Comments on: Design Taught in Pitfalls #2: Taking The Plunge http://www.hardydev.com/2009/11/25/design-taught-in-pitfalls-2-taking-the-plunge/ indie adventure games design, development & appreciation Tue, 07 Feb 2012 21:44:21 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.1.1 By: Ben Chandler http://www.hardydev.com/2009/11/25/design-taught-in-pitfalls-2-taking-the-plunge/comment-page-1/#comment-662 Ben Chandler Tue, 01 Dec 2009 13:24:59 +0000 http://hardydev.com/?p=3635#comment-662 "This made me laugh like a snoring bear" The best kind of laugh. Hooray! :D “This made me laugh like a snoring bear”

The best kind of laugh. Hooray! :D

]]> By: Kaworu http://www.hardydev.com/2009/11/25/design-taught-in-pitfalls-2-taking-the-plunge/comment-page-1/#comment-658 Kaworu Mon, 30 Nov 2009 10:34:37 +0000 http://hardydev.com/?p=3635#comment-658 "Starting a game is easy. It’s really easy – so easy that we often jump in before we’ve thought about it." This made me laugh like a snoring bear :) “Starting a game is easy. It’s really easy – so easy that we often jump in before we’ve thought about it.”

This made me laugh like a snoring bear :)

]]> By: Igor Hardy http://www.hardydev.com/2009/11/25/design-taught-in-pitfalls-2-taking-the-plunge/comment-page-1/#comment-649 Igor Hardy Thu, 26 Nov 2009 20:19:29 +0000 http://hardydev.com/?p=3635#comment-649 I think the best compromise for the beginning of the development process is to take the essential and most interesting features in a game and base on them a basic, playable prototype. It is supposed to already be fun to try for a few minutes. And to be honest I'm just repeating what I've read in this excellent article here: http://www.gamasutra.com/features/20051026/gabler_02.shtml Especially, the "Build The Toy First" advice speaks to me. I think the best compromise for the beginning of the development process is to take the essential and most interesting features in a game and base on them a basic, playable prototype. It is supposed to already be fun to try for a few minutes.

And to be honest I’m just repeating what I’ve read in this excellent article here: http://www.gamasutra.com/features/20051026/gabler_02.shtml

Especially, the “Build The Toy First” advice speaks to me.

]]> By: Ben Chandler http://www.hardydev.com/2009/11/25/design-taught-in-pitfalls-2-taking-the-plunge/comment-page-1/#comment-645 Ben Chandler Wed, 25 Nov 2009 21:20:57 +0000 http://hardydev.com/?p=3635#comment-645 Heh, hard to completely disagree or agree when I've covered both sides of the debate. I agree it's very useful to check if your crazy ideas work first before you get 10 rooms in and go "Oh, hang on a minute, I might have to redo all of this" - nobody likes reworking more than they have to. However, I have also seen countless projects die because they weren't even slightly playable after weeks of work (being able to walk around in an adventure game or rpg doesn't count as 'playable' unless you're building a walking simulator). If you still can't play even a bit of the game you've been working on and you're several weeks in, it's going to be hard to stay motivated. Perhaps it's more a question of ensuring your ambition matches your capabilities, then. As I said at the start of the first section, I feel that finding the right balance is the key, so I guess if something is beyond your limitations as a scripter then I'd suggest getting rid of it, changing it or getting help with it. Thanks for bringing up that point! Heh, hard to completely disagree or agree when I’ve covered both sides of the debate.

I agree it’s very useful to check if your crazy ideas work first before you get 10 rooms in and go “Oh, hang on a minute, I might have to redo all of this” – nobody likes reworking more than they have to.

However, I have also seen countless projects die because they weren’t even slightly playable after weeks of work (being able to walk around in an adventure game or rpg doesn’t count as ‘playable’ unless you’re building a walking simulator). If you still can’t play even a bit of the game you’ve been working on and you’re several weeks in, it’s going to be hard to stay motivated.

Perhaps it’s more a question of ensuring your ambition matches your capabilities, then. As I said at the start of the first section, I feel that finding the right balance is the key, so I guess if something is beyond your limitations as a scripter then I’d suggest getting rid of it, changing it or getting help with it.

Thanks for bringing up that point!

]]> By: Joshua Nuernberger http://www.hardydev.com/2009/11/25/design-taught-in-pitfalls-2-taking-the-plunge/comment-page-1/#comment-644 Joshua Nuernberger Wed, 25 Nov 2009 18:23:21 +0000 http://hardydev.com/?p=3635#comment-644 Nice post. I slightly (disagree? agree?) with your second point about innovation. I find it useful to push/script/test-out the innovative mechanic first, just so you know that it will work for the rest of the game. I try to always get a one-room demo fully playable with every feature I want in a game before I embark on the long development journey. That way if the feature you wanted doesn't work initially, you won't spend time later scrapping and reworking parts of the game that depended on it. Nice post.

I slightly (disagree? agree?) with your second point about innovation. I find it useful to push/script/test-out the innovative mechanic first, just so you know that it will work for the rest of the game. I try to always get a one-room demo fully playable with every feature I want in a game before I embark on the long development journey. That way if the feature you wanted doesn’t work initially, you won’t spend time later scrapping and reworking parts of the game that depended on it.

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