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[Nadaka]

I have a problem. Since I have started coding professionally I can not seem to find the time, energy and motivation to complete any of my personal projects. Some of these have been on hold for literally years. Since then I have moved, worked, moved, worked and basically been struggling to find any kind free time at all. And those few times I do have time, all i can do is decompress.

My DiceBox project (http://www.nadaka.us/DiceBoxDB.asp) was one of the only things I managed to finish and publish. But it was not secure against spammers/malicious script and has been out of operation for about 2 years. I have done a lot of work to fix its issues and produce something nice and shiny using asp.net 3. Web services, ajax, user validation to keep spammers out, freeform data entry using compiler methods allowing for complex expressions, statistical reports, components for use on other websites, etc. But I just have not found motivation to finish it up.

I had a star system generation system  (http://www.nadaka.us/publish.zip) I produced in 2 weeks to learn vb.net towards the end of college because it vb.net was in the design parameters for our proposal project for the Red Cross. I have been meaning to clean it up and port it to java since then because it has some pretty nifty orbital and physics modeling I wanted to expand on, and have made almost no progress.

I also have my d20 modern NPC character generator (http://www.nadaka.us/ModernNPC.asp) that is again, still unfinished and on hold.

I have a really interesting idea for a civilization simulator I have called Archipelago. It is basically similar to dwarf fortress world gen mode where it non-interactively creates civilizations and generates their histories of exploration, conquest, etc. I've researched procedural terrain generation and even implemented a few bit map generators but have not actually started to produce anything at all.

So here is the thing. My fiance is going back to Mississippi for the week, so I might be able to get some small amount of free time. I have decided that instead of playing with other peoples games/programs I need to do something with my own. I am going to put a lot of effort into the DiceBox, but after that? I still feel lost and directionless.

update: dice box is up and running again. Not quite polished off, but I think it is ready for people to check out.

[Outcast Orange]

I really liked the Archipelago idea, and I'd like to see more in that front.

I love programming procedural things,
 and I'm glad that my first major project is written this way.
You should stick with that sort of thing, as it is most interesting to work on.
I'd like to see someone else working on a nice little world simulation,
 and I'd be happy to give my feedback.

Don't feel daunted by lack of time.
You can put together something great in a relatively small window of free time.

I would definitely recommend working on some sort of map generator,
 then create a real-time simulation of physics.
That is probably the most interesting and fun part of programming that I have experienced.
Nothing like throwing around different approaches until you find a working process.

[Nadaka]

I know what you mean about fun. Probably the most fun I have gotten out of this stuff is the orbital mechanics in the star system generator. In its current state, you don't really get to see it in operation, but behind the scenes all the orbital and gravitational parameters are correct (to at least Newtonian standards, though I still have a difficult to track down bug in the minimum and maximum insolation algorithms). I would point out that this is procedurally generated as well, though in its current state it doesn't use a specific seed IIRC that can regenerate the system on the fly.

Archipelago is a cool concept, and I would really like to do it. Just like everything else.

I really feel I need to get DiceBox working first more than anything else. At one point I had several hundred regular users and I feel like I abandoned them after I shut everything down due to getting spammed by bots pushing viagra, porn and malware. After that, I guess I just have to pick something and run with it.

[Supermikhail]

I still don't understand your request for the forum.
I assume that you haven't come for a game idea because here you don't have to ask for them - this place is strewn with half-baked game ideas.
If you're asking for life advice on how to move on with your own projects already in development... Well, I can say that you need dedication, you need a relaxed brain ready for work, you need inspiration probably. How about you grabbed this star system project? If I were you, I'd first seriously delve into the code to refresh my memories, then go to some place quiet, read some book, get infused with fresh ideas (I don't believe in getting inspiration on the forum, there is no atmosphere like you'd find in a book), yeah, the book probably should be awesome; then get into it. I don't believe that a week is such an immense amount of time for a bunch of projects - a new bug can always come up, and one finished project always feels better than half-a-dozen unfinished ones.

Basically, what I'm saying is that we can't decide for you which of your projects you like more, or whether you want to start a new one. I gather from your post that you are stressed and lack motivation.

[Outcast Orange]

I've given my motivational advice before, but a brief summary will follow.

Here is how I stay motivated:

I have a text document which is a list of everything I want to do on the internet/day-to-day.
There is a list of which episodes of what animes I'm currently watching,
 a list of episodes of LP's I'm watching,
 a list of flash games I still need to try,
 a list of links to fun or interesting things,
 and so forth.

There is this small section, which I have dedicated to motivational purposes.
I write myself a few commands, so I can read it later and have some direction.

For instance, I kept putting off learning C++ for weeks,
 but I kept coming back to it, day after day.
Here's a paraphrase of what the text said:

"You have to learn C++. It isn't that hard. We could make the world!"

I feel power from that sentence even now.
If I thought that there was something standing in the way of progress on my game,
 that line would press me through any barrier.

