Why I struggled with the development

In this post I want to highlight something very important that persisted throughout the development of The Facility Project, my survival horror game. Since I started working on it I never had a clear picture of what the game will look at the end. This resulted in a constant change of the game: adding new levels or features and removing old stuff. 

Overthinking

This issue was mostly caused because of overthinking, creating problems that didn't even exist. A person who thinks all the time has nothing to think about, except thoughts. That is why feedback from other people is essential. But to get the feedback you firstly need the base of the game, so that's what I started doing, building the game without complicating stuff, making everything work even if it was not perfect.

Perfectionism

Perfection is another problem I had, since this is my first steam game it has to be perfect. But how I used this idea of perfection ruined the development. I was constantly thinking, trying to come up with the perfect design of a mechanic or level, but that's not how you find the perfect idea. To get to the idea you are looking for, you have to start creating. This way you directly get feedback from what you create and know how to improve. It's not just thoughts.

Collaboration

In any form, anywhere, anytime, collaboration will prove to be the key to your problem. Sometimes we feel like we know better and it's our job to do it alone, we don't want to get other people involved, fearing of what they might think. In the past I made multiple smaller games in collaboration with others and they always turned out amazing. However when I decided to work on this project I wanted it to be my project, no one should help me, I wanted to prove how I can make a great game alone. I am not saying that you should never make a game alone, but if you decide to do this, you have to acknowledge that is not as easy as it seems. 

After almost 2 years I reached out to others, not directly. Some were interested and I loved to see that my game is being appreciated. I was beginning to have hope for it. That's when I started collaborating. Getting feedback, discussing ideas, creating together, this took my project to the next level. It was not just in my mind. I could express the ideas I had to others. It was a game-changer (literally).

The 2 year journey

I learnt everything in a hard way, but very good one. The Facility Project is not just my first steam game, not just a horror game that will be forgotten after a few years when I will release much better games, it's the project that transformed me into an actual game developer. This 2 year journey, on and off, either working on the game or participating in game jams was hard, I wasn't sure if I will ever achieve what I had in mind. I lacked the confidence in my powers, knowledge and skills. I never gave up, pushed through, until I got out of the dark tunnel I was in, until I could see the light

Present

Right now I am building the whole game structure, it will not be perfect at first, but after the game is playable from A to Z I can refine every little detail from the feedback I get. I am almost done with all the levels. Currently I need to finish the last 2 areas of the game.

I felt like I needed to write this out for the public, even if almost no one will read it. This will remain here forever and it will remind me if I ever find it. Thank you for reading. 

You can wishlist the game on steam: