Being a indie developer can be very tough most especially if you are just starting out as most of your funding will come out of your pocket. Not having a shipped game or some game to show off is even tougher. But fret not, all indie developers started the same way. With a big question of how can I make this work. Now here are some tips for anyone just starting out as a indie developer.

1.  Set a goal. Having one helps you focus your resources into some direction. It might not be the right goal/direction but at least you are not just wandering about what you should do. If you always have somewhere you are marching towards then you are half way there 
2.  Build your network. Knowing the right people is very important. Even if you know people who cannot help you, just the fact that you know them and what they do has a astounding effect on you. Also do not forget close friends as very valuable assets to your indie development dreams. They can provide you support/money/skills, etc ... As a rule of thumb, keep your networks alive and healthy
3. Develop the necessary skillsets. If you want to be a Indie Developer then you better know atleast 3 of these skills. The more the better, because as a indie game developer you will be wearing multiple hats
   1. Programming
   2. Visual Art
   3. Sound Design
   4. Game Design
   5. Production
   6. PR
   7. Speaking
   8. Writing
4. Be passionate about what you do. This is probably the most important thing you should be having. Because without this all your games will become boring and lifeless as you are. Being Indie is a great way to express yourself, and it will show in everything that you do. So be sure you are willing to sacrifice alot in order to get your indie project done.
5. Also don't forget to have fun. I know it is alot of work but please have fun otherwise what is the point in doing all this?

Content is king I guess, because even if I elegantly create this framework for a game without content the game is nothing. Right now I am at the phase where I need to generate these vast amounts of game content, refine them, and make them into something people would enjoy to play. This is by far the hardest part of the game because fun is subjective. However there are baselines that people will come to expect, from your target audience and beyond. For example, difficulty is a very hard thing to pin down. How do I make it challenging without making it too cheesy? Is it a design effort to make it harder or a simpler multiply enemy health by 1.5x if it is harder.

Also since my environment and level is so dependent on the enemies, I need to make them as fun and varied as possbile. I need distinguishable behavior, silhouette and sound. Without these the enemies just become simple obstacles rather than charactered enemies you would want to play with.

But yes, I am soldiering on to GDC and possibly indie cade with my efforts. 

Special shout out to Erwin Peil for providing the kick ass music for the game.

I am currently working on getting the alpha version in a demoable state. It's been roughly half a year since I started working on Gum Drop on my spare time, and it has really gotten to a point that I am very proud of what I have achieved. But really that half past year is going to be cake walk compared to the next 2-6 months I will have to spend polishing and making the game the best it could be. All the major system components are in place and now I can concentrate more on the presentation and gameplay aspect of the game.  So I guess this is my half-way point for the project, a good time to reflect on what worked and what did not work.

 What worked:

1. Having a central repository for documents which is easily accesible everywhere. Google Docs provdied the perfect solution, so I can bring up the documents anywhere I have interenet acess on. It also facilitates easy collaborartion with other people who may need to read the documentation. Google Docs also provided versioning on the documents so I could easily revert back the changes.
2. Using pre-existing libraries. I created Gum Drop on XNA using C# which enabled me to work in a more rapid fashion. Not having to write my own matrix classes was a God Send. Also I used the Farseer Physics library which helped me get a proof of concept up and running in a short amount of time.
3. Learning how to adjust plans and expectations. Since this is my first game written in XNA there was a learning curve in implementing various systems that I did a different way when I was working with C++. Creating a game is a long process, and ideas change so having a open mind to help move the project along was indeed needed.
4. Switching to more of a random/procedural way of generating the levels helped me steer away from creating a content creation tool, which would have added complexity to the project.
5. Having early feedback about the gameplay from different kinds of gamers and non-gamers alike. Since I want this game to be appreciated by a wide range of people, having their different opionions early on mattered

What did not work so well:

1. It was alot harder to find people to buy-in to the project, actually I do not have anyone actively working on the project. I had a few people help here and there but it was a 1 man shop most of the way. I had to do asset creation, programming, testing, producing, story, etc... You name it, I did it.
2. I did not plan the engineering aspect detailed enough. I knew what systems I would need to make but I did not make clear how I would use them, and how they would interact. This is also partly because I was not that familiar with XNA and the physics library during the start of the project.
3. I have limited time on my hands, at most I work 20-30 hours on this project per week on top of my day job and other acitivities. Having more time to work on it would have been better

All in all, I enjoy working on this project, and I primarily work on it because I love making interactive worlds that I only dreamed of when I was little. Having it translated to games that I can share to other people is top priority. Saying that making extra money on the side would not be bad at all of course :)

So in retrospective, I'm glad I did what I did, and I will continue on the project and polish it till it becomes shiny like the sun