In this post i want to write a little about how to manage limited time for your project as indie developer with full time job. First of all you have to make plans i’ve got some great quote about that here it is:
So to make it clear plan your work carefully. If you want to develop your game, firstly write down your incredibly ambitious idea in notebook or some design document. Then calculate your budget carefully, write down number of possible working hours in the week. Next step is quite difficult but after third or fourth project you will be experienced enough to make it accurately. Try to write down everything you need to do before release of your game and estimate the time you have to spent under each feature you want introduce in your game. It is incredibly important step to do, in my opinion even crucial ( Why ? Time is the money especially when you spend it for free !). Think we are prepared? No. This is just the beginning.
Another project of your life
I like this sentence, because i know that i do not want to make one game in my life. I want be developer with a few successful titles on my account not to be known as lucky man because my one game was success, believe me it’s hard to be a guy like Eric Barone ( the creator of „Stardew Valley”) and make your first title global success. Determine your deadline, other way you can end developing your game for about 4 years and turned out to be total failure, instead you could learn something and create three or even more titles.
So, we have our deadline know, we have estimated features of the game now put them on the time line ( please do not cheat and do not change now estimated times). If you see that your features do not fit time line, you have to make your decisions and cut tiny pieces of your masterpiece to make it fit.
Self publish or publisher
It is another question you have to ask yourself, before planning your work. Why? I know many really good quality games not make they release successful, because no body have heard about them. If you want to be self-publisher you need to make your audience by your own from scratch. This cost you a time and energy, but don’t get me wrong the reward will be twice more satisfying if you will make it right! But remember you need to take care about your audience. Twitter, facebook, own website or event newsletter… It’s another piece of work you need to take care of so estimate it carefully on start to fit it in your time line. And remember you do not need big budget to advertise yourself to your audience, i even wrote an article about Ultra Low Budget marketing