The No-Nonsense Guide to Shipping Games: Momentum Over Planning

The No-Nonsense Guide to Shipping Games: Momentum Over Planning

Indie game development is a marathon, not a sprint. But too many developers treat it like an endless planning session, meticulously crafting design documents that collect dust while their motivation dwindles. Perfect planning is the enemy of done. Let’s ditch the paralysis and embrace momentum.

Think of game development like a card game. You can spend hours calculating every possible hand, but eventually you need to play. Or, like chess: Thinking many moves ahead is helpful, but if you don’t play the first move, you’ll never reach checkmate.

The Over-Planning Trap: A Losing Strategy

How many amazing game ideas are lost because developers get bogged down in endless planning? User “PixelPete” on a popular game dev forum lamented, “I spent six months writing a 100-page design document, only to realize I wasn’t excited about the core gameplay anymore.” This is a common story.

The pitfalls of over-planning include:

• Analysis paralysis: Getting stuck in the theoretical, never creating a playable experience.
• Feature creep: Designing too many features upfront, leading to scope bloat.
• Motivation drain: Losing enthusiasm for the project before even building anything.
• Wasted effort: Spending time designing features that don’t work well in practice.

Momentum is Your Key to Victory

Instead of exhaustive planning, prioritize momentum. This means:

1. Rapid Prototyping: Create a playable prototype as quickly as possible. Focus on core mechanics.
2. Iterative Development: Test, refine, and iterate based on what works, not what you think will work.
3. Embrace Emergent Gameplay: Be open to unexpected discoveries during playtesting. Some of the best game mechanics arise organically.
4. Strategic Pivots: Don’t be afraid to change direction if something isn’t working. Cut features ruthlessly.

Indie developer Sarah Northway, known for “I Was a Teenage Exocolonist,” emphasizes the importance of “finding the fun early.” She focuses on building a basic, playable version of her games to see what resonates with players before investing heavily in development. This approach allows her to adapt to emergent gameplay opportunities and avoid wasting time on features that don’t contribute to the core experience.

Rapid Prototyping: Play Your First Card

Your first prototype doesn’t need to be pretty. It just needs to be playable.

Here’s how to do it:

• Identify the core mechanic: What is the one thing that makes your game unique?
• Build a simple prototype: Focus on that core mechanic. Use placeholder art and minimal features.
• Test, test, test: Get your prototype in front of players as soon as possible. Observe how they play and gather feedback.

Iterate Like a Grandmaster: Think Several Moves Ahead

Iteration is about continuous improvement.

• Analyze feedback: What did players enjoy? What did they struggle with? What was confusing?
• Refine your prototype: Implement changes based on feedback.
• Test again: Repeat the process.

Treat each iteration like a chess move. Think about how your changes will affect the overall gameplay experience.

The Power of a Game Dev Journal

To truly internalize the momentum-driven process, start a daily game dev journal. A game dev journal is a place to document the game development process. It can be a notebook, a text file, or a dedicated tool.

Why keep a game development log? Here’s what a game dev journal helps you to do:

• Track your progress: See how far you’ve come and stay motivated.
• Document your insights: Capture your thoughts and ideas as they emerge.
• Organize your creative process: Keep track of tasks, deadlines, and milestones.
• Identify patterns: Recognize common pitfalls and learn from your mistakes.
• Reflect on your decisions: Analyze your design choices and understand their impact.

Here’s a real example from my own experience. I was struggling with the movement in my platformer game. It felt clunky and unresponsive. In my game dev journal, I wrote: “Movement feels off. Player doesn’t feel in control.” The next day, I experimented with different movement parameters and finally found a combination that felt right. Without that initial journal entry, I might have overlooked the problem and continued down the wrong path.

Instead of relying on perfect planning, embrace the chaos of iterative development. Focus on building, testing, and refining your game. Let your game dev journal be your guide.

Document the insights from each iteration, your daily work and what you learned, to stay focused.

Ready to ship your game faster? Start journaling your game development process today and unlock your creative potential. Start journaling your game development process today