The Tools I Use for Indie Game Dev in 2024

[@DevDuck]

If you're already a Notion AI user, you can get started today with Q&A already in your Notion workspace. If you’re interested in trying it out, join the waitlist to get early access: ntn.so/DevDuck1 Thanks Notion for supporting the channel! Hope you all enjoyed this one.

[@timmytoytimesigma]

high dev duck

[@thiagoreis5208]

Hello devduck and everyone, I have a problem with my game in godot. I'm using a scene with the tilemap, but I can't rotate the scene on the tilemap and the editor says "Cannot transform scene files". You know how to fix or do something with the same benefits as using the scenes on the tile map. Sorry for the text, I'm not a native English speaker.

[@aqua-bery]

I do my gamedev on a 300$ laptop running linux with 1450 gb of storage lol. Im so glad godot exist, it's such a lovely and beautiful engine with perfect linux support out of the box

[@johnq.public3302]

You should attempt to run Unity on Linux.....only if you want to take a hammer to your laptop.

[@bluesillybeard]

@@johnq.public3302 Unity is perfectly usable on Linux. It's still a horrible nightmare compared to Godot though!

[@Gupatik]

@@johnq.public3302 wdum? I tried it several years ago and it worked fine

[@outlander7370]

@@johnq.public3302 i saved my laptop and opted for my eyeballs instead

[@loreleap]

Nice bro

[@markwiering]

When I developed my 2D cat game, I used: 1. Godot Engine 3.3.2, self-compiled with two custom made C++ modules. 2. GIMP, for making all the drawings and animations. 3. Windows XP's simple voice recorder, for recording the voiced lines for the game. 4. Audacity for noise reduction of the voice recordings made. 5. Geany, writing the dialogues. 6. FontForge, for extending a Commodore64 font to also include mathematical symbols.

[@Novskyy621]

How did you "document" your progress and tasks?

[@markwiering]

​@@Novskyy621. I had a simple text document where I wrote a short summary of the game's storyline. It contained per section: 1. Planet. 2. The civilisation. 3. The storyline ---> and some key words per dialogue that the player is going to have. 4. The mathematical themes that the player receives at each interval. Then I followed this summary until the game was complete. Initially, I planned the game to be simple. One kind of enemy that you keep meeting (red devil rats) and two final bosses (green rat + blue dog). Then I started adding danger objects: lava, fire and mines - later also water and mud. Then I decided to make the red devil rats smarter (making them chase the player instead of walking left and right). Then I decided to add additional danger: the fire-mouth car (shooting poison balls up and forward). Then I decided to added an even "smarter" enemy that can chase you and try to shoot you: the aggressive armed swanns. To prevent making the player feel like everyone is only after him/her, I made it such that fire-mouth cars also fire at red devil rats - and that the aggressive swanns also chase and fire at red devil rats when finding them. Then, I added three simple spoken dialogues to the game (self-spoken). I found the dialogues so lame and funny that I decided to make more dialogues and add those, too. Then I wanted to eliminate the background noise, so I did that per audio file in Audacity (boring task, but... I did that). The Commodore64 screen was actually a separate project (not related to the cat game), but I later decided to integrate this into the cat game. I used the Commodore64 font for this, but it lacked some mathematical symbols. I found out that I could manually extend this downloaded font file with FontForge, so I did that, for all the exponent numbers (²³) and symbols such as the integration symbol. While I was at this, I decided to add even more dialogues. For example, spoken dialogues for when the player presses the same wrong answer twice, dialogues of the princess calling for help and the princess trying to motivate the cat when the player faces hardships (done by my little sister). That is how it went. :-)

[@spekticat]

Great tip on Geany, much appreciated:)

[@quackncheese]

Just a random little tip for Godot’s intellisense, in the editor settings you can turn down the delay that happens before the suggestions show up! (Editor Settings>Text Editor>Completion>Code Complete Delay). I just turned it down to 0.01s so it’s instant.

