Top 10 ways to find motivation for a Ags game?

Icey · Fri 18/02/2011 03:57:55

At times I lose in tress in continuing any project I started even though it's going good.

I just wanted to know what do you do to keep yourself going?

Darth Mandarb · Fri 18/02/2011 04:02:08

I troll internet forums. It seems to work for others too...

Calin Leafshade · Fri 18/02/2011 04:09:03

"in tress" is the greatest interpreation of a word that I have ever seen.

It marginally beats someone who thought that Cheese was the plural of Chee.

deadsuperhero · Fri 18/02/2011 04:27:00

Although I have yet to release a full-length title, let me say this much, as to what kinds of things seem to work for me:

-Get a clear vision for a game that you want to do. Spend a lot of time working on the plot, the protagonist, various interesting characters. Find ways to simplify the main plot, and find a way to develop dialog and storytelling that ties the characters together into a very well-thought-out environment. Good writing and solid puzzles can carry a game with crappy graphics any day of the week.

-Get a group of people to regularly test out your game. For me, I was constantly releasing weekly builds of "No One Likes You" (Before I lost all the source code and asset files, d'oh) in which some friends of mine would play through and write down any new bugs they'd stumble across, things they liked, puzzles which didn't logically make sense, etc. It's very important to get some feedback from a point of view that isn't yours, in order to see if the gameplay is truly as intuitive as you think it is. It's also very rewarding to hear how much people like it, week after week.

And finally, one thing I'm really putting effort into is a demo sampler of about four or five different game ideas I've had for the past two years and really been working on. I'll release them when the time is right, and then I'll get people to vote on which one I should work on and release first.

Either way, for me, getting feedback is my primary motivator, and knowing that I can tell a damned good story is one of the most rewarding things about doing this as a hobby.

Icey · Fri 18/02/2011 04:33:49

That seems like a good approach. I got part 1 done So I guess I'ma find some reliable testers that I know. And maybe if the game is long enough then I will release a demo. And I do love feedback so this should all work.

I think my problem is I have a mind set to rush through a project & not enjoy it as I go along. $:-\$

R4L · Fri 18/02/2011 05:56:43

Quote from: Studio3 on Fri 18/02/2011 04:33:49
That seems like a good approach. I got part 1 done So I guess I'ma find some reliable testers that I know. And maybe if the game is long enough then I will release a demo. And I do love feedback so this should all work.

I think my problem is I have a mind set to rush through a project & not enjoy it as I go along. $:-\$

Your problem is that you're too ambitious! You want to release ten different games all at once and create some kind of legacy for yourself. You aren't going to be the next Square Enix anytime soon. Just chill out and put your all into one game that you can actually be PROUD of and others can actually ENJOY.

Icey · Fri 18/02/2011 06:13:22

True. I guess I gotta push my self a little more.

Calin Leafshade · Fri 18/02/2011 06:15:05

I think Studio3 should be commended for his tenacity, ambitious or not. A lesser person would've given up by now due to the 'support' we've been giving him.

It truly shows strength of character and I admire that. Elitism is never a good thing.

Icey · Fri 18/02/2011 07:06:39

Thanks. I think.

GarageGothic · Fri 18/02/2011 07:12:14

Don't know how far you are with the project, but my advice would be to focus on getting a rough prototype of the game up and running. Doesn't matter that the art assets are placeholders or dialog is sparse. Once it starts actually feeling like a game, something that is playable, has a structure and a flow, then it'll seem much more worthwhile fleshing out and eventually completing.

It's very easy to lose yourself in perfecting individual backgrounds or adding clever details to the interface, but as long as all you have to show for your hard work is a bunch of pretty sprites and a series of finished, but disconnected rooms it's hard to keep motivated. Prototyping with programmer art and placeholder text will also help you see flaws in your design and quite possibly save you from wasting time on content that you'll end up cutting or changing anyway.

Babar · Fri 18/02/2011 07:24:27

Well then, just release Shadowplay already! I'm sure it's more than playable by now!

GarageGothic · Fri 18/02/2011 08:11:39

Hehe, sadly any advice I have to give are lessons I learned the hard way

. But lord knows that "Shadowplay: Stick Figure Edition" would solve 99% of the issues that are making me wait for AGS to be open sourced.

Edit: Just to clarify, I should note that the project itself hasn't been put on hold - in fact I've just expanded the team size by 100% (so now there's two of us

). A friend of mine who's a very talented artist has agreed to help me with the various film clips you get to watch in-game, and I'm extremely happy and excited about this collaboration. Knowing her artistic style and the various inspirations we've been discussing I can promise they will be quite unique.

Monsieur OUXX · Fri 18/02/2011 09:35:31

One needs time. Darn time. Always-eluding time. Never enough time.
Dumping your girlfriend helps

veryweirdguy · Fri 18/02/2011 10:09:15

If I struggle with the main game then I think about what to put in the DLC.

Grim · Fri 18/02/2011 10:35:02

Three coffees and a couple of cigarettes seem to do it for me... Not recommened. 8)

Dualnames · Fri 18/02/2011 11:00:08

Quote from: Grim on Fri 18/02/2011 10:35:02
Three coffees and a couple of cigarettes seem to do it for me... Not recommened. 8)

No coffees and no cigarettes (well occasionally some), but good music does it for me.

Phemar · Fri 18/02/2011 11:17:42

Quote from: Grim on Fri 18/02/2011 10:35:02
Three coffees and a couple of cigarettes seem to do it for me... Not recommened. 8)

Haha cigarettes are the worst way to get anything done.

"Ok I'll do the background for this room just now, right after I have a smoke."
Eight minutes later...
"Hmmm... Maybe one more smoke and then I'll definitely start!"
Eight more minutes later...

etc...

That's pretty much my life. I'd probably be a multi-millionare by now who's fluent in 37 languages if I didn't smoke haha.

Oh yea, and also if I didn't play Minecraft :/

Diath · Fri 18/02/2011 11:23:16

Quote from: Dualnames on Fri 18/02/2011 11:00:08
Quote from: Grim on Fri 18/02/2011 10:35:02
Three coffees and a couple of cigarettes seem to do it for me... Not recommened. 8)

No coffees and no cigarettes (well occasionally some), but good music does it for me.

Good music is what does it for me as well

Grim · Fri 18/02/2011 12:06:37

Quote from: Phemar on Fri 18/02/2011 11:17:42
Quote from: Grim on Fri 18/02/2011 10:35:02
Three coffees and a couple of cigarettes seem to do it for me... Not recommened. 8)

Haha cigarettes are the worst way to get anything done.

I'd probably be a multi-millionare by now who's fluent in 37 languages if I didn't smoke haha.

The beauty of the PC mouse is that you can smoke AND use mouse in the same time!

I smoke in the kitchen window these days, though.... 8)

arj0n · Fri 18/02/2011 12:41:24

Quote from: Grim on Fri 18/02/2011 10:35:02
Three coffees and a couple of cigarettes seem to do it for me... Not recommened. 8)

sometimes (half) a joint and 2 good coffees do it for me.
but most of the time: some cigarets and 2 good coffees and a joint afterwards.