Three things that inspired me to finish my game (Developing 8)

🧲 Wishlist Mind Over Magnet on Steam! - store.steampowered.com/app/26... 🧲
Developing is an on-going KZbin series, where I share the step-by-step process of making my first video game: Mind Over Magnet!
Since the last episode of Developing, three things have inspired me to stop messing around and actually start to finish my magnet-based puzzle platformer. Here's what happened.
=== Links ====
Thanks to Video Games Are Bad for playtesting
/ videogamesarebad
OpenGameArt image - opengameart.org/content/indus...
=== Credits ===
Music By:
LAKEY INSPIRED @ / lakeyinspired
License for commercial use: Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 Unported "Share Alike" (CC BY-SA 3.0) License.
KZbin Audio Library
Epidemic Sound - www.epidemicsound.com/referra... (Referral Link)
=== Subtitles ===
Contribute translated subtitles - amara.org/en-gb/videos/J5yxVU...

[@remidupre2820]

As a developer I can firmly say that : spending time implementing something to finally discovering it is already an available tool is never completely wasted time. Then you know how the tool is made, what are its limitations and how it will perform in edge cases.

[@BillieJoe512]

aye, it gives you a better understanding of how the tools work that you're using. And let's be honest: sometimes reinventing the wheel is really fun 😄

[@Stratelier]

Indeed, it's like what he explained in his first episode when he was first learning Unity at all: Anyone can execute the _steps_ of a tutorial and walk away having learned entirely nothing -- it's the _underlying concepts_ you must learn, and sometimes "re-inventing the wheel" is legitimately the best way to do that.

[@morganlak4337]

Yup. Plenty of times I've implemented my own version of a thing, replaced it because it sucked, but the knowledge gained was directly used on multiple necessary features.

[@chickenicecream1942]

In b4 somebody gets inspired by this and makes their own javascript framework

[@Y2B123]

Exactly. Repeating something that has been done is a really good learning mechanism. Inventing independently also boosts your confidence.

[@IAmBael]

The only thing harder than actually making a game, is sticking with it long enough to see it finished.

[@GlyphicEnigma]

I feel it.

[@indieramus349]

"Art is never finished, only abandoned." - Leonardo Da Vinci

[@lordsojabohne4846]

@@indieramus349 I hate that thought- but it´s so often true

[@christosgeorgiafentis4825]

Word.

[@redfoxlightning]

I really hope sam hogan did that with *his* game!

[@loreleiloriestone9179]

My immediate reaction to that stage transition was "Aw, I love that!" So I think you nailed it!

[@IsisAlv]

i chuckled when i saw it, it's really cute

[@DouglasHollingsworth1]

Same! The slow anticipation from pulling out the plug then the whimsical music was a nice combo

[@russellstephens3580]

Agree, as someone who playtested the last build and left feedback about the stage end, this is exactly what I would've hoped for! It's neat!

[@RootReducer]

Likewise - it was very charming!

[@Packbat]

Agreed, agreed! It's not long, but it's this really satisfying button to put on your solving a puzzle.

[@godribbon]

What's cool about this series is that it started out as an academic insight into the process of development but now has me thinking "Hmm... I hope this comes out on Switch, I wanna play it"

[@TheRighteousDawn]

Does Nintendo even let Developers publish free games on their platform? I highly doubt Mark would want to charge anything for this once it is finally finished.

[@kairon156]

​@@TheRighteousDawn Just doing a quick google search and free games do exist like Fortnite, Kitten Squad, Asphalt 9: Legends and some others. I imagine free switch games are good to keep the console active in people's lives and more likely they'll pay for others later on.

[@MarcusBryan1990]

@@TheRighteousDawn Why not charge for it? I’d be happy to throw a fiver Mark’s way to play the finished product.

[@godribbon]

@@MarcusBryan1990 Yeah I agree, it's a game he's put a tonne of time and effort into, he could even give codes away to Patrons if felt weird about it

[@CoolManCoolMan123]

@@kairon156 but those are mobile games

[@String.Epsilon]

That stage transition is very cute. I'd give the "plop" of the cork (?) a little more oomph to sell the suction a little more, but it's already really satisfying.

[@Cool-Vest_Leo]

The sound design otherwise is a cut above what I'd expect from that kind of a game.