[@robonator2945]

Also of note is that Aesprite *_used_* to be open source, and there is currently a project called Libresprite which is built off of the last GPL version of Aesprite and, while I can't say anything with certainty since I'm not hugely into pixel art myself, it looks like it's coming along really nicely. (primarily since it isn't having to redo the foundation, it started with a pretty firm place to build from.)

[@kc-me6wl]

Nice one thanks for this dude...held off pulling trigger on aesprite so will for sure give this a go 1st!

[@mothcatcher893]

I was going to say that aseprite is still open-source but giving it a further look it seems you are in fact right. Still, I think for those who might not be as familiar with the FOSS community some clarification is helpful. Aseprite still has their source code publicly (which as far as I can see is up-to-date) but they're no longer "open-source" in the sense that the code is copyrighted under the Aseprite EULA and NOT an open-source license. That aside I think both the Libresprite and Aseprite projects are pretty good and both have a place in the continued development of tools for artists and they are both great tools.

[@Gupatik]

there is pixelorama which is open source and free, it's very powerful yet it has simple ui

[@Hotchefmice]

Ive been using libresprite for my work on a gameboy homebrew atm, and its great but something to note about libresprite is it does miss some features aseprite has like tile sourcing to save space on your work for projects like mine, and some other things, the solution is to use an app called "Tiled" it seems but i havent gotten it yet. Another thing to note and im not sure if its true still but the price paid for aseprite actually isnt necessary to legally use the app, they offer the uncompiled code if you look for it and you can compile it yourself, the price tag is to support and because they precompiled it.

[@Natsu1261]

You can also just compile Aseprite and its free because the sourcecode is available to everyone

[@Jim-Works]

Random tip for those like me who don't like how sluggish godot's autocomplete is: you can reduce the time between when you stop typing and suggestions popping up by changing the "Code Complete Delay" settings in Editor -> Editor Settings -> Text Editor -> Completion. The built-in script editor feels much snappier after reducing that down to 0.01s

[@caiovini980]

Man, you´re my role model as a developer. Just want to be organized as you are on my daily basis.

[@Kyjor_]

Great video. I've been watching since you were making blink. Definitely inspiring seeing someone who is also a full time dev, and does game dev in their free time. It's nice to see the way you approach it in a pragmatic, digestible manner. That's the way I've been attacking it (slow and steady) in the past year, and it's paid dividends for me lately. Can't wait to see more!

[@marklinton4567]

I don't know why, but my favorite part of the whole video has to be the pooch just chilling on the chaise looking out the window while you work.

[@programador-visual]

I mostly watch your videos bc how tidy and neat is your setup. in fact, the super editing with B roll makes me a little sad because that could more time developing your awesome looking game hahaha much love from Argentina ❤

[@DevDuck]

Still working on Dauphin, don't worry!

[@yarop1794]

Protip: at 3:15 you can also hold Ctrl while drag and dropping for godot to create a variable for the node!

[@jnrgames3818]

Thank you so much for mentioning Notion, I was trying to find it for soooo looong based on your video

[@MyMattinthehat]

The notebook was such a small part but I personally feel like journaling is so powerful. I highly recommend others give it a try. Also def going to try notion!

[@djlclopez128]

Actually, the very best feature of any game dev journey is your trusty dog best friend. We have too weenie dogs and they are very loved 😍 your dog looks super happy as well!

[@regularlyirregular8876]

I spy a Lamy Safari, glad to see I'm not the only one interested in excellent pens and game dev!

[@Hex_is]

Great video! earned a sub! After many years of procrastination I've finally started learning an engine, I've fallen in love with Godot and I plan to release a full game this year :)

[@xcaitlinquinn]

good luck :)

[@ChicBeadbyLex]

Your nanoleaf hexagons are a cool touch, creating a great vibe for your creative space. Well done!

[@kingspider5566]

your channel is awesome and you inspire me to be a game developer myself thanks a lot.

