Why Most Devs Fail Without Structure (and How to Journal It)
It all started with an idea. A grand, sprawling RPG. My RPG. I saw it all: intricate lore, a compelling story, complex characters, and a world brimming with secrets. I called it “Echoes of the Ancients.”
I was going to be the next big indie success story.
I wasn’t.
The Postmortem of “Echoes of the Ancients”
What happened? Scope creep. Feature bloat. Burnout. The classic indie dev trifecta.
I jumped straight into development, fueled by pure inspiration. No plan, just passion. I added features on a whim. “Ooh, wouldn’t it be cool if the player could tame a dragon?” Sure, why not? Two weeks later, I was wrestling with dragon AI instead of building the core combat system.
I kept saying "just one more feature".
The game became a Frankenstein’s monster of half-finished systems, plagued with bugs, and utterly unplayable. My initial excitement turned into dread. My code became an incomprehensible mess.
Inspiration deserted me, leaving behind a mountain of unfinished work and a soul-crushing sense of failure. “Echoes of the Ancients” died a slow, painful death.
The biggest lesson? Pure inspiration isn’t enough. You need structure. You need a plan.
How Structure Could Have Saved Me
Imagine a different scenario. What if I’d adopted an agile workflow from the start? What if I’d kept a detailed game development log?
I could have broken down the game into smaller, manageable tasks. I could have prioritized features based on importance and feasibility. I could have avoided the dreaded scope creep.
Here’s how.
How Do You Begin Planning Your Day?
A typical workday for me now begins with a simple question: “What’s the most important thing I can accomplish today?” I use a tool like our game dev journal to note that down. It’s crucial to identify the one key task that will move the project forward. This forces me to prioritize and avoid getting bogged down in less important details. It’s also a central place to capture the day’s plan.
Incorporating Journaling into Agile Workflows
Agile development isn’t just for large teams. It’s a mindset. It’s about iterative development, constant feedback, and adapting to change. Journaling can be the perfect companion to an agile approach for solo developers.
Task Breakdown: Break down large tasks into smaller, more manageable chunks. “Implement combat” becomes “Implement basic sword attack” then "Implement enemy AI for basic melee attack". A game development log helps you track progress on each individual task. Write down estimates for each task so that you can track the accuracy of your assumptions over time.
Daily/Weekly Reviews: At the end of each day (or week), review what you accomplished. What went well? What didn’t? What can you improve tomorrow? This is where a game dev journal really shines. Don’t just list what you did; reflect on how you did it. Did you get stuck on a particular problem? Why? Did you find a clever solution? Document it! These daily and weekly entries build up to an incredibly valuable knowledge base.
Retrospective Journaling: At the end of a sprint (even a personal one), take a step back and reflect on the entire process. What were the biggest challenges? What were the biggest successes? What did you learn?
This type of retrospective journaling allows you to identify patterns, learn from your mistakes, and refine your workflow over time. I wish I had implemented this earlier.
The Power of Journaling: A Safety Net When Inspiration Fades
Inspiration is fleeting. It comes and goes. Structure, on the other hand, is constant. A well-structured workflow, supported by consistent journaling, provides a safety net when inspiration wanes.
When you’re feeling uninspired, you can simply look at your task list and pick the next item. No need to wait for a brilliant idea to strike. Just keep moving forward, one small step at a time.
My current project is much smaller in scope. I use our game dev journal tool every day to manage my tasks, track my progress, and reflect on my decisions. It’s not just a to-do list; it’s a record of my journey, a repository of knowledge, and a source of motivation. It helps me track game development progress effectively.
A Call to Action
Don’t let your passion project become another casualty of scope creep and burnout. Embrace structure. Embrace journaling.
Start today. Use our game dev journal to implement these techniques. Track your tasks, review your progress, and reflect on your experiences. You might be surprised at how much more productive and focused you become. You’ll also start to build up a resource that can inform your future development decisions.