Burn out

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.

 

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

 

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.

 

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

 

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.

 

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..

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.

 

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.

 

How about Protonix? j/k

 

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...

 

One thing that helps me keeping motivated is:
1) Keep a log (I use a fantastic task/bug tracking web application ) 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).

 

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.

 

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.