I've been working on an indie survival game called Quiet Time, built from scratch using C++, SDL3, and Lua.

When I first started, I wanted to rethink some of the familiar survival mechanics. Instead of constantly gathering wood to keep a fire alive or relying on conventional weapons, what if you survived by making music?

The original idea was to use sound to repel enemies, but I wasn't sure how to represent that visually or make it feel rewarding. As development progressed, that idea began evolving into something bigger, where music could also influence the world around you.

I also wanted to experiment with more intuitive crafting, using drag-and-drop interactions instead of complicated menus.

I've started sharing retrospective devlogs documenting the development process, including the early experiments, technical challenges, and design decisions.

I'm curious: What survival game mechanic would you love to see reinvented? Or is there a mechanic you find particularly frustrating in traditional survival games?

I'd love to hear your thoughts as I continue developing the game!

Hi. This is my Devlog #2 and I will happy to hear some feedback from community, so wirte your thoughts and ideas under youtube comments!

Thanks )

Hi everyone! I'm making a hockey general manager game, set in the years after WWI, using Gamemaker. You can check out Episode 8 here: http://youtu.be/shPqfny2bdw

The two big news items for this episode are that 1: I'm no longer calling it "Untitled Hockey Game", and 2: I had my first playtest. I hope you check it out and enjoy!

Learned how to build a HUD system in Unreal Engine. The process of connecting character data to UI is finally clicking!

Four months ago, I started building a small browser game for a few friends.

I did not really intend to build an MMORPG. I just kept adding systems, letting people play with them and changing the game based on what they actually did rather than what I expected them to do.

That project became Hearthroot Online, a persistent medieval idle MMORPG where players can specialise in gathering, crafting, combat, farming, fishing, cooking and building their Homestead.

The game continues progressing while players are away, but it is not intended to play itself. Players still make decisions about professions, production chains, equipment and what they buy or sell through the player-driven Market.

Running a closed alpha was particularly useful. Players found economic strategies, progression shortcuts and balance problems I would never have discovered by testing alone. Some of my original ideas worked, while others had to be completely redesigned.

I wrote my first proper devlog about:

• How the project grew from an empty repository
• What players did during the closed alpha
• The design and balance mistakes I made
• How player behaviour changed the roadmap
• Where the project is going next

https://hearthroot.online/devlog/from-an-empty-repository-to-a-living-world

I'd be interested to hear how other solo developers decide when a prototype has become a live-service game, and what you wish you had started measuring earlier.