If you build games you know how hard it can be to complete and ship them.
Starting gamedev is relatively easy given today’s user friendly engine tech, and we
all have grand ambitions to build full-featured experiences that will be critically and commercially
successful.
But somewhere along the road, the unfortunate reality is that most game development projects
stall and lose momentum.
It’s a statement about how much work needs to go into finishing a game.
We almost always underestimate the effort involved.
That said, there are some effective steps one can take to minimize the risk of not completing
your game.
We are Ask gamedev and these are 8 secrets to ensure you finish your video game.
Welcome back!
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In this video we will address one of the most commonly requested topics from the Ask Gamedev
community - how to finish your video game!
We will outline a number of steps you can take to maintain development momentum but
please note that none of these considerations are hard rules - there have been lots of successful
development cycles that have either observed or ignored these suggestions.
Nothing here is prescriptive - just keep in mind that considering each may help you get
closer to releasing as planned.
First thing’s first - the single most important thing you can do to improve your chances of
shipping your game is to have a solid development plan.
There is a lot that goes into a professional project plan, but the core of the process
is to list your specific development areas and assign task descriptions and time estimates
to the work involved.
This process includes thinking about how you will specifically complete each feature - including
breaking up development into a number of small tasks and defining the order in which they
will be completed.
Having a plan is helpful, because otherwise the developer is flying blind towards and
uncertain goal.
Not knowing how much work will be needed to complete their project is where most failed
dev cycles find trouble, as momentum starts to stall when the reality of the workload
to completion starts to expose itself.
So have a plan!
The rigor of defining the work will make you aware of what you are committing to - and
help you decide if you have the determination to see it through to completion.
If you want to learn more about how to create a development plan, use this link to check
out the recent video we did on this topic - in that video we go into detail on the different
planning steps.
So now you have a project plan where you have defined the work ahead of you.
The next step is to define the “cut line”, or the features you will not support and where
you will stop development.
We all want to have the broadest feature set we can think of.. but that is often not practical
from a time perspective.
The important thing is to make sure you spend your valuable time on those features that
really drive player satisfaction.
We’ve talked about this principle in prior videos - make sure you define “what matters
most” for your game.. and commit to just that.
How do you define what matters most?
Well, if you could reasonably ship a great game that delivers on your core gameplay without
that one feature in question.. then it probably isn’t part of what matters most.
Game dev history is littered with projects that have tried to add unnecessary mini games,
multiplayer features, or side quests to what was a perfectly satisfying single player experience.
Most often these additional features didn’t enhance gameplay, and only slowed down development
progress.
So be strict about what really matters in your game.
Commit only to what matters most and you will save yourself the headache of scope creep.
The next thing to consider is what features you will target first with your development.
luckily, the best choice from a planning perspective is also the choice that will provide the best
momentum.
That choice is the one feature that will provide the most fun for your user.
Too often, developers start working on mechanics that are deemed ‘necessary’ - but don’t
truly delight the user.
It’s in our experience that most successful games came out of a development cycle that
started with a small but fun core game loop.
It’s also our experience that those games that don’t start from the fun have a high
chance of failure - tacking on mechanic after mechanic without addressing the core question
of why someone would actually want to play their game.
If it's not fun, it probably not going to resonate.
The extra benefit of starting from the fun?
If you have something enjoyable, the feedback you will receive during demos will inevitably
be encouraging.
It’s that encouraging response that can make all the difference to a developer who
needs help sustaining momentum.
Having a game that doesn’t excite will garner less than enthusiastic feedback - and can
make developers question whether they should forge on with what could be a long road of
work ahead.
The next thing you can do to keep project momentum is to make sure you have interim
progress milestones throughout development.
Milestones are a fixture in professional software development, but many indie devs work without
a solid milestone structure.
So why are they important?
Interim Milestones break up your work and provide a checkpoint to see if you are meeting
your goals as planned.
If you are not hitting your milestones, it may be that your time estimates for your tasks
were too aggressive, or that you missed tasks in your feature planning that were necessary
to meet your goals.
