Common Devlog Bugs and How to Fix Them

Stop Killing Your Game Devlog: Common Mistakes and How to Fix Them

Many indie game developers understand the importance of keeping a game dev journal, or devlog. But a devlog that nobody reads, or worse, nobody can find useful later, is worse than no devlog at all. Let’s look at how to avoid the common pitfalls and create a devlog that actually helps you.

The Inconsistency Trap

The most common devlog sin is inconsistency. A burst of initial enthusiasm followed by radio silence. This hurts both your potential audience and, more importantly, you.

Before:

Day 1: Started working on my space shooter. Got the basic ship movement working.

Day 47: Added some enemies. They shoot back now.

What happened in those 46 days? Did the project stall? Did you solve a major problem? We’ll never know.

After:

Day 1: Implemented basic player ship movement using Unity’s Rigidbody.AddForce. Feels responsive, but needs tweaking for acceleration.

Day 8: Finished the core enemy AI. They now follow the player and shoot in a predictable pattern. Next steps: add some variety to their behavior.

Day 15: Major refactor of the projectile system. Performance is much improved, allowing for more enemies on screen. Blog post with code samples coming soon!

Day 22: Experimenting with different weapon types for the player. Laser feels good, but I’m struggling to balance the shotgun.

… and so on, every week …

The “After” example provides regular, specific updates. Even short entries are valuable if they’re consistent. Aim for a sustainable cadence. Even once a week is better than a daily flurry followed by silence.

Lacking Clear Goals

A devlog without clear goals becomes a rambling mess. What are you trying to achieve with each entry?

Before:

Worked on the game today. Did some stuff. Feeling tired.

What “stuff?” What problems did you encounter? What did you learn? This entry is useless.

After:

Goal: Implement a basic pause menu.

Progress: Created the UI elements and added functionality to pause/resume the game.

Problems: Struggled with input management in the UI. Resolved by using Unity’s EventSystem.

Next Steps: Add options to the pause menu (volume control, keybindings).

The “After” example provides context and purpose. Each entry should have a clear objective, a summary of progress, and a note of any roadblocks.

Drowning in Walls of Text

Nobody wants to wade through endless paragraphs to find the crucial information. Break up your text and make it scannable.

Before:

Today I spent hours trying to get the character animation to work. It was a real struggle. The animator controller was a mess, and I kept getting errors about missing transitions. I eventually figured out that the problem was with the naming conventions for the animation clips. I had to rename all the clips to match the state names in the animator controller. It was a tedious process, but I finally got it working. Now the character moves smoothly and realistically. I’m really happy with the result.

After:

Animation Update:

• Spent hours debugging character animations.
• Problem: Mismatched animation clip names in the Animator Controller.
• Solution: Renamed all clips to match state names.
• Result: Smooth and realistic character movement.

The “After” example uses bullet points to highlight key information. Keep your paragraphs short and use headings to structure your content. Visuals (screenshots, GIFs, videos) are even better.

Organizing Devlogs for Long-Term Reference

A devlog’s value compounds over time. But only if you can easily find information later. Here’s how to organize your devlog for maximum benefit.

Tagging is Your Friend

Implement a tagging system to categorize your entries. This allows you to quickly filter your devlog by topic.

• #animation
• #AI
• #UI
• #performance
• #bug

When you encounter a similar problem in the future, you can quickly search for relevant entries.

Make it Searchable

Your devlog is only useful if you can find what you’re looking for. Choose a platform or tool that offers robust search functionality.

If you’re using a simple text editor, consider indexing your entries in a spreadsheet or database for faster searching.

From Devlog to Marketing

Individual devlog entries can be repurposed for larger progress reports or marketing materials.

Compile a series of related entries into a monthly or quarterly update. Use these updates to showcase your progress to potential publishers or investors.

Short, visually appealing excerpts can be shared on social media to build awareness and engage your audience.

The Power of Structured Journaling

The key to a successful devlog is structure. A consistent format, clear goals, and robust organization will transform your devlog from a chore into a valuable asset.

But manually managing tags, searchability, and cross-referencing entries can be tedious. That’s why we created structured game development journaling. Our tool provides a powerful, searchable, and customizable system for tracking your game development progress. Start organizing your journey today and unlock the full potential of your devlog. It’s time to stop losing valuable insights and start building a truly useful record of your game’s creation.