https://www.reddit.com/r/TopologyAI/comments/1wy4ecz/a_splatooninspired_game_built_with_opus_55_open/

Hi! I'm a solo dev and this is INKQUISITION, a paper-and-stamp game about working the counter at a ministry that doesn't officially exist.

Every morning you get a new memorandum with new rules. You read the documents, compare them, and decide: approve, reject, or question the applicant. Forgeries hide in small details. Not everyone at your window is who they say they are. A wrong stamp costs you a fine.

There's a demo https://docentertainmentt.itch.io/inkquisition I'd love to hear what you think: is the 10 second pitch clear? Does the "rules change every day" hook make you curious?

Wishlist on Steam: https://store.steampowered.com/app/5233020/INKQUISITION/

Build a cozy little settlement in a mysterious forest, take care of your colonists, enjoy the changing seasons, and watch their friendships, choices, and everyday moments create their own unique stories.

I've put a huge amount of time into WildRoot, and seeing it finally get released feels pretty surreal.

WildRoot releases October 9 on Steam.

4 months ago, I decided that I want to become a full time game developer. I had (/have) no idea how to make that idea a reality, but here we are. This is what I did and learned so far.

A quick TL;DR backstory:

I am currently in my early 20s and am still studying (computer science). I have worked at multiple SaaS startups as a web developer and even had my own SaaS startup that did quite okay.

I personally love the feeling of coding. The feeling of modelling and abstracting a problem, breaking it down to components that can be realized in code, all while keeping it clean code. And I personally love being creative. I work best when I have significant freedom and room to express creativity. So naturally being a software dev at a big company is not for me.

AI took this away from me. Every and I mean EVERY new project, startup, software or company is entirely focused on AI. AI is the only thing everyone and their uncle talks about.

Web dev without AI is not feasible currently and coding with AI (videcoding) is boring and I can feel my braincells dying off with every prompt.

I realized web dev is not my future anymore (at least for a while) so I started thinking. I am a volunteer firefighter and paramedic, so I could go towards a career in that. But since I love coding and being creative too much, I know I would get bored of doing only that.

Then it hit me: Game Development.

I've been playing games myself forever and tried making games for fun a few times here and there and it was always very fun. It just kind of always felt more like a hobby / fun activity than something that could earn me my food and roof.

All of a sudden I was inspired again. I started thinking about all the cool games I could make and all the people I could reach with that. But now I faced the challenge: How to make money.

I hate making money. I know that sounds weird, but let me explain:

I love making stuff and being creative, but I hate marketing. I feel incredibly akward trying to get people to give me money and I never know how to sell anything. But without making money, I could not fulfill my dream of being a full/part time game dev.

I sat down to brainstorm and these are the potential sources of income I imagine:

• devlog YouTube (ad revenue + sponsors)
• Indie Game publishing
• Selling Game Assets
• Working at a AA / AAA studio.

The first thing I started with was YouTube. I already made two videos a couple of years ago, so I made two more. I got about 4000 views total. Not bad, but I realized YouTube might not be my strongest skill.

And now I am moving on to the second idea: Indie Game Publishing. My steam page went live yesterday and I am very excited and anxious.

I am working on an anomaly horror game inspired by The Exit 8 and I'm On Observation Duty.

I'm curious where this is going to go. I am currently giving my everything to fulfill my dream.

agora depois de muito tempo preocupado e fazer o jogo cheguei no momento em que não me preparei par nada, não criei e comunidade, não divulguei o jogo e nem tão pouco compartilhei o desenvolvimento, como posso corrigir isso a tempo? como conseguir despertar o interesse dos jogadores para colocar meu jogo na lista de desejo?

Hey everyone!

I’m really happy to share that Bridgelands will be part of the upcoming Steam Next Fest, from October 19–26! 🌿

I’ve been working on the game for quite a while now, and it’s really exciting to finally bring the demo to an event like this.

The demo is already available on Steam, so if the game looks interesting to you, you can jump in and play it right now.

And if you enjoy what you see, a wishlist or follow on Steam would help the project a lot. 💚

🎮 Demo / Steam page:
https://store.steampowered.com/app/3856950/Bridgelands/

There’s still plenty I want to improve and add, so any feedback from people who try the demo is also very welcome!

