First Line to First Dollar

A complete course to help you go from concept to publishing and earning your first dollars with your games · By Pigdev

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Habemus Syllabus Sticky

A topic by Pigdev created Jul 04, 2024 Views: 337 Replies: 6

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Pigdev167 days ago

Hello everyone!

With new members joining the course, I decided to make a fixed post to showcase the current syllabus, as some of them didn't get the email.

I also got amazing feedback regarding the syllabus sent to your email past week, and I have to say you guys are the best. Some of the suggestions intersect and I think using this community forum can be a good place to move forward with the discussion. Without further ados, this is where I'm going to post and keep you updated about the planned content! The current syllabus follows bellow:

First Line to First Dollar Syllabus

Note that, as mentioned in the pre-sales launch video, I plan to get other professionals involved in the project to help with the content that I'm not a specialist. Namely, I'm the one responsible for the design and development content so you will notice that the content in the production, release, and publishing modules is still a bit vague.

ALSO, I want to get the ball rolling already, so I decided that it would be of great value to start with what I'm good at while I'm finding good people to help me with the parts I'm not as good. So, I decided that we will start the production with the third module, Development.

Throughout the Development module, we will build a nice 2D Pixel Platformer using the assets from PixelFrog's Kings & Pigs with our own twist.

Level 1 - Design

Introduction to Games
Main Game Genres
- Action
- Adventure
- Strategy
- Mixing and Matching
  - Subgenres
Game Design Principles
Introduction to Player Psychology
- Core motivations
- Types of players
- Skill Atoms
Incentive Systems
- Machinations
Progression Systems
Game Loop
Prototyping Methods
Game Business Models
- Retail/Unit Sales
- Subscription/Membership
- Advertising
- Microtransactions
  - InApp purchases
  - Season Pass
  - DLCs
  - Loot Boxes
- P2P Marketplaces

Level 2 - Production

Introduction to Project Management
Project Cycles
- Art production cycle
- Design production cycle
- Engineering production cycle
Market Research and Target Audience
Resource Planning and Budgeting
Iterative Methodologies
The Importance of Post-Mortems
Post Production Kit

Level 3 - Development

Introduction to the Project
Understanding the Project Structure
Setting up Godot for 2D Pixel Platformer
Importing and Implementing the Art
- Using Tilesets and Tilemaps
- Integrating Sprite2D. AnimatedSprite2D, AnimationPlayers, and AnimationTrees
- Turning raw audio files into AudioSamples and AudioStreamRamdomizers
Implementing the Core Gameplay
- Basic platformer movement
  - Moving
  - Jumping
  - Moving platforms
  - Path Following platforms
  - Environment aware platforms
- Advanced platformer movement
  - Wall slide and jump
  - Pass-through jump
  - Coyote jump
  - Buffered jump
- Creating the Combat System
  - Health system
  - Hit and Hurt boxes
  - Static hazards
  - Dynamic hazards
  - Melee enemy
  - Ranged enemy
  - Kamikaze enemy
- Designing the Reward System
  - Score system
  - Collectibles
  - Dropping system
  - Breakable objects
- User Interface
  - Health bar
  - Score counter
  - Main Menu
  - Options Menu
  - Input Remap Menu
  - Pause Menu
- Implementing the Core Game Loop
  - Level design
  - Game progression
  - Save and Load
  - Win and Lose conditions
- Polishing the Game
  - Adding Visual Effects
  - Adding Sound Effects
  - Debugging and Optimizing
- Exporting the Game
  - Creating multiple presets
  - Understanding export options
  - Exporting multiple presets
  - Patching

Level 4 - Release

Understanding release platforms
Release Milestones
Setting up itch.io butler
Setting up SteamWorks
Steam release pipeline
Adding Steam Features with GodotSteam
- Initializing Steam
- Authentication
- Rich Presence
- Avatars
- Leaderboards
- Removing Steam for Multiplatform exports
Planning a release checklist
Creating your itch.io page
Creating your Steam page
Post-launch support
- Content Update and Patches
- DLCs
- Steam/itch.io communities
- Steam/itch.io supporting
- Steam/itch.io public relationships

Level 5 - Publishing

Developing a Marketing Strategy
Identifying potential partners
Creating and Managing Community Spaces
- Hosting Community Events
- Rewarding and Recognizing Contributors
- Handling Community Feedback
Social media campaigns
Creating Promotional Material
Building a Press Kit
Engaging with Press and Influencers
Coordinate the Game Launch
Post-Launch Support
Creating the Post-Mortem
Maintaining the Community

Pigdev167 days ago

People suggested adding a module to publish on Android platforms, namely the Playstore.

To do that, I'd need to spend some extra time on research, it's been a while since I worked with Playstore and how to export Android Apps from Godot Engine, which needs some extra work on our development environment.

What do you think, is this a priority for you or can this come as extra content after we finish the current topics?

hyperdoxical148 days ago

I reckon have it as extra content after the current topics are finished. I think it could be a little bit of a can of worms especially when the play store decides to upgrade the minimum version of the android SDK and dealing with keys and what-not. Just a lot of minutia to get bogged down with instead of getting stuck into the nitty gritty of game dev. Just my 2 cents.

cgueret166 days ago(+1)

I'd say extra content. The documentation available out there is enough for at least the basics (I could easily figure out how to build for Android and side-load an APK), the play store does not seem tricky to figure out - the integration with Google Play a bit more so. Plus the kids keep on asking me to publish our WIP game on Steam instead... But I do think that would be useful to have it on longer term.

Pigdev162 days ago

Indeed!

It will be nice nonetheless to have it, but it will come as extra content.

Facundo Ezekiel163 days ago(+1)

To me it's okay if it's extra content, perhaps because I don't really consider mobile as a true gaming platform but people may find it an easier platform to monetize so... I'd say it's equally important from the perspective of someone trying to find what kind of business works best them

Pigdev162 days ago(+1)

I agree, especially because this would mean having a project compatible with Android, which is not the case for the Level 3 project, so I'll see how I'll deal with that, but definitely will have as an extra.

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