oivoi

joined 5 months ago
[–] oivoi@lemmy.ml 2 points 5 months ago

Cool! I had a hunch there'd be Deck users like you :--)

[–] oivoi@lemmy.ml 1 points 5 months ago

Personally, I'm just not into that solo game dev career anymore, been there done that. It'd basically require for me to start up my own business again, thanks to Finnish laws. Good point about the steam keys, hadn't thought about those at all :--)

I have no solid plans for a game specifically designed for the Deck yet, but I'm really into local multiplayer games, and do think a game that you play on a shared Deck might be cool. For example a game with just joystick controls - one stick for each player. My background is in making local multiplayer mobile games and I feel the same kind of games would work just fine on a Steam Deck, too, with the hardware controls adding new possibilities for designs.

[–] oivoi@lemmy.ml 1 points 5 months ago (2 children)

As a hobbyist game dev, I don't mind making games for a niche group of users, but I'm probably going to skip the idea of making games just for the Deck, as there isn't really a platform for that kind of games. And in my case, I'm talking about freeware games; games that won't be making that 5 dollar profit. But still, designing a game with the Deck especially in mind feels like a fun and fresh starting point to me :--)

[–] oivoi@lemmy.ml 1 points 5 months ago

I too like the fact that you can tinker with the device and make the device more personal to you, especially as the Deck is also a machine that just works, if you stick to the game mode. I feel like I get the best of two worlds.

[–] oivoi@lemmy.ml 3 points 5 months ago

Yes, the store works so well that I’d guess not too many people bother with the desktop mode. It also works really well for developers, as @Dark_Arc@social.packetloss.gg mentioned, with installing non-Steam games still not too hard for those who really want to, like @Edge004@lemm.ee, so I guess there's really no need for any change.

I'll probably just end up developing for devices with gamepads in general. The idea of making a game specifically for the Deck is intriguing, like maybe a shared-controller local multiplayer game, but I guess it's better not to lock the designs too much to the Deck's features, especially since there isn't really a platform to showcase those kinds of games.

 

How many of you install games outside Steam on your Decks? Do you find the process easy?

I'm a hobbyist game developer myself, and I'm looking into making games especially designed for the Steam Deck. However, for freeware games, the $100 price per title on the Steam store is a bit too steep. I wish there was an easy-to-use alternative store on the Deck, but since that's not the case, I'm wondering if it would make any sense to develop games for the Deck and publish them, for example, on Itch.io.

(As a proof of concept, I created this step-by-step guide for a hacky Steam Deck version of my old game, Soccer Physics. I think it still applies, even though it's a year-old build/guide: https://www.ottoojala.com/soccerphysicssteamdeck/ )

[–] oivoi@lemmy.ml 3 points 5 months ago

Thanks! QWOP was the first game that I thought of too, when playing the first prototype of this.

[–] oivoi@lemmy.ml 2 points 5 months ago

Thanks! I put some effort into making those details, even though it felt like it took forever, despite the game being short. The ultimate version of this game for me would include a level editor, but that would be a completely different project :---)

[–] oivoi@lemmy.ml 1 points 5 months ago

Thanks! I'm glad to hear that :--)

[–] oivoi@lemmy.ml 1 points 5 months ago

Yes, for most, it's one of those hard to learn, hard to master games...

[–] oivoi@lemmy.ml 1 points 5 months ago
[–] oivoi@lemmy.ml 1 points 5 months ago

Nice ideas! Would make a fun game too - especially something accelerometer controlled with active ragdoll physics would be a fun challenge to develop, I think.

[–] oivoi@lemmy.ml 4 points 5 months ago

Yes! I used to play Elastomania a lot :---) Also, there's an Elastomania apple hidden in one of the tracks.

 

My first ever Lemmy post might as well be a self-promo, so here's my just-released, totally free (no ads, no bs) game: Basic Biking.

It's a two-button physics-based pedaling game where you try to reach the goal of each level as fast as you can, without hitting your head.

I think this is my fifth free game, made with Godot. Most of my games are local multiplayer games, as I'm really into those kind of games. Looking forward to seeing more and more gamedev posts here on Lemmy, and will be contributing to that.

iOS: https://apps.apple.com/us/app/basic-biking/id6502579781

Android: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.ottoojala.basicbiking

Itch: https://ottoojala.itch.io/basicbiking

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