piledrivegames.Indie game guides & development
Explore indie Steam games, Godot development notes and card-game design from Piledrivegames.
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Indie Steam games and demos
Choose a free Steam game, understand real-time strategy and prepare for Steam Next Fest.
- Queen's Domain on Steam: combat, exploration and demo
- Cairn on Steam: climbing, survival and assist options
- Satisfactory on Steam: factory building, solo play and co-op
- What is IGF? Independent Games Festival awards and discovery
- What Remains of Edith Finch: a spoiler-free Steam guide
- What is a roguelike deckbuilder? How runs, cards and unlocks work
- 5 free indie games on Steam for co-op, strategy and solo play
- What are RTS games? A beginner’s guide to real-time strategy
- Steam Next Fest February 2027: find your next indie strategy game
Godot and indie game development
Practical development notes from building Pixel Rush: RTS: readable cards, sound feedback and playtesting.
Card-game design and opinions
The original TCG Times essays on booster packs, power creep and player-friendly card games.
Play free indie browser game demos with controls and tips for each game.
All articles
Queen's Domain on Steam: combat, exploration and demo
Understand Queen's Domain's combat and traversal systems, see what its currently available Steam demo describes, and check the practical…
Read the story ↗Cairn on Steam: climbing, survival and assist options
Understand Cairn's climbing decisions, survival layer and documented Assist Mode options, with practical Steam and input checks before playing.
Read the story ↗Satisfactory on Steam: factory building, solo play and co-op
Understand Satisfactory's factory-building loop, compare solo and online co-op, and check the current cross-play, account and save distinctions…
Read the story ↗What is IGF? Independent Games Festival awards and discovery
Understand IGF entrants, finalists and winners, check the announced 2027 dates, and use award categories to discover independent games on Steam…
Read the story ↗What Remains of Edith Finch: a spoiler-free Steam guide
Find out what kind of game What Remains of Edith Finch is, how its family stories shape the gameplay, and which themes and Steam features to…
Read the story ↗What is a roguelike deckbuilder? How runs, cards and unlocks work
Learn how roguelike deckbuilders turn card choices into a run, why a larger deck can change your draws, and how current-run upgrades differ…
Read the story ↗5 free indie games on Steam for co-op, strategy and solo play
Find a free Steam game that fits your evening: cooperative platforming, fantasy strategy, space exploration, puzzles or tactical shooting…
Read the story ↗What are RTS games? A beginner’s guide to real-time strategy
RTS means real-time strategy, but the label covers very different ways to play. Learn the core decisions, compare turn-based games and check…
Read the story ↗Steam Next Fest February 2027: find your next indie strategy game
A demo should show you the decisions that make a game worth playing. Here is how to explore Steam Next Fest, and what Pixel Rush: RTS is…
Read the story ↗Godot game development: making strategy readable as a solo developer
More cards do not automatically make a better strategy game. Clear information, useful feedback and a manageable scope matter just as much.
Read the story ↗Are trading card games getting easier?
All Trading Card Games have a lifecycle, from inception, to power creep to player dissatisfaction. In the quest to attract newer and younger…
Read the story ↗The TCG Industries player exploitation continues ...
How often have you gone searching for some TCG cards of the latest set for your favorite game only to be welcomed with empty shelves and often…
Read the story ↗The TCG industry doesn't want to tell you what's in their product
The TCG industry big players are selling "mystery boxes" and no one seems to be bothered. If any other product from a different industry were…
Read the story ↗TCG Power Creep - The hidden reason
Power creep intentionally disrupts the balance of a game, in order to suck consumers wallets dry. This is an unhealthy practice that needs to…
Read the story ↗The Detrimental Impact of Booster Packs on a TCG
Booster packs is gambling for kids, and it has become far too common in the card game industry.
Read the story ↗