Time to say "I told you so"...

Well a while ago I posted a thread saying I'd planned my next game and it was going to take 200ish hours or something and be ready by, uh, last week.

Well, this would have been true if I'd used BlitzPlus, but because I used BlitzMax there was a whole host of technical problems to solve. Then I released all my collated code as the Grey Alien BlitzMax Game Framework and this alone took more than 200 hours and I haven't even started my next game yet!

However, I've done a *new* plan today for the new game and luckily there aren't any unknowns so it's a lot easier to estimate. It looks like around 120 hours are required to get to a 10 level beta and then another good 40 hours are required to make another 90 levels and perform post-beta tweaks/fixes/polishing etc.

The actual marketing and selling bit is thankfully handled by my producer so I can just heave a sigh or relief when the game is done and sit back with butterflies in my tummy watching is sell. That bit sure gives you a rollercoaster ride feeling - some of you will know what I mean :-D

So *maybe* there'll be a beta in 3-4 weeks on this forum. However, a lot depends on if the producer can actually get the graphics and music to me on time, otherwise the schedule goes out the window. But at least I can work on other things meanwhile like a platformer and shoot'em up (eh guys ;-))

Anyway, when this one takes >160 hours, you can say "I told you so already and now I'm telling you again, doh!" ;-)

Looking forward to playing your next game, hope it all goes smoothly.

Jason.

I'd advise you stop setting silly deadlines for yourself and either come up with a realistic one, or don't do it all. Repeatedly missing deadlines is going to completely kill your enthusiasm.

And I'm not being funny, but how much code could you have written in the time its taken you to notch up nearly 8,000 posts on here?

lol. When you get to know a language well you can set pretty damn good deadlines for yourself. I've been planning and setting myself targets in Delphi for 10 years now and I'm pretty much always spot on. Also I got to the point in BPlus where it was accurate. It just wasn't accurate for this game as I had to learn BMax and get to grips with various issues. Now all that's behind me I feel I can make a good estimate of the time it will take to finish the game. This estimate, btw, is made from a plan in a spreadsheet fully broken down with times allocated to each part, it's not "pie in the sky".

As for the posts, yeah I fully accept that. I'm not as bad now as I was in the past and when I have a lot on, I don't go on the fourms much. But it's good for little breaks, like now...

I just did a quick check. Did you realise you've made over 570 posts in the last three weeks alone??

That's pretty bad. Its almost Forum Tourettes.

570!!! That's pretty impressive!

I told ya! ;)

must ... not ... reply ........ DAMN!

I didn't tell you, but it feels good I'm not the only one having problems with release dates... ;)

be careful GA... next you'll be accused of 'finding someone to blame' for not making your deadlines...

:)

--Mike

Well I'll blame the producer if he doesn't deliver the media. Anyway Red, that's quite a funny sig pic you've got there. Is it you?

hahahaha... i ripped it from Batman Begins... the scene when he's running thru the nut house... right before he blasts into the room with the two guys who just sit there as the Bat passes em by... as if they saw Batmen passing through there every day... funny stuff...

for some reason i felt a lil empathy with this guy... the other guy in the other cell looked really nuts... he belonged there... but this guy... something about him :)

they did a good job with that sequence... funny as hell...

--Mike

great film btw wasn't it? So it is you, at least part of you :-)

Grey Alien I have to make an observation here. You're obviously looking to blame someone for something...just blame Red! I do. haha!

hehehehehehee... good one C... touche...

yeah GA... the best Bat so far... can't wait to see how it develops... the Joker is supposed to be the next bad guy...

--Mike

579 posts in 3 weeks !! GA - you really have to start a worklog !

well to be fair, lots are me asking for programming help in Max, some are me helping in Max and Plus, some are posts in other people's showcases, some are replies to my framework threads, some are genuine general discussion posts, and plenty are just dumb fluff.

