#gamedevjourney

[zeatheninteractive]

Feeling a Little Drained, but Hanging In There

Just wanted to share a bit of where I’m at as an indie game developer. Working on Hueniverse and the other projects has been such a journey, and right now, I’ll be honest—I’m feeling a bit drained. Making a game on your own (or with a tiny team) is exhausting but exciting. You get to wear all the hats, which sounds cool until you realize it’s a lot of hats and some might fall off. 

Some days, I’m excited about every pixel and color choice. Other days, I’m running on caffeine and wondering if I’ll ever get everything done. But even on those harder days, knowing that people are enjoying the game, even if it's just a handful of them, makes it all worth it. Seeing someone say they had fun or loved a puzzle is the fuel that keeps me going.

That’s me right now, just being honest about the highs and lows. Thanks for being here, and if you’ve tried Hueniverse, I hope it’s brought a little color to your day.

Til next time!

[gamecircuit]

Unlocking Game Worlds: From Dreaming to Dominating

The world of game creation is more than just pixels and code—it's a universe built from dreams, passion, and creativity. Whether you're sketching your first character or polishing a near-finished masterpiece, the journey from idea to domination is thrilling, challenging, and deeply rewarding. Today, indie developers and dreamers alike are shaping immersive experiences that compete with industry giants, proving that all you need is a vision and the will to bring it to life.

From Sketchbook to Screen: Starting the Game Development Journey :

Every successful game begins with a spark—an idea born in a notebook, a dream, or a late-night conversation. The first step is understanding your purpose: are you telling a story, creating a challenge, or simply inviting players into a new world? Early planning includes deciding on the game genre, mechanics, and core features. Tools like Unity, Unreal Engine, and Godot empower developers to prototype quickly, test ideas, and evolve them with feedback. Remember, every great game started as a small, imperfect draft.

Building Immersive Worlds that Players Never Want to Leave :

World-building is where imagination meets design. It's about crafting environments that feel alive—rich with detail, lore, and personality. Whether it's a cyberpunk city or a magical forest, the goal is to transport players emotionally. This means paying attention to aesthetics, music, lighting, and interactivity. Great game worlds aren’t just places—they’re characters in their own right, guiding and challenging the player at every turn.

Launching with Impact: Turning Your Passion Project into a Hit :

Once your game is built, launching it is the next big quest. This stage requires just as much creativity and effort as development. A successful launch involves smart marketing: sharing teasers, building a community, and getting your game in front of influencers and streamers. Platforms like Steam, itch.io, and Epic Games Store give indie titles a global stage. But the real power lies in authenticity—sharing your development story, passion, and vision connects with audiences far more than generic advertising.

🌐 www.gamecircuit.pro | 📞 +447463151997 Play. Create. Dominate

[eurydiceisdead]

I'm officially splitting my socials into TWO accounts!

From now on, @sleepingeurydice is your go-to for: ✍️ Keeping up with my editing work and clients 📚 Tracking my works in progress or any ongoing projects 🖋️ Staying updated on my recent & ongoing publications

If you're here for the behind-the-scenes of my creative process and all things writing, this is the place to be! Follow along for more updates, insights, and inspiration.

and, @eurydiceisdead is the hub for: 🐉 Dungeons & Dragons ideas and creations 🔥 My Monster Energy rankings & rants 🎮 Updates on my game dev projects ...and so much more chaos and creativity!

If you're here for epic adventures, energy drink hot takes, and all things geeky, hit that follow button! Let’s roll the dice together.

Follow both to stay connected and experience every side of the journey! Thank you for your love and support as these spaces evolve.

[sleepingeurydice]

I'm officially splitting my socials into TWO accounts!

From now on, @sleepingeurydice is your go-to for: ✍️ Keeping up with my editing work and clients 📚 Tracking my works in progress or any ongoing projects 🖋️ Staying updated on my recent & ongoing publications

If you're here for the behind-the-scenes of my creative process and all things writing, this is the place to be! Follow along for more updates, insights, and inspiration.

and, @eurydiceisdead is the hub for: 🐉 Dungeons & Dragons ideas and creations 🔥 My Monster Energy rankings & rants 🎮 Updates on my game dev projects ...and so much more chaos and creativity!

