by Annie | Sep 7, 2011 | Game Design
Many independent developers fall into the trap of taking too long to finish a game. Just…need…to add…this one more thing. What I’ve learned from developing games is that a game is never truly done. You can work on it and polish it forever and never be truly satisfied. I still look at each game I’ve worked on and wish I could have more time to add in more sound effects, some crisper animations, or more character expressions. But ultimately, I’m glad that the games I’ve released are just that – released. They’re out in the world being played. Just as they were intended to be all along. And often, that bug I obsessed over or the sprite I could never get just right are overlooked by players, and instead, they point me in different directions and spark new possibilities. So when is it time to release a game? When someone can play your game from start to finish without needing your help or additional explanations and without the game crashing, it’s time. You can always add in more art, sound effects, and levels in future updates and patches. But until you get the game into players’ hands, it’ll remain a concept, another unrealized vision collecting dust on your “someday” shelf. So go on. Get it out there so we can all play it....
by Annie | Mar 6, 2011 | Game Design
One of my favorite questions to ask people is what a day in their shoes looks like. And it occurred to me that people might be curious what a day in the life of a game design student looks like, so here goes. First, the disclaimer: of course, there’s no typical day. I’m currently in term 5 of 6, so my team and I are in the midst of production for our final game projects. Thus, our schedule these days consists largely of production tasks rather than classes. What follows is a conglomeration of bits and pieces from the past week, summed up in a single day. 8am Snooze a few times, then get out of bed. Walk the dog. Read news and game blogs while eating breakfast. Start some preliminary research on design/programming issues for the day. 10am Brainstorm design/programming solutions on the bus ride downtown. 11am Stand-up meeting. All team members stand up and share what they worked on yesterday, what they plan to work on today, and quickly bring up any issues they’re having. 11:05am Start working on the game. This week, I’ve mostly been working on programming the main mechanics and features of our game, like character movement, collision issues, implementing our main mechanic, integrating art, and putting in some basic user interface elements. 1pm Project development class. Instructors check on each team’s progress, helping out where they can and pushing us to make the best design decisions possible. 4pm Work with teammates on different design/programming issues. 5pm Street Fighter. I’ll be the first to admit that I’m not a great programmer. My brain can...
