I'm making record development time on my new strategy game, which I find to be one of my greatest accomplishments over the shortest amount of time -- not because I've written pages and pages of code, but because the game's functionality is inherently simple (the in-game tactics, on the other hand, are as complex as the players make them). Also, it has plenty of room to stick subtle nuances if required.
But, I'm curious... I'm fairly sure that this initial euphoria is going to vanish after I really start getting down to getting the game engines to work with one another.
My question, thus, is how do you keep motivated to stay working on a game?
ID:154397
 Oct 23 2001, 8:00 pm
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Spuzzum wrote:
I'm making record development time on my new strategy game, which I find to be one of my greatest accomplishments over the shortest amount of time -- not because I've written pages and pages of code, but because the game's functionality is inherently simple (the in-game tactics, on the other hand, are as complex as the players make them). Also, it has plenty of room to stick subtle nuances if required. Huh? What is this "motivated" of which you speak? | |
I look at my stacks of notes for unfinished game ideas and say to myself, "You're going to finish this one."
It also helps that I have a weekly deadline for fixes and features. I have to plan what I want to include by the next release and insert a whole chunk instead of developing random unrelated ideas and leaving them half finished. | |
I'm just guessing based on the opposite of my own experience, but I'd say its best to finish the necessary things to make it work first, whether it be a game, book, or any kind of long-term creation, once you've got something finished to look at, you can add a piece to it at a time to improve what it is as a whole.
On the other hand, I've tried creating say a game and gotten the first part of it done in immense detail, and after that the burnout set in and I forgot about it and started on the next project. Happens every time. If there is no way to enjoy adding to a game, then you just get sick of working on it. However, if you say made a simcity type of game and has the basic engine working in a week, then after that you could simply enjoy adding whatever new buildings you wanted without a lot of difficulty, and asking other people what kind of buildings they wanted to put in, and it's a little more fun that way...I think. I do recommend you not take my word for any of this though, I'm neutorious for never finishing anything. | |
But, I'm curious... I'm fairly sure that this initial euphoria is going to vanish after I really start getting down to getting the game engines to work with one another. Well since I'm only makeing games for a hobby right now there is no reason to keep working on a game I get bored with. I just work on something if I think it would be cool and to show off how cool I am at codeing :). But if you continue working on games as a proffesion the reason for carrying through becomes quite obvoius :). | |
Motivation to work on my game is a huge problem for me. It comes and it goes. I guess that the way that I stay focused is to look at all the feedback I'm getting from people about the game. If it is postive feedback, then that motivates me because I know that people like what I've done and want to see more...if it is negative feedback, then I am inspired to do better the next time or fix whatever they thought was bad. It really helps to hear what people have to say about your game. And, in my case (and probably not so much in yours) I'm still learning a lot about coding everyday. Learning to do new things is great motivation-for example, in dwo I set a goal for myself to make guards patrol an area and catch anyone that is in their line of sight. It took me a few hours to figure out, but after I got it to work, I really wanted to finish the rest of the changes in that version of the game so that I could show people what I had done. Basically, for me, all my motivation comes from the people who play my game everyday.
