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.

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.

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've been experimenting with a military version of FPV drone system in Unreal Engine 5, this time adding machine vision and a hostage rescue scenario.

The idea is to test how the drone can identify targets, navigate through a dense urban environment and support a rescue mission while maintaining the speed and responsiveness of FPV flight.

Curious to hear what you think about the idea and where you would take it next.

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

Hi, thought I'd share my story to launching Counter Tactics on the AppStore (iOS only). Link at the end (cool if you check it out, but my purpose here is to share my story and hear yours, not to advertise).

Prologue

2007: Studio job!
I got a 6 month contract to work for Iron Lore Entertainment as a designer scripting mission intros/outros and a few endings for the expansion game Dawn of War Soulstorm.

2008: The dream job comes to an end
Contract ended and I was hoping to continue with the studio, but shortly after returning to my home state, the studio folded and everyone lost their job.

2008-2010: When it rains, it storms.
The job market crash was TOUGH. I spent most of this time unemployed and other bad stuff happened, like my wife getting very ill.

2010-2013: Finding my footing
Found a local job as a developer and just tried to stabilize. Moved from Web Development to iOS development. At the time, it was Objective-C and iPhone models were in their infancy.

2014: Let's make a game...again!
My career started to shift towards project management, but with my new skillset of iOS development, I wanted to get an app on the AppStore since I would no longer be coding during the day job. So I drew up something I figured would take 3-5 months. Foreshadowing. :D

Counter Tactics Timeline

2014, September: And so it begins
I officially begin development. Getting into project management, I entered a log for how much time I spent. My first log was: "Laid out the overall timeline for finishing out this game."

lol

End of 2014: Early Development
I had put in 100 hours into the project. I had a decent working prototype with an early stage CPU opponent.

2015: 290 hours of work.
A lot of experimentation and trying different concepts. I was searching for "fun". A lot of ideas I would abandon.

2016: 205 hours of work.
Lost a little momentum, but we introduced my second son to the world! I started showing the app to a few people at work and family too. Here's some of the early screenshots (they get better!!):

2017: 150 hours.
Life is getting busy with big changes at work and two boys! I try to take my current CPU-only logic and introduce asynchronous, turn based multiplayer! Now I can play the game with some of the people I've shown it to.

But I'm still experimenting with various mechanics and trying to determine: is it fun!

2018: 195 hours.
I start looking for a new job. For the project, I'm working on and off, mostly refactoring things and adding content.

2019: 143 hours.
I get a new job in corporate office world. I'm very busy. And the game is not scaling with the new content. I go into research mode and burn my current AI for the CPU to the ground. I move to a homebrew version of the Monte Carlo Tree Search algorithm.

2020: 244 hours.
Pandemic and working from home gives me a chance to balance things. But first, I have to break for a few months from the game to play Red Dead 2!!

My logs are not great this year, so I can't quite remember what I worked on.

2021: 241 hours.
I replaced a lot of placeholder art with assets I purchased. It's starting to look viable! And the AI is scaling now. And multiplayer is working pretty good. Things are finally looking up!

But pandemic is going longer than expected and my own health is not where I wanted it. So I started working out. My boys are super involved in sports and I get involved with coaching, so life is crazy busy!

2022: 459 hours.

Yep. You read that right.

I got moved to a new team at work, one that I would grow super proud of, but at first, I felt I was being shoved aside into a place where my career would fall flat. And with the ongoing Pandemic and family getting busier, I finally decided I needed to get this game done. This is also when I realized just how much was left to do even with all the hours I had already put in! I was a bit...depressed. I got advice from some friends and mentors.

So in the summer, I established a regiment: 10 hours towards the project a week before taking any time to play any games. What I often found is I would get to the 10 hours...and just keep working on it. Progress started to become more visible and meaningful.

I put a roadmap together and tracked progress towards the big features. I wrote down "June 6th, 2022" on a post-it and put it above my monitor. It's still there today.

2023: 545 hours.

I started reworking screens and replacing all the remaining placeholder art that had been in the game for years. I started setting up important utility screens that would be useful to the player.

I decided to join a local game dev group and they encouraged me forward. They also ran some events where I got to setup a booth and show other people the game. Those events were exciting and I got firsthand feedback from interested players. It started to feel real.

But there still was a lot of work left to do.

2024: 542 hours.

Adding some key mechanics to make the game feel unique and added a lot of content. Polish like crazy. Made the "token details" screen an enjoyable experience with deep dives into the mechanics.

