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John Dunbar 🎮🔨

@spikepitgames.com
71 followers 227 following 131 posts

Sometimes I make things out of wood, or even go outside, but mostly I make games Torchlights and Hob back at Runic. Currently making two games solo, because why is my brain like this My shmup Plasma Sky - demo Oct 2nd! s.team/a/4951340?utm_source=bsky

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John Dunbar 🎮🔨 @spikepitgames.com · 1h
Table done, it’s all over but the curing Look at these pictures though. It was a big rough slab of wood, and now it’s a table. They seem so unrelated. You’re holding a piece of wood, and then it’s a table leg. When did it change? In the slab pic it’s cut into legs, top, and apron #woodworking
A long narrow table on a workbenchTools and table parts on a work bench, legs with mortises chopped, aprons untennonedA big slab of wood on a workbench, marked with chalk to show its dimensions. It already has some cuts to separate it into legs, top, and apron
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John Dunbar 🎮🔨 @spikepitgames.com · 6h
Thanks for adding Plasma Sky to the Indies page. The Steam demo goes public on October 2 for Next Fest, so anyone curious can try it then!
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Reposted by John Dunbar 🎮🔨
SHMUP INDEX @shmupindex.bsky.social · 28/09/2026
The Indies page now has 12 shmups, shared by the developers making them. Bullet Banshee, a roguelite with stacking items, lists September 29 as its release date. Ominous Descent, Plasma Sky, Cataclyzm and Wirehawk have open betas. shmupindex.com/indies
shmupindex.com
Indies | shmupindex
New and upcoming indie shmups, straight from their developers: trailers, beta calls and store links.
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John Dunbar 🎮🔨 @spikepitgames.com · 29/09/2026
See, better legs! Looks less clunky. #woodworking
Legs and apron for a long table on a workbench, the legs are now tapered
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John Dunbar 🎮🔨 @spikepitgames.com · 28/09/2026
Exec knew gotos are usually bad practice and already had an attitude that most other people are dumb. Just too much ego, a much bigger problem for a team than weird code.
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John Dunbar 🎮🔨 @spikepitgames.com · 28/09/2026
Super rare in my experience, generally a red flag when someone wants to use one. If the codebase picked up more than a couple it would probably be time for a refactor. Could also be ok if it’s a code wizard optimizing a contained hot loop and it’s a big speed improvement. Wizards only (not me). 🧙‍♀️
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John Dunbar 🎮🔨 @spikepitgames.com · 28/09/2026
In my last job a senior engineer wanted to use a goto in c++. Sounded bad, but he was a good programmer so the team and engineering director listened. It came down to a goto or a huge engine change. With comments it was clean and the best option for sure. Executive heard about it and was big mad.
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John Dunbar 🎮🔨 @spikepitgames.com · 28/09/2026
Whoa, I forgot the name of the series had an actual meaning in the first game #sages
Crescent lake sage says the fight against monsters is just a fantasy, hopefully the final one
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John Dunbar 🎮🔨 @spikepitgames.com · 28/09/2026
Dry assembly, next up is leg shaping! Speeding this up because apparently the plants need this to come inside for winter. #woodworking
A long narrow table on a woodworking bench with tools. The legs are thick and clunky for now
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John Dunbar 🎮🔨 @spikepitgames.com · 27/09/2026
A few times I’ve asked what games they know. They don’t know any, but their nephew is wasting their life.
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John Dunbar 🎮🔨 @spikepitgames.com · 26/09/2026
It’s just so much more everything
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Reposted by John Dunbar 🎮🔨
Glitch Hunt @earlysun.bsky.social · 26/09/2026
They say plasma can take many shapes. In this example, it’s taking the shape of bot guts. #screenshotsaturday #indiegame
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John Dunbar 🎮🔨 @spikepitgames.com · 26/09/2026
Yeah plasma!
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John Dunbar 🎮🔨 @spikepitgames.com · 26/09/2026
Anyone else just poke their head the door a few times a day and sniff the air to see what’s going on out there? Am I a badger?
