David Makes Games

Solo game dev sharing the process from initial concept to finished product

YouTube:

[David Makes Games @davmakesgames]

I've been building a zombie RTS in public for months without telling you the name. Today that changes. Command the Dead is on Steam.
#indiegame #solodev #gamedev #zombiegame

https://t.co/Uq22wvvu5R

[David Makes Games @davmakesgames]

Early start. Feedback from my devlog flagged that players couldn't tell I was controlling units. Added a path arrow. Simple fix, big difference. Does this read clearly to you?
#indiegame #solodev #gamedev

[David Makes Games @davmakesgames]

Really grateful for the feedback coming out of my latest devlog. Hearing people discuss strategy, information flow, and decision-making under pressure has genuinely helped shape the direction of the game. A lot of work, but absolutely worth it.

#indiegame #solodev #gamedev

[David Makes Games @davmakesgames]

My zombie RTS doesn't let you micromanage units. You set the strategy, they execute it. Sometimes brilliantly, sometimes not. Do you want control or do you want to be surprised?
#indiegame #solodev #gamedev

[David Makes Games @davmakesgames]

Sometimes the best thing you can do for your game is step away from it. Loch shore, pine trees, and a bike. How do you step away from the screen? #indiegame #solodev #gamedev

[David Makes Games @davmakesgames]

@cechitop Pomodoro timers are a game changer. I do all my dev work in 45-minute pomodoro sessions because I noticed my focus starts fading around the 50–55 minute mark. Excellent suggestion for any solodev.

[David Makes Games @davmakesgames]

Sometimes a week of work produces this. A log. A timer. Simple on screen, significant under the hood. That's solo dev. That's the iceberg problem.
#indiegame #solodev #gamedev

[David Makes Games @davmakesgames]

@TShelfman I’m starting to realize that’s basically the hidden gameplay loop of gamedev 😭

[David Makes Games @davmakesgames]

Moving from prototype to game and the architecture is starting to push back. Anyone else hit that wall where the code that got you started becomes the thing holding you back? #indiegame #solodev #gamedev

[David Makes Games @davmakesgames]

@ignoble_dev That’s a good way to look at it. It's painful in the moment, but it means the game’s becoming real.

[David Makes Games @davmakesgames]

Most plans fail in the first hour. Your job isn't a perfect plan. Your job is to still be standing when it falls apart. That's the commander fantasy at the centre of my zombie RTS.
#indiegame #solodev #gamedev

[David Makes Games @davmakesgames]

My latest video is live. I'm building a zombie RTS where you're the commander, not the soldier. 72 hours to stop the outbreak before it spirals. Is this a game you'd play?
#indiegame #solodev #gamedev

https://t.co/i48c29e3Bk

[David Makes Games @davmakesgames]

Some days the code flows. Today it stuck. Spent the session hunting a bug that was killing my orders log display. Found it. Fixed it. Back on track.
#indiegame #solodev #gamedev

[David Makes Games @davmakesgames]

#gamedev truth: Some days you're a coding wizard. Other days you're proud you remembered to save your file. Both days matter. The wizard days get the glory, but the showing-up days build the game. Consistency beats intensity every time. Progress is progress. #solodev #indiegame

[David Makes Games @davmakesgames]

Most zombie games put you on the ground. My zombie RTS puts you in the operations centre. 72 hours. Can you do better than every army in every zombie movie you've watched? Full devlog drops Tuesday. #indiegame #solodev #gamedev #zombie #ZombieRTS #zombiegame

[David Makes Games @davmakesgames]

@ericnofsinger The yellow is deliberate. I want it to feel like a hazard signal, clinical and urgent. The environment lives in the game itself, a NORAD-style tactical display. Two very different visual registers working together. Does that contrast sound like it could work?

[David Makes Games @davmakesgames]

Thinking about Steam capsule design early. Clean, simple — just the soldier on yellow. No title treatment yet. Is this the kind of image that stops the scroll on a storefront?
#indiegame #solodev #gamedev #zombie #ZombieRTS #zombiegame

[David Makes Games @davmakesgames]

Good dev day ✔️
Brain dump complete ✔️
Now it’s just me, a quiet path, and some well-earned downtime. 🌳🎮
#indiegame #gamedev #solodev

[David Makes Games @davmakesgames]

Feeling like you don't deserve your gamedev wins? Maybe you're exactly where you need to be. Your path doesn't have to match others. Your timeline is your own. Stop comparing. #indiegame #gamedev #solodev

[David Makes Games @davmakesgames]

Building a zombie RTS where you're the commander, not the soldier. I went NORAD style — easier to build solo and fits the fantasy. Does it sell the concept or get in the way? #indiegame #solodev #zombiegame