Basic Game Art Concepts - Game Character Creation with Blender and Unity - page 2

Game Design Workflows
As a young field, game design has no prescribed “workflow” or “design method.” This
fact means that game studios can establish their own ways of working—within cer-
tain parameters, of course. Unless you are the rare person who can program like John
Carmack and draw like da Vinci, you will most likely be working with a team. In many
ways, this is one of the current strengths of the gaming industry: Game designers come
from all fields and all walks of life. Consequently, team members have a broad range of
influences to pull from that helps them create the best game possible.
Of course, games have to be fun. Game designers test this aspect with playtesting :
inviting people to play early versions of a video game. Typically, games may see outside
playtesters coming in at a stage of near completion known as the “beta” stage. At this
point, many of the mechanics are already set in stone and the game has its artwork added
to the engine. Because of this, some designers urge playtesting earlier in the process.
Other “set in stone” parts of the game design process involve the business end of
things. This aspect is most directly embodied in the relationship between developers and
publishers. The development team, which puts the game together, can consist of program-
mers, artists, writers, testers, producers, and composers—anyone involved in the legwork
of making the game. Publishers oversee financial affairs, legal issues, public relations, and
marketing of the game, turning it into a viable product.
Projects are often structured in milestone-based schedules, where the publisher pays
the developer in phases. These phases generally include:
Concept Concept planning, budget, and contract negotiation
Preproduction Prototypes, design documentation, sketches, and basic design
Production
“Alpha” Development Assets, levels, and early code
Beta/Quality Assurance Playtesting with outside testers, utilizing beta code, and try-
ing to reach launch or “gold” status by eliminating bugs
Gold The point where the game is ready for mass production and retail and review
copies are sent out to press
Beyond these phases, the developer has freedom to follow their own design methods
as long as their obligations to the publishers are met. This has led to several distinctive
design methods employed by studios; we'll look at some useful ones next. Try them in
your projects and mix and match as you find appropriate.
Phase-Based Design
Phase-based design is a literal interpretation of the milestone-based schedule employed
by many game publishers. It is also one of the most commonly used methodologies in the