Lueur and the Dim Settlers is a miniature survival builder title perfect for short and relaxing gaming sessions. In the game, you will again have to build and manage your kingdom, collect resources and decide the fate of your people. The interesting premise of this game is that we are fighting against the darkness, and while playing we will discover the secrets of the black monoliths in order to restore the light to the world.
It stands out for its micro and macro level, i.e. you personally supervise and manage the buildings you build and the resources you collect, and at the same time you can have fun playing various mini arcade games. It is very easy to play, that's why it has a relaxing purpose, and it also offers us three ways to play: Settler, Survivor and Deity so that you can experience the game in different ways.
Based on your constructed buildings, additional stories will develop. The outcome of these stories will depend on your decisions and will directly affect the state of your city and resources. Whether you will prove to be a merciful ruler or whether you will decide on a pragmatic and relentless approach, you decide the fate of your people, everything is in your hands. It should also be mentioned that Lueur is designed to be played with a game pad or handheld console and can also be played on PC.
Last year, Darenn decided to leave his prestigious game development job at Ubisoft Bordeaux to follow his passion and started developing his own independent game. He described that decision as one of the biggest in his life, but also extremely demanding. Investing in uncertainty and the unknown is never easy. However, his longtime dream was to create and launch a game that would be personal, almost intimate, allowing players to get to know him better through it.
More information about this game or if you want to follow it through social networks, and possibly join the playtest for Lueur, you can do so by clicking on this link: https://darenn.github.io/linktree/.
Can you tell us about your game development journey? How much did the experience you got for working at Ubisoft help you reach where you are now?
At about 6 years old, I delved into gaming with Final Fantasy 7 on the PS1. Captivated by the battles, the characters and this lively virtual world, it nurtured the unwavering desire to craft my own games.
I started with mods and maps on existing games (especially Warcraft 3) and actually programmed my first game quite late, at around 17 years old. It was a simple text-game written in C that took me weeks to create. Self-teaching programming proved difficult without the readily available online resources of today’s era; I relied solely on a single book as my guide. Lacking a mentor and isolated from like-minded peers, I eventually gave up.
After high school, I studied computer science, reigniting my passion for game development. I honed my skills during two internships in modest video game studios and secured admission to a prestigious French video game school known as the ENJMIN.
Following graduation, I got a job at Ubisoft as Game Designer and worked there for 3 years, working on AAA titles like Ghost Recon and Assassins’s Creed. I left to pursue my dream of creating tiny games on my own.
While I’ve learned a lot about Game Design, Teamwork and Communication at Ubisoft, going indie felt like starting from scratch again. It’s a remarkably different way of making games, which is mildly exciting.
How do you manage various aspects of game development, such as programming, art, design, and sound, as a solo developer?
This is definitely challenging. You need the skills but you also need a good organization, discipline and flexibility. One moment you’re programming the AI, the next moment you’re drawing a house or answering messages from your community - this can prove overwhelming.
However it can also be an advantage. If I’m fed up with programming stuff, I can start to draw to get my mind off of it while still working on the game. It keeps me motivated which is obviously crucial, especially in solo where you are more likely to get discouraged.
It’s also important to know your strengths and weaknesses. Be humble and shape your game according to them. In my case, my strong suit is definitely game design. I can do programming pretty well and I love to play music. However, I’m a pretty crappy visual artist; That’s why I always try to limit the amount of drawings in my game.
You need to accept that specialized people would fare way better than you. Some parts of your game will be weaker than others and that’s ok. That’s part of it, making it your own personal game. You’ll get better as you’re doing it.
Lueur and the Dim Settlers is running on Godot if I’m not mistaken, why did you decide to you use this engine for this game?
I’ve been using Unity for a long time, but I got fed up with it for various reasons.
