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The first devlog was all about the beginning.

The idea.

The excitement.

The carefully crafted illusion that this project is somehow different from all the previous ones.

You know, the phase where creating a logo feels like progress and buying a domain somehow convinces you that you're running a legitimate game studio.

Now comes the dangerous part.

Actually building the thing.

Fortunately, that's also the fun part.

Over the past few weeks (sorry, it was Summer) I've been working on the foundation of DevOS itself: the operating system where the entire game takes place.

The goal is simple.

Before players can make games, they need a computer to make games on.

So the first systems currently in development are the desktop environment, window management, applications, and web pages that make up the virtual operating system.

Surprisingly, progress has been moving quite fast.

Within only a few hours, I already have a rudimentary login screen, desktop, text editor, and parts of the browser working.

Nothing fancy yet, but enough to start interacting with the world instead of just imagining it.

And honestly, seeing windows open, move around, and display actual content makes the whole concept feel much more real than another design document ever could.

The immediate goal is to make the browser functional enough for players to search for software and install their first tools.

Because what is game development without spending an unreasonable amount of time researching engines before writing a single line of code?

Eventually, players will use the browser to discover game engines, install them, create projects, and slowly build up their development environment.

Which means I'm currently developing an operating system so players can develop games inside a game about developing games.

The sentence somehow makes less sense every time I write it.

For now, the focus remains on the foundations.

The exciting thing about DevOS is that every feature unlocks three more features that need to exist first.

Just like real game development.

See you in the next update.

Most indie developers know the feeling.

You're searching for that one idea. The idea that sparks something. The one that makes you think:

"This is it."
"This time it's different."
"This game is actually getting released."

We tell ourselves that all the time, and honestly, that's completely normal.

Sometimes an idea excites us for a week. Sometimes for a month. Then reality kicks in, motivation fades, and the project quietly joins the ever-growing graveyard of unfinished prototypes. We move on and start chasing the next big thing.

That's exactly what DevOS is about.

That constant internal battle between excitement and reality. The endless cycle of "this time for sure" versus "maybe I'll just start over with a better idea."

And the funny thing is: that's also my daily life.

At any given moment, I'm usually working on multiple prototypes at once. None of them are finished. Most of them aren't even close. Every project starts with optimism, a fresh folder, and a ridiculous amount of confidence.

Then it happened again.

A new idea appeared.

But this time, something clicked differently.

I started wondering: what if I turned the struggle itself into a game?

The idea immediately grabbed me. Within a surprisingly short amount of time, I had written a detailed game design document, created a name, designed a logo, registered a domain, set up an email address, and completed all the other ceremonial tasks that indie developers perform whenever they convince themselves that this project is definitely the one.

You know. The usual.

So what exactly is DevOS?

DevOS is the operating system where the entire game takes place.

Players work inside a virtual desktop environment where they can install engines, IDEs, 2D and 3D software, browsers, text editors, and countless other tools. Using those tools- and the internet - they attempt to create and release their own game.

The goal is simple.

Actually finishing something.

The challenge is everything else.

Balancing development, learning, marketing, social media, real life responsibilities, limited time, limited money, endless distractions, and the constant temptation to abandon everything and start a new project because you suddenly had a "better idea" at 2 AM.

In other words, I want to capture the solo indie developer experience as honestly as possible. A few days ago I wrote the following sentence for social media:

"I'm a solo indie dev programming a game about a solo indie dev programming a game."

Only after writing it did I realize how absurdly recursive that sounds. It's a bit of an Inception moment. Hopefully I won't lose track of which layer I'm currently in. Anyway, I'm excited to finally share this project.

I'll be posting updates several times a week as development continues. The main home for the project will remain here on itch.io. Thanks for stopping by, and thanks even more if you decide to follow along.

Let's see if this is finally the one.

- Maikel