Going from idea to vision quicker needs a solution. I've been thinking hard about how to handle it, looking for a eureka. I'm not looking for less work, but more meaningful work (less wasted time doing technical things just to make a box move, and then more technical things to make it move along a path, all to eventually have an NPC that autonomously walks to and fro).

But there are solutions already available for what you're describing. There are plenty of game engines that provide you with a good base to start with and eliminate potentially redundant work (or even let you avoid programming altogether if you so choose, eg GameMaker or Unity coupled with various WYSIWYG or schematics editor plugins)

I guess you are right, although even those don't work how I would like them to.

Here is a case and point. For the longest I wanted an app that makes apps that was cheap, easy to use (with the ability to be advanced if you want) yet powerful. An app that can make my workflow, as pertains to data processing, easier. It seemed like this perfect app was not going to happen, until I found this app on IOS called Editorial, and with its latest update, it is the very app I was talking about.

In short, the app allows you to make a custom "Workflow" tailored to your specific needs for text editing. And the uses for this "Pefect app" are almost infinite. You can customize and automate your entire workflow if you wanted to. I have been so much more productive with this app that its value can be potentially 1,000 times more than its cost ($7)

A long time ago I had an idea for such a game engine, and it still lingers in the back of my head (though my skills are not yet able to carry it out).

It would be nice if we could automate the technicalities (according to our workflow) so that the game making process flows smoother.

I attached a photo of a working GUI I made with Editorial in a matter of minutes, which can be expanded far beyond this template using Python

Agreed on the frameworks like Unity etc. I don't think they're a one-size-fits-all solution, but if rapid development is your goal they are a great help. Engine development either requires a different mindset, or requires knowing exactly which features you need that aren't implemented in the other platforms available.

Thanks.

I think I get it now!

So, I wrecked my brain for the last few days trying to finally solve a programming problem I have been battling. If I could get this to work, I could automate part of my workflow. I finally got it to work, and I know that every time I run that program, it is going to work.

No more wrecking my brain, no more problem solving. PROBLEM SOLVED! And now life is a little easier.

#victoryCondition

(I don't have a twitter account, just learning the lingo.)

Just work. I'm more into arts but I don't like the instability thing.

I hate it I hate it I hate it I hate it!!!!!!!!! But I like what you can do with it. If only it would work the first time...

It's not that I would like rapid development, more like rapid prototyping. Getting the pieces working decently sooner, and then adding the detail/complexity.

I compare it to how an artist sketches out a drawing first, and iteratively works up the detail. They will know sooner rather than later whether a certain design is working or not, and can scrap it and re-think it without lost time. It's also a free form workflow, so there aren't any technical restrictions on the creative process.

I find programming fun for many reasons, but the main one is problem solving. I find solving problems incredibly enjoyable, no matter how monotonous. I have the strange ability to focus on one thing for hours, days, even weeks, meaning I can carry on working on the same project for a really long time before my motivation starts to slip, after which I take a small break and get back to it. Then, once all is done and the project is complete, you get that great sense of pride that I've not been able to replicate anywhere else.

You hear about the amount of programmers who don't finish their projects, and it makes you work harder to not be grouped with them. You hear about those amazing new game releases, or that software company who just made millions off of their program, and it makes you work even harder to match or even surpass them eventually. It's that motivation, that sense of accomplishment and the joy of overcoming many small obstacles that make programming so enjoyable for me.

If I had to give some advice I would say if you are trying to make games using your programming skills and making games is the part you don't want to give up, try and find something else in the game development world you could do. Art, sound, design or anything else.

If you aren't having fun find something else although since programming is a great thing to do come back to it every now and again.

Hope I helped.