So, you've got a new game idea, and it's going to change what everyone knows about the genre! Great!

After making a Game Design Document, you proceed to make some art, or maybe a prototype. You even got that fancy gimp program, or started using a new 'multi-platform' library.

Time went on and you hit a wall. Maybe it's that annoying bug in the second level. Your plan's aren't panning that well. It's just too much work.

You start making excuses. The game idea wasn't that great. It might actually be a bit boring. The art looks crappy.

You abandon the project. There are better ideas you say.

If the above sounds like you, then the bad news is with the way things are going, you might not release any games at all and just lock them inside your head!

The good news is, you're not alone. Almost every game developer lose interest in projects they are working on.

Coming from my personal experience, and interviewing a few other successful game developers, I've compiled a list of things to do when you find yourself killing off your own games.

1. Stop Editing

When writing, authors typically have one rule when making their first draft, and that is to kill the 'infernal internal editor'. "Don't edit, just write!"

This actually carries over to a lot of other creative industries, including game development. When developing a game, always make it so it just barely passes, and move on. The more you work on other parts of the project, the more motivated you will be. Don't try to perfect your game on the first run, remember, you can always edit it later on.

2. Make A Deadline

 
This goes hand in hand with Number one. Enforce a 
time constraint, do your best to stick to it, and you'll find  yourself working on the essential game aspects.
There are lots of events with this in mind, such as OGAM (One Game A Month), and Ludum Dare.

3. Go For Small Games - if you're just starting

When you're just starting, start small. Making a fun solid game/minigame is a HUGE leap for a game developer, and having at least one released game already puts you ahead many of your contemporaries.
 
 "But that super awesome MMORPG with that unique mechanic is going to be huge" you say. That sort of enthusiasm will go a long way, but if you haven't even been able to create one small game, do you really have what it takes to commit yourself to such a big project?
 
If you're game idea simply and absolutely cannot wait, then try creating what's called a 'Vertical Slice'. Instead of creating your entire game, why not try creating one scene, one battle, or one encounter? This nets a plus on all components, because you can instantly:
  • Test out your idea
  • See if it's actually fun
  • And actually have something to show for your effort

4. Make it a Habit

Whether you're someone who makes games as a hobby, or someone who really wants to get into the industry, then make it a habit. Do one part of your game, everyday. It doesn't matter how much you can do in a day, the important part is that you work on the game.
 
You can even get yourself a to do list. Ticking something as done gets a nice feeling to your stomach!

5. Don't worry about the technology

Your salivating over that new libgdx library that can compile to every platform known to mankind. You want to use Haxe because it's fast, multiplatform, and l33t. Microsoft killed XNA, and you avoid it like a plague.
 
The thing is, Don't Care! Remember, you're making a game, and it doesn't matter what language you use.
 
If you're game is boring, no one will play it, even if you used the newest, shiniest language to have ever existed.
 
The next tip is also an inherent flaw of game programmers, but can be applied to game developing in general.

6. Keep It Simple Stupid!

If you're a programmer, just code, don't edit (slightly bringing us back to tip #1). 
 
Design Patterns? Throw 'em away. Component Based Systems? So last year. Event Listener's inefficient? Leave them be.
 
Keep it Simple Stupid (KiSS) is an actual programming methodology. It's what it says on the tin, just keep your code simple. Don't get fancy with design patterns, component based systems, or making your loop run in the most efficient way possible. Pre-Optimization is the root of all evil.
 
Take pride in doing what you did, even if it was bad code. You might have a game with bad code, but at least you're not the other guy who has no game but good code.

7. Public Beta Tests

When loosing motivation, try being public! Share what you have so far, be it a doodle, a screenshot, or maybe even a demo. Get a friend to play your game, and with the internet, you can't have excuses for not finding anyone.
 
The feedback you'll get for your game is priceless, outlining what's fun and what's not, and it may even be the push you need to make it big.

8. Flow

If there was ever a point in your life where you've done something that you didn't even realize time passing, then you've undergone flow (which is what hypnosis puts you in). When you're in this state, you're so focused on what you're doing that you won't even notice a plane crashing next door (okay, maybe that was an over statement).
 
The point is, we can be totally immersed in one activity, and this is what you want to happen when developing your game. Close out your browser, and focus, have fun, and don't think of any thing else. Throw out coding practices, optimizations, and don't perfect stuff. Just do it.

9. It's Dead Jim

Maybe the game really didn't pan out as you've hoped to be. The gameplay was really flawed and it's not fun.
 
Sometimes, we need to quit when it's simply not working. (Seth Godin tackles it in his book, The Dip: A Little Book That Teaches You When to Quit (and When to Stick))
 
Remember, there is nothing wrong with making a game and just leaving it at that. You've gained experience, and that's always a plus. But don't just leave your game in the back of your hard drive, going back to tip #7, be Public! Share it on forums, saying it was a game you did in your free time that was left unfinished.
 
