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Akhil NivarthiObviously release Faster. This sounds so obvious. But in terms of practical development, I used to focus more on small polishing details and less on features out of the game like analytics and ads integration and so on. Put a strict deadline on timelines and cut down all the features which are not done in time. Saves you a lot of time and budget as a small indie dev.Fail Fast, Scopehttps://www.linkedin.com/in/akhilnivarthi/
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Anand Ramachandran1. Originality is overrated in the beginning. No shame in making a fun, polished but derivative game for a beginner.
2. The experienced folks. The corporate suits. The pseudo intellectual Indies. Whoever. They're not smarter than you. They're all winging it. Do your homework and then back yourself.
Be Courageoushttps://www.linkedin.com/in/anandramachandran/
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Arjun NairHmm… I’ve only made two proper games - both unreleased 😅 Rest I made game for others 🙄. But two things I wish I’d known before I made my first game would be 1) How hard it is to keep yourself as well as others on the team focused and motivated, especially in the later stages of development 2) How to market the game / find an audience for the game - something I still don’t understand very well. My advice would be to have more organization and structure during later stages of development rather than early stages because I think it’s better to be more chaotic/organic during initial phase. Secondly, get comfortable with social media or find someone who is, to market the game. I don’t think there is a more powerful medium than that currently.Focus, Distribution, Marketinghttps://www.linkedin.com/in/arjun-nair-3174735/
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Armaan SaandhuThe main thing I wish I'd known is patience. In fact it took me 2-3 games to learn how it important it is to not rush the development and launch of a game and to just take time perfecting and polishing it as much as possible, so that the game can launch in its best state. My fear has been that trends might change or the audience might lose interest in what I'm making, but we repeatedly see great indie games launch after 5-6 years dev period and do really well - because they're just well made, polished games.
So that would be the advice for myself now - take your time and don't rush the game.
Focus, Learnhttps://www.linkedin.com/in/armaan-sandhu-59399b2b/
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Arvind Raja YadavAdvice before my first game: Importance of building a community around my games, importance of polish and game feel

Advice now: Learn networking in unreal engine (this is difficult because if I knew what I would advise myself I would do it already)
Communityhttps://www.linkedin.com/in/arvindrajayadav/
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Ashish DagaScope management is crucial – I know we all dream of creating the next GTA or God of War. Initially, with Cosmic Race, we struggled with scoping our project. Whereas now, we understand our team’s skill set, the resources we have, the timelines for releasing the game, and, most importantly, budget planning.

Creating the game is just the beginning; the marketing side of game development is where the real focus should be. You can create an amazing game, but if no one knows about it, it won’t succeed. Ideally, start building a community early, engage with players, share development updates, and build hype. Marketing and brand building are the most important pillars of game development.
Scope, Community, Distribution, Marketing, Businesshttps://www.linkedin.com/in/dagaintouch/
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Avisekhar RoyAs a programmer, I needed to know FPS, and it's connection with Game Loop.Techhttps://www.linkedin.com/in/avisekhar/
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Chandan Saini1. First advice would be to spend more time understanding the Business Side. Initially, I was deeply involved in the creative and technical aspects of game design, but I didn't pay enough attention to the business side of things. Understanding the market dynamics, player acquisition costs, and how to effectively position and promote your game are crucial for its commercial success. It's not just about making a great game; it's about making a game that can reach and captivate the right audience.
2. The second thing is the value of iterative testing and feedback. It's easy to get attached to your initial vision, but player feedback and data-driven insights are invaluable. The earlier and more frequently you incorporate player testing into the development process, the better you can adapt and refine the game to meet player expectations and needs.
Advice to younger self
Don't be discouraged by failures; instead, use them as stepping stones, failures provides a wealth of information. Analyze each setback to understand what went wrong and why. This approach not only improves your current game but also equips you with the knowledge to avoid similar issues on games you will build in future.
Business, Market Research, Distribution, Manage Expectations, Learn, Fail Fasthttps://www.linkedin.com/in/chandan-s-a9818724/
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Chirag ChopraOne of the most crucial lessons I've learned as an indie dev is the importance of focusing on the right things. In our early projects, we often fell into the trap of trying to reinvent the wheel, believing that innovation meant building everything from scratch. This approach, combined with inefficient resource management and unrealistic timelines, led to unnecessary delays and setbacks.

It was only after shipping two games that I realized how critical efficiency and a "fail fast" mentality are for indie teams. We simply don't have the luxury of wasting time and resources reinventing perfectly good solutions. Leveraging existing frameworks and tools frees up valuable time to focus on what truly makes our games unique—the mechanics, systems, and overall player experience.

