It has been almost a three years ago that I made a commitment to spent time developing coding skills and Iām providing an update about my efforts.
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Thanks to Procrastitracker I am able to share these images of my progress when I started October 1, 2023 up to September 30, 2024:
This past year of work on Heropath was limited to design and story research. In addition, some Procrastitracker data is missing and Heropath development was restricted due to:
- My ideas for Heropath being too ambitious and so I need to scale back my plan. I need Heropath to be something that is doable and within my coding skills. The concept that I have for Heropath requires a software architecture that is beyond my skill level.
- We purchased a vacation cottage in June that has soaked up some of my free time. I was able to do some story development but no coding during this time.
- I battled a persistent health challenge that affected my sleep and concentration. This has slowly gotten better but has affected me since January.
- I have found my other projects having greater momentum has detracted from Heropath. But this is teaching me that I need to have a solid design idea in order to re-write the game.
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Chris Zuchowski gave a YouTube talk about being careful about the genre of game you create for and that you should not try to make your first game your masterpiece. I am going to follow his advice by switching to a ‘prequel’ that is placed in the Heropath setting but will be much simpler, allowing me some momentum and easier skill development. This new Heropath-related game will be known as Mythway.
In summary, Iāve spent about 41 hours working on the game including research, writing, and design. Iāve done no actual coding so at this rate it will take me years to get to 1,000 or 10,000 hours. This past year has not had the direct progress that I had planned for, but I accept that this is what happens when it comes to creative projects and having other obligations like a full time job and family. It is a real lesson in humility and patience with the unexpected coming up. The younger, impatient me would have become frustrated, discouraged, and filled with self-criticism. I have become wiser to my mind patterns and have learned not to worry about those things. Heropath remains a concept that has captured my passion and I intend to continue working on it, even if that means switching to a related, but less ambitious project.
Happy Canadian Thanksgiving! Iām thankful for my family, friends, and the amazing software and tutorials that has allowed me to get to this point.
āAttention is the rarest and purest form of generosity.ā ~ Simone Weil
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