Holy Moley - a real life update, since "how long does it take?" is a popular question for people just getting in. I know it was one of mine.

I've been working on my game for just about 18 months. I've written a ton of code, have a good database layout, a thoughtful redis cache, threejs, socket.io, node.js on the server side, and jquery for ease of development. I have a linux build refined just for my game. I've cleared up a lot of my initial security concerns for a web based game, have all my socket/cookie/session issues covered and solid up to this point, moved some code to stored procedures and have done a small round of refactoring.

What I have: register, login, planetary travel (within session and database without error, no visuals), initial inventory and calculations/weighting/character attribute modifiers, dynamic universe map functionality, disconnect procedures, lot's of security checks and some cheese graphics on basic screens for profile/travel/location and game object information. So pretty much all the character location, basic game objects, movement and rate of travel, base modifiers and saving progress under all possible circumstances, is solid.

What I don't have: anything interesting or playable.

Granted I've been doing this part time, but I've really been pumping through sections of functionality and correcting the unexpecteds. I feel that my pace is reasonable and I'm putting in above average hours for a part time endeavor (I have no social life and I work 40-55 hours a week at day job). I am at a milestone though, where I can now spend much more time on the game and game mechanics. I'm looking forward to this part, so hopefully it moves faster.

Funny thing: I started conceptualizing my game board with threejs in the beginning. After being satisfied with a good start on a map/navigation system, moved on to other things. Probably 9 months later it was time to insert the threejs. Well, the threejs crew changed enoughh in that time I had to rewrite things I wrote prior, which was an unexpected time sink.

So I think I'm going to double my estimate and say that it will take 6 years, instead of the initial 3 year estimate to have something playable, and possibly monetizable. I just hope my choice of tools hold on that long.

I may have spent some months interviewing the Unreal engine, Urho3D, and some C/C++ related to a client/server initiative before falling back to a web based model, but I don't remember exactly how long.

I'm more interested in what type of game are you making? What is this beast that takes +6 years of development to an already existing 1.5 years?

I meant 6 years overall. I'm hoping it starts to move quicker now that the framework has been set so-to-speak.

Space based, persistent world; economy, crafting, combat (thinking turn based) One person team, working part-time.

I meant 6 years overall. I'm hoping it starts to move quicker now that the framework has been set so-to-speak.

Space based, persistent world; economy, crafting, combat (thinking turn based) One person team, working part-time.

2D? 3D? RPG? Shooter?

RPG with some 3D components. I've been chopping off features pretty regularity though, to keep it "possible to complete". Technology will probably have a say on the finished product since completion is still years out.

I've been working on a rpg side project in js for the past year and a half aswell, small world.

I've been working on a rpg side project in js for the past year and a half aswell, small world.

It's fun, isn't it? Part of me knows I'll never finish mine, but the satisfaction of making it through different sections; the planning, the refactoring and reducing, the fluidity of bringing it to life, is well worth it.

I'm more interested in what type of game are you making? What is this beast that takes +6 years of development to an already existing 1.5 years?

6 years are not an unreasonable estimate for a lone wolf part time even IF the game is actually quite small.

Don't forget the economics of scale. If a team of 4 would spend 6 months on a game, a single lone wolf dev will spend more than 6 months * 4 on it, because he cannot specialize (lets say 3 years).

If the lone wolf dev now works part time (the TO said he spends above average time on it, lets make it about 20 hours or about half the normal work week of a fulltime dev), that 3 years double to 6 years.

Even IF the dev can save time with outsourcing work, he will spend the time he saved in marketing and business topics. And then some more.

How big a game can a team of 4 produce in 6 months? Not going to be anywhere near AAA. Even the "No mans sky" crew, which cut corners extensively with procedural generation and a non-realistic art style, was 10-15 people strong and spent quite some years on the game.

A lone wolf dev talking about 6 years just means reasonable estimates, and a not too small scope (nowhere near big, mind you).

Is it a good idea to work so long on a single project? Maybe not, on the other hand, some others spent more than ten years on theirs and happened to release it to quite some success, so it can work out.

Part of me knows I'll never finish mine

Frankly that's the impression I got while reading the thread. "This guy is biting more than he can chew in a reasonable time frame". While I don't want to make little of the feeling of satisfaction you get from chopping at this, I imagine you would get even more satisfaction from actually finishing one or more projects that are more suitably scoped. I've been working on my current project (Curver, see signature) for years as well, with hugely varying productivity levels over those years. However, I'm quite close to the initial release specifically because I've re-scoped it (multiple times) to something reasonable for a single developer working in his spare time after a tiring day job, without completely neglecting his wife. Instead of developing a full-fledged vector graphics application, with animation and complex shading and a rich set of tools, I'm focusing on providing an efficient and innovative workflow for a specific task.

But if everybody followed this advice, then a lot of great games and programs created by single developers would not exist today.

Good luck, bro.

Thank you!

I have re-scoped as well, and will continue to do so. I've cut quite a bit out and it hasn't taken away from the premise of the game. It's quite possible I may end up with a large portion of the game text and chart based.

I'm actually ok with several more years ahead of me. If the tools I'm using stay relevant for the long run, I'll be OK.

The hope would be to attract an artist and a story person sometime down the road.