Can 1 person develop an android games?

Hello everyone, I’m very new to Android and I have zero experience in Java, I just started to learn how to develop an Android game, and would like to ask experts that can we only 1 person to develop an Android game? or App?

Thanks.

Most developers here are an one man army. So yes, its a lot of work but if you want to you can do it.

The extra pain on the gaming front is also having to be the person that then creates artwork, sounds, levels, etc. but that’s always a good driver for a simple interface :wink:

Falo, I had laugh at your parting comment. My app thrives on simplicity and I market that aspect heavily, all of which is working well for me. Part of this is because I love simple interfaces, but there’s a strong reality to the fact that I don’t have the design skills to make killer graphics nor the technical skills to put together super flashy user interfaces.

Yes, it’s definitely possible to make apps as a “one-man-army”. Of course, we do have to stick with the simpler interfaces, and sometimes a minimum viable product just to get something out the door. But it can also be a rewarding experience - being accountable entirely to yourself, with the ability to make major product decisions.

Hi all, thanks for the reply.

I can learn to write code, graphic a little bit, but what about sound part? where can we get those sounds for my future game development? or there is a program that can create sound?

Thing is, on a small screen I tend to value the simpler user interfaces more. Cleanliness is next to (non-existent) godliness and all that jazz.

If I were you I wouldn’t worry too much about this now. Make your app/game, work out what you want to do with it (and maybe just use some self-recorded bleeps and whistles to act as sound placeholders in your code), then work out what sounds you actually need. Otherwise there’s a good chance you’ll expend a lot of effort trying to find sounds in advance that you really don’t require in the end.

When it comes down to making / finding sounds you can always turn to Google but make sure you’re searching for royalty free stuff / things that allow free use in commercial products. For self recording you can’t go wrong with a microphone and a copy of Audacity ( http://audacity.sourceforge.net/ ).

If you have the skills you can do nearly everything as a 1 man show :slight_smile:

Sure, you will not be able to produce a “Sim City” without investing multiple years in development as a 1 man show - but you can clearly do some nice games :slight_smile:

Audacity is a good thing, you can record the wildest things and than use some filters to get the sound you want … sure it is a lot faster if you hire someone which is familar with that - same counts for graphics and so on.

Personally I like to work alone because I like to have the the full control about implementation, decisions, don’t need to describe things, no user-friendly docs … it’s way faster, and I do not trust anyone in concerns of “abilities” :slight_smile:

Well, the trick is to release early and often. Early users of your app may leave and never return, but you can learn why they left. Then fix it and release the next version. Repeat until you have untold riches (sorta).

My app (see sig) was done in around 2hours/night after the kids and wife were in bed, includes both Google AppEngine server side (needed to learn Python) and Android (needed to learn Java). It took me about a month to get the first basic working version done. Currently at version 49 of the server code and version 35 of the Android code. Started working on it last August.

Your BIGGEST problems will be (a) not being able to break it down into small chunks you can do and feel like you are making progress and (b) staying motivated when everyone else tells you to give up.

Some good advice there. I’ve often struggled to release updates for my apps, simply because I attempted to do too much in one go. As a solo developer, it’s important to stay focused and pick small tasks that are actually achievable.

In the beginning use this mantra, “small scope” don’t try and climb everest your first time out. Make something simple and easy, minimizing your weaknesses. If you’re not a talented artist, give a word game a go. The only art you’ll need is your letter tile and a few other small things. For your next game, make it a bit more complex and don’t be scared to try new things.

I’m working on a game now that is going to require pathfinding for monsters. Books have been written about pathfinding, it can be complex. But it’s a common problem and I’m going to need to figure it out at some point.

You’ll find that when you’re all done, the real challenge is getting people to download your game. Even if it’s free, if nobody knows it’s there, nobody will download it. Don’t get disheartened. If your game is good and you manage to get that snowball rolling, it can take off.

akaliel says it right. Do what you are the best at. If you can’t make good graphics, look at public domain - openclipart.org etc. - or buy graphics at stocks. My biggest problem is graphics - I can make music, I’m a relatively good programmer, yet graphics and especially animating is quite problematic to me. I’m learning Inkscape though and am getting better. I’m also terrible at marketing, so I’m learning some from this forum. :smiley:

Yes why not, I am also android developer. I have 6 month experience in android. and I develop app, no one help so i handle all the thing.

@magnesus … is it possible, that you’re also around at libgdx board? :slight_smile:

for me it is equal, i am a noob at marketing (in comparison to real marketers). I DO make music … but I am not good at it, don’t have big talent for that. I CAN do all sorts of graphics, but I lack the needed time (and sometimes creativity) of it.

Normally, If I need a graphic I google for it to get some ideas and than use inkscape or other tools to try to reassemble them - it’s not that hard but I always need some kind if idea, what I should paint for … a “scanner” for example … :slight_smile: