Burn out

[RedKnight]

I have been sitting here staring at my codes for minutes.

But I just don't have the strength anymore.
I know, when I finished it I CAN archieved alot.

does any one got one of these moments when doing work.

[Duke]

'You are not alone'

[Gmicek]

Oh yeah, I know where you're coming from. I had one of these moments the other night when working on my CGM column. It was 3am. It needed to be finished by morning. And I had to wake up for my day job at 8am. A unique mix of apathy and anxiety.

[AndyN]

Pretty much every day :/ I find the only thing to do is get away from the screen for a while and let my brain rest.

I don't want to appear like some weird health nut, but exercise seems to work pretty well for me, I think it must be the endorphins or something.

[C_Coder]

Me too...and that's when I spend most of the time on this forum!

[baegsi]

Sure, that's part of the business... Exercise is a good cure for me, or just relaxing for some time (but not in front of the comuputer!)

[Adrian Cummings]

In that case walk away and leave it and come back when you have slept on it perhaps.

You will turn yer brain to jelly in no time do that and not write much good code even.

Level fatigue is actually one of the worst killers of a lot of games design... i.e. you create a great game start coding and by about month 2 or 3 you wonder how the hell you oare going to sit thru mapping say another 60 levels... it's a bitch and often show in many games as you progress thru them... even some AAA titles, you can just tell they GOT bored sometimes.

I've done it myself many times :)

Cheers,

Adrian.

[RedKnight]

i.e. you create a great game start coding and by about month 2 or 3 you wonder how the hell you oare going to sit thru mapping say another 60 levels...


Sometime I wishes I had a boss or a some kind of a leader telling me what to do,better then to figure out my self what to do.

[FlySim]

Sometime I wishes I had a boss
Careful what you wish for...
Hello, Peter. What's happening? We need to talk about your TPS reports.
Office Space - funny movie if you havnt seen it.

[Winterwolf]

It happens to me every now and then. Really, when that happens, there are only two things you can do:

1) Force yourself to work harder, but compromise the efficiency
2) Take a break, relax and get back to work after a couple of hours with 100% efficiency.

Personally, I usually take option 2.

[ggambett]

I'm entering the 8th month of developing of our current game. Believe me, I feel your pain.

Don't waste your time staring at the monitor. Go out. See a movie. Do some exercise. Read a book. Even if it's for 15 or 30 minutes, these always help me.

[dima]

You havent experienced true burn out, untill you've coded for straights 48 hours, smoking a fatty every 4 hours or so. At that point you have no idea what you're looking at, or even what your name is, lol.

[Kai Backman]

Here is a simple and working tip. Set a timer to go off in 90 minutes. Decide to work just that amount of time. Start with some refactoring if there isn't anything else you feel like doing. You can always edit some dialogs or something. When the clock rings stop for a few minutes, stand up from your desk and walk around a bit.

Rinse and repeat. Be surprised when game is ready! :)

[Hiro_Antagonist]

I wrestle with burn out/motivation stuff all the time.

My WoW desktop icon calls to me. I have Netflix movies in the front room that I *know* will make me laugh or appreciate. There's a beautiful sunny Seattle sky out there (not really the oxymoron you'd believe), and a walk on the beach sounds amazing. My girlfriend has the day off.

And yet, here I am in my bedroom/office, needing to chug along for yet another couple of months.

As it is, most of my excitement dissipates quickly with nobody to echo it, but my apathy tends to stick around just fine...

The thing that keeps me going is baby steps. I know that there are 'n' more hours/days/months I need to work before good things happen, and if I just keep putting one metaphorical foot in front of the other, I *will* whittle that number down to eventual success. But it requires that I keep stepping, stepping, stepping...

Not exactly motivational, I know. But for me it's all about just taking another step sooner rather than later...

-Hiro_Antagonist

[Greg Squire]

It all boils down "having your mind fresh". Sometimes the more you think about a problem, the harder it is to find a solution. The more you force your brain to think, the more it can't think (the more it "chokes"). I've found that if I take a break for a while, then the answer comes later. Sometimes I just need a "micro break", other times I need a longer break or even sleep. Just like other organs in your body, like muscles, your brain needs to rest too.