If you're here for epic adventures, energy drink hot takes, and all things geeky, hit that follow button! Let’s roll the dice together.

Follow both to stay connected and experience every side of the journey! Thank you for your love and support as these spaces evolve.

[zeurille]

Resurgence

♪ Here I am, being who I want, giving what I got, never a doubt now ♪

Man I wish I was as confident as Kira. But I find myself stumbling over and over again, repeatedly expressing frustration as I feel like I'll never get anywhere. But I guess resilience is still on my side, because I'm writing here now, my first ever legit post, just to record my journey in the scary world of game dev. 

I want to record my findings, my thought process, and hopefully, my growth. I chose to post it online for better archiving, free storage in the cloud and a more accessible way to post images that I produce from the computer--coz let's face it, I am dedicating my life to the computer now. 

I also keep this separate from my IRL journals coz I have so much more to say, and this is more optimized and more sustainable method for me. It's faster and my hands will also suffer less with all the ideas I want to write down.

Optimization and sustainability: two important things to consider when writing code-heck, when making a game. So once again, here I am, doing another attempt at diving in and learning how to make a game.

Maybe this blog-writing thing will help me maintain a bit of accountability, even though I know I'm the only one reading this. Then again I can be accountable to myself, as I will look back on this years later and hopefully I will witness growth. Hopefully this blog-writing will help untangle my thoughts, generate ideas, and brainwrite things into existence.

I gotta tell you, writing for myself feels wonderful. I haven't written anything in a long time, not even to express myself. Maybe the last thing I wrote for myself was that self-insert fanfic, that if you, dear reader, are interested, then maybe I will reward your visit to this lonely site with more information about it

I feel more in touch with myself, and I can hear myself more. Free from the hulabaloo of the outside world, I can come here and collect my thoughts in peace, and then articulate them in writing.

And in here, there is no one I need to please but myself.

It's cozy. It's familiar. It's safe.

Then maybe I can think a little clearer, maybe work a little better.

