As a solo dev who had to learn how to do 3d modelling, UI, marketing, etc…

What was the trickiest part?

UI design and UI programming is a very tricky and time-consuming process! During last year, I think I’ve spent more than 90% of my dev time on it. That’s one of the things I didn’t expect when I started working on Gladiabots. But I think it’s really game specific: the central part of the game is the AI editor where players spend a lot of time themselves.

Once again, the 80%/20% rule painfully applies here: the exciting 80% of the gameplay is the AI and combat system, which took me 20% of the dev time to implement and the rest less exciting 20% (AI visualizer, debugger, menus, net code, etc) took me 80% of the dev time.

I’d say 3D modeling and animation are the most satisfying and relaxing parts of the job. I’m still learning the ropes and I’m not very talented at it so the result may not look like much but I definitely wish I could spend more time on it.

Marketing is tough for sure, especially when you are on your own. You have to learn every hidden rules for each social network, how to pitch your project, how to talk to different people (press, players, influencers, people out of the industry). I guess the most difficult thing is to admit that even with your best effort, some people just won’t ever give a fork about your work. But the good side of it is that it forces you to embrace the uniqueness of your vision and focus your efforts on finding the “niche” that will care and support it.

Finding the good balance between the project and my personal life is still my biggest challenge. My motivation to “finish” this game has never weakened in 5 years, it’s more than a passion, it’s like a life goal. But it takes all my mental space, making it hard to enjoy ordinary things, going out with friends, planning week-ends, relaxing, having a long conversation, even sleeping sometimes.

Programming games are quite a niche genre, even if some studios like Zachtronics, Tomorrow Corp etc… are getting more and more coverage.

Do you think there’s a growing base for programming games?

Programming, or at least programming logic, is given more and more space in education. Programming tools have never been so accessible to the public!

I think this all helps democratizing it and suppressing the natural fear people may have about technology and abstract concepts.

Maybe that’s why more players are giving a chance to this kind of games :)

Is Gladiabots also a way to show people that, no, code ain’t something only Hogwarts-style wizards do in their dark towers, and it can be fun?

Definitely!

It has always frustrated me to hear people say that they are too dumb to learn code or they are too old or it just looks boring. Programming is fun, rewarding and most of all it’s a very powerful creative tool.

You can build things, help others, explore new ideas, you can ultimately express yourself! I see code a bit like a foreign language: once you’ve learned it, you gain access to a whole new land of possibilities, discover new ways of thinking, new ways to conceptualize your surrounding world.With Gladiabots, I wanted to show that it’s not so difficult and that it gives you great power and freedom to create your own strategies.