[@Temulgeh]

@@Cool-Vest_Leo the metal clangs are reaaaally satisfying

[@helio6839]

Yeah give it some more tension and release

[@alokkumar5123]

Enter your own game jam next year

[@Cassapphic]

Honestly he could make a game for the theme and use that as an example of it instead of a video.

[@Spitfire720]

The next theme is a duel with Mark Brown

[@razorback8300]

I think it could be problematic since if a lot of people saw that he made the game , the results could be very biased

[@Gnoml_]

@@razorback8300 so he could just enter it anonymously

[@TheSnazzyBoi]

@@Gnoml_ ah yes, im sure no one will notice mark’s game on wich he has made several episodes on.

[@tahini245]

Seeing how Mark was inspired to finish his game has actually inspired me to get off my butt and stop procrastinating my goals

[@gabrielsilveira8246]

Lol yes

[@marcccreates]

Me too :D - Mark's new productivity channel - Life Maker's Toolkit

[@MrMundharmonikah]

Mee too, and I will start first thing tomorrow!

[@mauriceraat2781]

Yes, future me is now :)

[@Red_Eagle]

@@MrMundharmonikah lol

[@lucbloom]

Mark: *runs this KZbin channel* Also Mark: “I never made anything that evoked an emotional response in people”

[@alex.g7317]

Tbh Also Mark has a point 👀

[@TheMadAfrican1]

It's hard to see how you art affects people sometimes!

[@Calyde]

Just seeing your “level end/level start” animation, it looks great! I’d suggest having different pipes for all the different magnets and your characters to pop out of. That way, if part of a puzzle involves having a magnet “trapped” at a different part of the map to be found and used on another part of the puzzle there’s be a pipe underneath it to show it was deposited there from the beginning. This would also keep people from wondering where one of their magnets went if it’s not at the beginning of the next puzzle but was in the last one.

[@KRYMauL]

That could be really fun.

[@alanlopezr.7104]

Hope he sees this!

[@torydavis10]

The same could also be achieved with minor story elements. If you want the next puzzle to involve obtaining a magnet, make this puzzle involve losing your magnet somehow (enemy capture, fall into pit, etc.) This could also be a way to switch powers for a while; lose one magnet, find another one, find the first one a while later, lose the second, find a third, and so on.

[@hnfrd]

I don't think separate pipes are needed. They get sucked into the same pipe from anywhere, ignoring physics collisions. So it makes sense they can get spit out of the same pipe and land in different parts of the level.

[@KRYMauL]

@@hnfrd Then they should be shown being spit out the final destination in a similar way. Also it seems like they are sucked in at the foreground.

[@BON3SMcCOY]

"I *am* future Mark!" Is legit inspiring/motivating, as someone who put off so much to be dealt with by my future self.

[@Pellbort]

14:58 Ohhhh no no no, Mark---- Your parallax scrolling is backwards. Stationary foreground objects scroll FASTER than stationary background objects. The relationship between these speeds is directly proportionate to the relative distance from the viewer. In your clips, some of your background layers are moving faster than the foreground layers which is REALLY disconcerting. In general, each layer should scroll slower than the one in front of it.

[@bagorolin]

Those backgrounds look amazing!!! Wow! Thanks for sharing this. Also very well demonstrated in the video. Every new layer, color, and especially the animation makes it better! I'm in awe :)

[@darkopp5870]

How have you comended 11 hours but the video is 1 minute ago?

[@GMTK]

@@darkopp5870 GMTK Patrons always get videos early!

[@Usual_User]

@@darkopp5870 time travel

[@alokkumar5123]

@@GMTK don't lie,he time travelled

[@charlotte80389]

@@alokkumar5123 lol

[@adamx9065]

14:57 Just to nitpick: the barrels in the foreground here move slower than the background objects. They should move faster for a proper parallax effect. And wait, is that the silhouette of an Aperture weighted storage cube?

[@8-bitnicolai5]

Yeah, I agree, that was jarring when I saw that. It doesn't move quite right. I hope he fixes it.

[@jacobshirley3457]

I was wondering why it felt off, even if it looked nice.

[@romainquintosol4575]

I felt that but couldn't pinpoint the problem, nicely put! And i think yes, it is :)

[@faland0069]

yeah, and the layers furthest in the back should seem very far away, but it contradicts that by moving quickly

[@najakwarkle]

Nice work! This really does demonstrate how complex game design is. Imagine being alone without a community of folks supporting your progress forward! Can't fathom. Also: That dead pixel on your camera sensor! :O

[@brettabraham]

I hate you... I didn't notice them until you pointed it out

[@bleuthoot]

Oh god, I thought my screen had that dead pixel. I was already worried.

[@Sparklesniff]

bro you ruined this video for me.

[@christopherpie8559]

There's two...

[@july_fish]

Yes, imagine being alone without a community. Imagine being alone without a community. Ima-... Wait, there is a community?

[@vitbull88]

Me as a game dev hobbyist: wow, this is a really good work! Me as a professional magnet designer: what the hell people think about how magnetic fields work?

[@KrystofKlestil1337]

My favorite comment right there. Haha

[@Soroboruo]

My understanding is that asking how magnet fields affect the subject of any scientific discussion will result in being cussed out by the presenter, so I gather that the answer is "nobody knows" xD

[@jasonreed7522]

@@Soroboruo mah fields obey maxwells equations so we do know how they work. The problem is Maxwell's equations are all differential equations so they suck to work with. Especially in complicated geometries. (So make computers do your math for you)

[@Keithustus]

@@Soroboruo Yup, any discussions of how magnets really work leads to a wonderful interview of Richard Feynman explaining how no, physicists don't know either, but they can sure measure it and make predictions with it.

[@CheeseWithMold]

The stage transition isn't silly, it's BRILLIANT! Good job!

[@fluffybunny35b]

A warning about the next goal you stated at the end: the content grind is real, especially for something like a puzzler where you need to have each level feel distinct. One of the ways to help this is by talking to people, not necessarily people on the internet, but people in your life that have a wide range of gaming experience. Another is don't be afraid to add mechanics when you need to, and don't wait until the well is dry before you do. Lastly, hold onto old ideas when you take them out of the game, as a lot of them aren't as bad or out of place as you think they are, but they may just need some more insight that you don't have until you're future you (I would especially hold onto those platforming levels, because with a couple introductory levels before them they can make great late-game content).

[@Puremindgames]

Good thinking, late game content, sequel, a new game or DLC, many options exist today for previously unused content and with the time it takes to make it's always ashame to see things go unused forever or even deleted.

[@gaiance]

That stage transition is awesome; I love it. Also, I've watched enough of your videos to know why you do subtitles, but thank you for continuing to subtitle your videos. It's so helpful for me.

[@CaptBighead]

DUDE! That level transition is so cool!

[@user-kb9zh5ce2g]

Agree! So satisfying too!

[@MikeG-nz8gt]

The sound effects you added are very "clicky clacky" and satisfying! I really liked the thick outline you added and the level transition and entrance including the name of the level is all very satisfying! I'm excited to play this one day!

[@eelvis1674]

I love the background, one thing though, I think it might be a little too blue/green, combined with the steam and dust (which look a but like bubbles) and the highly defined light rays, it looks a bit like its supposed to be underwater. Maybe that's just mean but j think warmer tones of orange, brown and red might fit better.

[@Weird_One_]

With the background that you made, I think it looks really good by itself, but in the game, the green color of the background just doesn’t fit the more rigid dark grays of the actual level.

[@WanderTheNomad]

Agreed

[@andrewtyrell4795]

Maybe reduce the saturation a bit?

[@Scifiguy11th]

To me that just says the foreground needs to be more vibrant

[@StefanLopuszanski]

Completely understand. Being motivated to keep working is a key part of being a game dev. I regularly have to talk to interested people and their excitement for my game gives me a boost to work on the next milestone. We'll be doing playtests soon and I'm sure having people enjoy the game and give feedback will keep us going to do even more. Slowly but surely moving forward to completion!

[@Autumnly24]

The backgrounds look fantastic, but they were a little distracting to me, so maybe in the full game add a small accessibility setting to turn down the saturation and contrast of the background? Other than that, the rest of the game looks phenomenal and you're doing a great job as a developer!

[@AndronikosKoutroumpelis]

Or a bit blur

[@moocowp4970]

Agreed, particularly important for people who are sight impaired. It's super easy to implement a frame with a black box in front of that background stuff that you can adjust the transperancy of in the settings, so I hope he does something like that for the final release.

[@Soroboruo]

A static background option could also be good - having everything move when you move can be disorienting at times. I actually found the tile BG pretty charming, too!

