How to focus?

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Started by Fluffybat 7 posts View original ↗
  1. Well, I'll be honest, I'm having a problem with my game.
    It's not about bugs or mechanic though.

    It's more about my focus.
    It seems that I am unable to move on beyond a certain stage of development.
    If I think that I made a cheesy dialogue, I'll redo the entire conversation from scratch.
    If I dislike the way my character move and act, I'll redo it too.

    The thing is, I keep erasing my work and starting over.
    I feel as if I would never finish, and I feel even more at a loss each time I remind myself about it.
    This is my first game, so I really need some help.

    What will you do in such situation?

    Thanks in advance :)
  2. If this is your first game... than don't worry about all that. Just finish it. Don't worry too much, just get it done. No one makes a masterpiece on their first go. Heck, my first game I made WAAAAAY back on the playstation RPG Maker was a jumbled mess of incoherent ideas and characters, mixed with brokenly inbalanced combat, and a story that made no sense. Like... you were an interdimensional ninja (named my real life name...) who joined a blob to fight an egg...? I have no idea what I was doing.

    But I made it, learned from it, got feedback, and then made others.

    The most sure-fire way to not finish a game is to simply not advance in it. Make yourself move on. Even if it's not perfect. Set yourself a deadline. This game WILL be done in 30 days. No excuses. Then, subdivide that. Get the entire thing storyboarded week 1. Get all systems (saving, combat layout, movement, ect.) done week 2. And so on.

    But the most important thing to do is to just work, and advance. In my art classes, there was sort of an understood rule for warm up drawings. Never use an eraser. You made it, you work from it.

    Just keep going, you'll get there!
  3. In addition to what @TheTitan99 has said, I'd also advise taking a break if you find yourself becoming too frustrated with things not turning out how you expected. Working when pissed off isn't a good idea.

    I've also found it vital to get some fresh air (or not so fresh city air) and minor exercise to help clear my mind, build focus, and stimulate creative thought. It may not work for everyone, but it works wonders for me. :)
  4. I take a break from it any work on another project.
  5. Yup, take a break, play some games, play unrelated games (A good non RPG would be Guitar Hero).

    Hell, go for a walk, do your laundry, distract yourself from your frustration, dear.

    Once you feel like you're in a good space to continue, since this is your first game, try to complete it in 30-60 days.

    Forget the complicated dialogue for now. Make the quest for the Onion Sword! lol
  6. I just looked in my projects folder and I have 7 incomplete games stuck on about 0% - 2%.

    My problem is motivation rather than focus; motivation, she's a fickle mistress.
  7. @mogwai Yep, same here; most of them are just testing projects, but after some time, I've forgotten what tf I was testing for... :/