Just in case you were wondering, here is the current text:

    "The waterplates need to stop pouring when they aren't there.
    The creatures are depending on you to make them more interesting.
    Don't let them down."

That might not work for everyone,
 but it works for me, and I'm glad to have come across the method,
 as now I can stick to things, and no longer run free and lazy.

[Supermikhail]

Motivational advice

Woe to me, for the random fits of depression caused by aspects of human communication and Freudian problems.
Anyway, a really sound advice, that's what I call devotion but here it is even backed up by papers!

I've given my motivational advice before, but a brief summary will follow.
 a list of episodes of LP's I'm watching,

Wait, what? I thought, even without a text document that happened quite fluidly...

[alway]

Motivational advice

Woe to me, for the random fits of depression caused by aspects of human communication and Freudian problems.
Anyway, how do you, guys, do these crazy pointers and references, especially in custom classes?

Trial and error of course.

Code: [Select]

writeProgram(program);
while(program.crash==true)
{
fixBugs(program);
compile(program);
}
As for motivation, you must never compare your efforts to those of a proffessional dev team, as your results will pretty much always pale in comparison. You have to do it for the fun of the challenge and the process or not do it at all. Oh, and folk metal helps a lot. 

[Outcast Orange]

Are you guys being malicious?
I can't tell.

I,
 like,
 commas,
 and,
 newline,
 characters.

And I've developed an allergy to pointers.

Also, what is the point of making bug fixes to a program like mine,
 where things change drastically between versions?
Since there are so many possible causes of each crash,
 it just doesn't seem worth it.

Anyways, yeah, a list is the most convenient way
 to keep track of where I am in like fifteen different Let's Plays.

[Nadaka]

Motivational advice

Woe to me, for the random fits of depression caused by aspects of human communication and Freudian problems.
Anyway, how do you, guys, do these crazy pointers and references, especially in custom classes?

Trial and error of course.

Code: [Select]

writeProgram(program);
while(program.crash==true)
{
fixBugs(program);
compile(program);
}
As for motivation, you must never compare your efforts to those of a proffessional dev team, as your results will pretty much always pale in comparison. You have to do it for the fun of the challenge and the process or not do it at all. Oh, and folk metal helps a lot. 

See, there is a problem right there. I AM a professional dev team. I have two degrees in CS and work as a contractor for the US Department of Defense. I have programmed for fun since I was 8 years old. Since I have started being a professional, my ability to produce work for my "fun" projects has dropped to near zero. And the amount of fun I have gotten out of that work has also dropped.

[Outcast Orange]

Ouch.

Sounds harsh.

[Servant Corps]

Stick with Archipelago. I like the concept of generating histories.

Oh, and I played through that Armillido Genetics game. Also interesting.

[Nadaka]

Crap... The best laid plans... I am probably going to have to pull a couple 60+ hour work weeks on air force junk. I have 3 weeks to do about 5 weeks of work.

On the plus side, I spent most of sunday and monday after work on the dicebox. Making progress, I can probably squeeze it out IF I can find another 15 to 20 hours of free time.

[Nadaka]

It is late and not quite all that I was hoping for. But I have finally gotten my dicebox back up and running.

http://www.nadaka.us/DiceBox/Info.aspx

You can select different styles on the Preferences page. Gray and Blue are relatively low key and spartan, Black uses background images but looks like crap and needs a lot of work. The Drop Down Menu feature won't work on IE 7 or older, but it has been tested in firefox, safari, opera and chrome.
You can use most of the site without getting a login.
Leaving comments, dealing with groups and viewing the AccessKey (AccessKey is required to use groups and comments over the web service) requires logging in.

What is left to do here:
finish security: right now, unsanitary html inputs produce an ugly error but are safe, unsanitary sql inputs are escaped.
Finish implementing group membership: groups are controlled by the users, a groups can be invite only, authorization upon request or free for all. A groups owner can assign members administrative powers allowing them to control group membership, etc.
Provide a nice directions page.
Provide a statistics page: The statistics page will be able to collate data from dicebox usage and create hourly, dayly, weekly, etc reports, most popular groups, most common dice rolls, etc.
More/Better styles.

If anyone checks it out, let me know what you think.

[Rotten]

Well, I tried it
What supposed to go in the 'expression' field? 'Test' didn't work, and I couldn't roll without one.

[Nadaka]

There are two sets of fields that can be used to make a roll.

Expression + Submit Expression Button

Or the 3 below ([number of dice]d[size of dice]+[add to dice]) with the Submit Classic Button.

Expression is a string conforming to the grammar defined on Info page. You can enter something like "4d6" or "1d20+5" and it will roll it. However, you also have the option of inputting more advanced expressions like "(1d6)d6", "1d20+2d8". You can also lets roll expressions that result in lists of values like "4*1d6" or "1d20,1d20,2d6,d26". The options are very open.

Using the "classic" mode you can enter integers in the number of dice, size of dice and add to dice fields.

Would it make more sense If I split the page in two or more clearly separated them?