Failing Faster

Hello friends! I hope you had a wonderful week. I’ve been busy rebuilding the Potion Making Station from the ground up. It’s frustrating to realize that essentially a month’s worth of work is now obsolete, but in the long run, this was the better decision. I’m much happier with the way the artwork looks and feels, and I prefer how the game will function with these changes. Ironically, the new artwork came together more quickly and easily than before. Inspiration hit faster, and the process of drawing flowed more smoothly. Part of that was due to a burst of creative clarity, so instead of staring into the void and forcing things that didn’t fit, everything fell into place naturally. Much like the greenhouse, which took forever to conceptualize but only hours to finalize once the vision was clear, this piece of the puzzle finally clicked.

As I started integrating the new artwork into the engine, it became clear how much new code I would have to write. Essentially, everything from the original version has to be scrapped. While daunting, this allows me to rebuild things in a completely different and more effective way. Originally, I avoided using a second camera for the map because it seemed complicated and difficult to implement. Instead, I relied on the transform property to manipulate the map. That worked fine at first, but as I began adding elements, the performance issues became undeniable. It was clear things weren’t functioning the way I wanted, and I had made a mistake.

That realization brings me to the heart of today’s message. Before I started building this game, I was terrified of making mistakes. I obsessed over learning the “right” way to design something—how to make it fast, modular, and perfectly planned. Ironically, that obsession only led to procrastination and a failure to get started. But here’s the thing: progress requires action, even if it’s imperfect. Sometimes we have to take a leap of faith, dive in, and trust that we’ll learn to swim as we go.

The lesson here is that mistakes are not setbacks—they’re stepping stones. Each wrong turn or flawed approach teaches us what doesn’t work and brings us closer to what does. Creative processes, like life itself, aren’t about flawless execution but about persistence and adaptability. The things that challenge us often lead to the most rewarding breakthroughs. So, if you’re holding back, afraid of getting it wrong, just remember—mistakes are part of the journey, not the end of it. Keep moving forward. You’ll get there.

I haven’t finished the interior of the map area, but here’s the new cauldron/pot, a grinder instead of a mortar and pestle, and the new distiller. I’m still going to refine the console area further but this is essentially what it’ll look like.