Maya Trap - an early post mortem

Hello All :)

Well, I am not sure anyone publish his devlog#0 talking about a postmortem but hey, why not ?

The reason is simple enough, I have worked on this "first" game quite a lot now and, although I might not finish it, I still want to share the lessons learnt from it. And writting them down might help me remember them XD

So, in case you want to start working on your first game, keep an open mind for the fact that it might not end up perfect, nor finished, but that is totally fine :) These are the major points I wanted to highlight: 

Skills

Keep in mind that creating a game is simple if we think about the process but very complex regarding when it comes to production. A lot of skills are required in order to create all the assets and systems like design, programming, art, music, management to name just a few.

Maybe team up with people who share the same passion or interest for the project or first assess truly what you are capable of doing before your embark on this journey.

Scope

It was destined to be the smallest projects of them all, but rapidly grew in features and went overboard in terms of scope.

Make sure you define the scope before starting the project and focus on the core mechanics. Develop that first and add more after having taken the time to really think about it.

Dedication

It takes time to create a fully fleshed game, make sure you decicate a fair amount of time and energy to it.

Try to avoid having multiple projects running at the same time. Although it can help with boredom, it usually drains your energy as you need time to redirect your attention on something different.

Testing

No game is only destined to be played by ourselves. We usually address it to an audience.

Playtest early, with your friends and family but more importantly, with strangers as they will have the tendency to be more honest about it (you know how relatives do not want to hurt our feelings). Attend events, meetups and conventions and ask people to test your game, you will be surprised by how much feedback is important for a game. And don’t be afraid, most people will be kind and respectful as they probably are in the same situation than you are.

The great thing about having a demo out, it is that you (and I of course) are on the path to making better, more interesting games, as you might have heard the saying: 

The most difficult part in a journey is the first step

Hope this was helpful to some, keep being awesome, take care everyone ;)

Mike @Styx-Art Studio