iiinova — where your digital self keeps evolving

Ash Blue @ashbluex.bsky.social · 24/09/2026

After a couple passes I finally got my game's start screen fully functional. I designed it based on how I remember old VR games back in the early 90s I played at my local mall. #gamedev #madewithunity #indiegames #tron #scifi #shaders #unity3d #virtualboy

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Ash Blue @ashbluex.bsky.social · 29/08/2026

Combat previews before a battle weren't displaying much relevant information. So I reworked the UI to crawl the combat data and create a combat preview. #screenshotsaturday #gamedev #indiegames #madewithunity #unity3d #roguelike #scifi #retrofuture

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Ash Blue @ashbluex.bsky.social · 24/08/2026

Some rough flats for a new enemy. I like to do a flat model pass before I do final models / textures. A few extra hours in the modeling process, but it avoids major pitfalls like shader/transparency issues. #screenshotsunday #gamedev #indiegames #blender3d #substancepainter #scifi

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Ash Blue @ashbluex.bsky.social · 01/08/2026

Bosses in my game were kinda boring since they all have the same shape. I've created a grouping system with knockback handling that allows me to group a boss into multiple parts that can be destroyed or moved. #screenshotsaturday #gamedev #indiegames #madewithunity #roguelike #prototyping

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Ash Blue @ashbluex.bsky.social · 26/07/2026

After many struggles with wireframe baking, I think I've finally nailed a full toolset for rapidly creating new wireframe models. This latest area was done in under 2 weeks #screenshotsunday #gamedev #indiegames #madewithunity #unity3d #roguelike #blender #blender3d #gamedesign #gameart #virtualboy

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Ash Blue @ashbluex.bsky.social · 21/07/2026

A friend was recently asking how I concept a lot of units. Sometimes I just freehand model units in Blender. Other times I draw sketches like this boss that has multiple states. Helps prove out the general silhouette. #gamedev #indiegames #sketches #blender #blender3d #gamedesign #gameart

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Reposted by Ash Blue

Mike Bithell @mikebithell.bsky.social · 08/07/2026

Proud to announce the next game Vampirium: 1997 Dracula is king of the United British Empire. Kill his enemies and find your own path through a minimalist immersive sim sandbox. Wishlists and retweets massively appreciated (and, you know, massively helpful) store.steampowered.com/app/4035190/...

store.steampowered.com

Vampirium: 1997 on Steam

1997. Dracula is King of England. At his command, master your dark gifts to assassinate his enemies and secure his vampiric empire. Infiltrate locked-down locations, adapt and survive in living enviro...

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Ash Blue @ashbluex.bsky.social · 08/07/2026

Finished an event sample location mockup. For this I tried blending multiple models with Z depth shaders to create a supernatural glowing effect. Would love feedback on this if you're feeling up to it. #gamedev #indiegames #madewithunity #unity3d #roguelike #blender #blender3d #gamedesign #gameart

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Ash Blue @ashbluex.bsky.social · 30/06/2026

Finished a huge batch of new cards. Here are just a few of the new ones. Game is roughly 50 cards at this point. Also huge props to game-icons.net which I use to rapidly prototype a lot of my card art. #gamedev #indiegames #madewithunity #unity3d #cardgame #roguelike #deckbuilder

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Ash Blue @ashbluex.bsky.social · 29/06/2026

Rolling out new unit abilities with colored tiles that give a quick visual snapshot of what's going on. The colors of friendly (blue), heal (green), and attack (red) make first time plays with new cards much easier too. #gamedev #indiegames #madewithunity #unity3d #cardgame #roguelike #deckbuilder

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Ash Blue @ashbluex.bsky.social · 06/06/2026

Finished up equipment cards to help break up the game's complexity. This lets you weaponize deployed walls, change how units attack, and even apply special debuffs to enemies. #gamedev #indiegames #madewithunity #unity3d #cardgame #roguelike #deckbuilder

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Ash Blue @ashbluex.bsky.social · 26/05/2026

How soon should you create a tutorial for your game? IMO you should do it last right before a public demo or launch in early access. It's really painful to watch people struggle in live play tests. But solving their struggles with intuitive UI/mechanics will make your game much better long term.

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Ash Blue @ashbluex.bsky.social · 18/05/2026

Putting the finishing touches on a new card based trap system you can use to defend lanes. #gamedev #indiegames #madewithunity #unity3d #cardgame #roguelike

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Reposted by Ash Blue

Renee Nejo @reneedo.bsky.social · 05/05/2026

What does “art direction” actually mean on a small game team? I put together a breakdown of my work on Reclaim! Azhegiiwewining—covering visual language, color scripting, and building a production pipeline from scratch. 🔗 www.artstation.com/artwork/5WAwk1 #gamedev #artdirection #gameart

artstation.com

Reclaim! Azhegiiwewining — Art Direction for a Narrative Exploration Game, Renee Nejo

I served as Art Director on Reclaim! Azhegiiwewining, a narrative exploration game centered on cultural storytelling and environmental discovery. I led visual development across the project, defining ...

