Quick Fix: Documenting Design Changes for Indie Game Devs

Quick Fix: Documenting Design Changes for Indie Game Devs

Indie game development is a wild ride. Ideas flow, code changes, and suddenly, you’re neck-deep in a project you barely recognize. Without a proper game dev journal or systematic game development log, this creative chaos quickly devolves into painful reworks and forgotten breakthroughs.

The Cost of “Wing It”

Relying on memory or scattered notes is a recipe for disaster. This “wing it” approach leads to several common pitfalls.

Lost Ideas: That brilliant concept you had at 3 AM? If it’s not written down, it’s likely gone forever. Many amazing mechanics are lost because they weren’t documented.

Time Sinks: Ever re-debugged a feature only to remember you fixed it months ago? Or re-designed a system because you forgot the original "why"? Poor documentation means wasted time.

Team Communication Breakdowns: Even small teams suffer. Misunderstandings about current mechanics or future plans can halt progress.

Quality Control Nightmares: Inconsistent game mechanics or player experiences often stem from undocumented design iterations. This makes it harder to track game development progress.

• Reflection Prompt: How often have you found yourself re-doing work because you couldn’t remember a past decision or change?

Case Study: The Near-Miss Mechanic

Consider the case of a well-known game mechanic that almost didn’t make it: the active reload system in Gears of War. Early in development, the concept of a timed, skill-based reload was novel. However, without rigorous documentation, it was frequently tweaked, almost removed, and then re-implemented in varying forms. The initial design intention and its numerous iterations were scattered across different notes and code versions. It was only through dedicated effort to collate these disparate pieces that the feature’s potential was fully realized and standardized, demonstrating the uncertainty navigated when documenting development. This highlights how crucial a consistent game development log is for preserving innovative ideas.

Simple Solutions for Busy Indies

You don’t need complex software to effectively document design changes. The goal is low overhead and high consistency.

Choose Your Weapon (Low-Friction Tools): Start simple and scale up only if necessary. Markdown files or plain text documents are incredibly versatile. They’re fast to write, easy to search, and universally compatible. Version control commit messages are powerful. Use them to log changes directly alongside your code. Good commit messages detail the “what,” “why,” and “how.” Simple spreadsheets can track specific data points, like item stats or character abilities, along with their iteration history. A dedicated game dev journal or blog offers a chronological record of your thoughts and decisions. This helps track game development progress over time.

• Reflection Prompt: What tool or method are you currently using to jot down game ideas or changes? Is it consistently accessible and searchable?

What to Document (And Why): Focus on the essential information.

The "What": What exactly changed? Be specific. Instead of “Improved player movement,” write “Player jump height increased by 0.5 units.”

The "Why": Why did this change happen? This is crucial for understanding design intent. For example, “To make platforming feel less floaty, based on playtester feedback” provides invaluable context.

The "How": How was it implemented? Briefly note the technical side. “Adjusted player.jump_force variable in PlayerMovement.cs.”

• Reflection Prompt: When you make a design change, do you typically record the reason behind it? If not, how might this omission affect future decisions?

Setting Up Your Streamlined Process

Consistency is key when keeping a game dev journal. Make documentation a habit, not an afterthought.

Daily Check-In: Before starting your coding session, review your previous day’s notes. At the end, quickly log what you accomplished and any new ideas or challenges.

Template Your Notes: Create a simple template for your entries. For instance: Date: [YYYY-MM-DD] Feature/Area: [e.g., Player Combat, UI, Level 1] What: [Specific change] Why: [Reason for change] How: [Implementation detail] Impact/Notes: [Any immediate thoughts, future considerations]

Integrate with Your Workflow: If you use version control, commit messages are your primary game development log. If you’re solo, a dedicated plain text file in your project folder updated daily works wonders.

Collaborate on Documentation: If you work with others, decide on a shared system. A centralized markdown file or a dedicated section in your project management tool works well.

Make it Discoverable: Ensure your documentation is easily found. Don’t bury it in obscure folders. A simple devlog.md or design_changes.txt at your project’s root is effective.

• Reflection Prompt: How easily can you (or a teammate) find the design documentation for a specific feature in your current project?

Maintaining a consistent game dev journal doesn’t have to be a burden. It’s an investment that pays off in saved time, clearer decision-making, and preserved creative genius. By adopting these low-overhead methods, you can navigate the inherent uncertainty of game development with confidence. To easily organize your creative process and track your game development progress, consider exploring our dedicated game development journal tool. It’s designed to help you capture every idea, every change, and every “why” along your development journey.