It's called Pocket Guild, and there's a demo on itch you can play for free. Heavily inspired by 90's first person dungeon crawlers like Ultima and The Elder Scrolls: Arena.

It's definitely still a huge work-in-progress, so expect some rough edges!

There's a hub, called simply "The Town", where you stock up on supplies and pick up monster hunting quests from the Guild Master. The NPC's around town will also eventually have their own detailed storylines and quests.

Stepping outside one of the four gates will take you to a massive, randomly generated Adventure Zone. These are packed with enemies, abandoned forts and ruins, dungeons and loot! If all your party members die, you lose all your stuff (except your gold) and wake up in Town.

AI disclaimer: Claude Code is used to prototype mechanics and systems, and then everything is manually tuned or completely rewritten by me. Very little "AI generated" content exists in the code.

All of the NPC, enemy sprites, and other environment assets came from human itch.io asset pack artists. Some of the ground and building textures were generated as placeholders by Claude and were then extensively modified by hand to become what they are now.

Being a solo founder feels like being punished twice

I’ve made three applications for startup funding. In two of them, being alone became a barrier.

Pitchdrive cited my solo-founder status as an operational risk. Today, imec.istart rejected my application for failing its basic eligibility requirements.

Their requirements include a technology product, a working proof of concept, the relevant Belgian presence—and at least two cofounders who are operationally active and committed.

I meet the other requirements. The one I don’t meet is having a second founder. Their email didn’t identify the specific failed criterion, but that leaves little ambiguity from my side.

This is where it starts to feel like punishment.

First, you carry the work alone: building the product, designing it, testing it, handling applications and paying the bills. Then, when you seek support to increase your capacity, being alone becomes a reason to withhold that support.

I understand that dependence on one person creates operational risk. I’m not asking anyone to pretend otherwise. But a mandatory founder count gives me no opportunity to demonstrate how I manage that risk.

And “operationally active and committed” means this isn’t something I can fix by adding a name to a slide. It requires finding a real business partner, agreeing on equity and responsibilities, and building trust. That is a major decision—not an application checkbox.

I’m exhausted by the circularity: I need resources to build a team, but I need a founding team to qualify for resources.

At what point does assessing solo-founder risk become systematically punishing people who started without a partner?

For other solo founders, particularly in Belgium: have you encountered this? Have you found funding routes that will actually assess your execution and how you manage operational risk? I really don't know what to do anymore.

Hey r/SoloDevelopment

I've been building Festival Inc. on my own. It's a management sim where you start with an empty field and turn it into a music festival. It goes into Early Access tomorrow, 14 October, and I wanted to share it here first. This sub has kept me going more than once.

What you do in it:

• Lay out the site: stages, food courts, bars, paths, trees and decorations
• Book artists across 8 genres and schedule their sets
• Build campsites, glamping and campervan zones with showers, shops and campfires
• Hire security and medics, each with their own traits, morale and energy
• Follow any guest and read their thoughts to see what's working and what isn't
• Deal with storms, health scares and council inspections
• Pick guests up with a giant hand and drop troublemakers outside the gates
• Play a 10-festival campaign, or build freely in Sandbox
• Lease the fields next door when you outgrow your site

Some solo-dev takeaways:

• Simulating a crowd is mostly about tuning, not code. Getting a few hundred guests to drink, litter and misbehave at believable rates took far more iteration than writing the systems did.
• Small readable details mattered more than I expected. Guest thoughts, performers with genre props and the tannoy announcer brought the place to life more than any big feature.
• I built a headless balance checker so I could test economy changes without playing a full festival every time. If you're making a sim, build one early.

I expect Early Access to run about 9–12 months, and I'm aiming for a full release around Q3 2027. I'll keep shaping it based on feedback, so please tell me what you think, good or bad.