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SilkWizard wrote:
Motivation to work on my game is a huge problem for me. It comes and it goes. I guess that the way that I stay focused is to look at all the feedback I'm getting from people about the game. If it is postive feedback, then that motivates me because I know that people like what I've done and want to see more...if it is negative feedback, then I am inspired to do better the next time or fix whatever they thought was bad. In some of my cases, negative feedback has made me more adamant to finish a game, especially if their negative feedback doesn't actually give any circumstantial evidence, but in most cases negative feedback actually helps me to realise that whatever I did in the game, I didn't do well enough to meet my standards. As you may be able to tell, I'm a perfectionist -- for the most part, if someone doesn't like it I'll either cast them away as imbeciles or be emotionally hurt. Which is a really stupid way to go about making code as a hobby, but all the same I feel attached to my code. It really helps to hear what people have to say about your game. Yes, actually, that is a good point... I've been walking on the pride that this game will be something I'd be happy to show off to some of the more intelligent community members. I'm not sure if it would suit action-hungry non-sci-fi'ers, but all the same I'm really proud of it. In other words, I've been trying to stabilise this game (which isn't difficult, considering the simplicity or the internal mechanics) and get it out for people to look at. And, in my case (and probably not so much in yours) I'm still learning a lot about coding everyday. You'd be surprised. I bet you could climb the tallest mountain and visit the guru there, and easily teach him something new that he had not even conceived of. A teacher learns from his/her students just as much as the students learn from him/her. The knowledge that is learnt is often very different for both parties involved, but all the same someone will always learn something new every day. I guarantee that, unless you're knocked comatose. Me, right now, I'm experimenting with the savefile.ImportText() procedures (I've found a couple bugs with them already) as well as trying out the BYOND Hub Subscription system, which I also am completely new to. | |
Hehe...
If I climbed your mountain and taught you somthing, would you spend time understanding my idea for a worldmap/detailmap system and help me put it into action? | |
Spuzzum wrote:
It really helps to hear what people have to say about your game. Based on what you have said about this game it sounds like when you release it, I'll be playing it for hours and hours on end. So, if this will help you to get motivated more so than you are right now-I'm anxiously awaiting it's release! | |
...If it motivates anyone, I'm anxiously waiting for someone to release a half-decent text mud on byond!
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Foomer wrote:
...If it motivates anyone, I'm anxiously waiting for someone to release a half-decent text mud on byond! Real soon now, Foom. Should only be another 3-4 years. Though if we're lucky, alpha testing in 1. :) Z | |
I'm working on one...
It's -very- expandable though, so how enjoyable it is depends mostly on the skill of the DM. | |
Foomer wrote:
...If it motivates anyone, I'm anxiously waiting for someone to release a half-decent text mud on byond! I've also had one in the works for centuries, but it's in my Suspended folder and it ain't coming out until it says it's sorry. | |
Spuzzums Text Mud wrote:
"I'm sorry!" Quiet, you! If I ever hope to ever finish Battle for Solaris, you're staying in there until I've finished it to a demoable state... regardless! | |
Yeah, spuzzum codes that well. His text mud was -so- advanced that it went to BYOND, created a key for itself, and posted a message. Talk about AI!
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Lord of Water wrote:
Yeah, spuzzum codes that well. His text mud was -so- advanced that it went to BYOND, created a key for itself, and posted a message. Talk about AI! It worries me, because I've seen it visiting the Department of Defense website a lot recently. | |
No more novelty for Battle for Solaris, dagnabbit.
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I've finished a number of games, and the important coding in all of them was done in under a week. So maybe size is a factor. A couple games I started and didn't get too far into, but I'd started them largely because I was bored, not because I wanted to make a game like that, so maybe that matters.
I may have stopped work for a year, but I never did drop Cerulea, and in fact that concept was unthinkable. I think I've simply invested too much of myself in it. It's almost part of my identity now. My own MUD was something I really wanted for a long time, and this is it. I'd have to change a lot as a person before I gave up on Cerulea. (Procrastination is apparently another matter.)
Motivation has always been a mystery to me. I've tried working as long and hard as I could while passion was with me, indulging in it, in the hope that was the right way to go. And I've paced myself to avoid the specter of burnout. I've told other people about my projects in the hope their expectations would keep me on track, and I've kept them quiet so as not to jinx anything. All I know is that in the beginning, it's important to you to finish a thing, and then later it might stop being important, and each time you start a new project you're afraid of your own potential future apathy. You want to stave it off, you don't want to change to some different unconcerned you. That really jives with the old saying: "Discipline is remembering what you want" ...assuming that if you can just keep remembering exactly what you want(ed) and why, it'll remain important to you, and you will finish it. I don't know if that works or if we change anyway. Motivation is a mystery.
Z