How do you champion a project?

I perpetually have several game prototypes in verying levels of completeness and have a hard time commiting to one.

What say you C2 builders? How do you decide what to invest your energy in?

Hi. This usually depends on the goal you want to achieve. You want to finish one of your projects I guess.

If you feel confident about having the skills to finish every title in your sketchbook i'd stick to the most uncommon and innovative one. Just be sure there is a base of gamers out there wanting to play it. Coming up with something never seen before will catch the most attention.

There will be even a more critical feedback on your work, since no one would pay the same attention to the 100st clone of an already released game.

Sure it can be a clone, but there should be some new aspects or features in it to show up between the other titles.

Have something like that? Stick to it!

My opinion. <img src="smileys/smiley2.gif" border="0" align="middle" />

I'd agree in comparing your projects and taking the one most likely to be completed. Be it because of assets required, size of the project, personal passion on the subject, so on.

Hmmm... Very good input from both of you.

I think that part of the issue may be that there is an inverse relationship between what I know (think?) I have the skills to complete and the uniqueness of the concept.

Take the one you believe you can finish. It will teach you a lot that you can use when working on the innovative project afterwards.

For me, the choice is simple: Whichever one I have art assets for. I'm a pure coder here, my wife and son are artists...however our other business keeps my wife busy and getting my son to actually produce finished art (he's good with concept art!) is tough.

Once of these days I'll have enough to hire artists. Until then, I work on prototypes until I hit the point where I need real art assets and move on to the next one. Have probably half a dozen ready to beta test, and another dozen or so in various states between concept and alpha.

All waiting on art.

That's a pretty good deal - get that kid on the production line!

Vati-nyan - I think you are absolutely right:

One finished game >= 10 unfinished games...

It is just hard to have the self discipline to keep and maintain focus without the momentum of a team

I'm exactly like you evilDan, I have so many ideas all at once, and develop them equally instead of focussing on one. Never actually finishing any!

I know how you feel, I'm currently at that certain phase. But also stuck in the art department similar to Theubie.

But as people have been saying, the best way is to try and isolate all them into categories..Which ones you really really want to see finished, which ones are almost finished, which ones you don't really care to much about.

Then pick from there, work your way down the ladder. Keep a rough percentage of how complete something is then compare with others.

But the hardest part of any project, whether it's games or anything else, is the motivation/focus.

So... I've joined 'One Game a Month' - I'm kind of hoping that it will help to force me to only work on ideas small enough to complete.

Although I am aware that it has a good chance of backfiring and creating a dynamic where I am more scattered.

Anyone else want to give it a go?

That actually looks like something I should do for fun when I get more practice.