作者：Arian Allenson M.Valdez

做完游戏设计文档后，你要继续制作美术可能还有原型内容。你甚至可能已经会使用gimp程序，或者开始使用新的“多平台”库。

随着项目不断推进，你也开始遇到麻烦。这可能是第二个关卡中烦人的漏洞，也可能是你的计划并不完善，或者太多工作要做。

你开始为自己找理由。游戏理念并没有那么出色，它也许根本就很无聊，美术设计也很蹩脚。

你抛弃了项目，自认为还有更好的游戏理念。

如果这就是你的态度，那么你接下来的项目也不会有更多进展，你可能根本就不会发布任何游戏，只是将这些理念封存在自己的脑海中。

所幸你并非有此表现的唯一开发者。几乎每位游戏开发者都会在开发过程中对项目丧失兴趣。

根据我个人经验，以及其他成功游戏开发者的采访情况，我总结了关于如何避免开发新手枪毙自己游戏的一些建议：

game programmer(from whatireallydo.net)

1.不要编辑（反复删改）

在写作过程中，作家在撰写初稿时通常都会有一个原则，那就是比毙掉“可憎的内部编辑器”，“不要编辑，只管写就是了！”

这一点实际上也适用于包括游戏开发在内的其他创意行业。在开发一款游戏时，要一直保持继续开发下去的状态。你完成越多项目环节，就会越有动力。不要试图一开始就完善整款游戏，记住，你可以在之后再删改。

2.限定完成期限

这要同第1点相结合。要给自己一个时间限制，尽最大努力坚持下去，例如要求自己一个月内完成一款游戏。

3.先从小型游戏入手

如果你还只是刚入门的新手，那就先从小项目做起。对于游戏开发者来说，制作一款游戏而靠谱的游戏/小游戏是一个巨大的飞跃，而至少发布了一款游戏也已经足以令你超越许多同行。

你可能会说“但拥有独特机制的超级MMORPG会很庞大”，但要知道如果你甚至还不能制作一款小游戏，你还有可能完成如此庞大的一个项目吗？

如果你急于让自己的游戏理念见光，那就试着创造所谓的“垂直切片”（Vertical Slice）吧。这不需要你创造整款游戏，为何不先创造一个场景，一场战役呢？然后再把所有部分组合起来，这样你就可以立即：

*测试游戏理念

*验证游戏的趣味性

*为自己的付出留下一些见证成果

4.养成习惯

无论你是将游戏视为业余爱好，还是真想借此进入游戏行业，都要将制作游戏成为自己的习惯。每天都要在自己的游戏上花些时间，关键并不在于你每天完成的任务量，而是你确实在其中投入了时间。

你可以为自己准备一个任务列表。完成一项就勾选一项，这可以让你获得良好的成就感。

5.不要纠结技术问题

你可能早就对能够向任何平台编译的libgdx库垂涎不已，你想使用Haxe，因为它速度快，适用于多个平台。微软已经灭了XNA，所以你对其避而远之。

但实际上，你开发游戏的时候，重要的并不是使用哪种语言。

如果你的游戏很无趣，就没人会玩，即便你采用了最新最酷的开发语言。

下一点也是游戏程序员需要注意的情况，它也适用于整体游戏开发过程。

PROGRAMMER(from interestellarmarines.com)

6.保持简化原则

如果你是程序员，那就只管编码，不要反复删改（参照第1点）。

设计模版？不要理会。基于系统的组件？先放到一边。事件侦听器无效？顺其自然。

保持简化原则是一个实用的编程方法。俗话说，保持代码简洁性。不要纠结于设计模版、基于系统的组件，或者让你的循环以最有效方式运行等问题。时机未成熟的优化操作才是万恶之源。

要以自己完成的工作为荣，即使它是糟糕的代码。也许你会因此制作出一款含糟糕代码的游戏，但至少你没有沦为只有优秀代码而没有一款游戏的开发者。

7.公开Beta测试

在丧失动力的时候，可以试着公开项目！与他人分享自己的项目进度，你分享的可以是一个涂鸦，屏幕截图，甚至是样片。找位好友来试玩游戏，或者上网找其他人来试玩。

游戏所收到的反馈将让你受益，让你明白游戏的趣味所在，甚至会推动你取得更大的进步。

8.心流状态

如果你在做某事时会进入没有察觉到时间流逝的状态，那就说明你经历了心流状态。此时你专心于自己所做的事情，甚至不会注意到外界的动静。

也就是说，你完全沉浸在一项活动中，这正是开发游戏时所需要的状态。所以请关闭浏览器，心无旁骛地制作游戏。不要理会编码实践，优化，不要完善代码。只管编码。

9.学会放手

也许游戏最终并没有呈现你希望的结果。它的玩法可能真的很有问题，也并不好玩。

有时候我们应该在不可行的时候退出。

记住，制作游戏本身并没有错，顺其自然就好。随着经验的积累，你的水平自然会上升。但就是不要让游戏一直躺在硬盘中，这里要参照第7点，要公开！在论坛上分享游戏，告诉大家这是你在闲暇时间制作而未完成的游戏。

也许有人会给予一些有价值的建议，帮助你实现原来的目标。（本文为游戏邦/gamerboom.com编译，拒绝任何不保留版权的转载，如需转载请联系：游戏邦）

Why your Games are Unfinished, and What To Do About It

By Arian Allenson

This post originally available on my dev blog.