When it came to choosing an engine for my indie journey, I chose Godot. I like how lightweight and easy to use it is. I like the custom scripting language, tailored specifically for game development. I appreciate its open-source nature; If I need to modify the engine to fit my needs, I can do so. As a solo indie dev, I try to have maximum control over my process and tools; Not using proprietary softwares is one way of doing it.
Solo game development can be challenging and overwhelming. How do you stay motivated and manage stress during the development cycle?
As I said earlier, alternating between design, programming and art is one way of maintaining motivation.
When I feel especially sad or discouraged, I watch a friend casually play my game. It’s always a lot of fun and boosts my motivation thereafter. I strive to maintain a life balance; I don’t work all day long, I take a lot of breaks, I play games, watch movies, go out and sometimes take vacation to fully disconnect completely from work.
When I feel especially sad or discouraged, I watch a friend casually play my game. It’s always a lot of fun and boosts my motivation thereafter..
How do you see the future of your game development career evolving? Do you plan to continue working solo, or do you have aspirations for growth?
Nowadays, I want to do as much as I can by myself. During my time at Ubisoft, I’ve extensively worked in teams and loved it. It’s fun and you can grow thanks to others challenging your ideas. But I also experienced its downsides. A lot of time is lost arguing about the game design and when you don’t find a consensus, the outcome is a compromise (hurts the game) or a dictated decision by the most important person in the room (hurts the team). Currently, I am resolute in avoiding compromises, striving to bring my envisioned game to life. The only way to get this is to work solo (It would be so horrible to work with someone who holds this mindset).
But it does not mean I don’t listen to anyone! Conversely, I’m highly receptive to feedback. I show my game to fellow game developers, players and friends. The best thing about this is that I can collect all the feedback and ideas but I don’t have to convince them of anything. I select what appears promising and discard the rest! I’m always on the lookout for people with whom I can achieve perfect synergy though, so maybe one day…
I’m always on the lookout for people with whom I can achieve perfect synergy though, so maybe one day…
How important is it for solo developers/small studios to use social media? What are your experiences?
It’s a fantastic way to connect with other game developers, make friends and share news about your game online.
However, it’s not the most critical thing for solo devs. A lot of game devs with small social network accounts have successful or popular games. I focus on events (online or physical) to get players but also the attention of influencers and press; They are the ones that generate a significant number of wishlists. I search for them and send them emails or messages. They don’t care about the follower count, but they will scrutinize the marketing assets (thumbnails, trailers, screenshots, descriptions) and the potential of your game.
Ensure you have the best possible marketing assets and get in touch with influencers.
In terms of game mechanics, what makes your survival builder game stand out from others in the genre?
I can think of 3 elements:
- The minimalist design. Strategy and Building games are getting more and more complex. Lueur focuses on the essential; Few resources, a minimal user interface and a handful of board-like mechanics. Just what you need to have fun!
- It’s designed for gamepads. Usually, games of this genre are played with a mouse and keyboard on a computer with tons of different menus. Sometimes you have a gamepad version for consoles, but you can see the game was not designed with this in mind, rendering navigation complicated and uncomfortable.
- The collecting mini-games. I love games that use different parts of your brain. For example in Uncharted, I use my curiosity and dexterity during exploration/platformer sections, my strategic thinking and reflexes during fight sections and my logic and observation skills during the puzzle sections. Many actions in Lueur are completed by playing mini-games. They are mostly recreational so that you can pause your “planning and strategy brain” for a bit. This is also more immersive, you’re not only a god but also a hunter, a lumberjack etc…
What part of Lueur and the Dim Settlers makes you feel proud, any game mechanics you worked on for hours or something you feel is more original?
I’m proud of the work I did on the user interface and how I made the game fun with a handful of mechanics. But If I had to choose only one, surprisingly, I would say the collecting mini-games.
Who would have thought that mini-games could improve a game? They are usually used to fill time or as easter eggs, especially in AAA titles. But popular farming sims like Stardew Valley or Spiritfarer are simple building games with some planning and tons of mini-games that players are fond of.