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Ash Blue @ashbluex.bsky.social · 06/05/2026

Every time I create a rough model pass and flats for a character it really helps significantly. Can't stress how important it is to do this before final textures in #gamedev #3dModeling and #characterDesign. Especially if you do shape discovery / concept exploration while 3D modeling #indiegames

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Ash Blue @ashbluex.bsky.social · 27/04/2026

Finished a new 1 HP enemy that explodes on death. Granting block/armor to nearby allies and spreading tile grime. The extra block forces you to strategically think about your kill order. #gamedev #indiegames #madewithunity #unity3d #cardgame #roguelike

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Ash Blue @ashbluex.bsky.social · 20/04/2026

Working on a new level with units that create terrain when attacked. You'll have to cleverly play cards to work around their defense mechanism. #gamedev #indiegames #madewithunity #unity3d #cardgame #roguelike

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Ash Blue @ashbluex.bsky.social · 30/03/2026

I wasn't sure why my game's builds were pumping out 200FPS+ and causing my GPU to scream. I thought it was just a badly optimized scene. But it looks like the default Unity setup had vsync shut off for whatever reason in settings... Game builds barely make any GPU noise now #unity3D #gamedev

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Ash Blue @ashbluex.bsky.social · 28/03/2026

Struggling to store wave data in a visual format for my card game. I created a simple grid editing system to store wave data in a ScriptableObject. Now I rapidly prototype levels by painting onto the map. More details in the comments. #gamedev #indiegames #madewithunity #unity3d #screenshotsaturday

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Ash Blue @ashbluex.bsky.social · 21/03/2026

The game that heavily inspired my card game Burn The Hive is deeply discounted for less than $3 right now. An absolute must play if you like games like Into The Breach, FTL, and tower defense. store.steampowered.com/app/1105670/...

store.steampowered.com

Save 90% on The Last Spell on Steam

Defend the last bastion of humanity with your squad of heroes! Exterminate fiendish monsters with magic and brute force by night and re-build your battered city defenses by day in this tactical RPG wi...

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Reposted by Ash Blue

Wario64 @wario64.bsky.social · 13/03/2026

Slay the Spire 2 has sold 3 million copies in 1 week store.steampowered.com/news/app/286...

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Ash Blue @ashbluex.bsky.social · 12/03/2026

Was really unhappy with the old rewards menu at the end of combat so I rewrote it. Players now get credits and a reward card from each deck. #gamedev #madewithunity #indiegames #scifi #unity3d #gameui #roguelike #cardgame

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Ash Blue @ashbluex.bsky.social · 04/03/2026

Added a new "Flare Gun" like card that allows you to debuff a target and scatter neighboring units. It can also be used to make your own units reposition if you're clever when playing it. #gamedev #indiegames #cardgame #madewithunity #unity3d

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Ash Blue @ashbluex.bsky.social · 16/02/2026

A cyberpunk JRPG game prototype I made back in 2023. Ultimately dropped the game due to scoping issues. But I still love the concept and my modeling/animation skills have improved significantly since this was made (a lot of mixamo animations in here). #jrpg #gamedev #indiegames #videogames

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Ash Blue @ashbluex.bsky.social · 09/02/2026

Finished up a pass on the shop system and started playing with light bleed effects to create a more retro-future feeling interface. #gamedev #madewithunity #indiegames #retrofuture #scifi #shaders #unity3d #screenshotsaturday

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Ash Blue @ashbluex.bsky.social · 02/02/2026

I made the art for Tavern Trickster with my partner in just 2 days this weekend for Global Game Jam 2026. An inscription / shotgun roulette inspired shell game. #screenshotsaturday #ggj2026 #gamedev #indiegames #madewithunity

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Ash Blue @ashbluex.bsky.social · 23/01/2026

Check out my new fully animated exploration system. It lets you select a path to power up your cards and gear. What do you think? #gamedev #madewithunity #indiegames #retrofuture #tron #bladerunner #scifi #unity3d #roguelike #cardgame

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Ash Blue @ashbluex.bsky.social · 21/12/2025

An early look at my game's exploration art. Going for a retro future style computer system similar to the Alien universe. As simple as this looks it took me way longer than expected to get all the shaders working correctly. #gamedev #madewithunity #indiegames #tron #scifi #shaders #unity3d

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Ash Blue @ashbluex.bsky.social · 17/12/2025

Don't forget to upgrade to Blender 5 which has a bunch of new features and a ton of QOL improvements. www.blender.org/download/rel... #blender #3dModeling #gamedev

blender.org

5.0 — Blender

The Free and Open Source 3D Creation Software — blender.org

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Ash Blue @ashbluex.bsky.social · 14/12/2025

Simple Tron style shader R&D for my game's exploration map. True wireframe shader (left cube) vs baked simple textures (top and right). #gamedev #madewithunity #indiegames #tron #scifi #shaders #unity3d

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Ash Blue @ashbluex.bsky.social · 25/11/2025

Artifact system is fully functioning in-game now with draft locations on the map. Still need to come up with some sort of drafting randomizer system though. #indiegames #gameui #gamedev #roguelike

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Ash Blue @ashbluex.bsky.social · 14/11/2025

An unused boss design for "The Harvester" from a dice game prototype I made last year. Hoping to integrate it into my current deck builder project. Heavily inspired by The Matrix and Gundam robot designs. #gamedev #blender #blender3D #scifi #gamedev #lowpoly #indiegames

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Ash Blue @ashbluex.bsky.social · 02/11/2025

Grav bombs are great for knocking enemies off ledges. But they also double as movement cards if you don't mind a little damage. #gamedev #indiegames #madewithunity #scifi #unity3d #cardbattler #roguelike #screenshotsaturday

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Ash Blue @ashbluex.bsky.social · 29/10/2025

Congrats to my friend Alice on her Steam launch of Hyperbeat. A great PS1 style rhythm game with gorgeous graphics and great music tracks.