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Reposted by John Dunbar 🎮🔨
Romain Macré - Wishlist Alexus 2040 on Steam @romainmacre.bsky.social · 26/09/2026
No much to show, making the final changes for the demo (will be out next month). Showing a ship design made with the in-game editor. I'm pretty pleased with it, could have been in the game (very sped up). Wishlist Alexus 2040, if you dare. Thank you. #screenshotsaturday #shmup #indiedev
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John Dunbar 🎮🔨 @spikepitgames.com · 26/09/2026
I want all the flash games I made back
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John Dunbar 🎮🔨 @spikepitgames.com · 26/09/2026
Catch it with a net!
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John Dunbar 🎮🔨 @spikepitgames.com · 26/09/2026
Love it! Just finished Roadwarden last night and it was excellent
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John Dunbar 🎮🔨 @spikepitgames.com · 26/09/2026
You can always do it castlevania style if you hate your players!
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John Dunbar 🎮🔨 @spikepitgames.com · 26/09/2026
I hear you all like snakes, so this week's seeded run of my shmup Plasma Sky is extra snakey! Wait, you don’t like snakes? Well there’s bombs for that. 🔊 Demo Oct 2! That’s next Friday!! store.steampowered.com/app/4951340/... #ScreenshotSaturday #gamedev #indiedev
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John Dunbar 🎮🔨 @spikepitgames.com · 26/09/2026
Just finished a rewatch, I love it so much for a show where I only understand half of what’s happening. Then tried to watch the new series but.. I guess I need all the characters to be depressed? And Aramaki not a monkey?
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John Dunbar 🎮🔨 @spikepitgames.com · 24/09/2026
There’s one mortise in 8 done. This’ll be a fancy lil plant stand!
A woodworking bench with tools and a table leg with one apron mortised into it
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John Dunbar 🎮🔨 @spikepitgames.com · 23/09/2026
I haven't commented on your site, but want to let you know I've used the heck out your Hex grid page. I wrote a library from it and still go back to the page when I need to visualize things. Thank you for making it so nice to use!
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John Dunbar 🎮🔨 @spikepitgames.com · 23/09/2026
So annoying that the compliments are more targeted now instead of “you’re doing intriguing work!”
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John Dunbar 🎮🔨 @spikepitgames.com · 23/09/2026
Shareholders want an exit in the next X years, which for small companies usually means getting bought, and for big companies an IPO
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Reposted by John Dunbar 🎮🔨
Romain Macré - Wishlist Alexus 2040 on Steam @romainmacre.bsky.social · 23/09/2026
Alexus 2040 is a 'fixed shooter' in the style of early 80's arcade. Release planned for end of 2026 (wishlist if you are interested): store.steampowered.com/app/3584730/... #WishlistWednesday #shmup #indiedev
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John Dunbar 🎮🔨 @spikepitgames.com · 23/09/2026
I always accidentally hit the hospital, so I guess scorched earth was pretty realistic
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John Dunbar 🎮🔨 @spikepitgames.com · 22/09/2026
I miss making stuff with people
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John Dunbar 🎮🔨 @spikepitgames.com · 22/09/2026
I love it, inspiring stuff
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John Dunbar 🎮🔨 @spikepitgames.com · 22/09/2026
I’m sure the shuffling feels super motivating for the teams. Thanks for the clear write up
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Reposted by John Dunbar 🎮🔨
Zi @majormcdoom.bsky.social · 22/09/2026
YESSSS!! Took a couple days, but I now have one motor function that can lets penguins hit any point on anything with any point on any other thing. Probably one of the most versatile motor tasks I've made. SO happy with this! 🐧🐟🔨🙏🧊🚿🪵 #GodotEngine #gamedev #indiedev
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John Dunbar 🎮🔨 @spikepitgames.com · 22/09/2026
That’s amazing, looks so good with the floppy flippers! So you move the contact point in a nice spline, IK to the shoulder, what other magic are you doing?
