[checkyoursudo]

Have any of you made a game, not just by yourself but only for yourself?

I haven't (other than some basic terminal-based games when learning new languages, etc), but I've thought of a few that I know I would like but don't want to put in the time/effort to make them something that someone else would like.

I also wonder about what to do when you have an idea that you know is way bigger than yourself, but you're not in the business of producing things that are way bigger than yourself? I've had a few of those, too.

[Nemrod67]

Yup, three times over...

I just released the third version on Steam EA, doing a stealth release for my own sanity. (https://store.steampowered.com/app/914930/Alcyon_Infinity/)

Payed for the graphical assets 10 years ago, made a soundtrack and most of a game, then got a reality check and moved out to contract work for a year on a polished turd game under a crazy Youtuber (Fuzecat).

Came back, worked on a second version and composed a soundtrack again. A month before we would have had a nice version to show to publishers got ghosted by the artist, got a reality check and went to contract work for a medium studio in Paris, worked on 2 pretty good games (WRC8, TT:2) that were good only through the sweat and tears of people on the ground. Returned home afterwards, half the people I knew there changed job.

Came back right for Covid years, worked freelance debugging and adding features (Neurodeck), then started again on my project...

Why?

Because sometimes there are things you have to do I guess :p I took only what worked from previous iterations, and cut as much things as I could.

The end product isn't what I started with anymore, but at least I got to the point that I could make it "Real", it has an options menu, and you can remap all inputs and there's and "End" and so forth.

I made at least 5 different prototypes within those 3 iterations of the same 2D Space Pew-Pew game: - open world scriptable missions and universe - fully scriptable universe for a Star Wars mod - Survival action - Pokemon Style - Roguelike - Bullet Hell (current one)

Only one has everything that makes it a full contained and shareable experience that I can play if I want 10 years from now :p

[unnouinceput]

When I started learning programming 25+ years ago, I started a tetris clone. I was learning Pascal (Borland's TP 7 anyone?) as well as creating the game. Took me 2 months and was a smash hit among my colleagues at Uni. Next I did 5-in-row (Tic-Tac-Toe's more interesting big brother), which was another smash hit among the same colleagues. They were preferring playing those games instead of listening to the undergrad when we were in laboratories. Still have the source codes for both games somewhere. Good times.

[alok-g]

Similar story for me. :-)

Noting down some of the differences below.

Game: Pacman

32 years ago (12-13 years of age)

Programmed in Sinclair BASIC on ZX Spectrum+

Took two weekends as I recall

Played only by me and a friend

Lost the source code: There was no non-volatile memory on the computer so I used to note down the programs manually in a notebook, which I've lost.

Similarity:

"Good times." :-)

PS: The 34 years old computer still works, though 90% of the keyboard keys have stopped working. I'll need to replace internal keyboard membrane and also get adapters to hook it to a monitor.

[eps]

The AI part in 5-in-row is a good challenge.

[unnouinceput]

No AI. Only multiplayer at same keyboard. Hence the popularity, they were paired anyway 2 students at one computer only.

[zulban]

I made www.chesscraft.ca for myself, mostly to survive my brutal commute to work pre pandemic. Today I still prioritize features I'll enjoy most, even tho I have 250k installs now.

The game will also never have ads, even tho lots of people tell me I'm missing out. Then again, those people haven't or can't build fun games.

[intelVISA]

Can't speak for Unity but you can make a pretty complete Unreal game solo in around a month or so if you've done it before.

I'd love to release some of my work (for free ofc) but I'm never truly happy with how limited my 3D art skills are so I always shelf it after finishing all the fun programming bits.

[checkyoursudo]

I am in the camp of "if a game is fun then I don't care what it looks like" but also of the "I could not possibly publish a piece of art that looks like shit" personality type. IOW, I generally demand more perfection of myself than I would ever require of someone else. So I think I feel where you are coming from. :)

[intelVISA]

It's genuinely not great, mostly placeholder stuff to convey aesthetic & mechanics so I can continue coding. I always toy with just bankrolling a skilled 3D artist to craft all the pieces to spec but then it becomes a quandary: is it really 'my' game at that point?

[checkyoursudo]

Consider that you don't have to create the universe from the beginning to make something from scratch (Sagan). If the art is work-for-hire and you own all the rights, then I think the game is truly yours. Just like most of us don't write compilers or hand-make all the computer components ourselves. I didn't even build my own chair or desk! :)

Well, I sort of did build my own chair and desk, since they come from Ikea.

[lukaszkups]

Me, actually- I've played in the past flash game Taberinos- before I've found out what its title was I've made a similar game for myself - and that's how BOINK! has been made: https://lukaszkups.itch.io/boink