Well I did tell you so, and I agree that you should stop setting deadlines.

for me, deadlines are motivational. I have a realistic aim today and I aim to meet it.

I think people are a bit too fond of telling others how they should work. I've spent my entire career railing against this - I don't use design docs and I probably manage 2-3 hours actual coding per day. Yet I'm productive and produce some original work. Not everyone fits into the same mold.

Some find deadlines and todo lists really helpful. I tend to use the latter to focus my thoughts then pretty much discard the list after writing it.

Some find deadlines and lists oppressive things which take the fun out of coding.

We're all different. If someone is actually finishing projects (very rare on here I think) then their methods are working.

yeah I echo that. Basically I'm not saying my way is right for everyone but it's evolved for me over years and it's the best method I've had yet. A nice to do list with the parts broken down means I can relax knowing there are no unknowns (I hope) and I can just get on with it. Also knowing roughly how long each bit takes I can try to set myself a target as a motivational aid. But if it's sunny outside and I feel like relaxing, I'll do that instead, and perhaps try to catch up in the evening, but it's not essential as I'm my own boss :-) *that's* the best way ;-)

Oh yeah, also I like to listen to what my brain/creativity wants to do. If I have a tricky problem looming it, I don't necessarily tackle it. If I don't feel like it, I'll leave it an do something else until I get a flash of inspiration/motivation to solve the tricky problem. I don't like forcing myself to do things, I prefer to do them when I want. It's a bit like if my partner asks me to wash up and I say I'll do it later. She get's cross cos I'm not doing it now because maybe I'm into something else. but later when I need a break or feel like it, I'll do the washing up. She just doesn't get this as she forces herself to do stuff and get's fed up.

I think setting deadlines is a bad idea - especially if you keep missing them as Gfk said. It can take all the fun out of programming.

Having said that, I think writing a list of what routines need to be completed IS a good idea. You then have a list of things to complete and take satisfaction in ticking them off - when the list is complete start a new list. You seem to saying you produce a huge list in one go and put a time next to each feature. That would de-motivate me totally and doesn't seem practical - you miss one time slot and you're always trying to catch-up.

Well I only missed the deadline for my current game. For Easter Bonus and Xmas Bonus I had deadlines that couldn't be moved i.e. the actual Easter/Xmas days themselves! And I didn't miss those :-)

Also with a big list, sometimes you miss time slots, but other things take less time than you estimated so you catch up so it all balances out in the end - *if* you get good at making lists that is.

Also I quote for and do lots of Delphi contract work so you have to plan the whole thing, put times on it and give them a realistic figure. Image I pulled a figure out the air and after I started realised it would take a week or two longer than I'd "guessed", that would be pretty dumb...

yes... i agree with this as well...

--Mike

Well today is going well, not met target yet, but I've made loads of cool Types in an OOP frenzy. I've practically made a basic Graphical GUI for use with games!

Red: I still laugh every time I see that picture of "you" :-)

:) me too...

it's hilarious... isn't it...

hey, new Priates of The Carribean movie set to come out in July... should be as big fun as the first....

i've also been tieing things up myself... on the B3D OOP end, that is... globalizing lighting and fog, so that all objects added to the game can be affected with lil or no coding... globalizing the ocean as well, so that all ships, sub objects can be aware of the ocean state with lil or no additional coding...

what a pain hacking this OOP stuff is in B3D... but what a joy it is to use once the basic underpinnings are in place... (well, a joy for me anyway)


--Mike

I love making it oop, but found the "hack" OOP in BPlus a real pain. It's so nice to have it all in a single object instead of tons of specially name functions.

Hey I thought the second movie was already out on DVD...Is that a 3rd one!

My deadlines consist of overcoming the next minor hurdle in BMax... the hurdles seem to be getting that little bit bigger with each one I solve(maybe it's coz I'd cleared them previously in a mongrel of a project involving B3D & VB6)....

As someone else says..... your biggest obstacles are potentially your biggest chances to excell....