In this article I’ll explain why I made an indie game, give you the raw stats and answer my own question… Can I consider it a success?
What’s up?
I’m a programmer, but new to game development. Initially, I wanted to try making a game simply to learn new things and make something just for the fun of it. No pressing deadlines or having to make decisions on a commercial basis.
I also had an idea for a game. That's the motivation!
I prototyped the basic idea using javascript/html5, then developed it in Android Studio. (Usually late in the evening when I should have been sleeping). I chose Android because I have an android phone and Java was a language I’d not explored much.
Early test feedback convinced me that the game had promise. So I knew it was worth pursuing more seriously, but the complexity of the game meant it would take considerable time to develop fully. So I parked it and hatched a plan.
What’s the plan?
I started to think about a simpler game. One that I could knock out quickly (yeah right!) using the game engine I’d put together. A game that wouldn’t need much graphic content and definitely no complex individually designed levels.
Thus Radian - Rotating Triangles was born. Colorful triangles rotating in space, they spin faster, etc.
It’s a simple concept but, as it emerged from the primordial code, I found it pretty entertaining to play (especially when the speed ramps up). Friends and relatives agreed and it was launched on the Play Store in January 2015.
So, why you are doing this?
This is key, it defines my success criteria.
- I enjoy making things.
- I enjoy writing interesting code.
- It fulfils my need for puzzle solving.
- It provides escape from a crazy world.
- It may (but probably won't) provide enough income so I don’t have to code solutions to other peoples' puzzles for a living.
Radian is also an experiment. A toe in the water for game development and indie game marketing. It is now part of a bigger plan in my head. A plan to release a series of games over the next few years; Radian's success or failure, either way, will provide valuable information and help guide my approach to subsequent games.
What did it cost?
I probably averaged 2 hours a day, 7 days a week for 6 months. If I lived alone and didn’t have offspring, I would have condensed those hours and had more sleep. But hey!
Oh... android dev registration.
Oh… and I bought a second hand tablet to test on.
How is it promoted?
I’m new to this too and I know it’s tough to get an indie game noticed, so this is a big part of the learning experience for future games.
I have been sociable on a few of the big channels, Twitter, Facebook and Google+. I also sent out direct review requests. It’s a slow burn, I can’t pay for advertising, I’ll just keep trying things, see what has an impact.
Biggest lessons learned?
Research, research, research! There’s a wealth of information out there.
I should have started talking openly about the game on social media earlier, there’s no point hiding it. I’m now writing a blog about future games, this is a good way to test ideas too.
Also, I found Beta Testing a bit of waste of time. I learned more in the first 24hrs after launch than the 6 weeks of beta.
Stats - Radian in Numbers
- Money: £95 (lovely little tablet)
- Time: 360hrs+ (crikey, that’s the first time I’ve worked that out)
- Code Commits: 86
- Downloads in the first week: 30
- Income in the first week: £0.32 (Ads)
So is it a success?
32 shining pence eh?... a capitalist would say not, but that’s not the point for me...
I learned a lot about Java and thanks to this experience I now work day to day programming Java. It’s a nice change; I like .Net, but Java opens up the job market plenty.
I’ve had hundreds of puzzles to solve. Some extremely frustrating but most kind of fun. That little buzz when you solve the puzzle is worth every second spent!
I know a lot more about rotational mathematics and the atan2 function. (Why is this in the success list?).
I’ve met some really cool people, particularly on the Twitter #gamedev community.
I have a game out in the wild, on the Play Store and people have played it!
That Rocks!
Question answered!
Lets write good code for the love of it.
Download Radian - Rotating Triangles from the play store. I’d love to know what you think of it.
