I wanted to know if anyone here had experience making a game on their own and how many hours would you estimate for its complete development (programming, sound, sprites, etc.). I am currently starting a small game myself and would like to have an idea of how many hours it would approximately take me.
Of course I understand that certain factors may cause a great deal of variation. For one, I have very little programming experience and have never completed a game in my life. I also know that other things like fidelity of graphics, sound and overall size and scope of the project could determine length as well. As such, I will give a clear vision of my game with regards to those parameters.
I plan to make a 2d action adventure game. The graphics fidelity will be on par with something in the middle of Nintendo and Super Nintendo Entertainment Systems. So nothing as smooth and detailed as Super Metroid, but definitely more involved than Legend of Zelda. I've already started sprite work.
For sounds, I am just going to record my voice for a few voiceovers. The rest of the effects will probably be taken from a public domain database or a sound database where sound effects are cheap.
For the size, there will be one large area with several rooms (similar to Resident Evil's mansion). There will be no over world or much of an outdoors setting outside of the immediate area surrounding the facility. For game time, there will be a max time (it will be timed) of eight hours, but the game will likely be able to be completed in a few hours.
In terms of scope, the game mechanics will include shooting, running, walking, throwing objects, environment interaction (closer to point and click than anything as involved as environmental damage), shooting and stabbing. There will be normal enemies and boss types. There will also be different endings depending on certain factors upon game completion.
The game will be written in C++ and I will likely use SFML (I am still learning about this in school and don't plan on starting the game until summer vacation). It is a small project, so I don't really care about it having the highest level of quality. I do plan on using it for a portfolio of work, so I don't plan on it being utter trash. Point is I am realistic about it and know I am not making a AAA game on my first try. I also understand that what I am undertaking is still very large for my level of experience. Even so, I have a lot of time this summer and plan to work full time.
I just wanted to know, based off other's experience in conjunction with the information I've given, how many hours do you think a game like this would take to be completed? Does 500 sound too small?