Game Update
This week we did some more interface polishing and we fixed the positioning of the text on all the characters in the game. The text was left justified and we needed it to be centered. Little pieces of polish like this go on in all games and it’s crazy to think how much of it the player would never even realize happened.
I think that I need to put together a schedule to push myself to get more work done during the week. A lot of my time is going to everything but game development and I have a lot less excuses than I used to have. I just need to set aside time so that things can start progressing. I’m tired of saying the same things need to get done every week. I need to focus a little better.
I got some feedback on the game today from one of my beta testers. He said that he had a lot of issues assigning leaders in the Force Organization screen. I think that I may still want to put together some sort of tutorial video to bundle in and run once. Some simple things like this that should be part of affordance are falling by the wayside.
Personal Update
As stated above I need to make a schedule so that I have times where I allow myself personal time to be social, play games, etc… and other time devoted to game development, and getting household tasks done. I’m not managing my time as closely or wisely as I could be. This week I transition to night shift and I hope that will go well for my family dynamic as well.
I dove back into the dating pool again, and went out this past weekend. I didn’t do the things to make my energy more expansive and abundant. I was inside my head to much. It made me less approachable and I kind of knew it was happening. Maybe I just didn’t want to be social, or maybe I wanted to have a pity party for myself. I had some good friends and family support me after that happened and luckily I didn’t do anything that could have opened up old wounds.
Meeting people again this week over apps has been mostly good. There are some one off poor interactions but overall I’m enjoying the opportunity to get back out and give value again. Having an abundant mindset here is so key. With that mindset it makes it easier to give and not worry about getting back. Of course I can give you value, I’m overflowing with it. Giving value for me doesn’t typically mean something monetary. It’s usually related to sharing emotions, listening, a positive word, or sharing knowledge.
Often in our society we get into a taking scarcity mindset. The type of mindset that says, “don’t allow people in they’ll just hurt you.” “Don’t share with others because then you will have nothing” is another popular trick our mind plays on us. It’s a narrative of fear. 2020 has shown me how divisiveness and fear can take root in our minds and create all sorts of problems.
Eckart Tolle talks about this in “A New Earth.” He talks about how children see their toys not as objects but extensions of their very being. In this way we can become offended when others disagree with us or take our toys. Our very being is being attacked and that means reprisal is in order. He further goes on to talk about how we are not the things we own, our jobs, accomplishments, or so many other things we associate with ourselves. We are a consciousness that is something amazing.
It’s not as though I’m not caught up in the things of this world, but I do think there’s more to it than that. When I do release the game I expect that there will be plenty of people that will have not so nice things to say. When that happens even though I’ve spent so much of my life on this project, it will be important to make sure that I understand that the game I made is not me.
Answered Questions for an Aspiring Game Developer
4. Do you have any advise for a beginning designer?
Absolutely! It's the same advice I would have for anyone that's getting into a new skill.
1. find a mentor and don't be afraid to pay for it. This will give you leverage over yourself to motivate you to work.
2. Think about how much effort you want to put in and what you're willing to give up. I've had to spend a lot of time putting in hours to get where I am now. I may not know what's going on in the latest episode of a TV show but I chose to do this.
3. Find like minded people to connect with that will encourage you to work. You are the average of the 5 people you spend your time with. I'm not saying walk away from all your friends but think about how much time you spend with them.
4. Finally, I touched in this earlier but START MAKING GAMES NOW. No one is stopping you from making something simple and don't let anyone downplay your accomplishments.