In Lueur and the Dim Settlers, they allow the player to take a small break from planning their city. They cannot be failed, you always receive a reward, and the better you perform, the more resources you earn. It is exciting and can significantly impact your progress. They also immerse you a little deeper into the game. For a few seconds, you stop being the king of a city and become a hunter, a fisherman or a warrior on one of your tiny squares.
Can you provide some insights into your development roadmap? Are there any upcoming features or updates that players can look forward to?
I’m currently working on the next levels, new buildings and a new science resource which will make the game deeper and more replayable. I have a rough roadmap, but to be honest, I don’t really follow it.
I want to release the game when it is ready and also when the players are ready. The game is ready when I have the full story of Lueur, about 10 levels providing about 10-15h of playtime without playing the optional challenges. I know that “when the players are ready” might sound strange. The players are ready when I have reached what I consider the maximum amount of wishlist that I can get by myself (about 10k). I work alone and have enough funds so that I don’t have to push myself to release at a specific date. I can release at the most opportune time to maximize game sales. I won’t announce the release date before both of those conditions are met.
I strongly believe in nurturing a game after release. It keeps players engaged, and allows the game to reach even more players. Here are some things I’d like to have in the game, at release or later in free updates:
- Campaigns: A roguelike mode. You arrive on a procedurally generated continent engulfed into darkness. Your goal is to illuminate it completely. The continent is composed of several procedurally generated maps with different biomes and objectives. Each time you complete a map, you get bonuses for the next ones so it’s better to plan for this! You can also equip bonuses when you start the campaign.
- Creative Mod: a mode for players to create their own map, and maybe more.
- Modding Features: textures packs, new buildings, maybe even more.
- Puzzle Mod: very short maps with a specific challenge to accomplish.
- Pristupačnost: localization in every language, specific accessibility features.
Let’s talk about numbers, how many people played the demo version of Lueur and the Dim Settlers so far, and how many have whish listed it? Are you satisfied with how the campaign is going?
At the time of writing (2023/08/10):
- 7062 wishlists
- 12385 demo downloads
- 4136 players played the demo for more than 10 minutes (median time is 38 minutes of playtime).
I created the steam page 4 months ago and started doing marketing 2 months ago. My goal was to get towards 7k by release. So… YEAH, I am really happy. It was way faster than I thought too. My new goal is to reach 10 to 14k. Mostly because other games in the same niche with that amount of wishlist did great at release. Already half-way there!
Lueur and the Dim Settlers is also designed to be played with a gamepad or handheld console, why did you decide to go with this approach? Was it more difficult in terms of developing or?
Players, whether casual or not, increasingly enjoy the ability to play on the go, whether it’s in their car, bed or garden. I wanted to create a casual and minimalist strategy builder game, so making it playable on handheld consoles was a no-brainer.
Indeed, developing for this platform proved to be a challenge! I’m a big fan of this type of game on PC. I tried a few games like this on the Switch, but the controls and gameplay were so difficult to manage that I would end up going back to PC. I don’t have a good point of comparison to draw inspiration from, and very often, my ideas were better suited for a mouse and keyboard setup with numerous windows and GUI elements to monitor production, stocks, etc.
However, this challenge was also a blessing. I had to keep the game simple, given that it would be played with a gamepad on a small screen. A simple game is quicker to develop, which is ideal for a solo indie developer.
The game is supposed to be released later this year; do you maybe have a date in mind when we could exactly see the full version of this game on Steam? Are you maybe planning to release in Early Access?
It might be hard to release it this year, actually. If the game is released this year, it means I had many sleepless nights and was fortunate enough to receive a significant boost in wishlists from a major influencer!
I don’t think Lueur is the right fit for Early Access due to its size and objectives. Early Access can also place considerable strain on development. As a solo developer, I certainly don’t want to have to simultaneously develop the game and manage a community!
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