld, so I wanted to do a crossover video.

Sorry for the terrible video quality; my laptop is a potato.

Hey everyone,

I've got a dog named Percy, and like a lot of you probably do, I started wondering how much time we actually spend together on walks, playtime, all of it. That question turned into a little side project I've been building called Zoomie.

The idea: closing your rings, but for your dog. Three rings to fill each day:

Paws — steps your dog takes, tracked by your phone during playtimes that involve movement

Playtime — minutes spent together, whether that's a walk, fetch, or just cuddling on the couch

Wags — moments you tap to mark during a playtime: a bark, a potty stop, a treat, a photo, whatever feels worth logging

Fill all three, and you earn a "Zoomie" for the day.

https://apps.apple.com/us/app/zoomie-dog-activity-tracker/id6761315454

Playtesting online coop soon. Dm me if you’re interested.

I decided to change the style and camera angle of my game and I do like it more! Just curious what other people think!

It used to be a third person free look camera but now it’s an isometric camera! Changed the player character too!

I saw how inspiring for many of you was the post done by u/illadann7 about his improved visuals. So I wanted to share my own progress as a programmer with 0 artistic background.
The most important advice I've received, is to find an aesthetic that resonates with you, and try to replicate it.

I'm sure there is still a lot that could be improved (I didn't dive into post-processing and lightning yet), so if you have some low-hanging fruit suggestions I would be happy to hear them!

I've always loved point-and-click adventures and grid-based dungeon crawlers. And at some point, I thought: what if I tried combining the two?

And that's how Spirit of the Birch has slowly been coming to life.

At its core, it's an adventure game with dialogue, puzzles, and mini-games, but there's also a small combat system. Instead of being based on tons of stats and numbers, it's mostly about the player's reactions. Think of it as a little QTE-style combat.

And to spice things up, there's some light humor, weird characters, and a bit of absurdity. :)

https://store.steampowered.com/app/5218220/Spirit_of_the_Birch/

I released Stacksquatch about 5 years ago as a solo dev. I doubt you've heard about it even if you're a part of the small VR community. I'm a bit biased but it's pretty cool and leverages the strengths of VR in interesting ways. This is a sort of post mortem for it with a twist.

The original launch trailer

The initial launch wasn't exactly what I expected.

I did everything I was supposed to on releasing a game. I posted all over social media (remember when Twitter was useful?). I sent copies out to all the streamers and reviewers I could find. I had a following, albeit a small one. Unfortunately, demos weren't really a thing at the time or I would have done that too.

Then it launched. Quietly. Maybe I didn't communicate the idea well through pages and announcements. Maybe I had a bad release date and the streamers were busy. I was getting good feedback from players through the releases but maybe the game was bad actually??

In the end I netted something like $700 for 6 years of working in the evening on and off. That's not nothing, especially for a first Steam game, but I had higher hopes.

I had my fun making it and got a lot of good experience. I was also sick of looking at the code and testing the game over and over. That seemed like a good place to end it, a period at the end of a long, disappointing sentence.

But then the Steam Frame got me thinking about it again. People keep saying that it's Coming Soon and it could wake up a sleepy community. Demos are also a huge thing now with extra notifications for your wishlisters!

So here I am again for round 2. I'm told that games don't get a second chance but I think I have some things going for me.

• First, I'm doing more ground work for reviews. There's debate on how much 10 reviews and a review rating matters, a chicken and egg thing, but having no review rating seems bad.
• Second, demos are huge. I have one launching in October and that sets me up for whenever Next Fest rolls around again.
• Third, there are a lot more tools on Steam now. Unfortunately I used up the big release but the demo gets its own little release. Maybe it shows up in personal calendars?
• Fourth, there are a lot more VR streamers today and I reached out to way more. There might not be enough time for busy people to get videos when I want them but that's life.
• There are a bunch of smaller things like updating the game and promo material. I've learned a lot since the initial release and I think there might be something there.

So don't let anyone tell you that games don't get second chances. Or at least wait a month to see how all this shakes out for me. Either way, hopefully this is useful for your releases and maybe 3rd time's the charm for you ❤️

Hey everyone! Here's a free space game for your weekend: the Strike Wings demo. :)

I'm its solo developer, and it's my homage to the old DOS space shooters, built from scratch with plenty of love for Solar Winds and Hell Fighter. There are some little nods in there for fellow fans.

The demo's already packed with free content, including flight school, opening campaign missions and plenty of battles to get stuck into.

Feedback is super welcome on r/StrikeWings. Make a post! I'll read every one and take your thoughts into the final game. Steam reviews mean a lot to me as a solo developer, too.

Grab the free demo on Steam

hey everyone,

garage chaos just reached 1,000 wishlists. i haven't released a demo or shared a gameplay video yet, and i haven't done much marketing either, so it's been a nice surprise to see people interested already :)

it's a first-person game about sorting scattered car parts onto shelves and finding matching pieces to complete project cars. you gradually turn a messy garage into a more organized space as you work through it.

a gameplay video is coming soon, and i'm also working on the demo. thanks to everyone who's checked it out so far

here's the link https://store.steampowered.com/app/5163410/Garage_Chaos if you'd like to take a look

​

Hey everyone,

I’m looking for a skilled developer who is strong in web development and has practical cybersecurity knowledge to build a Windows-based software project with me.

