Status: lack of motivation or lack of time? I dunno...

DJ_O · Post by **DJ_O** » Tue 22 Mar, 2005 8:26 pm

Ok, older members of this forum might know I have always been a big poster here and I am still one. also I am usually making games very fast, so far I released 23 RPGs in a period of 3 and half a year. However you have probably noticed that the Diortem project has slowed down very much recently. I don't know if it's because of lack of time or motivation but this really annoy me because I used to be able to program non stop and now I cant seem to be able to do it anymore. For my first two years of basic programming I used to program like 8 hours a day, then when I started working on RL2 it dramatically dropped to 5, when I started diortem it dropped to 1 hr/day and now I am programming like 15 minutes per week!!!! As an example, I used to change my calc batteries 2 or 3 times per months but now I still have the same batteries I used to program Reuben Quest II!!! See the difference. I never kept the same batteries in my calc for more than 2 or 3 months before. I dunno if it's just because of that period of the year, I hope so, because I want to finish my game (at least a fully playable, enjoyable and long enough demo) but something is always helding me back from coding. Everytime I start coding I open the code, look, then leave my calc alone doing something else. When I have the motivation something happens: I have to go or my mom disturb me and ask me to do something or go to bed or I have to go to work. As some of you know I have been programming for calcs for almost 4 years now and projects from me being canceled (like RL4ever) might happen more and more over the next years.

So there is some chance this might be lack of time, lack of interest or just that period of the year.

What I was wondering is if this ever happened to people here, to have a period of year where they totally lose motivation or if this is something bad. I hope this isnt something bad

Jim e · Post by **Jim e** » Tue 22 Mar, 2005 8:41 pm

Okay, thats my story except change Kevin to James.
I had a bad case earlier, I dropped out of z80 programming for more than a year

, probably why i seem to come from nowhere.
Right now I'm struggling to finish RGP, every time I sit to code I think I need to do something else. Yesterday I had everthing set for the optimal coding, music up, annoyances down, PC ready. I then suddenly decided to clean my room. CLEAN MY ROOM!!!!

What is wrong with me, it must be in the water.

Any way when i was still learning how to code I could go hours non stop, typing away like a furious storm. Now, for some reason, I just can't find the motivation, like I have ADHD or somethin

the_unknown_one · Post by **the_unknown_one** » Tue 22 Mar, 2005 8:49 pm

I have that lots too... I hate it, i want to code but i just cant.

coelurus · Post by **coelurus** » Tue 22 Mar, 2005 9:10 pm

Welcome, you've just proven you're mature coders

I started feeling that about PC programming when I was about to start with Z80, I needed a change so I used my knowledge from the DOS-times on the calc. Got "bored" of Z80 after Gemini though (I still can't let go, I got some new, barely started on projects for the calc lying around, started a week ago

). Happens that I get bursts of motivation to code when I look at screenies of new graphics engines or read some advanced thread on GDnet, I've probably written a few hundreds rows of code today, but nothing for a week or so.
The major reason that it's hard for me right now might be that my current project weighs in on 30.000 rows of rather trickish semiautomagical plugin C-code that emulates a lot of useful C++-features, and it's hard determining what to do everytime I want to code :p Plus I study applied physics, that ain't the simplest

Post by **kv83** » Tue 22 Mar, 2005 9:11 pm

I also left the whole community for more than a year. After that I rejoined, but I still don't program as I did when creating Minesweeper... anyway... don't focus to much on programming... getting a life is good

Post by **tr1p1ea** » Tue 22 Mar, 2005 10:47 pm

Yeah i am the same ... i used to code flat out when i wa learning, but now that i am a much better coder than i use to be ... i rarely code at all.

I sometimes get bursts of motivation, and i plan to program for a few hours before i go to sleep, but i dont.

Ive been here for like 2 years! And ive only released one game .......

.

This is a common problem imo, i wish i had the motivation ... i still need to finish (well start) my competition entry!

.

Spengo · Post by **Spengo** » Tue 22 Mar, 2005 11:25 pm

I think you need to learn a new programming language. Maybe you're all basiced out.

DJ_O · Post by **DJ_O** » Tue 22 Mar, 2005 11:39 pm

It might sound weird but this is when I started to read the asm in 28 days a few days ago that I started losing motyivation.

As I read other forums another cause of my lack of motivation to program would be the fact that people keep on flaming Omnicalc, which I use in the games I'm working on so I say to myself: "if people hat eomnicalc, so why am I making a game that uses it?"

Post by **tr1p1ea** » Tue 22 Mar, 2005 11:43 pm

I dont think there is anything wrong with Omnicalc ... i think its more a cose of people jumping on the bandwagon.

Spengo · Post by **Spengo** » Tue 22 Mar, 2005 11:45 pm

Well, if you get bored, you could always try to 'convert' an already made very simple asm game into your own. I started GTA with source from 'Asteroid Belt'. I changed the sprites and added a couple of things, but eventually I decided that it was too messy so I started over, however, it taught me a bunch about z80 that I didn't know before.

Post by **tr1p1ea** » Tue 22 Mar, 2005 11:58 pm

I learnt from just reading lots and lots of docs. I dont really learn well from other peoples source code.

Once i knew a little i used to read the help sections Here and at UTI and people would ask "how do you do *this*?". And i thought, "I wonder how you would do that?". So i would figure it out and show them my results. It was nice that i as learning and helping people at the same time.

Jim e · Post by **Jim e** » Wed 23 Mar, 2005 12:07 am

James Mathews was all I had. I didn't even have good internet back then so I was forced to learn from source code, galaxian was my favorite.

Post by **tr1p1ea** » Wed 23 Mar, 2005 12:08 am

But you are teh genius!

Us mortals need lots of resources

.

merthsoft · Post by **merthsoft** » Wed 23 Mar, 2005 12:18 am

I have the same problem Kevin, and it seems everyone does, and for me it's not even that I'm at the max of my BASIC skills... Maybe you should take a small hiatus, even if it's as long as a month, to just not code, it might help...

Jim e · Post by **Jim e** » Wed 23 Mar, 2005 12:30 am

That's actually good idea, during my break I returned to my old hobby of drawing. Every time I switch between my hobbies I seem to still improve some how.

What's wierd was that even after a year of not touching z80, I still remebered everything, the opcodes, timings, flags, everything.

Like riding a bicycle.

MaxCoderz

Status: lack of motivation or lack of time? I dunno...

Status: lack of motivation or lack of time? I dunno...

yeah