Don't know what an update game is but as I've made a few games as an independant developer here's a few tips.
-Don't make too hard goals (deadlines, graphics, algorithms)
- How bad you want to cram code, don't it's better to be able to think fully other than forcing yourself to think.
- Have fun, unless you have fundings don't make it your job.
- DESIGN EVERYTHING YOU CAN BEFORE YOU CODE, CODE BEFORE YOU DO GRAPHICS(just enter squares or just horrible graphics) if you do graphics before you design or develop the thoughts you might have might escape you.
might seem obvious tips but these are the ones I find the most helpful when I design a game.