Can I Teach Myself Game Development by Making an Immersive Sim?

[@GMTK]

Congrats Jeremy! Good luck with the project

[@skidude121]

You two really showed the vulnerability of process in wonderful ways. Thank you

[@shakieran79]

Hearing you talk about analysis paralysis really hit home for me, as I have the same problem of not wanting to start a project until I'm certain it's a masterpiece... which it never is. This is a great video and I'm looking forward to more of this kind of thing!

[@MertKöse1745]

The thing that you want to make/see it live is your masterpiece after all.

[@nezfromhki]

Yeah, as someone who doesn't make games but writes stuff, the amount of times I've started my book project again because I started to have doubts about how good my initial idea was is... embarrassing to be honest. So analysis paralysis and perfectionism are the real enemies of creativity for sure.

[@benhickson6149]

So painful & so relatable.

[@teogaming7515]

game design is easy kid

[@TheJungaBoon]

@TeoGaming Indeed. Game design is pretty much just two steps: 1) Design a good game 2) Make a good game It's so simple, anybody can do it!

[@aakarmamtora3470]

Following Noclip through the years has made me more intrigued than I already was about video games. Let's hope this channel too becomes another brilliant example to help others delve into gaming and all it's intricacies. Keep up the good work guys! And all the best for the future.

[@AaronElWhite]

I can see this being super inspiring and motivating for people, Jeremy. Awesome job on the video. Love the format of this being like a v-log, too. Feel so personal and your honesty about struggles is refreshing. Also, kick ass that you learned so much. Very impressive and shows that if you have a passion to learn something, you can do anything.

[@antoneriksson356]

I think it's awesome that you jumped straight into making what you wanted even though it's "a really bad idea". My first unity project was a 2d isometric RTS, and while it's true that it wasn't beginner friendly at all and I couldn't find many tutorials and such to draw from, the fact that it was the game that I wanted to make gives you the energy and motivation to overcome those really difficult challenges and learn so much more. Good luck on the development! Love the spirit of this!

[@natemcb6596]

As someone who had the same desire to tinker around but couldn't get that "perfect Idea" and couldn't move past that, this video is blessing. Its nice to have commentary from someone in a similar mindset and is also learning and exploring. Looking forward to more of these

[@Kyrrial]

This series will be a wonderful addition to the likes of Yahtzee's Dev Diary and GMTK/Mark Brown's Developing series. And that's not me being sarcastic or facetious: I'm genuinely looking forward to this series. Good luck to you on this project, Jeremy, and I'll be watching when the episodes start coming out!

[@beecoughs]

What a terrific first episode. I love how it ended up being both a beginner's foray into game mechanics as well as a piece on ambitions and expectations as they relate to game design/craftsmanship as a whole. Also, seeing that PS1-era dithering in its full glory is great too. Keep up the great work!

[@Semtx552]

So cool to land on this vid. I'm working towards the end of my IT career, the period comes insight where I can spend time on stuff I want to do, instead of work for money. Over the last 3 years I'm working on a game concept, collection and combining game mechanics from different games. Recently started building game systems, not even in Unity but in a script language I master. Started with a quest, progression and a loot system. building those systems is the thing i enjoy the most, make them powerful and flexible so they can handle upgrade and expansions to my game. My goal isn't a masterpiece, my goal is the exercise. Good luck on your endeavor, I subbed and keep an eye on this channel :)

[@Dukefazon]

14:05 - this look sooooo good for some reason! I love watching development related stuff because it fuels my excitement to finally get into my dream-game project. And seeing how you, a guy who doesn't have much prior prgramming knowledge can put together awesome looking stuff like this, I feel more powered to do something nice. Keep it up!

[@furisfluffy]

Love the nature shots in between. There’s a connection between your learning journey and that of the trees, leaves and flowers.

[@Toad472]

Looking forward to this series! I think a lot of people who play video games can relate to that passion of wanting to flex your imagination into gamedev, but run into that roadblock of actually pushing through and learning the tools. Side note, that inventory system you made was super cool! I was expecting something way more simple, but you really pulled it off. Nice work!

[@totallynotayush492]

this feels like a long rant from a person who wants to share the passion they feel. doesn't feel like the videos made for entertainment, just feels like a dude's journey towards making a game. i like it.

[@Daniel.Anugerah]

This is my third time re-watching this video, and its one of my favorite things ever. It really speaks to me as someone who wants to create but always runs into paralysis and just losing myself in thinking "do I even start?" I love the funny and genuine tone of this vid. Watching someone be so enthusiastic about their passion really motivated me to do something about mine! So, thanks Jeremy!

