Could you describe No More Fathers in a few words? How did this project take shape in your mind?
No More Fathers is an adventure about growing up, exploring, flying, a bit of puzzle solving, some stealth, and forming bonds and relationships along the way.
One day I was at the gym when ideas for the game started pouring in like a rushing river. I began writing everything down. I spent about 40 minutes in the corner of the gym just typing on my phone. I went home and told my wife, overwhelmed by the thought of making a real video game for the first time, but I felt this was the right medium.
This has always been a hard question to answer briefly, but in fewer words, the game is a letter to my younger self and to many others like me. It’s meant to be a guide, a reminder that even your hardest struggles aren’t meaningless, and that even when you feel small or alone, you’re not truly alone.
This story and world come from passion and pain, but also from the adventure and love you discover at twelve years old, when you suddenly realize how big the world is and that your destiny is yours to shape.
How did you get into game development?
Pretty much like anyone else: I put one foot in and slipped straight into it, haha. I experimented with Unity3D when I was about 14, and that’s actually what made me excited about programming.
But I hadn’t touched it since, and I definitely struggled with the learning curve of 3D modeling, animation, optimization, and everything in between. So many moving parts.
Is there any particular twist or feature that you think makes your game stand out?
I wouldn’t call it “unique,” but the boy’s ability to fly is a mechanic that really draws people in, even if it’s not exactly original. It’s a great way to express his growth and sense of freedom.
Did you get inspired by other titles? Which ones and why?
Oh, so many. The first that come to mind are Kingdom Hearts, The Legend of Zelda, and Final Fantasy. They inspired the protagonist’s adventurous and courageous heart.
Is there any technical aspect you want to share with our readers?
I wish I were more technically savvy, but I’m still pretty new to all this. I’m proud of the work I put into the flight mechanics. They’re basically a rigidbody controller using a coded state machine to drive animation transitions.
Tell us more about your pipeline. How are you developing the game?
Unity3D is incredibly well documented and the community is huge, so it’s my engine of choice. I’m not a professional game developer, so I really needed that support. There are great assets on the store, and plenty of tutorials for Unity.
How are you organizing your work on the project?
Since I’m a solo dev, there are pros and cons. I don’t have to schedule meetings or coordinate with others, and I don’t need big project-management software. I use Trello to track tasks, progress, and my backlog. It’s not perfect, but it works for me. I try to balance creative thinking with hands-on work, switching between different task types so I don’t burn out. I also wake up at 5am on weekdays to work before my day job.
The flying mechanic is fascinating, and the implementation looks fantastic. Does it add complexity to your level design? Or does it give you more freedom?
Both, honestly. It can be extremely challenging because every game needs boundaries, and flight makes boundaries harder to enforce. It’s difficult to tell the player “you can’t climb that cliff” when there’s nothing stopping them from just flying up and landing on top.
So it’s not much of a platformer. The freedom instead comes from how the flight controls interact with the world. That’s where the fun really begins, like sky battles with flocks of dangerous birds, getting an eagle-eye view, navigating hazardous areas of the sky, or asking a flying sky whale for directions to a hidden castle. There’s still a lot I haven’t shown yet, and a lot more that’s still in my head being organized onto paper.
Any advice for solo game developers out there?
First: write everything down. You need to get your ideas out of your head and onto paper so you can look at them from the outside. Otherwise everything in your mind will sound like a good idea.
Boids of “flaming cat-falcons” (model and fire effects WIP ? )
Isaiah Toth ?? (@IsaiahToth_Dev) May 30, 2022
It feels so cool to fly with these majestic yet dangerous sky beasts ?
I’ll share another clip in the comments ???#gamedev #indiegamedev #madewithunity #3D #gaming #animation #boids pic.twitter.com/ZjeywCUKmR
Second: start building an audience and community now. I mostly use twitter at the moment, because I tried reddit and other platforms and found that twitter works best for me. I might start a discord eventually, since it’s a great tool for community building.
Third: get your Steam page up once you’re sure you’re committed to the game. And if you’re unsure whether you’re ready, talk about your idea with trusted friends, then take it beyond your inner circle and discuss it with people who might actually be interested in the game. This helps you understand the difference between feasible ideas and one-off thoughts.