What are the most common mistakes game developers make?

Or what mistakes have you made or have you heard that other developers have made?

 

Posting abstract questions in forums too often.

 

Drinking milk without checking out expiration date.

Very common mistake.

 

Underestimating work. Start small, or enjoy the long haul. Remember, no burning out allowed.

 

Trying to make Skyrim 2: Electric Boogaloo when you have all the ideas and its rev share and it'll feature the entire Mario cast fighting Master Chief alongside Doom Guy but with better crafting and multiplayer and next gen graphics and a map the size of the galaxy^2.

Its their first game but don't worry they have it all written down, They just need 1 programmer, 5 sound designers, 13 reddit questions on legality, 54.3 help wanted posts on the forum, and half a skittle.

Come on guys, it's obvious to make history with them.

 

I will say the biggest mistake people can make is blindly taking advice from forums. Think things over and come to your own conclusions.

And also not spending time with loved ones, or getting out more.

 

I respectfully disagree. Believing that the expiration date represents the state of your food is a far more common mistake.


More seriously, underestimating work would be the big one.

An over-reliance on other peoples' solutions would be another. Whether it's a tutorial or a package from the Asset Store, using other peoples' stuff because it's easy / cheap now isn't necessarily the best way forward for your project as a whole. You need to understand what's going on in your project, because you can not manage / plan / solve problems in a thing you do not actually understand.

 

It's just I saw this blog post and thought it would be interesting to see how the amazing Unity community would answer the same question...

Common mistakes by indie game developers – Cliffski's Blog (positech.co.uk)

 

You should have opened with that.

I generally agree with it. In particular the part about marketing budget is great. If you don't have a budget, find a way to get a budget. Organic growth is slow, and on top of being good you also have to get lucky if you go that route.

 

Lack of discipline and the allowance to stop working on a project, starting on a completely new one. Ending up with a library of many unfinished projects, you can lie to yourself about being something you'll come back to in the future.

 

Ha. I read that later in the day and agreed with all of it. I didn't make the connection to this thread though. I stand by my overestimation common mistake, because cliffski's list seems to be a bunch of "do or do nots", where with estimation, there's plenty of "trying" going on.

 

I don't agree with one part. I don't think it's a good idea for indies to start showing their work from day one, at all. Unless you believe first impressions are worth nothing.

Even the author doesn't do that, he waits until its visually acceptable first.

 

Fair enough. Truthfully, I haven't published anything about my game yet, so yeah, maybe it was just me endorsing bad advice to get a leg up.

 

- Wanting to make their favourite game as their first project, i.e MMORPG, Multiplayer FPS.
- Jumping ship to another engine/framework as soon as new shinies are revealed
- Not finishing projects and continuously starting new ones

 

Scope Creep.

Im all for exploratory development but there absolutely must come a time in the game project when you lock down (in a document) what the end result will be and then you work towards that. The longer you put off that feature-lock the much more work you have to do.

 

Despising social networks.

 

How is that ever a bad thing?

 

No exposure

 

You can both despise it and use it at the same time.

 

Anything I do is a mistake, do as i say, not as i do, unless you are ready for the long haul. Sometimes there is no sugar coating the road not taken. A lot of people search their lost keys under the street lamp, because they can see there and not outside, in the dark of the night, even though they didn't lost it near the street lamp. The street lamp is comfort, sometimes you have to move away from it and accept to blindly go in the dark.

Edit:
Being creative, seriously don't be too creative, it's uncertainty, do what's proven and things will flow smoothly. Remix is where sanity is, if you remix enough different things, it will look creative enough to satisfy both the ego and the sanity. If you try to make a point, or explore something new, you'll be shooting yourself in the foot and take the risk of never successfully landing something.

 

Being fans of software companies that make the tools they use.

 

Scope, planning, and connecting multiple systems to work together.

It’s so easy to make bite sized game features, but incredibly hard to pull it all together.

 

I agree with this. I'll go even further and say that the very idea of releasing or even beta testing a 'minimum viable product' is an absolutely terrible idea in today's world.

People have grown accustomed to the fact that the first thing they see about a game (or any product) is already pretty polished. 'Early Access' means that the game systems and the visual polish is already there, but the content is still being developed. Now imagine someone releases what business would consider an MVP. Good luck getting anyone at all to even give your game a second look. And to go further - good luck getting that first impression out of people's minds. As soon as you show anything about your game, that information is out there and will be what people think about when the game is mentioned.

