VoidDestroyer

Keep in mind what works for me may not work for you and vice versa.

What didn't work for me was learning by myself via books. What kind of worked for me was learning in classes, but it didn't turn out great either.

What did work for me is having a goal that motivated me to the point of not giving up. The game project was that goal, I became obsessed by it and so stuck with it. Learning through books and schools has very big gaps (IMHO) they don't teach you how to create large projects that have to be maintained for years (which is what games tend to be). Book examples tend too basic to understand more complex ideas (like pointers). For example adding two numbers together.

I haven't been to the army so I can't comment on how you can learn coding while in it, sorry. But programming is basically problem solving, and a great way of solving problems is to - understand them, maybe during the army drills you can try to come up with unique game ideas and how you would simplify them as commands to the game via code. Programming is a skill like any other and while you are developing your body and skills in the army through practice and dedication - understand - that this is the same way to learn programming (through practice and dedication).

Good luck my friend!

That's how I got started with Ogre 3D I'd modify the tutorials and see what happened.

Well I think the truth is that burning out is something that happens and it either stops you or doesn't. I remind myself that there have been many people through history that did very ambitious things and that they too struggled, but because they didn't give up we know their names now or are living with something that they created.

I also use the thought that people often call game programmers geniuses or some fancy titles - but I struggle all the time, and I've learned that this is ok, and just part of the process. I'm not a genius, I'm not naturally talented, what I am is motivated, a dreamer and obsessed. I'm ok with not being a genius and I'm ok with struggling.

At this point in the project it would be terrifying to give up (so much time spent... its become my identity), that's another thing that keeps me going. I've created a blog and refer to it and read about past struggles and that motivates me. Hey I did that cool thing... and I remember fighting with it for a week, so this new thing isn't so bad.

It also gets easier with more and more tools and now having Kickstarter backers like you (thanks!)- its incredible to be able to afford artists and not have to pay them token wages.

Another aspect of preventing burn out - knowing when to stop - taking a break, taking a walk, watching Netflix, talking with my wife (who is busy working on a Master's Degree), washing dishes - this helps with the physical (back pain) aspect of burnout.

So if you asked me years ago to describe myself I'd say that I'm a logical person, and if a friend called me "Mr. Spock" I'd taken that as a compliment - but now I realize that I'm a hugely emotional being.

When you have your own business and are making something that reflects your skills/abilities - personal and professional are basically married.

Emotions are the biggest challenge - its a roller-coaster. One day I'm ecstatic because I got a new cool feature in and another day I'm bummed out because I can't fix a seemingly simple bug. Then my artist sends over a new ship and - yay! its awesome. My emotions are tied into my job - and my job never ends because I work at home.

Often I think that my games should be more popular - but then I think that that's being delusional. I compare myself to more popular projects - and that tends to make me sad.

So the biggest challenges are emotional - and the great news is that overall I'm a happy and optimistic person. If I wasn't an optimist I'd never get this far, and challenges are things that I look back on as motivation for overcoming new ones.

Professional wise - when making the first game - getting good/reliable contractors was incredibly difficult, making it a much bigger challenge. Right now I'm working with a great and reliable 3D artist and music/sound guy. So far so good.

At home - I'm married, my wife has a good paying job and has recently gotten her CPA - so luckily that is very stable. My wife doesn't really understand gaming - so that's a bit of a minus.

Don't forget - the original game makers - Pong, Tetris, even Mario - started at much less than you are starting now. You have the internet, people to ask for advice (eg: me :) ) you have game engines, documentations.

I made a little tank game in high school on my graphing calculator :) Your flash game is probably more complex than my start :) We all start at the beginning, no one is born a game dev, remember that, when you struggle remember that I struggle too, even now.

Thanks for Steam boost :)

Great question...

Well I think I would have paid more attention in math and physics classes in school. I struggle with these things a lot now in game development. Back in physics class - I coded a tank versus tank game (using ascii graphics) on a T1-82 (from memory) graphing calculator. Then 10+ years later I needed to know what linear/angular force was heh heh

Maybe I should have taken more art classes and gotten some basic skills? Not sure if that's even possible.

Other than that - I think I did a lot of things right - but I could have worked harder and played games less - though playing games is great for winding down.

Sorry - might not be a great answer - but the time it took me to make a game was so long that I had a chance to do it so slowly that it all worked out. Maybe I should have quit my job earlier? The gaming market is more and more competitive so - as a business owner my dreams of total monopoly are shattered by more and more games ;)

EDIT: also - I guess I don't really see what I would have done differently because for the most part I over analyzed and agonized on my decisions - so my decisions were based on the best available paths (that I could see).