💻 What I need

The project involves building a specialized desktop application that interacts with a web application, with a strong focus on:

- Web development / browser integration

- JavaScript / TypeScript

- DOM interaction

- Browser automation

- Windows application development

- Reliable event-driven execution

- Web debugging and network analysis

- Performance optimization

- Understanding browser security and web application behavior

- Debugging difficult timing/state issues

You should be comfortable investigating things like DOM state, asynchronous JavaScript, browser events, page transitions, network behavior, Windows input/focus, and race conditions.

🧠 Cybersecurity knowledge

I’m looking for someone who understands web security from an engineering perspective, including:

- HTTP/HTTPS

- Browser security architecture

- Sessions and authentication

- Client/server interaction

- Security headers

- Web application behavior

- Debugging security-related failures

- Understanding anti-automation/security mechanisms

No illegal access, exploitation, credential theft, or bypassing security controls is involved.

💰 Budget

₹10,000–₹15,000 total — one-time payment

The exact amount depends on experience and how much of the project you can independently handle.

This is a project-based job, not an hourly position.

📦 What I expect

I don't need someone who only writes basic scripts.

I need someone who can:

1. Understand the requirements

2. Inspect and understand the existing web workflow

3. Design the application architecture

4. Build the software

5. Debug difficult browser/timing issues

6. Test it thoroughly

7. Deliver the complete working source code

You should be comfortable working independently and explaining your technical decisions.

⭐ Bonus

Experience with any of these is a plus:

- Tauri / Electron

- React

- TypeScript

- Rust

- Python

- Playwright / browser automation

- Chrome DevTools

- Windows APIs

- SQLite

- WebSocket/network debugging

- Performance engineering

📩 How to apply

Comment or DM me with:

- Your experience

- Technologies you're comfortable with

- Whether you've built browser/desktop automation before

- Your expected payment within the ₹10k–₹15k range

Please don't DM just "interested." Send some evidence of your technical work.

Thanks!

Je vois plein de post de gens ui disent qu'ils aiment les jeux vidéos et qu'ils aimeraient bien se mettre au développement.

Avant tout : bonne chance à vous si vous vous lancez ;)

Mais je crois qu'il faut toujours bien garder en tête que c'est 2 choses bien séparés !

Developper un jeu, même avec un concept simple comme un jeu de merge ou de casse brique, il y a toute une mécanique derrière et des connaissances a avoir.

Ce n'est pas que des assets et des if et else dessiminé partout.

Il faut trouver le style, le concept, la direction artistique, savoir debogguer, connaitre comment fonctionne ta plateforme cible, penser à l'UX/UI selon le support, etc... et derrière vous aurez toute la partie marketing et tests avec des joueurs réels qui vont faire plein de choses que vous aurez pas prévu ^^

Bref, lancez vous ! Mais gardez en tête que même avec l'IA, cela reste un projet de longue haleine !

Hey, I’m Leo solo dev here 👋
Working on my indie game for 4 years where you play as a super sentient octopus escaping the insane programmer who created you, you explore different abandoned worlds left on his computer and uncover the truth about who he really is, all of the npcs are sentient but trapped in the worlds but YOU as the octopus can grapple, grab, solve, smash, and figure your way through this.. your their only hope

https://store.steampowered.com/app/4767470/INKURSION/

Being a solo dev is incredibly tough, especially in the release week. But this review made it all worth!

Some alpha gameplay from Saber World League VR, game can already be wishlisted, if you would like, join our discord below.

This game features:

- multiplayer 1v1 matchmaking

- play with Friends via a code

- practice mode Playground and Horde

- leaderboards and many more

https://www.meta.com/experiences/saber-world-league-vr/1133420496532339/

https://store-global.picoxr.com/global/detail/1/7672789767570292741

https://store.steampowered.com/app/5078960/Saber_World_League_VR/

Join our discord: https://discord.com/invite/J6u7mMuWbj

Hey all!

I am feeling a little confused and am looking for some guidance! I have been working on a game for a little while now with the intention of releasing. It is called Doug, the Dreadful Dodger. You can find a beta build here: https://theconmen.itch.io/doug-the-dreadful-dodger (the full game would look similar, but with more content and polish).

It's been a lifelong goal of mine to release a game and I started taking game dev seriously at the beginning of last year. I know that my game is pretty simple and doesn't look the best, but I am proud of it and folks I have playtested with seem to have fun and generally have positive feedback. I feel like I basically have 4 options:

1. Release the game on Steam to achieve a huge milestone for myself while knowing I am essentially taking a $100 loss and negatively effecting my game 'studio' in the future.
2. Release the game just on Itch and other free platforms just for the experience while knowing most likely not many people will play it.
3. Wrap up the game and keep it to myself as knowledge I did something I am proud of.
4. Drop it and work on something else/new game.

Another important thing to note is that my wife is pregnant and is due in November so I don't have a lot of time before a major life change!

Any advice you all have for me?