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Ash Blue @ashbluex.bsky.social · 26/10/2025

Another unit done for my deck builder. Always loved 1980s action and scifi films. Feel like this outfit could fit in one. #gamedev #blender #substance #scifi #gamedev #lowpoly

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Ash Blue @ashbluex.bsky.social · 12/10/2025

With the new defense deployment cards I had to rewrite the enemy movement AI. Enemies now move perfectly in sync and have a "hive mind" awareness of every unit position. #gamedev #indiegames #madewithunity #scifi #unity3d #cardbattler #roguelike #aipathfinding

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Ash Blue @ashbluex.bsky.social · 04/10/2025

Inspector panels are now fully working. They visualize any unit you hover over and it gives a detailed breakdown of the character with their action, status effects, and more. #gamedev #indiegames #gameui

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Ash Blue @ashbluex.bsky.social · 16/09/2025

Finally got around to doing the main character model for the 1st deck. It's actually a rework of a much older model, in fact one of the first characters I ever made in Blender (seen on right). #gamedev #blender #substance #scifi #gamedev #lowpoly

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Ash Blue @ashbluex.bsky.social · 28/08/2025

Currently at SLICE. Having a great time. Impressive show of games on the open demo floor #seattle

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Reposted by Ash Blue

Jason Schreier @jasonschreier.bsky.social · 21/08/2025

BREAKING: Silksong will be out on September 4. Two weeks from today. Really. Often, games that take 7+ years to make are plagued by mismanagement and painful burnout. But for Silksong? Team Cherry was having a blast. They still are. This is their story: www.bloomberg.com/news/newslet...

bloomberg.com

Why ‘Silksong’ Took Seven Years to Make

The highly anticipated indie game has been in production for so long that it’s become an internet meme

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Ash Blue @ashbluex.bsky.social · 21/08/2025

Up-close shot of the explosive cannister. Model is a partial kitbash in #blender where I dug out the center and replaced it with the red core. Then re-textured from scratch in #substance for hard surfaces. #lowpoly #scifi #gamedev #indiegames #3dModeling

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Ash Blue @ashbluex.bsky.social · 13/08/2025

Chain reactions are working in the game and throw enemies off ledges. I was a bit worried I'd have to rewrite a lot to make this work, but was surprisingly simple using a resolution queue. #gamedev #indiegames #madewithunity #scifi #unity3d #cardbattler #roguelike

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Ash Blue @ashbluex.bsky.social · 11/08/2025

If you're looking for a GDC alternative, the @seattleindies.bsky.social are hosting a games industry event in Seattle Washington on August 27th. If you're going to be at PAX West it's just a few days before. Hope to see you there! seattleslice.org #indiegames #gamedev #gdc #seattle #paxwest

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Ash Blue @ashbluex.bsky.social · 08/08/2025

Ready to dive into a dark future? 🔥 Sign up for Burn The Hive's closed beta now! A tactical card game that mixes Slay The Spire's strategy with Plants vs Zombies' chaos. 🧠💥 🔗 Join here: sendfox.com/burn_the_hive #gamedev #cardgames #indiegames #slaythespire #plantsvszombies #videogames

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Ash Blue @ashbluex.bsky.social · 06/08/2025

Got burn status effects and AOE cards fully functional in the game. Fun to watch an entire group of enemies vanish. #gamedev #indiegames #madewithunity #scifi #unity3d #cardbattler #roguelike

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Ash Blue @ashbluex.bsky.social · 02/08/2025

Tinkering with some new card art direction to denote targeting ally units instead of enemies #screenshotsaturday #gamedev #unity3d #cardGame #blender #substancePainter #madewithunity

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Ash Blue @ashbluex.bsky.social · 22/07/2025

Finished texturing a new venus fly trap inspired enemy for my game. Feels like I'm slowly getting better at texturing. #gamedev #blender #substance #scifi #gamedev #lowpoly

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Ash Blue @ashbluex.bsky.social · 20/07/2025

Blender has a shortcut key (shift + I) to build IK bindings. How am I just now learning about this??? #blender3d #rigging #3dModeling #gamedev www.youtube.com/shorts/77Rvf...

youtube.com

Lazy Tutorial - Easy IK Rigging in Blender

YouTube video by IanHubert

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Ash Blue @ashbluex.bsky.social · 08/07/2025

Working on a new ranged enemy type with projectile paths you can strategically plan around. #gamedev #indiegames #scifi #cyberpunk #lowpoly #madewithunity #unity3d

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