The "One More Thing" Black Hole: How Features Devour Your Indie Game

Ah, the siren song of “just one more feature.” It whispers sweet nothings into the ears of indie game developers, promising untold riches and critical acclaim. But beware, dear developer, for this melody leads only to the rocks of ruin, where unfinished projects lie scattered like the bones of forgotten dreams.

The “One More Thing” Black Hole: How Features Devour Your Indie Game

Imagine your game as a meticulously crafted ship. You’ve designed the hull, rigged the sails, and stocked the galley with enough digital rations to reach your destination: a completed and (hopefully) successful game.

Then the “One More Thing” monster appears, disguised as a charming seagull offering shiny new features. “A grappling hook!” it squawks. “Dynamic weather!” “A crafting system involving squirrel dentistry!” Each addition seems harmless, even beneficial, at first. But like barnacles clinging to the hull, they accumulate, slowing you down and ultimately sinking your precious vessel.

The problem isn’t necessarily bad ideas. It’s the unmanaged proliferation of ideas. It’s the inability to say “no,” even to your own brain’s most dazzling, yet utterly irrelevant, sparks of “genius.” This is feature creep, and it’s the silent killer of indie game dreams.

Why Do We Do This To Ourselves? The Psychology of Feature Creep

We indie devs, bless our naive hearts, are often driven by a potent cocktail of ambition, insecurity, and a crippling fear of being “boring.” We think that more features equals more value, a fallacy as dangerous as believing that a thousand monkeys with typewriters will eventually write Shakespeare (they’ll mostly just write manifestos and demand better bananas).

The fear of missing out (FOMO) is a powerful force. Seeing AAA games with sprawling open worlds and intricate systems, we feel pressured to compete, forgetting that we’re David facing Goliath, not Goliath with a slightly smaller sword.

Plus, we’re often alone, toiling in the digital wilderness. We lack the structured oversight of a large studio, the cold, hard gaze of a producer whose only concern is shipping the damn thing on time and under budget. Our own enthusiasm becomes our worst enemy, blinding us to the looming iceberg of scope creep.

Taming the Beast: Strategies for Saying “No” (Even to Yourself)

Fear not, intrepid developers! There are ways to fight back against the “One More Thing” monster. It requires discipline, ruthlessness, and a healthy dose of self-awareness.

1. Embrace the Core Loop: What is the fundamental joy of your game? What action does the player repeat over and over that keeps them engaged? Identify this core loop and protect it like a dragon guarding its hoard. Every feature you consider must directly enhance this loop.

• Example: In a simple platformer, the core loop might be “jump, collect, progress.” Does that crafting system with squirrel dentistry really enhance that? Probably not. Does a new jump mechanic? Perhaps.

2. The “MoSCoW” Method: Prioritize features using the MoSCoW method:

• Must have: Absolutely essential for the game to function.
• Should have: Important, but not critical.
• Could have: Nice-to-have features, but easily cut.
• Won’t have: Features that are explicitly rejected for this iteration.

Be brutal. Most of your ideas will fall into the “Could have” or “Won’t have” categories. Embrace the pain of letting go.

3. The "Vertical Slice": Create a small, polished demo that showcases the core gameplay. This “vertical slice” should represent the best possible experience, not the most possible features.

• Example: Imagine a roguelike. Instead of building out dozens of enemy types and levels, focus on creating one incredibly compelling level with a handful of enemies, polished combat, and satisfying progression.

4. Timeboxing & Scope Limitations: Allocate fixed time periods for specific tasks. Once the time is up, move on, regardless of whether the feature is “perfect.” Imperfection is the price of shipping. It’s better to have a slightly flawed game that exists than a perfect game that never sees the light of day.

• Case Study: A developer working on a pixel art RPG limited themselves to 4 hours per sprite. If they couldn’t get it right in that time, they either simplified the design or cut the sprite entirely. The result was a visually consistent game that actually launched.

5. The “Is It Fun?” Test: This is the ultimate arbiter. Before implementing any new feature, create a quick prototype and ask yourself: “Is it actually fun?” Does it genuinely improve the experience, or is it just adding complexity for the sake of complexity?

• Pitfall: It’s easy to convince yourself that a feature is fun because you enjoyed building it. Get feedback from unbiased playtesters. Be prepared to hear uncomfortable truths.

6. Embrace "Good Enough": Perfectionism is the enemy of done. Learn to recognize when a feature is “good enough” and resist the urge to endlessly tweak and polish. A finished, slightly imperfect game is infinitely better than an unfinished masterpiece.

7. The “Future Consideration” Parking Lot: Jot down all those tempting “One More Thing” ideas in a document titled “Future Considerations.” Acknowledge their existence, but banish them from your immediate focus. You can always revisit them in a post-release update, if the game is a hit (and if you still think they’re good ideas after the cold light of launch).

The Indie Developer’s Paradox: Creativity vs. Constraint

The ironic twist, of course, is that indie development is all about creativity. We’re supposed to be pushing boundaries and experimenting with new ideas. But unchecked creativity is a runaway train hurtling towards disaster.

The key is to embrace constrained creativity. Limit yourself deliberately. Set artificial boundaries. Challenge yourself to do more with less. Constraints, paradoxically, can be the engine of innovation.

Think of it like sculpting. The sculptor doesn’t just randomly add clay. They carefully remove material, revealing the form hidden within. Feature creep is like endlessly adding clay, burying the original vision under a mountain of superfluous details.

From Feature Feast to Focused Feast: Launching Your Dream

Avoiding feature creep isn’t about stifling creativity; it’s about channeling it effectively. It’s about recognizing that less can be more, that simplicity can be powerful, and that a finished game is always better than a half-finished one.

So, the next time that “One More Thing” monster whispers in your ear, remember the sinking ship. Remember the bones of forgotten projects. And, most importantly, remember the joy of finally, finally, launching your game and sharing your vision with the world. Then, you can start thinking about that sequel, with the squirrel dentistry. But only after you’ve shipped the first one. That’s the secret.

Conclusion: Stop Adding, Start Shipping

Indie game development is a marathon, not a sprint. It’s a long, arduous journey filled with challenges and setbacks. Feature creep is just one of the many obstacles you’ll face along the way.

But with a little discipline, a little ruthlessness, and a healthy dose of self-awareness, you can tame the beast and reach the finish line. You can ship your game. You can achieve your dream. And you can finally silence that infernal “One More Thing” voice… at least until the sequel.