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[Theophilus]

Go to a GameStop with $5 and buy something. Buy anything, and play it for as long as you can stand it. Then go get your money back. You'll need it.

Isn't that a little cheap?

What I usually do to garner inspiration is read walkthroughs of old games, or games you've never played and never plan on playing if you don't mind spoilers and CBF'd to play it. Usually works.

I also like to play with mathematics. Find something you are interested in, and make a game with/out of it.

Get a close friend/s you can talk to about games, what you want, what's ideal. If they're like my friends, they're casual AppStore gamers. Nothing wrong with that. It helps when I want to reach to a new audience. Not one single thing inspires me more than giving the gift of gaming to new people. If one person who hasn't played a game plays my game, and has fun, that is enough for me to call it a successful game.

[Tiderion]

Let's look at this from another perspective. Sometimes a slump is a good thing. Take some time to collect your thoughts. If you honestly can't finish the project simply table it. Put it in a folder marked "Tabled" and come back to it later when you are in the next slump.

The idea here is to have a lot of projects going on at once. The ones that matter the most get the most work. The smaller, less interesting projects get grease whenever you run out of steam on the great ideas. Keep yourself busy with something even if it isn't THE project.

[pla1207]

Okay,  just tell me what your problem is to finish or go further with your project. is it game maker or c++ in general? do you have fun doing it?if not,why you're not going fishing or sailing instead?know what i mean?

[Theophilus]

Alright, back in the slump. :<

[ஒழுக்கின்மை (Paul Eres)]

if you're getting into slumps regularly i'd recommend eating better and exercising -- we are physical, metabolic beings, most of our daily energy comes from basic things like that. an hour of exercise a day will improve your productivity by more than an hour a day in many cases. as would eating food that gives you more energy rather than makes you more tired.

if the above isn't a problem and you're already exercising regularly (at least 2-3 times a week) and not eating any junk food or processed food, then i'd recommend just forcing yourself to sit down and work on the game for a limited period a day -- 40 minutes or something, no less but also no more. if you believe that you will only get 40 minutes that day to work on your game, and cannot work on it again that day if that time runs up, you'll be more motivated to make the most of that short time and work hard on it. so paradoxically limited the amount of time you work on your game each day may improve productivity as well. after you can consistently work on it for 40 minutes a day without wasting any of those 40 minutes, then increase that to an hour (etc.).

[Theophilus]

I feel like I'm just lazy, that's all.

@OP ~ Sorry for thread jacking.

[___]

When I'm in a slump the solution for me is pretty simple.  GAME JAM!

[Amon26]

Slumps and halts can come as a result form all kinds of things.  Life stress, self-doubt, the urge to work on a new project, the fear that your current project is shit, and so on so forth.  I'll talk a bit on the remedies I use for a few different causes.

Good o'l writer's block:  I try to find an activity vastly unrelated to my project that doesn't require much creativity but still yields an end-product.  For example, since I was a wee peppercorn I loved building model planes.  Once, I got a total brain-lock, so I ordered some cheapo model kits from ebay and built them, painted them up really weird, and gave them to friends/fans.  I did this for about 2 weeks and suddenly POOF, I was on fire and ready to program again!!  So try stuff like models, coloring books, assembling furniture, whatever. Anything where you're being instructed on how to create something.

OSHIT SON! LIFE'S GONE CRAZY!  Last summer I had to help my folks (granny, brother, and madre) move out of a home they'd been stockpiling their life in for over 22 years and into a 2 bedroom apartment.  It was hell. I wasn't sleeping/eating right, I never had time to socialize with friends, and i certainly didn't have the time to put into developing my game.  I found that spending a lot of time outside, taking walks, being physically active helped my mindset a lot.  It got me through, and I started feeling back on-track even before all the chaos settled.

My game's so bad/copycat of ___:  And this one, the looming obelisk of self-doubt.  I try asking myself "What was the spark behind this project that made me wanna start it?"  Try re-discovering what lit the fire under your ass in the first place.  I'm kinda dealing with this on my current project.  I remember the catch was "bombastic comedy".  That was the hook.  So I try to keep my eyes open for all kinds of things that can keep that fire well fueled.  Lots of different sources too.  Films, Songs, Musicals, Books, Places, People.  Also, remember: No matter how original you try to make a game, it's just not going to be.  Focus on making it something fun.  It could be said that Mondo Agency was just a Wolfenstein clone, but who's keeping track and why the hell do they matter?

Arrite, that's all I got. 

[Theophilus]

My game's so bad/copycat of ___:  And this one, the looming obelisk of self-doubt.  I try asking myself "What was the spark behind this project that made me wanna start it?"  Try re-discovering what lit the fire under your ass in the first place.  I'm kinda dealing with this on my current project.  I remember the catch was "bombastic comedy".  That was the hook.  So I try to keep my eyes open for all kinds of things that can keep that fire well fueled.  Lots of different sources too.  Films, Songs, Musicals, Books, Places, People.  Also, remember: No matter how original you try to make a game, it's just not going to be.  Focus on making it something fun.  It could be said that Mondo Agency was just a Wolfenstein clone, but who's keeping track and why the hell do they matter?

Furthermore, this symptom can often mean that your game IS too like another. Building on Amon's post, find the spark and then reinvent the spark so that it flourishes throughout the whole game.

