Hello, everyone. It's Kou from Flyhigh Works.
Today, we are presenting 「SUPER METBOY！」, which has been positively received and is currently available on Nintendo Switch and STEAM！
For our topic for #10, we’re taking a deep dive into “Deadlines in indie game development.” We have asked the game designer of Rebuild Games, Mr. asaba aki all about it!
Who sets the deadlines in indie game development? Is there even a deadline? How does it affect the development process? Read on to find out.
■Deadlines make you finish making your game.
Most indie games are funded and created independently by the developer.
Since they tend to be passion projects, the development schedule often gets stretched out so the quality of the game can be raised.
It’s easy for the developer to continue working on the game to make it “exactly as imagined,” or “better than what the game is now,” since they do have the freedom to do so being independent. That sounds great, but it also means the finish line can become indefinite.
What’s more, if it is a project made by a team it becomes harder to keep every member’s motivation on the same level the more the time passes; team management can turn strenuous.
That is when a deadline comes to play. It forces you to decide when to stop polishing the game, and actually finish it.
In short, the charm of making an indie game lies in the fact you can create whatever you imagined at your own pace, yet the irony is that you still need to force yourself to set a deadline to stop what you’re doing or else you’ll never see the finished product. At least, that’s the conclusion I’ve come to.
■Deadlines make things concrete
The obvious deadline would be when to finish the product, but that is not the only time limit we must work with.
When you are working on an indie game, you will find yourself entering competitions and participating in events held by other companies. The schedules for these rarely change; it is not something you can shift around like you do your own development schedule.
These events can serve as motivation to push you forward. No excuses, you just have to do the work, so that you can make it on time.
When you have a certain date where you need to get things submitted, you can calculate your own schedule working backwards from the date.
This means you get a better idea of “What to give up” during development.
It makes things clearer; “What you can do and can’t do,” “What you should do” and “What you don’t have to do.” By organizing all this information you’re able to prioritize better and have a concrete plan.
■Whatever regrets you have, improve on the next game
A key factor in finishing your creation is to discern “What doesn’t need to be done.”
Of course, you will have regrets and issues you wish you managed better: It is inevitable when you have forcefully made compromises to work towards the deadline. But I tend to make that my motivation to make the next game better.
The key is to make a resolution, move forward and improve!
A few more words from the developer
Lead Game Designer Asaba Aki
The time spent working towards a deadline is never wasted, but used to find the possibilities to improve on what makes the game fun.
Whenever I cannot be decisive, I think that is where my inexperience shows.
I must admit whenever I spend sleepless nights working towards a deadline, the satisfaction is incredible when I manage to pull through. This feeling is probably what I used to idealize in the past what working in game development would be like.
I guess these experiences are also a part of why I enjoy making indie games.