Name: Jon Nielsen
Company: Jon Nielsen
Known from: Lost Nova, Mechanibot, WitchHand
Hello, can you tell me a bit about yourself?
Hi I’m Jon! I’m an artist and indie dev and I like to make colorful things.
Do you have any recent or upcoming projects you’d like to share about?
Right now I’m working on my third game, WitchHand. It’s a card-based city builder with 4x elements and witches. My first two games relied a lot on story. This one is pure game mechanics so I’m really trying to take my time and get it right. I hope people like it as much as I do!
What’s the development process like for your current project? (are you part of a team? full-time/part-time)
Just me, working part-time. Though I do have someone doing the soundtrack and helping with some additional programming stuff (hi Topher!)
What are your personal favorite indie games that you didn’t work on and why are they your favorite?
Oh man, we could be here all day with a question like that. How about Outer Wilds? That’s a game that’ll really stick with you forever. I think about it every day. The story is beautiful and works from any angle. They really accomplished something special with that one. And you can fly in a little spaceship! So good.
How did you go about working achievements into your most recent project?
I largely use achievements to mark important progress milestones. In Mechanibot I used them as a sort of quest system for unlocking new content.
Do you like to hunt achievements yourself? And if so, what is your favorite and least favorite type of achievement?
I don’t have as much time for games as I’d like and getting 100% can be a huge investment so no, I’m not the biggest achievement person. I’ve one-hundred-percented very few games! Spider-Man 2018 is the only one that comes to mind. I like swinging.
Any advice for indie developers or other people in the indie industry?
Like any creative endeavor, it’s important to manage your expectations. You won’t get a breakaway hit on your first try. You probably won’t even make any money. But it’s vitally important to take the time to celebrate your achievement. Celebrate the knowledge you’ve gained. Take a minute to take it all in and then use it to make the next project even better.
Are there things I forgot to ask or is there anything you would like to add?
My Steam Developer Page: https://store.steampowered.com/developer/jonnielsen
My Twitter: https://twitter.com/encifer
Thank you for the time to answer the questions! I hope people will adding WitchHand to their wishlist. Wishlisting is very important for indie developers. It helps with the algorithm on Steam, but it also shows publishers that there is interest in the game.
