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I think I found it, the one ability you need in order to be successful at animating (or making games for that matter): Being able to look past the piece of crap that's on your stage at the moment and see what it can be become. Nothing is more destructive than looking at what you've worked so hard on the last few hours and realizing it looks like shit. Now, being able to see the possibilities in that piece of shit isn't that easy, it requires a somewhat creative imagination. But once you've put yourself past that 'This looks like vomit, I'm gonna play some videogames' mentality and pushed through with that piece of shit and actually managed to turn it into something beautiful a couple of times, you start to realize it is true.

So yeah, felt like sharing that bit. Don't hesitate to leave some tips in the comments section.

Also a few screens from my new game:

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5 Comments

Sep. 27, 2009 | 3:41 PM CrazyChihuahua says:

Haha, so true. Had that exact thing happen to me yesterday. Thing I was doing looked like shit, however after deleting all the work and restarting it, it looks much better.

At the very least, one should be able to take some positive, like a small bit of knowledge, out of a shitty waste of time.

Sep. 28, 2009 | 12:48 PM Xeptic responds:

Yeah, sometimes it's better to stop working on something, and start anew. Else it would be like redecorating a home while you never even liked the entire building in the first place. Or something... Then again, it's hard to decide when to scrap your work and start with something fresh, intuition/experience I suppose :)

Sep. 28, 2009 | 11:59 AM Coaly says:

I think it's something that comes with creating in general. We see an image of what we want to create in our heads, but it's very hard to get reality to match up to that image as well as we want. I've had a lot of trouble with this.

Sep. 28, 2009 | 12:43 PM Xeptic responds:

Exactly! Shaping the abstract awesomeness that's in your head into something concrete is quite possibly the hardest aspect of anything creative. Point I'm trying to make is that when you just start working on something it'll never look like what you pictured in your head. It requires layers upon layers of work and refinement. At least with me it does, I hardly ever get something 'right' the first time.

While something isn't finished yet, you have to be able to not compare it with what you had in mind, or at least be able to say: 'it looks like shit, but it'll get better eventually'.

Sep. 29, 2009 | 12:50 AM CrazyChihuahua says:

Your response to Coaly sounds like the way I work. Like you, it takes lots of time to refine and to make it look decent, therefore seemingly taking much longer than others do.

I'm curious: are you comfortable with your work speed? Or do you find you work too slow for what you produce? I'm in the latter category, and wondering if I'm not the only one :P

Also, those screens tell me next to nothing as to what your game is about, but they look pretty cool.

Sep. 29, 2009 | 4:08 AM Xeptic responds:

I'm not the fastest worker, I do work a lot but I spend most time nitpicking on all sorts of small details.

The screens are from the intro, I'll post some in-game screens in a few days I think.

Oct. 1, 2009 | 5:33 PM K-Guare says:

Informal comment: the screenshots
from your game look nice. :]

Oct. 1, 2009 | 5:35 PM Xeptic responds:

I thank you kindly :D

Oct. 17, 2009 | 10:44 AM PBass says:

That's really good insight. Also very inspiring! Bravo