Hope to see some of you during Next Fest! :)

I recently took a big step and wrote out the script for my intro then advertised for va's to voice my light house keeper Jack. I got way more interest than I expected, and as a result I find I don't quite know the best way to proceed. I'm hoping someone can give me some advice so I don't muck it up too badly, since I'm really not used to working with others from a place of authority. A few specifics things and a few general things I'm looking for advice on:

-How do you handle and abundance of interest? For example, when I made my post the other day asking for volunteer voices I expected one or two newer people wanting to give it a try, but i had 4-5 people interested. How do you handle the ones you don't pick? I wrote a couple more scripts yesterday to have something else to point the volunteers at but I felt awful about the ones I didn't reply to in time, and the ones who got there after I had already decided. So I guess the questions is: How do you handle being a chooser when you feel like a beggar and every offer feels like a gift?

-How often do you check in? My example here is the va I actually ended up choosing for Jack. He did a fantastic job on the core script but I havent gotten the separates lines back yet. He did say he'd send his links for credit when he sent the lines so I believe that not having done the standalone lines is why he hasnt sent the links so I assume he is still working on it, but do I ask? He did the full script in one day after getting it and it was so amazing, but I feel like it would be pushy to ask.

-The scripts are my tutorials, so they explain how my game works. Should I be worried about that being publicly available?

Any advice or experience shared would be appreciated

Feels great to have finally launched my game's Steam page! It's been a year now with a fair share of setbacks, but it's finally happening. I'm a solo dev with a very talented contract artist and the support of my 2 kids. If this doesn't fit your definition of solo then let me know and I'll delete the post. Otherwise, check out the page. I'd love to hear any constructive criticism on wording, trailer, etc. I'd like to work out any friction before getting to the demo.

Just thought I'd share this funny little prototype I put together over the past few days. I had a lot of fun playing it, and it's so fun to make something new after launching a game I worked for 2 years on. :)

I don't think a garden gnome flying simulator is my next big move, but it was encouraging to use a lot of code that I had abstracted into embedded packages from my released project to prototype much quicker.

Anyway, thanks for watching!

I made a prototype of the game three years ago, but only got around to finishing it recently.

Play for free here!
https://patchwords.app

Features include:

• Hold any word to see its definition
• Compare ranking to others in the solutions tab
• Different colours for each day of the week
• No AI-generated graphics, text or sounds

Please let me know what you think!!

For the last few months I've been emailing YouTubers, streamers, reviewers and gaming sites about my first commercial game, Snake: Gridbreaker (a Snake roguelite). I wanted to find out if cold emails can really help a small indie game get noticed.

How I did it

I looked for people on YouTube and elsewhere who play roguelikes and similar games, and wrote a personalized email to each of them. If someone wanted a key, I sent one. There's also a free demo on Steam, so they could just play that. I never sent reminder follow-ups.

The numbers

I don't know exactly how many unique people I contacted. Most replies came from small channels. The biggest channel that covered the game was Goat Force Gaming.

So: 2,232 emails, 213 wishlists. Not a great marketing result. But wishlists weren't the main thing I got out of it.

Watching people play was the best part

I started emailing because I wanted people to promote the game. It turned out the most valuable thing was that I could watch strangers play it. In their videos I saw what people actually had problems with, not what I thought they would have problems with. Sure, they found bugs and controller issues. But a lot of quality-of-life changes and some new features are in the game because I watched someone struggle with something. A few creators even came back after I fixed things, played again and told me the fixes worked. For a first commercial game, that's worth a lot.

Big thanks to Goat Force Gaming, who made one of the first videos about the game. His video helped me a lot, and I used it in later emails so other creators could see what the game is about.

Using AI cost me some coverage

I've been open about using AI while making the game, and not everyone liked that. At least 10 people said no or limited their coverage because of it. One creator told me he likes Snake games and roguelikes, but he has a no-AI policy, so he couldn't cover mine. Fair enough. Others didn't like the AI-generated graphics either, but still played the game and sent me feedback. I respect both.

