I got a great little space game framework here. I got a universe that generates solar systems. The solar systems generate planet. The planets that generate terrain. I got dynamically spawning ships with interiors that player characters can wander around in.
Yet, often when I work on a game, I get a sense that there's a certain something missing that's hard to put my finger on. The game might be capable of doing some pretty cool stuff, but there's something indispensable missing that I simply do not want to release the game unless it's done.
I think I might have figured out what was missing: I want the game to be fun. However, "fun" doesn't come with a complete application design. You can have a technically faultless computer game that is about as fun as doing your taxes.
What's lacking from this project is a real cohesive idea of the kind of experience I'm looking to present the player. I've got the place it takes place in, but I can't decide if this is a single cahracter RPG, a squad-based tactical combat game, a world building game, a 4X space game, or a mixture thereof. Until I figure that out, it's really no wonder I can't bring this game to completion.
That said, I don't think it's the designer or coder's hat I particularly need to worry about. I think the hat I need to think about wearing is that of the writer. Deciding on an central enjoyable experience is key.
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