Yn Moddey Dhoo: How I’m automating the boring parts of solo game dev
n8n has allowed me to create some simple automations to assist in production
Why automate?
Disclaimer: n8n in of itself is NOT generative AI, it has the capability to link to gen AI services but this isn’t a necessity. I explain my personal opinion and thoughts on AI later on in this post.
I work a full time job which is quite demanding of my attention. In addition to this, I am also undertaking an apprenticeship which involves additional time being spent on studies. I am currently making Yn Moddey Dhoo completely solo (although will be commissioning artists later on), so being able to streamline and simplify any of my workload is very important, whilst still being mindful of what I automate and what for. That’s why I decided to combine my love of game development and technology.
Virtual private servers and n8n
I decided to pay for a virtual private server (VPS) using Hostinger (referral link, any money from referrals are set aside for development costs). My professional career has resulted in me having a fascination with homelabbing and self-hosting; but sadly I live in a small apartment and my fiancée has already been very patient with some of the purchases I’ve made. I wanted to use n8n to create some automation flows to assist me in my development but didn’t have the capacity to run it out of my apartment. Additionally, my internet service provider (not saying which) is terrible and I wanted to ensure as close to 100% uptime as possible, which is where Hostinger came in. I configured my n8n instance and started creating workflows.
Workflow 1: Devlog updates
How meta, talking about the devlog within the devlog! Something I rather hate is social media. Unfortunately for me, social media is integrated very much into modern life and as such there is no escaping it, especially if you’re trying to raise your profile as an indie game maker. I hate trying to explain what I am doing on social media and I hate even visiting the sites as the number of distractions it presents or the temptation to doom scroll is something dreadful. To avoid how much I use social media altogether whilst still posting what I’m doing, I created an n8n workflow.
Explained simply, n8n watches this blog for any new posts. When a new post is made, the workflow triggers and summarises what the devlog post is and then posts this summary across social media. This saves me from having to think of constructing social media posts or even having to visit social media sites altogether.
Workflow 2: Steam and Itch horror game tracker
My second workflow allows me to keep an eye on what new horror games are coming out on Steam and Itch. Every 6 hours the RSS feeds of both sites are pulled using filters for the horror genre and the new listings are sent to me over Discord. Helpful as I can see what new and fun horror games are coming out, both to help understand how I should make and promote Yn Moddey Dhoo and also so I can just find new games to play.
The n8n workflow alerting me of a new horror game called Sonambula by Fenixapple
Workflow 3: Task management
I am not the most organised person (unless you’re a publisher reading this, in which case I am exceptionally organised), so I wanted to get a regular schedule of what tasks I have outstanding for Yn Moddey Dhoo. I use Clickup for task management and whilst that is great and does remind you every now and then, I wanted something more consistent and that was easier to see the big picture. I created a workflow that pulls my tasks using the Clickup API and then sent them via a Discord webhook (similar to Workflow 2) so I can get a clear picture of what needs doing and when.
Workflow 4: Manx translations
Ok so this one is probably a bit controversial, and honestly it doesn’t fully sit right with me. I just want to make my views on the topic of AI clear upfront. I think it is a powerful tool and there is some genuine ways in which it can be useful and beneficial. Complex and or boring tasks are perfect for this. It frees up time that we can spend on more important or fun things. That being said, I think it is also a technology that carries a lot of harm with it. Plagiarism, deepfakes, misinformation and lack of safeguards are some of the biggest concerns of it for me personally. Additionally, the “slop” it produces is depressing but in a roundabout way it has made me appreciate authentic art and creativity even more. As such, I do not use AI in the design of levels, gameplay or artistic assets such as graphics or sound.
Manx is not a common language. The last native speaker of Manx died decades ago, but thankfully it has been preserved and as with other Celtic languages it is seeing a revival. It is because of it not being common that I wanted to adopt it within my project so I could promote it and the island I love. As such it means the ability to translate / localise Manx is more difficult. I understand some very basic Manx, but not enough to translate into it effectively. Kagi Translate (not affiliated, just personally use and love Kagi) from what I can tell does an excellent job at translating Manx and much better than Google Translate’s attempts. However; there is no publicly available API key for Kagi Translate just yet, there is a private beta (which I have asked to join) but until then whilst in development my options are limited.
The n8n flow that localises into Manx
My plan is that all translations and localisations will be reviewed by Manx language experts once I have the funding and support to enable this, but in the eventuality that none of that is possible, I need options. Currently I have a C# script within Unity that pushes my English localisation table into Claude AI. Claude then does its best to convert to Manx but unfortunately this is not at a level that I’d be happy with for release, which is why I am hoping I am able to get access to Kagi Translate’s API so I can avoid using Claude for this.
Final words
Creating these workflows has been extremely challenging but also rewarding. It’s been satisfying to create automation to ease the burden of solo game dev a little bit and also a good excuse to learn some additional skills that can be transferred to my day job.
In terms of development of Yn Moddey Dhoo itself, it is shaping up nicely and the next devlog will take a look at the core mechanics and ideas.
Join my Discord for updates on Yn Moddey Dhoo and other projects.
Until next time.
