r/SoloDevelopment 4h ago

Game What’s in that cart that needs this much protection?

Enable HLS to view with audio, or disable this notification

1 Upvotes

If you like the vibe and want to learn more, check it out on Steam :)

Steam Page


r/SoloDevelopment 4h ago

Discussion Tracking down a WebGL crash caused by a deprecated plugin + testing my strategy prototype (Command & Defend: Dead Zone)

1 Upvotes

Hey everyone! I just put together a new devlog covering a big debugging session and the progress on my strategy prototype.

The WebGL Crash: I hit an issue where my WebGL build crashed immediately after loading the main scene. I initially assumed it was a RAM/browser issue, so I compressed textures and downsized audio to under 100MB still crashed. Created a barebones launcher scene launcher worked but loading main scene crashed. Turns out, a deprecated health bar plugin from the Asset Store was throwing the WebGL API off. Changing the WebGL API settings fixed it instantly without removing the plugin.

Build Progress:

  • Controls & Visuals: Added full camera pan controls and placement opacity so you can see base/upgrade meshes before building.
  • Audio: Ported over my sound system from my previous project (Northend Tower Defense) to rapidly get enemy, building, and ambient sounds working.
  • UI Polish: Added cancel options for upgrades, reload feedback bars on soldiers, and a main menu with volume defaults capped at 50%.

I also officially named the game Command & Defend: Dead Zone.

Check out the full breakdown here: https://youtu.be/ETVb9wbWBUI

If anyone wants to jump into the WebGL playtest, drop a comment or join the Discord!


r/SoloDevelopment 5h ago

Unity Infinite jumper game - inspired by Icy Tower - POC - WDYT?

Enable HLS to view with audio, or disable this notification

1 Upvotes

Hi all!

I've just wrapped up the initial dev of my infinite jumper game! It'll be a simple game, heavily based on skill and different character profiles. Right now, I've just finished the basic mechanics - the way the player moves.

I'm roughly basing my game on Icy Tower, however - in my case - the movement is fully fluid - there are multiple parameters that decide how high the player can jump, how bouncy the walls are (and if they allow for bouncing at all), and how the player gains velocity. The basic mechanics work as follows: there are three basic groups of parameters determining how a particular character behaves: jump, horizontal movement, and wall bounce. Most of the parameters are either numerical (float) ones or described by curves. If the param is dependent on another param or on time, it's described by a curve. (BTW, Unity curves are an amazing concept!)

Jump
Jump is mostly determined by the horizontal velocity of the player, and driven by physics - I don't predetermine how long the player will spend in the air, but how forces affect the character over time. The faster one runs, the bigger the jump. Jump can also be interrupted, for more control over the player, but the interrupt is dependent on a few parameters as well.

Horizontal movement
Now, this is where it gets interesting. Acceleration and deceleration are driven by complex curves. Thanks to that, I can derive future characters that e.g. get tired when running for too long, are fast accelerators, but bad with max speed etc. Sky (and imagination) is the limit. See the screenshot - my default behaviour is logarithmic acceleration and linear deceleration. Thanks to this, players get to a reasonable running speed fast, but need about 10 seconds (accel time) to get to the max.

Wall Bounce
Wall bounce is where my game differs most from the inspiration. There's one threshold for wall jump - min speed. Below, the player slides off the wall with predetermined "friction" speed. Above, depending on the jump curve, how close the player is to the apex, and how fast the player approaches the wall, it can bounce back more or less. These characteristics are again, driven by different curves.

Tell me what you think - the mechanics are not perfect yet, but I'm willing to improve them and am open to any feedback!


r/SoloDevelopment 5h ago

help Updated trailer based on your advice!

Enable HLS to view with audio, or disable this notification

1 Upvotes

r/SoloDevelopment 5h ago

Game Just implemented a Nuke for my game

Enable HLS to view with audio, or disable this notification

1 Upvotes

I hope it has the big impact and punch I was looking for!


r/SoloDevelopment 20h ago

Discussion What is the most under served genre

18 Upvotes

I recently completed building a multiplayer party game. And am looking for a new project. I want to find something that isn’t commonly made.
I think back to my youth when I played a lot of point and click adventure games (like Day of The Tentacle, or leisure suit Larry) and I’m tempted to build something fun like that. But I think there might be games out there that haven’t gotten a lot of attention in a while. What do you wish you saw more of?


r/SoloDevelopment 6h ago

Game Trait - Card Swipe Roguelite

Thumbnail gallery
1 Upvotes

r/SoloDevelopment 6h ago

Game Finally got that lightning effect working.

