A Concern -- HG

Thoughts from HG about Line Rider, Life, and Maybe Some Thoughts of Yours.

A Confusing And Hectic Sample of My Thoughts At The Moment.





I'm concerned.

It's not about the constant "death" of people that have grown up and moved out and done something else with their lives other than line rider.

It's not about how we can get more people to enjoy the toy that we have been so hopelessly addicted to ever since we laid eyes on this dang thing.








It's about perfection.

Well, not really, but just the constant pursuit of perfection.

And some problems that I have with it.

Because we all want to be great in some way at something we do.








For me, it's Line Rider.

"So why haven't I released a track yet?" I ask myself just about every other second of whatever day I happen to be living in.

"Why, if I'm so concerned about everyone liking my tracks, don't I just put them out and take criticisms and do better, because that's the way to do it."

And it is.




So why don't I?

I'm not quite sure myself.




But whenever I get stuck, I seem to think that the remedy is not to watch a load of tracks and think about what I can do better and put on some music and do it.

I mope about whatever it is that I did wrong, find a coffin, and bury the pile of lines, no matter how far in I am.

I think it has to do, however with the aforementioned perfection, and how I picture things to be.

I often dream about making a track that I can not just see, but feel. I feel the emotion inherent in the track and enjoy it, every last bit. I revel in the scale and majesty and funness that is my track.

And I don't mind whatever it is that others think whenever I dream of releasing such a fiction

No matter what I do, I can't live up to my own expectations. And I don't think it comes down to what you guys like. I'm sure you're fine with the way my tracks are.

It comes down to how I like it. And whatever doubts I have relating to the track I happen to currently be making taint my vision of what it could be. The more I play it over and over again, the more I notice the tiny things.

Like the slowdown in point B where it should keep the speed of point A, and where the tricks aren't quite the same in point C, and lose the flow very slightly.

All of that I notice. And I try not to. But I need to keep the feel of the track, so I play it again regardless.




So I start a new track.

"But it certainly isn't a new one," I say.

"Just a brief relaxation period where I can pull my thoughts together and carry on with whatever it was that I was doing a moment ago."

And I'm still depressed for a while as I work away on something that certainly won't be a new track.




Until I find a trick that is just irresistably fun.

And I'm inspired again. And what's the harm in continuing this tidbit to find more inspiration?

And so the process starts again.

And I don't know how to stop it.

I find myself a bit weak-willed when I try to plug away at whatever it is I'm making, because I come to hate it even more than I did when uninspired!




And when I do something silly "for fun," I also happen to hate what I make because it isn't what I'm capable of.

Well, as it turns out, what I'm capable of is going absolutely nowhere.

And so it happens that on this day, I was doing almost exactly the same thing.

I realized this and almost started sobbing into my keyboard, finally figuring out just how petty I was.


--HG

My new years resolution: finish reading this before next fall.

hahahahahahhahaha

dude i've been playing LR since it came out and i still suck arse. get over yourself and stop looking for pity.

^ jerks.

I think this might be helpful. Neil Gaiman's 8 Rules for Writing Fiction.

1 Write.

2 Put one word after another. Find the right word, put it down.

3 Finish what you're writing. Whatever you have to do to finish it, finish it.

4 Put it aside. Read it pretending you've never read it before. Show it to friends whose opinion you respect and who like the kind of thing that this is.

5 Remember: when people tell you something's wrong or doesn't work for them, they are almost always right. When they tell you exactly what they think is wrong and how to fix it, they are almost always wrong.

6 Fix it. Remember that, sooner or later, before it ever reaches perfection, you will have to let it go and move on and start to write the next thing. Perfection is like chasing the horizon. Keep moving.

7 Laugh at your own jokes.

8 The main rule of writing is that if you do it with enough assurance and confidence, you're allowed to do whatever you like. (That may be a rule for life as well as for writing. But it's definitely true for writing.) So write your story as it needs to be written. Write it ­honestly, and tell it as best you can. I'm not sure that there are any other rules. Not ones that matter.

