Game Development Reference
In-Depth Information
Fix the issues that emerge from those testing sessions and be ready to discard any-
thing that doesn't really fit the gameplay experience you had in mind. This can be a
tough decision, especially for an element that the designer/design team have grown
attached to. A good rule of thumb is if this element is on its third go around on be-
ing fixed; cut it if it doesn't pass. By then it is taking up too much of the project's
resources.
Refine the design document as implemented features pass the tests and the test, fix,
or discard cycle is repeated on all the main features of your games, take the changes
that were implemented during prototyping and update the design document to reflect
them.
By the end of this process, you will have a design document, a document that
will be what you built for your final product. You can read an interesting article on
Gamasutra about the layout of one such document, intended for a mobile team
of developers at
http://www.gamasutra.com/blogs/JasonBakker/20090604/84211/
Please note that this does not mean there won't be more changes! Hopefully it
means there won't be any major changes, but be prepared for plenty of minor ones.
End the preproduction once you have a clear idea of what your gameplay will be and
a detailed document about what needs to be done, it is time to approach game pro-
duction by creating the programming, graphics, audio, and interface of your game.
As one works towards realization of the final product, continue using the evaluation
procedures implemented during the prototyping process. Continually ask "is this fun
for my target audience?" and don't fall into the trap of "well that's how I've always
done that". Constantly question the design, and/or its implementation. If it's fun,
leave it alone. If not, change it, no matter how late it is in the development process.
Remember, you only have one chance to make a good first impression.
When is the design really done? By now you have reached the realization that a pro-
ject is never complete, you're simply done with it. No doubt you have many things
you'd like to change, remove, or add but you've run out of time, money, or both. Make
sure all those good ideas are recorded somewhere. It is a good idea to gather the
team after release, and over snacks and refreshments capture what the team mem-
bers would change. This is good for team morale as well as a good practice to follow.