Either way, missed milestones are an early indicator of a project that could be going
off the rails.
These indicators allow the developer to revisit their plan, and ideally make the necessary
changes to ensure development progresses through to ship.
Additionally, there is a sense of accomplishment from hitting milestones -
And that achievement can provide the necessary momentum to finish your game.
A common area where developers can lose momentum is when they have completed their core feature
work and now have to bug fix and prepare the build for platform certification.
This is typically not a trivial process.
The amount of bugs in a game can be significant, and platform requirements can be numerous
- especially if you plan to release on console or on multiple platforms.
What is extra challenging about this process is that it typically isn’t the most enjoyable
part of development.
Certification can require lots of research through platform documentation, and bug fixing
can necessitate deep exploration within your code.
These tasks can be a stark contrast to building the exciting gameplay mechanics that defined
your early development.
So dev speed and visible progress can often slow down during this final phase of development.
How can you ensure you keep moving?
Have a solid plan.
Similar to your original project plan, estimate out the tasks involved in bug fixing and certification
and give yourself a clear picture of the work involved.
Have a good idea of what bugs you plan to address, and which ones you can live with.
Additionally - Knowing what certification requirements you need to address is helpful
to know up front, so that you can see the path to the finish line.
Professional teams can spend up to one third of their full development time finaling the
game - so give yourself the necessary time to complete this important phase.
Another way to reduce your chances of not competing your development is to work with
others.
While many indie devs like the design control that comes with solo development, the reality
is that it can be very challenging to complete a game all by one’s self.
Gamedev requires expertise in a lot of different areas - and most devs can’t supply all that
knowledge by themselves.
Taking on partners in your development can help in two ways.
Firstly, the workload gets spread across multiple people and thus doesn’t have as much chance
of overwhelming one individual.
Secondly, the process of adding additional dev members can instill a feeling of obligation
amongst team members - a general sense that no one can give up given that others are committed
to seeing development through.
But maybe you don’t want to take our advice on this point.
Please note that solo dev has been done successfully in the past, and sometimes with great success.
Check out this video on solo gamedev mistakes if you want to learn more about things to
avoid when you are working on your own.
In a similar vein to bringing on additional team members, sometimes going public about
your gamedev intentions and progress can aid in building momentum.
It’s basic human nature to want to meet expectations.
By communicating to friends, family, and colleagues that you are committing to a gamesev journey
- you are providing yourself some strong motivation to not quit in the face of challenges.
No one wants to tell others that you didn’t finish what you started, or that you failed
to reach your goals.
You can amplify the effect of this tactic by using social media to communicate your
development plans.
Telling the world about your game, when you plan to release it, and what features can
be expected takes bravery - and makes any future decision to quit all the harder.
Now before we give you our last secret on how to ensure you finish your game dev project,
let’s take a look at the Ask Gamedev community member game of the week.
This week’s game is Virus Simulator from Ask Gamedev Discord Server member, Darkhog.
Virus Simulator is a hyper old-school 3d platformer where you play as a computer virus.
The game is built in Unity, and Darkhog has been working on the title since 2014 during
spare time.
You can support the title right now on Patreon.
So here it is, our last tip to help make sure you finish your game.
This one comes from lots of community member feedback, and involves picking the right tool
for the right development job.
We’re talking engines here, and the best practice is to pick an engine that you are
familiar with if you want to ensure getting to the finish line.
Far too often we hear of indie developers that adopt a new engine choice for their dev
- only to discover that the new engine does things differently than what is familiar,
or has a confusing interface, or requires additional software.
Engines can vary wildly in their offerings - and some aren’t as intuitive as others.
So pick engines wisely!
Gamedev is hard enough when you don’t have to learn a whole new framework.
If you want to reduce your chances of development frustration leading to quitting - pick an
engine that you feel comfortable with.
Bonus points if you have shipped a game on that engine before!
For more Ask Gamedev and tips that can help with keeping momentum with your game development,
check out this video on how to project plan, or this inspiring video series on great games
made by solo developers.