Vlad Călin
@vladcalin.bsky.social
CTO @ vuuh.com | Dev @ csvgames.com
My first indie game will participate in the Debut Festival on Steam, starting tomorrow!
#indiegames #indiegamedev #dungeoncrawler #steamgames #gaming #debutfestival
#indiegames #indiegamedev #dungeoncrawler #steamgames #gaming #debutfestival
August 6, 2025 at 11:06 AM
My first indie game will participate in the Debut Festival on Steam, starting tomorrow!
#indiegames #indiegamedev #dungeoncrawler #steamgames #gaming #debutfestival
#indiegames #indiegamedev #dungeoncrawler #steamgames #gaming #debutfestival
The secret to indie hacking success: just sell to other indie hackers?
July 31, 2025 at 12:54 PM
The secret to indie hacking success: just sell to other indie hackers?
Peak engagement (Dead Internet Theory)
July 31, 2025 at 8:57 AM
Peak engagement (Dead Internet Theory)
So many items to build. DPS, effects on critical hits, effects on attacks, effects on being attacked, etc.
Wishlist now: store.steampowered.com/app/3185230/...
#questofthehero #indiegames #gaming #dungeoncrawler #fantasy
Wishlist now: store.steampowered.com/app/3185230/...
#questofthehero #indiegames #gaming #dungeoncrawler #fantasy
July 12, 2025 at 8:23 AM
So many items to build. DPS, effects on critical hits, effects on attacks, effects on being attacked, etc.
Wishlist now: store.steampowered.com/app/3185230/...
#questofthehero #indiegames #gaming #dungeoncrawler #fantasy
Wishlist now: store.steampowered.com/app/3185230/...
#questofthehero #indiegames #gaming #dungeoncrawler #fantasy
One week until I release my indie game!
store.steampowered.com/app/3185230/...
#indiegame #dungeoncrawler #indiegames #gaming #steamgame
store.steampowered.com/app/3185230/...
#indiegame #dungeoncrawler #indiegames #gaming #steamgame
July 11, 2025 at 7:37 AM
One week until I release my indie game!
store.steampowered.com/app/3185230/...
#indiegame #dungeoncrawler #indiegames #gaming #steamgame
store.steampowered.com/app/3185230/...
#indiegame #dungeoncrawler #indiegames #gaming #steamgame
Except that it's actually dying. It's quite rapidly losing active users.
Without a proper discovery algorithm that allows people to be able to grow by creating posts and value, it will only shrink. The current feeds that only follow keywords and hashtags are not enough.
Without a proper discovery algorithm that allows people to be able to grow by creating posts and value, it will only shrink. The current feeds that only follow keywords and hashtags are not enough.
June 13, 2025 at 3:54 PM
Except that it's actually dying. It's quite rapidly losing active users.
Without a proper discovery algorithm that allows people to be able to grow by creating posts and value, it will only shrink. The current feeds that only follow keywords and hashtags are not enough.
Without a proper discovery algorithm that allows people to be able to grow by creating posts and value, it will only shrink. The current feeds that only follow keywords and hashtags are not enough.
I'm tracking my numbers on a monthly basis. Here's my Bluesky growth so far since I started tracking it
Basically ~10% per month when I'm somewhat active, 3% in the month I wasn't active at all.
I like that the growth here is done the old way: by interacting, not spamming and hoping you go viral
Basically ~10% per month when I'm somewhat active, 3% in the month I wasn't active at all.
I like that the growth here is done the old way: by interacting, not spamming and hoping you go viral
April 1, 2025 at 8:57 AM
I'm tracking my numbers on a monthly basis. Here's my Bluesky growth so far since I started tracking it
Basically ~10% per month when I'm somewhat active, 3% in the month I wasn't active at all.
I like that the growth here is done the old way: by interacting, not spamming and hoping you go viral
Basically ~10% per month when I'm somewhat active, 3% in the month I wasn't active at all.
I like that the growth here is done the old way: by interacting, not spamming and hoping you go viral
Me working on some side project indie game nowadays is not a coincidence.
It's a thing I came back to over and over again over the past few years. Something just draws me back in again and again.
It's a thing I came back to over and over again over the past few years. Something just draws me back in again and again.
March 29, 2025 at 7:00 AM
Me working on some side project indie game nowadays is not a coincidence.
It's a thing I came back to over and over again over the past few years. Something just draws me back in again and again.
It's a thing I came back to over and over again over the past few years. Something just draws me back in again and again.
We're seeing so many examples of companies nosediving due to rushing things, cutting costs where they shouldn't (quality assurance, customer support) and an upper management obsessing over the stock price rather than making their customers happy.
March 28, 2025 at 7:00 AM
We're seeing so many examples of companies nosediving due to rushing things, cutting costs where they shouldn't (quality assurance, customer support) and an upper management obsessing over the stock price rather than making their customers happy.
I think Google just won the AI race. Their new Gemini model can get an image as input, some instructions and generate an image by retaining a VERY HIGH fidelity of the original image.
People are using it
People are using it
March 27, 2025 at 5:00 PM
I think Google just won the AI race. Their new Gemini model can get an image as input, some instructions and generate an image by retaining a VERY HIGH fidelity of the original image.
People are using it
People are using it
This week is supposed to be marketing week... but I'm not doing any marketing...
