I need a favour... (Patreon)

Hey Patrons!

If you’re on the $5 tier, you’ll soon have early access to the new episode of Developing. Everyone else will get it tomorrow. In this one I discuss my plan to finish the game, some level design wins, the final name of the game, and a behind the scenes look at getting the game on Steam!

But I also talk about something else… a plan to change the GMTK schedule a little, going forward. 

I mention this briefly in the video, but as it affects you - the Patrons - the most, I wanted to come here and explain things in more detail.

So here’s the deal. One of the toughest things about making this magnet game has been juggling it with normal GMTK work. I’m well aware that not everyone who watches GMTK (or supports me here on Patreon) is interested in my game development story. So I’ve made sure to have a mix of game dev videos (Developing) and normal GMTK videos (GMTK vids) on the channel.

But I’ve found it really hard to bounce between the two modes of work. I might be in a game development mood… but then have to shut Unity for a month to go make some GMTK vids. I might get into a video-making mood and then, before long, it’s been several months since I last worked on the game… and the thought of trying to pick it back up again is really daunting.

Other things like work trips, holidays, the game jam, and real life commitments don’t make it easy, either!

I’m also just tragically awful at context switching. If I’m working on the game… then I’m literally thinking about the game 24/7, and there’s no room in my brain for anything else. Same goes for working on a video project. So it wouldn’t be possible to, say, work on GMTK vids in the morning and work on the game in the afternoon. Or to split my week into chunks. I’d go bananas.

Anyway. This has made for a really crummy work schedule. In this new episode of Developing I took a look at my calendar and realised that while the game has been in development for about 24 months, I’ve only actively worked on the game for about nine of those months. If I juggled my time better the game would probably be done by now! Argh!

And I do so want the game to be done! I want to be able to stop thinking about magnets every day. I want to have a finished game on Steam. And I want to work on new games, in new genres, with new ideas (and in new engines!).

The good news is - the game does now feel like it’s finally moving towards the finish line. Many of the levels are made. The story is planned out. I have a concrete plan for how to make the game - and I’ve purposefully kept the scope small and conservative so it’s something I can actually achieve. And if I focus on the game, I think I can be done before the middle of 2024.

But if I need to keep taking breaks to create GMTK vids, I can see it dragging on for many, many more months. So to stop this from happening I’m going to be spending much more time and energy on game development (and making episodes of Developing) and less on making videos for Game Maker’s Toolkit, and other series like Boss Keys.

I will still make some GMTK vids (including the annual “most innovative game” video), but they’ll be fewer and further apart.

The long and short of it is… if you support me on Patreon because you like the videos on game design analysis / Metroidvania level design / etc, and you aren’t interested in Developing… then I’m asking for your patience while I get this game out of my system. For the next few months you won’t get as much of the content that you’re after.

If this is a deal breaker and you want to stop your pledge, I totally understand and thank you for your support up until this point!

It’s been a tough decision to make, but I’m so excited about the game right now and I really want to just keep working on it until it’s done. And to work on other videos as either a way to take a creative break, or because I have a video idea I really want to do right now. And not because I’m worried that I’m going to lose out on YouTube views or Patreon supporters.

I hope that makes sense and is okay. If you have any questions about the whole thing then please drop them in the comments below and I’ll do my best to answer!

Cheers

Mark