[@vedarovski4110]

I got crazy exhausted scientist vibes from you in this video... In a good way. It is amazing to see such a game design analyst to make his own game. I am glad that I am watching your experience and hard work. GLHF!

[@geriburrito]

That feeling when you start to feel admiration toward your own work.. you know you're on the right track.

[@FromTheAtticTV]

The progress you made is astounding Mark. Those backgrounds are AWESOME, the sound effects are pretty neat and the end-of-level animation is super fun haha! Keep it up man.

[@davidstaffell]

Loving the background Mark, I would say I'm not a huge fan of the mario-style pipe to leave the level though, both the effect and (the fact it looks ripped straight from Mario)

[@THExRISER]

From my experience it actually gets easier to finish a game the farther you are in the process, once the skeleton of the game is there it's mostly smooth sailing from there for me, the hardest part is always building said skeleton.

[@tedweird]

The work on the backgrounds looked excellent, and I love the idea of the different magnets and their properties. Keep up the good work!

[@princcraft]

I love your ideas! The background, sound effects, level transitions.. everything you actually look at ends up perfect, the only problem is just finding what needs to be fixed.

[@lominero5]

I really love the style and personality that your game is developing. I can only imagine that the story is gonna play along great with the visuals.

[@kasiamleczarska9078]

It seems like this was the stage where you added flavor to your game! I love the transition between levels, it does feel satisfying and it's cute!

[@anemoiapolisofficial]

As a developer recently diagnosed with ADHD, I really appreciate this approach to the gamdev process. Those bursts of productivity are so hard to control!

[@stoatmuldoonfanclub7885]

With how the stages end it would be interesting to have a stage where you Goldberg a weight onto a platform suspended on the handle of the end pipe plug to end the level.

[@andrewtyrell4795]

I *love* this idea!

[@teeoemm]

Nothing like grabbing cup of coffee and watching GMTK. Definitely not procrastinating on the game I should be finishing

[@slimeheadgamer3569]

It's not like I have my engine up and running while I watch this video lmao

[@bbarnsp856]

This is a great, honest, inspirational video. Not just for video game devs, but for any creator. As a writer, I often feel guilty as I run out of steam. But, that’s not the point. It’s about sticking with it, and being diligent. Thanks, Mark.

[@natuy8584]

I'd love to see a video about your level design process ! Even just a livestream of making a level. To see how a basic idea is slowly moving toward a totally coherent level. It could even be interesting to see how you design a level right now vs how you'll design a level when you've already made many more of them.

[@hostileglitch3513]

always love this series!!! It’s amazing to see this game come into existence. Your backgrounds for the levels are stunning, when you added the second color I said “oh yes” out loud. Excited to play this game in the future!

[@danielvetencourt7586]

I’ve been watching this series for almost a year now. And it is amazing how much has improved the game. The backgrounds are gorgeous, the new characters and animations are cute and full with personality, and the gameplay looks super neat! Can’t wait to play this game when it releases!

[@samueljwilliamsmusic]

Loved the drain plug for the level end pipe. That's hilarious.

[@tlo4sheelo]

Very impressive to see how far you’ve come.

[@personguyguy]

oh man this is truly amazing you've made a one of a kind project mark i really hope you can finish this some time! good luck! :)

[@117chronicles]

The more I see about this game the more I love the whole concept and the kind of puzzles, feels like something you'd see on the aperture labs from portal. I'm so excited to see more

[@husseinkobeisi5022]

The most humane thing about this whole process is "time". It really takes so much time to make things, months, sometimes years. Even if it looks simple, the smallest of progress takes time. But it's always worth it to put in the effort all the way

[@GambitRaps]

Love this series, you’re an inspiration to us all.

[@PatrickMcHugh51]

This looks amazing, keep going. Didn't have a chance to watch it all the way through but sounds like a great case study in agile development as well. Excited to dig into this later!

[@spencerbye5708]

Absolutely love watching this series. I’ve been a fan of yours for awhile now but this is probably my favorite series of you’ve done. A huge inspiration for my own indie journey and super interesting to watch.

[@DementedDuskull]

The background part reminded me a lot of Hollow Knight, which also used Unity to build its backgrounds in a very dynamic way.

[@patricklogan8337]

Hey, your description of your hyper-focus on a thing you are interested in until you burn out sounds a lot like my adult diagnosed ADHD! If it's working well for you, great! But it was really nice to put a name to the struggles I had, so I figured I'd let you know it's something you might look into, if you haven't already. Love your content, as always! Edit: I actually really appreciate my ADHD, once I understood the strengths it had, but putting a name to it's challenges helped a lot as well. highly recommend the book ADHD 2.0 for what I felt was a more impactful description than I had heard before

[@HediDev]

As a teenager indie game developer myself , this is my metroidvania game project "Dora Diginoid" , it's free but you can support me to get a free copy on Steam once I finish working on it , it's in early development . It's "Dora Diginoid" . Also subscribe to my channel :D

[@Toad472]

I think Mark mentioned early on in the series that he suspected he may have ADHD, and this episode really confirmed it in my eyes. The whole time he was describing the procrastination and hyper-focus till burnout etc, I was just nodding along like 'yep, that's exactly what it's like'. He also mentioned the way he learned was different, and I again related heavily to that. This series is actually very inspirational and affirming to someone like me with ADHD.

[@riesvanwijngaarden3417]

Also the 'wowIjustranintoaproblemletsmakeasolutionandspend200hoursdoingitandthenfindoutitalreadyexists' really hit home for me -_-

[@voidify3]

"I knew I should do it and then I didn't" big executive dysfunction mood

[@PaulKankiewicz]

Omg, I love the addition of multiple magnet characters! That's fantastic! By the way, don't ever worry about someone doing something similar to you. One of my tips for creativity is "Everything's been done before... but that's okay!" When we create things, we inherently put our own spin on them. And even in the extremely rare case that that doesn't happen, the thing you're making will reach a different audience, so this will be the first time many people have seen that thing, even if it already exists. Obviously don't intentionally just copy other games, but don't fret over similar things existing somewhere out there.

[@DirectorToby]

Love this series sooo much. I played elechead and did immediately think of your game. I love that you acknowedged that here - the transparency in this series is what makes it so helpful / watchable!

[@bomdiajj]

hey Mark, loved the video! you background looks really cool, but it looks the parallax is working in reverse. the things that are far away move slowly and the things close to the camera move closer to camera speed. in the footage is seems that things further away are moving faster.

[@jesperj86]

It looks like you made a lot of progress, I love it. I like how you made the ending of the level suck up all magnets, but the circle in the middle feels disconnected, maybe focus is on the pipe instead of the middle? Keep up the great work, I'm looking forward to the next beta or video

[@vizthex]

I love how all the magnet names are puns on the word "magnet". and damn, those sound effects are great.

[@marinhobrandao]

I m happy to see your progress, I know exactly how difficult it is to keep up until finish a game 😄 keep the great work up!

[@kettleclog5105]

love the background! Maybe you could add some sort of effect where the background changes colour - corresponding to your current magnet mode (red or blue).

[@carlotta4th]

I have always heard that when you first start developing it's actually good to do a lot of different little concepts. You get some ideas and skills under your belt, so when you do stumble across an amazing idea worth fleshing out you'll know more how you want to do it. But that "final" game should be something you love so you have motivation to finish it.

[@HaydenTheEeeeeeeeevilEukaryote]

i love that end of level animation and its sound effects and also those backgrounds are awesome also remember that when making a level, you dont need to make it perfect right away. You don’t even need to make it good. That can come later when editing it

[@SirTacoman]

We'll wait, and when you finish the game, we'll still be here, happy and ready to play. Great job so far, and thanks for all the amazing help you have given me for my game. I still may be stuck learning an engine, but ill use you're advice to get really started. Good luck, and may the bugs be few.

[@etiennedud]

Those visual/sound polish are so sweet, can't wait to see those level. Tho, the green pipe for exiting level seems a bit out of place now.

[@briochie]

This is looking really nice! I'm excited to see how it works out in the end. :) Good luck! Love your content. If I can offer a small critique on the character designs - it's kind of frustrating to see the only character with a gender identifier be the female magnet. It's that usual trope of "oh, look, we know she's a woman because she has a hair bow", meanwhile the other magnets are just... magnets with faces. Nothing to communicate their gender, but we deem them to be "male." It's reinforced and confirmed by their names. I know the bow color is to help communicate that the magnet can transform into their sibling, but maybe there is a better way to communicate that. Or heck, make one sibling male, and give them a bow tie. Alternative alternative, give each character some kind of extra detail. That way, the female magnets aren't an exception, they follow a pattern. Not a big deal but I thought I'd share. :)

[@emmalucas4177]

I 100% agree with everything above, I was disappointed to see that stereotypical "female version" design

[@RootReducer]

Agreed here - this is a pretty outdated trope and it would be good to come up with something else.

