when looking for the next project, I often start multiple concept idea’s… like 2 - 4 different games. But usually I will run with one of those first 4 idea’s.
it’s possible after a few weeks it just doesn’t work, or isn’t fun enough, then I start hopping to new ideas again.
I didn’t code anything for a long time. Still haven’t started a new project.
…but I create a folder at least once a week using gdx-setup, let gradle do its thing and then forget about it :-\
Then I browse to reddit or imgur and drink the rest of the day away.
Same here. I start projects and almost never finish them. The only ones I ever finish are when I have time to enter the 4k compo.
I’m similar ags1, maybe even worse. I have projects that have continued for decades. Usually a sub-project comes up that gets in the way. Right now, my “project” is learning Android, and rewriting my sound library so that the Java-specific and Android-specific parts are cleanly separated, so that the same jar/library can be used with either platform.
If that ever completes, I’ll go back to some suspended projects that I started in Java, and port them to Android, and also plan to expand the capabilities of the audio library.
Meanwhile, I also practice my instrument (slow progress there) and have many hanging compositional/recording projects, awaiting my gaining the expertise to record myself playing and not suck. (This magic moment may never arrive, but I am stubbornly sticking with it.) With all this hanging and needing to spend time on some contract work and part-time jobs, all the wonderful ideas I get for new projects go into a file folder.
I guess since I’m not professionaly developing software yet (cos(college)) I don’t always have time to spent on my own projects. That, and the fact that I’m busy with alot of other important (and fun) things (e.g. learning another language etc.).
I’ve found that when I make time to work on a project, I tend to finish it earlier. For example Ludum Dare: taking the weekend off to do the thing I enjoy most. It usually results in a fairly ‘finished’ little product.
I have a pretty big list of ideas I’ve had and want to develop, so I’m set for projects. My problem is my OCD/perfectionist/idealistic tendencies. If something isn’t perfect I really stress out, and that prevents me from continuing on with the rest of the application. I have a lot of pride when it comes to writing code. I’m hoping that once I struggle past that and get something cool working, it’ll subside a bit.
When it comes to thinking of game designs, I can think of more than plenty, but I’m never able to like any of the ideas I have trouble making decisions when left to my own creative freedom, I just become apathetic. I’d prefer someone to do the complete design, and just let me do the programming.
I have a folder called Graveyard that has around 100 sub folders…
What you might consider is instead of abandoning the project is trying to do a project per week. Just build a prototype and make sure it’s finished, even if it’s garbage, no major bugs and 100% playable. At some point you should hit a project that you go back to enough to make it into something.
I’m in the same boat as ags1 and Philfrei, too few projects, been working on the same one for almost two years now.
I have not that many failed projects, since most of them are just prototypes that I come to conclusion that are shit anyways and leave them after a couple of days.
My longest failure was a project of almost 2 years (Reign of Rebels). It was a good failure though, learned a lot of things.
Right now I’m working on the same project for almost 6 months, but unfortunately now I depend on other person to finish this one - I finally found a good artist that didn’t give up after 2 weeks (although he slowed down terribly on the past few months). Hopefully I will have something to show you guys in the next months.
[quote]It was a good failure…
[/quote]
The worst thing, worse than failing, is growing so careful that the range of things you allow yourself to do becomes progressively smaller and smaller, tightening like a noose around your life.
I’m probably the oldest person who comments regularly on this site. I figure as long as I am willing to roll up sleeves and attempt to accomplish new things, whether successful or not, but learning from every experience, my physical age is irrelevant.
I’m also very reluctant to start something I haven’t planned out and therefore don’t think I’ll finish.
But that means I learn less than I used to when I would dive into things just for the fun of it.
I think your creativity with game worlds and art is very interesting. One of these days you’ll stumble on an interesting gameplay mechanic and make something very popular (yorecraft?) 
Here’s my trick: Don’t start on new ideas until you’ve thought about them for some time. I also get cool new ideas all the time, but I try to go over them in my head, mostly when I’m on trains or buses or when I’m working out, for long enough to figure out if they’re actually something I’d enjoy doing for a longer time. In that time, you have time to figure out if the game would actually be fun for a longer period of time. If the idea in your head doesn’t appeal to you for more than a week, it most definitely won’t do that for your players.
Suddenly lying on bed I understand how many project I pass and fill sad because some of them i not completed ;(
I will write only viewable projects and commercial, leavening many prototypes.
2 my own project.
Polyrun - Monopoly http://www.java-gaming.org/index.php?topic=29126.0
World of change – minecraft http://www.java-gaming.org/topics/world-of-change/23947/msg/199589/view.html
Site is off but this old version:
http://tureal.uk.to/About_Game.php?Game=1
Commercial projects)
Worked on evil company that make projects as long as they can to many more money ;(
Be part off 5-8+ Hog games – make mini games for them and gameplay mechanics
http://www.iwin.com/games/the-cursed-island-mask-of-baragus-collectors-edition
else 5+ projects not realized (dropped but many of them was finished on 60-80%)
– and I don’t have screens on local PC 
plus four more games (I very sad about them)
they almost ready, but company close them.
first is like zuma + tetris with story achievements – rd on 50%:
all game mechanics, easy lvl editor – need make art, story, lvl and twist items, bonuses etc.
second is like My Tribe - http://www.bigfishgames.com/games/2773/my-tribe/
Very sad about is rd on 85% i was Team Lead ther :
- it was 3 month to realize with polish month.
