Crafting A Tiny Open World: A Short Hike Postmortem

In this 2020 GDC Virtual Talk, Adam Robinson-Yu talks about how he decided to put a major project on the back burner in favour of a new prototype, which ultimately became A Short Hike
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[@masonwheeler6536]

17:57: A cave in the "wrong place" that naturally attracts curious players and leads them back to the tutorial zone. For that alone, you win my Like vote.

[@thezpn]

I just played the game today, and yes, that's how I played!

[@maxwuup2152]

the first thing i did is totally jump into the water and go all around the island :D

[@MisterAppleEsq]

@@maxwuup2152 Same, I didn't even notice the cave.

[@mrkstorm1]

I think that some people go the wrong side of the island because in most platform games the player goes from left to right

[@jacksonb8114]

First time playing thismorning, i fell off a cliff while climing the mountain and ended up around here. thought entering the cave would be a bad idea but ended up being the best thing ever haha! Great idea

[@MichelSchallenberg]

A short hike is a work of art.

[@AdrianBrightmoore]

Fun too!

[@arkima5071]

a design masterpiece.

[@epicls6576]

Lorash It’s fine that you don’t like it. But you should be more constructive in your criticism and less harsh. Imagine if you created something for hours, and showed it to your peers only for them to call it boring or unoriginal, instead of pointing out its faults in a respectful manner.

[@karmapolice247]

@@epicls6576 No he doesn't have to.

[@Woodledude]

It really got me, too. I loved the game, and I can't imagine how anyone could call it grindy. It takes a few hours to complete the game, and it's beautiful and soothing and playful. The progression is well kept under control, but is also vital to the feeling of the game - Coming of age, quite literally finding your wings. There were very few moments in the game I thought 'this is taking too long'. All games eventually have that feeling, for at least some of the players.

[@sasamilic720]

I went to undergrad with Adam and I only have the absolute best things to say about him. Super smart and too modest to brag about having straight As. He's also just the sweetest, most genuine guy ever. Very well-deserved success :)

[@akb1ggs]

the coolest dude

[@catthegipsy25]

@@akb1ggs Right, I also like these cool dudes saying I can't cook, brings you 12 dishes dinner. Yea mate, you're cool. NOT. No offense, but if you have a talent, and ability to focus so much on something, don't do your intro with "i'm really bad at it".

[@tastymcmuffin8095]

@@catthegipsy25 Bragging about grades isn't the same thing as saying you are good at something. I think that he knows that he is a pretty good game developer though he may not go around saying that to everyone he meets.

[@hakimESC]

you can tell he does thinks for passion, not for money and success. best kind of people, creating best stuff :-)

[@marc.lepage]

That is great to hear.

[@bnfgh123]

This game is a masterpiece. I got so caught up in those little stories. That moment when you lend your feathers to your friend so that he can reach the top and take a picture with you almost made me cry.

[@katien3022]

Oh wow I didn’t get to this. I’m gonna have to play again and pay more attention to the other animals. I love how there is so much to explore that you could in theory play it multiple times.

[@BallyBoy95]

That moment sure made my heart sink. I was prepared for that animal to keep my feathers. To receive my feathers back, oh man. The feels.

[@ronanelliott9709]

The flying mechanics in A Short Hike were absolutely magical. I’ve been trying to find any game that does something similar

[@hoyemiliano]

You can try "Sky: Children of the Light" It's beautiful and the game is really meaningful aswell.

[@ericfreack]

mario 64, you're welcome

[@zelbarbero]

I second the motion on Sky: Children of the Light.

[@samanthaperry4543]

Pokemon ruby and sapphire surprisingly did this well but not as whimsical as the other suggestions

[@porygon-z4503]

@@samanthaperry4543 Omega Ruby and Alpha Sapphire, specifically, the soar feature isn't in the originals for anyone that wants to try it

[@unvergebeneid]

I actually really loved the writing in A Short Hike. It has this understated humor that still had me laugh out loud at times.

