A lack of motivation maybe?

Hello, I want to make games as I'm sure many people do. I've been using Construct since the classic days and can use it quite well now . I normally hang around the "How do I?" forum quite a lot and end up making lots of examples to fix problems. I've got a few projects I want to do, some I've started. However, my problem is that I just don't, and I'm not quite sure why. I think I probably have the ability to make the games I'm thinking about, but I always seem to find something else. Is there anyone else with the same problem; anyone who has found a way to get around themselves?

briggybros ,yeah i have that problem sometimes, and i think its mostly a lack of planning and a clear picture of what you want to achieve, this results in doing all kind of different things but after a while you feel like you're not getting anywhere..

some things that can help:

starting the day, with writing down what you exactly want to happen to visualise and remain focused,

having a gamedocument with features and things you need to be done

a document where you write down what you worked on for a reminder, next day...

try to limit your time spend on forums

sometimes planning wil work and sometimes fails, dont be too hard on yourself and try better next day

Looks like you're easily distracted once you start a project. Try forcing yourself to work on ONE thing until its completion, maybe scheduling the amount of work to invest into it each day.

it's not a lack of motivation it's lazyness.

and i get where it's coming from - you get depressed when you get stuck into one thing that can't get resolved / work better.

but as danwood suggested - force yourself to work day by day until you finish one project. you will learn much, and on your next project you will glide through it.

currently i'm working on a game that took me over 200h+ to make 1, yes 1 LEVEL!

but all next levels are mostly c/p with different enemies /shoot/move modes.

the only thing yo have to do, again, FORCE yourself. once you're into it really, you won't feel lazy and that demotivation that happens. also once you finish your first game, you'll be really motivated to start the 2nd one.

also i'd advise you to create a game where you can be creative - think of something new, play with it, show it to people (in completed creations) - post online, show your friends etc.. ask for opinions, upgrades, play until you are satisfied with your game, when everyone loves it and let that game after that go. then start your 2nd game, and for more motivation make sure you make that game better then 1st and make sure you go monetizing with your 2nd game. you might not earn a lot, it might be buggy/laggy but you learn and should be proud even if you earn 10$. this will motivate you for your 3rd game.. and so on. and as you grow as a developer you might wanna side by side learn javascript to be able to make your own plugins and behaviours. also you could learn webgl and make some effects... but it all takes time, investment with community and more and if you're not able to do so.. give up.

I've noticed that when I make bigger games I usually loose my motivation when the code gets too messy. And then I take a brake and when I come back I have no idea what to do. So now when I'm making games I put alot of effort in making it as tidy as possible by commenting all events and use functions as much as possible.

Try working with other people. There is a certain obligation and motivation to finish things when working in a team. And of course you can bounce ideas off eachother and gain new perspectives on this and that.

Oh dude, as someone who's gone almost full time into my own apps and games I get this problem a lot.

You're running low on inspiration, less so motivation. I counter this with

• Exercise Most important, endorphins moving and feeling good reflects on your work
• Playing fun games, take a break from the creating and take some time to appreciate other people's work, you may get some ideas.
• Do something completely different, I fight in MMA, and do Stand Up Comedy, both activities stimulate my brain in different ways, by the time I sit back at my computer It doesn't feel repetitive.
• Write your good ideas down, I keep a notebook with me at all times. If something comes to you jot it down, because you can't do everything all at once right away. The reason being is more than just a reminder, it let's you organize your thoughts and priorities. When you sit at your computer and think "Okay make a game" it helps to have a little book with all your good ideas.

This happens to me when I take a break and realize I havent saved for the past 5 hours and have to completely restart >.<

Hello, I want to make games as I'm sure many people do. I've been using Construct since the classic days and can use it quite well now . I normally hang around the "How do I?" forum quite a lot and end up making lots of examples to fix problems. I've got a few projects I want to do, some I've started. However, my problem is that I just don't, and I'm not quite sure why. I think I probably have the ability to make the games I'm thinking about, but I always seem to find something else. Is there anyone else with the same problem; anyone who has found a way to get around themselves?

this is our problem also, even though you'd be using Construct 2 at its full potential or not, is not the possibility that drives humans, but the involvement into a project, we tend to think ahead, what if this is pointless, what if i get bored, and i know i get bored cause its tedious at that point of coding, what if im not successful and so on, atleast those are some of my many concerns when im starting a new project, however i learned to pass them, and the thing that keeps me pinned and makes me jump around from one project to another is that i want to make all kinds of projects,and sometimes i just Skipp just because i think ahead i have to create graphics, which for me its a boring part, since im doing art and graphics since i was 10 years old, so it does not give me anymore satisfaction, as i look at it as some work to do,but in rest of cases my ego is so large, that i cant stop to finish 1 full project and then move to next one, i want to give me self the confidence that i can create anything, and understand all aspects, that's why atleast we jump around a lot, that and the fact that we are convulsive creatures that are driven by curiosity and we always want to evolve further unconsciously.. so the subject can be called more of a psychological discussion then a forum topic or random question hope it helps you i go back to think on my next big thing ( as i always tinker something even though i have 1000+ projects stashed in my computer and just few are finished ... but not polished! )

so an advice? tinker more and continuously do that, till you learn and get that idea that will push you to finish your first project, and make you feel better, sounds cheese i know, but that's the truth in reality, we dont want to do something that we dont like, so will do and jump around till we find what we like... its creepy but this is who we are, evolved monkeys or not, anyway... bannaaanaaa.... papple anyone??

the last part is not an insult but a funny reference from minions the movie for those who will think im ... cucu...

One good way that I found is to lower the scope of the project and set clear goals and milestones. If you look at a project as a whole it might seem massive and too much to comprehend and it might be a bit off-putting. I made a checklist which I have accessible and constantly look at to track my progress... Another important this is to get people involved early. Like friends, family, co-workers. Let them try your game at early stages to get you feedback. It's a great boost to see when they enjoy it, and when you get constructive feedback. Impress them Even if your game is quite simple you will be amazed by the energy you get from... "Wow, you made that???", and people will constantly ask you. "How's your game going?".

Another good thing is to write down somewhere what you imagine your end result to be like. Collect a scrapbook of screenshots from other games that you like, that might inspire you. As soon as you have a clear goal, break it down to smaller pieces. My milestone lists look something like this.

1. Create basic controls and movement of the character. (Very important the get the feeling of how the game will behave)

2. Create player & enemy sprites. (Now you can start killing something)

3. Create Enemy AI.

4. Create UI.

5. Create scenery for 1 complete level. (Now you will start to see what the game will finally look like, even if some sprites are still placeholders)

At that point you are well on your way, and you should have a solid working prototype so start planning for your next milestones.

Each part can be broken down to smaller pieces to make it even more easy. For example:

1a. Create walkcycle.

1b. create idle animation

1c. Create jump animation.

Once you get the ball rolling and you see the game taking shape step by step, it's very rewarding. Especially when you present the next version to your group of test subjects.

Anyway. That works for me. Some things might be too hard to do so I scrap those parts, rethink my approach or learn as I go by making a new small test project only for that part.

Just go for it. Hope it helps.