Reply With Quote
I am doing this also.
A good way to not feel guilty about it:
Say to yourself that it's a good way to find hidden bugs.
Can't stop playing game...
I've come to realize something about my work habits and why I'm not getting as much completed on my projects as I would like to in a given week. I tend to play what I have completed so far, over and over again. I'm addicted to my own game
Every time I add a new section or item to my game, it's like it gives me a reason to play test it, so I do, but then I can't seem to stop. I just replay the levels over and over again. I find it kind of humorous myself, however it is slowing my production rate down quite a bit. Does anyone else have this problem?
At any rate, hopefully this means I have a fun addictive game on my hands and it's not just me.
I am doing this also.
A good way to not feel guilty about it:
Say to yourself that it's a good way to find hidden bugs.
Sometimes it's no the best thing to overplay your own game too much. You might lose the vision of waht you had before and think that the game isn't fun anymore. As with many things, everything is good in moderation. It's true though, you will find problems and bugs that need that type of extensice testing.
The sad truth: You probably won't find much playing the same levels all over. Then you show the game to a friend: Bang, a bug is there immediately.Originally Posted by dima
true enough,
I'm attempting to work more and play less. But I blame it on the game, it's just too damn fun
However I understand what you mean about losing focus and beginning to think it isn't fun anymore. I've noticed this as well and try to keep above it.
However, lakibuk is right, I've found a lot of "hidden" bugs that I would have never found if I havn't been playing it as much as I have.
There has got to be an equal balance here somewhere, if I can just find it and follow it.
EXACTLY ! Why on earth is this possible that after extensive playing of some level, you put it in front of anyone and the bug is there within 5 seconds ?
My theory is, that subconsciously, after some 20 replays, you are playing it the same way - i.e. same order of movements and actions. What do you think ?
VladR, I agree completely...
After playing my game through over 50 times and then letting my gf give it a chance, and watching her play, it just blew me away. I noticed how she completed the levels were completely different then how I was, and I beleive I just had it stuck in my head from playing it so long that "this is how to complete the levels", and I've never done it any other way.
I think I'm actually stuck in a pattern.
Sorry to sway the topic a bit, but this got me thinking about something else that I've been wondering.
How do you guys handle your beta testing? Do you do it locally? over the net? Do you give out free full versions to your beta testers? If so, how do you know to trust your testers not to pirate the game?
i give a prototype of my game to my friends for review every now and then, i don't think my friend will pirate or steal my ideas
This is just prototype not a beta version, it means that the game will have full gameplay (or less but the core is there).
I suggest this approach way better than releasing beta version, it's suprising how ppl play your prototype, find bugs and the fact that youre still far from beta !!!
By having it rough, you'll have the chance to really judge the core of your game, get inputs (this is because you'll get more inputs from an unfinished game), see how it appeals your audience and even make drastic changes without have to feeling sorry for yourself.
Dima just said something important : don't overplay your own game !!, in fact I will add this : don't develop the same game for more than 2-3 months !!.
Indie developer usually a one man show (or two.. or three), you'll get tired and lose vision of your game quickly and it's bad.. so bad.. you'll end up with :
1. what's first look like a good idea now turn sour, usually that means you won't continue making your game.
2. you'll push the game development just to finish it which is also bad cause you'll end up with a sucky game.
My trick is to have multiple project, this year I'm taking two developments at the same time so that I can switch development to something new everytime I'm weary of the old same thing -> this is the bliss of being INDIE !!!.
The result so far is great !! Everytime I switch project I'll have new spirit, new mood, ideas and most of all : new perspective of the game which makes me very objective to my work.
This method also have setbacks though if you don't have disciplins to do it correctly, you'll end up with a game that'll never finished, prolonged schedule, etc.
I know I haven't released any title yet (so far only several webgames) but hopefully by the end of this year I'll have two games which I can be proud of, just wish me luck
Motorama! Riding can be tough indeed..
www.motoramagame.com
Fun Web Games for All!
www.iplayallday.com
That's definitely the case.
