Got a couple of friends who lose interest in finishing up their game when they are 80% or 90% done.
Anyone have any good ideas to keep them focused and working through the last couple of steps?
Thanks!
Keeping someone working on their game
Wed, 05/12/2010 - 13:03
Wed, 05/12/2010 - 13:18
#1
Sucao wrote:Got a couple of
Got a couple of friends who lose interest in finishing up their game when they are 80% or 90% done.
Anyone have any good ideas to keep them focused and working through the last couple of steps?
Thanks!
You can't force completion of games (even on your own games)..sometimes putting them on the side for awhile is actually better. The thing is whatever is worked on to force it to completion will not make the game better...it will just make it "FINISHED"
The other question is...what has to be finished?
Wed, 05/12/2010 - 13:37
#2
I struggle with this...
I have WAY more incomplete games in my back pocket then I do games that are even in a playable state... Which I'm sure is the case for many of us ^_^ but my advice is this: Don't force it, but don't let it go either. Getting me psyched to work on a game concept is usually as simple as someone telling me they're looking forward to playing it or by playing a really good board game that gets my brain juices flowing. You could have them pull their games out when you get together for gaming and encourage discussion on improving the game.
The other thing to consider is that sometimes that last 10 or 20 percent actually requires the most work and head scratching. This is usually the part where a design is playable but the numbers aren't quite right and you're chasing hard to nail targets like 'balance' and 'fun'. You've got to want to do this part well or you'll just end up with a game that simply doesn't live up to its potential.
Wed, 05/12/2010 - 15:24
#3
You could pick up the mantle
You could pick up the mantle yourself, threatening to finish it for them - that could spur their creative juices since they probably would like to finish it themselves!
I'm sort of joking, but I'm also sort of not... seriously, if you show interest in helping them finish it might get them thinking enough about it that the game will get finished. This is one of the benefits I see in co-designing. If one person stalls out, the other could have a good idea which gets them back on track.
Wed, 05/12/2010 - 21:18
#4
I second the suggestion that
I second the suggestion that you should offer to finish them. Lots of published games receive a lot of development by the publisher, so there's a credit for Game Design and another for Game Development.
You might ask you friend if they'd mind if you finished the work.
Wed, 05/12/2010 - 22:50
#5
Playtest and Feedback
An important part of motivation is pairs preassure (I think you call it). Playtesting always spawns some new ideas about the game, not just form the designer, but from the players. It's like pretending you are "dating" your wife. It keeps the romance alive.
The thing you may want to ask yourself is WHY do they stall. If it is a family/work/health issue involved, well, that may block any leisure/creative activity no matter what.
I had experiences with stalling games that I did like a lot, and they where looking good, but at some point I knew they were broken, and needed a massive adjustment to make them right (even great). Sometimes it took me a while to get over the frustration and start over. This times, taking a step away for a breath was the right thing to do.
So it depends I guess. Maybe there is an expectations issue. I know this happens when you are unconsioulsy afraid that the finished game (with all the effort you put into it) will not see the light of the day at the end. And, lets face it. Even if your design is completed, it could end up in a box in your garage, unplayed and unpublished. So, facing the potential demise of your beloved creature is sometimes hard. It's hard to just let go, but if you don't, well... nothing. Unplayed and unpublished: the designer's phobia.
Keep thinking!
You can't force completion of games (even on your own games)..sometimes putting them on the side for awhile is actually better. The thing is whatever is worked on to force it to completion will not make the game better...it will just make it "FINISHED"
The other question is...what has to be finished?
Right now it's a co-op where each player is a member of a team trying to save a patients life. I'm thinking about releasing it as a free PnP game.
Anywas, thanks everyone for your responses. I wish I could have responded earlier but I was traveling yesterday.
Also, I really liked this idea:
I'm sort of joking, but I'm also sort of not... seriously, if you show interest in helping them finish it might get them thinking enough about it that the game will get finished. This is one of the benefits I see in co-designing. If one person stalls out, the other could have a good idea which gets them back on track.
Thanks for that one sedjtroll