[@neuroflare]

This reminds me so much when I was tinkering with UT modding in my youth. Granted the game was there already and I was just creating simple models and adjusting existing code to make it do things I wanted it to, but it REMINDS me lol. Kick ass Jeremy, keep it up!

[@wizuud4821]

I come back to this video whenever I'm not feeling great, It's refreshing and super authentic! Great Job Jeremy

[@porkyorcy1715]

this is one of the most inspiring videos i've watched about game dev !! doing a bunch of little ideas and getting them working together and iteratively approaching learning and developing your game is such a great great way of doing it. watching the ideas come from each other is awesome, especially the orange to night sky one.

[@Catsushika]

I wish my devlogs were this put together. The only advice I have to give is make sure you have an initial idea written down and a loose plan. Things can often change when developing but it's also too easy to be stuck in a loop of adding new system and ideas to a project until it's bloated. Keep the original idea, even in a small form, in your mind

[@glens6145]

Jeremy you couldn't possibly imagine a more perfect time for this video, its message, and where I am in my life. This has spoken to me in volumes.

[@8rk]

So cool to see this Jeremy :) Had to learn about analysis paralysis the hard way myself. Super talented people not creating anything is so unfortunate. Start > Block It In > Refine Finish line is at deadline, not perfection. Love you guys! Hope all is well.

[@talahar123]

As I'm a hobbyist game dev, it's really great to get insight into different approaches. Thanks for this, I will follow with great interest. :D

[@jope7]

Thanks for discussing your initial false start and rediscovered creative momentum with such candor. This whole overview was incredibly relatable and exactly what I needed at this moment as I've just begun picking up the pieces of an old Unity project. Super stoked to see where you take this. Keep going.

[@gogilalelis5]

Loved the video! Really interesting to see you start from scratch and show what can be made in such a short time. Editing is really good as well. Keep it up!

[@alexlong4382]

Loving the idea of this series. Been doing game dev myself for a few years and this video made me re-assess some of my ideas about game dev.

[@heysoular]

After hearing y’all talk about Jayne Dev for several podcast episodes, I was expecting this to be a lot snarkier, like “look at this dude who’s clearly in way over his head, and lost all the time.” So I’m pleasantly surprised that this episode feels much more meditative and even encouraging in nature. Maybe it’s the all the tree/grass/field shots but it’s giving me Ghibli vibes and I’m here for it. Excited to see where this heads. ✨

[@NewMateo]

Ive been doing game dev for maybe 5 months and every thing Ive read has always been to make your first game (and future games) as an absolute minimal viable product. Making games is hard af and prototyping is way easier to manage and wont burn you out when you inevitably fail (as all people do when they start out) Good luck! Youve made some interesting stuff! I like the phine dialogue system :)

[@Resuarus]

So much of game dev is technical achievements that may seem boring to most but are really exciting to you. It's not as easy to make a dialogue or inventory system as people may think, and the feeling of overcoming that is so amazing. It's even better when you get to the point where you're able to integrate multiple systems you've built together and watch them become something more.

[@QubaMichalski]

My god your narration style is awesome. Reminds me of “How to with John Wilson”

[@michaelalfus4734]

Jeremy, this is absolutely fantastic. I'm in a similar place where game dev has always seemed interesting to me, but I have absolutely no experience with programming or design to lean on. I toyed with the idea of doing something in Unity with my friends a few years back, and just last night I decided to get back at it. I downloaded Unity this morning and plan on just plugging away at the basics with the short term goal of creating small systems that are in other games. Can't wait to see where this goes for you!

[@PlaylistGeneral]

Videos like this make me want to fight through my crippling health issues to just finally fucking finish SOMETHING.

[@Kentelyoo]

Your inventory (with the spinning 3D objects) immediately made me think of the original Alone in the Dark!

[@LukeGarou]

This was genuinely really inspiring to watch. I've always kind of had it in my head that game development can only really be approached once you've got all this knowledge stored up in your head, and that's kind of always been a stopping point for me. Doing tutorials and stuff and just...not getting far with it. Maybe I'll try it out again, and just figure things out as I go.

[@Deadforge]

Immersive sims are my favorite genre up there with some games that they contain RPGs and FPS. I have quite a few life goals I'm on the path towards and one involves learning unity. I love what you guys keep doing with Noclip, the podcast, and now this.

[@munkholt]

I love how Jeremy's philosophical outlook comes through in this video. GMTK's current design series is really interesting (because of course it is), but this felt even more personal, yet also broader in its thoughtful approach to the creative process.

[@lorenzodhernandes]

I absolutely love this. I have been entertaining the idea of doing the EXACT kind a game you're doing rn - an exploration/investigation based ImSim, so I can't wait to see what you'll come up with

[@DRAYN0]

Going into my first year interactive designs and this series I can tell is going to be a new favourite! Great work guys!