What do you know, maybe someone even gives you valuable feedback that turns out to be all that you needed...

Why your Games are Unfinished, and What To Do About It (转)的更多相关文章

  1. Unity性能优化(3)-官方教程Optimizing garbage collection in Unity games翻译

    本文是Unity官方教程,性能优化系列的第三篇<Optimizing garbage collection in Unity games>的翻译. 相关文章: Unity性能优化(1)-官 ...

  2. Unity性能优化(4)-官方教程Optimizing graphics rendering in Unity games翻译

    本文是Unity官方教程,性能优化系列的第四篇<Optimizing graphics rendering in Unity games>的翻译. 相关文章: Unity性能优化(1)-官 ...

  3. Learning in Two-Player Matrix Games

    3.2 Nash Equilibria in Two-Player Matrix Games For a two-player matrix game, we can set up a matrix ...

  4. (转) Playing FPS games with deep reinforcement learning

    Playing FPS games with deep reinforcement learning 博文转自:https://blog.acolyer.org/2016/11/23/playing- ...

  5. Favorite Games

    Samurai II: Vengeance: http://www.madfingergames.com/games

  6. CF456D A Lot of Games (字典树+DP)

    D - A Lot of Games CF#260 Div2 D题 CF#260 Div1 B题 Codeforces Round #260 CF455B D. A Lot of Games time ...

  7. GDC2016 Epic Games【Bullet Train】 新风格的VR-FPS的制作方法

    追求“舒适”和“快感”的VR游戏设计方法   http://game.watch.impress.co.jp/docs/news/20160318_749016.html     [Bullet Tr ...

  8. Supercell only provide the best games for players

    Supercell only provide the best games for players Supercell start to change all, Supercell's first t ...

  9. 读书笔记2014第6本:《The Hunger Games》

    以前从未读过一本完整的英文小说,所有就在今年的读书目标中增加了一本英文小说,但在头四个月内一直没有下定决定读哪一本.一次偶然从SUN的QQ空间中看到Mockingjay,说是不错的英文小说,好像已经是 ...

随机推荐

  1. 53个要点提高php效率

    用单引号代替双引号来包含字符串,这样做会更快一些.因为PHP会在双引号包围的字符串中搜寻变量,单引号则不会,注意:只有echo能这么做,它是一种可以把多个字符串当作参数的“函数”(译注:PHP手册中说 ...

  2. Gwt 整合FusionCharts及封装搜狗地图时出现的问题

    smartGwt 整合FusionCharts 把需要的.swf文件和FusionCharts.js放在war下面(路径就自己定了) 可以工程的html文件中引FusionCharts.js文件 也可 ...

  3. linux可重入、异步信号安全和线程安全

    一 可重入函数 当一个被捕获的信号被一个进程处理时,进程执行的普通的指令序列会被一个信号处理器暂时地中断.它首先执行该信号处理程序中的指令.如果从信号处理程序返回(例如没有调用exit或longjmp ...

  4. [Oracle] Data Pump 详细使用教程(5)- 命令交互模式

    [Oracle] Data Pump 详细使用教程(1)- 总览 [Oracle] Data Pump 详细使用教程(2)- 总览 [Oracle] Data Pump 详细使用教程(3)- 总览 [ ...

  5. 详解 Spring 3.0 基于 Annotation 的依赖注入实现--转载

    使用 @Repository.@Service.@Controller 和 @Component 将类标识为 Bean Spring 自 2.0 版本开始,陆续引入了一些注解用于简化 Spring 的 ...

  6. css考核点整理(四)-css盒模型

    http://paranimage.com/css-box-model/

  7. 关于es6的箭头函数使用与内部this指向

    特型介绍:箭头函数是ES6新增的特性之一,它为JS这门语言提供了一种全新的书写函数的语法. 'use strcit'; let arr = [1,2,3]; //ES5 let es5 = arr.m ...

  8. CSS3 颜色值HSL表示方式&简单实例

    HSL色彩模式:就是色调(Hue).饱和度(Saturation).亮度(Lightness)三个颜色通道的改变以及它们相互之间的叠加来获得各种颜色,色调(Hue)色调最大值360,饱和度和亮度有百分 ...

  9. CSS Pseudo-Element Selectors伪对象选择符

    一: CSS3将伪对象选择符(Pseudo-Element Selectors)前面的单个冒号(:)修改为双冒号(::)用以区别伪类选择符(Pseudo-Classes Selectors),但以前的 ...

  10. SQL觸發器聯級刪除

    Create TRIGGER [dbo].[trigInstructionsDelete] ON dbo.Instructions instead OF DELETE AS BEGIN DECLARE ...