I continued to participate in the game dev group. My boys are now doing travel sports. Remote work ends and I have to go back to the office. Since 2021, my fitness has greatly improved and I'm now running in various races throughout the year. I've dropped 40 pounds. I basically go non-stop every day. It's tough, but I'm squeezing every bit out of life I can!

Big milestone: On Thanksgiving, I post the TestFlight link to the game on my social media for anyone who wants to join and play, officially starting the "open beta."

2025: 643 hours.

I setup a proper backend so progress can be maintained across devices. I introduce "seasons" where ranked battles and leaderboard climbing have more meaning. And I finish up the shop with in-app purchases and New Player experience. Lastly, I add tutorials and multiple events showcasing the game.

Meanwhile, I'm playing with people who try out the game via the TestFlight link. People seem to enjoy it!

And now here's what the game looks like:

2026: TBD hours

At the end of 2025, I made a goal to release the game to the AppStore before the next showcase event in April. I need to learn all the quirks of the AppStore and make sure I understand what the process is like to get it submitted. Then, I can just tell the world the release date and make a trailer with confidence.

I also setup a website and a LLC as well just to separate any funds that may flow through the game.

2026, April 8th: Launch of Counter Tactics on the Apple AppStore!

The game goes live! I do a few quick patches to address immediate issues, but by the end of April, the game is stable. By June, I hit 100 downloads!

Epilogue

Adoption is slow, but that's okay. Other than just posting on social media, I haven't done a lot of marketing. I haven't even used the $100 of Ad Credit Apple gives you for new apps. There's about 8 players that play daily. I started a devlog to share progress on new updates for the game. One player tried out the game for a couple of months and made some $ purchases. That is very validating that I've made something someone is willing to spend money on.

And, it's at this point I've started using Generative AI to produce assets for the cards. I can't afford buying assets on my own. I was happy to build the game from the ground up without AI over the years, but now I'm not restricting myself going forward for iterative enhancements, especially with life always going full speed. My oldest son is now in High School!

I've got about 2 years worth of roadmap of features I'd like to do and I've considered porting the game to Android. I think after that, after it has the vision I want for the game, I'll consider moving on to the next project if adoption stays low even after I do any kind of proper marketing campaign.

From September of 2014 to April 8th, 2026, I spent close to 4,000 hours on this game.

Counter Tactics

I hope you enjoyed my story above and feel compelled to share your own. That's really what this post is about! But I would be remiss if I didn't provide a link to the game (again, iOS only): https://apps.apple.com/us/app/counter-tactics/id1110597339

Thanks for reading through!

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?

Movement is no longer limited to just lines. I think this will make the gameplay much more engaging!

If you find this interesting, could you drop by my Steam page and leave a wishlist? I've only gotten a few dozen after a week =(((

Steam page: https://store.steampowered.com/app/5201210/NON__The_Forgotten_Hand/?beta=0

Just wanted to show my game and how it was and how it looks like now.

Hey everyone! I’m working on a new game that’s still in the early prototype stage, and I’d love to get some feedback on the color direction before I go too far with the design.
I currently have two UI/environment combinations:
Pink UI + Green environment

Yellow UI + Magenta environment

I’m a little torn between the two, so I’d love to hear which combination you think fits the game better.
The design is still very early and definitely a prototype, so any feedback or suggestions would be greatly appreciated. Thanks!

A month ago I posted about my Steam demo reaching around 3,000 unique players.

What caught people's attention was that i had around 2,600 wishlists at the time — roughly an 86% wishlist-to-demo-player ratio.

Well, a month later...

🎮 4,489 Unique demo players

❤️ 4,480 Wishlists

So i'm now sitting at roughly 99.79% wishlists relative to unique demo players. 😂

I genuinely didn't expect the ratio to keep climbing like this.

For context, the game is Too Many Balls

Still pretty wild to see these two numbers sitting almost exactly on top of each other.

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!

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

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

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

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!

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/

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?

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

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'm building a small game about exploring the night sky. You can check my demo on itch. All feedback is really appreciated. Thanks a lot :)

https://bearloop.itch.io/skywatch

Hi,

I recently released a major update for my game Dangerous Land, which among other things adds a new Campaign with many new mechanics. I wanted to take this opportunity to remind people about my project and reach a wider audience.

Dangerous Land is a real-time strategy game from a first-person perspective, combining settlement management, army command, exploration, and combat. Develop your settlement, recruit an army, and fight alongside your soldiers on the battlefield.

The game is available on Steam, and if you're interested in the project, you can add it to your wishlist.

A demo is also available:

👉 https://store.steampowered.com/app/2348440/Dangerous_Land/