How do you solo-devs keep track of every mesh, texture, LOD, and material—so you actually know what’s DONE, what’s “almost done,” and what you accidentally broke last sprint?

How do you solo-devs keep track of every mesh, texture, LOD, and material—so you actually know what’s DONE, what’s “almost done,” and what you accidentally broke last sprint?

Hey @DevGamePro — wow, this question hit home.

As a fellow solo dev, I used to bounce between Notion, Google Docs, sticky notes (digital and real), and a folder full of .psd files named things like Material_Ruins_Lit_V3_REALFINAL.psd. :sweat_smile:

But truthfully, none of it scaled. I’d constantly:

  • Forget if I’d fixed a LOD issue or just thought about fixing it.
  • Ship builds with placeholder textures because I missed one.
  • Spend way too long playing “find the broken mesh.”

I finally gave in and started using a plugin that lets me leave checklist tasks and comments directly on each asset inside Unreal. Now I tag things like “needs LOD update,” “verify collision,” or “test with AI” per asset, and it syncs to a clean web dashboard so I always know what’s left.

It’s called Asset Optics, and honestly, it’s become my second brain during production:
:backhand_index_pointing_right: Asset Optics – Next-Gen Asset Management | Fab

If you’re tired of memory juggling and want something built with solo creators in mind (not enterprise Jira nonsense), it’s worth a look.

Happy to share my workflow if you’re curious! :light_bulb::video_game:

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Build out a spreadsheet with all your assets and what each asset requires. Check-off or highlight color based on completion level. Boost productivity by using GPT help.

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Personally it helps me to have a to-do list.

While I’m working on a feature, and notice something else being off (like a placeholder texture, or another feature not working as expected) I’ll add an entry to my list like Look at why X is misbehaving.

Then next time I have free time, I look at the to-do list and have an idea of what needs to be done next.

It might feel weird at first, because you’re a solo dev, and it might feel silly to write things down for your future self, but once you’re in the habit, it helps a lot keep track of at least the majority of issues.

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Great question—this is something every solo-dev struggles with at some point.

What worked best for me is building a lightweight but disciplined asset tracking system. I use a combination of:

  • Naming conventions (clear, versioned names for each asset type)
  • A Notion board for tracking progress (with tags like Done, WIP, Needs Fix, Tested)
  • And automated folder structures that mirror my engine hierarchy.

For regressions or accidental breaks, I do small changelogs per sprint and use version control (even for art assets when possible).

You don’t need a studio-sized pipeline—but even a simple structure can save your sanity when your project grows.

All the best and kind regards,
SFDEMIR

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Hi @DevGamePro You received All good ideas and a plugin advertisement above!

I am a beginner myself, what worked for me in the beginning to get started was using the old fashioned notebook with pen!

Anyways, I am Still waiting for a perfect setup for my game planning in a plugin.
But depends what you are struggling with, if you want to get started with small projects , even a google spreadsheet / excel should work as @RA3ID mentioned!

If you want to plan for longer use jira/notion as @SFDEMIR suggested.

Or if you are specifically looking for asset level planning you can spend some bucks on the plugin @brahmaforge put out!

I would also recommend asking ChatGPT :stuck_out_tongue:

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