Unfortunately the internet exists and people can get whatever they want at the click of a button. There's no reason for anyone to bother with your unpolished alpha version if they can buy Hollow Knight for $15. And that's why I'm a firm believer of don't even bother showing anything about your game before it looks visually interesting.

 

One mistake I see a lot with beginners is that they are under the impression that they can just google a game play feature, find a script that supposedly implements that feature, then just drag&drop it into their project without modifying it or learning how it works. It looks like some people plan to develop their epic dream game using this method and are disappointed when they discover that this doesn't work.

 

Hey there! Just a 2 cents. mistakes (list):

- Not studying the market before making the game

- Not having an audience

- Not catering/tayloring to an audience ('s needs), this one can be damaging ('I make games for myself' vs 'for others')

- Not knowing who supposed to be the audience (age/gender/demograph..)

- Not find a vacant niche

- In oversaturated/moribond genre

- Think mobile game will 'hit it big/rich' (some do (F2P AAA-like mobiles games; but many indie mobile games don't)

- Think/Do VR game/will hit it big/rich (Microsoft/Xbox said they have decided to leave out VR...to PCs (because no $))

- Think hobby game (I make it like I want) is same as professional/business (I make it with audience in mind)

- Of course, overscoping is a major one as others said.

- Show too much/too quick (not quality enough/ready enough; as others said, leaves bad 1st impression)

- Coloring - in many games (palette), too drab/not eye popping

- Lack of cohesion of assets

- Optimizations (not done)

- Underpricing

- Overpricing (find sweetspot)

- Too late to promote/market (1 week before release)

- Think early access is best (it's not always the case, sometimes full release is what is 'finally' needed; I saw several games in EA - for years - and the review count barely changed (to think that, necessarily, when you 'launch' it years later and improved it, it will necessarily be a success is very optimistic/wishful; most people forgot the game even exists; yes sure sometimes some games 'find sucess - years later after EA - when they finally release. But many don't also. It comes down to - do people want your game - if you full release it (feel ready for that), it's better than ea then)

- Overrely on assets (I guess I do that, but they are very important when can't make everything)

- Not customize or change the game from the feedback (you don't have to), we make a product for buyers/gamers - if we listen to what they say, we improve the product - for/to - them. Their response will improve too.

- Will become millionaire on 1st/2nd game, it could be possible, it's just not (so) likely with incredible competition outthere

- Skip hoops, just not learning much of the stuff, don't care, plow into it (and, possibly, fail later though).

- Spend too much time in general forum

- Think that progress forum's opinions of your game is the audience (these are indie devs giving POV...not ur target audience (in general, yes, devs are also gamers...but we're talking Non-devs gamers audience)

- Build a Giga AAA like game, alone (it will be very hard and you thus overscoping/abandon ship midway at 5 year mark (I'm on year 4, I consider year 5 'soft limit' I think games that take 6-10 years are 'extreme'/not worth it anymor)

Spending a decade on a product is a failure of 'time/life'..should never be more than 5 years tops (because at least you get to make 2 products in 10 years; and maybe even more, because you might make more than 1 - in less than the Next 5 years; so you got 'some slack' (time) left - to your human decade of life). It's a not a game anymore - its 'a experimental 'Life Project'....that might end up failing down the road (not time wasted..but still 10 Years on the clock).

- Thinking it is easy, it looks easy (enough), it seems simple (enough), it isn't (..game dev i mean)

- Quitting job to be full-time indie dev but racked up money/savings, thus ok to lived and do game 'full-time'. If not enough money, that's when the error, should not have left job (wagesecurity).

- Thinking that 'doing part-time' game development, (with a dayjob), will make it possible to make a AAA-like game, especially if solo or 2/3 team...AAA-like games are rarely if ever made 'part-time', they Need full-time (40/50h) -for years. Doing both is exhausting (because at end of day, burned no mental energy to work on game dev...after full day job). Game dev - is (already) a (fulltime) job in itself (2 jobs = 2 times effort).