[@kasschoong3979]

I love the dialogue from the first npc when i keep ask for tutorial n finally the npc snapped n just goes NOOOOO IM NOT REPEATING ANYMORE 😂😂😂

[@MisterAppleEsq]

Something about the way it's all lowercase gives it a sort of internet-y charm, and the characters are remarkably real for so few lines of dialogue.

[@unvergebeneid]

@Luke Griffiths there are fake humans already?!

[@theharvardyard2356]

"What's your deal anyway?" "I deal in shells." was a real highlight for me. Great characters.

[@olduselessaccount1322]

I almost reminds me of undertale and deltarune dialogue, where dialogue is so well written that you want to talk to everyone just to see all the funny writing

[@MagnitudeReviews]

“And then the players didn’t go where I wanted them to go, so they chose to go straight into the water” I was one of those people!

[@jasminelee3935]

Same! I was trying to figure out if you could swim. And then you could and then there was more

[@rumplatt7775]

Same, I swam around the other islands a bit but I was scared of going too far from the starting area

[@greyfox4838]

as a metroidvania fan, one must always check what's behind them in the starting area before going on the main path

[@NutyRiver]

@@greyfox4838 💯 video games have taught me to always look behind me in a new area

[@domedin9894]

@@greyfox4838 lol yes, I avoid the main path at all costs and look for cool items, I did this as well and after finding the wind thing I went back.

[@adamdoyle6495]

so nice to see the full project broken down and explained why he did what he did and what didn't work. A great postmortem

[@RT-qi7rn]

I spent about six hours in this game to 100% it. It's far from short, can't believe it only took three months + a few more for polishing. Crazy.

[@vibinbee1298]

I see what you mean but 6 hours is pretty short, most story games take about 20 hours for 1 game, not even 100%

[@morganlak4337]

@@vibinbee1298 6 hours isn't short, those games are just long

[@vibinbee1298]

@@morganlak4337 I was talking not about the time but when comparing it

[@The_Harsh_Truth]

@@vibinbee1298 Dont compare AAA titles with Indie games. thats just stupid reasoning.

[@-Scrapper-]

@@The_Harsh_Truth cmon aaa games are not that bad

[@Kadz]

Bruh I absolutely love this game!

[@wombat7961]

I watched this talk and remembered it when i bought my nintendo switch a few months later - first game i bought and it was absolutely amazing!!!!

[@aleksquared8915]

oh hi kadz

[@zachslaughter8754]

The dialogue in this game was actually really fun

[@RoffeDH]

I just played the game, and I did not expect it to have an emotional impact on me at all. But unbeknownst to me, I had completely forgotten why I was hiking to the top and just wanted to make it there when suddenly the phone rang and Clair talked to her mother. I don't know why, but it just hit me really hard. So thank you for that.

[@Packbat]

It's so fascinating hearing Robinson-Yu talk about giving players signs as a last resort, because those were my *first* resort - I loved being able to find a trail sign, figure out what trail I was on, and draw a mental map of the world that way.

[@harishganesan3575]

The dialogue in this game was surprisingly deep and way too fun. I was startled initially to see npc's dont repeat dialogue until after 4 to 5 conversations. Flying was absolutely fun. The flower and the updraft was way too brilliant. Normally games dont have this many fun mechanics for a game this short.

[@xerosolar307]

I usually take notes when I watch GDC videos to not forget important stuff, and to date this is the talk in which I've taken the most notes, seriously everything is super helpful for indies, this talk is a gold mine (Extremely wonderful game btw, loved it from beginning to end)

[@thisnameistaken]

I'm curious as to what your notes were.

[@corruptedteka]

Man, I need to start doing this instead of having them in the background while I'm drawing. Thanks for the small unintentional guilt trip, I need that !

[@Violant3]

for someone who thinks writing is hard, he totally nailed the writing on this game, the dialogues are so natural, you feel like you're talking to a real character, each one of them has an intersting personality and goals to why they're on that island. it helps to feel like they have purpose and are not just placed randomly on the map.

[@johnx140]

Brooo, this talk is actually amazing

[@charliebrunner5257]

Nah lol

[@dentedpear1337]

@@charliebrunner5257 PISSS OFF CHARLIE GODDdd

[@princessthyemis]

He made this all himself?!?!? THIS IS SO INSPIRING I LOVE IT! It amazes me!!!!! RESPECT!!!!!