[@yarrichar]

If you hold cmd while releasing the mouse button after dragging a node into GDScript you get the entire declaration @onready etc etc as well as the node path (re your point at about 3:20)

[@efai]

I've been using Notion every single day since you made a video about it, it's a God sent tool for every job or hobby.. the only thing I miss in Notion is the grid, elements and drag and drop for those elements.. and I use FL Studio exclusively for music.. I've been using this software since version 4 came out 20 years ago.. I skipped most of the versions and stick with the old version, because I didn't use it daily, but recently I started using it more and more, so I took version 20.. the software is absolutely top and I wouldn't change it for anything..

[@Manneetti]

Sad that FL doesn't work that good on Linux even trough a VM, I have been thinking about buying Bitwig, It is a paid Ableton clone that has native linux support.

[@Chris-cx6wl]

What’s “the grid”?

[@jacoriusx2866]

Hello Ben! I´ve been watching every single video you upload since the day in the life of 2019 and I love your vibe, your content and what you teach. I think it would be awesome if you try some kind of streaming content, a chill evening with your followers while you code and chat with us! Thank you for everything, I cant wait to play Dauphin!!

[@zentec010]

My GOD!!! Power Toys is the best free thing I have downloaded in years for my Windows 10 PC, I was looking for the Fancy Zones Features, but I have gone through 80% of everything it does and can think of a use case for all of it that I will use at a regular pace. Just wow. Thank you for leading me to such a useful piece of software.

[@DevDuck]

I love to hear this! Hope it serves you well.

[@hamzahgamedev]

Loved the 42-inch monitor. It looks dope!

[@LinuxRenaissance]

48?

[@DevDuck]

48" LG C1! The new 42 is probably an even better size...

[@LinuxRenaissance]

@@DevDuck I have C2 42. Initially it was too big and I wished it was like 38" or something in that ballpark, but eventually I got used to 42. 110 DPI seems to be the best DPI for all operating systems.

[@That_0ne_Dev]

I work as a Unity developer for a living but in my freetime i'm working on my own game that I've built from the ground up in C++ and SDL. I would love to learn Godot at some point

[@MCPeeBoy]

I'm just starting with godot myself and I take great inspiration from Stardew Valley creator. Everything has to be made by me and with the amount of free software at the reach of my fingertips it seems all so easy. All I need is my brain, my notebook which I use for plethora of other things also and lots of inspiration.

[@auesip]

I was only trying to find your old videos earlier today, the ines mentioning notion to make use of it for myself 😆 perfect timing!

[@AliceMadTeaParty]

The 48-inch monitor looks really cool, thanks for sharing your device!

[@javawocky]

Nice run. I am most envious of the mac book as I type this on my old 15" 2014 i7 macbook 🤣. I had a max for my last month at a previous company and it was simply unreal.

[@dzjin]

You are 100% right about Reaper and Logic Pro, Reaper is really meant for you to dive deep and customize it to do exactly what you want while Logic is probably the best DAW out there for outright giving you everything you'd need to start

[@AngelRodriguez-b6m]

Awesome setup! I can relate using the note book. It helps iterate over my ideas and also what I need to keep track of

[@Manneetti]

Motor/E Table is good for the fact that you can Sit and Stand on front of it, Highly recommend! Other things I like for development are tools that are open source, I recently also bought 4K monitor and it is very nice to see so much at the same time in one screen. :D Anyway, You have very good videos!

[@fantompower_]

thanks for always using my song in your vids! if you ever need custom music for your games, hmu! 👽

[@abbashussain7298]

Hey, excellent video. I've been a fan of your content for ages but- you didn't talk about the monitor enough. I'd love to know more about how you use it and why you chose to use a TV over a traditional monitor

[@orangelimesky]

When you first switched from unity to Godot 3 years ago, i had stopped viewing your content. But now, having moved 6 months work of unity to Godot within a couple of weeks myself, i can also vouch that Godot is a brilliant engine. And GD script is very powerful and easy to learn now that we have plenty of tutorials for it. My workflow has increased by 10 fold compared to Unity's Game objects system. In Godot every single thing is inherited from a base Node class object which is so mind boggling to me. I love how everything is connected.

