1-1/2 years have passed

I'm more interested in what type of game are you making? What is this beast that takes +6 years of development to an already existing 1.5 years?

I meant 6 years overall. I'm hoping it starts to move quicker now that the framework has been set so-to-speak.

Space based, persistent world; economy, crafting, combat (thinking turn based) One person team, working part-time.

I meant 6 years overall. I'm hoping it starts to move quicker now that the framework has been set so-to-speak.

Space based, persistent world; economy, crafting, combat (thinking turn based) One person team, working part-time.

2D? 3D? RPG? Shooter?

RPG with some 3D components. I've been chopping off features pretty regularity though, to keep it "possible to complete". Technology will probably have a say on the finished product since completion is still years out.

I've been working on a rpg side project in js for the past year and a half aswell, small world.

I've been working on a rpg side project in js for the past year and a half aswell, small world.

It's fun, isn't it? Part of me knows I'll never finish mine, but the satisfaction of making it through different sections; the planning, the refactoring and reducing, the fluidity of bringing it to life, is well worth it.

Part of me knows I'll never finish mine

Frankly that's the impression I got while reading the thread. "This guy is biting more than he can chew in a reasonable time frame". While I don't want to make little of the feeling of satisfaction you get from chopping at this, I imagine you would get even more satisfaction from actually finishing one or more projects that are more suitably scoped. I've been working on my current project (Curver, see signature) for years as well, with hugely varying productivity levels over those years. However, I'm quite close to the initial release specifically because I've re-scoped it (multiple times) to something reasonable for a single developer working in his spare time after a tiring day job, without completely neglecting his wife. Instead of developing a full-fledged vector graphics application, with animation and complex shading and a rich set of tools, I'm focusing on providing an efficient and innovative workflow for a specific task.

But if everybody followed this advice, then a lot of great games and programs created by single developers would not exist today.

Good luck, bro.

I'm more interested in what type of game are you making? What is this beast that takes +6 years of development to an already existing 1.5 years?

6 years are not an unreasonable estimate for a lone wolf part time even IF the game is actually quite small.

Don't forget the economics of scale. If a team of 4 would spend 6 months on a game, a single lone wolf dev will spend more than 6 months * 4 on it, because he cannot specialize (lets say 3 years).

If the lone wolf dev now works part time (the TO said he spends above average time on it, lets make it about 20 hours or about half the normal work week of a fulltime dev), that 3 years double to 6 years.

Even IF the dev can save time with outsourcing work, he will spend the time he saved in marketing and business topics. And then some more.

How big a game can a team of 4 produce in 6 months? Not going to be anywhere near AAA. Even the "No mans sky" crew, which cut corners extensively with procedural generation and a non-realistic art style, was 10-15 people strong and spent quite some years on the game.

A lone wolf dev talking about 6 years just means reasonable estimates, and a not too small scope (nowhere near big, mind you).

Is it a good idea to work so long on a single project? Maybe not, on the other hand, some others spent more than ten years on theirs and happened to release it to quite some success, so it can work out.

Part of me knows I'll never finish mine

Frankly that's the impression I got while reading the thread. "This guy is biting more than he can chew in a reasonable time frame". While I don't want to make little of the feeling of satisfaction you get from chopping at this, I imagine you would get even more satisfaction from actually finishing one or more projects that are more suitably scoped. I've been working on my current project (Curver, see signature) for years as well, with hugely varying productivity levels over those years. However, I'm quite close to the initial release specifically because I've re-scoped it (multiple times) to something reasonable for a single developer working in his spare time after a tiring day job, without completely neglecting his wife. Instead of developing a full-fledged vector graphics application, with animation and complex shading and a rich set of tools, I'm focusing on providing an efficient and innovative workflow for a specific task.

But if everybody followed this advice, then a lot of great games and programs created by single developers would not exist today.

Good luck, bro.

Thank you!

I have re-scoped as well, and will continue to do so. I've cut quite a bit out and it hasn't taken away from the premise of the game. It's quite possible I may end up with a large portion of the game text and chart based.

I'm actually ok with several more years ahead of me. If the tools I'm using stay relevant for the long run, I'll be OK.

The hope would be to attract an artist and a story person sometime down the road.

I'm more interested in what type of game are you making? What is this beast that takes +6 years of development to an already existing 1.5 years?

6 years are not an unreasonable estimate for a lone wolf part time even IF the game is actually quite small.

Don't forget the economics of scale. If a team of 4 would spend 6 months on a game, a single lone wolf dev will spend more than 6 months * 4 on it, because he cannot specialize (lets say 3 years).