[@donuts4dilla]

I was the ??? bird and I feel violated that the tunnel led me back to the beginning lmao. I loved this game.

[@robofurious]

My kids and I are obsessed with this game. Every part is endearing: the characters, the setting, the dialogue and the music. Thanks so much.

[@fritesfrites6350]

I love the music too!

[@dandymcgee]

This game is everything I was hoping Stardew Valley would be. Instead of being an insane grind that never ends, it gets straight to the point, gives you absolute mobility and freedom to explore, and let's you be a happier person and move on with your life once you complete it. Excellent work.

[@maximeflageole770]

Well put. Some games just linger or try to fit more content than they should. The "let you move on with your life" is something I really appreciate from this title and very few others (Celeste and Bastion come to mind).

[@JonahDominguez]

leave stardew valley alone stupid hedgehog

[@JonahDominguez]

sorry i didnt mean it

[@harshaldesai2505]

@@JonahDominguez lol

[@senza4591]

@@JonahDominguez hey, you gotta remember that not every game is for everyone. Just because you liked stardew (I do too) doesn't mean everyone will. They do also bring up good points that maybe, if you aren't a big fan of, would be detrimental for the game experience

[@jaososchefget3632]

the transparency about the process in this video is amazing

[@caviicape]

i beat this game in one hour, then proceeded to play for 10+ more hours. bravo.

[@heavyshark]

This has to be one of the best GDC talks ever.

[@barrybach]

Wow, this talk was really well put together.

[@pedrogeraldi7540]

This is one of the most rich and clear talks i seen in quite some years!

[@ehelvz]

This is amazing! Both the fact that he covered the whole process from idea to release in 30 minutes, and, y'know, that he actually DID all that (and so well)!

[@NatjoOfficial]

17:45 I dunno if Adam is going to read these comments, but I was one of those players that went around the back, but I still remember my reason for doing so: I didn't know the button for jumping, and I didn't check the clearly marked signs before hand. Instead I went down onto the beach, found the island which has that mini-geyser thing there and learnt how to glide and jump there, then continued around the back after I glided over the ship. (Edit: Also, I saw that cave but I couldn't figure out how to bust it open with the pick axe so I carried on around the island. YOUR TRICKS CANNOT FOOL ME) Also, a short hike was an absolutely amazing game. Needless to say, you're on my game-dev radar for future content ^v^

[@Nespar89]

Sadly I also didn't know the button for jumping and I couldn't cross the first gap directly in front of the house! Only the guy AFTER the jump was saying something like "Hey did you know you can jump with Z" or so x.x Eventually found it out when looking in the options why WASD wasn't working - but was there a sign as well? Otherwise a beautiful game, I just really missed the first "Jump with Z" info ^^

[@bemlok]

I had two reasons: First, I knew it was an island so I wanted to know the surroundings before explore inside the island, because I didn't know if it was dangerous and I wanted to know the surroundings to scape if I needed. Second, I was making the shell quest. I think he made this mission purposely.

[@cmatt-kj7bw]

I think one of the best parts of this game is the writing and characters. They are all unique and quirky and human which makes all the sidequests feel meaningful.

[@omegapointsingularity6504]

I loved playing through this game yesterday and I had some great sleep afterwards. Thank you for the game!

[@AceGunnerManEIR]

This guy really puts thought into things that are often overlooked.

[@finlaybower2273]

dunno if its just me but i feel like a sequel to this game would be really cool. maybe claire went back to the city and did something (idk im not a game dev) and met the artist guy and her mum after the surgery. maybe the goal of the game would have something to do with that idk it sounds cool and i just cant get enough of this game and the style and physics

[@harshaldesai2505]

This game really reminds me of mario in the sense that the character is just incredibly fun to control --- I would love to see a sequel where we can have more fun with different environments flying and climbing around

[@JayTheDevGuy]

To this day this is one of the best GDC talks for indies. I must've gone back to rewatch it 10 times by now. No surprise it's a great talk when Adam made such a great game. :]

[@yourlocalreptillian1742]

Started it and beat it in 30 minutes before heading back home from an out of town trip with my mom. We both loved it!