[@revb14n]

11:53 gives me Alone In The Dark vibes ❤️

[@DeadWhiteButterflies]

Jeremy, this may sound ridiculous, but I'm an aspiring game composer, so if you need music for your game, I will happily contribute something. I'm dead serious. I'll even send you some stuff, if you want. Just give me the details.

[@thewirv]

So, I don't know how long it took you to make these prototypes, but you seem to learn quite fast, and I see a lot of potential here. Excited to see future episodes of this series!

[@IRTEHBATMAN]

Wow this was more inspirational than I thought it was going to be. Hope we get to see more of this!

[@dennismakesgames]

Legend in the making. Good luck on your journey, I hope there will be a lot more devlogs.

[@theramblinman136]

Cant wait for more updates on this unironically super hyped to see how this journey plays out

[@ottertotter5932]

12:39 Holy shit someone knows Redwall. I stopped what I was doing while at work and my attention was drawn in instantly.

[@TheDevil69270]

This is an incredible series ! I’d love to have a vague indication of the time it took you to go from one iteration from another. I know you’re not working full time on it but still it would be pretty impressive ! Congrats !

[@clownhunter]

Really excited to see where this series goes! The more vlogy format is really interesting. A few tips I have are to learn about ScriptableObject, Unity's secret sauce to data related problems. This video is fantastic on introducing and showing real world examples of how to use them: kzbin.info/www/bejne/qJK0ZJx-naqSgc0. I also recommend getting comfortable with Unity's built-in 3d modeler ProBuilder. It really helps speed up iteration when you can make level grey boxing directly in the editor without having to switch over to Blender.

[@rickywinterborn]

finally a noclip game dev doc about THEMSELVES

[@vahronheim]

This is such an interesting video. I'm forwarding it to my husband who teaches Intro to Programming and AP Computer Science because I think he could show it to his students!

[@tomphillips88]

This was great! I think so much of game dev is a complete mystery to most people (including me), especially the programming aspect. It's always discussed so abstractly, but this was a great look into how you can get involved as a 'hobbyist' and develop new skills. Very small fry, but I've just started coding about 6 months ago (for data science in Python not game dev) and the sense of satisfaction with each small 'breakthrough' is amazing - you get this across so, so well Jeremy. Enthusiasm is infectious! Maybe I should check out Unity...

[@mthw]

That orange is now your calling card, please put it in every game you make. Thanks for sharing what you're going through as you learn more.

[@larosenin]

Very inspiring and thoughtful video, can't thank you enough! I'm curious to know what kind of filter you used on the rope system part, cause I love it

[@stanzeehandelaar9387]

What a journey! Congratulations on your progress! Can't wait to see more of this

[@carlwestman1131]

Love this! It's encouraging to see another creative on the path, learning and building skills. And maybe after a long time I'll have the pleasure of experencing this new unique variant of immersive sim. Can't wait.

[@glucosaminecondroitan9135]

I have always wanted to make an immersive sim like Dishonored or something like Fallout new Vegas. When i even start small art projects I feel so much more ambitious than I want to put the effort into. This video is puts things into perspective well and makes me feel like I could do it if I compartmentalize things the way you did. Awesome video!

[@gneias]

This is GREAT! Can't wait to follow your jorney into gamedev

[@MMPK]

Honestly this is so great! I'm currently making my own game and this was so motivational and got me straight back to working on it more!

[@weskerend507]

This was amazing. Congratulations, I'd love to see more.

[@jake.klusewitz]

Wow, super cool! Great to see more of the team besides Andy, and this project was fascinating to watch you puzzle through. Kinda similar concept to Game Maker’s Toolkit’s Developing series. Would love to see more 🙂

[@et9224]

This was honestly really interesting and inspirational.

[@Seritias]

I don't know what it is about immersive sims specifically, but literally every time I play one it makes me want to finally learn to develop my own

[@IanPhelps]

This is so cool man, got me thinking playing around in unity

[@Danny-he4hi]

Your game prototype is looking really good from this video. I like applying basic mechanics to simple shapes to create an interactive environment with objects. Also the aesthetic in your prototype looks good with the simple shapes and lighting. I'm a huge fan of Thief and creating a game inspired by Thief is great. Also if you want to use more textures on your models i imagine it could add quite a bit to the look of the game. But id say try experimenting with that to see bcs i think too much texture use can take away from the aesthetic of the 3d objects etc. Excellent work!

[@MuscarV2]

I'm getting major Tom Green vibes from Jeremy, not sure why. Not complaining at all, good stuff! I see a lot of myself there too, not being able to commit to anything unless its a "perfect" and original idea, not even just to get better at something. A very underappreciated video IMO, deserves a lot more views.

