Motivation

[XxXGenesisXxX]

I apologize if this is a bit long, but I feel deeper explanation is helpful. You can skip to the question section if you want.

-=== Back-story ===-

Basically, a while back I worked on a project that was a complete overhaul of WoW. While I was there I was the main developer, to which there really was only 2 of us working on the server consistently. When I was working on this project, I was highly motivated, because it was something I really enjoyed doing. Some days I would spend over 18 hours on it if I felt like it.

Anyway, this went on for a few months of countless hours of development. Eventually I got to the point, where everything felt like an obligation. I was no longer modding for the sake of enjoying it. I tried many things to help re-motivate myself, including teach people to do some of my jobs so in the long run I would have to do less work. By the end of it, things worked, but not enough to make me enjoy myself. I ended up just procrastinating, I couldn't force myself to do the work. It got the point where I felt I was more a hindrance than a help, because people would have to wait for me to do something they couldn't, meaning their production was dependent on my effort. So, I decided to resign, with the option of returning when I felt like it.

I watched the server progress for a little while, but never felt the want to mod, even on home servers for testing. Eventually the owner gave up on the server and it died out.

After that I followed some other projects, had a couple offers to do work or join them, however I still could not muster up the want to do the modding, and with that I declined nearly anything that came my way. I came to the realization, that anything further than opinions and advice, I wasn't going to be up for.

-=== Present ===-

Now, while this whole time I have been neglecting something I used to enjoy, I was fully aware of that note. I used to really enjoy modding. I still enjoy programming/scripting/modding other games etc... But for some reason I am struggling with WoW. But knowing how much I enjoyed WoW modding, makes me want to get back into it. However I am at a constant battle with motivation. The best way to explain this is with a simple 0-10 scale representing when I feel burnt out on modding.

When I used to mod, I would need to reach 10/10 for work load to feel burnt out of modding. Now it seems, it's only at like a 3/10, and each time I mod my threshold gets lower.

-=== Question ===-

I want to reverse this burnt out threshold point. I want to be able to do large amounts of modding again, I want to enjoy WoW-modding again. But I need suggestions on how to retain motivation, or how to get myself re-enthused.

So my question is, what do you guys do to retain your motivation? And what do you think I should do?



-=== Thank you for the effort if you actually read the whole thing ===-

[schlumpf]

We have section and paragraph tags. Use them instead if ASCII art.

[ProfVice]

To get new Motivation, i use 2 things.

1. I make an MPQ with my Worldbuild, start my Local Server go Ingame and make a little sight seeing in my new World, thats makes me so happy to see what i have finished after a year of Modding and after this i start Noggit and work again on it.

2. I make some Images of the World, Post it to friends and they motivate me

(sry for bad english)

[Steff]

yea thats a big problem with modding or creating an mmo.
You will never get it done alone because it is simple to much work to do.
But it frustrates to know that you build stuff for the trashcan.
Yea its nice to build and get feedback and see it ingame.
But the bad feeling from deep inside stay.

I did worthless and useless work... if it will never be part of an running server.

Thats why i spend so much time with modcraft, tutorials and coding/testing tools.
To get our stuff online we need a team A bunch of people like you and me. Loving the modding work and knowing that it is much to do t get stuff finished.

Thats why I created Maruum. A project to work together, create own stuff with own idea and help each other in team to merge it all together to a playable and lifing server.

It coast mbe a long run. Over 2 years no one seams to understand and like the idea. All said cool, nice or awsome. But instead jumping in and helping, they wish me good luck and start own stuff they never finished.

Fortunately thisre changed in the last month. We a now over 20 people in team and we make huge progress.
In the moment we have to fight against other problems then to less members.

Management. The second problem big projects can fail on beside to less people. How to organice stuff, define and manage the jobs. Or even how to collect quests with 5 men story team. How to document that tech team can integrate. and so on

But i think we getting better every day. People have idea and structures getting better.

Also this situation is not easy, becaus you do so much stuff just needed for management and dont have much time to build. But I have a final goal now and it will lead to an running server.

So again i wont to invite everyone to this project.

If you want to know more just chat me on.
Together we can make it.

[relaxok]

So my question is, what do you guys do to retain your motivation?

I have struggled with this.  I'm a very obsessive person easily prone to fits of going all in and doing nothing but code for weeks.. But the come down from burn out is very strong.  It's almost a depressed feeling where you wonder why something that you enjoyed so much is feeling more like a chore now. I have always worked alone to avoid letting other people down, and allowed myself to take 3-6 month breaks when needed... I feel like now that anybody but me cares about what I work on, it woud be a letdown to ever break, but it might just be a necessary thing to do to keep sanity/interest/life balance.

The best thing I can say is to let yourself take a break... Creative endeavors are draining.. Try to mix it up with learning more things (modeling, code, music, whatever your interests are) because nobody can keep up the creative spark all the time.

[Shruik]

Basically, a while back I worked on a project that was a complete overhaul of WoW. While I was there I was the main developer, to which there really was only 2 of us working on the server consistently. When I was working on this project, I was highly motivated, because it was something I really enjoyed doing. Some days I would spend over 18 hours on it if I felt like it.

Anyway, this went on for a few months of countless hours of development. Eventually I got to the point, where everything felt like an obligation. I was no longer modding for the sake of enjoying it. I tried many things to help re-motivate myself, including teach people to do some of my jobs so in the long run I would have to do less work. By the end of it, things worked, but not enough to make me enjoy myself. I ended up just procrastinating, I couldn't force myself to do the work. It got the point where I felt I was more a hindrance than a help, because people would have to wait for me to do something they couldn't, meaning their production was dependent on my effort. So, I decided to resign, with the option of returning when I felt like it.

