PLEASE START US OFF BY INTRODUCING YOURSELF:

My name is Néstor Piedra, I am from Costa Rica, I'm a mechatronics engineer specializing in big data. I play the guitar and bass, and I love music. I love playing games, both board games and video games, and I love learning new things!

Like most people, I started my journey creating video games in Unity, but it was when I took a university course and learned about Godot that I found the tool that clicked with me.

TELL US ABOUT FADING MIRELAINE.

I am currently working on the game Mirelaine. It is a puzzle game inspired by my favorite board games, such as Sagrada, Azul, and Riverwood Town. I love puzzles with colors and patterns, so I decided to share this passion with the world.

With what I've learned from my previous Escape Rooms, I hope this game will be much better. I've learned and grown as a developer, and I hope to give the best product I can to the players who put their trust in my developments.

HOW HAS THE DEVELOPMENT JOURNEY BEEN

This development has progressed at a very good pace. Technically speaking, it has allowed me to put into practice different skills that I have acquired over the years while learning to develop video games.

WHICH GAME ENGINE DID YOU CHOOSE AND WHY?

Once again, I am working with the Godot engine, as it always has everything I need and allows me to develop easily on my computer (I develop on a 7-year-old laptop, so you can see how this engine has been a blessing for my workflow). I am also learning to use different features of Blender and Krita, keeping my workflow 100% free software!

This learning process, including rendering, translations, and the process of participating in Steam festivals, has been incredible!

WHAT'S BEEN YOUR BIGGEST DEVELOPMENT HURDLE SO FAR?

The truth is that sometimes I envy the tutorials and tools that other engines like Unity have, because I don't always find what I need in a simple way or an organic way to implement it in my preferred engine. However, being in Godot right now and seeing how it changes and grows so quickly and robustly makes any headache worthwhile.

ADVICE FOR FELLOW DEVS?

Just get started. There is no magic formula for creating a video game, and coming from a technical background, I can tell you with certainty that no player cares how complex your programming logic is or how optimized your code is. We make video games; we create fun experiences. Focus on that.

You will never have a perfect game, and you don't have to know everything to get started. Just get started, and you can learn as you go.

Every great journey begins with the first step.

ANY FINAL THOUGHTS?

As the great Satoru Iwata said, games should be fun, fun for everyone. Just keep it simple and fun!

Néstor

Mirelaine on Steam