Now don't get me wrong - this isn't about cloning existing games or sacrificing originality; it's about working smarter, not harder. For example, if my game needs pathfinding AI, I'd rather use the A* package because I know it's a great solution. That will give me time to prioritize other stuff. By utilizing proven solutions where appropriate, we can iterate more quickly.

As indies, we must be mindful of both our finances and our time. Embracing this philosophy has been instrumental in our journey, allowing us to "fail fast" and fail forward.
Focus, Smart Work, Fail Fast, Learnhttps://www.linkedin.com/in/chiragc/
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Chirag MorabWe can always consult and ask for advice all we want. I think at the end of the day it's important to draw your own conclusions and eventually lean on your own experiences. Because you don't know what you don't know. And from your perspective anyone who knows more is probably better off. But some of it is also from developing that confidence on your own journey. So you are able to form your own opinions and draw your own conclusions with conviction. Journeyhttps://www.linkedin.com/in/titomorab/
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Deepanjali SarnaScope Management: It's easy to get carried away with grand ideas and complex features when starting the first game. However, biting off more than you can chew can lead to burnout and unfinished projects.
I always thought I would make the next GTA all by myself in college!
Advice: Start small. Focus on creating a simple, polished game rather than an ambitious one with multiple features. Choose one core mechanic and build your game around it. This will make the project more manageable and increase the chances of completing it. A finished simple game is better than an unfinished complex one.
Importance of Iteration and Feedback: The first version of the game will likely not be perfect. Iteration based on feedback is crucial to making a good game. Multiple perspectives sometimes help a lot with the creative process.
Advice: Don’t be afraid to show your game to others early and often. Use their feedback to improve the game. Playtesting is a vital part of the game development process. It helps you see the game from different perspectives and catch issues you might have overlooked. Embrace criticism and use it constructively to iterate and enhance your game.
The most important tip for myself would be to embrace the process of making games and enjoy every bit of it. Keep learning during the process too!
Scope, Focus, Finishhttps://www.linkedin.com/in/deepanjalisarna/
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Diptoman MukherjeeOne thing I wish I'd known before making my first game is an agile principle "YAGNI" (You Ain't Gonna Need It) for both technical and design aspects of video games. Basically, to not overdesign and over-architect systems - only design/make something if there is an actual or immediately foreseeable use-case for it and if it makes sense for the project. You Ain't Gonna Need that ultra flexible system you just designed.

And an advice I have is that while learning by doing is a great way to learn, that shouldn't be the only driver for learning - there is absolutely no replacement for foundational knowledge. Pay more attention in maths class. 😄
Scope, Learnhttps://www.linkedin.com/in/diptoman/
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Goutham DindukurthiI would say the one thing is the importance of having a marketing plan in place. Even though it feels obvious the importance of it gets snubbed when you are a first time developer as you are so focused on the development of the game itself.

My advice right now would still be the same. Don't forget about how to market the game! Think beyond the release of the game and save some energy for that phase.
Distribution, Marketing, Manage Expectationshttps://www.linkedin.com/in/gouthamdindukurthi/
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Govardhan D GosaviI wish I had known that selling a game is just as important as making a game and while making games gets easier every year, selling them becomes harder every year.
The advice I would have is that patience is key, working towards a goal consistently will open doors that I didn’t know existed.
Marketing, Distribution, Manage Expectations, Focushttps://www.linkedin.com/in/govardhan-gosavi-aa498134/
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Himanshu ManwaniOne thing I wish I had known before making my first game is the importance of solving distribution first. Having a plan for how to sell and reach our audience is very important. I would advise my past self to think about product-market fit from the start. Understanding who our players are and what they want can make a huge difference in the game's success. Focusing not just on creating a great game, but also on how we will get it into the hands of players.Business, Market Research, Distribution, Marketinghttps://www.linkedin.com/in/himanshumanwani/
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Huzaifa ArabWell. I think it will be an unpopular opinion - you can't design games by committee. Have a framework around which you can make the team feel like they can contribute ideas without making it a fully democratic process. There should only be one main person driving the vision - either you or someone else.Focus, Visionhttps://www.linkedin.com/in/arabhuzaifa//
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Joel Johnson1. Your first game will feel like your baby, and the best thing that you could make. This is far from the truth. You should instead treat it like your first attempt at cooking. It's going to be mediocre, just put it out there.
2. No one will fund you for your first game.
Manage Expectationshttps://www.linkedin.com/in/joelmj/
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Karishma GandhiWhat I Wish I'd known before I made my first game

- When designing a special mechanic or in-game feature, design it to solve a definite problem
- For example: Creating a special, mechanic that teaches players exploration, crafting and survival might sound super cool in theory--but! it's no fun if players drop it midway, because they didn't know what it was for and found it too complicated.

