Sadly, it's still a good couple of months away or more from actually being released x3 cos now that the revamp is done, it's gonna take me double the time or longer to actually add all the brand new story content T_T haha. If only I didn't need sleep x3
Sometimes it helps to set a 'development roadmap' of sorts, a generalized/yearly one and then set SMART goals (specific measurable achievable realistic timely) by the week and if you want to do a further breakdown by day (or even by hour) you can do that. Set yourself to 8 hour or 10/12 hour workdays depending on how you feel about it and your general activity levels. A creative mind works best when it is well-rested, rejuvenated, hydrated, nourished, etc.
We can always wait as long as it takes for something to get done. The update videos are lovely and I'm happy you decided to release them :)
I had to do a big sorta swap of fonts cos of potential issues with the main one I was originally using for the logo + pick your poison and such x3 It was a beautiful font, but the creator had stated that you had to contact them for permission to use it commercially. Which I did do, but unfortunately, I never heard anything back. I sort of wasn't expecting to really because the note left by the creator about contacting them was over 10 years old, haha. But yeah, I didn't wanna end up with any problems down the line since I was hoping DD could eventually become a commercial project. I figured it would be safer to pick something else :3 The main reason I went for the one I did is cos I loved the fact it contained quite bold diamonds that match the duality diamond aesthetic.
Yeah, I was thinking that once I've actually got this next update out, I'll make a demo version permanently free to download that contains at least the 1st day of the game with each available character, and I'll make sure to keep it updated as I add new characters over time :3 And make it so that the donation version contains everything after the first day. It does seem like a pretty sensible way of doing things. I still wouldn't feel comfortable making a proper paid version of the game available until I have a lot more content out though just because even after the next update, it won't even remotely resemble the way I want it to play out in full, and I'd feel uncomfortable asking for too much in the way of funding for something that's gonna take me an extremely long time to complete >.<
I'm actually thinking of going backwards a bit from goal setting because I've been listening to Derren Brown's audiobook 'Happy' recently, and a lot of the stuff he talks about in there regarding goal setting sometimes being quite a toxic and negative mindset to fall into really resonates with me since I'm the sort of person who beats myself up a lot x3
Back when I was beginning to work on my very first VN project, I was working crazy hours per day, but it was all because I was so passionate about it and it's genuinely what I wanted to spend all my time doing. I had no future thoughts of funding or anything like that. I didn't even know I'd end up making other games. I was just focused on the project at hand and didn't even anticipate anyone playing it. That was essentially just a really lovely side effect of sharing a hobby I loved :3
Somewhere along the way, I lost that mindset and started to become more and more miserable >.< Even though I've never stopped enjoying working on these projects, the more pressure I put on myself to 'succeed' and manage to turn my hobby into something I could support myself with, the more I felt like a failure as time passed, and I realised that despite working as hard as I could, I wasn't really getting any closer to achieving the goal. It was/kinda still is beginning to have a pretty big impact on my mental health to the point that I did consider completely stopping doing what I'm doing because it all seemed pointless. Like I would never get anywhere with it. I was so wrapped up in worrying about funding and being able to feed myself that I forgot how much I enjoyed doing it all in the first place >.<
Listening to that book has given me greater clarity in that respect. I've come to realise that I only feel like a failure because I expected something relatively unrealistic. Because at the end of the day, society is kinda wrong when it says if you believe in yourself and work hard, you'll achieve what you want to. Nothing is ever said about the sheer amounts of luck also involved in 'making it'. Once you've done your best at any given thing, everything else is just out of your control. And trying to control things you can't control is more often than not gonna result in a moody mixture of misery and frustration.
