Personal gamemaker checklist?

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petra

Guest
Do any of you go by a personal checklist when making a game? I don't have one, but I feel if I had some sort of guideline, I'd get things done a lot faster, so I just want to see what the pros do
something like:
  1. player movement/collision
  2. sprite creation
  3. room development
  4. menu functions
  5. ....
  6. ....
bad example, but you get the just
 

RangerX

Member
I do much more than a checklist and I think it needs much more than a checklist.
I draw level design ingredients, draw sequences, and a general plan for each zone (level) before starting to construct them. You need to have all your game rules and mechanics down before coding too imo.
Heck you could go all professional and pull out a full game design document before starting and even estimating the time and cost to make the game.
Depends how much care and thought you want to put in the project I guess.
 
P

petra

Guest
I do much more than a checklist and I think it needs much more than a checklist.
I draw level design ingredients, draw sequences, and a general plan for each zone (level) before starting to construct them. You need to have all your game rules and mechanics down before coding too imo.
Heck you could go all professional and pull out a full game design document before starting and even estimating the time and cost to make the game.
Depends how much care and thought you want to put in the project I guess.
Wow, this is an amazing approach! I generalize my ideas far too much, and It would definitely help if I had notes that delved into specifics. Thanks so much for the insight!
 
E

Etredal

Guest
So i use github with different projects (if u dont know what that is its just like seperate checklists) for everything. And github has features like "issues" to keep track of bugs.

Here is my current issue list:
  • Lantern wrong depth
    #8 opened 17 hours ago by etredal

  • Shines don't light up sometimes
    #7 opened 17 hours ago by etredal

  • Ember solid issue
    #6 opened 17 hours ago by etredal


  • Light shines through walls bug
    #4 opened 3 days ago by etredal

  • .txt save easy to change enhancement
    #1 opened 4 days ago by etredal
 
P

petra

Guest
So i use github with different projects (if u dont know what that is its just like seperate checklists) for everything. And github has features like "issues" to keep track of bugs.

Here is my current issue list:
  • Lantern wrong depth
    #8 opened 17 hours ago by etredal

  • Shines don't light up sometimes
    #7 opened 17 hours ago by etredal

  • Ember solid issue
    #6 opened 17 hours ago by etredal


  • Light shines through walls bug
    #4 opened 3 days ago by etredal

  • .txt save easy to change enhancement
    #1 opened 4 days ago by etredal
I've never heard of GitHub before, I'll have to check it out. That sounds exactly like what I need, thank you!
 
N

Never Mind

Guest
GitHub is great for hosting / organizing large projects and helps with version control. I'm working with a team of four developing a Web App, and GitHub is basically a requirement for staying organized.

I challenge you to compare game development to other creative processes.
For example, writing a book.
The Lord of the Rings probably took stacks of thousands of extra papers, concepts, drafts and resources eventually getting edited down into the trilogy we see today.
On the other hand a comic book like Charlie Brown
may or may not have take a great deal of organization, but is still great. Compare children's books to online puzzle games.
So I think it depends what the game is.. and that depends on what you enjoy playing.
How does game development compare to organizing film / animation projects?

When I make music I tend to focus more on sound design and effects first, then chords and melodies second. But that's just one of my tendencies.
My favorite paintings I've made are usually improvised based off a few initial random strokes on the canvas. However sometimes I imagine a detailed scene in my head and try to stick with it.

Every good game starts in a different place and takes a different path.
I don't think great projects are always going to let you fully wrap your head around them before they're done.
The most important part to me is enjoying what I'm doing, and giving myself a few small goals each day.

I think that's why I like programmers so much, we have the ability to transition between the big picture, and focusing in on little corner for a day.
If your getting bogged down by the big picture right now, try focusing on the fun parts of the project for a while and see where it takes you.
 
P

petra

Guest
GitHub is great for hosting / organizing large projects and helps with version control. I'm working with a team of four developing a Web App, and GitHub is basically a requirement for staying organized.

I challenge you to compare game development to other creative processes.
For example, writing a book.
The Lord of the Rings probably took stacks of thousands of extra papers, concepts, drafts and resources eventually getting edited down into the trilogy we see today.
On the other hand a comic book like Charlie Brown
may or may not have take a great deal of organization, but is still great. Compare children's books to online puzzle games.
So I think it depends what the game is.. and that depends on what you enjoy playing.
How does game development compare to organizing film / animation projects?

When I make music I tend to focus more on sound design and effects first, then chords and melodies second. But that's just one of my tendencies.
My favorite paintings I've made are usually improvised based off a few initial random strokes on the canvas. However sometimes I imagine a detailed scene in my head and try to stick with it.

Every good game starts in a different place and takes a different path.
I don't think great projects are always going to let you fully wrap your head around them before they're done.
The most important part to me is enjoying what I'm doing, and giving myself a few small goals each day.

I think that's why I like programmers so much, we have the ability to transition between the big picture, and focusing in on little corner for a day.
If your getting bogged down by the big picture right now, try focusing on the fun parts of the project for a while and see where it takes you.

This is extremely helpful! I don't think my game will be terribly complicated, as it's akin to a JRPG, but I am terrible with organization, so a project like this definitely should have some level of order. Thank you for the advice, and good luck on your project!
 
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