Just wondering. Clickteam apps make it very easy to dive in and make stuff up as you go along, but how many of you guys actually plan your games on paper first?
The most I've done in the past is written down some alterable values etc, but I'm making more of an effort with this one I'm working on now.
I just mull it over in my brainsocket first. I keep important values, qualifiers etc all jotted down in sketchbooks and keep some todo lists plastered over my computer.
Handed in loads of my sketchbooks for uni and forgot to pick them back up again binned they'll be.
I pen down different programming approaches and important story points with sketchy design ideas in a notebook.
When I've decided upon things I write it down in an "official dev-doc" on my computer.
When I plan a level based game, I usually write down all the level theme ideas I get.
Also, for the story based games, I make sketches of the map and plan the lore and stuff.
I also often mark things that need to be done and 'rank' them for how easy they are to be done, usually with smilies.
I use tons of graph paper while designing Metroidvania styled games; I've played far too many klik games in that style in which the level layout defied the laws of physics. (Metroid: The Egg Hunt was a great example of this) and it ends up getting the player totally lost.
Example of what I mean
H H
HXXXXXX H
HXXXXXXXXXXXH
A game I played had two halls (XXXX) on top of each other, the top one was much shorter than the bottom; but they both ended in the same 2 vertical shafts (H's). This obviously threw me WAY off, and the whole game was like this.
I tend to design my bosses on Paper too, but the final product is usually very different from the paper design.
I tend to do what Jay does, write variables and their meanings down on paper (1 = white, 2 = red etc). Also, when I haven't got access to a computer (which is most of the time these days) I will write down and draw ideas, level design, characters and ting.
I keep track of all my flags, values etc in a notepad doc. To plan games I usually use MoonEdit with someone else brainstorming with me, I don't normally plan levels on paper, because I can't draw on a grid and I find it tedious to follow a premade plan for a level.
Most of my personal planning (coding) is in me head though.
I don't plan things out fully, but I keep a record of all my wonderful ball-rocking concepts in case I ever decide to come back and use them. Sometimes I'll write everything I'd need to make the engine, and maybe a rough script, but that's it. If I'm planning on actually making something soon I usually won't bother writing anything down since it's all fresh in my mind anyway.
I write one or two comments in my code that what each alterable value or flag means. Then I make up the rest as I go along. Never plan anything out whatsoever
DaVince This fool just HAD to have a custom rating
Registered 04/09/2004
Points 7998
17th December, 2007 at 16:23:00 -
Depends on the game I'm making. For a compo game I just plan out the basic ideas really. Though for the bigger version of Sketchy Dude I'm planning a bit more.
In the case of an epic RPG (not Click) there's like 20 documents so far. Story, events, items, menus, layouts, designs, the code design... etcetera.
When it gets complicated, I end up keeping track of all the values and flags of the most common qualifier (generally Group.Good), as well as the meaning of the numbered qualifiers (like Group.0, as it's harder to form a mental connection to their uses than the ones with names and pictures).
However, I write this stuff directly into the game, in a few very tall comments.
For a project with a big, interconnecting map (well, for "Nothing", I guess), I mark all of the screens in a grid book so that they can connect in a reasonable manner (and make sense on the map).
I also write down what all the bytes mean in the level headers, as I'd never be able to remember that sort o' thing.
i think the most writing i usually do is just keeping track of what certain objects do. Or what music i will use out of my vast collection of Modarchive mods.
I'd write it down in a text file. Much easier to keep, find, backup, and I don't lose it like I'd lose a paper. My biggest project had about 3MB of text files, one of them a 25 page document explaining to me what all the formulas were for. Quite impressive, I even used it for college applications. I think I'll get back to work on it next year, along with upgrading the Click FAQ
Imagine the mess if all those pages on paper
Disclaimer: Any sarcasm in my posts will not be mentioned as that would ruin the purpose. It is assumed that the reader is intelligent enough to tell the difference between what is sarcasm and what is not.
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binned they'll be.
Edited by an Administrator.