[Chris Evans]

It all boils down "having your mind fresh". Sometimes the more you think about a problem, the harder it is to find a solution. The more you force your brain to think, the more it can't think (the more it "chokes"). I've found that if I take a break for a while, then the answer comes later. Sometimes I just need a "micro break", other times I need a longer break or even sleep. Just like other organs in your body, like muscles, your brain needs to rest too.


Tell me about it. So many times I've stayed up for hours on end until 5am trying to solve a particular problem. My stubbornness won't allow me to sleep with a problem unresolved. But 9 times out of 10, if I actually get some decent rest, when I wake up in the morning I'm able to solve the problem within the first 30-45 minutes.

Also sometimes now when I get burnt out from coding, I take a day or two off to work on some game designs in my notebook. Working a different part of your brain can help break up the monotony.

[MingooX]

When I feel burnt out and I try to push myself, it just makes for a second rate code job that I invariably redo the next day. My advise is always to tear yourself away, get a drink of water, watch something on TV perhaps or play a game then go to bed :)

Steve

[Black Hydra]

I usually go to some website like stevepavlina.com and read some of the articles. Usually that motivates me to get them done by reminding me why I am doing it in the first place.

just my 2 cents...

[ibsta]

Force yourself to work until you've done a significant amount. I live by the statement, "Do it now, enjoy later".

[GBGames]

Besides Pavlina's articles on Personal Productivity and Motivation http://www.dexterity.com/articles/

I'd suggest doing meta-work, which is a good name for some of the things you do for Getting Things Done (good book to get if you don't already have it). You may not be progressing on a project, but you are working out the details about what you do need to do for that project.

David Allen defines a project as anything that requires more than one simple action to complete. Getting your car fixed is a project because it probably involves you calling around for prices, determining the best option, and actually scheduling for an appointment with one.

So when I get stuck, I am finding that it is because I haven't defined what the Next Action is. I have to setup a new account for someone at work. First step is to send an email to the manager asking for approval. Just having that first step, even if the rest aren't written down, makes me progress. That's something I can do easily, so I'll just do it. I'll figure out what's next after I am done.

You want to increase the quality of your game graphics? Well if you just try to tackle it knowing that is your goal, you'll feel lost and waste a lot of time and energy trying to get things going. If, on the other hand, you have decided that your next action involves sending emails to some of your customers to ask them how it can be improved, now you know what to do and can just do it.

I call it meta-work because it is work you do to make the work you actually do clear, less risky, and quick.

But in your case specifically, coding requires high levels of energy and concentration. If you don't have those, take a break, doing something else that requires less of you. Make a call. Send an email out. Ask someone you know for advice. But having a next action list will help you decide what it is you want to do.

[dima]

Creating a To Do list really help me. Any additions or features make it on the list, and then I do things in the order os the list. This way I dont sit around staring at the screen lost in soo many differentthings to do, I just follow the list even if the items arent as fun as the next ones. This helps alot to get things done.

[GBGames]

Creating a To Do list really help me. Any additions or features make it on the list, and then I do things in the order os the list. This way I dont sit around staring at the screen lost in soo many differentthings to do, I just follow the list even if the items arent as fun as the next ones. This helps alot to get things done.

My To Do lists have been upgraded with Next Actions.

My lists used to look like this:
- review GameX
- fix computer

Now they'll look like this:
- review GameX (install GameX)
- fix computer (waiting on delivery of video card)

This way, each item may list a project that I have, but I also know exactly what specific action I must take to make progress. You don't do projects. You can only do the actions related to the project. Realizing this has been a real upgrade to my To Do lists. While the GTD method isn't as simple as that, it is possible to take bits and pieces of it and still get a huge impact on your productivity and efficiency.

[MingooX]

Creating a To Do list really help me. Any additions or features make it on the list, and then I do things in the order os the list. This way I dont sit around staring at the screen lost in soo many differentthings to do, I just follow the list even if the items arent as fun as the next ones. This helps alot to get things done.

I do the same now, as of about a year ago when I started working on 'big projects'. I have to admit that it is only with the plan file now that I really get things done, as it drives me to clear it. :)

Steve

[dima]

Definitely, having a list of some sort is very benefitial. Without any list, one can really get lost on waht needs to be done next, as sometimes things pile up and the brain gets overwhelmed.

Having a structured guide realy helps, you pick the next thing to do, and do it untill its done, then move to the next. Even the smallest of changes, bug fixes should be added to these lists.

