Risks of Solo 3D
No dreamer wouldn't want to create a high-end 3D game.
The existence of resourceful individuals like Gavin Eisenbeisz or Tomas Sala proves that it's possible to be a solo developer and make 3D games. Although it seems to me like a more challenging path.
There is a reason why I wouldn't want to suggest this path to anyone, but I couldn't articulate this thought well for a long time. Until recently.
I realized that the amount of work to be done is like raising the number of dimensions to the power... of the number of dimensions.
It sounds silly, I agree. Moreover, the result of this equation doesn't add anything. Only when I compared the values did I see the sense. The amount of work required will be proportional to the number of dimensions.
I'm not sure if the creator of Wolfenstein 1D would agree that the number 1 reflects the amount of work he put into his game.
Similarly, I don't know if the number 4 would fit every 2D game. But undoubtedly, testing any 2D game took more time; two dimensions require a bit more than one.
Only the difference between 2D (4) and 3D (27) seems to give food for thought. Do 3D games require that much? And then I remembered the cumbersome launches of games like Assassin's Creed Unity, Batman Arkham Knight, or Cyberpunk 2077.
All had armies of programmers, and testers, and still failed. They also had their engines and various internal problems, but that’s not the case.
Not every 3D game will be equally difficult or demanding, that's clear. But the concern should not be about the difficulty but the risk of it occurring. Especially since working alone, you don't want to be the one who, like Atlas, carries everything on their shoulders. It’s an obvious minefield.
Until we know the secrets of Gavin Eisenbeisz and Tomas Sala... choose 2D.