For a while now, I've had this idea for a game that would be more than I could take on alone. I know that by the time I get comfortable enough with DM to start progress on the game, I would have come up with plans on how the game would work. My hope is that it could be a very attractive game that even people who haven't been on BYOND will try and, hopefully, enjoy.
My only fear for this project is that I wouldn't have a devoted team, i.e. probably work on their job assignment for about two hours per day. I also fear that as the head vision for the game, I won't be able to hold interest long enough to see the project through.
Does anyone have any strategies that they use to extricate the mind of these qualms?
ID:180995
 Dec 23 2011, 2:50 pm
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Yeah, I thought two hours would be too much. As you mentioned, yes, even my school life is rather hectic. I should probably put off the project until summer or sometime where I know I'll have ample amounts of time to devote to programming, spriting, planning, etc.
Until then, it'd probably be best to work on it alone and make the best of it. By then, I'd most likely have a significant portion of it done so that I could at least show the people what they would be working with if the chose to join. Thanks for your input. | |
I'm fairly sure I'm not the only one with 50 folders of braindead BYOND projects sitting in My Documents, so I'm guessing that losing interest is something that happens often.
When I have an idea that I feel like working on, but am doubtful as to whether or not I think I'll pull through an entire project, I write a small Game Design Document. Might sound formal and strange, but what I tell myself is, "If this game became amazingly successful and innovative in the future, what would I tell my younger self to motivate him/me into working on it?" If I can't write a convincing enough letter or resume or gdd, then I consider that I don't have enough interest in the project and I simply ignore it; but if I feel comfortable and exciting while writing the document, and I find myself reading my text every once in a while during a week, then I consider that something worthy of my attention. That's just me though! And I'm working on a post-apocalyptic single-player roguelike game on BYOND and C++! It's coming along great, and I often find myself unknowingly/unconsciously opening DM when I turn my computer on. which makes me feel great because I know that it means that, deep inside, I actually like the project. | |
wait are you looking for GMs? i have experiences with that so i could help you host.
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As for the rest of this. If you lose interest, EVERYONE loses interest. My suggestion is to not even ask for help if you aren't going to see it through. Finish the game you start, especially if you're getting others to help (don't want to see their work go to waste).
As project head, when you get your team, try to have steady due dates for your game. Maybe after 1 week, have your crafting system ready. In another week, have your resource collection system completed. With weekly due dates, you can see how your game is progressing and adjust the workloads accordingly.
Your job is also to keep others interested as well. Bring your team together and show them how the game is progressing. Talk about ways to make it better. If you can't get your crew excited to work on it, how are you going to get people excited to play it?
Continuous contact is going to be a must. A team with no communication fails quickly.