Pastime Games

Top right was my preference - less distracting. Gemini agrees: gemini.google.com/share/61f7b0...

Good idea. I don't think of this as a simulation and need to consider that. 🤔 Thanks!

Game position after over 2,000 rounds where the human player team remains with one AI player who has conquered the other AI teams.

Some unintentional testing when I left a browser in the game overnight (2,000+ rounds). The AIs interact with one eventually taking control. I may let it run a while longer to verify that the remaining AI NPC will conquer the player. solar-dominion.pastime.games. #gamedev #retrogaming #solodev

Looking for websites and other channels that promote web games, especially for hobbyists. The showcase channel in the Discord site for Gamedev.js, but more organized with tagging. Already on itch.io. Kongregate? Others seem to have a lot of advertising. Suggestions? #gamedev #retrogaming

Are you looking for a different way to browse games on Steam?

I'm working on a map of Steam, and would like some people to try out an early version. Tell me what could be better! Not all the games are there yet, but it's close.

Link: www.danieltperry.me/project/test...

#indiedev #solodev #steam

I like them with a small number of opponents, but it just clutters with 3 or more. Find a way to not show it when > 1 or 2 opponents in a given time?

Adding a little juiciness with laser fire and explosions! Solar Dominion solar-dominion.pastime.games
#gamedev #solodev #indiedev #retrogaming

I like having a product that is released even if it's not being played much because it gives me something real to promote, enhance, and learn from!

0909, 0865, 0776

Effective collaboration takes time so IMO #solodev is the default for those who have a part-time #gamedev hobby and want to finish something. Buying packaged products (e.g. art) is a more efficient solution. Granted, the end result is not as custom. AI will also enable more solodev.

Americans’ Social Media Use 2025 YouTube remains the most popular, but adults are increasingly using Instagram, TikTok, WhatsApp and Reddit. Use of some platforms varies by age, gender, and race and ethnicity.

Thinking of promoting your game on social media? Alas, the top channels don't have great API access options to help streamline your efforts. Hoping Bluesky continues to grow! #gamedev www.pewresearch.org/internet/202...

Gain the satisfaction from the building process as well as the finished product. I'm finding that for a self-published game that "build it and they will come" just doesn't seem to apply. I am now enjoying the process of building a following, which I know will take time.

Figure out how an AI assistant can help. Especially if you are more into seeing your design implemented quickly and not necessarily into digging into all the technical details it's a great motivator because you see quicker progress.

Agree. It depends. And for a casual game, I think even 15 minutes is too long.

Bluesky Assistant tool showing Interesting Posts.

And I get to reply to your posts on both Bluesky and Mastodon (manually)! The fragmentation is a challenge. I've vibe coded a tool using Ollama to help find interesting posts to streamline my time use with social media. Bluesky and Mastodon have the most available APIs whereas other services do not.

Tooltips are a great benefit for desktop UI. Wish there was something as usable on mobile. Maybe mobile screen will detect hover vs. touch some day....

Do the LLM options have decent knowledge of Vulkan? I've found that even if I want to learn something directly having the LLM do the initial exploration really saves time. With some web APIs (e.g. Bluesky), I haven't even had to touch code with a vibe coding solution like Replit.

AI is great for building quick tools that only devs will use.

Having a game loop working early the you can enhance is motivating. Try not to leave your game in a broken state. "Art is never finished, only abandoned" - Leonardo da Vinci (it's evidentially debated if he ever wrote or said this, but it is a good quote anyway)

I went that way. Had a multi-player game working but the session management and scaling were a dev time sink. Decided to go with a simulated MP with AI opponents instead. NPC-AI managed on the server for at least some IP protection in a browser game. #webdev #indiedev #gamedev

Initially for fun in college. And now as a hobby. I'm not sure that makes me "in the games industry" though. To be honest, and not to be negative, game development seems like a very challenging way to make a living. Finding a large capital source would seem to be the way to go if that's your goal.

Solar Dominion with multiple planets and ships showing a ship navigation dashed line with arrowhead. All global and ship controls visible.

Image of Solar Dominion at a low zoom level. Planets move in orbit around the sun with position updates each 10-second turn. Single-player with five AI opponents. Desktop or mobile in browser - no install.

pastimegames.itch.io/solar-dominion

#indiegame #solodev #gamedev #webdev

Download the latest indie games itch.io is a simple way to find, download and distribute indie games online. Whether you're a developer looking to upload your game or just someone looking for something new to play itch.io has you co...

I like itch.io for browser-based games. Haven't thought of tackling steam but if I had an installable game would head that way.

Vanish, though there isn't that much difference to my eye.

PastimeGames

Solar Dominion solar-dominion.pastime.games is now live! You can also find it at pastimegames.itch.io. Solar Dominion is a turn-based space strategy game where you control a team competing against AIs to conquer the solar system. Browser-based for desktop and mobile. #indiegame #solodev #gamedev

With some practice, I've found that the productivity boost with LLMs makes game projects more doable.

I've been finding that using an AI assistant makes these projects go so much faster that I don't get worn out with the details.

My experience so far has been "build it and they will come" probably doesn't happen, so I've been working on an app to help me keep up with Bluesky using the API to pull posts and an LLM to analyze the posts. Trying to manage my social media time, but it's where the audience resides.

I've been enjoying creating smaller games that are steps along the way to a bigger game maybe some day. Vibe coding on Replit has made this very practical. This single-player game taught me all about desktop/mobile and server component for IP protection. solar-dominion.pastime.games

PastimeGames

Solar Dominion solar-dominion.pastime.games is now live! You can also find it at pastimegames.itch.io. Solar Dominion is a turn-based space strategy game where you control a team competing against other AI teams to conquer the solar system. No install required. Browser-based for desktop and mobile.