[@vitbull88]

I 100% disagree. It is pretty obvious that the two male magnets are male. The ribbon is a cute accessory, but the female would be recognized as a female even without it. It's the expression that's feminine. If the designer chooses to give an accessory, it's ok, stick with it. There is no structure nor stereotypes that can overcome the desire of an artist to put a ribbon on a female character to make it prettier, without having to modify the male version to give "gender equality". That would not be art, that would be propaganda

[@briochie]

@@vitbull88 what is an “expression that’s feminine” lmao.

[@vitbull88]

@@briochie if you look at women, you can get it. Even with newborns, you can guess their sex by looking at them. If you want to convince yourself that male and female have the same facial expressions, you can. But reality is what it is

[@DarkDax]

And like those inspirations for you, this has been one to push me and many others to get on with their own projects. Thanks Mark!

[@jandrus1400]

Love to see this kind of an honest development diary. Really inspiring and helpful to watch others’ creative processes, and how they overcome the challenges that come along with it!

[@edanpeled4445]

Just a thought - this sounds like a pretty perfect game for an included level editor which would extend gameplay way beyond the levels that you would make

[@WoodyGamesUK]

Yeah, that is definitely wrong and has to be fixed. Also if you're going to include some parallax, then you should go bolder, the far background should be MUCH slower than the front most layer of the background.

[@charlotte80389]

it's always a good day when gmtk uploads

[@ace-catel]

I remember when I finally discovered Nine Slice. There's still a lot to learn about development concepts, some that make game development incredibly easy. I really hope there's an easier way to ask for things that make development easier like Nine slice. I remember finding functions in Gamemaker Studio 2 where it selects the number/variable that has either the most or the least when compared to other numbers/variables. It took me year 2 to even hear about it.

[@birdbride1504]

i love how inspiration usually leads to more inspiration. i love how a roadblock can lead to even more inspiration. i know game development can be really difficult, just like any type of art project, but it sounds really really fun too :)

[@nicksamek12]

For the level transition, I feel like some sort of magnetic pull instead of a vacuum effect would be more on theme.

[@jyocum3]

You kind of led right into another question: how do you decide how many levels to make in a puzzle game? Do you "force" yourself to make a set amount, and does that leave you with lower quality levels that you otherwise wouldn't have used? Or do you just design levels as you have inspiration for them so that each one has that aha feel to it? Those are obviously rhetorical questions, but as soon as I heard you decide to make 30, I immediately began wondering those things, and hoping you don't feel a need to compromise on quality just to get the quantity. Either way, I'm looking forward to playing this game when it's finally done, since I'm a big fan of puzzle games. I think you touched on it in an earlier video where you discussed controls (and making them work on both a keyboard/mouse and a console controller), but I hope this game will be coming to consoles so I can play it there!

[@GeneralBolas]

I'm not a puzzle game designer, but just going from the games I've played, I say that you stop designing puzzle game levels when you have inadvertently designed the same level twice. How many that is depends on how many mechanics and interactions between different mechanics you have. I generally stop playing puzzle games when the novelty and ingenuity of a level is less than the mental strain of solving it. I played through the entirety of Baba is You (twice) simply because... I mean, you gotta see what they come up with next. When you start losing that, the game should probably end.

[@zacozacoify]

Quality over quantity for sure.

[@convincingmountain]

love the vibe of this. describing what it took to build, and how you eventually built, a solid base to make the thing that seemed like the "whole thing" back at the beginning - the puzzles themselves. i guess that's why gamedev is so hard, because a million little things need to progressively get built one after another, and we can be very prone to jumping ahead to the 'fun' stuff, before we've built the fun-zone itself. looking forward to the next devlog.

[@miinintapple]

Good luck Mark! Looking forward to the next video!

[@AamitRudberg]

Its kind of sad for me to hear you talk about how cool is to see other people playing your game and having fun. I have been making games for about 6 years, and the only people who would play them are my closest friends, and they would drop it after a week or so. I pour my heart into them, and whenever someone actually playes them they compare them to successfull indie titles, but i cant for the life of me gather intrest. Its so bittersweet to hear you got to expiriance it on your first game and i am still waiting for a single bit of feedback from someone i DONT know... Idk why i feel like venting this out in this comment section though, its not really the place.