I watched the server progress for a little while, but never felt the want to mod, even on home servers for testing. Eventually the owner gave up on the server and it died out.

After that I followed some other projects, had a couple offers to do work or join them, however I still could not muster up the want to do the modding, and with that I declined nearly anything that came my way. I came to the realization, that anything further than opinions and advice, I wasn't going to be up for.

-=== Present ===-

Now, while this whole time I have been neglecting something I used to enjoy, I was fully aware of that note. I used to really enjoy modding. I still enjoy programming/scripting/modding other games etc... But for some reason I am struggling with WoW. But knowing how much I enjoyed WoW modding, makes me want to get back into it. However I am at a constant battle with motivation. The best way to explain this is with a simple 0-10 scale representing when I feel burnt out on modding.

When I used to mod, I would need to reach 10/10 for work load to feel burnt out of modding. Now it seems, it's only at like a 3/10, and each time I mod my threshold gets lower.
[...]

OT:Get out of my mind
@Topic:
 

[Solarion]

Multi-tasking.

I play League of Legends every day, I play WoW Mists of Pandaria every day ( usually just logging to check some rare pets or do my anglers dailies ), I am EGM and in-game builder on one WotLK server, I play Yu-Gi-Oh from time to time, I read tons of gaming sites ( mmo-champ, modcraft, surrender@20, wowhead, etc )

I just do what I feel like. 2 days ago I had lost my motivation to build things on that server. Yesterday it was back.

I am really passionate and excited about everything but I suffer from passion losses all the time. This is my way to deal with it.

[XxXGenesisXxX]

Thanks everyone for your replies and suggestions guys.

@ProfVice: Problem for me is most mods I make are very based on per server. As in, I have no point in making boss scripts on a server I make a custom battlegrounds game-type. If I focus on the things I can do, I get lost in what I should do.

None of my friends play WoW or have any experience in modding or game development. And posting on here, I tend to start something and not finish it, as I turn it into an obligation, as it says to me, you started something, you must finish it.

@Steff: I have considered doing some work for Maruum. But again, with my motivation I don't want to make empty promises.

@relaxok: I definitely know what you mean by that depressive state you reach. However I have taken a break, a massive break. I left the server I was on, at the end of December last year. In that time I have started a youtube channel for CoD, played hours of many other games, developed small programs and experimented with some game development. I've continued my social life, started Uni (where I learned basic modelling). So many things in between this time. But the desire is still gone. And while I'm not as much in the depressive state of I wonder why I am not in the mood, I am wondering if I can even get it back. This temporary break I started, is becoming permanent, which I don't like.

@Solarion: I do a lot of that stuff, including LoL and sometimes Yu-Gi-Oh. I play(ed) lots of CoD. I am in communities for OCE LoL and for Arma 2 and Arma 3.I used to be similar with the do what I feel like, however the feel like never is WoW modding.


@Everyone. Thanks for the suggestions, and don't take my responses as brushing it off with excuses or explanations. I am currently thinking, that perhaps delving deeper into model development might spark something. As learning something knew has always been a drive, and modelling is something I have an abundance to learn on quickly, even at a basic level.

[Steff]

@Steff: I have considered doing some work for Maruum. But again, with my motivation I don't want to make empty promises.

You claim some land and start work. If you think it has reached a level we will integrate it in next patch. And also there are then people there helping you to do the final work. Als we have teams and joblists. So if you like to do something and have time, you just took a job and make it.

And because of the claim thing, you dont do stuff FOR Maruum. You can create your own stuff and we will integrate it into world. I think own work is always more fun the predefined jobs

[Solarion]

I think you missed the point of this thread Steff. He is telling you that he cannot get motivated enough to do what you suggested. If you don't know the answer to his question, don't bother posting suggestions that are off-topic.

It won't help. You tell him to claim some land or job from the list and start working but he is telling you he gets demotivated in the middle of his work. He likes doing it but he isn't motivated enough.

[Steff]

I think you dont understand the meening of my post. But thats not bad:-)

[axel0099]

I think you missed the point of this thread Steff. He is telling you that he cannot get motivated enough to do what you suggested. If you don't know the answer to his question, don't bother posting suggestions that are off-topic.
It won't help. You tell him to claim some land or job from the list and start working but he is telling you he gets demotivated in the middle of his work. He likes doing it but he isn't motivated enough.

he would..... im can get everyone motivated
but i know the feeling. join a project, or switch a bit. write lore.

[ZxOxZ21]

I'm daily checkin' MMO-Champion, there you can see the under development things from next in-game pathces. Everytime I see a wonderful new zone, a whole new idea (For example I saw that Proving Grounds system, and I felt like doing something similiar to my server aswell before they make it live, even if I won't get my server launched til that patch will be live, I still felt like I'm doing something great).

Everytime I see something awesome from the next patch, or zones, places, areas I've never saw before I try to get in-game and check it by-self, and then I'm opennin' Noggit and trying to remake, trying to get my texturing-skills to their, and so on, after so many fails, I was able to realize how better I could get, from that point you can start to make your own zones etc.

That's motivating me.

[Skarn]

We sould really think about how to make a community and the board itself better. Maybe some new changes such as new subforum, slider with best pics of all the project to let people see the result of WoW Modding from the beginning. The biggiest problem actually is that new members often lack motivation.
P.S. Sorry for necropost.

[stoneharry]

We sould really think about how to make a community and the board itself better. Maybe some new changes such as new subforum, slider with best pics of all the project to let people see the result of WoW Modding from the beginning. The biggiest problem actually is that new members often lack motivation.
P.S. Sorry for necropost.

Shoutbox. People were a lot more active and constantly sharing stuff in the shoutbox when it existed.