Thinking is Doing
A few days ago I had all intent to add the combat system to my platform fighter game, but somehow, despite the effort, ended the workday with nothing to show. There was no lack of trying, I started multiple times, but each system was deeply flawed and destined for abandonment. When I finally got up from my desk I still had no real plan for combat.
The problem lingered into the night. I tried not to think about it while cooking dinner and showering and laying down to sleep. I had one of those weird dreams you get when focusing on a singular thing for far too long, a hazy cycle of hitboxes and blood and parries and knockdowns.
In the morning, somewhat rested, combat remained elusive. I had a to-do list of housework, and decided to tackle that before opening my code editor. Brain partly occupied by chores, my thoughts occasionally returned to pixelated samurai slashing at each other with swords.
While stewing on the problem and scrubbing dishes, my subconscious bubbled up the core of a solution: I had been trying to find a way to add combat into the existing game systems, but instead I should create a new system that is solely responsible for combat. Such a simple thought feels too silly to be a breakthrough, but the realization completely broke through my mental block.
Rather than rushing back to my desk, I took my dogs for a long walk and kept thinking. The combat system solidified from a kernel of an idea into a considered plan. When we arrived back home I knew exactly what code I needed to write, and within a couple of hours I had samurai slashing and blocking and tackling one another.
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I have never solved a seemingly intractable issue by fiddling in my code editor, yet I still wasted a whole day trying anyway. The sensation of progress is hard to walk away from, even when you know it is a lie.
Thinking was the doing. This journey is a good reminder to think more and type less; not because I give less time to typing, but because I have less to type after considering more possibilities.
The next time you find yourself thrashing around in your editor, step away from the desk and take a walk. I am confident that you will come back with a better understanding. And don’t worry, that walk still counts as working.
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Curious about this samurai fighting game? Come hang out at twitch.tv/lefthand_larrry where we stream development five days a week!