Visualizing Fantasies

[TheTiger]

http://dl.dropbox.com/u/47618692/Testresize.jpg

This won’t be a tutorial actually, its more a guideline on visualizing stuff and things to do when you get stuck while building. So this might be useful for everyone. Since everyone gets stuck sometimes! Enjoy reading!

The main thing i want to achieve is an cure against the i'm stuck moments for builders.


Everyone gets stuck sometimes… if it isn’t on starting a new area, maybe its even just a small gameplay bit. Or anything like that… I will discus the next subjects:


-Methods to continue building when you’re stuck
-TheTiger’s view of giving up
-Hobby, not an obligation
-More coming soon...




-Methods to continue building when you’re stuck



If your getting stuck, and you don’t know what to do anymore, you can just try to scape some landscapes.

With that I mean like, just easily create one huge area (depends on what you like, inside, outside or a mixture.) And polish it, texture it, and light it. But, what should you do now after you finished this?


At first, you didn’t waste energy; You tried to build and your skills will grow while building. Everyone knows some inspirational music that he listens while building (If you don’t have, try to listen to music that will play during your level, or an ambient track that inspires you, just anything that’ll fit.) Well, just simply grab your iPod/MP3Player or put your stereo on loud, lie on your bed, and close your eyes, listen to the music. While listening, try to create gameplay/environments in your head, and after you got the right thing, build them or sketch them out.
This is mostly the easiest method for me when I get stuck, and the best thing is that everything comes from your imagination, so everything is mostly original and you have been trying new things.

[TheTiger]

-TheTiger’s view of giving up

When you feel like giving up, becease of that something doesn’t look right in your opinion or anything, just show a screenshot to a few friends or show one on the forum for advice. Since both negative and positive comments help:

-If you get some negative comments, you can try to improve to what others say is bad about it, this stimulates you to improve.

-If you get positive comments, you just get stimulated and you will be proud ofcourse.

So in my opinion, giving up is not bad, you just need to do what you like and what you desire. If you feel like giving up very much, and for a long time, it might be time to do it. You can also ofcourse keep going, this will mostly lead to that you start to annoy yourself on the editor and then you will get this kind of feelings:

‘’I cant give up now, I spend so much time on this!’’
Well, actually, you did NOT waste time;
-You tried something new.
-Improved your skills.
-Discovered what you like and what you don’t like.
-You can restart and do the things you didn’t like different this time.

[TheTiger]

-Hobby, not an obligation

A basic rule for me is:
Build what YOU like!

The most stupid thing is to build something you do not like or that you can’t. TRLE stays an hobby in what you should do what you like and NOT what others expect you to do; TRLE is an hobby and not an obligation.
Whenever you build what you would like to see/play/make. And your amazed by your results, the player will be mostly satisfied, since confidence is also an important thing in the TRLE, just as with drawing and painting. You only create what you like and what you know that will be good.

So, here you pretty much have my point of view on building. I hope it can help and inspire you in any way.


Do not post in this thread. <!>
There will be a continuation of this. so please, don't post, thankyou.

EDIT@: Can a mod move this to the tutorial section, i misplaced it by accident.