Devlog #1 How Buoy Oh Buoy Started

Hey everyone! I'm Zaf, a solo developer from the Netherlands building games on the side while learning. This is the first devlog for my first ever mobile game: Buoy Oh Buoy. Where it started I've always wanted to build my own game. Not a massive AAA title, just something small, fun and actually finished. I picked Flutter as my framework because I was already familiar with it from other projects, and Flame, the Flutter game engine, seemed approachable enough for a beginner. The original idea was simple: a Flappy Bird clone. Get comfortable with the engine, ship something, learn from it. But somewhere along the way the mechanic evolved into something more interesting, a slingshot sailing game where you swing your boat around buoys to navigate a narrowing river. The core mechanic: Tap and hold to grab the nearest buoy. Your boat swings around it like a centrifugal force slingshot. Release at the right moment to launch forward. Simple on paper, satisfying in practice. The river narrows as you progress, the speed increases, and one wrong move sends your boat crashing into the rocks or a buoy. First build: The first playable version was rough. A triangle for a boat, circles for buoys, flat blue background. No sound, no score, no game over screen. But the mechanic worked and it felt fun, which told me I was onto something worth finishing. What's next? In the next devlog I'll talk about the visual overhaul, turning the flat colored shapes into a proper river with rock walls, plants, light reflections and a realistic sailboat. Stay tuned! ⛵