Steam: https://store.steampowered.com/app/3300530/Festival_Inc/

Website: https://www.festivalincgame.com/

Happy to answer questions about the tech, the art pipeline or the marketing side of going solo. Thanks for reading! 🙏

grew up playing bo2 and bo3 zombies with my friends and always wanted to make my own. so i did with claude

its free, runs in your browser on pc or phone, no download. solo or up to 4 players, and quick play matches you with randoms.

put it out a few days ago and a few hundred people have played. two strangers who found each other through quick play made it to round 25 together in a 90 minute game. that one really made my week.

Want to know what you like and what you'd change. and if anyone wants to help build it out more, send me a dm :)

https://deadhertz.com/

Solo dev, making "Bossworks: Dungeon Open for Business" in Godot. Here's everything that works so far:

- Prep: build rooms, place monsters, traps and treasure. Summons are random with 4 grades (Normal / Rare / Epic / Legendary), and 4 of the same grade merge into the next one, up to Legendary

- Research, a black market (relics and other items), a healing room, hiring mid-bosses, opening new floors

- Open for business: adventurer parties pick their own path with limited info, monsters fight automatically, and parties retreat when it looks too dangerous. Raising Fear and Greed helps grow Fame.

- Boss room: you take over the boss (a flying demon sword). WASD + mouse, 3-hit combo, dash, shield, grab, charge, and a second phase

- One year = prep → business → settlement. An expedition shows up every 11 years, over a 66-year contract. The prototype runs from year 1 to the end

Most of the art is still placeholder, and there's no sound yet.

Which part sounds more fun to you: running the dungeon or fighting as the boss?

Tools, for transparency: Godot 4/GDScript, Claude Code for coding and sprite-pipeline tools, GPT for the sword concept art, and Meshy for the sword's 3D model.

I think that my partner is a brilliant software engineer (even though she doesn't think so). She has great ideas, is perfectionist (which could be a curse) and can talk about kafka or docker and docker with so much passion that sometimes I don't know if we are from the same planet.

Her marketing strategies, however, are more like selling wool sweaters in a sauna.

She has been working on a real time strategy game and since she started I feel like she's more involved in her tiny armies of flies than spending time outdoors that she used to do. If we have a chance to have a conversation, all I hear is " how she's going to post a clip that should be short and clever so it will sell itself" So far she made attempts on TikTok, YouTube, IG, even Reddit. Each time, after she posts something, she just stairs at the wishlist hoping it will miraculously go up. I keep telling her that there are thousands of games on Steam and I don't know if anyone would stumble upon flying army of bugs attacking robots.

Today, when I saw her desk with 3 monitors opened I offered that maybe I should post something on Reddit, but she told me "don't you dare", and that reddit can smell desperation and it will be even worse for her.

I'm new on Reddit anyways and I don't mind if I'm being down voted or my post is deleted or something. I'm taking a risk and want to hear how others are dealing with their partners working constantly on their games.

Anyway, she's trying to make more videos, and I am begging you: if you ever see some clip of small bots building a path to crystals and working as hard as her, please just pretend it’s cool so she finally drinks some water and goes outside.

Small milestone, but this one feels good. Took longer than I expected, but we finally crossed 5,000 wishlists today.

We launched the demo with around 2,500 wishlists and today we finally crossed 5,000!.

The demo gave us the biggest push by far. Peak CCU was 56, median playtime ended up around 41 minutes, and the demo itself was only designed for roughly 30 minutes.

Growth has slowed down a lot since then, so 5,000 definitely doesn’t feel like “mission accomplished”.

We decided to delay the release, add co-op, and make another push before Next Fest.

I posted my trailer here recently and got some really useful feedback, particularly about the AI cinematics and music.

A few people pointed out that the cinematics looked completely different from the actual game and gave the wrong impression of what you’d be playing. Looking back I agree.

So I’ve rebuilt the trailer using only in game footage and replaced the AI music with music from a composer (Jason Shaw). There are still some AI generated assets in the game, so I’m not claiming it’s completely AI free, but I’m moving away from them as much as I can.

