Indie Game Dev: Death Loops
March 30, 2020 8:05 AM Subscribe
Over the years, I've noticed two particularly bad feedback loops that new developers tend to get stuck in. It's usually not for lack of hard work or technical skill - I think that's the most frustrating part about these loops. Imagine running a marathon but you're running in circles instead of toward the finish line. No matter how strong your heart or your legs are, if you don't stop, at some point you'll have to abandon the race altogether.
By Derek Yu, creator of Spelunky. Previously: 1 2 3 4 5 6
By Derek Yu, creator of Spelunky. Previously: 1 2 3 4 5 6
Long creative projects are the same, no matter what medium you work in. I’ve seen very similar pitfalls in my comics work.
posted by egypturnash at 11:30 AM on March 30, 2020 [1 favorite]
posted by egypturnash at 11:30 AM on March 30, 2020 [1 favorite]
Good advice for artists of all stripes in there.
posted by hoodrich at 12:31 PM on March 30, 2020 [1 favorite]
posted by hoodrich at 12:31 PM on March 30, 2020 [1 favorite]
One of the things he kinda talks about but doesn't feature as a separate issue/heading is scope. Also known as feature creep.
He dances around it while talking about 'suggestions from friends'. I think because it's not so much a loop as an open ended line where the project size keeps expanding due to adding more stuff to the project. Feature lock-down needs to be practiced.
And one thing he doesn't mention but which goes with his point about sketching the project first before polishing everything is: sometimes IT IS necessary to completely abandon/restart the project. Some great ideas, when worked out/sketched ... just don't turn out to be any fun. Sometimes that can be rectified, sometimes it needs to be abandoned. Forging on on a project which just doen't work is folly.
posted by MacD at 2:38 AM on March 31, 2020 [1 favorite]
He dances around it while talking about 'suggestions from friends'. I think because it's not so much a loop as an open ended line where the project size keeps expanding due to adding more stuff to the project. Feature lock-down needs to be practiced.
And one thing he doesn't mention but which goes with his point about sketching the project first before polishing everything is: sometimes IT IS necessary to completely abandon/restart the project. Some great ideas, when worked out/sketched ... just don't turn out to be any fun. Sometimes that can be rectified, sometimes it needs to be abandoned. Forging on on a project which just doen't work is folly.
posted by MacD at 2:38 AM on March 31, 2020 [1 favorite]
« Older Gaming for a non-gamer. | The Batman of Obscenity, the Spy Who Couldn't... Newer »
This thread has been archived and is closed to new comments
See also Finishing a Game (didn't see it mentioned in the previously links, but I might have missed it.)
posted by smcameron at 9:01 AM on March 30, 2020 [8 favorites]