Thanks. That's what I meant with a professional would react to critics with explanations!JoshParnell wrote:This is perhaps why I was afraid to share information of what I'm currently doing, because I didn't want to start the "Perfectionist 3.0" debate.
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Best I can explain it at the moment
Now an advice, in private between you and me
Learn to lie
A status report need not to say what you are actually working on, if it may be misunderstood by the backers (which have no clue anyway and only see schedule and budgets). It should actually present a couple of key milestones and the advancement. As long as you judge that "AI strategic planning" improved from 30% to 70%, nobody needs to know you reached this result by playing tetris while your genetic algorithm was optimizing the AI characteristics.
My advice, with will be as costly to ignore as it was to give is therefore to select 5-10 key indicators of your game advancement, going from graphic engine, to user interface, to asset generation, to tactic/action AI, to strategic AI, to economic simulation, to mining/blueprint/manufacturing. Anything else? That would already be a stong game.
Then give all those items an advancement, from 0% = no clue how to tackle the problem, to 90% = ready for beta, via some intermediate status like 30% = concepts in place, 60% first rough implementation.
Then every 2-3 monthes you issue a 10-liner post with the status of your key indicators. Be modest, so you keep option to increase next time even if you spent more time on tetris again...
Makes for a simple life for you, and for happy campers by your stakeholders.