Pete Nattress Cheesy Bits img src/uploads/sccheesegif
Registered 23/09/2002
Points 4811
25th February, 2004 at 11:41:48 -
Lying in my bed, dreaming of things klik as I often do, my mind settled on thinking about the game I'm currently creating, and inevitably therefore thinking how utterly shit it is. The problem is, I started creating the game nigh on 2 years ago, when (despite using Clickteam software for 2 years previously) I had almost no skill at all. Since then I've learnt a hell of a lot and am therefore dissapointed with the game as is, as it really is no pinnacle of my ability. So my mind took a flight of fancy mainly off into a world where my game had slowmotion, lots more moves and slicker graphics... and I realized that it was conceivable.
So the question is, do I abondon a game I've been making for 2 years and start from scratch (therefore adding another 2 years to the release date), or do I continue making a game which, when released, will be substandard to my current ability, and which will probably be dissapointing. What would you do, or what have you done when you've been faced with such a situation?
I say: Restart the game. Although recoding a game is often quicker than starting from scratch, if the design of the game has changed quite a lot you'll end up making lots of stupid workarounds and as a result your game will suffer from a bad engine.
That, and I doubt you want to read through 1000-odd events :S
n/a
Pete Nattress Cheesy Bits img src/uploads/sccheesegif
Registered 23/09/2002
Points 4811
25th February, 2004 at 12:06:31 -
lol, yeah that's a good point actually. although if i were to continue the game as is, i wouldn't redesign it, rather, just plod along with something which i wouldn't be entirely happy with.
What you could do is just scrap all the code, but keep the graphics resources. Since the art takes most of the time anyway, it really wouldn't put you that far behind to redo the engine.
Well, before I would answer anything; I would like to know WHY it is bad, WHY it is taking 2 years, HOW much longer you think it would take for the game to be done, DOES the game have any very advanced coding (complicated use of global vaules etc.) etc.
But if you insist, I advice you to abandon your current project(s) and start making >>A BIT<< (notice: I said A BIT) smaller, but still rather well- made games. Wait until you think you are ready for bigger projects and start on one when you think you have a really good idea.
n/a
Pete Nattress Cheesy Bits img src/uploads/sccheesegif
Registered 23/09/2002
Points 4811
25th February, 2004 at 13:39:27 -
well, it's only taking so long as i seem to do it in very short bursts with long gaps in between... and it's not that it's bad; just that it could be better, and i could confidently replicate all the coding, but i would definitely intend to improved it. it's all planned quite well and i love the story me and my friends wrote/recorded for it, it's just finding the time to create the engine and graphics that will do it justice.
Yup, start it again. Plan the initial concept out on paper, list the sprites you have to do, what features the engine will have, etc. Then make the base engine with all the features you want, and once thats done, make levels out of it.
Thats how Im doing it with Testimony. The trouble with Mr Stumps Dentures is that I added more stuff the more levels there were, and I got demotivated with it for a period of time. But it pepped up after the convention took place, and voila, its here, and taken probably too long to make.
Anyway, yeah, restart. I was tempted to do that with MSD, as I had greatly improved coding techniques towards the later end of its life.
joNickArt-Nikodemus (thats a mouthful) does pose a few good questions. However, my opinion is that you continue what your doing. Why? Because you will always advance as you make more games, and especially with longer games you will advance whilst making them. If you restarted everytime you got better, youd never complete anything.
I suggest you finish the game your on, the way you originally intended and than begin a new game which utilises your new talents.
Only one thing could change this opinion, that is if your old techniques are an obvious slow down in the production time, that is, if by applying your new techniques you would be avoiding tediusness which makes the game making process unfun for you.
You'll probably find that on completion of your current game that you've learnt even more, and this will come in handy when you make your next game, which will hopefully not take to long! And ofcourse be a much more sophisticated game.
'oh yeah? he's thrown a kettle over a pub, what have you done?'
Pete Nattress Cheesy Bits img src/uploads/sccheesegif
Registered 23/09/2002
Points 4811
26th February, 2004 at 10:38:57 -
yes, thanks guys, some useful points here to consider. cheers
Restart it, but improve on the game. You've created a character, a game world, some ideas. So just refine them and make a whole new game from it. That's what I did with Combatant. 2 months of editor making skills, a FULL month of research in combat, and about 4 years of game world storyline design.
It's stuff like that make a good epic.
Disclaimer: Any sarcasm in my posts will not be mentioned as that would ruin the purpose. It is assumed that the reader is intelligent enough to tell the difference between what is sarcasm and what is not.
More often than not, I find that restarting a game helps clean up all that clutter and it actually helps a lot if you've been using some redundant form of data storage (like the old arrays/INIs). Heck, if you wanna keep parts of the old game, just copy & paste code and graphics.
If you're even pondering why you're going on with a disappointing game, I'd say just scrap the damn thing and redo it. A large part of the 2 years you've been working on your game is probably the graphics and the game design (if it is disappointing, I doubt the coding is much). I restarted Trap Designer from scratch, and I realised that with the improved code, I could finish the levels on average about 7 times faster, though I'm too lazy to actually *finish* a level.
I guess just about every game has some coding technique you only discover after you do it. Oh, and pete, if you're gonna re-do that Poodles game, could I have the honor of polishing it once you've done it?
Disclaimer: Any sarcasm in my posts will not be mentioned as that would ruin the purpose. It is assumed that the reader is intelligent enough to tell the difference between what is sarcasm and what is not.
Pete Nattress Cheesy Bits img src/uploads/sccheesegif
Registered 23/09/2002
Points 4811
4th March, 2004 at 17:57:15 -
yeah sure muz, if i ever get it anywhere near finished.
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yeah sure muz, if i ever get it anywhere near finished.