If the lone wolf dev now works part time (the TO said he spends above average time on it, lets make it about 20 hours or about half the normal work week of a fulltime dev), that 3 years double to 6 years.

Even IF the dev can save time with outsourcing work, he will spend the time he saved in marketing and business topics. And then some more.

How big a game can a team of 4 produce in 6 months? Not going to be anywhere near AAA. Even the "No mans sky" crew, which cut corners extensively with procedural generation and a non-realistic art style, was 10-15 people strong and spent quite some years on the game.

A lone wolf dev talking about 6 years just means reasonable estimates, and a not too small scope (nowhere near big, mind you).

Is it a good idea to work so long on a single project? Maybe not, on the other hand, some others spent more than ten years on theirs and happened to release it to quite some success, so it can work out.

Thanks for your reply! Good information on realizing development time.

Right now I have a reasonable framework going so there is some amount of pressure removed. If I got tired of this idea, I could back down to something much more simple. In another few months I'm going to leave it "open" on the web with it's limited features, and maybe blog about it. Maybe I'll generate some interest that will turn into help.

Thanks for your reply! Good information on realizing development time.

Right now I have a reasonable framework going so there is some amount of pressure removed. If I got tired of this idea, I could back down to something much more simple. In another few months I'm going to leave it "open" on the web with it's limited features, and maybe blog about it. Maybe I'll generate some interest that will turn into help.

Well, I found the most important things are

a) not to get to attached to things... if a project turns out to be completly overscoped, be able to shelf it without second thought. Resizing is good, but all to often much more difficult than starting over.

b) not read too much into how much time you spend on "your game dev project"... most probably your "project" has evolved into a "second job" by the time you get competent enough to actually pull something reasonable off if you are a parttimer, or your "project" is actually multiple projects done in quick succession as you try to keep over water while striving to find that one game that is more than just moderately successfull if you do it fulltime.

c) not to rely too much on outside help... if you try to build something you cannot finish yourself, and you don't have big pockets to begin with, you project will never be finished. Professional work demands professional level wages, and amateur work will only get you so far... apart from that, working with people complicates the whole process, and unless you find someone who is just as invested into it as you are, you will most probably spend more (not money, but time) than you get back.

Keeping the project to a scope you could manage yourself, and seeing outside work as a bonus to shortcut it seems like the better idea.

Game development is never a sprint, unless you are already a very good developer, and do something small. In all other cases its a marathon.

Good luck with your game, hopefully you find help. If not, well, maybe you at least get to build a community. Which today is the most important support you can get from gamers as a dev.

Thanks for your reply! Good information on realizing development time.

Right now I have a reasonable framework going so there is some amount of pressure removed. If I got tired of this idea, I could back down to something much more simple. In another few months I'm going to leave it "open" on the web with it's limited features, and maybe blog about it. Maybe I'll generate some interest that will turn into help.

Well, I found the most important things are

a) not to get to attached to things... if a project turns out to be completly overscoped, be able to shelf it without second thought. Resizing is good, but all to often much more difficult than starting over.

b) not read too much into how much time you spend on "your game dev project"... most probably your "project" has evolved into a "second job" by the time you get competent enough to actually pull something reasonable off if you are a parttimer, or your "project" is actually multiple projects done in quick succession as you try to keep over water while striving to find that one game that is more than just moderately successfull if you do it fulltime.

c) not to rely too much on outside help... if you try to build something you cannot finish yourself, and you don't have big pockets to begin with, you project will never be finished. Professional work demands professional level wages, and amateur work will only get you so far... apart from that, working with people complicates the whole process, and unless you find someone who is just as invested into it as you are, you will most probably spend more (not money, but time) than you get back.

Keeping the project to a scope you could manage yourself, and seeing outside work as a bonus to shortcut it seems like the better idea.

Game development is never a sprint, unless you are already a very good developer, and do something small. In all other cases its a marathon.

Good luck with your game, hopefully you find help. If not, well, maybe you at least get to build a community. Which today is the most important support you can get from gamers as a dev.

Thank you for the well wish and advice!

Point 'a' is interesting to me. When I started this, I considered building a basic foundation and expanding functionality later on. I was told that idea is generally a no go. I'm moving in that direction with thoughts of adding stacked, sequenced events in the future. Based on my progress so far, it seems reasonable. Early on I had dreams of RPG style play, then flip over to semi-realtime pvp encounters in a 3D environment. I've since dropped any ideas revolving around "realtime", and the need for all that collision detection and what not. There was also a dream of MMO, but that has been replaced with as "persistent as possible".

Thank you again!