I have the same problem.
I am making a 3D space sim/action game, with the emphasis on action. Sometimes I spend more time flying my ship around destroying enemies then coding. It's a blast, but not very productive.
Over the last week I have been upping the enemies IQ. Specifically their navigation capabilities and attack patterns. I spent two hours tonight just sitting in an asteroid field watching them swarm me, while avoiding running into me, each other, and all the asteroids (their guns disabled so I wouldn't get destoryed).
At first I was trying to determine how well they were thinking, but after 5 minutes I knew I had the AI nailed, the rest of it was just me mesmerized watching them flying around their virutal environment. Finally, I realized I was out of time and had wasted the better part of a night....again
Vorax Games | Blog: Nibble's and Bits
Guess we are screwed eh anthony? Our projects arn't just long in the tooth, the teeth fell out a long time ago!
Dan MacDonald
a prisoner of the cause
Oh please, stop kissing yourself in the butt!I've come to realize something about my work habits and why I'm not getting as much completed on my projects as I would like to in a given week. I tend to play what I have completed so far, over and over again. I'm addicted to my own game
Every time I add a new section or item to my game, it's like it gives me a reason to play test it, so I do, but then I can't seem to stop. I just replay the levels over and over again. I find it kind of humorous myself, however it is slowing my production rate down quite a bit. Does anyone else have this problem?
At any rate, hopefully this means I have a fun addictive game on my hands and it's not just me.
JCH
Fun Free Games
I had the opposite problem nine years ago. It was a simple enough soccer management game for the Amstrad CPC (an 8-bit computer), programmed in BASIC. Hey, I was 14.
When finished, I settled down to play it. But I could never actually play it for more than a few hours without thinking of ways to upgrade it. "I could do this, and this, and this!" and so I stopped playing and did it, then played for another while before doing the same...
Ah well.
As for beta testing, I'm currently doing some for the data editor for my current project - prospective data researchers are checking it for problems and I'm getting plenty of good feedback. I reckon I'll use the best of these testers for beta testing the final project.
I often have the problem of not being able to play my own creation. Mainly because I tend to sit there thinking of ways to tweak, tune and improve.
During development time, I also feel that getting someone who doesn't have access to the game regularly to have a playtest and give you feedback is the best way of improving niggly issues for example, with the user interface.
Rockingham Software
Cricket Coach
Something to keep in mind is when you play your game so much as you develop it - you tend to lose touch with how hard the game is. Ill play a level so many times as I tweak it that I can play it through almost without looking - but then when I ask a friend to test it he'll complain that it seems impossible to solve.
Hello,
Yes, I did play my own games when I developed them. However, I think I was not as addicted to my own games as you..
Regards,
Agung Wijaya
www.e-funsoft.com
Maybe you need to get an egg timer and set it before you start playing.
I had a similar problem back when I was working on the editor for Doom. In order to test new features I'd have to tweak existing maps or throw a new map together from scratch. Then of course you have to go into it and wander around and make sure everything is working. This can be really time consuming when you are testing something like a macro system to create doors.
I'm not sure I ever really solved the 'problem' of this. Even today I find myself playing our own games probably more than I should.
C'est la vie...
Casual Multi-Player Games Publishing
http://www.traygames.com/
This timely article is good;
http://news.com.com/Why+cant+you+pay...7632&subj=news
Casual Multi-Player Games Publishing
http://www.traygames.com/
All of my games I end up playing almost an equal amount of time to that of actually coding. To be blunt, it isn't because the game is fun, it's because YOU made it. Trust me, while I was making my first game Astral Phantom I thought it was brilliant, couldn't stop playing it.
In over a year I've only had one sale of that! (though I stopped selling it after about 10 months) and I played it this morning and realised how much junk it was. It was incredibly dull.
I'm now trying not to play my own games too much, I'll just think its really cool and get angry with anyone who dares to make a constructive comment!
Posting Permissions