[Nexic]

I usually just give up for the day, though I think the previous posts are better ways to get around it.

[BantamCityGames]

After 4 hours of work and 6 hours of school I'm pretty damn burnt out and the last thing I feel like doing is staring at code for hours, but the game needs to be DONE, so similar to what Gabriel mentioned, I try to relax completely for a hour or two... watch some tv, get some food, or just take a walk... something where you are not thinking about coding... and when you come back you feel less burnt and more ready to take on that next algorithm.

[KGodwin]

I have been sitting here staring at my codes for minutes.

But I just don't have the strength anymore.
I know, when I finished it I CAN archieved alot.

does any one got one of these moments when doing work.

Yes, yes and yes.

Not sure if your actually looking for other people's solutions but since everyone posted one...here is mine

if NoDeadline
Come back and deal with it the next day
else
Go for a walk for 20min or so.

[RedKnight]

Go for a walk for 20min or so.

nope that won't work. every morning when I woke up,
I still got some ideas on how to code stuff.

and I've tried swimming, sleeping, watching Porn etc etc.
I've still got that tired burning feeling in my chest.

[Sharpfish]

Level fatigue is actually one of the worst killers of a lot of games design... i.e. you create a great game start coding and by about month 2 or 3 you wonder how the hell you oare going to sit thru mapping say another 60 levels... it's a bitch and often show in many games as you progress thru them... even some AAA titles, you can just tell they GOT bored sometimes.


Maybe they should start with the later levels and work backwards? That way the quality and experience of the game will improve as the player progresses as it should be.. ;)

Here is a simple and working tip. Set a timer to go off in 90 minutes. Decide to work just that amount of time. Start with some refactoring if there isn't anything else you feel like doing. You can always edit some dialogs or something. When the clock rings stop for a few minutes, stand up from your desk and walk around a bit.

Rinse and repeat. Be surprised when game is ready! :)

Sounds good, I may give that a try, it is EASY to slip into the time-vortex that surrounds all computers. That little "controlled break" could help break the link.

One thing that helped me a lot in the past 6 months when I was basically just coding engine stuff (and picking up DirectX9 as I went) was that I did it all on a laptop that was NOT connected to the internet. I switched off my desktop/internet pc and moved to the kitchen which was peaceful and airy. With just me and my laptop it is a lot easier to avoid distractions (checking emails / game news sites etc).

As for motivation, I have said it before - but always visualise the final product, the game you WANT to create and simply will not be happy until it IS created. We all know the tales of how many people start but never finish games, it is actually very hard to keep motivated and find the mental energy - but you are not alone, and it get's easier. Though I am now doing bigger projects than I ever imagined I would be, in languages and APIs that a few years back scared me to death, I had completed games back in the late 80's and early 90's (mostly for the Amiga) though only a handful and certainly nothing to write home about, I know that keeping the long term goal in your mind get's you through the times when you get bogged down with the details.

When I am thinking about a game I am creating, I really don't want to have the additional worry of Installers, Website updates, piracy protection, marketing, data packers, DeviceCaps checking, error checking, physics, A.I, Models, 2D art, Font classes, transitions, animations, sounds, music... the list is endless. I enjoy all those aspects but as long as I don't get put off by them. I grab each one with determination and dedicate the time I have to it - then move on or move around to keep the interest up.

The internet is a great, invaluable source of information (and for some folks here , livelyhoods) but it really does steal time like nothing else.

Go for a walk, watch a comedy, have a nap then when you wake up you should be ready to take on the world (in the microcosm of Visual C++ at least ; ) )

... now I must leave these forums and practice what I preach before the internet is all dried up and I have no potential customers left.

[Savant]

One thing that helped me a lot in the past 6 months when I was basically just coding engine stuff (and picking up DirectX9 as I went) was that I did it all on a laptop that was NOT connected to the internet
While I can appreciate the concept, this has never worked for me for whatever reason. Whenever I pull out the network cable I almost immediately run into something that requires me to google or go to a reference site for. :)

[Sharpfish]

While I can appreciate the concept, this has never worked for me for whatever reason. Whenever I pull out the network cable I almost immediately run into something that requires me to google or go to a reference site for. :)


ah I suppose my trick is I *try* to spend some of my time doing generic research - download documents or forum posts and use my usb flash drive to take them to my laptop and put them in my store.

