Shelving a Prototype (Labyrinth)

Hey, I feel like I have been here before.

Once again I am shelving a prototype for a procedurally generated maze game. Interesting. I suppose this is what happens when I motivate a project by the creating a cool system rather than having a vision for a fun game.

Labyrinth started out as a working portfolio piece after being laid off. Partially I am shelving it because I am once again gainfully employed (yay). But I am also shelving it because as I look at the scope of my vision...and I find it daunting. The last full product game that I published, Gold and Glory, took 5 years realtime to make. The scope of that game was so large that I would take months off, and I only finished it in a final, brutal scope push to get it off my plate.

The more personal projects I do the larger their scope becomes. I have developed enough experience and practice as a game developer to achieve these visions...but not on a reasonable timeline!

So rather than drag it out, tell myself I am still working on it, and push it forward an hour at a time over years...let's just call it shelved.

Going forward, I’m going to keep my personal projects brutally scoped.