97 replies to this topic

[Saijee]

I've only given up on my first projects, and that was for good reason, it only took me a little while to figure out that there's no reason to make a fan game when you can make an original game. And I have never given up on an original Saijee game before.

[Taizen Chisou]

Back when I was learning the ropes, I dumped all of my proof-of-concepts after learning the point.
I have four ongoing large projects, each in different stages of finish, but none of them have been dropped, one of them being six years old, another, two, and another, one.

I don't really start projects anymore anyway.

I think I have a total of 200 dropped files at this point. Piling all of them together would yield some 300 MB of space.

[Dylan93]

Like gamefreek2 I have many projects mainly to learn and after the point I dont even look at them anymore.

[Terrified Virus]

I don't give up; I educate from mistakes I made and discontinue the project until (hopefully) later.

[Osmium]

I give up on projects when I lose motivation. And I'm quick at losing it. Currently I have cancelled more than 3 projects, even though I will carry them out in the future.

Edited by ShadowRaptor, 17 August 2011 - 08:45 AM.

[True Valhalla]

10 months on my previous game, 16 months and counting on my current game.

I find the better I get at programming, the easier it is to commit to such long-term projects. I'll still be working on my current game in 5 years time.

[Nehacoo]

Well, I've never really given up on a project, I have, however, at many times gotten permanently side-tracked. Then two years later when my skill has increased greatly I see no reason to go back to the old unfinished poorly programmed trash
Although that usually applies to projects I've just started up, by the point they're beginning to actually shape up I grow too attached to them.. but that happens rarely, I've been mostly dedicated to my current project for several years now (for longer than I've been a member here!).

[Jobo]

My first large project is the one I'm still working on and not planning on stopping it.
I started this project September 2010 and I'm still very happy to work on it, with a really (really) skilled graphic artist and a just as good sound composer.

Once you stop enjoying your own game, stop working on it. If you don't enjoy it, chances are others won't either.

[Unsung Hero]

I've started dozens of games and only completed three or four. I'm terrible with completing stuff. Hopefully, my fifth game will be a reboot of an old game I started but...I guess we'll see.

[The Legend]

I've given up a few because I always have a better idea for a game! I'm always really excited to work on a new game idea and end up forgetting about my old project.

[Fihrilkamal]

Almost always! seriously, I've playing around with GM about 4 years ago, and "Ulo The Snake" is my one and only finished game. I think "perfectionism" in indie game making will often leads to frustration. Trust me, I was a perfectionist on my old project (I spent weeks for making menu interfaces only) and they never finished.

[-Paix-]

There are few game ideas I've literally given up on permanently. The only ones I did that with were ones that I simply wasn't interested in (one or two).

I currently have

1 game engine project on the back burner
1 (small-medium action/arcade) game that is 100% conceptually completed but I need to reprogram it (lost the gmk file).
1 (large strategy) game that is probably 5% concept completed (largest project, currently no programming). This is my current project.
1 (medium strategy) game that is about 90% concept completed and no programming.
1 (small puzzle) game that is 100% concept completed and completed, prototype programming with no actual production programming.
3 Retro remakes that are 90% game-play programming complete but just require polishing, which I probably won't get around to since they were simply meant as warm-ups.
2 other concepts that are only 5% that I'll keep but probably not get around to messing with further.
1 concept that is about 50% concept complete with no programming. Good chance of being revived.

I don't really give up on projects completely unless they are small and random. I've been working with GM since GMv5 and have only permanently dropped probably 2-3 concepts. The above ones have been started in the past 2 years except for the "action/arcade" game which was my first real project with GM.

Sadly to say...I haven't finished anything. The closest I've gotten to "finishing" is retro remakes and those weren't even fully completed or polished. I do believe that perfection has caused me to get frustrated with my concepts since I love my concepts. I wonder if working on a smaller game that I don't care about as much and completing it would help?

Thoughts on ways to reach completion? Common distractions? Common pitfalls to avoid?

[Rawulf13]

I have a nasty habit of creating a new file and "project" for every small experiment I want to make. When I want to play around with a new code or feature I could learn to make and leave it when done. I do what I intended, but it's still far from a game, and not playable at all. It has the basic movements and the few features I made when I wanted to practice coding.

Beside that I have some unfinished projects that I worked on lazily for about a month and then gave up on it. I rarely try to remake them or even open the game file.

[Dikanex]

Right now i got 2 games that i'm not working on so much... i week ago i've got a new idea about a new game ...

[fluffydino2000]

85% of the time. I didn't give up on my first game and finished it to a degree. And everything since I have failed to finish. Two games I didn't even start.

[TurboBlizzard]

sometimes I will start something I really want to do, but find out that I don't have the expertise to complete it.

I've had an idea in my head for a game for like 3 years now, but I kinda suck at game making so I downloaded game maker and started making Super Jump Boy to help me gain some knowledge at game maker.

it's going so-so, but i don't really give up that often, (I haven't been in the whole Game Maker thing for long). I had no idea how to do anything, but I got a little better

[Yal]

it only took me a little while to figure out that there's no reason to make a fan game when you can make an original game.

There's two semi-reasons to make a fangame:

- You can get music and graphics already complete from e.g. tSR and get to coding the game at once
- You get bonus attention from people liking the original game

At least those two reasons are what keeps making me embark on new fangame projects every now and a while.

[masterofhisowndomain]

My problem is not that I ever get bored of a current project, but that I get fantastically excited about a new one. Once that wears off I realise it was as good as my other one, and that now I've abandoned both...

[rubencoll]

EVERY project in less that 3 weeks
But if you asking because you want advices heres one :
If you fell bored just continue the project that you will regain focus

[Zesterer]

I have given up on ally of games while using gamemaker, but now I have found a game idea that I WILL be working on until it is complete.