28:25 Such a sympatic and talented man. Making a perfect game. Then pronouncing it jif.This is giving me a stroke.

[@ZanicaKnight]

1:10 My first thought was “Oh! It’s like the scale of a Roller Coaster Tycoon map.” And once I made that connection using that analogy*-BOOM-My neural network took off ready to make my own small-scale self-contained game world to see how fun it’ll be and what I’ll learn from it!!! *I played RCT for *years* as a kid starting at 6 years old in 2002, took on so many park challenges and this was my first life experience where I expanded myself so creatively and effortfully

[@theharvardyard2356]

I was one of the people who immediately went out into the ocean and the islands to test the boundaries, awesome insight that you noticed this behavior and designed for it! You really accomplished that feeling of open exploration you said you were aiming for, that was the main hook of the game for me.

[@altahir9515]

One thing about this game's dialog that was genius was the extremely minimalistic of actual dialog options. The fact that the player only had to choose between dialog options rarely made it much more impactful when they did, and made the conversations feel very natural (it probably also cut down a lot of extra writing for Adam lol)

[@tylercode2905]

The fact this only took 3 months is incredible. Very inspiring work!

[@able4698]

I finished it yesterday. Thank you so mucb for making this little gem of a game. As someone who loves exploring, its truly one of the best GAMES ive ever played.

[@loui_games]

This is my favourite GDC talk of all time I've watched it 3 times at this point xd Such an inspiration!

[@CHOCOLATIONZ]

I stumbled across this video first by accident then I purchased the game, finished the game, fully in love with it. Thank you for making this game. the story about Claire at the end is so sweet and powerful!

[@Juniperskeleton]

Didn't know there were 5 toy shovels 😢 I felt so cool finding it fast by the water past the visitor center

[@lil_syba]

Haven't had a game (or any piece of media) leave me with this kind of warm fuzzy feeling in a loooong time. Been having some gaming burnout for a while now and planned on playing this for a few minutes, but ended up sinking hours in. Kudos, Adam! There is some genius that came across in this for sure.

[@josh_swanson]

Wow. I saw this at a game demo night at Uken games in Toronto. Was right next to my table...I could tell it was something special...congrats to Adam, what a success story!

[@tanyifan4261]

I actually got this game for free on epic game store. Before that, It was put in my steam wishlist because it was recommended by a KZbinr. I normally prefer more difficulty in games so A Short Hike was a very nice change of pace. At the time, I was dealing with some really stressful things and it was great to relax in this game. I particularly liked just hanging out in the game world instead of rushing to beat the game because it looked so pleasant and felt like there are so many things to find.

[@auss6328]

This is an amazing talk. Thank you so much!

[@aseriouslollygagger5734]

I love A Short Hike. I hope he makes a series of games like this. It's what the world needs right now.

[@LeGardien44]

Thank you adam fo rthis game. It really helped me when I needed it the most.

[@TheEveningEconomies]

I think this is my favourite GDC talk. Excellent stuff.

[@stevecarter8810]

What a privilege to hear about how this wonderful gem came about. Thanks for doing the talk!

[@stephaniech.5502]

This was an amazing talk! I absolutely loved A Short Hike. As an aspiring indie game dev, this was really a great talk.

[@Komagb]

This is an impressive talk, very down to earth and real and relatable. I'm impressed with the short development time, amazing!

[@NonisLuck]

Wow, amazing video. Short, interesting, and full of awesome knowledge for game makers out there. I hope you keep making amazing stuff like A Short Hike.

[@TonsOfHunStudios]

Excellent talk! I really liked the points about "constraining" your art and using tools to speed up development. It definitely felt like home hearing a talk that sounded like you were at GDC :)

[@Azulicious]

Fantastic talk - really insightful, helpful examples, and actually practical tips. PS Mark's jams are the best!

[@erz3030]

Marvelous presentation! It felt almost like watching myself from the (hopeful) future. Everything about this vibed with me.

