Demystifying Game Feel: Capturing Early Ideas, Step-by-Step

Demystifying Game Feel: Capturing Early Ideas, Step-by-Step

The first few weeks of game development are magic. Ideas are fresh, possibilities seem endless, and the core mechanics haven’t been bogged down by the harsh realities of implementation. But it’s also a critical period where the feel of your game starts to take shape, often unconsciously.

Many indie developers stumble here. They focus on features and systems, neglecting the subtle details that transform a functional game into a satisfying one. A jump that feels floaty, a weapon impact that lacks punch – these seemingly minor issues can drastically impact the overall player experience.

This article is your guide to capturing and refining those early game feel ideas, ensuring they’re not lost in the development shuffle. We’ll frame this as a journey, following a hypothetical developer, “Sarah,” as she tackles this challenge.

Sarah’s Struggle: Finding the “Juice”

Sarah, a solo developer, started working on her 2D platformer, “Cosmic Courier.” She had a solid core mechanic – delivering packages across procedurally generated levels. But something was missing. The movement felt stiff, the jumps lacked impact, and the overall experience felt…flat.

Sarah fell into a common trap: she focused solely on functionality, overlooking the crucial element of “game feel.”

She realized she needed a system. She needed to actively define and capture the feeling she wanted her game to evoke.

Goal-Setting Framework: Defining Your Feel

Before diving into code, Sarah took a step back. She defined a clear goal: “Cosmic Courier should feel responsive, agile, and satisfyingly kinetic, rewarding precise movement and skillful package delivery.”

This goal, though simple, provided a guiding star. It’s a huge step toward success when you track game development progress using clear, measurable objectives.

Next, she broke down her goal into smaller, actionable sub-goals:

• Responsive Movement: Minimal input lag, snappy acceleration and deceleration.
• Agile Jumps: Variable jump height based on button press duration, satisfying apex.
• Kinetic Package Delivery: Weighty packages that affect momentum, impactful collision feedback.

These sub-goals gave Sarah a concrete starting point.

Practical Steps: From Brainstorm to Prototype

Now for the fun part! Here’s Sarah’s process for capturing her initial game feel ideas:

1. Brainstorming & Reference: Sarah spent hours playing games with movement she admired – Celeste, Super Meat Boy, Hollow Knight. She analyzed what made those games feel so good, noting details like animation timings, particle effects, and sound design.
2. Rapid Prototyping: Sarah created simple prototypes focusing on individual movement aspects. One prototype focused solely on jump feel, tweaking parameters like jump height, gravity, and air control. Another focused on package physics, experimenting with different weight values and collision responses.
3. Iterative Refinement: Based on her prototypes, Sarah began integrating the best elements into her main game. This wasn’t a one-time process. She constantly tweaked values, tested, and re-evaluated.
4. Early Playtesting: Crucially, Sarah showed her early builds to friends and fellow developers. Fresh eyes are invaluable for identifying areas where the “feel” is lacking. Feedback like “the jump feels a bit floaty” provided valuable direction.

Documenting the Journey: The Power of a Game Dev Journal

Throughout this process, Sarah meticulously documented everything in her game dev journal. This wasn’t just a list of features completed. It was a record of her thought process, her experiments, and her findings.

Sarah included:

• Daily/Weekly Logs: Detailing her progress, challenges, and insights.
• Experiment Logs: Describing each prototype, the parameters she tweaked, and the results she observed.
• Feedback Logs: Recording playtester feedback and her planned responses.
• “Feel” Goals: Her overall “feel” goal and the sub-goals that defined it.

Without her game development log, Sarah risked forgetting valuable insights and repeating past mistakes. A game dev journal is more than a diary; it’s a repository of knowledge that can save you countless hours and prevent costly missteps.

Imagine Sarah, weeks later, struggling to remember the exact gravity value that made her jump feel “just right.” Without her journal, she’d be forced to re-experiment, wasting precious time.

Avoiding Common Pitfalls

Here are some common pitfalls and how to avoid them, learned from Sarah’s experience:

• Perfection Paralysis: Don’t get bogged down in making things perfect from the start. Focus on getting the core feel right, then refine over time.
• Ignoring Feedback: Be open to criticism, even if it stings. External feedback is essential for identifying areas you might be blind to.
• Scope Creep: Avoid adding unnecessary features that detract from your core “feel” goals. Stay focused on what matters most.
• Neglecting Audio & Visuals: Game feel is more than just code. Sound effects, animations, and particle effects play a huge role. Invest time in these areas.
• Forgetting to Document: This is the biggest pitfall of all. Consistently track game development progress, log your experiments, and document feedback. You won’t regret it.

The Reward: A Satisfying Game

By actively defining, capturing, and documenting her game feel ideas, Sarah transformed “Cosmic Courier.” The movement felt responsive, the jumps were satisfying, and the package deliveries had a real sense of weight and impact. Players praised the game’s “juice” – that intangible quality that makes a game enjoyable to play.

You too can achieve this. Start with a clear vision, break it down into actionable steps, and document your journey. The results will speak for themselves.

Now, are you ready to start your journey towards creating unforgettable game feel? Start documenting your process today with this game feel journal to help. Game Feel Journaling