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[William Chyr]

that's impressive. I have just started full time two months ago and it's a very different rhythm to settle on.

I haven't been able to work on my game fulltime yet, but I do fulltime freelance web/game work from home. Recently I've been losing motivation, sleeping in and not getting as much done, and it feels different to general burn out. Have you guys experienced that yet? Trying to overcome this procrastination hurdle...

OniWorld, I'm really glad you asked that question. I myself just came off a particularly unproductive/low-motivation week.

As Juan said, it's a very different rhythm when you go full time, especially when the game has been in development for a while. (Well, for Juan it's probably crazy intense right now as he's in the middle of a kickstarter campaign).

I'd say that for me, the first ten months working on the game, it was really easy to get myself motivated. I was still high from the idea and being able to work on a game, that I just wanted to work on it during all my waking hours. During this time I was programming the feel of the core mechanics and designing a lot of puzzles, so the process itself was very interesting and a lot of fun.

The game was also very small, so it was very easy to make large sweeping changes in between playtest sessions to see what worked and what didn't. For example, I'd have a friend over to try out the game, and afterwards, I'd see that, puzzle 6 should have come before puzzle 5, and puzzle 7 needs to get removed. At the time, I could easily just change a few numbers, and voila, that change would be implemented, and I could have someone else test the new version.

Now, however, the rhythm is very different, partly due to me having worked on the game for so long, and also due to the game being so much bigger. From a development standpoint, the game has way more systems working together and depending on one another (player rotation, gravity manipulation, boxes, saving, etc), so implementing changes take days instead of hours. I've been working on water recently, and even though this system isn't finished yet, I already know I'm going to have to rewrite parts of the box system as well as the saving system due to some of the new stuff that's introduced.

Mentally, I just can't work on the game during all my waking hours anymore. If I try to do that, I notice that I don't get any work done, and just end up feeling depressed and defeated. The game has become such a big part of my life now that it's just like air. It's always there. And because I'm working on the game alone, from home, it can be hard to dissociate from the game. Everything gets tied up together, and how I feel on a personal/emotional level ends up relying too heavily on how things are going production-wise with the game, which is no good.

I've found that what works well for me is trying out hold on to a routine of some sort. I try to go swimming at least 4 times a week, and have also been studying Russian daily for about 15 minutes. For me, this has been good because it forces me to get away from the computer regularly. But more importantly, it reinforces the idea that long-term consistency is better than short-term intensity.

My workouts aren't particularly intense, and my Russian studying is pretty relaxed, but because I've been keeping up with both for 6 months now, I've noticed big improvements. This really helps me put game development in perspective, especially when I'm feeling particularly unproductive and unmotivated. I''ll think back to a year ago, and see just how much I've learned about game development since then.

One other thing I've found that has been super helpful in keeping me sane is having a community of local developers. I'm very fortunate to be in Chicago, as there is a thriving indie scene here. Between meetings for Indie City Games (our local collective), Chicago Unity3D, and different industry events, there's always at least one event a month you can go to to talk and socialize with other gamedevs. Some of them are not necessarily indie people, and may not understand what you're going through or what your game is about, but it's still cool. This has been really awesome, and I encourage you to find a community in your area. Even if you have to travel for a bit, it's totally worth it.

[bsp]

I'll second the notion of getting involved with industry events or meetups. It has so far been the absolute best way to get a sanity check/recuperate some energy to continue developing. It can often be quite inspirational too!

[OniWorld]

Mentally, I just can't work on the game during all my waking hours anymore. If I try to do that, I notice that I don't get any work done, and just end up feeling depressed and defeated. The game has become such a big part of my life now that it's just like air. It's always there. And because I'm working on the game alone, from home, it can be hard to dissociate from the game. Everything gets tied up together, and how I feel on a personal/emotional level ends up relying too heavily on how things are going production-wise with the game, which is no good.

I've found that what works well for me is trying out hold on to a routine of some sort. I try to go swimming at least 4 times a week, and have also been studying Russian daily for about 15 minutes. For me, this has been good because it forces me to get away from the computer regularly. But more importantly, it reinforces the idea that long-term consistency is better than short-term intensity.

See, I feel exactly like this sometimes - only with my freelance work too, which I need to do to pay the rent. I've developed games for years before, and they never saw the light of day because I got too distracted and was unable to overcome that same hurdle. I have a massive framed canvas picture of my game above my desk for inspiration, which is at the foot of my bed in my room. I barely spend any time anywhere other than at my desk really, and I really need to get away fro t.

