As an expat I found it fascinating attempting to explain Jan 26. to locals here (Finland). They wish me "Happy Australia Day" and when I say oh we don't really say that or celebrate it in our house there is such a look of genuine confusion.

Now you can undo every single track you've placed because you've made a terrible mistake and need to try a different path May or may not be a metaphor for life choices #indiedev #gamedev

Working on the gameplay loop... get it LOOP #indiedev #gamedev

My game is on sale - 60% off 👀 (probably costs less than a cup of coffee depending on where you live!) store.steampowered.com/app/3684910/... #indiegames #pinball

Kinda neat follow camera going on now, which uses the track spline as a dolly. I had this idea where you have to keep the train from going too fast around corners otherwise it'll topple - perhaps that's the next blob of dev time! #indiedev #gamedev

Added some speed controls to the tiny train! Now you can zip along as fast or as slow as you want. Fun fact: had to write my own Spline animation component since the Unity provided one suuuuuuuucks #indiedev #gamedev

Added something you can actually do in the world, but no idea if I like the idea of limited tracks and having to rely on RNG to stock up 🤔 Overall vibe is "whimsical exploration" - I'd love to hear ideas. #indiedev #gamedev #gamedesign

Threading the needle #indiedev #gamedev

Lovely orbiting camera control and track collision detection implemented 🚂 Now to start physically prototyping the gameplay loop... #indiedev #gamedev

A workable camera setup with some magic deocclusion happening ✨ (in reality just some simple stencil buffer stuff) Next step is fixing the automatic track follow from being so jerky #indiedev #gamedev

witchcraft #indiedev #gamedev

First pass of a super janky camera auto-follower Recording snippets like these really help visualise early issues as you get to see the problems repeated over and over again while you type out a bluesky post #indiedev #gamedev

If generative AI was truly a useful, accurate and a generation-defining revolutionary technology Discord wouldn't have to do a survey to ask you "should we adopt this technology", "would you use this" or "what ethical concerns do you have about it" Yikes

There is something ugly about the wishlist-chasing mentality I see among indies Goodhart’s Law - “When a measure becomes a target, it ceases to be a good measure” I don’t know how to explain it but it just kinda rubs me the wrong way when devs obsess over the numbers #indiedev #gamedev

I've been experimenting with baked lighting and setting up a nice interior map to explore via the medium of train tracks #indiedev #gamedev

We now have some neat snapping and unsnapping when connecting pieces 🔧 It's not much, but it's progress ✨ #indiedev #gamedev

It rabbit #digitalart #krita

Practicing shading and colouring this evening #krita #digitalart

The internet is also so lame and annoying this way. Show off some cool art you're making, picture from a protest you went to or a quote from an awesome movie

Welcome to all the new followers! ✨ I'm Tom, I live in Finland and I made a quirky pinball game just last year ☄️ Come check it out (also it may or may not be on sale soon 🤐) store.steampowered.com/app/3684910/... #indiedev #gamedev (details about what I'm CURRENTLY working on in the thread 👇)

I got my first negative Steam review and all I can say is I’m both relieved and exasperated - it’s a classic case of “why isn’t your game like all the others in the genre” or like a real physical pinball simulation. However I appreciate the time they took to write it up ❤️ #indiedev #gamedev

This year for me will be all about drawing and art and incorporating that into my game(s) #drawing #krita #digitalart #indiedev

The fun part is now being able to send a little train along the tracks you place 🚂 Next step though is a core loop - that means rules, constraints and goals! I have many things in mind so expect many updates and brain dumps 😄 #indiedev #gamedev #trainset

I just published a new #pinball culture newsletter at The Ball is Wild 🪩 It features an editorial about an extensive flipper skills film, new pinball videogames and opinions on upcoming machines: buttondown.com/TheBallisWil...

Some real Skyrim vibes in my neighbourhood

2025? I released a game that sold a few copies. Nice. Judging by the play times, some people are REALLY into it, and honestly that's all you could ask for. store.steampowered.com/app/3684910/... #gamedev #indiedev #indiegames

As we enter the New Year remember fear of making bad art is holding you back. Fear of people not liking your work is holding you back. Rejection is holding you back You'll make bad art, you'll have people not like your work, and you'll be rejected. Moving past it is half the job of being a creative

Riffing on the concept some more 🚂 I kinda like the loop of * lay down tracks randomly (hold one like Tetris) * towards a "main goal" until you run out * then train goes, and uncovers stuff along the way ✨ maybe some points to unlock more tracks types, perks, scenery etc. #indiegamedev #gamedev

I've been playing a lot of Brio with the kid over Christmas so I've been messing with this (ugly) prototype of building a train track from a randomised set of pieces. I like the simplicity of left-click to place, right click to change where. #indiedev #gamedev #trains

Urgh, I am in such a creative slump 😩 I think I'm gonna spend some time playing through my Steam backlog and tinkering with some random ideas and old prototypes #indiedev #gamedev

I had this idea for what if Starfox merged with the Ratchet and Clank-style weapons and levelling-up system. Also narratively, the "heroes saving the galaxy" is tired. My character is a bounty hunter just making some cash on the side. He also runs a chop shop... #indiedev #gamedev

The world needs more N64-style Starfox rail shooters More coming soon. #indiedev #gamedev #n64

Or the "Dave the Diver" school of writing

started / going

Playing around with an isometric city builder concept Yes I am using the Windows XP style guide as a reference, so expect more gradients ✨ #indiedev #gamedev

"GenAI will be here forever" is the same implicit threat as "Microplastics will be here forever"

Okay real talk, the only sense in which GenAI is "here to stay" is that even after the bubble pops, AI is digital asbestos that is poisoning everything and we'll probably be picking the detritus out of everywhere it's ended up for years, assuming there's a will to remove it en masse that is.

My game is on sale on itch for significantly cheaper than Steam if you have it wishlisted! tombasche.itch.io/super-pinbal... #indiegames #itchio #games #pinball

I entered my first ever music composition jam on itch! Here's my entry - the theme was "Sea" tombasche.itch.io/a-cold-goodbye #indiemusic #vgm #indiedev #itchio

Now we're cooking #indiedev #gamedev

"save systems should dynamically handle object IDs and automatically populate the serialized data of every object that requires save states, and then for dialogue progression it needs to-" team cherry: WRONG. 1400 hardcoded fields in PlayerData.cs

Super Pinball Adventure is out now! ☄️ #indiegames #pinball store.steampowered.com/app/3684910/...

Need to sort out the rotation pivot point but this is kinda neat and I'm excited to put together puzzles for this #indiedev #gamedev

so much interesting and weird stuff has come out of the space but all a lot of people seem to value is whether or not any of it achieves a level of mainstream respectability. it's not about creativity or pushing artistic boundaries, it's just about being consumer-facing. it is profoundly alienating.

Taking part in a game jam where one of the themes is "explosions" so of course I have to do bomb-platforming #indiedev #gamedev

"There's a tendency among the press to attribute the creation of a game to a single person," says Warren Spector, creator of Thief and Deus Ex.

All this stuff about US-based companies going all in on AI and the current administration's general hate speech vibe is making me wonder if there is an appetite for: * A crowdfunded alternative to Steam * With a strict no AI policy * Hosted entirely within the EU #videogames #steam #eu

I guess it's fitting that it's a reimagined, worse version of someone else's artwork

Reminds me of the cringe I feel when I see the Supercell CEO talk about how Clash of Clans is a "unique European hit" like Minecraft or Witcher 3. too high on your own supply there pal