[@rjt135]

I don't remember if you brought this up in the podcast, but I'm getting big "How to with John Wilson" vibes.

[@beecoughs]

"Hey, New Yor- I mean NoClip viewers."

[@gollybass]

super interesting video, I think most are too intimidated to give it a go, and you put it in perspective that people should just try. The spinning and branching of ideas is wild. Thanks!

[@MonarchDWolf]

You're an inspiration, Jeremy!

[@thegeekclub8810]

This is genuinely inspiring. Makes me want to make something too!

[@zefcookie4501]

Sending caffeine energy your way Jeremy :) Stay strong buddy, it's gonna be rough at times, but so worth it

[@SpiritMoonrise]

Love these new crew videos, keep up all your great work

[@hugo5502]

really excited to see how this turns out

[@russellfranklinwrites]

Commenting for the algorithm. Good luck with the new series.

[@ChaosPootato]

This is really cool, looking forward to seeing your progress :D

[@julianjaimes197]

Very dope idea ngl interested to see how this progresses On a side note its konda weird how people lump games like thief, prey and dishonered together. They've got similarities, and people call all of them "immersive sims" but thief was so different it's not even close to dishonered or prey imo. It's whack that people lump em together and talk about them as though they're more similar than they actually are

[@jackpaice]

This is beautiful and inspirational. Thanks ❤️

[@t1ckin73]

In school and forgot my head phones you can get I’m watching once I’m home.

[@willygamedev8144]

Hi Jeremy. I wish you the best of luck for this project. From one Unity developer to another, I suggest you don't neglect your C# skills. Go beyond knowing just enough to put a system together. One of the challenges of game dev is still being able to change and understand your code quickly and easily, as opposed to wrangling an entangled mess of a code. I suggest you keep in mind the SOLID and DRY principles and make Console applications to practice using C# in an environment where you are not distracted by game dev related things. My triggered my reaction is this: 12:21. This both hard to understand and most likely not optimized.

[@Bloodlinedev]

First you have to learn how to make something (technique), then what to make. It's the same with every kind of art, but especially games are technically highly complex. And huge props to you for showing your progress. More people need to do this so that people see that it's hard work and determination that gets you from humble beginnings to producing something great.

[@vdate]

@Noclip Crew - out of a shared interest in mystery-solving games, what were your primary referents in the mystery-solving subgenre? The Outer Wilds seems like one, as does Deathloop, but was there anything else? (I ask because all the references I can think of are *way* outside the immersive-aim genre.)

[@martinperon4576]

Can't wait to see where this is going!

[@SakugaObscurious]

I've had this idea of creating an open world dating sim/eroge and for the past 3 months I've been struggling at every possible turn. Eventually, I just stopped. But seeing your video inspired me to try again.

[@CodyReader]

Ah game development. My favorite activity. The never ending struggle to make a game, worth playing.

[@enormhi]

Nice work Jeremy!

[@zionklinger2264]

Your redwall fox character is perfect!

[@leebrownhill]

I found this fascinating. Thanks Jeremy!

[@r.lum.r]

wait a second... the camera phone idea is incredible though imo

[@snake_on_a_train]

What an inspiring story. Definitely want to hear more from you. Btw, I think that music volume in this video should be slightly lower.

[@905BW]

Awesome video. Good for you for going after your dream! How much programming experience do you have?

[@Mrdresden]

Really impressive and inspirational!

[@melonmaster2892]

a lot of great perspective that i would have needed to hear when i was learning it a few years ago. nothing came from it so it kinda blows. i hope you get your projects done.

[@pr3historic647]

10:55 Return of the Obra Dinn uses inductive reasoning primarily and not deductive reasoning (not trying to nit pick, just thought that this understanding might assist with development of a clue system)

[@user-n9990]

this is really cool, i'm looking forward to more!

[@jhighmore]

Very inspiring - really interesting video

[@matnelson1]

Loved this can’t wait for more.

[@AaronQ64]

This is awesome. Would love to see more

[@DeadWhiteButterflies]

You made me shit myself for a sec. It seriously looked like you were higher up in the tree than you were.

[@dotbigbang]

Siri: find "game dev videos in which the developer falls out of a tree"! 😁

[@Todd5747]

cool stuff. nice documentary!

[@4illeen]

How common is the second monitor Seinfeld? I'm doing the exact same thing. I need to know.

[@Gwegory22]

Great flow.

[@Gwegory22]

seems like a great idea for a series

[@maclagor2465]

Unreal - thanks Jeremy!

[@craigdanielmaceacher]

Game Engines from scratch and "tooling" can be just another way to proscratinate by fooling yourself that you'll might need it etc. We're very good at rationalizing procrastination because the alternative is scary. The War of Art book breaks this all down.