Keeping Focused

Discussion and analysis of graphics, story, levels, and so on.
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CommanderSpleen
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Keeping Focused

Post by CommanderSpleen »

It seems there's an epidemic of project lag lately. Only a couple of months ago (where did the time go!?) there were all manner of mods making huge progress. But this trend has since died off some as people get distracted with other projects and obligations.

So, here I intend to offer some ideas to keep in the flow when the motivation to work on a mod begins to diminish. Hopefully it may help reverse the trend that has seen many projects delayed.

Design Phase

A Definite Purpose
Something I noticed lately about my mod is that the times of most progress are when I have some designs down on paper and I'm working on the mod with a specific goal in mind.

When I first attempted to create a mod, I started at the point of drawing tiles. This meant I had no idea of what the bigger picture of the game would be. So I ended up with some cruddy blue path that Keen could barely fit on, and a poor attempt at the walls for a spaceport.

When I began CK:MB, I sat down for several hours straight and just drew anything that came to mind that would look cool in a Commander Keen game. After this was done, I had several pages of images (which can be seen at Land of Commander Keen) to work from. Subsequently, a number of weeks of light-speed development ensued.

An Ever Continuing Process

However, that soon died off, as you've no doubt noticed, and I got distracted by other projects. I'm only now getting back into the swing of it.

Part of the drying up of motivation was a lack of continued designing. I used up most of the drawings I'd come up with, and was now running on empty. I made some progress, basically on ideas that could be implemented straight away, or ones I'd had the time to go through in my head, but that was the extent of it.

I attempted to enact a number of half-baked ideas that I'd discussed on the forums or just come up with on the fly. But it was like trying to find my way out of a forest by smell alone--I ended up more frustrated and lost than I was to begin with. So I let it slide, mostly, and got on with other projects in which the same thing had happened, but for which enough time had elapsed for ideas to stir in their own juices for a while, and come up nicely roasted.

A Higly Involved Task
I have attempted several times recently to sit around and do some random drawings and general designing for the mod. But most of the time I've been half-way through another project, and my mind wasn't fully focused on the task at hand. I was trying too hard to keep my ideas within the scope of existing ideas instead of just letting anything and everything that came to mind form itself.

Therefore, I would say there are two components to designing: Brainstorming and Compiling. Brainstorming is the part where the right-brain is in control--the imagination runs riot, with free reign over the body to express what it needs to. Compiling is the left-brain focused task, where the ideas presented by the imagination are organised to suit the project at hand.

Of course, it's important not to 'block out' one side of the brain when doing a task dominated by the other. If you're focusing on 'not rationalising' or 'not being imaginative', you'll end up with a very skewed version of what could otherwise have been. Imagination and rationality are a lot more intertwinded than that.

So, don't censor yourself when brainstorming, and don't limit yourself when compiling. Basically: Let new ideas form themselves. If an idea comes to you when brainstorming that doesn't quite fit in with the existing scope of the project you're working on, jot it down--the subconscious is an incredibly intricate system and often presents a lot of apparently unnecessary data that becomes invaluable later. This applies equally to to compiling phase--if an idea doesn't fit into an existing category, create a category.

This is the essence of thinking outside the box.

Construction Phase
Don't Be Attached To Outcomes
If the design phase is effective, you'll go into the construction phase with a definite purpose as to what you want to achieve. If not, you may leave a session feeling drained, frustrated and feeling like progress has gone backwards.

My designs went no further than drawings. I avoided trying to annotate things. Therefore, I wasn't attached to any particular goal. Instead, I used the designs as a guide, rather than a map--heading for particular landmarks than trying to dodge traffic following a set route.

Begin With The End In Mind
While I didn't have any set goals or specific development phases, my most productive sessions have been when I have an idea of where I want to take the project--an image burned into my mind of what the game will be like. When in this state, I can literally taste the outcome as I keep working at it, and all the while I'm playing the game through in my head.

It's hard to place a barrier between physical and mental forms of development. I find it equally important to have ideas written down on paper as to have the mechanics in mind as to how it will all fit together. I suppose here's where even development and construction blur. Drawing ideas can be compared with actually building the game--I could write out all the specifics of how the tiles would function, how the enemies animate, how everything fits together... but it's less effective than actually doing it. So if doing something is easier than mapping out how to do it, just do it.

Do It Well Or Don't Do It
When embarking on a creative endeavour such as creating a game, building a website, writing an article like this, or even rearranging things around me, I never settle for a half-assed job. If shortcuts are a necessity to get me where I'm going, I stop going there. I either go the long way, find a new, more effective way, or stop entirely.

