Indy Progression

Indy Progression

ProjectMobi is underway, we are excited to move forward even if its just a little bit each day. This adventure and quest is more about taking the time to focus on each brick and less focus on looking at the project as a whole.

With this update I want to focus on project drivers.

1. How do I stay motivated as an Indy Developer?
2. What Leverage do I have towards my Team and how can I be impactful?
3. What am I doing to be accountable?
4. Are my Goals attainable?
5. How do I weigh my goals?

I want to tackle this in pieces and explain. Working on a game no matter how large or small is a big task.

Things that help are :

• Having a reservoir of familiar code
• Having a check list
• Having attainable milestones
• Keeping an accountability partner/reminder

Staying Motivated

Motivation comes in multiple forms. Some are built into the project drivers while other forms are best identified or created, Ill explain…

In today’s world instant gratification is a big one. Its also a pitfall if you are not mentally prepared. The good times also come with the bad times. In the case of ProjectMobi I created my instant gratification through Twitch and writing my experiences in WordPress along with other social outlets that are still a work in process.

The Upside is that I can instantly get viewers or have conversations start about what I am working on with real people. I can also see my progression through the history of my findings through WordPress. The visual impact of something liking what I have posted or visiting my page is also another form of instant gratification that pushes me forward on my adventure.

The Downside… Some nights I don’t have viewers on the stream. its just me talking about my process documenting. I am too tired to write that blog post and the WordPress does not get an update? And the worst is when social media either replies negatively or simply does not trend to my pages at all.

instant gratification is good and can be bad if you cannot pull a positive spin on things. This leads me to my next Motivator. Creating a list of “ToDo’s” and getting to check them off. I normally start with paper as these list are normally made once a previous list is completed. My suggestion..

SLACK & Trello

My other motivator is Simmer.io. This website allows you up upload an HTML build of your game from unity. There are some bugs you have to plan for when using it but for the most part it works out of the box. Some of the screen coordinate functions have to be fixed when using this method but the beautiful part is that those who are interested can join in the alpha or beta early and have some merit in watching you produce.

Motivators push and pull you towards your goals. Looking past the effects of instant gratification we move onto our other motivator which is Milestones. Milestones are medium to large goals that when placed together build the larger picture of what you are attempting to complete. A Milestones, if developed correctly, can set the pace for yourself and/or your team. Making these as realistic as possible is the goal. If instant gratification has good and bad out comes then Milestones have tremendous or devastating out comes.

Image a planned hike where you are reaching the summit and something happens which selves your idea, or you find you just don’t have to resources to complete the journey. In most cases we are not speaking to days or weeks but months or years even. 

Milestones are key to successful business both internally and externally. The hype of what you are doing and the other motivators that you are using are all part of getting and succeeding your goals. People honestly want to see your success. It gives them a little more to push forward to. They share in it. But a poorly overestimated Milestone can crush you and your team.

On the flip side of this conversation..

Imagine you have had multiple passed and succeeded Milestones after being confident in reaching multiple hard set goals you are now starting to see just how successful the adventure was and you get to experience and share your success. Its not about completing huge pieces with unbearable deadlines.

Having impossible deadlines as an base is like asking an assembly line to do more work with less attention. Something is going to get missed and processes are going to be undocumented. 

Its like digging a hole where once you have figured out your too deep in you realize that you don’t have a ladder or rope because that would have needed a sound mind and proper preparation.

To end the conversation on motivation >> you need friends and family that support you.

I say this in earnest because your goals are going to take a lot of sleepless nights. If your an Indy Developer like me its also going to cause arguments, multiple alignments of refocusing on life and the things around you. Break away and have that family time. Spend a night out with friends. motivate yourself by also taking a break…

The Impact

This one can apply to multiple job titles. In fact as a Supervisor in my full time job I find that my demeanor and actions impact my team day to day. I can single handily give my team a good day or a bad day without even speaking a word.

This goes into how your actions are more than words. It starts with presence and ends with how you exit the stage.

So the question is:

What Leverage do I have towards my Team and how can I be impactful?

The answer is simple but can be exhausting.

Respond with how you want to be not how you are. 

In truth, I am busy, exhausted, stressed… and the list goes on, were human. But in the response I am having a Great Day! And I am interested in yours.

This is the attitude we bring to the table to be successful. On a top level it seems easy but the phrase is not a verbal one. It’s a social, Non-verbal, intentional one. How can I demonstrate a smile through programming, or a phone call, or a social post. How can I get my 3d artist to want to jump in and knock out some more assets. What can I say or do that would make my AI programmer feel expired. 

These are thoughts that open the door to realize just how much leverage you actually have. Keep encouraging your team by reaching your checklist, goals, Milestones. Do your part. It sounds harsh but its really a good motivator. Use your performance as a infectious motivation for others to perform.

A person who performs and is vocal about a teams successes versus his own will create success in others. 

Accountability

Create dependency’s. It can be a place, a person, a memory, a future… it can be anything but it needs to be something or someone who you on a physiological scale do not want to fail.

For me, its a few obvious ones and a few not so obvious.

1. Myself, if I am not in it then why am I in it.
2. My kids, they want to make games too. I even got them onto Scratch which is a programming site for kids to learn. They program with me.
3. My Team, we are in constant communication with what we are doing. I tell my artist what I hope to accomplish every day. I show my check list and what is and is not checked.
4. My wife, She pushes me harder than anyone else. I also push her. She can also be a real sounding board for when my priorities need re-alignment.
5. My Streamers,Social members, Peers, and that random guy who just likes everything. Its small but they move me and I don’t want that to stop.

This next piece stops a lot of us.

GOALS

Set them too high and we fall, too low and we lose interest or we find were not actually doing anything. Goals should not just be jotted down and accepted. this is a time to reflect. You are more than a goal. In this since what is a goal to you?

For me, its making my first game. I want something on the market. I want people to comment and tell me how great, or terrible or something about my game.

I want to take my artistic side and my programming mentality and make something move. Not just move but be moved. My art needs a player. a lot of them. like 3…. or more.

My goal is to impress my kids. Have them exited to play my game, my teams game. I want what excites them to drive me into a career. But I also want this ambition to support them and give them everything.

Then we stop… we think… and we fall back into our seats and draw and create methods. And… we ask ourselves

Are these goals Attainable

If they are then we can do something awesome which is to weigh them.

This last part of weighing your goals is to look at what its going to cost you. This can be time, money, or even other opportunities. When I was in college learning micro economics I learned that every action has limited resources. you can only do so much with what you have. If you had to make a combination of possibilities then you will find there is a total that you cannot exceed.

To put it simply, I can only do 24 hours of work in a day. I can work on efficiency or increasing skill sets but at the end of the day I can only work a maximum of 24 hours.

I know what a lot of you are thinking… why 24 hours. when do you sleep? and you are correct. Life and goals are conflicting. I have to eat, sleep and do other human needed things. This in itself gives weight to your goals.

In ProjectMobi I spend on average about 2-4 hours an evening programming after work. Some days I rest instead. I also take time to get my kids to school and do homework with them or play outside. Some days I bring work from home and it takes president over programming.

When you make your goals weigh them for your losses. This could be precious time with your children or spouse. It could be time to mentally relax or eat or call a loved one. At the same time measure the end goal and set a hard line of when your adventure needs to either complete or end.

I’ll let you take that last statement to mean what ever you think it could mean. In the end, look at what you could gain and make it look as real as you can. Then throw it on a scale and proceed with enthusiasm and valor. Hike the mountain and reach the summit.

Stay tuned for more progress as my adventure continues with ProjectMobi.