Back on Hiatus

I’m very, very lost with Lone Survivor right now.  The stuff I’ve been adding has just made the game far more complicated, not necessarily better as far as I can tell.  I seem to be heading down a path where there’s almost too much content for one person to create.

I’m not actually sure I can finish it at all at this point, but maybe with some space between me and it, I can figure it out.  Maybe not, and if so, that’s just how it was meant to be.

In the meantime I will be experimenting with a number of small things, nothing in particular.  I may have to get a job too, as I can’t support this kind of procrastination financially!  I was giving some proper thought to returning to the ‘big game’ industry, but then I realised I should probably put some distance between myself and games for a while.  I might try and get a really normal job, one that’s not creative for a change, just to give me some breathing space to think about what I really want to do, indie-games-wise, and life-wise.

Now my plans have changed a lot in the past few years, even from month to month, so it’s hard for me to predict if this hiatus will be short, long or even permanent.  I just wanted to let you guys know, and to say thankyou to you all for all the support for this game and others I’ve made.

I’ll leave you with a final screenshot of the game, a new room I added last week:

So for now at least, it’s goodbye from me, and goodbye from You!

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  • Comments (3)
  1. avatar
    • GZ
    • September 5th, 2011

    I, along with many others, are looking forward not only to LS, but any superflat production that gets released. It can be easy at times to lose confidence, focus, or vision when working on a long ambitious project. In that sense, I wouldn’t feel bad about taking a break, working on smaller stuff, or whatever else it is you need to get a clear head. If that includes, as you say, a permanent hiatus, then so be it.

    Sometimes it’s easy to forget a lot of us do this because we enjoy it in some sense, and if it gets to the point where it’s no longer rewarding or enjoyable, then there’s no way you can force yourself to do it. Your games will suffer too, with the wrong motivations. Personally, I hope you can figure this out.

    I’d also recommend the “regular job” route. I was in this position myself years ago and I found doing computer related / mental work killed a lot of my drive and motivation with my game work.

    Hope everything works out for you.

  2. avatar
    • superflat
    • September 5th, 2011

    Cheers man, I really appreciate your comment.

    Of course it’s a tricky decision to have to make, to potentially throw out two years’ work… So if I can find a path to get it back on track, I will take it.

    But I would rather no-one play it than it to be less than what I hoped it would be.

    – Jasper

  3. avatar

    Interesting.

    You’ve been something of an inspiration to me and my current project the Child, particularly as of late when it seemed that your tweets were all about kicking ass and taking names.

    I’ve been in that place a few times with the Child. Thinking it was too much, that I’d never be able to execute on my vision, or that it would fall flat on its ass if and when it got completed.

    I think these are all normal kinds of thoughts to be having when working alone. Without someone to constantly look over your shoulder and tell you that what you’re doing is cool and worth pursuing, the uncertainty can be maddening.

    I’m not posting to tell you to “keep working at it” and “you can do it”. Far from it. Just letting you know that I’m still looking forward to this project, and hope to someday play it, and that I’m sure you’ll make the best decisions for your craft.

    After all, that’s why we’re independents, right? To put ourselves into these challenging positions and hold ourselves accountable to our results.

    Best of luck, Jasper.

    Jack

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