[Amon26]

True Theo, I guess I was trying to emphasize that there'll always be some  that's going to wail and scream that your work is unoriginal or contrived no matter how original you try and be.  So yeah, make sure there's SOMETHING fresh in your project but don't go losing sleep over what the consensus will be.  If people don't like your game? Oh well, let's hope they didn't waste too much of their time hating it and instead went on to play something they like.

[Trent]

Slumps and halts can come as a result form all kinds of things.  Life stress, self-doubt, the urge to work on a new project

This gets me every freaking time. Not only that, but I started my first game as an engine, which I've been told many times is a mistake. Now I'm trying to figure out if I should keep going with my engine which I feel is fairly near completion, or move to a much smaller game project just to get some money rolling. 

[Theophilus]

Slumps and halts can come as a result form all kinds of things.  Life stress, self-doubt, the urge to work on a new project

This gets me every freaking time. Not only that, but I started my first game as an engine, which I've been told many times is a mistake. Now I'm trying to figure out if I should keep going with my engine which I feel is fairly near completion, or move to a much smaller game project just to get some money rolling. 

Plagues me a fair amount too.

http://forums.tigsource.com/index.php?topic=18460.0

[Amon26]

Yeah, making a game is in a way like cultivating a good relationship.  It's all butterflies and excitement at first but then you settle in, you find faults, you fight, you wonder "is this going anywhere?" you could get tempted by a new metaphorical someone and just want to feel those butterflies again.  So, this is where you see what you got, what you're willing to put aside and what you're willing to give.  Just like people, some ideas are worth the long haul and deserve your love and attention, then you find others just won't work out and you have to part ways with. Neither choice is right, or wrong, but both require a good ammount of consideration.

[Theophilus]

Yeah, making a game is in a way like cultivating a good relationship.  It's all butterflies and excitement at first but then you settle in, you find faults, you fight, you wonder "is this going anywhere?" you could get tempted by a new metaphorical someone and just want to feel those butterflies again.  So, this is where you see what you got, what you're willing to put aside and what you're willing to give.  Just like people, some ideas are worth the long haul and deserve your love and attention, then you find others just won't work out and you have to part ways with. Neither choice is right, or wrong, but both require a good ammount of consideration.

That's a good way of putting it. You should want to marry your game.

[davidp]

Yeah, making a game is in a way like cultivating a good relationship.  It's all butterflies and excitement at first but then you settle in, you find faults, you fight, you wonder "is this going anywhere?" you could get tempted by a new metaphorical someone and just want to feel those butterflies again.  So, this is where you see what you got, what you're willing to put aside and what you're willing to give.  Just like people, some ideas are worth the long haul and deserve your love and attention, then you find others just won't work out and you have to part ways with. Neither choice is right, or wrong, but both require a good ammount of consideration.

best.comparison.ever.

[Blodyavenger]

Yeah, making a game is in a way like cultivating a good relationship.  It's all butterflies and excitement at first but then you settle in, you find faults, you fight, you wonder "is this going anywhere?" you could get tempted by a new metaphorical someone and just want to feel those butterflies again.  So, this is where you see what you got, what you're willing to put aside and what you're willing to give.  Just like people, some ideas are worth the long haul and deserve your love and attention, then you find others just won't work out and you have to part ways with. Neither choice is right, or wrong, but both require a good ammount of consideration.

best.comparison.ever.

I tottaly agree!

[Taugeshtu]

NOT the way for everyone, but it works for me:

- Get extremely high motivation stimul - I throw away learning in good univercity, and let my life depend on my game. I rely on air, kind of...

- Get MORE. More time, more space, more music, more emotions - let them fill you up, just like petrol.

- Get right wave. It's all about tracklist - some tunes are fine when you "walk alone", but just don't work for game dev.

- Get mindmaps. For almost every task you can write a mindmap - as for me, they work much better (faster to re-think every single aspect, faster to write, faster to deal with) than just check-list.

[Theophilus]

- Get right wave. It's all about tracklist - some tunes are fine when you "walk alone", but just don't work for game dev.

Suggestions?

Also, I have trouble getting more time in school, and many others will too. Not that I disagree with your post, it's just easier said than done.

[Sakar]

- Get right wave. It's all about tracklist - some tunes are fine when you "walk alone", but just don't work for game dev.

Suggestions?

Also, I have trouble getting more time in school, and many others will too. Not that I disagree with your post, it's just easier said than done.

I find Mogwai's music to be excellent working music. Little to no lyrics, and most is calming. Some of C418's music is pretty nice for this too.

[Pentadact]

I'm not very experienced with this, but I'd suggest making something *tiny*. Think of the easiest mechanic to code, or take just one from a project you're working on, and base an incredibly short and simple game on it. Game Jams or compos like Ludum Dare are an awesome way to get motivated about something like that, but a self-imposed one week deadline should also work.

I'm new at this, but finishing my Ludum Dare game was a huge boost to my confidence, productivity, conviction in my ideas, foresight in how I approach things, and clarity about what to cut and what to keep. And it took two days. Came back to my longer term project refreshed, excited and feeling invincible, and haven't lost momentum for a moment.


Links:
Ludum Dare game, Scanno Domini: http://www.ludumdare.com/compo/ludum-dare-19/?uid=3103
Ludum Dare devblog: http://www.pentadact.com/index.php/tag/ludum-dare?orderby=date&order=asc
Longer term project, Gunpoint: http://www.pentadact.com/index.php/tag/gunpoint