[@fregatopolitis]

How can I find your games?

[@AamitRudberg]

@@fregatopolitis That is very nice of you to ask :) I have my first mobile release going up soon (delay with google play), in the next couple of days. kzbin.info/www/bejne/rGHFfKxng9egpM0 The rest of the stuff i made public is on itch. But the thing is that im far from the only one. I have worked on this game for a long time Knowing almost no one will play it, and there are tons of starting devs doing so. Of course, no one will play my game if they dont know about it, but the market is so over-saturated that getting noticed is very hard, even harder with low budget. Im trying marketing on my own, with trailers and the soundtrack online, but its getting nowhere. Again, its just me venting, but its sad thinking about it...

[@ghostderazgriz]

If your games are finished, then maybe the issue is that you haven't networked and marketed yet. I mean, Mark got to experience it because he has a community of hundreds of thousands willing to play and support him so when a game comes out, he's already got 100k people waiting to play it. Obviously you're not in the same position, but you're gonna have to do something to advertise your games if you want people to play them.

[@AamitRudberg]

@@ghostderazgriz Of course, im not expecting people to jump at my games from nowhere. I am posting trailers on social media and marketing as much as i can with my budget. Its really hard to get to people, even with timed and planned marketing i only got to one person who actually left a comment. Im not aiming for the 100k mark has, but like, even 10 would be nice... Thank you for your kind words and advice :)

[@winup9417]

​@@AamitRudberg I'm sorry but more than 10 people liked your comment and none of them even have a way to see your games.

[@pmangano]

Man i think you are giving yourself very little credit, this game legit looks and feels a lot better than the great majority of puzzle platforms out there. We tend to overcriticize ourselves so i kind of get it but this has far exceeded the level of "first game from an inexperienced dev" and is at least visually and mechanically at the level you would expect a successful indie game to be.

[@redthepencilmonster7011]

I love the level transition! It looks sooo satisfying! Can't wait to play the finished game.

[@AviusL]

Great videos man! I love that you explain your process and how you solve issues, etc. Well done :) Hoping to see more in the future. Also looove the longer videos!

[@Table53]

6:12 ElecHead is an outrageously good game. I absolutely 100% recommend that people play it, one of the best puzzle platformers I've ever played

[@Roxfox]

Today I learned that KZbin keeps track of how long ago a video was uploaded down to the second, when it's been less than a minute. This seems unnecessary to me! Oh well, 22 seconds gang??

[@JazzyByDefalt]

What an awesome series! When I saw the first episode I was very excited for this series and boy has it delivered. The development process of a game is fascinating to me especially from the perspective of someone who is not only new to game development but also very knowledgeable about how games are made. I'm excited to see what new insights you have to share when you've finished more of the game!

[@DylanMatthewTurner]

I'm so glad you're making these videos. So fun to watch and so much to learn from

[@foxoflight7257]

TBH i dont like the new background that much for a couple of reasons: 1. Color Palette: Before the Background change your game was greatly colorcoded: a neutral, desaturated gray for everything that wasnt as important, with a lighter shade for the floow which was a bit more important, but still not the focus. Then, your magnet blue and red greatly popped out, as they were the focus #1 and drew all the attention to it, and lastly the yellow player also popped out really great as it was the only yellow thing and obviously was important too. 2. Theme: The gray walls just visually don't fit with the pipes etc. as they could easily be anything with plates. 3. ACCESSABILITY You yourself did a great video on the topic, but i think, colors should be able to be distinguished as easily as possible for everyone in the name of readability. People with Tritanopia, a type of colorblindness as far as i know will have a harder time differencing the background from blue magnets. How i would improve it (in my view) 1. Make it less saturated. This will make it less distracting and more accessible to ppl with tritanopia. The tone of the greenish tiles you had in a clip looked way better to me. 2. Revision the floor/wall/roof texture to maybe make it a bit more greenish (but this kind of makes the cables less visible :/) and maybe intagrate a bit of the piping there

[@ScoutOW2]

"If I have an idea to do something and I'm excited about that idea, its really hard to not just focus on that thing intently until either I burn out or the thing is done." This. This right here. I have spent basically every moment of more than 5 years, basically a full time job of just moving project to project each week for that whole time. I know i have the skill to make and release a game. I have all that time of experience, Ive even gotten far many times. But once i think of a new idea my creative ADHD brain refuses to work on anything else. Even with the "I NEED to make something, anything" mentality, it becomes easy to just lose complete passion in the project. I do know its something we've all experience to an extent.

