Community Secrets: How Devs Master Post-Mortem Game Analysis
Community Secrets: How Devs Master Post-Mortem Game Analysis
Ever overhear devs at GDC talking shop? Sounds like a bunch of rambling, right? But listen closely, because that’s where the real gold is hidden. Today, we’re eavesdropping on a post-mortem discussion – and learning how you can run your own, even as a solo dev.
So, you finished a game. Or maybe you didn’t finish it. Either way, what did you learn? Most devs say “a lot,” but struggle to articulate what exactly. Vague feelings don’t improve your next project. Let’s fix that.
The Case of “Project Space Cat”
Meet “Project Space Cat,” a procedurally generated space exploration game that never quite launched. The dev, let’s call her Alice, spent two years on it, burnt out, and shelved it. Sound familiar?
Alice’s initial post-mortem looked like this:
- What went well: “Procedural generation was cool.”
- What went wrong: “Scope was too big, art was lacking.”
Totally useless, right? This is a feeling, not an analysis. We need actionable steps.
Turning Feelings into Facts: A Structured Approach
Here’s how we can break down Alice’s experience (and yours!) into something useful:
Be Specific, Ridiculously Specific: Instead of “scope was too big,” ask what part of the scope was too big. Was it the number of planets? The variety of enemy types? The crafting system? Alice realized it was the crafting system; she spent six months on it, and players ignored it in testing.
- Actionable takeaway: Reduce crafting complexity in future projects or prototype the core loop before investing heavily.
Quantify Everything: “Art was lacking” is subjective. How many art assets were planned versus created? How much time was spent on art versus code? What was the player feedback on the art style? Alice discovered she spent 80% of her time coding and 20% on art, even though she knew the art style wasn’t her strength.
- Actionable takeaway: Outsource art earlier or choose a simpler, more achievable art style.
Identify Bottlenecks: What was the single biggest blocker? For Alice, it was feature creep driven by forum requests. She kept adding systems based on what some players wanted, without considering the core gameplay loop.
- Actionable takeaway: Define a core vision early and stick to it. Filter feedback through that vision.
Celebrate the Wins (Even Small Ones): Don’t dwell only on the negative. What did work? Alice’s procedural generation was cool. Players loved exploring new planets. How can she leverage that in the future?
- Actionable takeaway: Focus future projects on exploration and procedural content generation.
Avoiding the Pitfalls
Here are some common traps to avoid:
- Vague Feedback: “It wasn’t fun.” Ask why it wasn’t fun. Get specific examples.
- Blaming External Factors: “The market was saturated.” Maybe, but what could you have done differently?
- Skipping the Post-Mortem: This is the biggest mistake. You must analyze your projects, even failed ones. It’s the only way to learn.
- Not Documenting: Memories fade. Write everything down. This is where a game dev journal becomes invaluable.
Building a Feedback Loop
The real magic happens when you use your post-mortem insights. Alice now prototypes core mechanics first, limits her scope, and outsources art. Her next game, a smaller exploration-focused title, is progressing much faster.
This is an iterative process. Each project is a learning opportunity. Track your progress in a game development log, noting what works and what doesn’t. Consistently reflect on your process. This is how you level up from struggling indie dev to seasoned pro.
The Power of the Game Dev Journal
Let’s be honest. Remembering all this and staying organized is a challenge. That’s where a good game dev journal can make all the difference. Keeping a consistent game development log helps you track game development progress and avoid repeating past mistakes.
Looking for a tool to help you stay on track and turn insights into action? Check out our Game Development Journal tool. It’s designed to help you structure your post-mortems, document your progress, and build a feedback loop that will transform your game development journey. Don’t just finish a game; learn from it.