[@SageThyme23]

That was really insightful and was nice to see all the work that went in to what felt like a seemless naturally beautiful and peaceful world

[@animakesgames]

I love everything about the game and this talk and I will watch it over and over again!

[@steviepouchon]

Amazing talk! The content is super useful and the pace is easy to follow. The game looks great. After watching this video, it convinced me to buy it and try it out.

[@maximeflageole770]

What a great talk! You gave really pertinent information about your project and your communication skills are amazing. You look like a brilliant and modest game dev and I hope to see you on more projects in the future :)

[@roundishwhale]

lovely talk! Helped me quite a bit with some questions I had about approaching the level design for a current Project.

[@rinkaenbyou4816]

This really opens up perspectives for how you can play with technical art.

[@riperchetobg]

Just bought it for the switch, thank you for the inspiring talk.

[@cookwvinny]

Awesome presentation! this taught me so much in such little time. Im going to jump on A Short Hike ASAP

[@rosariopouyssegur6438]

ahhh this was so good!! as someone who is just getting into video games and is already day dreaming about making a game some day this was so inspiring and educational

[@alexphillips5748]

That's insane that this was made in 3 months (plus some for extras). I really liked A Short Hike and excellent talk too!

[@metafuel]

Excellent talk. Thank you. Lots of really good information here.

[@mathaeis]

I just beat this game last night, and it was absolutely delightful. Between the game itself and this video, I'm feeling really inspired. So hey, thanks for making such an impactful game, and best of luck with the next one.

[@thirdreplicator]

That's was inspiring. Thank you for sharing!

[@zensic]

This is gold! Thank you for sharing

[@botteu]

Really good talk! Great break-down of the different stages in a very succinct and informative way. And, he made it in THREE MONTHS?!?

[@VirtualTurtleGames]

I loved this game, great talk man, and great inspiration for us developers!

[@nikgervae]

@17:00 - The first thing I did was swim straight out from the starting cabin, and after I explored as much of the little island as I could, I headed around the back. Got me clued in to fishing early.

[@orlandobrown8190]

I absolutely loved this game. This will be one of those games that I come back to often.

[@ricktastica]

Great video explaining different aspects of development

[@mcleanhudson7461]

I just got this game on my switch and OH MY. I LOVED IT. Normally I hate all games but this made it to a favorite! It has inspired me to try and write my own game based on this (even though I’m not the best coder). I played for hours and hours doing every side quest there was! Thank you for this fun time and inspiration!

[@djblast101]

The only video on this channel I really watch in it's entirety

[@nomoregoodlife1255]

great job! gl on your next projexts

[@TheGameLecturer]

This was one of my favourite game of the year, good job !

[@ceciliahorner2664]

I went the other way around the mountain and found the pickaxes but didn't realize I could break through that little mine lol. I just had so much fun exploring when playing this game! I love it

[@SeniorAdrian]

I played it with my little nephews. Today i reached the top of the mountain. I let them press the space bar (because thats what they like the most haha) and i control the movements. Such a great experience. Thanks for this beautiful art.

[@NerdAttack]

I saw this Video a few days ago and was so amazed with the Game and how it's made. And tonight suprisingly the Game released on the switch. I heard that while laying in bed before sleep. But my tiredness was vanished! I quickly bought and downloaded the Game and was playing it in one Session! It was beautiful! Youre Game makes so many things right! Really inspiring for me!

[@epicls6576]

A message to Adam Robinson Yu. I’m creating my own game right now and A short hike is one of the main inspirations behind it, besides Wind waker and Stardew valley. Thank you for making this game and inspiring my work. Never hesitate when you have a good idea.

[@frydfish4934]

Absaloutly in love with this game. I wish I could play it again for the first time

[@FrotteeVDH]

"A short hike" was one of the highlights for me in 2019. Relaxing, cute, original, clever. A great game, a very likeable developer and a really good talk!

