Awesome, thanks for the response!Looking forward to entering.

Hey Venetia, does the game need to be entirely finished? Or can it be one or two really polished levels to a longer game?

Aside from just "buckling down" there isn't much else you can do.

But whenever I've stepped away from a project for too long, I always start looking through the design doc I made previously. Then, starting with a clean sheet of paper, I re-envision the better part of the game with new ideas. After that I compare the two and combine them (removing any ideas I don't really like.)

Although this hasn't helped me with finishing my games (too many revisions!) it definitely reinvigorates my enthusiasm. It's like coming back to a new project every time, which is kinda exciting.

Yeah, after thinking about it. That might not be the most helpful advice. :P

Like a couple of others have said on this thread: both are equally important. Why not make your game stand out? Why rely on just the artwork or just the gameplay? When one is apparently lacking it just shows me how little you actually care for your work. And how little I should care about it, also.

But to go off with what the_chosen_byte said:

your game doesn't need to be realistic or beautifully rendered, but it does need a strong, cohesive STYLE

Spot on.Everyone has different talents and although we can't all "David Hellman" our games up we can create a unique visual experience to enhance the work we've put into our gameplay elements. Figure out a "style" for your game and make that style work for you. As game designers we're creatives and should thus be creative!

Hi everyone!

My name is Michael Burnley or cabinboy, whichever you prefer. I like pirates a lot (the "y'arr!" kind) though not as much as game design (and only slightly more than tacos.)

I've been making games for a little over a year, though I have yet to finish one. As a result I've got a good amount of personal projects open that I switch between working on.

Oh, and I'm also working on a yet-to-be-released Android game with the company I'm heading. That one I'll have to release so you'll have something of mine to see, eventually. :)

Excited to get going with this! I'll be entering the HBGames contest. Hopefully I can make something that y'all will like. Well, that's my story. Nice to meet you. :D