Let me adapt this to Line Rider.

1 Draw Lines.

2 Put one line down after another. Find a line, put it down.

3 Finish your track. Whatever you have to do to finish it, finish it.

4 Put it aside. Watch it pretending you've never seen it before. Show it to trackmakers whose opinion you respect and who like the kind of thing that it is.

5 Remember: when people tell you something's odd or doesn't work for them, they are almost always right. When they tell you exactly what they think is wrong and how to fix it, they are almost always wrong.

6 Make another track. Remember that you can't change an existing track. You will have to let it go and move on and make the next track. Perfection is like chasing the horizon. Keep moving.

7 Appreciate your own tricks.

8 The main rule of trackmaking is that if you do it with enough assurance and confidence, you're allowed to do whatever you like. (That may be a rule for life as well as for trackmaking. But it's definitely true for trackmaking.) So make your track as it needs to be made. Make it ­honestly, and make it as best you can. I'm not sure that there are any other rules. Not ones that matter.


I would also add this one: Take a break while you're on a roll, so you'll be excited when you come back. If you're stuck, set an amount of time for yourself that you will work on it that day, and then quit then no matter what, and then come back the next day and do it again.

JoaTrades wrote:My new years resolution: finish reading this before next fall.

I got lost halfway through and had to send out a flare. Don't feel alone.

darklight wrote:hahahahahahhahaha

dude i've been playing LR since it came out and i still suck arse. get over yourself and stop looking for pity.

I wasn't looking for pity.

Just looking for help.

rabid squirrel wrote:^ jerks.

I think this might be helpful. Neil Gaiman's 8 Rules for Writing Fiction.

1 Write.

2 Put one word after another. Find the right word, put it down.

3 Finish what you're writing. Whatever you have to do to finish it, finish it.

4 Put it aside. Read it pretending you've never read it before. Show it to friends whose opinion you respect and who like the kind of thing that this is.

5 Remember: when people tell you something's wrong or doesn't work for them, they are almost always right. When they tell you exactly what they think is wrong and how to fix it, they are almost always wrong.

6 Fix it. Remember that, sooner or later, before it ever reaches perfection, you will have to let it go and move on and start to write the next thing. Perfection is like chasing the horizon. Keep moving.

7 Laugh at your own jokes.

8 The main rule of writing is that if you do it with enough assurance and confidence, you're allowed to do whatever you like. (That may be a rule for life as well as for writing. But it's definitely true for writing.) So write your story as it needs to be written. Write it ­honestly, and tell it as best you can. I'm not sure that there are any other rules. Not ones that matter.

Let me adapt this to Line Rider.

1 Draw Lines.

2 Put one line down after another. Find a line, put it down.

3 Finish your track. Whatever you have to do to finish it, finish it.

4 Put it aside. Watch it pretending you've never seen it before. Show it to trackmakers whose opinion you respect and who like the kind of thing that it is.

5 Remember: when people tell you something's odd or doesn't work for them, they are almost always right. When they tell you exactly what they think is wrong and how to fix it, they are almost always wrong.

6 Make another track. Remember that you can't change an existing track. You will have to let it go and move on and make the next track. Perfection is like chasing the horizon. Keep moving.

7 Appreciate your own tricks.

8 The main rule of trackmaking is that if you do it with enough assurance and confidence, you're allowed to do whatever you like. (That may be a rule for life as well as for trackmaking. But it's definitely true for trackmaking.) So make your track as it needs to be made. Make it ­honestly, and make it as best you can. I'm not sure that there are any other rules. Not ones that matter.


I would also add this one: Take a break while you're on a roll, so you'll be excited when you come back. If you're stuck, set an amount of time for yourself that you will work on it that day, and then quit then no matter what, and then come back the next day and do it again.

Ohai Rabid. Wow. Thanks. This is exactly what I was looking for.

that actually helped me to rabid