Laser Beast is currently about a month behind the schedule I set for it. I’ve been kicking myself and questioned even writing this article. But I want to be transparent about myself as a developer. So here is what actually got done, why the schedule wasn’t met, and what I’m adjusting moving forward.
Laser Beast Progress
Some work did move forward.
- Converted the old level template to the new system. This had to happen before any level design could start.
- Designed a handful of levels on paper and converted about a dozen into playable levels.
- Updated the artwork on the menu 9-slice and the checkpoint sprite.
The level template migration was not a small job. But the level count is far lower than the plan called for it to be at this point.
What Happened This Month
May was a busy month outside of development. End of school year for the kids meant a full event calendar. My wife runs the PTA. Our kids are active in Scouts. My day job had a hard deadline on June 1st that pulled focus for several weeks. Then June brought summer camp and regular trips to the pool.
That is not the whole picture, though. There were days where the time was available and I just didn’t use it. Level design and art are the parts of game development I find least engaging. Sitting down to do that kind of work after a long day is hard. Some days I played games instead. Other days I worked on this blog. Some days I didn’t work on anything at all.
Pressure vs. Avoidance
There are two different things here that caused my schedule to fall apart. Each needs a different response.
The first is outside pressure like life events, work deadlines, family commitments. These have nothing to do with how committed you are to the project. The second is consistent avoidance. The time is there, the work is there, and you keep not doing it. That one needs a closer look.
For the last few weeks, it was both. The outside pressure was something I had not accounted for at all when I set the schedule. But there were also days where I had the time and did not take it.
The thing to watch for is not a bad month. It is the same pattern showing up across several months. One slow month happens. Six slow months in a row is something to figure out.
Fixing the Schedule
The schedule slipped partly because I built it without looking at what was actually on the calendar. That is fixable.
When I plan monthly development goals, I need to account for the full picture: my commitments, my wife’s, the kids’ schedule, work deadlines. A development goal set against a month with three Scout events, multiple school events, and a work deadline was not going to hit. The goal did not match the month I was actually living in.
The other adjustment is building in time that is not development time. Playing games, stepping back, and working on other things are not wasted days. That is how the creative side of this stays functional. Scheduling that time intentionally keeps it from eating into development hours without a plan.
Where That Leaves Me
All of this has been bothering me quite a bit the last few weeks. I’m going to acknowledge it, adjust, and move on rather than let it bother me.
Solo development has struggles like this that hit challenging mentally. Sometimes you don’t make the progress you expected. And that needs to be ok.
In the next article, I want to talk more about allowing yourself to not make progress. And it is as much for myself as it is for others.
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