Losing motivation.

[Mr_Starfire]

Hi guys i have been building a game called the last zombie for what seems a very long time in reality its been maybe 3-4 months ..And i am feeling very overwhelmed it is not a huge project
but it is my first game which is also my learning project i basically know very very little about the engine. Every time i learn something its because i needed to implement it in my game ..
I Have tried to keep the premise of my game very simple . and my project too a manageable size But i still find myself feeling like i want to start another game ... I do not want to do that as this is what i always do and this is the reason i never complete a game .. I would like to build a small team but i do not feel like i can personally contribute much to said team ..

i have no idea what im asking for here guys i have a few options i guess i could start a absolute beginner project and keep the last zombie on the backburner or go all in on my original project ..

[BrUnO XaVIeR]

There's only so much a single person can do.
Making a game 'alone' is not a fun thing to do at all; I'd say it's even dangerous for your health and sanity.

[ZacD]

Try doing an indie game jam and finish a project. Even if your own personal game jam. Figure out what you know how to do and how you could make a game out of it within 40 hours of work and do it.

[Errvald]

Try making a smaller game, maybe a stylised side-scroller.

[CodyKnight]

Im 15 and i´m doing my own game and i have been doing that game for about 1 - 1,5 years now. I keep on going cause in reality i want to be able to make my own game solo.
Then i loose my motivation too so i stop coding for a while and then when i have my motivation there again i start making my game :P and while i dont code i learn, watch youtube videos about Unreal engine and so on.

[Nico de Poel]

Every project, no matter how big or how small, has one or more moments where you lose motivation. Some stuff just isn't any fun to do and will become a roadblock. Collect a big enough backlog of un-fun stuff that needs to be done, and those roadblocks become a mountain. The key is to chop up the work into small enough parts that it seems manageable, and to keep chipping away at those parts, without losing sight of the bigger picture. Set short-term milestones for yourself, focus on hitting those, and make sure you finish the work. Getting something done, no matter how small, gives immense satisfaction and renewed energy for the next couple of milestones. Sooner or later you'll look back and wonder how on earth you managed to do all the things you did.

Of course, having other people around helps a lot in keeping up motivation, even through the boring and depressing moments. Even a single sparring partner is already a big help, preferably someone with a similar knowledge level as you, together with whom you can build up your experience. Try finding people in your area who are also starting out with Unreal Engine, for example by going to meetups. There are more of us out there than you might realize.

[UnrealEnterprise]

But i still find myself feeling like i want to start another game ... I do not want to do that as this is what i always do and this is the reason i never complete a game .. - i have a few options i guess i could start a absolute beginner project and keep the last zombie on the backburner or go all in on my original project ..

Game dev is a roller-coaster of hellish times vs. rare sweet moments, but don't panic!
KISS rule: Try and do one thing every day or a couple of significant things every week.
Do this for a year or two and try not to obsess about if the project is going anywhere.
Just be clear about why you are doing this and remind yourself to try to just have fun.

There's only so much a single person can do. Making a game 'alone' is not a fun thing to do at all; I'd say it's even dangerous for your health and sanity.

But on the flip side it can also be extremely rewarding, because its your sole vision.
There's no compromise, and so you can be more impulsive about what you work on.
Plus on a team, things can feel like a car crash if the project is on the wrong track...
So working on a team can be just as frustrating and like Bands, teams do break up!

But when its time to sell the game, its more enjoyable to be on a team than solo.
And teams almost always achieve more, its rare that solo devs can even compete.

[Mr_Starfire]

thanks guys after thinking about it and not doing anything for 2 days i am now looking forward to continuing with my game . and have figured out a game mechanic i want to add that will be used quite a lot . it should be fun and keep me occupied for a while ...On a side note if i where to create a sidescrolling platformer would it be as simple as locking the correct axis and moving the camera to the side?? as my game is currently a third person platformer

[Erasio]

As a personal sidenote.

I like to create small lists of todos (on paper, on trello... doesn't really matter where).
So every few days when I feel like I'm getting nowhere. I have "patchnotes" so to speak and can see just how much actually got done. Even though it's not all that much closer to completion.

Helped me a great deal against the "I'm not getting anything done" mindset that dragged me down a lot.