Knowing when to stop can be as effective as anything I've mentioned above. If you keep grinding at a project that doesn't want to budge, you're probably going to do some serious damage if you persist. If you're getting angry, bored, tired, or disinterested at all, it means you're not going about something as well as you should. Stop, allow yourself and your ideas to revive, and your project shall endure to see yet another day.

Another important part of stopping is background processing. Completely removing everything from your everyday thought regarding your project allows the subconscious to take over, which will then process your ideas day and night and, if you trust it enough, bring your ideas to conscious awareness when they're ready. This can come in the form of a 'Eureka!' experience, where an idea is thrust into your full awareness and everything makes sense where once it didn't fit, or it could be as subtle as a feeling you should work on the project.

Balancing Act
Ultimately, creating a good mod is akin to a balancing act, as with life itself. If you're focusing to much on one part, the other parts suffer and everything collapses in on itself. When things are even, yin with yang, things make sense, and you enter a state of passion for whatever you undertake.

Enjoy the process. I hope this has been of some help. (|:

>Commander Spleen
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Post by KeenRush »

Woah, great reading material! ;)
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XkyRauh
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re: Chapter seven

Post by XkyRauh »

Spleen, you're great at running your mouth; far moreso than me... and I hate to say this, but you haven't said much this time around. The developmental process is something that simply can NOT be turned into a formula, a routine, and a mechanical response. While I appreciate your encouraging words and "here's what works for me" demeanor, it seems misdirected.

I will definitely agree with you that so many of the mods we were hearing about have vanished--including mine (which is still in progress, I might add)... but there are still a few very nice looking mods coming out. I finally downloaded the Bazooka Wowbagger mod and tried it out--couldn't tell what the hell was going on visually for a moment or two, and still have only beat 2 or 3 levels--but it LOOKS great, something that's very hard to do with the Keen:Vorticons engine!

Just so I may know, what all have you released so far, Spleen? I wanna look at your work after reading so much verbal output from you. :-) You're amazing on the "theory" end of things, I wanna see what your "followthrough" is like. Maybe it'll inspire my developmental process a bit! ;-) hehehehe

--Xky *intending all this to be friendly, not competitive*
Joseph

yin an yang

Post by Joseph »

There was a lot of excitement caused by the opening of this forum, which has worn off now. Give it some time, and more balanced, regular posting will occur.
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CommanderSpleen
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Post by CommanderSpleen »

The developmental process is something that simply can NOT be turned into a formula, a routine, and a mechanical response.
I limited the post to a formula-style appearance because otherwise I would end up on a discussion leading through many layers of metaphysical discussion for every single point I made.

I speak of apparently unproductive time I've seen lately where I haven't done much work on my mod. If I was to take this beyond the scope of the topic, I'd start talking about all the things that have happened in other areas during that time and declare that it wasn't essentially unproductive--I did work on other projects, I learned a lot of new things, and a lot of ideas have gathered in the process, to name a few of the effects.

It's up to your own discretion as to what you get out of the post. It's just a narrow part of my interpretation, and there are as many variations as there are words to describe each one.
Just so I may know, what all have you released so far, Spleen? I wanna look at your work after reading so much verbal output from you. :-) You're amazing on the "theory" end of things, I wanna see what your "followthrough" is like. Maybe it'll inspire my developmental process a bit! ;-) hehehehe
That's exactly my main problem when it comes to ideas. There are so many of them that the moment I speak one I've got another one equally as compelling as the last. Thus, I may complete a few projects here and there, but the vast majority remain in a constant state of flux. This post was an attempt to consolidate how I may go about things differently, as much as it was created as a useful piece of reading material for others to make use of as they will.

I also noticed a similar pattern in other Keeners--in particular talking too much about their ideas and getting stuck when the project goes out of balance. But, there are many causes behind such things, and many ways to rectify them, if a rectification is needed (dropping a project may well be the most productive thing to do sometimes). So, what I've written here, going by face value, may be helpful for some, but it may be limited, or comletely irrelevant for others.

So, however it goes, enjoy.

>Commander Spleen
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XkyRauh
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re: Inspiration

Post by XkyRauh »

I'm not much for pages of text to communicate an idea--but I'll at least agree that discussion does help. The Advice Request: Title Screen thread I posted really really helped me out--it was instant feedback from my target audience! ;-) That means a lot to me. Last night I took my first level for my Keen2 mod over to CheesyDave's place and had him play it through... he said it was great, and even complimented my tile design! Ego plays a good part in the design process, I think. If not ego, then certainly Confidence. Either way, I'm sure that if you ever DO release anything, Spleen, it'll be fantastic. :-) You're light-years ahead of the curve, theory-wise.

--Xky
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