I know it has been a minute since my last update on my game development activities, so here's an update.

Over the last few months, work and life issues have drastically slowed my momentum with making games and learning, I still have every intent to continue, but the pace has slowed for now.

Regardless, I have been continuing with bits and pieces to learn by hashing out other game ideas and practicing making game assets of varying types.  While I can't dedicate a great deal of time at the moment, taking these little steps helps me feel like I am still progressing, although a lot more slowly.

The Little Bits of Progress

After joining and completing, sort of, 2 different game jams earlier in the year, 1 where I had a week to make a game, and the other a 3 day mini jam, and doing pretty well for a novice game developer, I felt rather inspired to carry on with making games.  The jams were interesting and gave deadlines to work to, allowing me to focus my efforts on what was needed.

The game jams also helped me realise some areas of game development where I felt I needed to improve.  The areas that seemed most in need of improvement were refining my code and sound work.

For the code, I have been reviewing and fixing the bugs in my games, as well as considering how to expand on some gameplay elements.  I have also been trying to build prototypes of different styles of games, with varied success.  As much as practice makes perfect, practice also helps you to see where things need improvement, even if you don't yet know how to improve.  Just a mention, the code I've created so far always seems to be bug free in the editor, meaning that it is not the assignment of functions, variables or conditions in my code, but the utilisation of said variables.  Just 1 variable used in the wrong way or not cleared at the correct moment can lead to some interesting glitches.  Just look at my Jelly Rancher game and how you can create infinite Jellies when dropping them off.

For the sound work, over the last few months, I have been working on getting to know the software I use, it's capabilities and making music when the time is available.  I have also been watching videos on making music to help with understanding the way to use music and sound, how the sounds interact and figuring out what sounds good (to me) and what doesn't.  I have so far managed to avoid "music theory" in the strictest sense as the online community seems divided on how beneficial it is.

I think I'm getting there with it, it is still a lot of trial and error, but it's starting to feel like it's a limitation of using LMMS rather than my just being terrible at making music.  The built in sound library is limited and while you can get more sounds and plugins to use, most are either paid for, require a subscription or seem to be a lower quality if free.

If you're curious, I've uploaded a pack of "songs" I've made the least few months.  I feel like they get better as you go through.  The link to the pack is:

https://crazyhoundgamedesign.itch.io/crazyhoundsounds-beginner-music

On top of this, I have also been periodically playing with making art assets, some 2D and some 3D.  I've not made too many more, but I have made a few more.

Stuck Projects, Problem Solving, Returning to Projects

As mentioned in a previous post, throughout the year I have started multiple different projects outside of the game jams, these are all in various stages of development, and some have been left behind due to my getting stuck on particular features or other projects popping up in the way.  While this is likely a common occurrence for most new developers, it can make me feel deflated at the fact I do not have the time to focus on them all at once.  I have every intent on doing more with them but at the moment, I do not know when I might be able to continue on each one.

For those projects where I got stuck, put it down and almost left it behind, I have recently realised that solving the problem of where and how I got stuck can be resolved at any time from almost any source of inspiration.  The other week I was trying to make a prototype of a game and while I was working on things and looking them up, I came up with a possible solution to a problem I was having in another project I haven't looked at in a few months.  And it worked.  So even though I was starting to think I might not ever finish that project, by keeping it in mind I was able to see how the things I was currently working on could be applied to the older project.

Now it feels like even if my projects are stuck, or have been left behind due to my lack of time, I should still be able to make progress at some point, and when I find the time to work on them, I will hopefully be a little more experienced in the different skills needed to continue.

While part of me is making this post because I know it has been a while, another part of me hopes that my recent realisations can be helpful to others that have found themselves in a similar situation.  Just because you've not had the time to work on X, Y or Z, going back to it isn't hopeless, and if you can't do a lot, do a little instead.  The little steps add up and can also take you in different directions.