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John Dunbar 🎮🔨 @spikepitgames.com · 21/09/2026
Kill the meat, save the metal
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John Dunbar 🎮🔨 @spikepitgames.com · 20/09/2026
This is one of the dumb things I would use a time machine to test
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John Dunbar 🎮🔨 @spikepitgames.com · 20/09/2026
I've cut features I loved the idea of when they didn't play well and playtests were the proof. Cut lots more for scope. I haven't cut a feature I loved actually playing in a long time though, because I get to make games where I'm part of the target audience. In my first jobs I wasn't, it was harder
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John Dunbar 🎮🔨 @spikepitgames.com · 20/09/2026
Really wish I could find out if my dog can safely eat grapes, he would enjoy helping with harvest way more without the muzzle. I hear about vineyard dogs that just eat pounds of grapes all summer
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John Dunbar 🎮🔨 @spikepitgames.com · 20/09/2026
Every game is different but generally no. I’d want to decide what features work together, play myself to validate, then playtest once I think it’s good. A/B style playtesting seems like something King would do with a ton of money and designers that don’t like their own game
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John Dunbar 🎮🔨 @spikepitgames.com · 20/09/2026
I think doing the standard genre stuff well creates space for people to come in and feel comfortable, and that allows feedback on the weird new stuff. Really though, it's important the features are working for you as a player. If you only like them as a designer or engineer that's a red flag.
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John Dunbar 🎮🔨 @spikepitgames.com · 20/09/2026
Yeah for sure I want to add self indulgent stuff. Generally though, I'm working in some sort of established genre and can use other games that I like and were successful as a guide. If there's precedent it's safe, if there isn't it's risky but we have to take some risks.
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John Dunbar 🎮🔨 @spikepitgames.com · 20/09/2026
Hmm, if it’s hard to tell then you’re still looking for your core audience. Once you have comments from people who are on-board with the game in general the bad fits are easier to see. Until you have them, the core audience is you and a lot of playing and feeling what works and doesn’t.
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John Dunbar 🎮🔨 @spikepitgames.com · 20/09/2026
Oh I’ve got to check that sale out!
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John Dunbar 🎮🔨 @spikepitgames.com · 19/09/2026
That’s a designer’s job on a team too. You can’t take everyone’s suggestions and just implement them, it’ll be a mess, but you have to listen because there’s always something real underlying the complaints. It takes a lot of thought and playtesting to figure it out sometimes. We wait to understand
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John Dunbar 🎮🔨 @spikepitgames.com · 19/09/2026
So that’s the thing, they’re all real, the design job is figuring out what the root of it is and if you can fix it in a way that strengthens the whole game. A few people will just want it to be a different genre and we have to let that go, but if people stick around and complain we should look at it
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Mike Bithell @mikebithell.bsky.social · 19/09/2026
I think I’ve posted this before, but I have a weird existential reaction whenever this is mentioned. I become genuinely angry and sad that a mini Star Trek theme park existed but at a time where I couldn’t go to it. Like. People got to sit in Quark’s ffs. And walk around the TNG bridge. Ffs.
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Peter Conti - Creative Director Conti Games @contigames.bsky.social · 19/09/2026
🎮 Screenshot Saturday! Having a little fun with one of the Stage 2 sub-bosses 😈 Sometimes you don’t need to rush the fight. Just toy with it a little first. 💥 store.steampowered.com/app/4282220/... #ScreenshotSaturday #indiedev #shmup #bullethell #gamedev #bulletballet
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Iced Lizard Games - Wishlist Panic in Puzzle World! @icedlizardgames.bsky.social · 19/09/2026
Not really swimming weather, but that's okay! #ScreenshotSaturday #pixelart #indiegame #gamedev #gaming
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strangesea.bsky.social @strangesea.bsky.social · 19/09/2026
#screenshotsaturday
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Asobitech @asobitech.com · 19/09/2026
When you love Game Boy, Japan, and SHMUPS. I am pretty sure that’s all the Japanese ones. How many of these have you played?
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John Dunbar 🎮🔨 @spikepitgames.com · 19/09/2026
This week's seeded challenge run of my shmup Plasma Sky. It's a good run until I get greedy at the end, and as a bonus it's in Japanese! Yeah I got it working! Are the fonts good? Worried they're Japanese papyrus. 🔊 Demo Oct 2! store.steampowered.com/app/4951340/... #screenshotsaturday #gamedev
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John Dunbar 🎮🔨 @spikepitgames.com · 19/09/2026
You know you want to flip over and thud into that ceiling
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