How to make an adventure game if you don’t know how to code
summary
Builds a co-op detective adventure with the Twine engine and adapts it for live Zoom play; uses Twine for logic, MidJourney for art (2,500 rerolls to pick 70 images), iPhone voiceovers plus Fiverr actors, ChatGPT and Google for text editing, and Notion for script management. Initial solo prototype costs under $500, converts into a B2B product sold to about 70 corporate clients, reaches roughly 1,500 players, and generates around $25,000 revenue. Practical, low-code pipeline proves viable and repeatable with Twine engine at its core.
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chapters (24)
- 0:00Introduction
- 1:12Non-coders can make games
- 2:14Passion beyond gaming
- 3:19Pandemic to business
- 4:42Detective game concept
- 6:05Game development stages
- 9:17Characters and plot structure
- 12:46Dramatic story structure
- 13:4936 dramatic situations
- 16:00Player engagement techniques
- 18:07Realistic characters
- 19:32Game text tools
- 20:39Sound and voiceover options
- 22:05Art options overview
- 23:54Twine engine demo
- 33:20Costs and hosting
- 36:57Twine success stories
- 37:38Playtesting and refining
- 38:44Single-player to B2B
- 40:29Revenue opportunities
- 41:11SimCity’s lesson
- 42:16Sharing ideas
- 43:43Swiss-army-knife indie
- 44:47Final advice
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