[font=arial]I can see the light at the end of the tunnel... The project is almost done, but I'm struggling to sit down and get it done.[/font]
[font=arial]I think pretty much all I've gotten done since my last update (which seems like forever ago) are some graphics:[/font]
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[font=arial]Here you can see icons for all the different health and ammo pickup types (which will also be used when purchasing items from the shop), as well as icons for skill and weapon upgrades. I still have to polish these a bit and do a few more graphics.[/font]
[font=arial]That's pretty much all I have for updates.[/font]
[font=arial]In the mean time, let me ask everyone a question: How do you stay motivated?[/font]
[font=arial]I'm sure I'm not the only one with limited free time who struggles to actually utilize that time to work on their games.[/font]
[font=arial]I recently played "The Beginner's Guide" by Davey Wreden Matthew, the creator of "The Stanley Parable", and I won't spoil it, but it seems like I'm not the only one with a love/hate relationship with my games.[/font]
[font=arial]My particular situation is this: I work 40 hours a week, and have kids to watch when I come home. I get up at 5am, get home around 2:30, put the kids to bed around 9 (if I'm lucky) and the rest of the night is a mix of folding laundry and free time. I usually am in bed around 12:30.[/font]
[font=arial]If I'm lucky, I'll get 2-3 hours of actual free time, but it's usually more like 1. And after everything is said and done, my energy level is such that I would rather sit down and PLAY a game than make one. Of course, this always makes me feel like shit, because deep down, I WANT TO MAKE GAMES! Not to mention that I'm always doubting my abilities as a developer. Quite often I'll see an awesome feature in a game, and if I have no idea how they did it, I'll also feel like shit.[/font]
[font=arial]But, I just tell myself that I've only been at it for a couple of years, only been out of college for one year, and that my current work is a lot better than it was when I started. That helps, but the idea that I suck, or am naive in believing I can actually be a game developer is always gnawing at me. I almost feel delusional at times for pursuing the dream of making money from my games, or that anyone will want to play them, or think that they're good[/font][font=arial]. [/font][font=arial]Does anyone else struggle with this?[/font]
[font=arial]It also makes it difficult that, after I've stopped a development session, my mind takes quite a while to cool down (I get an adrenaline rush or something, and my mind races, making it difficult to sleep).[/font]
[font=arial]I guess one possible solution is to do the game dev as soon as I get the kids to sleep, set a time limit (an hour maybe), and then do the boring laundry. I guess that would let my mind cool down and also help resolve the low energy problem (to some extent).[/font]
[font=arial]I also used to write quite a bit of fiction, and it seems the biggest hurdle (at least for me) when it comes to creating (whether writing or making games), is just sitting down and starting. After I've forced myself to do that, it usually just pours out. [/font]
[font=arial]I've also started streaming on twitch when I develop. I don't usually get much of a turnout, but it does make the experience a little more fun.[/font]
[font=arial]I guess while I'm here, I'll make a promise to anyone who cares to stream some development starting tonight (March 23) no later than 10pm Atlantic Daylight Time (ADT). In other words: I will be streaming tonight at 10pm ADT. You can find the stream by searching JEJoll on twitch.tv.[/font]
[font=arial]Let me know if you plan on tuning in. (Do it! Maybe I'll incorporate your input into the game).[/font]
I'm in much of the same boat, with kids, day job, and general house maintenance, I don't have a whole lot of free time. It can help to have a schedule, like, Okay, wednesday is Game Dev night, so I don't do any other chores that night, or only a lighter subset of them, and, well thursday is my cheat night, where I just play whatever game I want. etc. That can help alleviate guilt, because it was a scheduled game night.
But yeah, everyone struggles with motivation, and the impostor syndrome is a real thing that people experience all the time. The main thing to remember, is that a lot of games, that actually get released, are programmed by people who have no idea what the heck they're doing as programmers. Trust me, I've seen the source code -- and I've written some of it. The thing is, that doesn't really matter if the game is fun to play. This is especially true for small games that aren't trying to squeeze every last drop of performance out of their target platform.