KingDinosaurGames

When we received a similar question I said "We're making a game that could have been made in the 90s, just with upgraded technology." We take no risks with technology, using fairly standard techniques that have been perfected and polished over the years to represent a basic 2D turn-based world. That allowed us to concentrate on polishing the areas that really matter to us, which are AI and content.

Overall playtime would have to be Alpha Centauri or Master of Magic way back in the day (or Arctic MUD... oh MUD)

We both have a real sweet spot for King of Dragon Pass, so unique and fun - but I also think Space Station 13 was maybe the most innovative game I've played in some time

We can't speak to the AAA scene, but the barrier to entry continues to lower for Indie Developers with tools like Unity making the developer's job significantly easier. More so than that, I am impressed by the elements of community support that are constantly improving - every time I log into OpenGameArt.org and see new resources that people have uploaded with no expectation of return it legitimately makes me smile. Reddit, as well, is such a helpful resource for developers with questions ranging from general approach and design all the way to specific algorithms and marketing.

The hardest part was the years not making games, compared to the life of a corporate drone everything involved in game creation is pleasant

1. Come up with an idea
2. Break it down into as granular as components as you can
3. Iterate on a component until it works well
4. Repeat step 3 until every component is complete
5. Realize game isn't fun and go back to drawing board

Keep at it until step 5 doesn't happen!