I don't like my game.

[HisaoShou]

Few months ago I started to make a game , mostly story-driven.
I really liked the story and i thought that I could make a game out of it.
I choose to make a rpg-like kinetic novel because I have no artistic skills. (I just wanted some ways to tell this story , and only text wouldn't be enough for what I want / and because I'm lacking art skills I can't make manga or visual novel)

Back then when I started I had a little ideea how the story would in future, but I didn't think much about mechanics, characters, world, etc...
I continued to making this game and my vision was centred on the story, how to tell the story to the player, and things continued like this for about 3-4 months.
Then I took a little break, and meanwhile I played other games, I read other stories for about a week, and then I got back to my game.

Then I started looking back to see what have I done until then, and I was dissappointed . The gameplay was really repetitive, and dialogues were boring, from a different perspective the story was boring too.
I didn't like how things were... so I started to change most of dialoges, parts of story and a few visual effects. I liked it a little bit more.

Then I continued making my game, from where I left off, but I felt really lazy, I had no more motivation.

The lazy days continued and the development was really slow, then I took again a little break. When I've got back , I didn't like how my game is at all.
Many new ideas were in my head about how the game would look in my head, and I actualy tried to start making a prototype of the "game ideal" i had in my head , but i lost my motivation there too.
My head started to get full of "how I could to that now?" and "should I give up on first game?", then i took again a break.

I was confused (I still am), i didn't know what to do next... and I tried to continue my first game ("first game" = the game from begining) but i became really lazy and had no motivation at all.


And here I am now... disliking my own game, because is not what i really wanted to be (and i'm still not sure what kind of game i want to make), no motivation, will or determination, asking myself what I should do next.

I'm also using a really limited game engine, because I also have no programming skills, and I've got used to this engine (1 year)

All I want is to tell my story somehow,with no artistic skills, and no programming skills...

What should I do next?

(sorry for bad english)

[кролик девушка]

read this: https://youtu.be/rDjrOaoHz9s

[Ran08]

I know the feeling.

I have one personal project that had to be put in hiatus for a while because I started to develop a strong dislike for it... and by that, I mean working on it started to become more of a chore than something fun. It's because my inspiration and motivation for the game came from something in real life... and when that something fell apart, I began to (wrongfully) project all the hurt on the game. So I took a break. When I came back to working on it, I found that I had so much more fun than I had before. I had basically "rediscovered" the game, and tweaking and making it better was so fun that I couldn't believe I paused its dev for a while.

So... maybe it's obvious now what I'm going to suggest. Hahaha. Basically, I think there are three options. But this is just my 2c.

a.) Take a break! I know you've been taking breaks before, but this time, take a break when things are already getting fun. Sounds weird, right? But see, if you only take a break when you're already burned out or feeling lazy or lacking motivation, you probably won't look forward to working on it again the next time. But if you take a break while things are still fun, you'll actually get excited to work on it again, and since you won't be able to get it out of your mind for a while, you might even get some brand new ideas while you're at it.

b.) You can also take a longer break, by working on other projects. Like you said, you've only worked on that engine for a year. Even if you're already used to it, it's still safe to assume that there are still a lot of things you've yet to learn. Well, small projects are the best way to try out new stuff! By creating smaller projects, you'll build up a sort of momentum needed to tackle on larger projects, as well as improve your skills. Win-win, is it not?

c.) Pull the plug. This one hurts... and to be honest, it feels weird that I'm suggesting this because I've never actually pulled the plug on any VN project before. If a VN idea doesn't work, then it just gets absorbed into another one of my projects which could possibly work. And if a VN I'm working on already has assets? Then oh my, a thousand apologies to humanity, but I'll continue the game no matter how long it takes. Hahaha. But (and I hope this doesn't make me a hypocrite haha) pulling the plug is an option too. Just like in relationships, there's this little question you can ask yourself: what hurts more, to stay or to leave? If it hurts to leave, but it hurts even more to stay, then please don't tie yourself down and force yourself to be unhappy. Life is too short not to make the game projects that you really want to make.

So... yep, that's basically all I can say about this. Game projects are like my very own babies, haha, so I know how frustrating it can be to... er... dislike them. But, yeah, don't worry about it. We all go through that phase sometimes. =) And oh, sorry for the mini-essay! I hope that whatever your decision may be, it's something that will make you happy. Good luck!

read this: https://youtu.be/rDjrOaoHz9s

An awesome video, btw. It couldn't be more right. Haha. Thanks for sharing!

[SundownKid]

All I can say is, if you hate your art you are still on the right track, because it means your taste in art exceeds your ability to make it. you just have to keep working until your abilities can meet your tastes.

I must also say that making an entire game, art, story, etc. by yourself is an extremely daunting task. And it isn't the ONLY way to make a game. You may want to consider ways to obtain funding in order to pay others to do that work instead so you can focus on what you like doing best.

[AllegroDiRossi]

All I can say is, if you hate your art you are still on the right track, because it means your taste in art exceeds your ability to make it. you just have to keep working until your abilities can meet your tastes.

https://vimeo.com/24715531
Ira Glass on Storytelling

I see you, SundownKid. :wink:

[PunishedKom]

Always believe in yourself. As a fellow creator, I feel your pain. You just have to push aside the doubt and strive to improve yourself at all costs. Make the game YOU would want to play.

[RotGtIE]

Do you have any examples of what you made that you don't like? We can't get into much detail if we only have your word to go on. The advice you will receive - although well intentioned - will probably not be as helpful to you as you need if we can't dig into the weeds a bit more.

[Godline]

I think that there should be something where people can post up their abandoned games in order to be taken on by someone else.

I know I've got one to put up. Hehe.

[andrewngn13]

I think that there should be something where people can post up their abandoned games in order to be taken on by someone else.

I know I've got one to put up. Hehe.

That actually sounds like a pretty interesting idea.

[Godline]

I think that there should be something where people can post up their abandoned games in order to be taken on by someone else.

I know I've got one to put up. Hehe.

That actually sounds like a pretty interesting idea.

I will do it then! Right now!

[deltë]

If you don't like your game, but you can't pinpoint what's wrong with it, publish the game and ask for the fans' opinions. You can work to improve your game with their comments, (if they're helpful).

[raeru]

Welp,You're not alone bruh :3 I hate myself, muh illustration and writting skill. But still kicking lel.

You probably need some inspiration or rivals, or just probably chill until you get the bore of it hehehe :3