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Why Game Developers Should Finish What They Start

Posted by simoniker on from the get-on-with-it dept.

Michael writes "Too often, hobbyists and open source programmers take on game projects that they can't hope to finish. Freshmeat is rife with games from developers who have bitten off more than they can chew. So I drafted an article which takes a look at the major roadblocks to successfully completing open source and hobbyist game projects."

6 of 80 comments (clear)

  1. get bored, not just games by Arngautr · · Score: 4, Informative

    I have found that when I work on personal projects, a couple games amongst them, I get bored with them once the hard parts (those that I haven't had much experience with ie new to me) are done and bug free (as best I can tell ;) ). I then get distaracted by something else that catches my eye and proceed to half finish it, then.....

  2. If you liked this... by waz · · Score: 3, Informative

    Check out the 'Indie Game Development Survival Guide' as it greatly expands on the article. A great book covering all aspects on how to complete a game (for fun or profit) as part of a hobbyist game-development team!

    http://www.amazon.co.uk/exec/obidos/ASIN/158450214 2

    1. Re:If you liked this... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1, Informative

      Perhaps it's just me, but this book provided very little value. Most of it was very basic common sense things like don't bite off more than you can chew. Charles River Media pulbishes some great book on beginning game programming/art/concepts/etc, but this is not one of them.

      Also, before writing articles on how to finish a big project like a game shouldn't the author have something finished before he starts wagging his finger and other homebrew developers? It's his personal game studio site and the only other thing he has posted is an article about emacs VS Visual Studio.

  3. Effort to fix this kind of problem by pilot1 · · Score: 5, Informative

    Happy Penguin's Game of the Month is an effort to fix this sort of problem.
    Every month (or two, or three..) they choose a game to work on, and generally the end result is a greatly improved game. Currently they're working on TuxKart, if you view the screenshots of some of the improved models, they're amazing.
    Anyone who has an incomplete game that they're no longer working on would do well to at least suggest it to the GOTM people, since they have artists and other people willing to do the type of work that coders hate.

  4. Re:It's my own time so I'll do what I want by cunniff · · Score: 3, Informative

    The best way to get around this (for any project, not just a game) is to have accountability to some other person or group. In other words, you *have* to finish that last 20% because those other people keep asking you to.

    This works best, of course, if they really like the project you've developed and can give you positive feedback as well.

  5. Re:Video Game Author: My dream job. by WoodenBoy · · Score: 2, Informative
    Offtopic: What in the hell do I do with my game, assuming I do finish it?
    Assuming you want to get a job as a game developer, read through Tom Sloper's Game Biz Advice site.

    If you just want people to play it, I'd try places such as freshmeat, or the forums at gamedev.net or flipcode.com.