- Thinking coding/programming will make great game (alone)

- Thinking art/sounds...will make game great game (alone)

- Thinking that special schools learning will make best game

- Making everything them selves (Making the Engine, Making the Assets, Making it All, even the chair they sit on.... as solo dev)

- It's why I hear devs say : ''You should never spend more than 6 months to 5 years to make a game...never more''; above that, it's a 'Time Loss' despite that your game might be very big/popular once done - you lose, each minute you add. Because, your life (time) is more precious, than a video game. Even if, it's your job (as dev, of making games).

- AAA games that take 5-6 years, and have 500 people working on it, are a different ball game; and it's understandable that they might try to push it longer - to make sure it is finish - because so mmuch money on the line. Still, even some people are like : ''Great...now I'm working on 1 game - for Another - 5-10 years....it's too long''. People that it is they job as worker in a AAA game company...it's not so bad, because they are paid for whatever next years to make the game. Indies (solo/2-3 team) not so (need 'some' daily job for wage).

- UI, if UI not good looking, it leaves bad impression...I read this oftenly ''don't make awful UI - looks bad game''

- Bad trailer -> Very bad impression

- Screenshots don't show gameplay/like the stuff that matters of the game (irrelevant screenshots) gamer is lost..

- Not communicate 'message' - clearly - what is this game about - why should we care/what's special/'hook' vs others

- Argument with the buyer/gamers in the reviews who do not like your game

- Bugs Invasion

- Undermarket (not expose/reach out enough (to social medias) because don't like; but it is a part of the solo dev job)

- Not heed the advice/wisdom of experience game devs who made games (before),...better, ''take some, leave some''

- Release game knowing certain bugs (not fixed/don't know, is playable (enough))

- Not Test It (use the New Automated AI testing)

- Not Balance It (Unbalanced mess)

- Too few things (too few monsters, too few weapons, too few levels...just too small...does not hold attentiong long (enough); not diverse, too repetitive, just not enough varied content.

- I think the worse one is (and I read it oftenly in the reviews): ''Your game is uninspired, Generic, art direction 0....dull, just plain...boring 'no vision/soul/passion'.characters cheap knockoffs.blandclone dud, another metoobadgame nothing sets it apart of the mass/rest...like 3 monsters in this game - repetive...same 'core loop/game loop' (becomes tedious), lack of variety..'artsy'...*just Not fun...no fun...drab, dullpalette, sfx bad, music whatmusic, story (napkinthik), value = 0

- Moral of the story: don't make generic game, unless you are ok with 0 return/doing it for hobby/amateur dev...only Very highly AAA-like Executed/Polished 'generic' game can work...not badly smaller executed 'generic' games.

- I agree with kdgalla, (am guilty of it), as beginners we may do a lot of 'drag&drop', 'overprototype?', just not care - because, game dev is Long, but some devs don't want to know it All/more 'generalist' dev (on surface), not specialist, it's important to learn more/improve (to know why you do..what you do and not just do 'blind deving')..but time is short..you can't know it all - pick your battles. Limits are inherent, we make do with them, we can't just (always) say : ''I don't know (how or why)...I just do/it - and cross fingers it sticks on the wall (like throwing mud on the wall)''. Because, oftenly, programmers think that knowing programming will save a game or how to make a great game (it does not). Games are multi-job/multi-domain made, not 1 thing...you can't be perfect in everything ''know thy limits - make do with them (even so)/don't let them stop you''. But yes, I agree to the 'but don'T be a fool/you're fooling yourself if you think you can make your multimillion dollar game knowing not much (when other people, who know a lot more than you - can't even do it neither; why would you?)'. I think it is knowledge vs ambition...I say 'vs'..it's not 'vs'..but kind of. You need both ambition and knowledge/skills..but oftenly, it's a lack of ambition that ends more the problem; even if the person has less knowledge/skills...they will hit walls...but their ambition will go further.

Having more knowledge can make ambition grow...but not always...sometimes, you have to have more ambition/will to make the 'big thing'...and not just say : ''it's foolish/it's just beginner's luck with 'dreamy ideas of grandeur' of mkaing AAA like games on their own - 99% of beginning people who do that, fail because you can't run, before your learn to walk (learn the ropes of it/game dev)''. But there is a thing called : ''don't work harder...work smarter...someone might do the job reall faster than us/you...and they might skip hoops about things..and still In the End...they made a game (now, maybe now super quality...but they made a game/finished it''. Many people talk about their skill...but do not/did not finish the game or made very small game(s) and it ends there. Thus, again it's ambition vs risks/willingness (to fail) vs how much willing to learn vs how long willing to spend (time) vs how much money have vs.....a very personal decision (because no one has same baggage/skills/will/ambition/advantages (money...)/resources...circumstances etc...it is why, I think, a same game (like a same drawing/painting) will never be exactly made the same...by different developers. It will differ...even if it'S teh same game.

