I haven’t individually replied, but I feel for most of this. I like mapping early, then late game I’m just like oh god why. So aside from editing less then 25% of the map, in my 18chapter hack, 11 of them aren’t my own maps. (mostly zoramine and flasuban thank y’all).
Also I like looking at maps, and unless I have the maps already planned out (no events or enemies), for the next 2-3 chapters I just don’t want to do anything.
Writing is my favorite part of making a hack, period. I became so fed up with having to make a map before I could go on writing that from probably Chapter 15 on, I put everything else on halt in order to make all of the rest of the maps. By that time, I had an outline of the basic features and story points of each chapter jotted down in a notebook, and I went from there to make all of the rest of the maps. The main benefit that I got from that was I had maps of lategame areas to put on screen in story events where I was showing the bad guys.
That being said, sometimes my biggest block was having to wait to make certain things. As in, I have some big story moment in mind that I’m very excited to write, and I don’t feel like working on the actual point in development that I’m at.
Right now, I’m rebalancing my hack while also developing assets for a follow up to it, and part of me wants to move on to the shiny new one, but I also know that my released hack can be better (and I want people who played the first one to come back for the follow up).
Map making
Same here. I don’t have all the time or the adequate equipment to do everything I want for the day. To make matters worse…some major areas I cannot access the extension button because my screen is smol dik.
I worry too much about how many would like my game, though I understand I can’t please everybody…
Having too many ideas of stuff to add and getting drowned in them
I think my biggest block at the moment is a combination of being busy with other things (Including other hobbies), having received no feedback on my latest release, and the fact that the next chapter is a much bigger project than any chapter I have done so far.
Writing dialogue is the one thing I haven’t been able to get a start on yet. I’m quite not sure where to begin with writing but I suppose the best thing to do is give it a go and see how it turns out.
I’ve been redesigning a map I’d already finished previously, and it’s taking ages to get right, inching barely closer every time I make changes in a way that feels like it’ll go on forever. Starts to become hard to motivate myself to willing hop back in the game design meat grinder after so many hours.
Having so many ideas that nothing gets done. I’m an idea guy.
ooh I feel this one big time, working on your hack can definitely be tough when no one gives you solid feedback, hopefully this years FEE3 can help bring some diamonds in the rough into the spotlight
wanting to do x, getting stuck, move on to y, get stuck, repeat ad nauseam
got stuck on writing, then wanted to fix up some midi and got stuck, now doing some custom graphics stuff and hhdhghghghg
getting massive blocks while nagging to myself that i also need to make the fee3 presentation in a month is not very good no
It is definitely tough! I have entered my game into FEE3 though so I am hopeful! 
I’m facing a bug where killing all units results in a chapter over despite it not being the goal of the chapter (on multiple chapters). I don’t think it’ll be that bad of a bug to fix if I put the time into it, but lack of motivation and general life business with school and other coding aspirations is making it hard to sit down and work it out. Sad I couldn’t submit to this year’s FEE3 but I still lurk in the community from time-to-time. Hopefully I can get back into it soon
Balancing the project
I feel ya. It was a sacrifice to put off Summoner as a Shaman promotion.
Another thing that is a big one to me: balancing generics around auto-growths. I’d have to remember that it affects both sides.
Going deep enough into the edge to think of new unit ideas… while trying not to listen to Green Day instead while procrastinating.
Like jellyunicorn said, wanting to do X, doing Y instead, then Z, then A, and so on. Rinse and repeat.
Onto the next chapter. Story idea is laid out, but need to make a map and don’t feel like it. Start writing/editing supports instead. Notice issues with a sprite, proceed to fix. Remake the character’s sprite entirely to recycle the previous one as another character idea. Because reasons. Song playing in support screen has volume mix a bit off, try to adjust.
I’ll have something I’m happy with to release eventually, probably… I swear!
Splicing Portrait’s, THERE’S, SO, MANY, VANILLA, PORTRAIT’S, TO, CHOOSE, FROM, I get stuck!