Finish what you start

Finish what you start! And I know what you are thinking: easier said than done. Right?

Let me elaborate.

I don't mean to throw away hours of your life on something you've grown to hate. That's for EA employees. At least they get paid. You, on the other hand, your time is precious, even more so if you have a full-time job, school, a family to support, or any combination of these. You could die tomorrow! So it's in your best interest to put your free time towards something you love.

This is why it's very important to finish what you start. Because, in the end, it matters whether your time went towards a proud achievement or a half-baked idea, a cool game that is enjoyed by millions over the internet or another project put on hold indefinitely.

But is it really that simple, to finish what you start? Is it simply a matter of dedicating more time and willpower to a project? I don't think so. Believe me. I've tried. Simply "trying harder" doesn't work.

So what does?

You need to guarantee that you will finish your project before you start.

Is this possible? Theoretically speaking, no. But it should be a goal, even if it's an impossible one.

You must assess how much time you can dedicate to your project every week. You must have a clear vision of your project, from start to finish, the more detailed the better. And you must estimate how many hours you project will take.

Will it take six months, a year, maybe more? Are you disciplined enough to work on this project consistently for an entire year, or will you lose interest after a couple months? Knowing yourself is essential.

I will lose interest after three months. That's my limit. So if I estimate that my video game will take six months to finish, then I have a problem. But I don't have to drop the project. I just need to alter my plan and re-evaluate my time. And there are some options for this.

If you don't have the time then don't do it.

The simplest is to cut back: drop unessential levels and features, forget multi-player, or reduce the complexity of some game feature like artificial intelligence. These are nice features, but your game can do without them. Simply put: if you don't have the time then don't do it. Stop! I know you may not like that statement, but don't send me hate mail just yet; there is a silver lining to this method which I will explain.

This doesn't mean that your game has to suffer so much that it becomes a minimalist piece of junk. Often you'll be cutting out features that don't affect the core theme or tone of your game. You can still have awesome gameplay, story, or graphics; but decide which is most important, figure out what you can do with the time you have, and then do it.

The good news is that, if on a later date you want to expand upon your game and include that awesome feature, there's nothing stopping you! In fact, you have a complete game to expand upon. So if that feature is too hard or just doesn't work out, then no problem! Your game is still good to go. Not to mention it is also much more fun to tweak a fully functioning game -- an additional motivational factor to help you add that extra zap and polish wherever your game needs it.

The major benefit to planning this way is that it forces you to develop what you need first, then what you want. And what you need first and foremost is a fully-functioning game. No one cares about your award-winning pizza-delivery AI system if they can't play your finished game to see it.

Dream big! But live in reality.

It's all too easy to dream big, way big! This is good. It fuels creativity and gives you tons of ideas to play with. But you need to understand just how many man-hours are required for your "big dream." Usually the games I want to make would, in reality, take a good couple of years with a team of 50. So unless I dedicate the rest of my life to making that one game, it just won't come to fruition. This is why so many newcomers to programming, fuelled by the dream to make the next Quake or Half-Life, never get off the ground. The amount of time and dedication to complete something like that is staggering. It took thousands of man-hours with large teams of very smart people to make those games; so why would you -- one very smart person indeed -- be able to do the same in roughly the same amount of time?

I'm not saying you can't have that "big dream" of that awesome game of yours. Just be realistic about it. Valve, after all, shipped Half-Life within a couple years; but they were smart about it and put together a team of very smart programmers, artists, level-designers, you-name-it! It wasn't a one-person job.

So I guess what I am saying is don't plan a project that'll take a large group of people working full-time to accomplish. You are, after all, only one person. Unless you plan to take a path similar to Valve, keep it simple.

The most bang for your buck.

Starting a project without a plan is tempting, but in the end, even if you do finish it, many hours are lost from feature creep, changes in design, changes in code, and who knows what else. Time is too precious. Each of the above points are tools to help you make a plan to guarantee that you'll finish your project with what little time you have. They're designed to give you the most out of your hours -- the most bang for you buck.

Be realistic and honest with yourself, your time, and your expectations. This is one reason why designing and planning your game beforehand, in as much detail as possible, allows for a smoother development process: you better understand what to expect, how much time it'll take, and which features to prioritize.

Likewise, when you make a plan for your game, you may find that you're just not interested enough to spend three or more months on it. That's ok! Better to find out then rather than three months later. Keep working on other ideas until you find something your happy with that you know will be worth you time.

Again, there are no guarantees. It's difficult to accurately estimate how much time a project like a video game will take. And unexpected issues are always a possibility. Many people underestimate simply because there are so many details to account for, and accounting for all of them can be challenging. It's a skill that takes practice. And it is much, much better to have a plan than to shoot from the hip. Trust me. You'll find out sooner or later.

So plan accordingly, and spend the time saved on other wholesome activities like spending time with friends and family, going to the movies, or even exercise (you know that thing where you move parts of your body and it supposedly makes you look and feel better).