When to Use Vertical Slice Instead of Full Prototype
Cut 40% of Your Game: Vertical Slices for Indie Devs
Scope creep. Feature bloat. These are the twin demons haunting indie game developers. You start with a cool idea, then bam, six months later you’re drowning in half-finished systems and a game that’s neither fun nor playable. The culprit? Often, it’s the “full prototype” approach. You aim to build everything, hoping to see how it all meshes together. But what if there’s a better way?
What if you could cut 40% of your game without losing 10% of its player value?
Let’s talk about vertical slices.
The Problem with Full Prototypes
Imagine Sarah, a solo dev working on a medieval RPG. Her full prototype includes combat, crafting, dialogue, and a sprawling open world. Months in, she realizes the crafting system is dull, the open world feels empty, and the combat… well, it’s just not fun. All that work, and the core experience is broken.
Full prototypes are risky. They commit you to features before you know if they’re actually engaging. They spread your resources thin, resulting in mediocrity across the board. And they make it incredibly difficult to pivot when you discover a fundamental flaw.
Enter the Vertical Slice
A vertical slice isn’t about building everything. It’s about building deep through a thin selection of features. It’s about capturing the essence of your game in a focused, playable experience.
Think of it like this: instead of building the entire cake, you bake a single, perfect cupcake.
Here’s how it works:
Identify the Core Loop: What’s the central action players will repeat? In Sarah’s case, it might be: Explore a small area -> Fight an enemy -> Gather resources -> Improve equipment.
Select Representative Features: Choose features that best showcase your game’s unique selling points. For Sarah, this could be a simplified combat system, a basic resource gathering mechanic, and a single equipment upgrade. Forget the crafting system, the sprawling world, and the complex dialogue for now.
Build Deep, Not Wide: Focus on making those selected features polished and engaging. A well-designed, satisfying combat encounter is worth ten mediocre ones.
Targeted Feedback: Get your vertical slice into the hands of playtesters. Ask specific questions. What’s fun? What’s frustrating? What’s missing?
Iterate Ruthlessly: Based on feedback, refine your core loop. Cut features that don’t contribute to the experience. Double down on what works.
Sarah’s Vertical Slice Adventure
Sarah decided to scrap her full prototype and focus on a vertical slice. She chose:
- A single, small forest area to explore
- One type of enemy with distinct attack patterns
- Two resources to gather
- One weapon upgrade
She spent two weeks polishing this slice, focusing on making the combat feel responsive and the resource gathering rewarding. Then, she showed it to five players.
The feedback was eye-opening. Players loved the combat but found the resource gathering tedious. They didn’t miss the crafting system at all.
Sarah scrapped the resource gathering mechanic entirely and redesigned it into something more engaging – a mini-game that felt more strategic. She also realized that she could use the core of her combat system to design many different enemy types, expanding content without creating brand new systems.
By focusing on a vertical slice, Sarah saved months of wasted effort and discovered the true heart of her game.
Actionable Steps: Your Vertical Slice Toolkit
Ready to embrace the vertical slice? Here’s a practical guide:
Document Your Assumptions: Write down everything you think will be fun or engaging. This is crucial for comparing against real player feedback later.
List Success Metrics: How will you measure the success of your vertical slice? Is it player engagement time? Positive feedback on a specific feature? Define your goals upfront.
Embrace the Dev Journal: Throughout the process, keep a detailed game dev journal. Document your decisions, the feedback you receive, and the lessons you learn. This will be invaluable for future iterations. It will also provide valuable content for you to share in your devlogs.
Reflect on Success/Failure: After playtesting, honestly assess whether your vertical slice achieved its goals. Don’t be afraid to kill your darlings.
Stay Consistent with Devlogs: Share your vertical slice and dev journal learnings in consistent devlogs to grow an audience!
Avoiding Common Pitfalls
Analysis Paralysis: Don’t overthink the feature selection. Just pick a few core elements and get started.
Scope Creep (Again!): Resist the urge to add “just one more feature.” The point is to stay focused.
Ignoring Feedback: Be open to criticism, even if it stings. Remember, you’re building the game for the players, not yourself.
Journaling: The Key to Staying on Track
As you navigate the vertical slice process, maintaining a detailed game dev journal is critical. A game development log helps you track your progress, document your decisions, and analyze player feedback. Regularly reviewing your game dev journal allows you to identify patterns, avoid repeating mistakes, and stay focused on your core vision. This structured approach is essential for indie developers who often wear multiple hats and manage complex projects single-handedly. It also makes writing your devlogs much easier because you have the information readily available.
Why not begin with that first step, and start writing down those initial assumptions right now? Our easy to use journal can help you stay organized. Start journaling today!