Simple & Playable

I want to set my focus and make mobile games. But it is hard for me to come up with something good, something playable, decent and fun.

I was thinking about making an isometric action rpg, but then I always stuck that I don't have the right asset and I can't make my own yet.

How you guys approach your idea towards game building when you only can program.

 

A simple tip: Be ordered.

In my opinion, any kind of serious project needs evaluation and blueprint making.

With blueprint making i mean that if you want to create a 3d model you should start making concept art first of the 3d model to be created and then create the 3d model.

First of all think about the game idea, then the game name (the game name should be related to the game idea) for example if it is a zombie survival game, the name should be something like "ZombieKill" and then think if your idea is accomplish-able with your knowledge, resources and time.

If you want to start creating the game logic, you should take a notebook, a pen, and start writting the idea and the following steps to get your idea done.

If you want to start creating the code you should start making a diagram or a flowchart that helps you to understand visually the logic of the program and then you can start writting the code.

IMPORTANT: Make a schedule, make 1 3d model per day or something like that, i mean you need to have goals of the game, for example: in 3 weeks i should have at least (3) 3d models, or the concept art at least.

 

Speaking from experience: lean into your limitations and be realistic with your expectations.

Firstly, you're developing for a niche demographic. Why? Because the only way to go mainstream with a mobile game these days is to have publisher backing - otherwise, your game will simply get lost in the thousands of products that are released to app stores every single day.

(And if you are thinking of going mainstream, you're going to need a lot more in terms of graphics than what you can get from the asset store).

So that's for expectations - now what about the limitations?

You're not good at producing art and, presumably, you don't have the budget to hire an artist (I'm in the same shoes, by the way). When developing for a niche demographic, ask yourself what matters to that demographic. If you're developing an isometric action RPG, then graphics do play a big role. But does it have to be graphics-heavy to be successful? Not necessarily - look at BitLife (which is almost entirely text-based, but offers a lot of emergent gameplay and outcomes that just beg to be shared on social networks) and Knights of Pen and Paper 2 (which features pixel art, but it works - because the game itself is a nostalgic homage to pen and paper experiences of the 80s). BitLife, in particular, is a great example of leaning into limitations (limited budget for art) while capitalizing on strengths (great writing and emergent gameplay experience acquired from their previous product).

Lastly, look at just about anything published by Voodoo - hypercasual games with minimalistic graphics that emphasize gameplay over visuals. They're also incredibly mainstream, but what makes them mainstream aren't the graphics but the instantly addicting and easy-to-pick-up nature of gameplay.

In short, while graphics help, you can absolutely produce a fun game with minimum to no graphics. It's not easy, but it can be done.

 

Make a game which will fit in with your skill set and budget. You can buy assets to fill certain needs, you can pay for custom assets, etc. For example, on the first game I published I'm not great at modeling. So I ended up just using primitives for almost all the enemies. There's also some inexpensive asset store stuff in there.

The game isn't amazing or anything, but I was happy with the results.

In my current game I'm developing, I decided to spend a bit more and got a lot of custom models created for it. Still getting it done with my limitations.

Minecraft is a good one to look at. Super smash hit, with almost no effort on the models and textures. That is part of the charm. The magic of the game is in the systems.

 

Don't get stuck on the art; game dev to me is a mix of good idea, good art, good programming, and good game play / design. To produce a playable release you need progress on all fronts. But if you get stuck early on trying to decide exactly which art will fit the bill or spend time building your own, the other fronts all lack progress. Lots of good free stuff on the asset store and online that in the least can be used as placeholders for artwork - something to use while you work on the other fronts and then come back to it when you are ready.

I don't really build out one front to completion then start another; like work a model until I consider it game ready and then start programming. Its more of a parallel process with working whatever needs it and not totally burned out on. If I've spent enough time working a model or texture and can't look at photoshop for another second because my your eyes would fall out, switch to another front for a bit - programming some of the game play, note booking larger issues or getting lost tweaking the look and feel of the UI.

At the end of the day its up to you when progress has been reached *enough* on all fronts to consider the thing ready for beta testing and feedback.

legal disclaimer: I am guilty of neglecting art, working on it.

 

Well I had to learn to do the art... I could only program too at first. Here is some stuff I recently did:

The image on the right is like 2 hours work just for practice and the model on the left is a few hours work...practicing the workflow to get a model from a cube to Unity. . I literally came from knowing NOTHING about art and drawing and 3d sculpting/modeling/animation. And I get better everyday. But anyway my point is that you just gotta learn the art and get it to a point where you think it's gonna be acceptable to people playing the game. For example, my model on the left is not top notch but I feel like it might be acceptable to someone who will eventually play my game.

Don't worry about drawing concepts at first (unless you just want to practice your 2d skills), there's tons of concept images on the web. Nothing wrong with using what’s already there as you learn. It'll make you better when you DO need to use your imagination.

Also, if you have money, maybe you can hire people..

 

How long it took you to learn to draw, because I'm also trying to learn digital drawing through krita. Are you learning through repeating like sphere, cillinders or just copying existing art?

 

Took me a few years maybe, on and off. I like to use references so I just google for a bunch of images...poses, armor, weapons, etc. I tend to just copy what's already there...making slight changes if I want to be unique. My goal is to get good at copying before I start focusing on doing things more from imagination.

I never really got into doing sphere or cylinders over and over. Drawing shapes like that is good to learn about lighting and form and perspective. It means you can do more with imagination. But I'm just not there yet. Having too much fun just copying stuff.

 

Damm that's good looking, I think you really can focus now more on 3D modelling. But the drawing looks very good.

 

This is a good resource for learning how to draw. The concepts apply to traditional and digital media: draw a box dot com

edit: sorry I couldn't post the link. Apparently that made my reply too spammy.

 

Ah, thanks another good drawing resource, I will definitely take a look.