iiinova — where your digital self keeps evolving

The Astral Empire @theastralempire.bsky.social · 11/03/2026

Has there ever been a study that has to do with what types of games people finish and the correlation with the color theory of the title's cover art? Because I seem to only beat games that contain green or yellow, or both.

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Sam/SpottedAlienMonster @spottedalienmon.bsky.social · 18/01/2026

El muchacho de los ojos tristes 🥺

Bowser is laying down, his head in Peach's lap. His eyes contain a sadness that no beast is born to bare. What could have transpired? What could have cut him so?

At least Peach offers some comfort in these trying times.

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Jake Birkett - Veteran Indie @greyalien.bsky.social · 10/01/2026

The limiting factor in shipping indie games isn't the engine - it is the willpower and/or life situation of the developer(s).

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The Astral Empire @theastralempire.bsky.social · 10/01/2026

Hitting that point in development where I'm like "I want to make a game! ...but nobody told me I have to make the entire thing!".

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Tom Francis @pentadact.com · 08/01/2026

I've been running an indie games studio for 15 years now, and it felt like a good time to boil down what I've learned into 4 pieces of advice: www.pentadact.com/2026-01-08-1... I hope it's of use, not least because goddamn I forgot how long blog posts take to write.

A timeline visually representing the advice from my post, emphasising how dramatically and reliably having more time, with a testable build, converts to your game being better and your studio being safer.

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The Astral Empire @theastralempire.bsky.social · 16/12/2025

@localthunk.com Hey so I wasn’t sure how to submit a bug report for mobile but I found a bug when returning to a saved run where I had apparently opened up an arcane pack but the shop UI is still visible and things aren’t placed where they’re supposed to be. Can‘t remove without starting a new run

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Derek Yu @mossmouth.bsky.social · 28/11/2025

Getting stuck causes players to explore the world. Dying causes players to think about what they're doing. An "impossible" situation causes players to learn how the game works and eventually achieve the impossible. We need to be able to design *some* games around these fundamental ideas.

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Andy Robertson @geekdadgamer.bsky.social · 26/11/2025

Love it when my own app absolutely nails a game suggestion for me. Crescent County looks fab! We’re hitting crunch time, so now is the time to use and share(!) Ludocene.com if you don’t want to loose it. It’s free and supports game experts from all walks of life: www.ludocene.com/tutorial

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The Astral Empire @theastralempire.bsky.social · 28/11/2025

Why does my code work? It's not supposed to work, it's missing so many lines that it actually needs but it works perfectly? (Finds no faults) ... WHY DOES IT WORK?!

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Oops𓅓 @vodkula.bsky.social · 17/11/2025

She came in wearing a dress the color of pastrami, a blouse the color of rye bread and a scarf the color of sauerkraut. Some would say she was... Reubenesque.

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The Astral Empire @theastralempire.bsky.social · 15/11/2025

GDC Analytics just came out. Hopefully these numbers are put to good use for the betterment of the industry...Mainly because I would like a job. 4 years out of school, couple of games made, and still have hope!

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TruJek @trujek.bsky.social · 08/10/2025

Raven Beak Samus 🐦‍⬛

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Else @else.social · 13/09/2025

Feeling your spine creak as your body is splayed open by the touch of hands clad in archival gloves probably goes really hard if you're an ancient tome

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BATTLE SUIT ACES OUT NOW 🤖 @team.trinketstudios.com · 15/07/2025

wanted to show off a work in progress we're really excited about and simultaneously reveal some lore 👩‍❤️‍💋‍👩 if you like indie games, old school anime, or #yuri side stories, you should wishlist hybrid visual novel-deckbuilder Battle Suit Aces! 🤗 store.steampowered.com/app/2870530/...

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The Astral Empire @theastralempire.bsky.social · 06/07/2025

No one talk to me or my 10+ WIPs. ~cries in Indie Dev~

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Ramin Nasibov @nasibov.me · 08/06/2025

The first ever video game on the actual device it was made on 57 years ago.

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GodlessPrimate @godlessprimate.bsky.social · 07/06/2025

We'd be a lot better off if we dump the religions and accept this.

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StuntmAEn Bob @stuntmaenbob.bsky.social · 08/06/2025

How about some peaceful 1bit pixel art?! #pixelart

1bit Pixel art landscape - front: flowers and a lot of grass. Middle: trees on the right side and some houses in the middle and on the left side (Mountains of the trees and buildings). Background: huge Clouds in front of a dark sky full of shining stars.

