On being a solo game dev + Discord server suggestions

[ajja]

Hey there! And happy holidays to all!

Do you guys know some NSFW game developers discord server? Or any other place where developers gather and discuss about their game other than this site (which I love btw) ?

Being a solo game dev is tough, especially if you are just a programmer, with no particular skill for story writing, art creation or game design. I'll be honest with you, sometimes I feel overwhelmed by all the challenges that are ahead of me. I truly feel the need to have a confrontation with someone that has already walked this path.

I'm writing down this post to letting off steam a bit, and thank you in advance if you are going to take some time to read this.

I'd like to give you some context: I'm currently working full time as technical artist in the automotive field, but my dream is to be an indie game dev. I have a bachelors degree in computer science, and I believe I'm quite good in programming. In my spare time, I'm developing a 2D game, let's say is something that resemble SummerTime Saga, just to give you an idea. I've already developed several core features, like quest system, inventory, save and load system, time management, a rough dialogue system, in-game events based on certain conditions and player-to-world interactions. I tried to define all the features that I'd like my game to have. One of the most important among them is Live2D touch/strip system, which I'm currently working on (see an extraordinary reference: Natsuiro Lesson). Today, I figured out the effort needed to achieve the result reached by Natsuiro Lesson developers( previous link ). I realized it's simply too much for me alone. This realization has just dragged me down, making me wonder about what I'm doing. I admit I'm scared. Fear of wasting my time, fear of wasting my money and my efforts.

Having someone to talk about all this sh*t would be a huge improvement for my mental health. Also reciving tips and suggestions could help a lot. I really want to create the best 2D NSFW game ever, but I also have to face the facts that I'm on my own ( at least by now ).

PS: I'd like to cooperate with other people, a 2D Artist would be great, and figure out together the way to achieve the best possible result, so if you are interested, DM me anytime.

Alright! Enough complains! Let's summarize a bit:

• Being a solo game dev can be tough;
• If you know any discord server, or other place where I can talk with other game dev, drop a comment below!

If you made this far, thank you, just knowing that someone has spent a bunch of minutes of his life to read this, makes me feel less lonley in this journey

 

[Turning Tricks]

Hey, I'm working Christmas Eve (12 hours today) and will probably be working tomorrow during Christmas because I missed my planned release date for an update. And if I really want to get depressed, I just have to pull up the calculator app and do the math to find out that I am basically working for about $2/hour on average right now.

You are preaching to the choir about how hard it is to be an indie dev!

To not feel depressed, I remind myself that I am basically being paid to learn these skills. And - hopefully - I learn enough to get a game on Steam and then I can really start to spread my wings. And just because I am not enough of a masochist, I plane on buying a good graphics tablet this winter and practice some 2D art skills. Because coding in Ren'py, doing 3D renders in Daz, creative story writing and marketing are not enough... haha!

As for Discord, I don't have much to offer other than that possibly half the games on the site here all have links to the dev's Discord, if they have one. There's tons of them out there. And F95's Discord is pretty active as well. If you get a game on here or are part of a team that does have games on here, you can get the dev tag and access their special Dev channel on the server (as well as a private forum here)

I don't spend much time on Discord myself anymore because it's too much of a time sink. About the only SM I ever use is SIG's and Forums, like this one. I use my Discord just to communicate with my players and not really for social interactions.

Anyhow, Merry Christmas and cheer up. What is that saying again? There's fast, cheap and good. You can have any two. You choose.

 

[Noah Neim]

First of all, I think the premise of the question should be changed. A mediocre game that releases but never actually finishes is a very bad thing. I'm not quite ssure how familiar you are with this platform but we have severe issuess of solo dev gamess just taking absurdly long to develop. People were made with people like yandere dev for taking 10 years on a game? Most of the devs here are approaching that limit and then some while getting patreon money (if you don't know who yan dev is, look it up, for developerss its a very relevant story).
So, to answer your primary question, I think that releasing a game you feel is medicore is fine, as long as you feel that you can actually finish it. Because even if the product is medicore, you've proven yourself as a trusstworthy dev who can actually finish games.

Now as for discords, I've tried doing a surface level search and I truly can't say I can see any adult game dev servers, so you'll have to search sites like

You must be registered to see the links

, join, read the rules sand ask if asking about adult game development is allowed, if it's not try again.
There's alternatives to disboard, those are easily searchable.

Plus, you can head to the programing thread on this site, there are other developers who might be able to help you.

I'd advise trying first before giving up on it, then you can say you atleasst did, becaue even though I'm not a dev. I'm fairly familiar that they sometimes overestimate the effort something take and decide not to do it.

Good luck with your game.

 

[jamdan]

This is a dev server that is focused on NSFW and 3D games: https://f95zone.to/threads/discord-server-for-artists-and-developers-and-daz-stuff.5074/

For 2D VN's, this is a large discord that also has a NSFW section.

You must be registered to see the links

 

[ajja]

Hey, I'm working Christmas Eve (12 hours today) and will probably be working tomorrow during Christmas because I missed my planned release date for an update. And if I really want to get depressed, I just have to pull up the calculator app and do the math to find out that I am basically working for about $2/hour on average right now.

You are preaching to the choir about how hard it is to be an indie dev!

To not feel depressed, I remind myself that I am basically being paid to learn these skills. And - hopefully - I learn enough to get a game on Steam and then I can really start to spread my wings. And just because I am not enough of a masochist, I plane on buying a good graphics tablet this winter and practice some 2D art skills. Because coding in Ren'py, doing 3D renders in Daz, creative story writing and marketing are not enough... haha!

As for Discord, I don't have much to offer other than that possibly half the games on the site here all have links to the dev's Discord, if they have one. There's tons of them out there. And F95's Discord is pretty active as well. If you get a game on here or are part of a team that does have games on here, you can get the dev tag and access their special Dev channel on the server (as well as a private forum here)

I don't spend much time on Discord myself anymore because it's too much of a time sink. About the only SM I ever use is SIG's and Forums, like this one. I use my Discord just to communicate with my players and not really for social interactions.

Anyhow, Merry Christmas and cheer up. What is that saying again? There's fast, cheap and good. You can have any two. You choose.

Totally relatable! And you are right, if it's cheap and good, it can't be fast, definitely.

I also did an invesment a few days ago, I bought Spine 2D pro. The good news is that a Spine license doesn't expire haha.

Thank you for sharing your toughts, wish you the best for your game!