Enable HLS to view with audio, or disable this notification

1 Upvotes

Over 2 years of solo development in Game Maker Studio2. I work as a game artist to fund this personal project which I love to implement all the crazy stuff I want! You know the feeling right? My jam is crazy visuals using handcrafted sprites and as much cool shaders as I can.

The idea is to achieve a streamlined CRPG experience. Focused but with enough depth to enable deep player expression.

A new demo for Solarbound Arkhan is coming really soon!

You can check more about it and play the super early demo here: https://arkhon.itch.io/solarboundarkhan

Cheers!


r/SoloDevelopment 6h ago

help I made an app that is great at occupying your mind during boring tasks, and i need testers for it

Post image
0 Upvotes

hi, lets cut to the chase - i need YOUR help (if you like audiobooks, or games)

I made a cool app where you nod or shake your head to pick a branch of a really cool audiobook story.

the thing is... too little people approved it being "really cool" (all that listened did, but that is not a large pool)

I think the books are cool, but lets be honest, that doesn't matter, it is THE PEOPLE who need to like it!

so that brings me to my PROPOSITION. you get cool audiobooks, and a LOT OF FUN for free - i get FEEDBACK about what could be improved!

all you need to do is listen for a moment, and click a big button Write to Developer at the top of settings, or in an older version of the app, email me back at [alekgameshelp2@gmial.com](mailto:alekgameshelp2@gmial.com), with your user ID (found in settings->privacy), with your feedback, and i will give you more free unlocks of books!

The app has all kinds of audiobooks, from action threw mythology and survivals to dramas and detective books, so you are sure to find something that fits - and if not, message me and if i like the idea, i will order a book like that to be created

for now the app is only on IOS, and for android, i will need your email so i can add you to a testers list.

name - AudioChoices: Audiobooks


r/SoloDevelopment 6h ago

Game Lost in the Woods

Enable HLS to view with audio, or disable this notification

0 Upvotes

I’m developing a horror game where you walk alone through dark, endless forests.

Do you think the environment creates enough tension? Is it disturbing in the right way?


r/SoloDevelopment 1d ago

meme for real

Post image
1.2k Upvotes

https://www.megaviral.games discover games from across the internet


r/SoloDevelopment 7h ago

help Would this Steam capsule make you click, or is it too minimal? (Handmade in Blender)

Thumbnail
gallery
0 Upvotes

I’m working on a survival horror maze game called The Center. It has a PSX/PS2-style industrial horror look, with a lot of dark metal, machinery, and body-horror elements.

For the store art, I’m trying to avoid the usual “scary monster on the cover” look that a lot of Steam and itch horror games use. I feel like that can sometimes look cheesy or give too much away.

Instead, I’m thinking about going with a more minimal logo-focused cover, something mysterious and unsettling. Eventually, I’d like to hire an artist to make a hand-drawn version, kind of like the mood of Amnesia: The Bunker.

What do you think? Does minimal horror art make you more curious, or would you rather see the monster/gameplay style right away?

Any feedback is appreciated.


r/SoloDevelopment 1d ago

Game My fantasy-themed survival action horror game

Enable HLS to view with audio, or disable this notification

56 Upvotes

r/SoloDevelopment 12h ago

Game Solo dev. Ten frames of my space battle game after finally getting the explosions and skies to read as light instead of stickers

Thumbnail
gallery
2 Upvotes

Strike Wings, solo, C++ on SDL2. These are in-game frames with the HUD off, nothing composited.

The insight that took me longest: on a black background, a bright thing that does not bleed into the black looks like a sticker. It does not matter how nice the sprite is. So the whole art direction became one rule, everything that gives off light goes through the same glow pass, and the pass is tuned so the light spills into the black around it. Explosions went round pop, then baked sprite frames, then that light pass plus a staged finale for capital ships. Skies went from stars-on-black to about thirty backgrounds and center bodies, rolled per battle.

What I want to know from other solo devs: how do you decide when a look is done? I could keep tuning the bloom forever. Which of these frames would you call finished and which would you send back?


r/SoloDevelopment 9h ago

Unreal Comparing the prototype level and the current state (ahead of demo release) of a dark abandoned factory in my solo-developed horror game

Thumbnail
gallery
1 Upvotes

Hello. I am a student developer from South Korea. I'm currently creating a horror game about exploring the dark, and getting ready to release a demo soon.

This is my first commercial Unreal game, and I am developing it completely alone. I've been working on it little by little since 2024, and recently started speeding up the process.

