4 ms·
It sounds like a cool game, on paper. But listen, you can't have both (1) a desire for the game to become popular (which, even if you say you don't, is implicit
by tw1010 9y ago
It sounds like a cool game, on paper. But listen, you can't have both (1) a desire for the game to become popular (which, even if you say you don't, is implicit in your behaviour since the reason you seem to be burned out is because you're not getting the social reward that you expected in return for your time investment), (2) an understanding that you're building a very niche game that not everyone will like.
If a startup works towards a great vision with only so-so execution, what would they do? They wouldn't (if they are wise) stubbornly keep working on what users have already told them (reviews in your case) isn't really what they want. They would, in a big or small way, pivot. They would change and iterate and get user feedback until they hit upon something the users liked, not something they, the developers, wanted to code. If you don't adapt to that reality, you might still have a fun time coding, but burnout will ensue once you realize that the hidden motivation (people actually playing the game) isn't being satisfied to the extent you wished it was.
My advice is to get some (one or two weekend sized) core mechanics really really fun and solid, try it out on actual people, and change it up if they don't like it, and go from there. Don't build a big gigantic thing before you know if you're on the right path or not.
- angarg12 9y agoI already did that. v1 was a short-ish prototype to play around with an idea. v2 is the fully realised vision. As a matter of fact the game is feature completed (save from minor features), and it just needs balance, polish (oh boy, does it need polish) and better UX. I'm aware that my audience is niche, if only I was appealing to them!. At the end the looming feeling is whether any amount of balance/polish is going to make it appealing, or should I consider it a lost cause for good.
- tw1010 9y agoYour heart doesn't seem to be in it. Don't fall for sunk-cost. Cut your losses and go for something where polish and quick iteration is the highest priority (removing all fluff like configuration files and clean and structured code). Take inspiration from Notch's live coding sessions. Try to make each version essentially "finished", without large set of "boring grunt work" weighing your motivation down (like polish is weighing you down now). Don't stop iterating on the basics until you and a few friends (online or offline) really love playing with it. Focus on pure childish joy, and be brutally honest with yourself if you don't feel it. Don't hide away for months without getting user feedback. On the bright side, now you have a chance to learn from your mistakes! Good luck!