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The Astral Empire @theastralempire.bsky.social · 16/05/2025

Do you think ghosts tell you to get out because they're just completely done with people? Rest in peace just means they don't want to deal with anyone. Honestly, respect

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Rami Ismail (رامي) @ramiismail.com · 27/05/2024

It's all fun and games until it has to be fun and a game

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Lee Cronin’s Pablo Hidalgo @infinata.bsky.social · 10/05/2025

George Lucas’ handwritten notes before starting the rough draft of Star Wars in 1974. Alt text provided. From The Making of Star Wars by JW Rinzler.

Lined yellow legal pad with handwriting on it:

The Empire is like America ten years from now; after: Nixonian gangsters assassinated the emperor and were elected to power in a rigged election; created civil disorder by instigating race riots. Aiding rebel groups. And allowing the crime rate to rise to the point where a “total control” police state was welcomed by the people. then the people were exploited with high taxes, utility and transport costs, gangsters, a cartel made up of power companies, transport companies + crime organizations. Other companies had to pay bribes to stay in business.

they increase the crime rate by slowing down the system of justice and punishment.

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TeoPyon @teopyon.bsky.social · 02/04/2025

Kiss in the lake 😘 Print: www.inprnt.com/gallery/teop... #zelink #リンゼル #TheLegendOfZelda #totk #botw #zelda

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The Astral Empire @theastralempire.bsky.social · 20/04/2025

@protonjon.bsky.social With the recent announcement (congratulations! 🏳️‍🌈), I felt the need to post. Below is the image I have called "The Evolution of Jon" (ikr?!), which is me trying to figure out your sprite and the art style for Outback Stabhouse : The Game. This game is getting made now. THREAD🧵

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Sol Sánchez @solmsanchez.bsky.social · 03/04/2025

I'm starting to learn UI/UX and this video from @studioanisa.bsky.social is just the best introduction video i've watched so far! In case you're noob like me, this video gives very concise and useful info to start your design journey (ty Anisa!) youtu.be/yoUYp6bo95I?...

youtu.be

A Primer to UI/UX for Video Games

YouTube video by Anisa Sanusi

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The Astral Empire @theastralempire.bsky.social · 02/04/2025

It's no Wind Waker HD for Switch but I guess I can live with the Gamecube being on Switch now. Just need to figure out how to get the Online Expansion with ...money? What's money? Is it that thing I never have? Anyways, this means I can play Pokemon Colosseum again! ...eventually!

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The Astral Empire @theastralempire.bsky.social · 01/04/2025

THIS WAS THE MOST INSANE GAME OF BALATRO I’VE EVER PLAYED. Whats not shown here is that I have the observatory voucher which takes whatever planet cards I have in my consumable slot and 1.5x that hand if played. Observatory+Blueprint+Perkeo = An insane exponential growth curve!

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Andy Robertson @geekdadgamer.bsky.social · 17/03/2025

EARLY ACCESS ON MONDAY In seven days we release Ludocene into the wild. Our 1347 backers get to find their perfect gaming match (and offer feedback). Wanna join them? Late Pledges Open Now: www.kickstarter.com/projects/lud...

kickstarter.com

Ludocene: Game Discovery From People You Trust

A dating app that matches you with games rather than people. A deck-builder that profiles your gaming taste.

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Abhi | Venba @brownmoney.bsky.social · 03/03/2025

I get choice paralysis when trying to eat healthy so I built this nifty little thing in Google Sheets. Its nice to see everything I eat in a day and how it stacks up in one glance!

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The Astral Empire @theastralempire.bsky.social · 21/02/2025

Hey guys, production of the game will have to halt for the time being. As much as I don't want to put it away and just keep working on it, life has other plans for me and will have to stop game dev for the time being. Please remain followed for the game if you want to because we will be back!

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Gary J Kings 🎮🎞️ Game Trailer Maker @garyjkings.bsky.social · 02/02/2025

Pretty sure many of us were following the development of this game for longer than it ended up being available upon release. This industry is a mess. Pirate the past, preserve the present, fund the future.

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Jane Ng @janeng.com · 01/02/2025

In gamedev, we joke about how we shouldn't care so much because "we ain't curing cancer" so chill, right? But you know what? These last few weeks reminded me that the Arts, esp accessible Art like videogames is incredibly important because games have a big place in sculpting cultural norms.