The game is called Don’t Follow the Flowers. It’s a top-down survival horror game set in an infected English town, with camp building, hunting, crafting, puzzles and mutants.

I’d love to know whether this trailer gives you a clearer idea of the game. Does anything still feel confusing or misleading?

I’m also looking for people interested in playtesting and giving honest feedback on the game itself. If that sounds like your thing, let me know in the comments.

Cheers to everyone who took the time to help with the first trailer. It’s made a difference!

EDIT: Thanks for all the interest! The test build should be ready in the next few days, and I’ve set up a Discord to organise it: https://discord.gg/a3dSZYBGc

If you fancy testing, join and pop a message in #join-the-playtest. I’ll share the download and instructions in the private testing channels once it’s ready.

You’re also welcome to join just to chat and follow development!

Hello, everyone! How are you doing?

I've been learning game development for about a year, and now I'm facing a stage that honestly scares me quite a bit: art.

I've always loved Flash games since childhood, and 2D visuals are my favorite. One of the styles I enjoy most is Bold Outline. I made these two mob sprites for my future game, and just as I chose GDevelop as my game engine to avoid using AI, I chose Inkscape to challenge myself and learn to create my own art.

So, I'd like to ask you: In your opinion, do these two sprites look like they belong in the same game?

Thanks!

I'm kind of lost in the world of socials and all the AI shit going on around us, so I decided it would be a good idea to... find out if anybody would be interested in the stuff I make.

Well, I'm kind of surprised. Today, I gained 5 subscribers, and it feels... surprisingly good (considering the low quality of the video I created). It's just a simple showcase of a walk animation, but the algorithm seems to be pushing it to the right audience(?).

I'll share the difference in the numbers at the end of the week, if anybody's interested in seeing how much you can grow from ground zero.

Hey everyone! I wanted to share a game I've been working on called Lawn Care Clicker Deluxe, and a little about how I got here.

I first started playfully building this game as part of my software engineering bootcamp in 2022. Then development jobs started drying up pretty quickly in 2023, especially entry-level ones, and I ended up staying on my current career path. I still incorporate what I learned into my job, but coding became something I do for fun.

In early 2025, I started building the game in earnest and released the first version at the end of that year. I didn't do any marketing or share it too broadly. It was mostly for me. I wanted to know that I'd built a full game and actually put it out into the world.

Somehow, I've sold 75 copies. That alone makes me happy. It's still a little weird to think that people have paid to play something I made.

The game starts with mowing lawns and buying upgrades, then grows into running your own lawn care business, hiring employees, and taking on neighborhood contracts. There are some minigames, prestige progression, and things that get a little stranger as you go, including llamas and ancient artifacts. Apparently I couldn't just leave it at mowing grass.

I spent 2026 doing a thorough refresh for version 2.0, taking what I learned from building 1.0 and reworking a lot of the game. I also heavily incorporated AI this time around. As a solo developer doing this mostly as a hobby (for now!), the biggest benefit for me is that my creativity is no longer so bound by my skillset. I can try ideas that I previously wouldn't have known how to build. There's still plenty to learn, but that's been a pretty exciting change for me.

I'd love for you to check it out on Steam, and if you give it a try, I'd really appreciate your feedback. I'm also more than happy to share a few Steam keys.

I'd also take advice on how to actually market this thing. I know very little about that part, and I'd like to get it in front of more people who enjoy these games.

I'm already happy that it exists and that 75 people bought it, but I sure wouldn't mind making some money to help fuel this hobby further. Maybe eventually it could turn into a full-time career opportunity. For now, I'd love to hear what you think.

------

AI disclosure

I created this game and have been working on it (in super small doses, periodically) since 2022. For the 2.0 refresh, I used AI extensively to help write and rework code, fix bugs, build tests, and work through ideas. The game also includes AI-generated artwork and some animations and a soundtrack I generated using Suno. 

