I see two big problems I have to overcome while working on my game, over designing the game and distractions.
Over Designing
I have already designed a game that would have been awesome if I had a crew of twenty to build it and, therefore, it quickly stalled. As a gamer, we know how deep and expansive games can be. Avoiding the temptation of feature creep and focus on execution is key.
My solution to avoid over designing is to implement what I call, “Fractal Project Management.” The idea is to make a complete game with low detail and low features then pass over it until it has the detail and features to make the game complete. The true test to whether or not the game is done is if it’s fun and matches the value I’m asking for it.
Distractions
Distractions from game development are going to happen. There are just too many shiny new cool awesome things going on as well as day-to-day responsibilities to say that I’ll never be distracted. I first thought I was the type of person that could squeeze all the extra demands of game development in at night or on weekends. Well, I’m not that kind of person. I know this now. I have an engaging job and I’m also a father. Not a lot of extra time. Honestly, game development became the distraction.
A solution was to carve out a dedicated time for game development. Thankfully I was able to negotiate a reduction in hours at my job. Being that what I do at my job is programming and 3D illustrations, they saw that the skills I’ll learn developing a game could be directly applied to the work I do for them. Someday, this could even be an extension of what I already do as added value to our clients.
Now I can freely say that this dedicated time is my time for this project. No distractions. BTW, did you see the new Tesla 3?