Then again, only time will tell.

~~~

With the introduction out of the way, I am to report my latest activity regarding my game dev journey

I am starting from zilch, and what I'm learning right now is a course that I bought called 

The Ultimate Guide to Game Development with Unity (Official)I am currently on the "Player Lives & Damaging".  But let's go back some more to where I actually legit started to learn, and some of my small accomplishments that I also want to note... 

"Wisp"

I should tell you that I have already coded my first game, called "Wisp". It was my entry to Game Jam, where I attended with my sister, who was in charge of the art, concept and story. I stepped down from the creative side to focus on coding, and I had to make a little detour from the Unity lessons to search for tutorials and tips that cater more to the output of our game. How, pray tell, were we able to make a game within less than three days without prior experience in coding? I was asking myself that same question on that very day the Game Jam started, and I was on my feet quickly grasping for answers.I managed to code a working prototype by the skin of my teeth, and there are factors that I have to consider and be thankful for or else I wouldn't have survived Game Jam. I will make an attempt on breaking them down to the best of my memories: First there was my sister, who managed the art and story and concept. She was able to provide something tangible on the first day, enough for me to translate it into simple game mechanics and fit them into what I can do in Unity. Not only did she give me an idea to start with, she was able to do the tasks I couldn't do and that helped me focus on my coding. Then there was my effort to focus, not to sweat on the small stuff, and focus on what matters most in the game. Now that I have a basic knowledge of the mechanics, the characters and the goal of the game, I can find some coding that can work with those. It helped me make decisions faster, and I HAVE to make fast decisions. 

| screenshot of the game

Yes, we are doing 2D. So I will translate all the coding I learned so far from my Udemy course from the default 3D to its 2D counterparts. The character is a disembodied "soul", so I turn off gravity and have it floating around, being manipulated by the directional buttons from all sides. The goal is to collect memories by "touching" certain points, so I will have to incorporate "OnTrigger" to the game objects that require interaction with the player that will trigger specific events.These specific events are revealing parts of an entire background as a storytelling device. Once everything is revealed, the portal to the next level opens, and the player can move onwards.

public class Memories : MonoBehaviour

{

    public Transform BGOneObject;

    private UIManager BGOneUI;

    private void OnTriggerEnter2D(Collider2D collision)

{

        if (collision.tag == "Player")

        //access Player script and add coins method here

        {

            //log

            Debug.Log("Got first memory!");

            //create a reference variable to the component we want, then assign

            Player player = collision.GetComponent<Player>();

            //null check to see if it exists

            if (player != null)

            {

                Debug.Log("Player is here");

                player.AddMemories();

            }

            BGOneUI = BGOneObject.GetComponent<UIManager>();

            if (BGOneObject != null)

            {

                Debug.Log("UI IS HERE");

                BGOneUI.MemoryRevealA();

            }

            Destroy(this.gameObject);

        }

    }

}

 | Excerpt of my script. This is from the Prefab "Memories"

This is when I went beyond the knowledge I learned from my Unity course at that time. I searched for code and syntax that will allow the gameobject to reveal parts of an image, and to trigger the portal to the next level once the image is "complete". I also have to define in code what it means for the image to be completed, and I figured it's the number of gameobjects collected. The image appearing is just an indication of the gameobject being collected. I also searched for the basic code for level change, the menu, and the "Play Again" button. I gotta admit that these were added at the very end, just to give the game a "finished" feel.

I wasn't too hyped after submitting it, maybe because I didn't allow myself to celebrate over a "little thing". Though now looking back at it, it seems like there is an idea there that can be polished and upgraded, to a full-on working game. Maybe I will pick it up again in the near future. There is still a lot of work to be done, and I hope I won't falter from it.

Resurgence pt. 1

I was in a long hiatus from game dev for months after submitting Wisp. It was a lot of things: the new sideline and balancing multiple jobs, moving to a new apartment with family, and a slight fear of going back to it again. So I never managed to get back to it Until now. It took me 3 days, a few pages each day, to re-read the notes I wrote during my Unity lesson. The thorough note-taking helped me recognize and visualize what the lesson was explaining. I can still understand the logic behind the code and remember how I typed it in Visual Studio. I forgot a few parts and code, and I tried not to beat myself over it and just re-learn; get -re-acquainted with it. I realized I cannot get them all on the first try, even though I have created my very first game. I need to read and re-read, diligently take down notes and revisit some basics to get the hang of it.  I really need to make an effort, no matter how busy I am, to put aside time to learn game development. I should not let it out of my sight. I should spend at least an hour every day until the program feels like second nature to me and the fear subsides. I have made many attempts to overcome my fear and busyness and tackle game development, and I felt like I was going nowhere for years. But in writing this, I was reminded of what I did, which was a legit working prototype of a game, and what I need to do, which is to constantly practice and learn. This I haven't tried yet. Knowing these, I can say with some certainty that there is still hope for me, but the journey is not going to be easy. I hope that I will go through this journey nevertheless.