I have fallen behind a bit on development for my indie game Quest of the Hero and I'm not ready to jump into marketing a game whose core mechanics are being reworked.
I have fallen behind a bit on development for my indie game Quest of the Hero and I'm not ready to jump into marketing a game whose core mechanics are being reworked.
March 27, 2025 at 8:55 AM
This week is supposed to be marketing week... but I'm not doing any marketing...
I have fallen behind a bit on development for my indie game Quest of the Hero and I'm not ready to jump into marketing a game whose core mechanics are being reworked.
I have fallen behind a bit on development for my indie game Quest of the Hero and I'm not ready to jump into marketing a game whose core mechanics are being reworked.
The biggest change I'm doing right now for my indie game is completely overhauling how the three option generation works, based on an idea ChatGPT gave me.
March 27, 2025 at 7:00 AM
The biggest change I'm doing right now for my indie game is completely overhauling how the three option generation works, based on an idea ChatGPT gave me.
Use-case for the latest AI models: reimagine profile pictures.
Who's gonna build it? (I'm sure though that there 1000 solutions for this already, but there's definitely space for a 1001th).
Who's gonna build it? (I'm sure though that there 1000 solutions for this already, but there's definitely space for a 1001th).
March 26, 2025 at 5:00 PM
Use-case for the latest AI models: reimagine profile pictures.
Who's gonna build it? (I'm sure though that there 1000 solutions for this already, but there's definitely space for a 1001th).
Who's gonna build it? (I'm sure though that there 1000 solutions for this already, but there's definitely space for a 1001th).
Too many people obsess over the "big launch".
How many "big launches" do you personally remember?
Do you remember when Google or Facebook launched?
No you don't. They just shipped, and incrementally improved over time.
How many "big launches" do you personally remember?
Do you remember when Google or Facebook launched?
No you don't. They just shipped, and incrementally improved over time.
March 26, 2025 at 6:00 AM
Too many people obsess over the "big launch".
How many "big launches" do you personally remember?
Do you remember when Google or Facebook launched?
No you don't. They just shipped, and incrementally improved over time.
How many "big launches" do you personally remember?
Do you remember when Google or Facebook launched?
No you don't. They just shipped, and incrementally improved over time.
We are seeing a decline in AAA games. The whole space just seems to have converged to 1st or 3rd person games with open world, with RPG elements, loot boxes, skins and season passes.
March 25, 2025 at 5:00 PM
We are seeing a decline in AAA games. The whole space just seems to have converged to 1st or 3rd person games with open world, with RPG elements, loot boxes, skins and season passes.
Sometimes it's not about having dark mode or not.
Real user feedback is critical early in the development lifecycle. Otherwise you end up building the wrong thing.
Real user feedback is critical early in the development lifecycle. Otherwise you end up building the wrong thing.
March 25, 2025 at 6:00 AM
Sometimes it's not about having dark mode or not.
Real user feedback is critical early in the development lifecycle. Otherwise you end up building the wrong thing.
Real user feedback is critical early in the development lifecycle. Otherwise you end up building the wrong thing.
Sometimes you need to make difficult choices and focus on the high value items. Especially when you are part of a small team and especially when your development team is basically just yourself.
March 24, 2025 at 5:00 PM
Sometimes you need to make difficult choices and focus on the high value items. Especially when you are part of a small team and especially when your development team is basically just yourself.
I'm starting to think that my initial plan for Quest of the Hero was a little bit too ambitious.
March 23, 2025 at 5:00 PM
I'm starting to think that my initial plan for Quest of the Hero was a little bit too ambitious.
Being the first time I am developing an indie PC game for commercial purposes, the most important thing I'm learning is what a single person is being capable of doing in a few weeks.
March 23, 2025 at 6:00 AM
Being the first time I am developing an indie PC game for commercial purposes, the most important thing I'm learning is what a single person is being capable of doing in a few weeks.
The never ending cycle of feedback (it's always appreciated).
March 22, 2025 at 5:00 PM
The never ending cycle of feedback (it's always appreciated).
The last 20% takes 80% of the time.
March 22, 2025 at 6:00 AM
The last 20% takes 80% of the time.
Some people say that I'm easily distracted.
They are right.
They are right.
March 21, 2025 at 5:00 PM
Some people say that I'm easily distracted.
They are right.
They are right.
MVP doesn't necessarily mean rushing it. It means having something functional to put it out there for real people to use it.
I have personally spent too much time developing things that nobody wants.
I have personally spent too much time developing things that nobody wants.
March 21, 2025 at 6:00 AM
MVP doesn't necessarily mean rushing it. It means having something functional to put it out there for real people to use it.
I have personally spent too much time developing things that nobody wants.
I have personally spent too much time developing things that nobody wants.
Indie game development should be handled a business as well.
Validate, experiment, get feedback, adjust.
Validate, experiment, get feedback, adjust.
March 20, 2025 at 5:00 PM
Indie game development should be handled a business as well.
Validate, experiment, get feedback, adjust.
Validate, experiment, get feedback, adjust.
The biggest change I'm doing right now for my indie game is completely overhauling how the three option generation works, based on an idea ChatGPT gave me.
March 20, 2025 at 7:56 AM
The biggest change I'm doing right now for my indie game is completely overhauling how the three option generation works, based on an idea ChatGPT gave me.