Give the player half the information

It gives them something to work out, while still being a challenge

It also makes them feel in control since they are then calculating using the data they have

#howtomakegames

Locating enemies creates tension, immersion, and organic gameplay moments

Allow players to lose sight of enemies (no x ray vision), and force them to search for them

It makes simple missions memorable

#howtomakegames

Kojima knows how to make a boss fight

You have to break the fight into steps and that starts from... well the start

The challenge isn't "defeat the sniper", it's now

Escape the pin - locate them - take shot

#howtomakegames #indiegamedev #gamedev

Snipers are long range enemies, meaning they can hit the player but not visa versa

So build encounters around this

Defeating the sniper now takes several steps

1. Avoid their shots 2. Get into a position 3. Take a counter shot

Follow for more game design tips

#howtomakegames

Enemies in games are all about threat level

Can I beat them, is it easy, what will it cost me?

So you can increase the threat of your simple enemies by having them alert stronger enemies

Follow for more game design tricks

#gamedev #howtomakegames #indiegamedev

So how can you recreate an area that feels alive?

You don’t need dozens of unique mechanics

Create a few interactions and reuse them, just place them in different contexts across the map

Suddenly the level feels far bigger than it really is

#howtomakegames

"Games are made up of 30 second moments repeated over and over"

When making games, create your mechanics and then think of interesting ways they can be combined to create gameplay moments

#indiegamedev #gamedev #gamejamgame #howtomakegames

Got a simple game? That's ok, just stylise it and lean heavily into it

This game is simple, but due to the computer file theme it becomes interesting

#gamejamgame #indiegamedev #gamedev #howtomakegames

Make sure death / damage is visible

The easiest way to show this is to change the modulation of the sprite for a brief second

#gamedev #indiegamedev #gamejamgame #howtomakegames

How to make an interesting sniper fight

Quiet is a simple yet deadly opponent, creating an immersive fight that never feels unfair

#gamedev #indiegamedev #bigboss #bossfight #howtomakegames

Snipers are naturally unfair opponents due to being able to hit the player from far away

But you can give them some interesting disadvantages to make the fight fair

#gamedev #indiegamedev #bigboss #bossfight #howtomakegames

How to make an Immersive Sniper Fight: Quiet

This is not about defeating Quiet, it's about finding where she is, lining up the shot, and taking it

#gamedev #indiegamedev #bigboss #bossfight #howtomakegames

Want to make an immersive sniper fight?

Start the player pinned down, the first task is then to survive, not defeat their opponent

#gamedev #indiegamedev #bigboss #bossfight #howtomakegames

Immersion is Kojima's expertise, so the player isn't told this is going to be a fight

This then creates an ambush where the player is prepared for a stealth encounter, and thrown into a long range sniper fight

#sniperfight #howtomakegames

So if you want to give your players freedom while also strongly encouraging them to complete a story:

Create an immediate problem for them - offer the solution / answers through a quest

Offer strong rewards

Make it interesting

#howtomakegames

Making an easy pixel art character P3

Day 3 of the series, today we'll cover clothing and some shading / tinting

I will admit, I'm not great at this part, but I can get by

#gamedev #indiegamedev #gamedevjourney #howtomakegames

How to make your Game Feel Better?

My "Bad Feeling" GMTK 2025 Game Jam game inspired me to make a video to help everyone add that final bit of polish to their Game Projects:

youtu.be/0oTvbJdnvGg

Let me know if you agree!

#gamedev #indiegame #howtomakegames #gamedevtips