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This is where I take something simple and make it infinitely more complicated. What starts as a single character game in the same vein as dragon warrior somehow manages to become an epic with complicated game play, multiple characters that join the MC's party from time to time, and a story about embracing discovery, change, and hard work to better one's self. It sounds nice, but it certainly wasn't what I had in mind back in 2006 when I downloaded rpg maker xp. I had a single act play in 2006. Now I have a game that would likely take a team to complete in any reasonable amount of time (not to mention I don't have the programming skills nor the art skills to fully realize what the game has become either). What's the lesson here? Stop yourself from making things unnecessarily complicated. Ask yourself what's the value other than "that would be cool" or "that would make it unique"? Because I've found that by piling on all these "unique" aspects, I still haven't come close to actually finishing Goshiki.

 It's saying "ok, I need to make 15 maps, 20 unique skills that balance well in combat, 20 unique enemies with custom AI so players don't think I'm lazy and are actually both challenging & fun, and figuring out how this game will fit into the universe of my other partially created games so I didn't actually waste time developing them while also saying something meaningful"... see how that snowballs out of control? One of my favorite past times these days is going to tsukihime's or yanfly's scripts & plugins pages and just going through the list picking & choosing features I felt would fit with whatever idea I was working on. Always keeping an eye out for solutions to problems from other partially created games as well. It's like grocery shopping for pitfall #1 and then falling into pitfall #2 trying to throw it all together. What's the lesson here? Stop. Take a breath. Pick ONE THING you want to accomplish this work session and do that. Don't go reaching out to the internet and adding more complexity until you need it to solve that ONE THING. Don't worry about all the maps you need to do or balancing all the skills. That stuff comes later and making some progress is better than not making any progress.

 As a self-proclaimed game designer/story writer, I am constantly bombarded by "cool ideas" from everything from tv shows, anime, manga, books I read, games, traveling, walking down the street, the baristas at starbucks, etc etc And my god, do I take notes. Which is good. I think exploring an idea while it's on the top of your head is nice... but if you already have a game "in-queue" that you are making, I must issue a warning here... in the form a personal example. So I'm working on Journey to Westshire, a game that is the closest out of all my projects to actually be done... which is pretty sad since I can't even release a demo of it yet... I'll be working on it for a few months and then I'll have a really cool D&D session. "Man, that was really fun... I wonder if I could make a game about that D&D session... yes! using 5e skills translated into rpg maker skills. Oooo, I can use this script and that script... I'll keep it simple by only having two of the characters... the story pretty much writes itself! Let's make it more gritty & personal..." and then 48 hours later, I had a full script & design of skills, enemy encounters, descriptions of all the maps I'd need, and then I'm staring real hard at that "new project" button. But now I'm putting off the game I've been working on since 2007 once again... I'll work on this new game until I get stuck or discouraged on something... and then yanfly will release a new script that is absolutely PERFECT for Goshiki, plus there is a resurrection jam going on in the forum so it's a perfect time to resurrect that project from 2006! So I port the idea to rpg maker mv (from VX ACE, which has had it ported to it from XP...starting to see the cycle?) and get to work, but I get stuck and/or discouraged... and then I don't meet the deadline which makes me question my commitment, and finally... I go back to Journey to Westshire because it's the closest game I have to being finished. I have done this for 10 years. The lesson? Ignore everything else, work on one game/doodle/whatever... and finish what you start. Don't chase the new idea or the new feature or the new script or the new engine... chase the finish line of your game. When you get new ideas, see new scripts, see new features, or a new engine... by all means write them down, ear mark them for later, etc. Just don't let it keep you from your goal. Our goal is finishing.

 I can't work unless I go to Starbucks or the library or Colorado...specifically Estes Park, Colorado... while overlooking the Rockies...and setting aside specific vacation time to do so. I'm kidding, but I think you get the idea. Inspiration, I've found, is super fleeting. When it comes, it's like a random number generator finally gave us the buff we need to get 100% more xp for the next 4 hours. Or like the star from Mario. But once it's gone, I feel like I am constantly searching for it again before being able to actually work on something. I'll do weird things... Like drive from Houston, Texas to Estes Park, Colorado in a rental car with nothing but a bag of clothes & my laptop. Or I'll hit up that hipster coffee shop because the burlap sacks of coffee they have on display for some reason make me think I'll be able to bang out some code and/or story scenario. Is it wrong to try new things to attempt to shake loose an inspiration buff? Not at all! But in the desperate search for it I came to the realization that inspiration is merely the honeymoon stage for an idea. It's the first sip of coffee in your life that gives you the focus of a thousand men.  But you will not be able to work like that all the time... or even most of the time. In fact, you might not even be able to focus for more than 30 minutes to an hour a day. And that's ok. This is where the lesson comes in... Remember that ONE THING you need to do today? You have a list of those, right? When inspiration hits you, plow through your project like the madman you are blessing it with your vigor & elven focus... but when you don't have that, just go to your list, pick ONE THING, and do that. It might not be as fun, it might be hard to focus, but it's still progress and that's ok. Game making is hard, long, and some times tedious. It's also really fun when you start seeing that hard work pay off and that skill you've been working on for a few hours is FINALLY working the way you want it to.

 After a good amount of soul searching, speaking with my peers, reading books & articles on the subject... and writing this post... I have come to the conclusion that what I ultimately need is discipline to finish what I start and to appreciate the small victories so I don't get discouraged. This whole game making thing is hard, but I've heard that the things worth doing in life typically are. So, I'm resolved to keep at it. Keep doodling away and prove that I can finish something. Not to the community, my friends, my peers, my family... but to myself. I hope this brain dump is helpful to some. Feel free to comment on your own experiences and/or helpful advice for those who also have similar issues. Thanks for reading.


'Talent is cheaper than table salt. What separates the talented individual from the successful one is a lot of hard work.' -Stephen King