#4 Priorities

Indie game development usually goes hand in hand with a lack of resources. There are dozens of ideas but never enough time to implement all of them. Therefore, it is important to set priorities appropriate. 

Every idea contains different tasks and every task requires a specific amount of time to finish. For example, if you want to implement a walking animal you need to design a model, create and add textures, program the code required for the animation of the body parts, add a sound for the movement and so on. Depending on the level of detail you need more or less time. For example, if you want the walking animal to be realistic it is going to be very time consuming (e.g. creating a realistic model and very smooth movements).

Does this mean you should not invest time to polish your game if you are an indie game developer? No, it does not. If your idea is a core feature of your game (i.e. this makes your game unique or if it is essential for the game in general, e.g. controls) invest the necessary time. If it is not a core feature it might be wise to set the idea on the list "nice to have".

Transferring these findings to this game: Most likely I will not be able to implement high end graphics (e.g. no detailed facial expression, no high resolution textures). Nevertheless, I want the game to be visually appealing. When it comes to graphics I will focus on a more abstract and artistic approach. The models will have less polygons and no textures but diverse colours. In addition, real time shadows shall help to create an unique atmosphere.

The following picture shows a part of the game's test environment: