Aerial_Knight's Never Yield (PC, Series X|S, XB1, Switch, PS5, PS4, Android, iOS) (Black game dev)
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Aerial_Knight’s Never Yield "Da Update" Available Today - Xbox Wire
Aerial_Knight’s Never Yield “Da Update” Available Today
by Mike Nelson, Xbox Wire Editor • Feb 15, 2022 @ 7:00am
Hello, again. It seems like so long since I wrote part 1 of this article. Welcome to part 2, Da Update! It has been almost a year since the base game launched, and I’ve discovered that one of my favorite pass times had been watching streamers play Aerial_Knight’s Never Yield. The first few months after launch I spent listening to players feedback, reading reviews, finding out what people understood about the game, and what I didn’t do the best job at conveying. I wanted to address all of these issues. As well as add some new features that would bring players back for another run, and hopefully seeing the game in a whole new light.
After reading so many of the reviews, it seemed like most of the feedback pointed out a lot of smaller non-gameplay related frustrations that would be a bit of work but nothing too crazy. I believed by motivating players to come back with the issues in the base game addressed and a few new surprises That would give people a new perspective of Never Yield and warrant a few updated reviews as you see with a lot of larger titles. The key items that I aimed for in this update lead to hundreds of smaller tasks add along the way. But the highlights I wanted to hit were new bonus levels, new music, endless mode, leaderboards, UI overhaul, graphical updates, new achievements, level, story, and cut-scene updates, mobile version, and Xbox Accessibility controls. Looking at this list it was a lot more then a normal update — it was a new version of the game and would take a lot longer than I wanted if, I was to do it all myself. I figure I should find some help if I was going to pull this off in a resembled amount of time.
The search for a small team that could keep up with me and be able to get up and running quickly took a bit longer than I was hoping. After a few recommendations, I came across this really cool small team based out of the UK call BetaJuster. They assisted in setting up the newer features while I went back to clean up and redesign some older features before starting all the newer assets needed. It was a wonderful team up and the reason why I was able to pull this massive update off.
I’ll spare you the boring parts of the random smaller challenges I ran into during the month’s building Da Update but for the most part it was fun and went really smoothly. The biggest factor again was time. I had been working a fancy new day job that I really enjoy during the day then clocking out and just relaxing while working on Da Update at night. That’s a bit of a contradiction as making games can be very stressful, but I found a lot of comfort in know the game was already out and everything I was doing creating now was basically adding to what players already like about the game while tweaking the things that could be better.
I’m really happy with how much more the game reflexes the vision I originally had. I’m most proud of the undated ending and all the little tweaks to the story just to make it a bit more clear while leaving room for interpretation. The theme has always been that “Things don’t change they remain the same unless you change them,” and I really hope that Never Yield and Da Update really shows how fans constructive feedback and support can help make things like this update happen. I also hope that after finishing Never Yield players are motivated to give other smaller games that they may have never heard of a chance.
As for me and what’s next, I think I’ve earned a nap. I want to take some time and help other black game developers get some spotlight while I work on my next game. I’m really into doing things that are wildly unexpected and fun. But till then… Never Yield!
Aerial_Knight’s Never Yield “Da Update” Available Today
by Mike Nelson, Xbox Wire Editor • Feb 15, 2022 @ 7:00am
Hello, again. It seems like so long since I wrote part 1 of this article. Welcome to part 2, Da Update! It has been almost a year since the base game launched, and I’ve discovered that one of my favorite pass times had been watching streamers play Aerial_Knight’s Never Yield. The first few months after launch I spent listening to players feedback, reading reviews, finding out what people understood about the game, and what I didn’t do the best job at conveying. I wanted to address all of these issues. As well as add some new features that would bring players back for another run, and hopefully seeing the game in a whole new light.
After reading so many of the reviews, it seemed like most of the feedback pointed out a lot of smaller non-gameplay related frustrations that would be a bit of work but nothing too crazy. I believed by motivating players to come back with the issues in the base game addressed and a few new surprises That would give people a new perspective of Never Yield and warrant a few updated reviews as you see with a lot of larger titles. The key items that I aimed for in this update lead to hundreds of smaller tasks add along the way. But the highlights I wanted to hit were new bonus levels, new music, endless mode, leaderboards, UI overhaul, graphical updates, new achievements, level, story, and cut-scene updates, mobile version, and Xbox Accessibility controls. Looking at this list it was a lot more then a normal update — it was a new version of the game and would take a lot longer than I wanted if, I was to do it all myself. I figure I should find some help if I was going to pull this off in a resembled amount of time.
The search for a small team that could keep up with me and be able to get up and running quickly took a bit longer than I was hoping. After a few recommendations, I came across this really cool small team based out of the UK call BetaJuster. They assisted in setting up the newer features while I went back to clean up and redesign some older features before starting all the newer assets needed. It was a wonderful team up and the reason why I was able to pull this massive update off.
I’ll spare you the boring parts of the random smaller challenges I ran into during the month’s building Da Update but for the most part it was fun and went really smoothly. The biggest factor again was time. I had been working a fancy new day job that I really enjoy during the day then clocking out and just relaxing while working on Da Update at night. That’s a bit of a contradiction as making games can be very stressful, but I found a lot of comfort in know the game was already out and everything I was doing creating now was basically adding to what players already like about the game while tweaking the things that could be better.
I’m really happy with how much more the game reflexes the vision I originally had. I’m most proud of the undated ending and all the little tweaks to the story just to make it a bit more clear while leaving room for interpretation. The theme has always been that “Things don’t change they remain the same unless you change them,” and I really hope that Never Yield and Da Update really shows how fans constructive feedback and support can help make things like this update happen. I also hope that after finishing Never Yield players are motivated to give other smaller games that they may have never heard of a chance.
As for me and what’s next, I think I’ve earned a nap. I want to take some time and help other black game developers get some spotlight while I work on my next game. I’m really into doing things that are wildly unexpected and fun. But till then… Never Yield!
This is on PS5 sale for $7.19, def gonna cop it. Never knew about this game until I just check this thread today and didn't know it was released last year
Here is a video of the Xbox Twitch channel playing the game with Aerial_Knight (Click on the ghost in the embed to go to directly to the video)
Solo dev Neil Jones of Aerial_Knight's Never Yield: "Motivation is a really hard thing" - PreMortem Games
Neil Jones, also known as Aerial_Knight, is an American indie game developer that created and developed a game all by himself.
premortem.games
Solo dev Neil Jones of Aerial_Knight’s Never Yield: “Motivation is a really hard thing”
By Eric Bartelson
June 29, 2022
https://www.facebook.com/sharer.php...ever-yield-motivation-is-a-really-hard-thing/
https://twitter.com/intent/tweet?te...on-is-a-really-hard-thing/&via=premortemgames
https://pinterest.com/pin/create/bu... created and developed a game all by himself.
https://reddit.com/submit?url=https...er+Yield:+“Motivation+is+a+really+hard+thing”
Neil Jones, also known as Aerial_Knight, is an American indie game developer. He started as a 3D artist on several projects and worked in the industry for over 10 years before he created his first solo game Aerial_Knight’s Never Yield. It’s a 3D side-scroller set in a futuristic version of his hometown of Detroit. He went solo because of the lack of support and funding at the time.
Development of the game was a bumpy ride as Jones had to learn a lot of making games along the way. He struggled with stress and a lack of motivation, but when his game came out last year it got mostly positive reviews from players and critics. Still, the journey as a solo developer was hard on Jones: “The whole solo thing is a lot of stress and there is so much that goes into it. I really don’t see myself doing what I did with Never Yield ever again.”
Why did you decide to build a game as a solo developer?
“When I started developing Never Yield I was just messing around trying to make something cool myself, that I could put out into the world. I was solo because I didn’t really have a choice. I didn’t have any funding or support when I started, but it kinda just snowballed into a bigger thing.”
What are the biggest advantages of working solo?
“The biggest advantage is having full control over what you want to do and focus on everyday. I love waking up and saying ‘hey I just wanna work on UI today and design something really cool’. If I work hard it can be done and in my game by the end of the day. there aren’t any blockers and I never have to ask permission.”
What are the biggest pitfalls of working solo?
“For me the biggest downfall of working solo is that doing the things you’re not the best at just takes so long. You often don’t get it right the first time and have to start over which breaks more things. I reach out and ask for help a lot. I have some amazing friends that jump in and help me out if I get stuck.”
The soundtrack of the game by Daniel Wilkins and Neil Jones.How does your creative process work?
“I do all the creative stuff on my own. That’s what I feel really comfortable with. I like to get a single vision across but I do tell my close friend what I’m thinking about doing. Their reactions and questions about it help me streamline that vision.“
How do you stay motivated through (years of) development?
“Motivation is a really hard thing for me, I’ve had a lot of trouble staying motivated. I realized that sometimes sitting in front of your computer all day trying your best to work -but still not making any progress- still counts as work. The small things are what keep me going. Making a cool model or setting up the lighting just right. Being excited to see what people think about it, it all adds up. That’s what keeps me going day to day.
Will you keep on doing solo development?
“The whole solo thing is a lot of stress and there is so much that goes into it. I really don’t see myself doing what I did with Never Yield ever again. But I’m always playing around with prototypes and making small little projects. I can team up and help people with what they’re working on. I’ve done that before. It would be really cool to make an Aerial_Knight game with a team and some real funding. But the things I want to make are really weird and not really for everyone, so it’s not likely.
Neil JonesNever Yield draws a lot of inspiration from black culture. How important is your culture and heritage for you as a person and for your work?
“Having more culture in games will always be a good thing to me. Games should be fun and entertaining, sure. But if we are going to tell stories in games, having people who know those stories and are a part of that culture just makes sense. We’ve all seen bad versions of black characters or a bad take on a topic. That’s why I’m very picky with how my game looks, feels, and sounds. It gives off a different feel that a lot of people like. And that’s something I’m really proud of.”
The toll on your mental health can be quite high as a solo dev. How do you deal with that?
“Well, I avoided dealing with it and it made it worse. So, I really had to step back and cut myself off from a lot stressful things. I try to go outside and just be around positive people. It helps me let go of the things I can’t control. We often hear the line ‘Never read the comments’ and it’s very true! People who would never play your game in the first place will feel the need to attack you personally. It’s very hard not to look at the one thing people tell you not to look at, but that shyt will destroy you! No matter how good the thing you made is.”
Neil Jones was part of a GDC panel on solo game development this year.