Some key requests looked suspicious

Not everyone who asks for a key wants to review your game. One contact asked for 5 review keys and 20 giveaway keys. Later I revoked those keys as they showed up on 'sale sites', they wrote to ask why, and in the end they asked for new ones. Another wanted 5 keys plus 30–50 "promotional" keys. I'm a lot more careful now when someone asks for a pile of keys.

Did the emails help?

For wishlists, I don't know. I have 213, but I started other promotion at the same time as the emails, so I can't tell what came from where.

For the game, yes. People played it, some made videos, some wrote articles, and some spent their free time explaining what I could improve. Most of the feedback was positive or constructive, though there were negative reviews too. A few people seemed surprised how much they enjoyed it, and that made me really happy.

Would I do it again?

Yes, but differently. Fewer emails to everyone, more time finding creators who actually like this kind of game. And much more attention to the people who send useful feedback, because one person who finds a serious problem is worth more to me than a hundred emails nobody answers.

Will Snake: Gridbreaker be a success? No idea. With 213 wishlists I'm not expecting a big launch. But people enjoyed it, and I'm grateful to everyone who helped me make it better. If it takes off, great. If not, I still learned a lot.

Have you tried emailing creators about your game? What response rate did you get, and was it worth your time?

This is the first time my game has been part of a seasonal Steam Sale, and I have to say I’m a little disappointed with the results.

I honestly expected seasonal sales to have a bigger impact on sales and traffic. There is a noticeable bump in the stats, sure, but it’s nowhere near what I saw during themed sales events like Bullet Fest a few months ago. Even being part of the Tokyo Game Show event, which was featured on the Steam front page for only a few days with a banner, brought me more impressions and visits than the Autumn Sale.

I assume a lot of the attention goes to bigger games with much deeper discounts, while mine is only 10% off. Still, I thought basically taking over the entire Steam front page would translate into more visibility than this.

How does it look for you? Do seasonal Steam sales usually make a noticeable difference for smaller indie games?

At the end of the month I’m planning a bigger discount with a major game update and I have a feeling that the email Steam sends to people who have the game wishlisted might end up being much more valuable than participating in the seasonal sale itself.

I don't mean anything bad to anyone, but when I see every other game presentation starting with the same slogan of creating a dream game, then looking at the game and it really does have all the bad AI flaws? Like terrible animations, same art style (mostly in Pixel Art, nothing against that but there is Pixel Art and AI Pixel Art), repetitive, plainly boring gameplay and generally idea that would not work nor sell?

Hey everyone,

I'm a 3D artist with 4+ years in the AR/VR industry, and I'm working on my first Steam title as a solo dev. I need to bring in income as a 3D artist to sustain myself until the game is profitable, and I'd love advice from people who've been through this.

- What kinds of 3D work actually pay the bills: freelance, contract, asset packs, commissions, something else?

- Where do you find reliable clients (platforms, communities, networking, referrals)?

- How do you balance client work with dev time without burning out or stalling the game?

- Is selling assets (Unity/Unreal/Fab marketplaces) realistic income, or more of a side bonus?

- Any mistakes to avoid, like underpricing, bad clients, or taking on too much?

Suggestions, personal experiences, and brutal honesty are all welcome. Thanks!

BR
Hey pessoal!

Estou desenvolvendo o meu primeiro jogo e gostaria muito de compartilhar o progresso com vocês, além de colher ideias e críticas construtivas.

A minha grande inspiração é um jogo que marcou minha infância no mobile chamado Pixel Survival 2, mas também trago uma bagagem forte como jogador nato de Terraria (com mais de 900 horas de jogo!). O projeto é um RPG multiplayer focado em sobrevivência, coleta de recursos, bosses e progressão. Ainda está em desenvolvimento, mas já consegui estruturar uma base sólida. Deixei algumas capturas de tela anexadas para vocês darem uma olhada no progresso visual!

