I've been getting enough dms to the effect of "Wow! I'm also making games, how do I git gud?", so I'll just dump a list of tips here. For reference, this clip's from less than a year ago, so you can grow pretty quickly! It's just a matter of your approach.
1. Don't compare yourself to me or anyone else. You don't know our circumstances or prior experience. For example, I've been pretty all in for about 5 years w/ ups and downs. It's unfair to yourself and bad for morale. As long as you're better than YOURSELF a week ago, thats a W.
2. Not all my homies will agree with this, but don't be afraid to break things. I think the problem with dudes starting out is that they get some idea in their head and COMMIT to it off the rip. If you're starting something new, EXPERIMENT. Focus on process, not results.
3. There are different tiers of project, passion projects, projects to make a buck, projects to learn, etc. The approach is different for each, but if you're unsure of yourself, your number one focus should be PROJECTS TO LEARN. They don't need to be finished, JUST LEARN, GROW.
4. Find an appropriate level of challenge and tackle it. What are you capable of NOW. If u wanna make a 100+ hour MMO with 20 hours of hands on experience, you're gonna have a bad time. Set a goal just out of reach and have fun, you just might squeeze a couple bucks out it too!
5. Think! Focus! For example, if you wanted to get better at sprite work, don't just copy someone else's homework, ask yourself WHY do they do things the way they do. 20 thoughtful at bats will always be better than you flailing around with an empty head. Don't waste your time!
6. Draw inspirations everywhere! Ex. It's a battle network rip, so red/blue tiles right? Hmm I like Deathsmiles and they figured the 2-Direction shump years ago so do that! Setting? It's futuristic... I like indoor sports facilities, they feel futuristic, make it feel like that!
IMO, you can tell when someone cares about the subject matter they're working with so try to incorporate your interests wherever you can, even if they seem out of place. Tho also just life advice, try new things, meet new people, etc. your work will be more interesting for sure!
A lot of times I see indies trying to recreate a certain kind of game and they're so in awe of said game that they play it 100% faithful. Obviously there's merit to it! It's does good for the people craving said game, but for my tastes don't be afraid to go off script, do you!
When it comes to the media I enjoy, I like things that give me an idea of the people who made it. It could be their philosophies or their interests, but none the less, it should be a product of those who made it. Your advantage as an indie is that you can do whatever you want!
This concludes my ted talk, buy the merch, thx, goodbye.
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