Aaron

Level Designer II Father, Prev: Apex Legends, Black Ops Cold War, Warzone.

[Aaron @DesignLvLUp]

@TCTone They probably need to follow strict guidelines from the NFL to get approval for the cover. Not of matter of skill but legality.

[Aaron @DesignLvLUp]

When big corp loses to people who are not in their circle, they play lawfare or PR attacks. Steam is not a monopoly. A monopoly is corruption with laws/rules that prevent competition from entering the market. Valve does none of that but offers a better product and service. While others cram 999999999999 features that no one asked for, that need a NASA space computer to run it, they are clear and focus on what they are trying to do and do it well.

[Aaron @DesignLvLUp]

@ensrude Appreciate it man! Hope all is going well with you.

[Aaron @DesignLvLUp]

Game dev updates are coming to an end. I hate making excuses but dealing with my sick fiancé, being laid off, looking for a job that pays more than 10$ an hour, I wasn’t able to pull it off in the time I had. Bank is no longer approving me for assistance, although original agreement was for 12 months, they are stopping it 7 months in. So things are changing and need to handle this new situation. I just scavenged up funds for CDL schooling and was supposed to start next month, but now this has unfolded. May not be the end, but it is for now 🫡

[Aaron @DesignLvLUp]

@SenWarren Anything regulated or controlled by the government is never gonna be for the people. Government shouldn’t have any say domestically over a publicly traded company and forcing them or strong-arming them into forcing AI.

[Aaron @DesignLvLUp]

Bullet Spread needed a little adjusting #gamedev #indiedev

[Aaron @DesignLvLUp]

People need a leader to go against it and coordinate. People don't take initiative on things anymore, they need to be told what to do. Everyone is isolated and not united. Worried about their gas bill, the next meal, their promotion, etc to even notice what they are planning against everyone.

[Aaron @DesignLvLUp]

@1047Games Looks dope! Need a designer hmu 😉

[Aaron @DesignLvLUp]

@kirawontmiss One shes probably getting fat checks from gov to play ball, two its funny how out of touch old people are that are on their way out and enjoyed the golden times and leave the next gen with shit.

[Aaron @DesignLvLUp]

@EricLDaugh Also incoming before and after

[Aaron @DesignLvLUp]

@EricLDaugh

[Aaron @DesignLvLUp]

@Coinvo AI people turning into cults? Just as I thought it couldnt go lower.

[Aaron @DesignLvLUp]

@maddenifico The great American tragedy isn’t on this chart. People still think a vote matters.

[Aaron @DesignLvLUp]

@DerrickEvans4WV Indeed

[Aaron @DesignLvLUp]

A longer post. Im still experimenting with the level design to find a good direction. I know this game will have a core good audience, but it will take time to build it up; it's not a viral hit type of game. Im still trying to find the game's identity, which art will help with that, but limited on the types of styles I can do with the time I have. Plus, it takes time to find the identity for games. The end has a play through of a playtest build im working on for next month. Obviously, everything is still a WIP.

The movement is fun, fluid, and snappy. But I still feel the game is lacking the uniqueness, which again, I do know it takes time to find that and make it good. Im starting with a core foundation and then trying to find what makes it click, and it may just be the movement for all I know, and need to lean more into that. That is the big challenge when starting a new game is that you need to build the tech for the game, but don't know fully the game you're making. I, of course, have a core that Im building towards, but finding that uniqueness while also needing to simultaneously build the tech is a tough one. Going back and forth from creative to technical, to the reality of what you can achieve, is a challenge.

Anyway, I wanted to blurb about what I've been doing. Having design sessions is something I miss. Being able to hear others thoughts helps a lot, even if you don't agree with them or goes against the goals, because it keeps thoughts moving and makes you defend those core pillars. So I use the next best thing, the void of the internet!

[Aaron @DesignLvLUp]

@BernieSanders Change the wording from "oppose new AI data centers near them" to "oppose AI data centers"

[Aaron @DesignLvLUp]

@MattWalshBlog Yes, and its mind boggling normal people defend it. Either blind, dumb, gullible, or all of the above. The negatives outweigh the positives by a lot. The end goal is the elite class no longer needs the normies, and people think the disconnect is bad now...

[Aaron @DesignLvLUp]

@GameDevMicah @jota_snchez I've been taking the wrong dose of misery this whole time?

[Aaron @DesignLvLUp]

@unusual_whales Yep

[Aaron @DesignLvLUp]

I battle with moving on from games every day. It sucks because I've worked in many fields before games and this is honestly the only job I've had where I enjoyed every day of it, some not so much as others, but still the best job out there.

It is extremely hard to be successful, especially doing it solo, and it's only going to get harder with AI (not because it's better, but because how even more flooded the market will be). I then think, there are people who have way more experience than I, millions of investments, and a team, and still fail. The odds are really low. Lesson here kids, shoot your shots as early as you can, because once you get more responsibilities the older you get, you won't have the years of learning (aka failing) to apply to your dream.

[John Carmack @ID_AA_Carmack]

My reply to someone considering starting a video game company:

The distribution of possible rewards for starting a video game company are generally not very good today. The market is well served, and gaining a foothold requires strong execution on both business and product issues, along with a substantial amount of luck. Plan to burn through seven figures with a not-great chance of making it back.

If you do go for it, some bits of advice:

Identify your customers clearly before you start. Not just a broad community, but specific people, and imagine them as you make decisions.

Initially, build the smallest, most concise game you can imagine anyone paying for. It will still take much longer than you expect.

Once something exists, hill-climb the value. Hopefully you will have some elements that clearly bring joy to people, which you can magnify. There will inevitably be tons of things that people find confusing, frustrating, or just boring that you will need to fix.