[@winup9417]

I think if you lose passion on a project, it's usually a sign that it's too ambitious. I'd try to make something really basic and finishable. If you can get to the end of the project, you can try to make a more complex game. Mark finishing the simpler Platformer Toolkit game gave him the motivation to retakle UMG, a bigger endeavor, so I am sure you can do something similar.

[@richiecastle460]

Mark, what I most appreciate about these videos is the candor and humility. There are hundreds of videos about video game development that show their "highlight reel" as if it were their normal moments. Hearing your authentic experience is a breath of fresh air.

[@Barrelridergames]

Everything looks fantastic! I’ve been burnt out for a while and this is just the inspiration I’ve needed. Thank you, Mark.

[@Keithustus]

You want to make THIRTY levels? You don't have to be Baba is You. If there's 10 good levels, great. If there's 15 or 20, slightly greater. If the game never is done because you've got 20 good ones and 9 ok ones, and nothing more, it's time to say done and move on with your life. You've got a youtube to run!

[@LogicalKip]

Would you mind adding a summary of the keypoints in the description ? I like your videos, but for some reason, at the end, I can't remember a thing you've told.

[@multiphotochronos3748]

Super cool. I've been following this series, and each video makes me more excited and inspired by your creative process and ability to tackle problems. Insanely reMARKable 😌

[@RSpudieD]

You're doing a good job with the game so far and it's really cool to hear your progress, what you're learning from it, and how you're planning to wrap it up! I really like your sound effect choice as well as the backgrounds! When you showed them, it just fit really well. Nice work!

[@samgray6903]

Now make it a souls-like

[@dragonspirit76]

Ok, as a Max, I just HAD to respond to this lol. I know I am a basic type of person, without special abilities..but did you HAVE to say that out loud to the entire world lol?

[@panpolypuff]

Your sound effects are just delightful! I loved the little POP! when the pipe is unplugged for the level transition.

[@joshuastucky]

Really great to see your progress. It's very impressive. Keep at it! I can't wait to play the finished product.

[@johnnyxp64]

Soooo is not actually finished 😅

[@aisadal2521]

You should totally interview Eric Barone, aka ConcernedApe, the person behind Stardew Valley ☺️, since the both of you are solo developers 🥰

[@JayHankEdLyon]

If you haven't, read Blood Sweat and Pixels. Amazing chapter on Barone's story.

[@HediDev]

As a teenager indie game developer myself , this is my metroidvania game project "Dora Diginoid" , it's free but you can support me to get a free copy on Steam once I finish working on it , it's in early development . It's "Dora Diginoid" . Also subscribe to my channel :D

[@Skeffles]

Fantastic! I love the character in the new magnet sprites. Good luck finishing it off.

[@kez963]

Good luck :D forward to play your game :D

[@ShakeyBox]

Hey, Mark. Just letting you know that you've coded characters as female by wearing a bow, but coded characters as male by leaving them as default. I recognise this wasn't intentional, and I only comment as I feel as though this is something you would care about doing correctly.

[@carlotta4th]

...How is that an issue?

[@ShakeyBox]

Male isn't default, but many places (gaming especially) women are often an afterthought, or seen as a special group, when they obviously aren't. Presentation like this doesn't help with that. If you want to learn more, I can find some info for you. If you want to argue the point, I won't.

[@mathildestokkebk8175]

Splitting the magnet into different characters seem like a great idea, but I think it's such a shame to put a bow on the female magnets. I understand that it's a way to show the current polarity of the magnet and I really like that the bows emulate a plus and minus sign, but it's also just so tiring to see the male characters be "normal" or default and then have the female characters wear huge bows. I wonder if the simplest way to fix something like this (if that is what one wants of course) is actually just to make the magnets agendered. I mean they're magnets; why would the need the concept of gender anyway? 😅

[@GrahamOfLegend]

Love to see it! Well done Mark, cant wait to see and play the finished game :)

[@leroymilo]

Oh boi, this looks really good! I'll definitely play it when it'll be finished.