- Also. It is hard to say what is generic...because an AAA game might be generic too...and it will sell massively...while an indie game is inspired...and sells nothing. Generic would be lacking ideas, innovation, just repeating same/avg clone..

They say making a game is : ''33% same + 33% new + 33% (forgot that one) + 1% the you = 100% Perfection''.

This means that you have to find a 'terrain of familiarity + innovation/newness IP', you wish to show something New, innovating - yet not alienating/obscure/bizarre (foreign) - thus, Familiar (enough)/recognizable/reachable/accessible; this blend concoction (of new and familiar) is what makes great games. It's like old games, you can't just remake an old game...you have innovate on it (reinvent it a little), put a twist on it (updated to the times of today). Thus blend of old and new = familiarity/accessibility + innovation/new IP.. = inspiration/inspired game (from the past - but not just a facsimile clone of the old).

- What is 'the 'fun '...it's hard to describe...what is fun?..what is fun to one..is not to another (it's subjective; knitting is fun.. to one..and not to another (''one's man nightmare is another man's dream''/''one man's tr*sh is another man's treasure'')..but we can sort of quantify 'the fun' Fun 'fun fun'...if you had fun playing, then it was fun (for you, specifically/personally; ''opinions are like onions, we all have'em'' ''opinions are like tastes - to each their own'' 'tastes will be taste - to each their own')...but like, some thing that help for that are the 'immersion, engagement, interaction' - a world 'alive'...cohesive world. To plunge the player - in your game (to want to continue to play it/not abandon in 4 minutes/hold attention and hold interest). Also, the 'feel' the 'Feels', the emotions and the little things - details, like camera shaking (the 'juice/impact'), impact, special fx, the mechanisms/controls 'playability' (what you can do) and such that makes it 'alive'...'the devil is in the details' and gamers notice it, and that's when a game seems to be more alive/craft/more polished/gem....

Thanks for reading,

Just a 2 cents.

PS: Sorry for length.Hope this list can help.

 

Making assumptions.

I have found that whenever I make assumptions I get bit pretty hard.

EDIT: Particularly assumptions about the engine.

 

That's wild assumption that doesn't resist reality. There is early adopter who will follow your devlog as the main content, and will help build the community for the late adopter when your game is more presentable. There is a whole new generation who was raised on devlog going from zero to amazing.

This train of thought is a huge mistake.

 

Says every Windows user ever

 

To be honest, I feel the same about OSX too lately. And don't get me started on "this is the year of desktop Linux since 1992"...

 

Every year is the year of desktop Linux, don't ya know?

 

Unfortunately, unity forum can have some trolls and jokers who treat it like facebook or other social media or a meme platform. So there will be some unhelpful ones.

But here are few of my mistakes:

1. Messy code - can really delay the development and make things more complicated. So now I try to always go over my codes again and again to see if I can make it simpler, easier and perhaps with fewer lines of codes because there is a lot of ways you could make something happen.
2. No documentation / dev logs - This I feel is very important because you do a lot of things when you develop a game and after you implement a feature, you move on to the next feature and then eventually you come back to it and you don't understand what you did or why you did it that way. So I usually do a video documentation and a dev log and I go over everything on how it works, how I did it and why I did it this way. Its also important to document your problems so if you come across the same or similar problem you can just look back on it which would reduce the time spent fixing the problem.
3. Not Making frequent backups - Its quite self explanatory, sometimes after you implemented something and you forget to save and back it up and then unity crashes or something breaks because you were implementing another thing.
4. Ignoring performance improvements - You see many people skip the performance stuff, especially beginners and It is very worth while to look into how you can improve the performance and test the performance even if you have everything working and implemented. Even if its a 1-2 fps boost, you should try to do the work for it anyways.

 

Not using version control.

It still blows my mind whenever I talk to a full-time independent developer working on a multi-year game and they are using .zips as backups.

Version Control is relatively cheap (in some cases free) and easy to get started with. If not familiar/comfortable then begin with GitHub as an entry point and branch from there depending on your needs!