So, you’ve got a new game idea, and it’s going to change what everyone knows about the genre! Great!

After making a Game Design Document, you proceed to make some art, or maybe a prototype. You even got that fancy gimp program, or started using a new ‘multi-platform’ library.

Time went on and you hit a wall. Maybe it’s that annoying bug in the second level. Your plans aren’t panning out that well. It’s just too much work.

You start making excuses. The game idea wasn’t that great. It might actually be a bit boring. The art looks crappy.

You abandon the project. There are better ideas you say.

If the above sounds like you, then the bad news is with the way things are going, you might not release any games at all and just lock them inside your head!

The good news is, you’re not alone. Almost every game developer loses interest in projects they are working on.

Coming from my personal experience, and interviewing a few other successful game developers, I’ve compiled a list of things to do when you find yourself killing off your own games.

1. Stop Editing

When writing, authors typically have one rule when making their first draft, and that is to kill the ‘infernal internal editor’. “Don’t edit, just write!”

This actually carries over to a lot of other creative industries, including game development. When developing a game, always make it so it just barely passes, and move on. The more you work on other parts of the project, the more motivated you will be. Don’t try to perfect your game on the first run, remember, you can always edit it later on.

2. Make A Deadline

This goes hand in hand with Number One. Enforce a time constraint, do your best to stick to it, and you’ll find yourself working on the essential game aspects.

i-download+

There are lots of events with this in mind, such as OGAM (One Game A Month), and Ludum Dare.

3. Go For Small Games – if you’re just starting

When you’re just starting, start small. Making a fun solid game/minigame is a huge leap for a game developer, and having at least one released game already puts you ahead of many of your contemporaries.

“But that super awesome MMORPG with that unique mechanic is going to be huge” you say. That sort of enthusiasm will go a long way, but if you haven’t even been able to create one small game, do you really have what it takes to commit yourself to such a big project?

If your game idea simply and absolutely cannot wait, then try creating what’s called a ‘Vertical Slice’. Instead of creating your entire game, why not try creating one scene, one battle, or one encounter? This nets a plus on all components, because you can instantly:

Test out your idea

See if it’s actually fun

And actually have something to show for your effort

4. Make it a Habit

Whether you’re someone who makes games as a hobby, or someone who really wants to get into the industry, then make it a habit. Do one part of your game, everyday. It doesn’t matter how much you can do in a day, the important part is that you work on the game.

You can even get yourself a to do list. Ticking something as done gets a nice feeling to your stomach!

5. Don’t worry about the technology

i-download+

You’re salivating over that new libgdx library that can compile to every platform known to mankind. You want to use Haxe because it’s fast, multiplatform, and l33t. Microsoft killed XNA, and you avoid it like a plague.

The thing is, Don’t Care! Remember, you’re making a game, and it doesn’t matter what language you use.

If your game is boring, no one will play it, even if you used the newest, shiniest language to have ever existed.

The next tip is also an inherent flaw of game programmers, but can be applied to game developing in general.

6. Keep It Simple Stupid!

If you’re a programmer, just code, don’t edit (slightly bringing us back to tip #1).

Design Patterns? Throw ‘em away. Component Based Systems? So last year. Event Listener’s inefficient? Leave them be.

Keep it Simple Stupid (KiSS) is an actual programming methodology. It’s what it says on the tin, just keep your code simple. Don’t get fancy with design patterns, component based systems, or making your loop run in the most efficient way possible. Pre-Optimization is the root of all evil.

Take pride in doing what you did, even if it was bad code. You might have a game with bad code, but at least you’re not the other guy who has no game but good code.

7. Public Beta Tests

When losing motivation, try being public! Share what you have so far, be it a doodle, a screenshot, or maybe even a demo. Get a friend to play your game, and with the internet, you can’t have excuses for not finding anyone.

The feedback you’ll get for your game is priceless, outlining what’s fun and what’s not, and it may even be the push you need to make it big.

8. Flow

If there was ever a point in your life where you’ve done something that you didn’t even realize time passing, then you’ve undergone flow (which is what hypnosis puts you in). When you’re in this state, you’re so focused on what you’re doing that you won’t even notice a plane crashing next door (okay, maybe that was an over statement).

The point is, we can be totally immersed in one activity, and this is what you want to happen when developing your game. Close out your browser and focus, have fun, and don’t think of anything else. Throw out coding practices, optimizations, and don’t perfect stuff. Just do it.

9. It’s Dead Jim

Maybe the game really didn’t pan out as you’ve hoped to be. The gameplay was really flawed and it’s not fun.

Sometimes, we need to quit when it’s simply not working. (Seth Godin tackles it in his book, The Dip: A Little Book That Teaches You When to Quit (and When to Stick))

Remember, there is nothing wrong with making a game and just leaving it at that. You’ve gained experience, and that’s always a plus. But don’t just leave your game in the back of your hard drive, going back to tip #7, be Public! Share it on forums, saying it was a game you did in your free time that was left unfinished.（source：gamedev）