And going by all of the advice these days of believe in yourself and succeed, going against that does kinda sound like giving up, so I can see why a lot of people wouldn't wanna go down that route, but I think for me personally, it's a good fit :3 If I tell myself that I expect nothing to come of anything I do, that I'm just gonna keep doing it because I enjoy it, and I will always try my best, then, whatever happens, happens. What will be will be. I think I'll save myself a lot of negative emotions and be much more content. Cos at the rate I've been going, I'm gonna either end up running myself into the ground trying to get somewhere I can't actually get to without heaps of good fortune, or, I'm gonna wind up losing the love I have for my hobby. I don't really want either of those things to happen x3 So I'm gonna take several steps back and just say to myself, I'll do what I can, that's enough, and if good things come of it, great! If nothing comes of it, I've done my best and enjoyed myself in the process. I can't feel that awful feeling of failure if my only goal is to do what I enjoy to the best of my ability and expect nothing more :3
I'll still have some sort of schedule for myself as you say! I think if I didn't have any sorta structure to my day, I'd just wind up procrastinating all the time and never get anything done x3 I just won't put so much stress and pressure on myself to work on stuff when I'm completely pooped out and really should rest, haha. I've basically caused myself repeated burnouts by putting unnecessary pressure on myself to succeed >.< I don't really know why I did that to myself either, haha. Cos it's not like anyone has ever moaned at me to hurry up and get updates out! Everyone's always been super sweet and supportive :3 And as you say, plenty of people have told me to take care of myself first, and that they're willing to wait however long it takes. For some reason, my brain just told me I need to work, work, work or I'll never get anywhere x3 I kinda never considered the fact that hard work alone doesn't automatically get you to where you want to be until I listened to that book, haha.
I also used to get really pissed off at myself for not meeting the weekly or monthly goals I'd set, even if it was due to circumstances out of my control (like someone in my family needing a hand with something in the middle of the week, or the internet going down for a day, haha.) I'd try to make up for the lost time by working well into the night or setting my alarm to get up earlier while missing out on sleep >.< Overall, I've just not been working in a very healthy way xD
Most days I was doing like 12 hours or more x3 So I think I'll start aiming more for 8 from now on to give myself more time to do other things I enjoy + have a break from always staring at screens :3
I greatly appreciate you taking the time to share your experiences and challenges with doing gamedev. You are an inspiration to others even if you may not realize it at this moment. :)
I wish you the best of good fortune in succeeding in what you wanna do. I've personally found keeping a regular schedule helps a great deal with many things including keeping good health.
A good bit of advice from Josh Strife Hayes (fantastic content creator): "Make being healthy the easiest and laziest option possible. Set things up so that doing the healthy things requires the least amount of effort." He gave an example of setting it up so that he always has vitamin bottle ready on the counter when he gets up in the morning or he won't bother to take them, etc.
I'm not sure if you've already got some music for the game in mind, but you may want to get in touch with 'SpaghettiLord1010#2985' on my Discord and see if any of their public free music might suit the ambiance of your game.
They're also a gamedev and have struggled with getting noticed online. Making a career-shift to audio engineering was a really fantastic move for them :)
Do what you feel works for you and as always if you require help don't be afraid to ask for it. Advice, tips, links, etc. One thing I learned as an adult is that a 'real' adult is someone who isn't afraid to ask for help when needed. Trying to do everything solo is a recipe for burnout.
I feel like it's mostly me rambling and oversharing x3 But I always feel like it's best to be honest. It's certainly been an interesting journey so far with plenty of ups and downs, haha. I actually listened to something recently that said anyone whose life is based around projects of any sort is doomed to a constant cycle of stress and disappointment if you focus too much on the end goal and forget to enjoy the process along the way. Because your mind is always focused on the future, completing the project, so you're striving for that, but the second you reach that point, it's in the past, already archived, and you're on to the next thing xD I never really thought about that before, haha. And it said if you're the sort of person that's gotten a bit stuck in that cycle of constantly working towards the end goal, to stop thinking about the end so much and focus more on the present process. And that's what I used to do! I just forgot that at some point x3 I think perhaps when I started participating in so many jams, haha. Because with the nature of jams and their deadlines, it's like you're constantly shifting the goalposts for yourself going from one jam to another.
