@Hodgman

The actually interesting part is this is really by choice. With your skillset you could also have a very interesting and well paid job with lots of perks. In times with a high demand for skilled programmers this is an interesting decision to make.

21 hours ago, Timothy Sharp said:

This could be writing complex code, designing levels, characters, etc

Why to call it whorst? It is just a very interesting rest. Really you just do something that you love to do. Othervice it have no sence to become gamedever nother indie no employed, or ever to become a sofrware engeneer at all. 

21 hours ago, Timothy Sharp said:

What was the worst time of your life as an indie Game Dev?

Really i guest worst time is time when i do something other than writing complex code, designing levels, characters, etc. I mean sleeping, shopping, house cleaning, cooking etc. 

I don't really think I have a 'worst' moment. A most frustrating moment yes, but not the worst.

The most frustrating was when I got my first Heisenbug. Eventually I had to download Dr. Memory to find the bug for me. Unaddressable accesses to memory are something even gdb can't check for.

It was right after the development of my first 3D game 'Gangs of London' which right after release, it got abysmal reviews. It could barely run on some PCs and was not even playable on most. It had an average framerate of 4fps thanks to game maker's incompetent 3D engine and the models were indeed poor. All those four months of development including the modelling of a huge but largely empty world boiling down to this. The later game "Gangs of New York" was a significant improvement but still laggy, also using game maker's engine.

52 minutes ago, sprotz said:

thanks to game maker's incompetent 3D engine 

I mean, it's an explicitly 2d engine, bit of an odd technology choice for a 3d game...

Kind of impressed you managed to make a full 3d game with it, but poor performance should probably be expected in that scenario.

48 minutes ago, jbadams said:

I mean, it's an explicitly 2d engine, bit of an odd technology choice for a 3d game...

Kind of impressed you managed to make a full 3d game with it, but poor performance should probably be expected in that scenario.

Actually, the 3D performance in GMS is exceptional.

I have managed to do some pretty complex things and keep the frame rate above 1000 FPS.

But yes, if your objective is a 3D game, GMS is a very poor choice for a 3D engine.

7 minutes ago, DarkRonin said:

Actually, the 3D performance in GMS is exceptional.

GMS? Game Maker Studio?  I used Game Maker 8. I had no choice at the time (2008)

Definitely going through the worst time right now, and due to distractions at home.   All of my mental energy is being sapped in the mornings leaving nothing for the rest of the day, so trying to sit down to work "later on" is a no-go.   I wasted a lot of time looking into Unity and Godot( android problems ) which made matters worse.  I just gave in, went back to Android studio and took a look at games such as Columns or Space Invaders.

I don't have much interest in the puzzle genre but the task is more managable, given my situation.  Thankfully I'm enjoying it and every session is hassle free and productive.

That said, I do wish I could book into a hotel for a few days for some peace and quiet...

my worst day was when i realized that every single gamedev-related advice others gave me was wrong, and i calculated borderly how much money i lost on listening to them. (moral of the story: its important to listen others oppinion, but there is probably a reason why you are writting programs, and others are system administrators in a potato cultivation factory)

On 8/18/2018 at 10:03 AM, sprotz said:

It was right after the development of my first 3D game 'Gangs of London' which right after release, it got abysmal reviews. It could barely run on some PCs and was not even playable on most. It had an average framerate of 4fps thanks to game maker's incompetent 3D engine and the models were indeed poor. All those four months of development including the modelling of a huge but largely empty world boiling down to this. The later game "Gangs of New York" was a significant improvement but still laggy, also using game maker's engine.

Sounds more like a poor design decision.

You chose the wrong engine for the job for your first game (sure we live and learn). Then you went back to the same engine for the second game. That's not on the engine that one.