Troubleshooting Scope: Step-by-Step Project Cut Solutions

Posted by Gemma Ellison

July 30, 2025

Troubleshooting Scope: Step-by-Step Project Cut Solutions

Indie game development is a marathon, not a sprint. But all too often, ambition outpaces reality, leading to bloated projects, developer burnout, and ultimately, unfinished games. The good news? You can regain control by ruthlessly cutting scope. Think of workflow friction as a design signal – where things feel difficult, there’s often unnecessary complexity.

Friction = Feature Fat

That gnawing feeling when you dread working on a specific feature? That’s data. It’s telling you something isn’t right. Maybe it’s technically challenging, poorly designed, or simply doesn’t fit the core gameplay loop.

Your first step is honest assessment. Start tracking your time. How long are you actually spending on each feature? Which tasks consistently run over schedule? A simple spreadsheet can work wonders. Pair this with feedback. Ask yourself:

Is this feature delivering the value I initially envisioned?
Is it fun? Or is it just "there"?
Could the game stand without it?

If the answer to any of these is “no,” you’ve likely identified a problem feature ripe for cutting.

Prioritize or Perish: Core vs. Chrome

Every game has core mechanics – the fundamental actions and interactions that define the experience. Everything else is chrome – nice to have, but not essential. Be honest: are you spending more time polishing the chrome than refining the core?

Here’s a harsh truth: players won’t notice (or care) about most of the features you agonize over. They will, however, immediately notice if the core mechanics are clunky or uninspired.

Prioritize ruthlessly. Ask yourself:

What is absolutely essential for the game to be fun?
What can be cut without significantly impacting the core experience?
Which features are truly unique and differentiate your game?

Everything else goes. No exceptions. Don’t fall for “gold plating” – making things unnecessarily perfect when “good enough” is… well, good enough.

The Feature Graveyard: Common Scope Creep Culprits

Be on the lookout for these common traps:

Feature Creep: Adding features simply because “it would be cool.” Cool isn’t enough. It needs to align with the core vision and be achievable within your resources.
The “One More Thing” Syndrome: Constantly tweaking and adding small details that add minimal value but consume significant time.
Unnecessary Complexity: Over-engineered systems that could be simplified without sacrificing functionality.
"But It’s Already Started!": The sunk cost fallacy. Just because you’ve invested time in something doesn’t mean you should continue if it’s no longer viable.

Communicating the Cuts: A Necessary Evil

If you’re working with a team (even a small one), cutting features can be awkward. Be transparent and explain your reasoning. Frame it as a necessary step to ensure the game is finished and polished.

Focus on the positives:

“Cutting this feature allows us to focus on the core gameplay.”
“This will significantly reduce development time and avoid burnout.”
“By streamlining the scope, we can ensure a higher quality final product.”

Be prepared for pushback, but stand your ground. You’re the director, and sometimes that means making tough calls.

Avoiding Scope Creep: The Project Journal Advantage

The best way to prevent scope creep is to learn from your mistakes. After each major development milestone (or even weekly), conduct a mini “studio retrospective.” What worked? What didn’t? Where did you waste time? Why?

This is where a game dev journal becomes invaluable. Document every scope-reduction decision you make. Include the reasoning behind the cut. Future you will thank you. A well-maintained game development log helps you track your progress, stay consistent with devlogs, and organize your creative process.

A game dev journal should capture:

Original feature ideas (even the crazy ones!)
Reasons for adding, modifying, or cutting features
Lessons learned from each sprint or milestone
Your evolving vision for the game

This history is crucial for preventing future scope creep. When the urge to add “just one more thing” arises, you can consult your journal and remind yourself why certain features were previously cut.

This is an important step for solo game developers and students who are interested in keeping a game dev journal.

Ready to prevent scope creep before it starts? Start building your own project history and never lose track of the critical development decisions. Learn more about effective tracking for your game dev progress with our helpful journaling tool. Start your game dev journal today!

By proactively managing your project scope and treating workflow friction as a key design signal, you can dramatically increase your chances of finishing your game and avoiding burnout. Now go forth and cut!