I’ve been thinking a lot about a long-term game development goal of mine.

My dream project would be a realistic first-person multiplayer game that combines elements I love from different genres. I’m a big fan of survival games, extraction shooters, and tactical team-based games, so I’ve been wondering whether it’s possible to build something that evolves over time rather than trying to do everything at once.

My idea would be to start with an extraction-shooter foundation and focus on making that experience solid first. Then, if the project grows and I can build a larger team and secure more funding, I’d expand it with additional modes such as a tactical 5v5 experience and eventually a persistent open-world survival mode.

What I’m unsure about is whether this approach is technically realistic. Would building multiple game modes around the same project create too much technical debt over time? Could very different gameplay loops end up making development significantly harder?

I’m also curious about the player side of things. If a game offers several distinct modes, does that risk splitting the community too much and creating matchmaking or population issues, especially for a smaller or growing player base?

I’m still fairly new to game development and currently planning to work in Unreal Engine using Blueprints, so I’d really appreciate hearing from anyone with experience in multiplayer games, live-service projects, or large-scale game development.

Thanks in advance for any advice!

  • justdaveisfine@piefed.socialEnglish
    8·
    3 days ago

    What you generally find is that different gameplay loops tend to clash in bad ways. Games with a bunch of moving parts also tend to be hard to nail down what’s working well and what isn’t.

    To be blunt, this is an ambitious project, in a bad way. You’re approaching this as a large studio might and not as what you should be (which is as an indie dev).

    Its age-old tradition for an indie dev to pursue their dream project and then crash and burn a bit before drastically scaling down the project scope, but I recommend doing a games more ‘game jam’ level before you undertake the dream project.