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[Eeronaut]

Title says it all. I'm working on a bit of a large project with my team right now, and can feel fatigue rearing its ugly head.

Is it a bad idea to work on random little prototypes on my downtime to stave off the pesky feeling of stagnation?

How do you deal with project fatigue?

[Oddball]

Depends on the kind of person you are really. I love doing game jams, like Ludlum Dare, to take a break from big projects, but it's easy to get distracted by these side projects. You need to have the discipline to leave them alone once the jam is over. Some people struggle with that, and even I have recently.

[ironbelly]

I've known plenty of people who abandon their primary product for a gamejam product. It has, as you imagine, mixed results. Sometimes what you need is a mental break. Sometimes what you need is a kick in the teeth that tells you that just because you spent a lot of time on something doesn't make it good... a gamejam like product can do that. Then again, some people shift gears and then by the time they come back to the original product its time has already passed.

So... sounds like you need a break one way or another though.

[Eeronaut]

Thanks guys. Got that nice shot of solidarity.

Gonna have to figure something out to air out my brain though.

[Joh]

I participate to as many jams as possible, and became pretty good at "leaving it at that" the Jam nature really helps with that: Short time limit prevents making to big a prototype/project.
Jam having results, will mostly always remind you that the idea wasn't "all that". making it easier to drop it.

In the event that the game does Really well in whatever Jam, at least you'd start with the feedback that it is perhaps worth continuing, but thats a big IF. (and not just a couple positive comments, like a genuine great reception).

Like it was said above, Discipline is very important, I feel jams really help it. Starting a prototype out of jam circumstances sounds like suicide to me. You will (probably) finish neither. New prototypes are always fun to make and stuff goes smoothly (for the most part) until they become a "large project". then fatigue comes in and you are right back to the start. Return to you first project (do you even remember it?), Continue the current one (but Fatigue!!!) or that awesome new prototype you just thought of?

Like everything, it depends on the person, but If I ever thought I was weak, this forum more than anything shows that this is probably the norm.