Making the impossible possible: A community-driven game development success story
When JimDublace Studios set out to create "Run, Veggies!" – a puzzle platformer about three misfit vegetables escaping a food processing plant – they had an ambitious vision that went far beyond just making a game. They wanted to create a studio environment where aspiring developers could learn real-world game development skills while working alongside industry veterans.
The challenge? Coordinating 17 volunteers from around the globe, many of whom had never used version control before, to collaboratively build a complete game over seven months.
The solution? Diversion made it all possible.
The Challenge: Version Control for Complete Beginners
"Many of the developers had never used a VCS before," explains the project lead. With team members scattered across different time zones and varying skill levels, traditional version control systems like Git or Perforce would have created an insurmountable barrier.
"Even experienced developers create merge conflicts, and I was sure it was going to be a constant job of teaching a team of new developers good VCS practices," they continued. "I would have had a full-time job approving pull requests."
The Diversion Difference: Real-Time Collaboration Made Simple
Diversion transformed what could have been a coordination nightmare into a seamless development experience:
Instant Onboarding: The entire team onboarding process consisted of just two steps:
- Watch a single YouTube video
- Send an email to get added to the repository
"I could never do that with Perforce or Git," the team lead notes.
Branchless Development: Unlike traditional version control systems, Diversion enabled the entire 17-person team to work in a single branch with real-time updates. "We had one branch throughout the entire project, and everyone was able to work in that branch in real time. Tell me another VCS that can allow that level of control."
Visual Merge Conflict Resolution: The breakthrough moment came when they discovered Diversion's ability to handle binary file conflicts. "My experience up to that point with binary files was, 'If there's a merge conflict, someone is going to lose all of their work.' Having the ability to hand pick which changes were merged from each file is incredible."
Real Results: A Seven-Month Success Story
The numbers speak for themselves:
- 17 core team members from around the globe
- Over 20 total contributors throughout the project
- 7 months of development
- Zero major version control issues
- One simple rule: "Commit Often"
The project followed a traditional Phase Gate approach with six phases (Planning, Concept, Development, Alpha, Beta, Launch), broken into two-week sprints. Despite the complexity of managing remote volunteers with varying skill levels, the development process ran smoothly from start to finish.
Beyond the Technical: Building a Learning Community
What makes this story truly remarkable isn't just the technical achievement – it's how Diversion enabled a new model of community-driven game development. The project created opportunities for newer developers to experience standard studio workflows while being mentored by industry veterans.
"This was a learning experience, so we didn't want to exclude those who were willing to put in the work week after week," the team explains. With Diversion handling the complexity of version control, the team could focus on what mattered most: creating great games and developing skills.
The Bottom Line
"Quite simply, this project would not have been possible without Diversion. There is no way I could have trained an entire team of new developers to use any other VCS in a week without dealing with constant merge conflicts."
Today, JimDublace Studios is migrating all their other projects to Diversion, and "Run, Veggies!" stands as proof that with the right tools, even the most ambitious community-driven game development projects can succeed.
Ready to enable your own community-driven development? Learn more about how Diversion can transform your game development workflow.
Want to share your Diversion success story? We'd love to hear from you – reach out to our team.
