Around this time a year ago, I got the email which filled me with both excitement & dread - the email indicating that the iOS build of Pocket Dogfights was approved & that after finalising tax stuff, I could schedule it’s release and watch as the first project I’d released in ~4 years under my own name go live for everyone to enjoy.

I’ve been thinking about it quite a bit as of late, in particular with GDC going on this week & the realisation that had things gone better (in terms of both sales, and in successfully landing enough work to have the cash) over the past year, that perhaps I’d actually be attending instead of watching from afar.

But in line with a bunch of other thoughts of mine over the last few months, I’ve slowly been trying of piece together a better understanding of the type of development I want to do, and how to do it in a way which won’t drive me to the pits of failure again. To do something in a more sustainable way, and too create things that are more true to my values and goals.

That of course, requires a process of intense reflection and soul searching - and whilst the period between making Pocket Dogfights free (and thus symbolising the end of this first phase) and now (where I’m otherwise engaged on a short, but intense contract job), mys not be the best time to do it - I find that it has been quite useful in its own way.

Whilst this is just the introduction - I’m hoping that over the next few posts, I’ll explore some of these questions from a high level, and hopefully be able to formulate a bit of a plan for both the types of projects I work on and the execution in order to be somewhat more successful. The result of which, should allow me to get some focus on what I’m doing and try to execute better for future projects.

You can check out the rest of the posts in the series from the articles below:

• Who Am I? - In which I reflect on my present skills, some of the things I’d like to work on, and what kind of environments I’d prefer to work in.
• What Do I Want? - In which I reflect on the types of games I enjoy playing, and the types I want to work on, especially based around skill & resource limitations.
• Where Do I Want To Go? - In which I reflect on which platforms are the best for someone in my position, along with ponder where the right avenues for trying to speak with people about it.
• Conclusions - In which (after a long absence) I take stock of the above and come to a few concludes about where I am going.