What advice would I give myself now

- First, understand who your players are. Then, adopt a problem-solving perspective to your design approach by asking yourself questions such as: What problem does this new mechanic solve? What player type is it for? How will your players come across it? Most importantly, how will you measure the impact of this mechanic? This outlines an expected outcome.
- Like anything in Game design, this is an iterative process that you can build on and refine throughout your career, giving you a chance to create cool stuff with confidence!

Additionally: For me, outlining a problem to solve & breaking it down into a few product goals also helps create the pillars for designing a new feature. If there are too many pillars you'll know from the start, similarly if there aren't many pillars, you can access if it's worth the effort
Market Research, Learnhttps://www.linkedin.com/in/karishmapgandhi/
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Kiran ThakkarSomething I wish I’d known before I made my first game -
No choice/path is wrong, if you are just starting your career, anything you pickup will be a learning experience. And as you move forward you will figure out what you like the most and get drawn towards it eventually. So just keep moving and trust your instincts.

Advice I would have for myself now -
Chase learnings rather than titles
Learn, Be Courageoushttps://www.linkedin.com/in/kiranthakkar21/
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Krishna IsraneyHow seemingly simple changes / decisions can have major impact one experience and scope of over all game.
Have a clear answer for - What is keeping players engaged today and bringing players back tomorrow.
Scopehttps://www.linkedin.com/in/krishnaisraney/
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Mala SenI underestimated the time it would take to make a game. So when we started, we were living in Bangalore and our costs were high. If we had known that it would take three years to make something, not one year, on top of multiple prototypes which were essential for learning, we would have moved to a smaller city a lot sooner and reduced costs. This would have given us more money to spend on the game itself.Manage Expectations, Be Waryhttps://www.linkedin.com/in/malasen/
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Mayank SainiHow the gaming market actually works. Learning this knowledge took me the most amount of time to understand how products are marketed or research required before you start a product on how to monetise itMarket Researchhttps://www.linkedin.com/in/mayanksaini/
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Monica Selvandurai1. Slow down and test more (for sizing, transitions, animations etc)
2. Stick to your ideas, be more confident about them. (A lot of times in hindsight I felt like I compromised on quality because I tried to please everyone)
Be Courageoushttps://www.linkedin.com/in/crayoncat/
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Mukul NegiOk, the advice for first game would be not expecting too much from your first game, you could get advices as much as you can but somethings you only learn from failures. So I'd advice anyone or past me working on first game to keep the scope as small as possible because good chances are that no one is going to play your first game. Its very easy to get discouraged after people’s over ambitious first game doesn’t do well.Scope, Manage Expectationshttps://www.linkedin.com/in/mukul-negi/
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Prateek JadhwaniGame dev is not just coding. A lot people a lost in the world of coding, learning new things without understanding that game dev is a product. And the process starts from understanding what your audience is and how to sell the game to these people. The only advice I would give out is, learn how to market a game even before you start working on that game.

Second thing that I wish I would have known is wishlist. Wishlists play a major role in selling the game. My first game had 7 wishlist and it failed miserably. I wish i would have known that a game that has less than 10k wishlists wont earn any significant money out of it.
Market Research, Business, Manage Expectationshttps://www.linkedin.com/in/prateek-jadhwani//
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Raisa BastianWhen I started out as an Associate Game Designer, I wish I had known that things are not THAT serious. Mistakes are not that serious. When I made a mistake, I didn't have to take it so seriously. Now, with my team, I tell them that when they make a mistake, there's no malice involved. They didn't mean it because everyone has a similar intention to complete the product goal. Shit happens. I wish I had known that. Another thing I wish I had better understood was how a pipeline works—not just mine, but also the developers', the artists', the managers', the CEO's, and the producers'. That would've given me a better understanding of my timeline and why things were done the way they were.Learnhttps://www.linkedin.com/in/raisa-bastian-47514950/
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Rashi ChandraGame development requires a lot of patience and back when I had started working as a Game Artist, we didn't have a lot of resources available. We were limited in terms of technology. But we made it work.
Advice i would have for now is, always understand the technical side of things. Talk to the team, and learn how different things work. Don't be so compartmentalised in your role.
Learnhttps://www.linkedin.com/in/rashi-chandra-5391b324/
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Rhea Gupte & Prateek SaxenaStill in the process of making our first game, so long way to go ☺️

But we spent a LOT of time watching gamedev talks and documentaries for years before starting to make our game. Those REALLY help! Keep learning and taking in advice and new information from experts and peers. There is nothing better than knowing what the current state of things is like, what could work for your game and how you could improve.
Learnhttps://www.linkedin.com/in/rhea-gupte/
https://www.linkedin.com/in/prtksxna/
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Samarth HattangadyHi past Sam. With the help of Yadu (and his time machine), I have managed to get this message back to you. I'm (of course) much older and wiser now, so I will share as advice: two sister clichés.

