Elysian Shadows

i'm kind of ok at game programming but recently i've just not been doing it because i've lost my motivation. I have to many problems with my current project that i put it on hold. Is there anything thats kind of easy to make but will help me learn?

KeithStoffel wrote:i'm kind of ok at game programming but recently i've just not been doing it because i've lost my motivation. I have to many problems with my current project that i put it on hold. Is there anything thats kind of easy to make but will help me learn?

hi; what I do when I lose my motivation is go write some very useful utility functions that I know will always come in useful, for example I just finished writing a list library in ANSI C that I can use just like a PERL or JavaScript array.. push(list,item), pop(list,item), shift(list,item), insert(list,nitem,bitem), getitem(list,index) etc.. wrap it up and document the thing with some interactive HTML and your good..

You can never have enough useful libs, and I find it's better to write your own than use other peoples, more fun and gives you a better understanding of its limits/features...

houston.

I always try to make easy games that are very rewarding to make. It doesn't have to be too flashy - just something that doesn't require complex matrix multiplication to display a cube.

I don't really have any examples because I have to get off, but basically you make something really simple, and slowly add features. Then, eventually, you'll feel motivated enough to work on your main project (and drain all your motivation XD). Rinse aaand repeat.

If I'm stuck on a project, but I still want to code something I usually break away from C++ and make some small projects in a scripting language or in Dark Basic, just so I can code up quick and get a result.

Also, getting knee deep in a project involving more than just code, like a game... you can take a break and work on another aspect such as graphics, story, or music. Seeing another aspect of the project come together would really motivate me. Make a kick ass sprite sheet, but my engine can't load it yet... gotta fix that... ya know?

i find watching videos by developers who are better than me. for example i do flash development, and watching the Adobe Max conference videos inspires me far more than looking at code examples.

also as falco said in one of the videos, having a side project is a good idea. being able to do something purely for fun helps break away from whatever it is you normally are doing

i watch the AiGD series when i get unmotivated, it kicks me in the ass and yells at me, "GET THE FUCK BACK TO WORK YOU PRICK!!"

Like everyone is suggesting, do something you like, makes you happy and takes your mind off of things, it could be anything, it gets easier to do the things you struggle with.

What is the reason for losing your motivation?

Have you simply become overwhelmed with the amount of work that is ahead of you? because this happens a lot to just about everybody, if so you need to stop thinking ahead and just do the task at hand, better achieved by breaking your projects up into manageable parts.
Sometimes programming can seem like walking a very long road that has no end, just don't think about it and keep going step by step, you'll get there in the end.

houston.