If the desktop PC is on and I go past it I will be drawn towards it - just like I have now to post this ;) if I shut it down I will leave it alone for hours because I know I can't just do a "quick check" of my emails.

[Abscissa]

I've still got that tired burning feeling in my chest.
How about Protonix (http://www.protonix.com/)? j/k ;)

[RedKnight]

How about Protonix (http://www.protonix.com/)? j/k ;)


are you crazy?!? I don't like to take any kind of drugs.
and I haven't seen a doctor for 4 years. (feel healty thought!)
I've tried their quiz, and I don't have all of their symtoms in their quiz page.

[Abscissa]

are you crazy?!? I don't like to take any kind of drugs.
and I haven't seen a doctor for 4 years. (feel healty thought!)
I've tried their quiz, and I don't have all of their symtoms in their quiz page.
I was just making a joke about the "burning feeling in chest". The way that was worded it sounded like heartburn, which I know is not what you were really talking about. I guess it was an obscure reference. I'm not really trying to give out medical advice ;). I should probably be more careful with my random joking...

[ManuelFLara]

One thing that helps me keeping motivated is:
1) Keep a log (I use a fantastic task/bug tracking web application (http://www.edgewall.com/trac/) ) with _everything_ you have to do and what you have already done.
2) Break the tasks into smaller tasks so you can complete tasks more often. I mean, instead of "Create level X", set tasks like "Create background for level X", "Set enemy layout for level X", "Dialogs for level X", etc. as separate tasks. That way you can see your to-do list grow thin faster and that motivates you (at least it works for me!) since it seems like you're progressing faster. Keep track even the smallest things like game texts' typos, new little graphics/sounds, etc. Sometimes it's difficult to see if and how a software project is progressing, and IMO a task tracking system is a good system to get a graphical idea of how it is going (if it's used actively).

The key for keeping up working to me is the feeling of progression and having little concrete tasks to do (make Y for level X in a Z way) instead of big abstract ones (make level X).

[Alex]

I understand your pain all too well... This may sound stupid but I got this great game idea once (not too different to the one I have now, but this was long ago when I was coding pascal). I spent 3 days straight coding, coding, coding. My body ceased to exist, it was just me, my fingers and the screen. I ran the program, it worked well. Very well. It was quite a nice top down space sim with proper physics (I even looked up elastic vs inelastic collisions in my dusty old physics book), particle systems for the thrusters, sound FX, primitive AI, and music. I went to sleep (for a considerable amount of time I might add), and when I finally summoned up the courage to continue the project... well, who here has seen a 10000 line main function? The entire program was riddled with structs, constants that meant nothing, duplicated functions, and thousands of lines of nested if's, do-while's and hackity hacks that would have sent a sane programmer straight into a padded cell if he tried to understand it. It was a nightmare. I made a feeble attempt to contine, but it was no use. Those brilliant flashes of inspiration I got when I was tired turned out to be not-so-brilliant and totally destroyed a project that had good potential.

Please don't think of rest and sleep as an annoying but necessary waste of time where you could be doing more productive things. I wouldn't take the drastic action of avoiding the internet (the world feels so lonely without other programmers to talk to), but for me, I find I'm more productive after a decent meal away from the computer, time spent with friends not talking about computers or programming at all, a few days away from the project. Essentially it boils down to the fact that if you soldier on and keep hacking away, you will most likely have to undo a lot of that work as the program grows, so actually taking some time off from time to time will generally speed up the overall development. It seems paradoxical - how can not coding make me program faster...

See its 3am and I should be eating my own words. Instead I'm sitting here sipping tea and rambling on probably repeating myself a hundred times as well as making myself look like an idiot. Case in point.

[RedKnight]

I should probably be more careful with my random joking...

No prob.
It is just that most docters (ones that I know) always make those
killer medical jokes.

"are you going bald? maybe it's aids."
"You got flu? need infuse."
and the Sars jokes.

Well Alex. you should had made the engine first, doesn't matter if it is a dll or a lib file.
Code everything what you think you'll need for your game
and then you build the game on top of your engine.

also learn how to Organize your code.
Create different directories or files to store your codes.
Keep the mathes codes apart from the windows codes, Particles codes, etc etc
If I didn't organize my sh*t, I probally end up in some looney bin long time ago.

[Alex]

like I said it was a long time ago, probably somewhere around 1998/1999. I don't think I've ever been so disorganised since.