First: You are not promised the fruits of your labor.
Development can sometimes be a slog. . You will spend an astonishing number of hours banging your head against that stubborn level editor. Just because you work hard doesn't mean you will always get results. Specifically, the best puzzles are not the ones you construct. The best puzzles come from some seemingly magical emergence between the systems, and your job is to dig and dig until you find them. There will be weeks where everything you create will be trash, but the suddenly you'll hit a vein of gold. And there is a certain magic to that.

Second: Focus on the journey, not the destination. It's all about process, not result.
Take each day as it comes. There may be days when you are unable to create a single interesting level, and days where you create many. Don't worry about the result. Focus on the process, learn to love the slog, and then when the special things happen, that'll just be a bonus. It's a long road, and constantly asking "Are we there yet?" is a waste of energy. Don't worry boo, you got this.

And while we have this time machine running; start reading Ponniyin Selvan ASAP. You shouldn't have to wait for the movie to get started with something so special.
Love you ❤️
Manage Expectations, Journey
https://www.linkedin.com/in/samarth-hattangady-726160b6/
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Sanchit GulatiBefore I made my first game, things I wish I knew "Development is 20% of the product and the FUN is only 5% of that"
Advice for myself now,

PERSISTANCE IS KEY
KEEP FAILING TILL YOU FIND A WAY TO FAIL AT FAILING.
While, doing all the failing, keep finding ways to fail faster.

General Advise :

https://develop.games/

Don’t be discouraged by initial setbacks. Even if your first game doesn’t achieve commercial success, treat it as a learning experience. Every step teaches you something valuable.

When creating your own game, tap into what inspires you. Whether it’s childhood memories or a specific genre, infuse your project with passion and authenticity.
Fail Fast, Manage Expectations, Get Inspired, Learnhttps://www.linkedin.com/in/sanchitgulati/
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Sarah DsouzaI think it would be the process of co-creation. So the advice would be to adopt a more inclusive, collaborative approach. This is in context to creating games for kids.Collaboration, Inclusivity, Co-creation, Be Courageoushttps://www.linkedin.com/in/sarah-d-96927aa8/
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Saswat MishraThink what the audience wants instead of what you want to make.
This is always a dilemma when going ahead with any artistic pursuit be it movies, music, fine arts or games.

Second would be, Fail Fast.
Do not expect your first game to the best out there, hence, don't get into the polishing loop and in turn never releasing the game. Releasing a game is only half of the task, user feedbacks, live ops (if needed), marketing , among other post release things are another half of the battle. So, better to get the full 360 experience of a bad game than learning only half of a good game.

My innuendo on people not going for the fail fast approach is that maybe it is wired to our upbringing, South Asians and overall Asians parents in general are very strict on the kids, you either win or you lose, there's no in between. Hence, this mindset stays in the sub conscious and we want our every game to be the best there is. And some of us are so afraid of failure that we start using polish as an excuse to never showcase the game to an audience.
Fail Fast, Market Research, Business, Manage Expectationshttps://www.linkedin.com/in/saswat-mishra-458614103/
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Satyajit ChakrabortyWhen I started out, I was bootstrapping and naive about game publishers. I didn't know how to market a game and believed that publishers were there to help bring my game to the market. In reality, many publishers are far from helpful. They take no risks and can kill your product in an instant if it doesn't perform well with their audience. They reap all the rewards while shouldering none of the risks. If I could give my past self one piece of advice, it would be to be extremely cautious about signing with publishers. Read every part of the contract carefully and never sign anything out of desperation.Distribution, Marketing, Be Wary, Learnhttps://www.linkedin.com/in/flyingrob/
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Shalin ShodhanActually absolutely nothing.
You have to be "young and foolish" to attempt ambitious/different/cool games
If anything I'd love to get more of that caution-to-the-wind-ness back now :)
But I don't want to give you a non-answer
I'll share some insights I gathered along the way
Complexity is not necessary for fun
Also, no one cares how you made it as long as its fun
You have to find and have a close iteration loop with your audience
Err on the side of clarity, maximize juice in interactions
Be Ambitious, Market Research, Communityhttps://www.linkedin.com/in/shalinshodhan/
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Shringi KumariContext is that I made my first game or was part of game development very young so there is nothing I wish I knew then.

The second one I made in college first year and I took a very difficult project (not in scope but complexity of physics engine) to be made from scratch in C.

No Unity back then, I did not even pick Java or C++. I wish I knew the tools or programming language better suited for that game so I didn’t have to go through so much pain. Most of all to know what I was doing was indeed difficult as I ended up feeling stupid for not being able to do it smoothly. I still learned a lot so don’t regret it

The third game I did right after was simpler and made with a friend. Still in C but it was painless!

Advice - my younger self honestly was smarter and braver than I am now. So no advice. I wouldn’t pick that project now as I know it is tough and I think because I didn’t know some things I created some magical moments
Learn, Be Naivehttps://www.linkedin.com/in/shringi-kumari-8613678/
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Sumit MehraI would have told myself very simply complete the game don't leave it halfway make the final game, polish, get the menus in, complete the game, don't go halfway so this game is not fun so let me abandon it and try the next thing and then leave that halfway and say let's try the next thing; I would say complete the game, don't abandon. Completing things is way more valuable than abandoning things in the middle that's the only advice I'll give myself. Complete your game.Focus, Finishhttps://www.linkedin.com/in/sumitmehra/
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Tejas OzaThe usual suspects:
-Scope. Keep it down. What you think is low isn't low enough.

Ask for help. But ask for specific advice. Nebulous questions won't help anyone help you. Be upfront, specific, and polite.

Don't build your magnum opus first. You could, but it's super risky or time consuming, and usually both.
---

I'd tell my past self to pace themselves. Gamedev is an industry where you make 5 year plans not things that work out in a month.
Finally, learn how to deal with difficult people. Especially when you have no power in that conversation.
Scope, Learn, Manage Expectations, Be Waryhttps://www.linkedin.com/in/tejasozadesign/
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Tejas ShirodkarIndie - just make things for fun, enjoyment and the craft, don't compare with others popularity or financial outcomes, keep making games and eventually you will find your style.

making it as a professional / it needs to make money - you aren't just making a game / content, you are competing with the whole world for attention of a small group of people, you need to understand their tastes, desires and what they want to pay money for. Study your audience and the market, what other games are other people playing and making and despite some of them looking soulless, why do they still work and make a lot of money!
Hobby, Learn, Business, Market Researchhttps://www.linkedin.com/in/tejasshirodkar/
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Ujwal KumarKnow who the game is for and who will buy it/play it. The very first project I worked on did not answer these questions and as such the game was all over the place.Market Researchhttps://www.linkedin.com/in/ujwal-kumar-a8113a20/
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Vatsal ChintalapatiI never used to diligently deconstruct games as much as I do now. I would say paying attention to detail and being open minded to genres is something I would revisit.Deconstrcut, Explore, Get Inspiredhttps://www.linkedin.com/in/vatsalcss/
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Vidhvat Madanthe one thing i wish i knew before i made my first game, is that the games i make are just a by-product of the work i'm doing on myself. my ability to remain true to what i believe in, what calls out to me and what my heart yearns to sing is essentialy the source of all my creativity. and that would be my advice too - just listen to your heart! 💖Be Courageoushttps://www.linkedin.com/in/vidhvat/
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Vivek JhaFrom a developer's point of view all I can say is, Estimates, be very very careful with your time estimates. Breakdown things as much as you can during the planning phase.
And the second point is, there is never a perfect code, you keep on learning and you keep on improving. So, don't keep waiting looking for the most optimized solution instead start with the simplest approach that you know of and refactor when the need arise.
Plan, Nothing is Perfect, Scopehttps://www.linkedin.com/in/vivekjha92/
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Zain FahadhI thought making games was getting a game design together and executing it. But, it is a lot more than that...

If you want to create anything meaningful and substantial, it is imperative to spend some time on understanding what it truly is! Along with technical and creative effort, engaging with your audience at an early stage and getting feedback is crucial. I received the best feedback on seeing other people play our games rather then them verbalizing it. And while playtesting, their facial expression and mood, states a lot. Note that when I said engaging, I didn't mean announcing your game or building a community around it. Rather find or explore a group of audience who are in-line with the game you are developing and let them experience it. The art, tech or design does not matter as long as the audience is engaged and so, give some thought on what will optimize your game for the best engagement. If it is an action RPG with procedural loot, you might not want to opt for a 3rd person camera, but rather a top-down camera with unique character silhouettes and deep loot systems. Last but not the least, looking at the market to determine the genre of your game is unfaithful. Rather, choose a topic or mechanic that you are truly passionate and give it the time it deserves to shine.
Be Courageoushttps://www.linkedin.com/in/zain-fahadh-43532a76/
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