My 2025 Goal - A Year of Game Development
If you’ve talked to me recently about my dreams, you may have heard me talk about Corrupted Virtues. A tactical, turn-based RPG I’ve dreamed of creating since I first started learning about hobby game development in 2019. But as a basically solo developer with limited time, I’ve learned the hard way diving straight into such a large project is unrealistic.
So, I’m giving myself one year – 2025 – to focus on learning, prototyping, and improving my game development skills. By the end of next year, I hope to have a solid foundation to potentially start my dream project in 2026.
I still plan to post every week in 2025 on my progress, but sinces it’s still 2024 in this post, I’ll outline the systems I want to learn, the technical goals I’m setting, and how I plan to manage my time for Moral Support Studios.
The Game I Want to Make
At its core, the Corrupted Virtues game I envision will feature:
- 3D Grid-based Movement
- Turn-based Combat
- Quick Time Events (QTE)
- Equipment and Inventory Systems
- Crafting and Currency
- XP and Skill Progression
- Party System
- Dialogue and Storytelling
- Distance-based Encounters
- Save/Load Functionality
These systems are the foundation of many great RPGs, and while I know implementing all of them is ambitious, I believe starting small and iterating will help me achieve this goal over time.
Long-Term Goals (Post 2025)
Eventually, I’d love to explore:
- Sandbox Level Creation
- PvP (Local and Online)
- Team Creation Systems
These ideas will stay in the back of my mind but won’t be a focus for the next year.
Technical Focus for 2025
From a technical standpoint, I want to:
- Develop entirely in Godot 4 using C#
- Use GitHub for version control
- Implement unit tests
- Follow Clean Code and Clean Architecture principles
This will help me not only build the game but ensure that the codebase is scalable and maintainable.
The Plan: Building a Prototype
Instead of trying to make a full game immediately, I’m going to start with a small, focused prototype. By the end of 2025, I want to have a simple, working demo that includes:
- Grid-based movement
- Turn-based combat
- Basic inventory and equipment
- XP and Skills
- Save/Load functionality
Anything else is a bonus.
Breaking It Down – A Month-by-Month Approach
I’ll break the year down into manageable chunks, focusing on one system at a time:
Q1 (Jan – Mar)
- Improve my Godot 4 C# fundamentals
- Implement 3D Grid-based movement
- Add basic pathfinding (AStar)
- Start writing unit tests for movement
Q2 (Apr – Jun)
- Develop turn-based combat
- Implement basic enemy AI
- Add QTE mechanics for attacks
Q3 (Jul – Sep)
- Expand to inventory and equipment systems
- Introduce XP and skill progression
- Implement simple dialogue interactions
Q4 (Oct – Dec)
- Polish the prototype
- Add party mechanics (multiple unit control)
- Finalize with UI improvements and save/load systems
Is This Realistic?
I think so – as long as I:
- Keep the scope small for the prototype
- Focus on one core system at a time
- Leverage existing assets (no need to reinvent the wheel)
- Work in small chunks during weekends
By focusing on these steps, I hope to have a playable prototype by the end of the year.
Why I’m Blogging This
I plan to blog my progress weekly to hold myself accountable, but also to share what I learn along the way.
Next week, I’ll start implementing my roadmap. I’m currently looking for public tracking software to list out my tasks and keep everything organized.