Preparations to Game Creation
From IndieGuide
Depending on your aim for the game, it is recommended to go through a structured preparation process. This is particularly advisable if you have not created games before, or if you have set a high goal for yourself (i.e. a really incredible fantastic huge game). On the other hand, if you want to make just a tiny fun game or you just want to learn more about game creation, you can jump right in - you do not really have to bother with most of the steps below.
Advice to Newcomers
Indies recommend to newbies:
- Start small and do not aim immediately for a large and complex game. There is a lot of learning involved to creating games. This is particularly true for those who are not familiar with software development.
- There are programs and kits that allow those without prior programming knowledge to quickly make games, such as Game Maker and the RPG Maker series.
Bad things that can happen to you if you don't prepare
It is noteworthy that a lack of preparation can lead to a lot of frustration and wasted effort. Here are some examples of what can happen:
- You put in a lot of effort (months!) into your game only to realize once it takes up shape, that the basic gameplay really sucks and is no fun to play whatsoever. It does not necessarily mean that you have to scrap the entire project, but maybe much of your work needs to be redone. prototype your game could save time and energy.
- After you put in a lot of effort to familiarise yourself with a certain technology, you realise that it will not do the job for your game, and you have to abandon your work and start again with another tool/technology. Not doing the job can came in plentiful shapes, here some examples:
- You want your game run on certain platforms, but you did not research the development requirements before you started. The section on Technologies and Tools has useful information on this.
- You want to do certain effects or achieve certain results with the technology, but further along in development, implementing those results becomes too difficult if not impossible without rewriting a large portion of your code base.Prototyping is not only applicable to gameplay but also to the technical side of development. Having created a Design Document also helps to have thoughts about all eventualities upfront.
- After you dived straight into coding your fantastic new idea the same night the idea had popped into your mind, you lose interest after a few days and scrap the project. Well, it is probably up to you whether it was a waste of time or not. But if you check out the Creativity section you might find a few good suggestions on working out ideas.
- You started immediately with coding, and after two or three months, you realise that you cannot pull it off, due to your lack of technical expertise, understanding of the game mechanics, or inadequate artistic skills. The Design Document might have helped you, but also Project Management and Risk Management forces you to think ahead and consider eventualities before they arise, and if dealt with early on or even before putting in effort, you still have all choices open to you.
The Main Steps of Preparation
These are the main steps on how you can prepare for your game, dealt with in dedicated sections.