[@HelieNerb]

lol I’m so happy to see a game developer on Mac cause as a lifelong Mac user I’ve always wondered if i could actually do serious game dev on a mac

[@_gamma.]

Your last video inspired me, I’ve made my own pomodoro timer 🍅 But not in Godot, for Playdate! Cute puppy!

[@rocs11]

You missed the most important piece of hardware for a game developer: The cup of coffee. Besides that, thank you for the enjoyable and informative video!

[@ChochoLevi]

I like how the leaves wallpaper on your mbp blends perfectly with the actual plant in the back

[@gerswicc]

Hey, I love your Notion. I've been trying to use Notion for about a month but I just can't come up with a good organizational layout. Could you maybe provide the templates you use for the tasks page, project homepages and each tasks' page? Thanks and keep up the good work, your last uploads are pure quality and chill.

[@AlexTemina]

Awesome video! What about your keyboard? looks beautiful!

[@BenjaminOwenSlattery]

I use Logic Pro X as well and I definitely recommend it, great choice!

[@crafterofhope]

That desk really looks like a place you want to sit and do stuff , I noticed that even the wheels of your chair looked the cleanest tho hahaha wonder how you manage to keep that desk so clean, I've been trying on mine but I can't stop putting things on it and it looks so messy all the time

[@queblegamedevelopment4143]

Wow, 4:19, I've been looking for a window snapping tool for a while haha

[@proatgaimz]

ah sweet a devduck video

[@jetspydragon]

I have a simillar software setup, but i'm a windows user so instead of logic I use FL Studio, wich is great, and for graphics aside from Asprite I use Affinity, also great. Nice channel, suscribed!

[@HanKruiger]

Have you ever considered/tried any pixel art software for iPad? It seems really appealing to be able to make the art on the iPad. But I'm having trouble imagining a nice workflow to get the stuff into the game.

[@_gamma.]

You have everything but your wallpaper in the description 😭 is it leaves? I like it

[@ElianeGameDev]

I want the same monitor!

[@Garfield_Minecraft]

gamer+developer setup

[@Harald723]

There is an addon for script tabs to make them be on the top!

[@sethbuchinger3113]

Great video, thanks for sharing your process! I believe you've said in the past that you are also a full-time software dev. Do you use Notion for tracking those projects as well or does your company have a separate system?

[@anthonydodier6143]

Highly recommend for your Mac to try rectangle kinda similar to your snap tool but it has shortcut to snap the window! I almost never use my mouse and I'm just able to move my windows around with the shortcut.

[@GamesBySaul]

Thanks for all the recommendations, you definitely can't beat a trusty notebook, where else will I write down my random ideas and thoughts. I tend to use One Note/Word in work as my hand writing is awful 😅but writing down, pen and paper is preferred I'd say. What do you use for video editing btw? Not sure if I missed it in this video?

[@DevDuck]

Hey Saul! I use DaVinci Resolve. I maybe need to make another one of these for 1) desk setup and 2) KZbin workflow haha

[@GamesBySaul]

@@DevDuck right! I thought you did, probably because you've mentioned it before 😂 And I'm always down for a desk setup video, your setup is very aesthetically pleasing, so I'll be taking notes!

[@aaronkbutler]

Would love to hear more about iOS development

[@Potatomerchant]

Can you do a video on Notion please? I like how yours is laid out!

[@QWERTIOX]

There are godot plugins to improve script editor like arrangement opened scripts in tabs

[@CushionSapp]

You've got both a dog and a handy dandy notebook

[@_gamma.]

Notion looks awesome 👀

[@rodrigocornidez1917]

Very helpful, thanks for sharing!

[@DaveMerritt-ki8gv]

Hi DevDuck! Your videos are always so inspirational to me. I started creating my own game, starting with the pixel art, but I have never coded before. I'm curious as to how you learned coding? Thanks and keep it up!!