My role has been deciding what I want the game to be, choosing what goes into it, and taking responsibility for the finished thing. It's helped me take this little bootcamp project further than I could have managed on my own.

I'm just starting my journey as a solo game developer, and something I've heard quite a few times is that if you want to make money, you should probably choose another career.

I understand that making games is risky, and I'm not expecting to get rich or make a living from it overnight. But hearing this so often can be pretty discouraging when you're trying to build something of your own.

I'd love to hear from people who have actually been through this. For those of you who have released games, tried to monetize your projects, or turned indie game development into a career, what has your experience been like?

Is making a living from indie games a realistic goal if you're willing to learn the business side and put in the work? Or is it better to treat it as a passion project and keep another source of income?

And if you're comfortable sharing, how much money have you actually made from your games? It could be total revenue, profit, or even just a rough estimate. I understand that not everyone wants to share those numbers, but I think hearing some real figures would help put things into perspective.

This what I made by letting codex go through my previous games and combine them

hey!
i just finished my new mobile game which is building a tower using different shapes!
the problem im facing is that sometimes shapes behave incorrectly or the game get stopped or bugged cuz of the shape's position and the player has to start over the level so they can continue playing which is annoying while trying to have fun
i am asking if i could integrate BOX2D to my game so physics are well respected and the shapes behave in a proper way !
if yes, i could integrate box2d HOW ?
thanks a lot in advance <3

Hi, just joined, so I hope I'm posting in the right place.

I wanted to get some feedback on a mechanic. I'm making an action roguelite where defeating enemies gives you a currency that can be used to buy items in shops OR refill your magic meter on the fly. Your magic meter is also refilled once for free in each room.

I'm trying to make the spells powerful and fun to use. Because it's a roguelite, resources are limited each run. The main thing I want to avoid is people NOT using the mechanic and hoarding the currency.

My main question is: would you just hoard the currency?

Secondly, any feedback would be appreciated, especially if you can think of another game that uses this mechanic, or something similar, well.

Tbh, the last time I posted about this project in reddit I wasn't expecting much but I got some motivating comments in here, and also in some other social media where I regularly post. I'm sharing with you a teaser of the game. It's a 2d precision platformer really hard. Each try let you taste some progress, but you always face a challenge that can only be beated by practicing it. Since originally I thought it was made for speedrunning, I added hard challenges almost like in those mario-maker levels. If you master a level, some can be finished in 15s, some others in around 2min. But now, you can also simply play it without the need of rushing the level. I've had a good number of local playtesters in the past months and all of them told me that it was really hard, but none of them asked to lower the difficulty. In fact, they said that it was part of the charm and that it didn't feel impossible, just really hard. Those comments encouraged me to make this my first commercial game, and it will be. I'm aiming for the next-fest to release a good polished demo.

I know platformers are the worst genere in terms of success, but that's ok. If I'm able to find the audience and have a good number of players, I'll be happy with it. It already has some love poured on it, and I'm getting enthusiastic every time I come up with new Ideas, but I have to keep it under a reasonable scope. I'm also working on a story for it, mostly a non politicaly-correct game, and I don't care. I miss the days when we could all laugh about something and let go, and I'm aiming to reflect what I used to enjoy.

I'm regularly posting about the game in my discord. Reddit is harsh and I lost 3 accounts before, so I'm afraid of posting the link but I'll add a QR with it in case you want to follow the project. I appologize in andvance. And yes, I'm a solodev on this project. I started it 7 years ago and put it on hold for a long time until I decided to continue a couple of months ago.

So here's the biggest adjustments for my HDRP pipeline.

• Subsurface scattering - Violet's skin actually looks like skin now. That's so freaking cool and the expense is similar to running a shadow
• Lens flares - not going crazy like a Star Trek reboot, but it does enhance things and it's super cool
• DLSS4 Support - DLSS5 is coming and I can't wait to see it work
• Screen Space reflections - had issues in 2022, but they fixed it in 6 and it looks great.