I make Ai, resource, research, buildings, editor etc.
We do almost all – but last programmer leave except me and Chief), and sponsor
Think to froze project:
(not without Chief help, hi want change art and sell game from self name XD)
Third: is game like road to Rome http://www.bigfishgames.com/online-games/12058/roads-of-rome/index.html
Rd on 50-60% - 4-5 moths to realize.
and here Team Lead.
(but no programmers left to lead for XD)
Harvest Building, Units Road Ai (it harder then may think its like Srettlers), custom lvl editor agane) (its not unity wher 1 editor on all games)
Four: is 15-puzzle game – even don’t know who pay for this, as single game even with commercial art)
rd - 95%
(need Main menu and game polish), when I leave company
And this because its Weird ^^
up Forgot: 6 projects with other ppl 10-20% rd max=)
+Have HOG engine on Unity )
Rd on 30-40% like for full game.
With excel scripts, and Photoshop export XD
Made it for custom work project but… sponsor disappear (I make all for free in own time ^^)
p.s can find screens if find harder in google, company task tracker but this is not relized games - so no one care ;(
[spoiler]
If someone think that I make big money working on middle indie games (there budget is 50k – 300k)
I must say no ;( working in USA MacDonald’s gives bigger salary,
but it was fun and salary in MacDonald’s in my country lower so it’s not so bad ^^[/spoiler]
pp.s
I think we all go thru this time over time.
It become easier when you already do something same,
It looks hard only when you need make something new, that you never do before.
So in this case – create new concept, and make something basical
is like make something simple what you already do so many times
Just try to have less ideas, so that you can focus on the few that you have. Works fine for me…
I’m surprised there are so many people like me who do this kind of this stuff.
I’ve been on the same game project for about three years now.
But I do like making new software now and then - mostly small stuff that won’t interfere with the main project.
I’m trying to reduce the amount of computer based projects, but I still start new ones very frequently, usually way before any of the former ones have been finished.
A while I thought this is bad, but it all depends on your goals. If you want to make money (or get famous) you need to finish projects, in order to sell or at least present them. But if you do it for the fun, for lerning, training, or just to try an idea, it alright to switch to something new once you feel like doing so.
A second thought that developed in me is, that one should aim at short-running projects, not the many-year massive ones. Better to aim at something that can be done within a few weeks. I’m violating this thought with almost every of my projects, but I still think it would be the better way.
Counting non-computer projects I have a lot going on, too, but way too little time to get anything done. Since a long time I want to build a sort of forge to melt bronce, to try casting bronze. I want to experiment with molten glass. I want to make more plant bowls from concrete casts, since I have no way to burn clay. I want to experiment with engraving glass. Cut and polish rocks. Get better at photography. At least once in a while do ink sketches on paper, better, draw a cartoon strip once in a while. Take care of my wannabe bonsai trees. Develop at least one into a presentable shape. Then I have the garden, planting, harvesting, conserving, cooking and eating. Decorate my flat, renew, repaint, change. Build a watering system for the garden. Dig through my piles of accumulted “might be usable some day” stuff and get that sorted better. In between that I try to make some money for a living.
Briefly - I have way too many thing going to ever get anything done of those. Sometimes I actually get a chance to work on one or the other. But I would feel terribly if I had to stay with only one project and do that till it’s done before I could start something new. I feel better with jumping at whatever I like to do a day, and do what looks fun to me.
I found myself doing this ALL the time until I actually started geninuely enjoying the game I was developing. Once I started playing my own game more than I was deving it, it was really easy to not lose focus and start going off and creating new projects.
I’ve been deving Bit Siege for for around 8 months, with a 2 month break about halfway in. I still play the game everyday with people, and am constantly thinking of how to improve the game. It is no where near done honestly, and I’ll probably be deving it for another year before it gets to a point where I would feel comfortable calling it an actual release.
It’s awesome though because I’m addicted to progressing the game and I keep that “finished” game look in my head and just stay focused on the vision.
I couldn’t imagine doing the vicious project cycling phase over and over again now that I have one project that I’ve been working on for so long, working on one project gives more to show for too, honestly. It gives you something you can play over and over and show people, compared to just “well here is some 30 second demos of 50 different projects I started but never did anything with”.
Either way I don’t go through many projects anymore, I never start anything new, and won’t until Bit Siege is in a way more “proper” state.
I’ve been going back and forth between about 8 projects for the last 2 years now. Nearly every time I went back I ended up either tossing out a bunch of or all of the code and starting over because I realized with the way I was programming it and how I wanted the end result to be, it just wasn’t going to work.
It’s painful.
Kev – I am kind of surprised to see even you worrying about finishing things. There’s a lot of really good work you’ve completed at cokeandcode – including really helpful tutorials that I’ve used as well as many projects listed that I haven’t taken the time to check out yet.
There is probably an ideal ratio of ideas tried out and discarded to those where one follows through. It’s hard to know if something is a good idea without at least giving it a tryout. That ideal ratio is probably different for different people, though. Given the good work you’ve done, I want to encourage you to keep it up, whatever you have been doing. Depending on what your goals are, I bet you don’t need to tweak your work habits all that much.
There are books out about the daily work habits of all sorts of creative people. The most interesting thing about such books is how much variation there is.