How do you start a project and how do you stick to it?

[JustinK]

Hey there community,

As the title says, I'm really having problems with starting projects.
I get ideas and start working on it, but at some moment I, for some reason, cannot continue with it.
The main question I have is, is it better to first start with fully writing out your story line and then draw the map, or is the opposite true, or should I find a good mix between it (like write part 1, draw part 1, etc)?
Also, whenever I start with something, it feels like I want to do to much, which makes it too hard and therefore I cannot continue with it.
Do you have any tips for starting a project overall?

Greetings

JustinK

 

[TWings]

Try to understand why you can't continue ? What's wrong ? Define some reasonable limits to your project to begin with (particularly if you're new to game making). There will always be time later to improve or add more content. With clear objectives of where you want to go and what you want to do, it gives you a goal to reach, but if you put it too far too soon, you may feel like you'll never get there.
I don't think there is one only right way to start. You need to find what works best for you, what motivates you to go on. That's especially true if you work alone.

 

[msazako]

@JustinK That problem is extremely common among developers. Even I'm guilty of it too.

I would suggest to start small, (concepts and such) then work your way towards bigger things. Remember to tackle them one by one and NEVER rush things. It doesn't matter how many years or x amount of engine transfers you may do. So long as you build your own motivation and grow alongside your project, all of your experiences won't be for naught.

My process of finishing games has always been goal-oriented. Everyday, I plan to reach a certain milestone-- even if it's a small step. This is due to the fact that I actually love the project I'm making and I plan to make it my ideal game. In fact, just recently, I finished spriting and doing action sequences for another character in my game. Now, I'm moving on to the next.

 

[NoahB]

What really helps me is having a smaller goal. Right now, my goal is to finish the first chapter. If I can do that, I'll have a solid base for a game that I can keep working on. With one chapter, I could share it as a demo and let people playtest it and get feedback. Then I'll just work from there.

 

[bgillisp]

I did what @NoahB did...made chapter 1 posted it and got feedback. Then I proceeded from there

 

[JustinK]

Thanks for the advice everyone, it's all very useful!

 

[gstv87]

the way I see it, there's two parts to a project: the artistic end and the technical end.
if you're an artist, you'll have to do with what the technical masters have come up with.
if you're a technical guy, you'll have to either hire artists, or do with what is available from the community.

art, can be tailor-made.... tech? not so much.
so, if you're going to start a project, first establish what the tech is supposed to do, and write that on stone.
once you've got that, the art is easy to come up with..... because if you come up with the art first, and then can't find a tech to drive it, then all the work goes to waste.

if you establish that your game will display dialogue with rainbow letters randomly generated from a library of wingdings fonts based on character stats, then your game will always display dialogue with rainbow letters randomly generated from a library of wingdings fonts based on character stats.
is it the most adequate use of tech? hell no.... but your game will do what it's designed to do.
if you create the library first without having the dialogue manager figured it out, what good is it for?
"oh, but the final game will have this in my imagination....", yes, but with imagination we don't go anywhere! where's the code for it?

 

[Kes]

You may find the following threads have some useful pointers, all in this particular forum.
https://forums.rpgmakerweb.com/inde...ice-on-how-to-plan-out-your-game-story.92640/
https://forums.rpgmakerweb.com/index.php?threads/help-advices-on-what-to-do-at-first.91880/
https://forums.rpgmakerweb.com/index.php?threads/priorities-when-starting-a-project-poll.89690/
https://forums.rpgmakerweb.com/index.php?threads/how-do-you-manage-work-flow.90797/
https://forums.rpgmakerweb.com/inde...ice-on-how-to-plan-out-your-game-story.92640/
https://forums.rpgmakerweb.com/index.php?threads/minimum-viable-product-aka-starting-small.92380/
https://forums.rpgmakerweb.com/index.php?threads/non-grand-epic-storyline.91950/