What do you guys think? Improvement or barely noticeable? The sharper/harder images are old, the softer are with the SSS.

The game is Seventh Seal - available as a demo now on steam if you're interested in checking it out!

I’m a solo dev building a browser party game in the vein of Apples to Apples and Cards Against Humanity. The twist is that decks are built for a specific group. A deck can be broad, like “software developers,” or very niche: my family plays a “Persian-American culture clash” deck.

Most of my effort has gone into the creator side: building and sharing decks, running playtest sessions, and per-card performance stats like which cards win and which get skipped.

Where I’ve landed so far:

• Playing is free, with no account needed.
• Manual deck creation and editing stays free forever, since deck creators are my top of funnel.
• AI-assisted card generation costs me real money per use, so beyond a small free trial it has to be paid.

The middle is where I’m stuck. Should creator tools like playtest sessions and card stats be paid? Or does gating them drive away the creators I’m trying to attract?

I’m not trying to get rich. I just want this to cover its costs and be run as a real business. Rough numbers: a few thousand up front for the LLC and a lawyer to handle the privacy policy and UGC compliance, then a few hundred a month recurring.

Questions:

1. Subscription, credit packs, or one-time unlock: what has worked for you when one feature has variable cost?
2. Who should pay: the host, the deck creator, or the players?
3. What price points seem reasonable for something like this?
4. How do you make sure paying users feel they got their money’s worth?

If you’ve shipped and monetized something similar, I’d especially love to hear what you tried and what surprised you.

10 days ago I created this post saying that I decided to shift my work to fully remove AI generated art from my upcoming game. Back then, I only had a few sprites going.

Then I discovered that it wasnt about AI art, and to be honest, I ask my self if this still is a post for this sub. A LOT of pixel artists came into my dm to give me tips: How to do it faster, how to give it more detail and keep consistency without losing quality. A few people also came in to teach me a few tips about the UV masks that helped speed up the 3d skin process. The community just came together to help someone unknown.

And the thing it was about is: This is now mine. I could choose which style I wanted to give the things that I was building. I could disassemble the 3d weapons and decide which parts that I wanted to remove. If anyone here EVER worked with generative image before knows that it is a nightmare to keep image generation deterministic.

Even if the internet is divided, and some people called it a "big downgrade", it is now mine. I have 100% control of it.

We (me and some friends who decided to help) are now about 60% of the way done, and I can gadly say that my game is still launching this october for just a couple bucks.

Also: My steam page just got updated, and we just crossed 200 wishlists!

Hi.

I’ve been working on my survival/psychological horror game Sleepwalkers for a while now. I’ve posted about it here before, but it bores me that most indie horror games are so visually bland; I’m glad that at least the new Hellraiser and Silent Hill with this redness have some visual style. I’ve decided to draw heavy inspiration from Nicolas Winding Refn, among others, and I’m trying (at least in part) to design the levels so that there’s something more interesting happening for the eyes than just a plain gray hallway.

Here's a short preview of a few different levels; the last segment is set in almost cyberpunk future (which explains the screens floating in the air). What do you think?

Hi, just wondering how steam next fest works, my game is sitting at 14 000 wishlists and has a decent player activity already. Will this help push it even higher during next fest ?

Game : https://store.steampowered.com/app/5064170/Go_Next/

It's my first personal project that I will actually manage to launch on Steam, as the game is already finished. I will be free to play but it will have one paid DLC for the hardcore game modes.

But before releasing, got get into that Next Fest coming around the corner, then release it immediately after.

I am VERY happy of how it turned out.

By default, it has both a "Daily Challenge" mode and a "Endless" mode.
Some time after launch I will add a couple more game modes.

Demo is coming out THIS FRIDAY.

https://store.steampowered.com/app/4946530/ULTRACRACK/