[@BrotherCarl]

Love the LG TV/display! After having it for a few years now, do you still feel the same about it? It seems like there is some glare on the screen that might get annoying, but I'm assuming thats just because you're lighting it for the video. I'd love to get your take as I'm contemplating it for myself

[@sneezyrider1]

I am so behind on all of this, lol. Started my game last month and I use all free stuff. Inkscape, Godot of course, piskel (free online pixel art tool, very basic), and beepbox for music and sounds (another free online tool for basic chip tunes). It works for now, although I am going to take a course in aesprite I think.

[@peterstein4376]

I'm 5 seconds into the video so you probably will talk about this.....but dang can we talk about that desk now? Where can I get that? Butcher block is sick

[@DevDuck]

This video was a bit more software-focused, so I didn't talk about the desk itself... I can do update desk setup video soon!

[@MultiMillionaire-hb6pi]

Great vid man

[@asandax6]

As Android fan boy I agree Apple M series chips have been awesome. I also thank Apple for getting the competition (Intel, AMD and Qualcomm) to wake up and start competing.

[@stevenrobey3743]

I second the M1 mac, I am not an Apple fan at all I have 9 window machines and a couple linux in the house and use the M1 for a work. Compared the the intel mac which struggled with just basic tasks as it aged (I am thinking corporate security system software did it in with a memory leak, my friends still like their intel mac), I would recommend anyone interested in a laptop that just works get an M1. That said I have run most of the software above on a cheap $200 mini forum POS intel Celeron J4125 without issue and except 3d terrain pluggin, it works fine just starts to struggle since it doesn't have good integrated graphics for 3d. Blender does okay with low poly on the J4125. But if you can afford it spend the extra $100 and get something like a beelink ryzen ser7 much better experience all around. But you'll still need a monitor, keyboard and mouse. I would avoid a $500 laptop, I have never had a good time with one in this range. Great video and software recommendation. LMMS is another audio DAW to check out for people looking to save.

[@rothein436]

For 3500, you can get much better

[@colineckert]

great video! curious, did you ever try obsidian?

[@thecoolmonkey27-oy9hl]

The timelapse with your dog was beautiful

[@anon_y_mousse]

I think the better question is, why a laptop? I have a cheap pre-built that everything with it cost around $500. At some point I might decide to buy a discrete graphics card, but unless I'm going to play a modern game or write something as hefty as one, I've got more than enough power in this thing. However, I do wonder about Macs, do they have a keyboard and mouse button combo for quickly resizing and/or moving windows around? For instance, I use KDE and I've assigned the WinKey as the keyboard button to press in conjunction with either the left or right mouse button to handle moving or resizing windows respectively. So if I press the WinKey and the right mouse button and drag from an edge, the window will resize, and it just has to be anywhere within the frame of the window, nearest quadrant gets the resize. If I use the left mouse button I can click anywhere within the window area and quickly move it. I don't know if Windows is still weak in this regard, but last time I used it you had to get right on the edge of a window and wait for the cursor to change before you could click to resize, and you could only use the titlebar to move it around. I've never found the four quadrants or four halves to be limiting when tiling windows, and I've got shortcut keys for those, but if I'm going to use the mouse at all I don't know why anyone would need a program to snap to particular spaces because the mouse capabilities in KDE allow me to be sloppy and windows snap against each other anyway. But maybe you've not used Linux and experienced the ease that is KDE.

[@narlock]

Very cool!

[@GoldenBandit94]

Love the videos! I noticed you have a stand for your ipad and I was thinking about getting it. The links in the description don't seem to have it. Do you know where I could get it?

[@NightfallIGS]

Can you do a setup of your Notion? I like the overall layout and I need a good one for my studio to use aswell

[@Oathbetrayer]

Are you using NAS or DAS for storage or just SSD.

[@JB10008d]

I was wondering how he saves his projects also (backup)

[@robvp71]

i9 13th gen - 64Gb - Arc A770 GPU 16Gb VRAM for EUR1500, Unreal, Blender, Godot, Aseprite (EUR10), Reaper (EUR60), VSCode but I do agree that the main problem is portability because it is a desktop :-) For travel I also own a RTX3080 32Gb laptop (Asus Zephyr Duo) that should have cost around EUR3500 but I got it for EUR 1200 due to an error on the website.. you've gotta be lucky sometimes. Using a 32'' monitor but I have to say.. 42'' looks really nice and sometimes I run out of space on the 32'' one so definitely something to consider..