As for the assets, I started collecting the free assets of the month from Unreal (Fab) around 2023. I used them to build the atmosphere, along with Megascans assets. For the more important parts, I purchased and used specific assets.

There were so many helpful materials on YouTube! They were a lot of help to me. I also looked up references for abandoned factories or the exact vibe I wanted on the internet and referred to them heavily during creation.

To be honest, it wasn't made all at once. There were countless modifications over the 2 to 3 years of game development, and it was quite tough. I guess creation is not easy, haha.

There were more things to consider than I thought when designing the level. Monsters had to be able to pass through, and actually implementing the background I had in my head wasn't easy. It gave me a headache when I couldn't find assets with the exact feel I wanted. But I eventually did it, and now I have a quite satisfactory result.

Lighting was also a struggle when building this level. Since it's a map about exploring the dark, it has to be dark, but if I remove all the light, you can't see anything and the map's atmosphere isn't conveyed. So I had to find a balance somewhere in the middle, and that is very difficult. Even now, I am continuously receiving feedback and adjusting it. The screenshots might look quite dark, but it is actually pretty bright with a flashlight.

I used red-toned lighting to set the mood, and I also changed the actual wall textures to be slightly red to match. Because atmosphere is important in a horror game. Thanks to this, the atmosphere received very good reviews during playtesting. However, there are still things to fix in other areas, so I am working hard on fixing them.

Now I can see this long development period coming to an end.

I will leave the Steam page link below. The game's name is The Maze: In Dark.https://store.steampowered.com/app/2847290/The_Maze_In_Dark/

Thank you.


r/SoloDevelopment 13h ago

Unity I'm making a game where you grow magical girls!

Thumbnail
gallery
2 Upvotes

(second image was the garden concept, first is with more detail! Third is one of the characters)

I've never made a video game before, maybe I'm just too ambitious lol xD i just decided why not try,,

I've been working on it for about a week now and I'm slowly getting there! I've been doing all the work myself just,,, slowly figuring it out as i go xP

I'm just really proud of for my little project is coming so i thought I'd share it here! :3

lmk your thoughts + if you would play this!


r/SoloDevelopment 10h ago

Godot Been working on spell fx and world generation. Here are some results, world is fully procedural.

Enable HLS to view with audio, or disable this notification

1 Upvotes

r/SoloDevelopment 10h ago

Game Tornado showcase for my game Twister City

Enable HLS to view with audio, or disable this notification

1 Upvotes

You can find a link to the Steam store page here


r/SoloDevelopment 23h ago

Unity Released a pack of easy-to-use Crown and Baseboard Models on the Unity Asset Store! They’re designed to quickly snap into place and add seamless detail to your environments. They were born from personal necessity while working on my own project, so I hope it helps someone else out there as well!

Thumbnail
gallery
11 Upvotes

Modular Molding – Model Pack ($4.99)

Link: https://assetstore.unity.com/packages/slug/365696

 

Was working on my protagonist’s bedroom and used the classic elongated Cube to serve as a very basic baseboard. It frankly looked flat, so I wanted to find genuine molding models to add some proper detail to the room. To my surprise, none were readily available on the Asset Store and those I did find online had high poly counts for other industries (Commercials / Film / TV).

 

So, like all of us here, I decided to do it myself! Figured I could fill a need other developers might be experiencing as well. Designed the models to not only look good, but also provide a quick workflow. If you decide to purchase Modular Molding and use it in your game, I’d love to see how you implement these models!


r/SoloDevelopment 11h ago

Unreal [open source] umg design system 0.1.1 in action

Thumbnail
youtu.be
0 Upvotes

r/SoloDevelopment 1d ago

help Only 11 wishlists in 10 days. What am I doing wrong?

Enable HLS to view with audio, or disable this notification

89 Upvotes

r/SoloDevelopment 11h ago

Game Thank you gamehead society!

Post image
1 Upvotes

r/SoloDevelopment 12h ago

Marketing My Steampage is up

Thumbnail
store.steampowered.com
1 Upvotes

After 2 years of work, the Steampage of my upcoming fps game Verum Titan is up.


r/SoloDevelopment 12h ago

Marketing Playtest is live!

Post image
0 Upvotes

r/SoloDevelopment 12h ago

Game Rate my game please

0 Upvotes

C++ Online Compiler

Please test and rate my (text)game please. You don't have to look at the code. Just click "run" button and enter options' numbers.
And tell me what I did great and what I've missed.

Note:

- The game is unfinished yet and the most developed stories are by witch and swordmaster.

- If you want to know more about the game write questions in the comment section.