It's funny you mention swimming, because that's my plan. Been getting in touch with some health clubs to arrange a trial day and get membership so I don't have to travel far to swim (I live in the city centre, all pools here are private). I want to swim 5 days atleast a week, preferably when I wake up and then begin my work day at around noon instead of as soon as I get out of bed.

Hopefully I'll get out more when the weather gets better, I spent last summer mountain biking and that really motivated me. It's really good to hear from over developers who have these issues, I love working on my game and it's now a part of me. I don't want it to be in development forever because of lack of motivation. I've been getting more motivated recently, it's just getting through the other work before I can work on my stuff. It's all for the best though, saving up to be able to work fulltime on my game.

[William Chyr]

I've been getting more motivated recently, it's just getting through the other work before I can work on my stuff. It's all for the best though, saving up to be able to work fulltime on my game.

Definitely! I know it can be pretty tough to balance freelance work and your own stuff, especially when the freelance work is of a similar nature. (I'm assuming you're doing freelance development?) It just uses too much of the same muscle. I'd have a way more difficult time trying to do my own game on the side if I was doing other gigs, so I commend you for it. You're making great strides already with the engine/editor for Klank's story, and that's only working part-time!

[OniWorld]

Definitely! I know it can be pretty tough to balance freelance work and your own stuff, especially when the freelance work is of a similar nature. (I'm assuming you're doing freelance development?) It just uses too much of the same muscle. I'd have a way more difficult time trying to do my own game on the side if I was doing other gigs, so I commend you for it. You're making great strides already with the engine/editor for Klank's story, and that's only working part-time!

Yeah, I do freelance web and game development - lately it's been more web/api/backend stuff, so it working on my game provides a break from that. Finding a lack of inspiration for web work for my game, I know I need to revamp a few things but it's finding the time and motivation each day really. Takes me a good few hours and quite a bit of caffeine until I really start being productive. Thanks for the kind words! I had no idea you were working on relativity full-time, how long did it take for you to save up, and whats your lifestyle like since? Are you living off of ramen or?

[Juan Raigada]

Yeah, the kickstarter is weird, cause it doesn't really give you time to work on the game. Every time I try to, something else comes up. And when I decide to not try and just focus on the KS, the world goes silent.

But yes, workouts! I do go running 4 times a week and it does wonders for me. Also, I am experiencing a shift from sole developer into team lead, and that implies less hands on stuff.

Obviously I'm in a weird, very specific situation at this moment,so even if a day I'm not specially productive, I don't worry since it will all change soon.

SomethingI have found works very well for me is to divide work in 1-week chunks of completely different stuff (for example, spend one week doing level design, and another week doing enemy behavior). For me one week is enough time to make a plan and set up a decent sized milestone, and sort enough not to burn out!

[William Chyr]

Yeah, I do freelance web and game development - lately it's been more web/api/backend stuff, so it working on my game provides a break from that. Finding a lack of inspiration for web work for my game, I know I need to revamp a few things but it's finding the time and motivation each day really. Takes me a good few hours and quite a bit of caffeine until I really start being productive. Thanks for the kind words! I had no idea you were working on relativity full-time, how long did it take for you to save up, and whats your lifestyle like since? Are you living off of ramen or?

I definitely live very frugally. My philosophy with buying things is basically, unless something is absolutely necessary to work, I won't buy it. This doesn't mean that I'm living off of ramen though. I still try to eat well and stay healthy, as that's important. However, I do all my cooking at home, and almost never eat out. Also, aside from gamedev related meetups, I rarely go out to socialize. It kind of sucks sometimes, as eating out/socializing can be really fun, but that stuff is also expensive and adds up really quickly.

I also try to do a lot of artist residencies. I highly recommend looking into this. There are different types of programs in different places, usually run by art centers or museums. Generally, residency programs can be from a few weeks to 2 years long, with most somewhere around 3 months. For most of them, you get a place to live and a studio, and some will also provide you with a stipend to cover food, travel, and materials. There are also residencies where you pay a fee to be there, but I haven't done any of these, and wouldn't recommend them.

Residencies aren't really a thing in the gamedev world, it's more something in the art world (and that's where I was introduced to them, initially through my installation work). However, there are some programs targeted towards digital media art, like Eyebeam in New York, but I've also seen a few in the UK. Res Artis is a good site to learn about residencies and application deadlines.

A huge benefit to a residency is that you get time and space to work on your project, and pretty much get to live rent-free for a few months. This can be really helpful in keeping your expenses low during development. There are also other benefits like being surrounded by a community of other creative people, which can be really inspiring, albeit a bit crazy at times. Last year, I participated in the Swatch Art Peace Hotel artist residency in Shanghai for six months, and that was pretty awesome. It's gotten a bit competitive since then, as I was one of the earlier wave of applicants. However, I highly recommend sending in an application, as their process is relativity short and straightforward, and also they're open to different types of artwork, including video games.