[@rothein436]

Does the a770 doing good in blender and unreal?

[@robvp71]

@@rothein436 yes, no problems so far. Unreal 5.3

[@tarengaskill9974]

Do you mind sharing a detailed list of the tags you use within notion to organize your game dev projects? please and thank you!

[@Jean-sj1xw]

Hey Ben! Amazing video :) Quick question, do you play games at all? I know you create games, but I couldn't see you enjoying game from others. Do you feel less productive if playing?

[@mikepatx]

What tablet stand is that? Was hoping it would be in the description as well!

[@alirezamousavi7939]

Very cool. What's the brand of ipad stand?

[@OwnedByChristian]

the dog definitly stole the show ahah

[@guidoopossum]

9:53 Audacity isn't good choice anymore. Muse group (russian company) own it so it's spyware now. Switch to Tenacity.

[@grey.7828]

Confirmed or lib conspiracy

[@guidoopossum]

@grey.7828 they collect your IP and OS information by default. It's not like they confirmed that they share this information but I don't believe russian company. Better use program that I'm sure of.

[@deivchoi]

How do you connect your monitor to your mac? I don't see the HDMI cable

[@NoFeckingNamesLeft]

Probably usb c to hdmi cable or a usb c hub with hdmi out

[@grytis]

Hi please teach us how to be productive and organized like you are.

[@MrKlotzsch]

amazing video. just a short and nice question: would it perhaps help u to higher ur PC table a bit? I really love my cheap 1y old high adjustable desk for working from home office in munich. Greeting sfrom germany bro :)

[@kc-me6wl]

When are we getting the video on your lovely fish tanks please? :)

[@resullus1]

How has the screen been holding up? Last time you mentioned precautions for burn in for the oled. Do you feel you get use out of the extra real estate or is it mostly a centered straight ahead afair?

[@salvadego7834]

I would love to use godot, but I unfortunately have a wrist problem that makes it very very hard to use the mouse, so I will probably keep using bevy and neovim to minimize mouse usage

[@Feynman.R]

We need notion tutorial from you

[@JayFolipurba]

I'm surprised that notion seems to be using ai the way it's meant to be used: as an assistant.

[@matt_kelly]

As a home developer myself, I find the thing that makes my job easiest is having my trusty dog at my side, even if she is just sleeping on the futon next to my desk.

[@joantonio6331]

If i could keep the cost that low... - Houdini $350 per year - Substance designer and painter, $20 pretty month - Character creator $600 - Marvelous designer $39 per month - Diverse assets about $89 but i prefer doing then myself so they will fit the art style

[@plaksh2814]

i have the same leaves wallpaper

[@amnesiac-original]

Nice dog 💚

[@raghavkrishna1690]

great resource

[@Chevifier]

If youre making pixel art game another great DAW is LMMS it has a few builtin synthesizers such as Freeboy(Game boy APU audio emulator) and sfxr. Great for making chiptunes.

[@LuxCorStudios777]

I like the beard! You're looking good.

[@neozoid7009]

cool notion❤

[@mossy.meadow.studios]

What about your Shure Mic? Which one is that?

[@cuIo_]

Do you use Comfort mode in your LG OLED?

[@DraktonTube]

Beautiful dog 💙 I have an Aussie Labradoodle named Mylo, who looks almost exactly like your dog. What's his name?

[@anicemenhour2290]

Have you considered outsourcing the music to specialized composers, or are you very set on doing everything by yourself? I'm asking because I am also trying to make my own game, but I know very well that I won't be able to achieve beautiful artworks and music tracks all by myself. That said, outsourcing has a price that can sometimes be difficult to justify when working as a hobbyist on a solo project. I'm curious to know what people usually do in these circumstances.