It really helps to have a design together enough that I can really feel the completed game coming through. That, and trying to stick to a relatively K.I.S.S. approach. Keeping the inner radar tuned to, "Okay, while that would be cool, I'm never going to finish the game if I want to do that feature now, so lets settle for an abstraction for now" has helped push things along nicely. I'll probably a "change facing" ability instead, or else simply have it coded into existing abilities.
I did have to make at least one hard choice, and that choice was to ditch the idea of having a tank-like movement system. It's not that I can't implement it, it's just really awkward from a usability standpoint. I am maintaining the idea of the vehicles rotating, with the strategic considerations of avoiding exposing your bad side to the enemy, but actually driving your vehicle with WASD or cursors has gone the way of using those controls for camera movement.
That said, I really expect I'll finish this game. Again, I've a finished-enough design on paper, and I have put a lot of milestones under my belt:
- A system for the players to get from login and into the game.
- A system in which to add abilities and for players to use them through a hotkey mechanism.
- A system in which units not being controlled by players can easily access the AI to use the abilities in their inventory.
- The framework of three different-playing factions, and a system in which the players can accumulate progress within each. (These factions have a somewhat symbiotic relationship that props up the game's flow - I'll talk more about that later.)