[@creationsmaxo]

Great video! Keeping the players' attention and making sure they get the right information and don't just skip it is one of the things in game development that can be the hardest or simplest depending on how you approach it. I usually take 1 of 3 approaches myself: 1) The Carrot approach By giving out a small reward which is initially in the game felt as quit rewarding while, late in the game, doesn't amount to much. For example, getting some free equipment in a RPG. 2) The Listener approach There's a common problem with level design as explained in this video where players will tries all corners and turns other than the intended ones. It's part of the gamers' mind to try to break the game's rules nowadays as it's often a way to find secrets within secrets. To put it short, it's like if a player tells devs "Don't tell me what to do!" in a kid's manner. As with kids, one way of overcoming this mindset is to display "what to do" by explaining it to the other kid(s) that are actually listening. In such case, using one NPC as a "trainer" that explain another NPC how to do it is a really good example. The player doesn't feel forced to listen as he or she is just a bystander. 3) The Spartan approach This one can be hard to properly implement, but at the same time has the highest chance of working if set properly. Basically, leave the player alone to fail and, once he or she fail, push the explanation upon the failure. Don't force the failure, but make it obvious with a small ray of hope (and a reward) for players who overcome the almost-impossible odds. A good example of this principle is FromSoftware's Souls series where, at the end of the tutorial, the player face an almost-impossible enemy that, if beaten, gives an unique reward that can't be obtained otherwise.

[@LimeyLassen]

Good postmortem. Really useful advice for indies doing a solo project. I guess I'm that tiny sliver that found the game on youtube. Adam Millard mentioned it.

[@royalbluewaves6161]

This game is absolutely perfect!! The first I’ve played with absolutely no flaws! Thank you so much

I played this game just at the end of 2019, on the last 3 days. It was easily the most heartwarming, and generally best game I played this year. And I played A LOT.

[@ameerahbadr]

such a good talk! thank you!

[@Hazarth]

haven't played the game, but I like the approach where Adam designed a lot of other game to be specifically fun even if it meant the game ends up shorter. Really good tips and explanations in this postmortem!

[@kyjo72682]

Interesting presentation. Had a lot of fun with this game!

[@professionalquestion5415]

He did an amazing job with this project.

[@235overlord]

This is probably one of the only talks ive seen where the dev has gone into detail about how he achieved the visuals, environment design, post processing etc, what an absolute legend and an amazing game!

[@BallyBoy95]

Edit: 17:24 - OMG! Thats EXACTLY what I did. I just jumped into the water to test the game'd limits. This dev is too hilarious. He's thought of everythint aha! -- Such an enjoyable presentation to watch and listen to. A sincere thank you, I just completed this game on my PS5 y'day. I still feel my mood uplifted since y'day. A truly wholesome experience. This is an artpiece as much as it is a video game. :)

[@hibryd7481]

Darn my eyes for not purchasing this game sooner. I watched the talk then waited a few months before giving it a shot. The game is excellent, and after watching this talk a second time, it's a testament to how much a single developer can achieve with an understanding of the basics, an idea, some determination, and a little self-management. Anyone who'd be interested enough in game dev to watch this video should immediately purchase a copy. There's an an effortless charm and beauty to its design that there really isn't enough of in the medium as a whole. I am not kidding when I say I've had more fun playing this game than any triple A title that'd been dangled in front of me for the past several years, and I say this as a generally dour, critical person with a diminished capacity to let go and have fun >:[ Games don't need to be super deep or have endless content or world class assets to be entertaining. In fact, I'm starting to think that the perceived market for those things are collectively holding us back from making and enjoying really excellent games. Bravo to Adam, I hope he decides to make more games in the future!

[@renatusdev]

Invaluable talk Adam! Definitely turning it into pen and paper and hopefully brain tattoos.

[@Link-ho8yq]

This talk is what inspired me to buy the game! (and months later too, so I had forgotten anything spoilery) However, the mention of player behavior in the face of signs at 19:30, well, it was the opposite for me: I would eagerly read the signs, which helpfully pointed out where "story progress" was (the "Hawk peak trail" directions), so I could do everything else first.

[@dixie_rekd9601]

just played this game... its amazing. properly awesome, made me shed a tear with a single line of text.