✦Zeu out✦ 

[teharrarose]

I don't even know how to start this so...

#StoryTime

About a year and a half, two years ago, I played this videogame called Boyfriend Dungeon. It was my first intro, other than mobile games, of what a hybrid visual novel was. From there, liking that game so much, I dived into Piofoire Fated Memories. A contact I had at a local GameStop saved for me Piofoire 1926 saying he knew I would love it. I quickly found out it was the sequel and purchased and read the first one.

I fell in love. I fell in love with falling in love with anime men, I fell in love with the story, and I fell in love with otome visual novels. From there, I've branched out reading all sorts of visual novels and loving them. The choose your own adventure aspect of these games allow me to fully immerse myself and feel as if I'm the character in the game dealing with whatever fake drama there is...it scratches itches for me that real life can't and I was obsessed.

But my journey didn't just end there at reading them. The more I read, the more the bard within me reminded me that I went to college for Creative Writing and I knew I could also, potentially, write one of these kinds of stories. So, I started planning a huge visual novel story world and characters and plot... and I have a huge project in the works.

When that happens, I talk about it. Let's jump ahead a bit...

So, I started talking about developing my own video games, visual novels more specifically. My brother in june surprised me with training courses to learn godot, and I was already learning RenPy so it was actually happening! I was learning different engines to learn different ways to make video games and visual novels.

It's now July 25th and here is my Game Dev update....

I found out what game jams were and knowing I would love the motivation they provide, so I started participating in them.

My first jam I wrote The Witch's Grasp.

It placed #176/1116 entries and in categories it placed 5th in story!

My second jam I wrote Blind Love and got an artist to help me design two of the characters.... It placed 2nd Overall and won us $200!

I am just so humbled. I knew I could do this physically, mentally, but I truly didn't think I would turn heads as I have seemed to begun to do so! I'm so excited with it only being my second month, I can only get better at my craft from here.

I might work on trying to teach myself to draw again.

I really need to have an artist on call lol but that isn't possible. I'll have to be my own artist... oof. LOL That might be a bit rough, I haven't drawn in years and I was always an amateur at that.... but that's my biggest drawback right now. Two months, you guys....

Can you find what you're supposed to be doing, truthfully, that quickly?

[ezzybrownmedia]

A Journey into PC Game Development 🎮

Are you ready to dive into the thrilling universe of PC game development? Buckle up, because this ride promises to be a rollercoaster of creativity and innovation. In this article, we'll explore the exciting world of game development, from ideation to the final product. So, grab your virtual toolkit and let's get started!

What is PC Game Development?

PC game development is the art of crafting interactive and engaging games specifically designed for personal computers. It involves a blend of coding, design, and storytelling to create an immersive gaming experience. Whether you're a seasoned developer or a curious newbie, the possibilities in this realm are as vast as the digital landscapes you can create. Read More… Read the full article

[thealchemyofgamecreation]

Inside Hakan’s War Manager: Design Log – Building the World (III)

I'm on a journey of designing our game world in Hakan's War Manager, and here's another log for you. Some might say I'm making the game too big, but trust me, it's ALL necessary! #GameDesign #HakansWarManager #ObaGames

Expanding the Game World – Ranks, Control, and Simulation Greetings, once again! Let’s dive deeper into the world of “Hakan’s War Manager.” Last time, I introduced the concept of ranks and progression; today, we’ll explore a more detailed and complex view of the game world because, well, why not? The Game Gets Bigger and Bigger As previously mentioned, players can climb the ranks, with nine…

[dmggamingpodcast]

Rediscover Your Game Dev Roots! Revisit the core essence of game development! Our passionate speaker shares insights on returning to fundamental practices, reminiscing about the early days of coding and collaboration. Rekindle the raw energy and creativity of those initial game-making experiences. #GameDevJourney #GameDevelopment #IndieGameDev #RetroGaming #NostalgicGaming #CodingLife #GameDesign #IndieDev #PassionProject #BackToBasics #GameDevTips via DMG Gaming Podcast https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCg-0IF3L2-ZkdZknea90jlw January 24, 2025 at 05:03AM

[jamaldolleygames]

