Best Practices: 5 Tips for Scoping Games with Limited Budgets
Best Practices: 5 Tips for Scoping Games with Limited Budgets
Indie game development is exhilarating, but overly ambitious projects can quickly lead to burnout and abandoned games. Many solo developers fall into the trap of treating game scope like a wishlist, piling on features without considering the real cost. Instead, think of your game’s scope as a recurring “subscription budget” – a limited amount of resources you can spend each month. Let’s explore how to make smart choices and stay within budget.
1. Define Your Core Experience
What’s the single, most compelling reason someone should play your game? Nail down the core experience you want to deliver. Is it the feeling of strategic city building? The thrill of fast-paced combat? Identifying this singular focus guides all your decisions.
Once you have a core experience outlined, document this vision. This will be your “North Star” that you refer back to when making tough decisions about what to keep and what to cut.
2. Choose Tools That Shape Your Workflow
Your tools fundamentally shape your workflow and, crucially, your scope. A game engine that streamlines development directly impacts how much you can achieve within your “subscription budget.”
Consider your strengths. Are you a strong programmer? Maybe a code-heavy engine like Godot is ideal. More artistically inclined? Unity’s visual scripting tools or GameMaker might be a better fit. Don’t be afraid to experiment. The right tool can save you countless hours, allowing you to focus on what matters most: the core experience.
Remember, learning a new tool takes time, so factor that into your budget as well. Don’t switch mid-project unless absolutely necessary.
3. Ruthlessly Cut Features
This is where the “subscription budget” analogy shines. Every feature has a cost: development time, testing, debugging, and potential bloat. Be honest about what truly enhances the core experience and what’s merely “nice to have.”
A good way to visualize this is creating a Trello board and adding all your ideas, then categorizing them as "Must Have", "Should Have", "Could Have", "Won’t Have". Be brutal with moving features into "Won’t Have". Remember, you can always revisit cut features in post-release updates, treating them as new “subscription” purchases.
4. Create Achievable Milestones
Break down your project into smaller, manageable milestones. Instead of aiming to complete the entire game, focus on completing a single level, a specific mechanic, or a polished demo.
These smaller victories keep you motivated and allow you to accurately assess your progress. If you’re consistently missing milestones, it’s a sign that your scope is too large and needs re-evaluation.
5. Playtest Early and Often
Feedback is crucial. Start playtesting your game as early as possible, even with rough prototypes. This helps you identify potential problems with your core experience and catch scope creep before it’s too late.
Show your game to friends, family, and other developers. Watch them play and listen to their feedback. Don’t be defensive. Use their insights to refine your vision and make informed decisions about your scope.
Choosing the right tools, defining your core experience, ruthlessly cutting features, creating achievable milestones, and rigorously playtesting allows solo devs to stick to their "subscription budget".
To truly refine your approach and avoid repeating scope mistakes, it’s essential to track your progress and reflect on your decisions. Consider using a game development journal to document your process, noting what worked, what didn’t, and why. Start tracking your progress and reflect on your scope decisions with our journaling tool to refine your approach for future projects: game dev journal. Documenting your journey allows you to learn from past experiences and make smarter choices about your “subscription budget” in future projects.