I should warn you though, that the application process for residencies in general can be pretty time-consuming and a bit tedious. And also, it's a bit of a numbers game. You can't just apply to one program and expect to get in, you have to be applying to a lot of them.

So, through a combination of being frugal, artist residencies, working solo, and living in a city with a relatively low cost-of-living (I can't imagine trying to do this in San Francisco or NY), I've been able to stretch my meager savings for a long time. However, I'm at a point where I'm going to have to start looking into additional sources of funding (most likely Kickstarter), as I think I will need to bring in additional help to complete the game (At the very least, I'm thinking of another developer to help with low-level/optimization stuff, and possibly an artist to help polish the look).

Also, keep in mind that everyone's situation is different, and what works for one person may not work for everyone else. The guys that made Octodad, Young Horses, they're based in Chicago, and I think pretty much everyone on that team had a day job throughout the development time. However, they are a team of 8 or 9, so at least the work load is distributed throughout. I also recommend checking out some interviews with Alexander Bruce (he made Antichamber), and he also has some good advice on staying frugal and keeping your game development expenses low.

Yeah, the kickstarter is weird, cause it doesn't really give you time to work on the game. Every time I try to, something else comes up. And when I decide to not try and just focus on the KS, the world goes silent.

But yes, workouts! I do go running 4 times a week and it does wonders for me. Also, I am experiencing a shift from sole developer into team lead, and that implies less hands on stuff.

Obviously I'm in a weird, very specific situation at this moment,so even if a day I'm not specially productive, I don't worry since it will all change soon.

SomethingI have found works very well for me is to divide work in 1-week chunks of completely different stuff (for example, spend one week doing level design, and another week doing enemy behavior). For me one week is enough time to make a plan and set up a decent sized milestone, and sort enough not to burn out!

Man, I really need to talk to you about the shift from sole developer into team lead, as I think I may have to do that soon. You should definitely do a post-mortem on that process sometime (when you get the time, of course  ).

When you work on a game for so long, how do you just hand over control? I think I'd be freaking out if I were in your shoes. Also, with programming problems, I know that if I bang my head on the problem long enough, eventually I'll come up with a solution. But working with people? No idea.

Also, the 1-week chunk tip sounds really good. I think I might start doing that. I find I'll get really into some minute tech problem, and spend weeks doing that, and then when I go back to level design, I've sort of forgotten what I did and end up having to relearn a whole bunch of stuff.

[William Chyr]

DevLog Update #38 - 03/05/2014

Yesterday, I went back to the drawing board, and programmed another water stream from scratch. It doesn’t even look like water at all, but I got dynamic redirection working, and it’s much closer to what I have in mind:



I then added a way to rotate the redirection cube. Right now you just click the left mouse button to rotate the cube, but this might change later on:



Here’s dynamic water bending with multiple redirection cubes together:

[Juan Raigada]

Man, I really need to talk to you about the shift from sole developer into team lead, as I think I may have to do that soon. You should definitely do a post-mortem on that process sometime (when you get the time, of course  ).

When you work on a game for so long, how do you just hand over control? I think I'd be freaking out if I were in your shoes. Also, with programming problems, I know that if I bang my head on the problem long enough, eventually I'll come up with a solution. But working with people? No idea.

Also, the 1-week chunk tip sounds really good. I think I might start doing that. I find I'll get really into some minute tech problem, and spend weeks doing that, and then when I go back to level design, I've sort of forgotten what I did and end up having to relearn a whole bunch of stuff.

Yeah, it does seem we come from different backgrounds. The Art world is quite lonely, at least while working.

I did get a BFA (well, something similar, the Spanish education system is very different to the American one) but I went into filmmaking. Filmmaking is interesting because they really value feedback and process. Even at the most lonely stage of filmmaking, writing (maybe finishing post-production is more lonely, but that's not creative), you are from the beginning strongly discouraged to keep the project to yourself. People tend to share early drafts (even outlines) of projects from the beginning, and you learn to listen to *very* negative feedback without becoming too annoyed (takes a while to get there, though ;P ).

I have directed some short films, and worked on hundreds of others. My biggest professional accomplishment yet is to have been Assistant Director in a Cannes-winning film, and that position basically means you are managing the creative and team while you try to protect the creative process of the director. So I have some experience managing at this level.

What I'm trying to say is that going back to be a project lead will actually be more similar to a workflow I have experience with than working on it alone. I had to do it, since I had to build something from scratch so people would believe in the project and join, but I'm very happy knowing that, once everything is set up -which will take time- I will be able to make the game grow by incorporating other people's ideas.

While I strongly believe there has to be a project lead to keep the vision of the game focused, I think collaboration is not about protecting your idea but about incorporating other's ideas into the project so it becomes something you would never have thought of alone. The artists that just joined the team (former students of mine) are not going to be just creating art under my direction. There would be some of that, but what I really want is for them to come up with crazy ideas and new ways to explore the game's world, gameplay and visuals. I'm really looking forward to our brainstorming sessions! The same with Kike, the developer/programmer that just joined. I don't only need his programming/optimization skills, but his second pair of eyes, to work on game design and so he can point out problems and issues I can no longer see.

When I was learning filmmaking, we would have master classes with all these famous directors. Listening to them, the idea of a overly controlling director putting his seal into a movie disappears. Even Kubrick's best scenes (someone considered the paradigm of control and precision) are actually improv pieces!

Sometimes it's hard to give up control, yes, but if you are to work with other people, you need to stop seeing the game as yours, and give your team authorship over the project as well. If you try to control too much, or limit the creativity of your team, people will get frustrated and they won't perform at their best. And the project will become myopic, since you won't be taking advantage of having a team (except for faster production time).

I've found the best way to do this is to always work with people that are much better than you in their specializations. I made the alpha of Heart&Slash by myself, so I'm OK with art and programming, however, Kike is a much better programmer than I am, Sendoa, Julen and Xabier are much better artists, and Thomas is a much better producer and people's person. That way, I don't need to worry about the quality of what they do, since they are going to perform much better than me, only about their work following a coherent vision for the game.

Basically, if you open up your project, be ready to be making a game with other people, not YOUR game with other people.

These are my 2 cents...

[William Chyr]

What I'm trying to say is that going back to be a project lead will actually be more similar to a workflow I have experience with than working on it alone. I had to do it, since I had to build something from scratch so people would believe in the project and join, but I'm very happy knowing that, once everything is set up -which will take time- I will be able to make the game grow by incorporating other people's ideas.

While I strongly believe there has to be a project lead to keep the vision of the game focused, I think collaboration is not about protecting your idea but about incorporating other's ideas into the project so it becomes something you would never have thought of alone. The artists that just joined the team (former students of mine) are not going to be just creating art under my direction. There would be some of that, but what I really want is for them to come up with crazy ideas and new ways to explore the game's world, gameplay and visuals. I'm really looking forward to our brainstorming sessions! The same with Kike, the developer/programmer that just joined. I don't only need his programming/optimization skills, but his second pair of eyes, to work on game design and so he can point out problems and issues I can no longer see.

When I was learning filmmaking, we would have master classes with all these famous directors. Listening to them, the idea of a overly controlling director putting his seal into a movie disappears. Even Kubrick's best scenes (someone considered the paradigm of control and precision) are actually improv pieces!

You're spot on about the difference between the filmmaking process and the art process. Learning that you have a filmmaking background makes a lot of sense - it shows not only in the high production value of Heart&Slash, but also in a lot of what you're saying about collaboration and being a team lead. When I saw the kickstarter updates you posted for new team members, I was like "How is he getting all these people to sign up and be so enthusiastic? This is crazy". But from you've just posted, it seems like the working model you're used to transfers very well to game development.

I didn't realize that because I've been in the art world for some time now, that my perception of collaboration is a little skewed. In art, on one end of the spectrum you have the artist working alone in his studio, doing everything, and then on the other end, you have big name artists who have these factory setups where other people do all the production, and the artist just signs his name on the piece at the end. Usually, you just see the one name on the work, unlike film or gamedev, where even though you have a director or a creative lead, it's much better understood that it's a collaborative endeavor.

I think I'm definitely still under the illusion of the "auteur" in a lot of ways. One of my favorite directors is Wong Kar-Wai, and even with him, his cinematographer Chris Doyle plays a big role in how his films look.

Learning to release control to the team is definitely something I'm going to have to learn. For a long time, I just had this macho perception of being a one-man-army, and having the work be this complete singular vision that emanated from my mind and was crafted into being by my bare hands. I'm realizing now that that's not only unnecessary, but more important, it's also preventing the game from becoming the best that it can be.

[William Chyr]

DevLog Update #39 - 03/06/2014

Just a few more gifs showing where the water is at now. Going to take a break from water and focus on puzzle/level design for the next week in preparation for GDC.

Here's a water stream reforming when the ground beneath it changes:


Here's water as a 'bridge' when you're on another gravitational field:

[Christian]

I can not get over how awesome this game looks. Every GIF is so good. Any idea when you'll have something playable for the public?