I have very much enjoyed the process of working on jam projects though :3 Especially Spooktober VN Jam last year with it being the biggest team I've ever worked with. But I definitely suffer with that feeling of deflation once it's all over and done with. It's like a high while working on the jam, and then a really big low once it's finished and you achieved what you wanted to x3 I pretty much gave myself repeated burnout, haha. And then kept trying to work like that outside of jams too, which is just a recipe for disaster on a longer project like DD >.< So I've learned to calm down a bit now and take things at a somewhat more leisurely pace rather than trying to race to the finish x3
That does indeed sound like good advice! I always keep my vitamins by the kettle cos the first thing I do when I get up is make coffee, so I end up taking my vitamins while the kettle is boiling, haha. If I put them in a cupboard, I'd rarely remember to take them x3 And I always hang my exercise clothes up where I can see them to remind me I'm supposed to be exercising each day.
I have some stuff in mind for the project music-wise. I've currently got a folder on my PC with possible options from a selection of various assets I've been able to purchase on sale over the years. I've wound up with quite a big collection of music, as well as slowly teaching myself how to make tracks out of loop and sample assets I've acquired. I'll definitely check out Spaghetti's stuff at some point though cos I'm always looking for more music :3 Matching BGM tracks to scenes is one of my favourite parts of the process!
It is tempting to look more into the audio side of things myself just because anything related to music, sound effects, and voice acting tends to end up being what I enjoy doing the most on my projects :3 But I feel like if I did that, I'd be left with no time to actually finish the projects I have on the go >.< It's something to think about though when I've tied up all my loose ends!
I actually prefer working as part of a team rather than solo. Or at least that's how I feel when comparing my experience of working on solo projects VS working on a couple of jam projects as part of a team. Making Limbo Line with the Spooktober time I was part of was hands down the most fun I've had working on a project :3 And that was largely due to getting to work with such a wonderful team of people. And I feel both the projects I worked on as part of a team for jams (Apartment No 9 and Limbo Line) both turned out better than anything I've made on my own as well. If I had more money, I'd try to get a small team together, but I don't x3 So outside of jams where you don't have to worry about money and payment, I don't really know how you go about forming a team >.< And I've heard so many horror stories about small teams where they end up arguing about different things (usually money-related) and then end up falling apart, leaving projects unfinished. So yeah, I'd love to be part of a permanent team. It just seems something that's quite difficult to find cos after jams, folks often seem to go their own way cos they've got their own projects and stuff to return to. Maybe someday though x3
I think you've forgotten you're on my Discord server. I checked in here after a month(ish) and I'm pretty terrible about logging into stuff outside of Discord and Steam.
I'm happy to hear that you've found some enjoyment in working on teams. There are 'jam' style teams that work on a variety of projects but most of those (that I know of) primarily need people who are either highly-technical (can do specialized coding) or are otherwise passionate about a specific thing (like Phantasy Star series or something) enough to learn about it and help whenever possible. People with multiple-language proficiencies (reading/speaking/writing) in English and other languages are also highly-desirable.
All that said, working with a team sounds fantastic and my Discord server (as mentioned before) has a gamedev channel where you can ask any gamedevs if they're in need of people and what skills they have a use for. It isn't all volunteer work either as many/most positions can be paid if you meet the qualifications. I've also mentioned you could assist with stuff like game testing for alpha/beta games in development and learn about the process more from experts in the field (sorta an unpaid internship but without the typical demand on your time). Personally had to step back a bit from doing that on a few games I'd signed up previously to test due to hardware limitations and my computer being close to burning out one of these days. Gotta replace things before it happens but hardware shortages are still a thing in many parts of the USA.
If you ever feel like you want to take a break to do something else, please don't hesitate to ask either on my server or any indiedev type community. If you're looking for paid positions then who you know is more important than what you know. Networking is key!