Game Dev Journey No. 50 (Covid-19 Edition)

Project Star Beasts Devlog #5 (Indie Sci Fi Horror Game) 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=984yOiyAFLU

[zeatheninteractive]

Welcome to Zeathen Interactive

Hi, I'm Nate, the founder of Zeathen Interactive.

A New Beginning

After leaving a demanding job that drained my energy and enthusiasm, I reached a pivotal moment in my career. I wanted to pursue something that was not only intellectually stimulating but also personally fulfilling. That's when I turned to game development. Initially, it started as a small, experimental project—something to keep me occupied and help me reconnect with the joy of creativity. I began teaching myself the essentials, experimenting, and developing small prototypes, driven by the excitement of creating something unique.

From Hobby to Career

What began as a casual hobby soon transformed into a full-blown passion. I found myself dedicating increasing amounts of time and effort, and before long, this modest project had evolved into something far more substantial. This journey ultimately led to the founding of Zeathen Interactive.

Introducing Hueniverse

The first major product from Zeathen Interactive is Hueniverse—a color sorting game designed to engage players in organizing tiles in their correct sequence. While the mechanics are straightforward, the game aims to deliver a satisfying and stimulating challenge, ideal for those moments when you need a quick mental exercise.

Currently, Hueniverse is available on Android, and I would be thrilled if you gave it a try. Your feedback is incredibly valuable to me, and I am eager to hear your thoughts. The goal was to create an experience that is both brief and entertaining, a small burst of enjoyment whenever you need it.

Be Part of the Journey

I'm genuinely excited to share this journey with all of you. Whether you are a fellow game developer, an enthusiastic gamer, or simply someone with an interest in creative projects, I invite you to join me as I continue on this path. There is much more to come, and I look forward to exploring these opportunities together.

[gailrin]

Day one Game Development Journey.

Learning to setup basic controls; click to move, keyboard, and camera. Used the top down template which came with the click to move already available, but not the other controller options I want.

Took forever to figure out why keyboard movement was not working until I clicked to move first.

This fixed everything.

I have absolutely zero clue to what I'm doing.

Update, I figured out how to set the view port as active through the project settings.

Additional Edit: I have more of these adventure learning posts hidden on my blog or posted as private, just testing the waters to see how comfortable I feel posting my progress in public.

[chuacheart]

Es maravilloso ver como un pequeño proyecto que empezó batiendo sus alas de colibrí, va ascendiendo en altura hasta imaginarnos que pudiera alcanzar a un cóndor de Los Andes. Esta es la foto de la primera presentación en público que hice este jueves pasado en Las Naves sobre @Pixel_Powa y Bremen Hot Strings, arropado por @panreyes entre el público y demás excelentes ponentes. Agradezco como salir en los escenarios de open mic de comedia me ha ayudado a ganar confianza cogiendo el micro, sobre-exponerme delante de decenas de personas, soltar algún "chistecito que hizo agua"... y en fin, ofrecer algo bueno que pensamos que tenemos. PD: Por favor, no toméis en cuenta que salgo justo delante de la diapo en la que sale el "bigotitos", pero es la foto que hay. ^_^u . . . . #indiedev #indiedevs #presentacion #lasnaves #valencia #GODOT #gamingcomunity #gamedev #gameart #gameplay #viodegames #gamedesign #gamelore #gamemarketing #gametesting #gamedevlife #gamedevjourney #indiegamestudio #indiegamecommunity #indiegamejunkie #indiegamemarketing #supportindiegames #gamingindustry #gameindustryjobs https://www.instagram.com/p/CpkvzPBtZao/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=

[zeatheninteractive]

Behind the Scenes

Here's a sneak peek at the code behind the countdown sequence for Hueniverse! I wanted to create a bit of excitement with a 'Ready, Set, Go!' sequence before starting the stopwatch. The timer in this snippet manages the reveal timing, displaying each word in order with a random reveal effect. Game development is all about those little details that make gameplay feel just right. Thanks for being part of the journey!

[zeatheninteractive]

Behind the Colors of Hueniverse!

Here's a little glimpse into the code that brings all the vibrant color gradients to life in my game, Hueniverse! As an indie developer, these moments of creating something from scratch are the most exciting parts of the process.

This snippet shows part of how I generate the smooth, eye-pleasing gradients that make the puzzles pop. It might look like just a few lines of code, but it’s where the magic starts! 

I hope this gives you an idea of the fun behind-the-scenes work that goes into making Hueniverse colorful and relaxing.

If you're a fan of games, colors, or just want to see an indie dev's journey, I'd love for you to check it out!  Link in bio!

[zeatheninteractive]

Exciting News: Closed Testing Phase Update!

Good day, everyone!

We're thrilled to announce that our second game has officially reached the closed testing phase. The feedback we've received from our testers so far has been incredibly encouraging, and we're using it to make the game even better.

With your continued support, we’re excited to share that soon we will be ready to apply for production!

Thank you for being part of our journey.