When you drop some project is for some causes :
1)no time... there are some programmer with time? (programming+real life+sleep+eat+play some game =24 hrs.)
2)lack of experience.. Some beginners start made games very high-level and there is never finish.
3)many project. Only a expert will may have 2 or 3 project at once. Usually 1 project is eought!.
4)don''t interesing. There are some "programmers" with want to have a program in 1 weeks.. yep, it is true for a little program, but for a true-project, it is only a dream.
5)lack of team. You can be a good programmer, but you need a team for share work and experience. In fact, you can program, but you need graphics, sound, and more..

Whenever I quit or drastically delay a project it''s always because of boredom, never because of a time shortage...

No game will ever rule more than CBT!

quote:
When you drop some project is for some causes :
1)no time... there are some programmer with time? (programming+real life+sleep+eat+play some game =24 hrs.)
2)lack of experience.. Some beginners start made games very high-level and there is never finish.
3)many project. Only a expert will may have 2 or 3 project at once. Usually 1 project is eought!.
4)don''t interesing. There are some "programmers" with want to have a program in 1 weeks.. yep, it is true for a little program, but for a true-project, it is only a dream.
5)lack of team. You can be a good programmer, but you need a team for share work and experience. In fact, you can program, but you need graphics, sound, and more..

1. Thats pretty much my life. And yes, I only sleep 6-8 hours..
2. I''m quite experienced
3. This must be the reason. I usually have 2-4 projects!
4. I want to finish my applications in 1 month. No less.
5. I have team, who makes graphics and music.

quote: Original post by Tom

Smart people get bored very easily, and this industry only accepts smart people, so it''s not surprising that nearly all programmers leave behind a vast amount of unfinished business.

I disagree. Getting bored and being smart are two characteristics that have nothing to do with eachother. Always finishing tasks, whether they are programming tasks or everyday tasks, are not related in any way to your IQ level.

Most people program because it''s fun. They also do a lot of this stuff in their spare time. Now, obviously there are parts of programming people enjoy more than others. Designing, creating the meat of an application/game, and solving all of the complicated problems you a face along the way is fun for me.

But once I solve all of the hard problems there is just tons of tedious, simple program tasks left. Since I''m doing this stuff in my spare time, why should I continue to work on something that just isn''t fun anymore?

Obviously if you want to get into the field then finishing your programs ARE important. However, since I''m already in the field, I could care less what personal programs I finsih or not


- Houdini

I think personal projects are important to define and complete. It''s a self discipline that you develop if you do go out to do things in life. I''ve had ambitions to do things in life, that I have never done. I think people should treat personal projects like professional ones. i.e., if you want to make a game:

1. Gather proper requirements/details of the game.
2. Verify resources that you need to create the game.
3. define High level architecture based on 1 and 2.
4. Verify your time availability.
5. Develop the game
6. Testing
7. Release

Time availability is important. If you dont have time to make the game, dont do it. If your code becomes out of date, finish with the out of date code, then revamp with new code. The object is to finish.

This is a high level outline on how to make a good game. There are alot more details than this, but this is a good start for anyone. Getting in habits of following through will be a good trait to have for anyone. I''m not saying there arent extreme circumstances as to why a person would not finish a project, but suffering thru the boring times to get something done is worth it in the end. Hope this is some use to anyone.



Dave