The Process of Game Development.(Part1)

The Process of Game

Development(part1)

Building Your Foundation: Before Production

You need to consider many factors before you jump into game development. If you’re a gamer,

try to think of the number of people you’ve heard say “Hey, I’ve got a great idea for a game!”

Sometimes, the ideas really are good. You might have heard one or two that would make successful

games. Perhaps you’ve even had such an idea yourself.

Just thinking of a good idea, however, is not enough in the game development world. The best

ideas out there will probably never see the light of day.What you need is a detailed plan of action

in which you’ve considered all the possibilities and pitfalls you might encounter throughout the

course of the project. Creating this plan can seem overwhelming at first, but with enough time,

effort, and planning, just about anything can be accomplished in the game world.

In the following sections, you get a taste of some guidelines you need to keep in mind to turn a

good idea for a game or project into a reality. The sections in this chapter are designed to guide

inexperienced game developers and to paint a complete picture of the game development process.

Developing Your Idea

You might want to develop your idea after you have formed a team, but usually it’s better to have

a solid idea and plan of attack in place when you approach prospective team members.Make sure

you think your idea through to its end. The more you know about your project, the easier it is to

select your team. Take into account the volume of assets you need to create versus the timeframe

in which you need to finish them. This factor helps you decide how large your team needs to be.

If your plan is a small-scale one that doesn’t require a team, getting insight and feedback on your

idea from others who understand games or game modding is still a good idea.

The Story:

Many games have some sort of plot or story to help push the action along. Even though the game

doesn’t yet exist, a story is an important part of your idea because it helps you determine the type

of assets your game is going to need. The following paragraphs outline an opening story from a

yet-to-be-developed game called Eternal Exodus: The Fall of the Creators.

Project:

Single-player first-person shooter/space flight game .

Introduction:

It is the year 2359. Humans have destroyed their homeworld of Terra through overmining and

pollution. They have since escaped to the stars and established numerous colonies across their

native galaxy. They have scoured deep space in vain searching for planets as abundant in

resources as their fallen home planet. As their industry devours whatever materials they find on

their travels, the corporations driving those industries have become ultimately powerful,

superseding or supplanting all governments and regulations. The most powerful of these corporations

is the Lathius TransGalactic Corp., which holds a monopoly on all interspace travel.

From the decadence of society has risen a relatively small but quickly growing resistance

movement known as Fidus Terrenus. This activist militia focuses on the belief that humanity is destined to be more than interstellar parasites and that what’s happening to colonial

planets is the highest atrocity. The Fidus Terrenus have been known to engage in anticorporate

activities, and most corporate governments have officially labeled them as terrorists. During a skirmish between an FT fighter group and a Lathius deep-space gas mining fleet, a large disruption happened. Two small ships of unknown design entered the fray, quickly destroying all other craft in the engagement. One of the FT ships was able to send out a distress signal that included an incomplete scan of one of these ships.

The Player’s Perspective

After you have a story, drafting out how your players are exposed to the plot throughout gameplay is a good idea. This step can be a little difficult to nail down, so take your time. Also, don’t be too surprised if your idea is forced to adapt to changes that arise as your game is developed. This draft doesn’t need to include every single level and nuance of your game, but it should give your development staff an idea of how the game will progress. The following sections give you an overview of how players experience the story of this make-believe game.