Where do I begin? Today has seen my complete and utter failure as a supposed games designer. Today was deadline day for the 2D game we were tasked to create. I missed the deadline.
I started so well all those weeks/months ago, slowly accumulating knowledge of Director MX 2004 piece by piece. I was working on a tile based strategy game (which later morphed into more of an arcade game). After long hours of study I got a map to tile based on the data in a text member. I got collision working and, my greatest challenge, mouse click movement. It wasn’t perfect but damn I put a lot of hours in.
I implemented a squad selection system via the tab and number keys. I added enemy patrols and aggression towards the player (again, the result of many all-nighters). I got the character sprites to cycle through cast members when moving to give the illusion of life. I made my characters using Poser for a a semi-realistic look. I got the player to start shooting bullets at a predetermined range. I made weapon pickups and I implemented a nice inventory system that let you cycle through items (again, only after some very frustrating experiments!).
That was as far as I got..I simply ran out of time. I managed to add start, briefing and game over screens but I didn’t get a chance to include any sound. It was all for nothing anyway, I scribbled together the report and even then still missed the deadline. In the end I overcomplicated things and overestimated far too much what I could realistically achieve in the time frame. I also had CD problems, printing problems, you name it, but in the end it all came down to one thing: bad time management on my part.
Needless to say I’m feeling quite low today. I get to resit the coursework over the summer but my mark will be capped at 40% and I’m really just frustrated with myself for missing the deadline after so much work. Last night I was at the stage where my hands were shaking from sleep deprivation and I found myself blacking out every so often, only to jerk suddenly awake again and fix whatever garbage I had typed.
It’s not the end of the world but it feels like it.
May 15th, 2008 at 11:14 pm
Oh dear.
That’s such a shame, you worked so hard on it! All those files on your desktop…at least year 1 isn’t worth much. I know that’s not much of a comfort, but better for it to be now than in years 2 or 3.
And your sonnet is amazing, btw.
May 21st, 2008 at 12:31 am
Oh dear indeed. I know you’re glad this year is over! Look after yourself better, especially when it comes to work, that way you work at your best. I’m sure next time will be better, don’t worry. It’s all a learning curve