[William Chyr]

I can not get over how awesome this game looks. Every GIF is so good. Any idea when you'll have something playable for the public?

Thanks, Christian!

Unfortunately, as far as a version to be distributed over the web is concerned, there probably won't be one anytime soon. There are just way too many bugs and rough edges that to put something out there would just give people a really bad impression of the game.

Also, there's been some technical hold ups with the saving system and water mechanics, so I'm a little bit behind schedule.

However, I am trying to go to as many game conventions as possible in order to do in-person playtesting and get feedback. Once I have a spot at a convention confirmed, I will post it here so folks will be able to look out for it. 

Unless you live in Chicago, or happen to be in town, this will probably be the only way to try out the game for now.

Thanks so much for your patience, though. It's going to be totally worth the wait!

[forsy]

Have you thought about trying to package up these different mechanics in standalone web player builds for people to play with?

Your water mechanic is awesome. Give people a few gravity fields and a dozen boxes in a very simple world, like the inside of a cube, and you'd be surprised what they could do. It would probably help to get feedback on what people do with it and maybe how to introduce it in the full game, or even give you some ideas for level design.

Obviously you don't want to release some bug ridden mess, but if you have a solid mechanic I don't think there is any harm in releasing some early stuff for people to play with.

[William Chyr]

Have you thought about trying to package up these different mechanics in standalone web player builds for people to play with?

Your water mechanic is awesome. Give people a few gravity fields and a dozen boxes in a very simple world, like the inside of a cube, and you'd be surprised what they could do. It would probably help to get feedback on what people do with it and maybe how to introduce it in the full game, or even give you some ideas for level design.

Obviously you don't want to release some bug ridden mess, but if you have a solid mechanic I don't think there is any harm in releasing some early stuff for people to play with.

That's actually a really good idea.

A web player builder for the game as it is probably wouldn't work, just because there's a lot of additive asynchronous level loading and other things going on in the background that's pretty processor intensive. Though I haven't actually tried it, so who knows.

However, your suggestion could actually work really well, maybe even as a standalone demo for once the game is released. Something that gives a taste of the game without actually giving away anything in the game.

My only concern, is that depending on how this sandbox level is set up, people could end up building bad habits that might make it more difficult to solve puzzles in the actual game. What I mean is that there are different techniques for when you have different number of cubes, so say you have 2 blue and 1 orange, there are techniques you can use that you can't do when you have 1 blue and 1 orange.

I've seen players do things really awkwardly with 1 blue cube and 1 orange cube, that can be done easily when they have 2 blue cubes. But then later, when they see 2 blue cubes and 1 orange cube, they were continue to use the awkward method, because it worked last time, and not the more correct method.

It sounds promising though, and I will definitely give it a try. The nice thing is that it doesn't seem like it will take too long to draw up, and very likely I will get ideas for new puzzles.

[Fervir]

I'm excited for this game.
There's some really cool puzzles going on from what I've seen

[William Chyr]

I'm excited for this game.
There's some really cool puzzles going on from what I've seen

Thanks, Fervir!

[William Chyr]

After working on water mechanics for the past 2 weeks, finally made enough progress to feel comfortable going back to working on design again. There's still a lot of issues with water, but at least now I have an idea of how to deal with them.

Also realized I haven't shared a screenshot from the game for a while, so here's one:

[Code_Assassin]

Not sure if it's the way the screenshot was compressed, but I'm guessing you have some fog in your scenes? Is that an aesthetic choice or was that to increase performance levels?

Suggestion: I think you should make the background change colors slightly(using time). It would give a lot of personality to the world I'd think. Instead of using textures for your water, you should try creating a procedural mesh of sorts to imitate volumetric water.

[William Chyr]

Not sure if it's the way the screenshot was compressed, but I'm guessing you have some fog in your scenes? Is that an aesthetic choice or was that to increase performance levels?

Suggestion: I think you should make the background change colors slightly(using time). It would give a lot of personality to the world I'd think. Instead of using textures for your water, you should try creating a procedural mesh of sorts to imitate volumetric water.

There is fog in the scenes. It's actually an aesthetic choice - mostly it helps with bringing focus to objects in the foreground, especially since there's a lot of greyscale in the world, it can be hard to get a sense of depth without the fog.

I do have plans for background color changes, it's just tricky because I want the color to not contrast with the color of the floor, which changes all the time. I'd love to have a day/night cycle, but we'll see.

As for water, using a procedural mesh is not a bad idea. I hadn't thought of it before, and will give it a try. I'm in the process of scrapping the old system anyway, so this would be a good time to look into this.