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Bertine van Hövell 🛝 Gamescom @baroness.bsky.social · 28/01/2025

Hey kids, let me tell you about the 3-Month Surprise. In just about every gamedev cycle you'll find that every three months something very unexpected happens that will upend some of your development. Most of these are minor, except the Surprise 3 months before release. Don't worry, you got this.

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Rosa 🍊 @purecelain.bsky.social · 22/01/2025

The worst advice I got early in my career was that being big on social media would get me game design jobs. It was my portfolio, mentor and IRL relationships that got me my big breaks.

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The Astral Empire @theastralempire.bsky.social · 15/01/2025

Should I be concerned that I woke up today with Cynthia's Theme from Pokemon D/P/Pt playing in my head? ~looks nervously around for a final boss fight~

media.tenor.com

a pixel art drawing of a woman with long blonde hair

ALT: a pixel art drawing of a woman with long blonde hair

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C ✊ UVW-CWA @ckjong.bsky.social · 12/01/2025

Some important context laid out in the comments on the PMG video. Not only are western capitalists profiting from the abuse and exploitation of workers in Indonesia, but western imperialism destroyed their local labour movement and created the conditions for the abuse to persist.

Screenshot of a comment on the YouTube video "100 Slaps: The Breaking News The Games Industry Ignored in 2024." The comment reads: "Also remember: in the 1950s and 1960s, Indonesia was a progressive society with a strong union movement, and workplace rights and laws. Compared to their neighbours, Indonesian factory workers had better rights, protections and pay.

The President of the time wanted to tax oil and gas extraction (just like Norway does). The US government didn't like this, so the CIA funded, weaponised and backed the far-right coup that would result in a brutal dictatorship that lasted until 1998. The coup resulted in over a million Indonesians butchered in the streets. Over a million more placed in concentration camps. Communists, unionists, feminists, and social progressives were targeted in particular.

Women's rights, worker's rights, fairly taxing foreign corporations: all things of the past under this new regime. As late as the 1990s, Indonesian schoolchildren would walk past the mutilated corpses of political dissidents as they walked to school. That's the regime that the CIA put in power. That's why a story like this one is even possible.

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The Astral Empire @theastralempire.bsky.social · 13/01/2025

Implemented an entire feature of the game in one day yesterday. Either Godot is the best game engine ever made, or I’m getting better faster than I thought

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The Astral Empire @theastralempire.bsky.social · 13/01/2025

The programmer equivalent to drawing on the wrong layer is coding on the wrong Git branch

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The Astral Empire @theastralempire.bsky.social · 05/01/2025

Arguably the best game of #Balatro I’ve ever played. First pic is just me crying I couldn’t fit Blueprint with my setup. Ante 8 Boss, one hand, full house, 1,121,273. I’ve never made 1mil+ with any hand before. I don’t think I’ll ever see Ante 11 again lol

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Bohdan Pavuk @bpavuk.neocities.org · 26/12/2024

if you see this post, your actions are: - if you have a spare buck, give it to Wikipedia, then repost this - if you don't have a spare buck, just repost your action is mandatory for the world's best source of information to survive

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The Astral Empire @theastralempire.bsky.social · 02/01/2025

Great read. Jake always helps to bring things back into perspective for us super ambitious indie devs.

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The Astral Empire @theastralempire.bsky.social · 27/12/2024

How many of us are still in Act 1 of Baldurs Gate? It’s hard to believe there are 2 more acts and I’ve already got so much out of the first. Also who are the people who have finished the game multiple times?! How?!

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David Gaider @davidgaider.bsky.social · 22/12/2024

The studio leadership is going to be giving the PD their marching orders, often in the form of those strategic goals. If there's a publisher involved, that's where the studio leadership is likely getting those goals. The PD, then, ends up being the person who has to negotiate with everyone above.

The organization chart now shows the levels above the Leads: namely the Project Director, who reports to Studio Leadership, who in turn reports to the Publisher (if any exists).

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A Place For Owls @aplaceforowls.bsky.social · 21/12/2024

one of the best skills you can develop as a human being is to be genuinely stoked when others are successful

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The Astral Empire @theastralempire.bsky.social · 20/12/2024

I just wrote up a rudimentary save system for the first time ever! None of the games I've created to date have had the ability to save because I never knew how to. But now I do! Now if only I can get the game to reset the values in the save file #Godot

media.tenor.com

a green button that says saved in white letters

ALT: a green button that says saved in white letters

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