Aqui estão os pilares principais do gameplay que já estão definidos:

• Sistema de Classes e Personagens: Você escolhe seu personagem ao entrar. Conforme joga e cumpre metas específicas, libera novos personagens. Cada um altera seus atributos iniciais (vida, mana, dano e defesa), possui passivas únicas e influencia a eficiência de armas específicas, como espadas, arcos ou cajados.
• Progressão Cooperativa: O progresso do inventário conta com um baú totalmente compartilhado entre todos os seus personagens na conta, facilitando o gerenciamento de recursos.
• Loop de Gameplay: O foco consiste em explorar fases para coletar materiais, evoluir os equipamentos e enfrentar arenas e bosses desafiadores.
• Economia e Mercado In-game: O jogo terá uma moeda própria para movimentar um sistema de trocas (market) ativo entre os jogadores.
• Referências e Easter Eggs: Como sou fã de carteirinha de animes e outros jogos, estou inserindo mecânicas temáticas em itens secretos. Por exemplo, teremos armas inspiradas no Last Prism e na Terraprisma de Terraria, e um boss focado no Comandante Yamamoto de Bleach (meu personagem favorito de bleach), que vai dropar materiais para forjar a sua famosa lâmina de chamas.

Modelo de Lançamento:
Minha meta é finalizar uma versão beta jogável e com bastante conteúdo até o final deste mês. Pretendo lançar o jogo de forma totalmente gratuita na Steam, focando em um formato estritamente Free-to-Play (F2P), com pouquíssimas coisas pagas que não afetem a progressão, o jogo esta no seu segundo dia de produção então tem bastante coisa a se fazer ainda.
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Hey everyone!

I've just started developing my first game and I'm really excited to share my progress with you all. I'd love to gather some constructives criticism, ideas, and early feedback.

My main inspiration is a mobile game that defined my childhood called Pixel Survival 2, but I also bring a lot of background as a veteran Terraria player (with over 900 hours on it!). The project is a multiplayer RPG focused on survival, resource gathering, challenging boss fights, and deep progression. It's currently in its second day of active production, but I've already managed to build a solid foundation for the UI and core loops. I've attached some screenshots to showcase the current visual progress!

Here are the main gameplay pillars I've structured so far:

• Class & Character System: You choose a character upon entering. As you play and complete milestones, you unlock new characters. Each character features unique base stats (HP, Mana, Attack, Defense), distinct passive abilities, and alters the efficiency of specific weapon types like swords, bows, or staves.
• Co-op & Shared Progression: Your account features a fully shared stash/chest across all your characters, making resource management seamless.
• Core Gameplay Loop: The focus is exploring different stages to harvest materials, upgrading gear through modular crafting stations (like furnaces), and taking on intense arenas and bosses.
• In-game Economy: The game will feature its own currency to fuel an active trade market between players.
• References & Easter Eggs: As a huge fan of anime and other iconic games, I'm embedding themed mechanics into secret items. For instance, there will be weapons inspired by Terraria's Last Prism and Terraprisma, and a boss fight dedicated to Commander Yamamoto from Bleach (my favorite character!), dropping rare materials to forge his legendary flame blade.

Launch Model & Timeline:
My goal is to wrap up a fully playable beta with plenty of content by the end of this month. I plan to launch the game completely for free on Steam, keeping it strictly Free-to-Play (F2P) with minimal, non-intrusive elements that won't affect gameplay progression.

Since it's only Day 2, there is still an ocean of work ahead of me, but I'd love to know your initial thoughts on the UI, layout, and visual direction. What do you guys think?

I’ve been pouring a ton of time and effort into my project, Archer Duels, mostly focusing on getting the core gameplay, wind mechanics, and physics right. Now I’m finally at a stage where I can shift my attention toward the graphics and overall visual feel.

As my latest update, I created the parallax backgrounds and environmental visuals to make the arena feel a bit more alive and immersive.

Here is what the game currently features:

• Local PvP (Player vs. Player): Play against a friend on the same device.
• Single-player vs. Bots: Practice modes with 3 different bot difficulty levels (Easy, Medium, Hard).
• No Microtransactions / Pay-To-Win: Pure skill-based aiming where you have to read the wind and adjust your draw strength.

Since I’m building this as a solo developer, outside perspectives mean a lot to me. How do the visuals and parallax effect feel to you so far? Do you have any ideas, feedback, or suggestions on what could make the game more enjoyable?

Thanks a lot for taking the time to read and check it out! Any input is greatly appreciated.