In this podcast Charlie & I discuss the ideation & design steps needed to get started building an indie game, using my recently released game Carrier Commander: War at Sea as a template to help aspiring indie developers see the start-to-finish process of releasing a game.
Charlie and I have both been working in the mobile gaming industry for several years, and have recorded a number of podcasts on various gaming topics. This podcast is part one of a series of 3 covering the entire process materializing a game into reality.
Time-Stamped Notes
0:00 - 2:30 Developing from Asia for low cost of living.
2:30 - 8:00 Getting started and choosing your game idea.
- Making thousands of prototypes vs. Making 1 complete game
- Prototyping - Link to Previous Podcasts Mentioned
- r/ game ideas subreddit
- Making your game unique
8:00 - 9:30 Story of The Ember Conflict
- Indie game made by devs in Beijing
- Indie development is cut-throat & difficult
9:30 - 11:00 - Choosing a Genre (Strategy) and a Game Development Tool (Game Maker)
- Fate of the Real Time Strategy Genres
- Game Makers Deployment options
11:00 - 16:00 Drawing up your Game Design Document
- Making design decisions early to saves time later
- Waterfall approach to Software Design
- Details of the Game Design Document
- Mechanics & Compulsion Loops
- Aesthetics and Theme
- Replacing Tutorial Text with Good Level Design
- Mobile Users habits vs. Console & PC Gamers
- Importance of the First Time Experience
