Many deadlines.

By releasing unfinished versions of Bientôt l’été, I’m creating a schedule where I find myself working towards a deadline often. Right now, I’m working towards a version of the game to demo at IndieCade. This will be the third alpha release.

The difference between regular production and working towards a deadline is a difference in priorities. Certain issues, which need to be dealt with for a final release, can easily be ignored in an unfinished demo version and are thus postponed. Other features, such as controls, require a certain, perhaps premature, optimization for demo purposes.

A deadline offers an extra motivation to get things done. That sort of pressure can be good and bad. But given that the deadline is not the final deadline, one can always minimize the stress. Perhaps unduly. Multiple deadlines add to the workload and thus extend the production time. But they also stimulate. So perhaps the work is done more quickly.

I have a nagging feeling that this constant priority of a deadline is pushing me to make rash decisions that are perhaps not necessary. Every form of prioritization has its victims. And when working under time pressure, shortcuts are often taken. On a good day, it feels like the game is rapidly approaching its final state. On a bad day it feels like building a cardboard house.