Brand Game Development

DECEMBER 22, 2017

Dev Diary posts are made to teach game development through specific examples from my latest project: Highways & Byways. In absence of a Byways -related update to inspire this week’s Dev Diary, I’m answering a question I got from a new game designer a few months back. appeared first on Brandon the Game Dev.

Point and Click 130

Point and Click Dev Games Mechanics 130

Ask a Game Dev

MARCH 29, 2024

Prototype - A playable example of a single gameplay system to prove out the concept. Examples might be character movement, a combat combo system, or a specific game mechanic. The above screenshot is from the Breath of the Wild systems prototype - wind, fire, etc.

Prototyping 62

Prototyping Demo Dev Concepts 62

Brand Game Development

OCTOBER 23, 2017

I’ve split it into five sections for your convenience: How Ben, Sarah, and Will Got Started How Working in a Team Feels The Downsides of Teamwork Communication in a Team Advice for New Game Devs. This is unusual for most game devs, I think. Brandon: How I imagine teams as a solo dev. Advice for New Game Devs.

Prototyping 130

Prototyping Playtesting Games Game Design 130

PreMortem.Games

JULY 17, 2023

First person slasher genre Triternion was officially founded in 2017, but the roots go back as far as 2014 when two developers built the initial prototypes and explorations in the first person slasher genre. Plans for a new IP Mordhau has a really dedicated player base, and the dev team at Triternion wants to be there for them. “We

Console 104

Console First person PC Mesh 104

Brand Game Development

DECEMBER 8, 2017

Dev Diary posts are made to teach game development through specific examples from my latest project: Highways & Byways. That’s not necessarily good or bad, but it’s something game devs need to be wary of. This is a checklist I like to check off before I start final testing: Get the physical prototype ready.

Point and Click 130

Point and Click Dev Games Prototyping 130

Brand Game Development

DECEMBER 17, 2018

They come up with the basic ideas behind the game (the core engine), design mechanics, create the rules, and sometimes even come up with the theme. The post Board Game Designer vs. Developer vs. Publisher appeared first on Brandon the Game Dev. What’s the difference between board game designer, developer, and publisher?

Game Design 130

Game Design Game Designer Development Games 130

Radiator Blog

APRIL 18, 2022

There's been some game dev twittering about Unity vs. Unreal lately. This is important during the second half of a game dev cycle, when game making becomes a terrible slog -- when your game randomly crashes on Nintendo Switch for some reason and you have to figure out why but you're already so so tired.

Engine 40

Engine Engineering Rigging Bug 40

Radiator Blog

MARCH 16, 2023

Last month, game industry documentary makers 2 Player Productions debuted a massive 32-part YouTube game dev doc series Double Fine PsychOdyssey , chronicling the development of Psychonauts 2 from its earliest glimmers of pre-production in 2015 to its final release in 2021.

Art 59

Art Concepts Dev Studios 59

Brand Game Development

MAY 14, 2018

Failure can involve missed deadlines, lost clients, scrapped prototypes, controversial public statements, or no-show events. Game Design: The process of taking a game’s specifications and turning them into a functional game with mechanics, rules, and components. Not all failure comes in the form of unsuccessful Kickstarter campaigns.

Game Developer 130

Game Developer Game Development Development Concepts 130

Brand Game Development

NOVEMBER 20, 2017

The core engine is what’s left when you strip a game of mechanics and obstacles. The core engine is the bare minimum set of mechanics and concepts you need to have a functioning (but not necessarily fun) game. Game mechanics are how we bring the core engine of a game to life. What are game mechanics?

Mechanics 130

Mechanics Games Game Design Game Designer 130

PreMortem.Games

NOVEMBER 15, 2023

This also meant we had less dev time to fix bugs or optimize performance. Identify key features you need your engine to support, make some prototypes and see if Godot suits you and your game. The post Ascent of Ashes dev switches to Godot halfway development “Not as chaotic as Unity” appeared first on PreMortem Games.

Dev 115

Dev Development Prototyping Feature 115

PreMortem.Games

NOVEMBER 17, 2023

Yet, for indie dev Almar, it offered an escape from the corporate rat race he felt trapped in. This finally leads me to prototyping and validation. I do sometimes have ‘flashes’ -or dreams- of cool ideas like a gameplay mechanic, other times a whole story or environment. For some, the idea of developing a game alone is daunting.

Dev 156

Dev Playtesting Art Games 156

Brand Game Development

DECEMBER 30, 2019

If you’re the kind of creator who has a few prototype board games in your closet somewhere, consider playing one of them with a few game designers. Order a professional physical prototype of one of your board games. Experiment with a theme or mechanics you’ve never used. Card games count, too! My first game, War Co.

Dev 130

Dev Prototyping Games Game Design 130

Brand Game Development

MARCH 16, 2020

You have to spend money making a nice prototype for publishers, sure, but you don’t have to get deep into the behind-the-scenes business processes. Publishers have all sorts of vetting mechanisms in place that keep you from going to market with a bad game. appeared first on Brandon the Game Dev.

Games 130

Games Quality Assurance Art Game Developer 130

Brand Game Development

NOVEMBER 19, 2018

Whether a designer starts with an idea that they want to see fully realized or a specs document that says “make this kind of game with these certain mechanics,” there will be an enormous amount of unavoidable trial-and-error. appeared first on Brandon the Game Dev. The post What is a Tabletop Game?

Games 130

Games Art Media Game Design 130

Brand Game Development

NOVEMBER 27, 2017

We’re picking up where we left off last week with How to Design the Mechanics of Your Board Game , so read that if you haven’t had the chance yet. Today, we’ll be focusing on testing game mechanics after you design them. A quick recap: game mechanics are how we bring the core engine of a game to life.

Mechanics 130

Mechanics Games Balance Development 130

Grid Sage Games

MARCH 10, 2022

Mechanics that are never quite worth taking advantage of, items that haven’t lived up to their potential, or were later superseded by other options but remained unchanged, or even long-term experiments that were included at some point but never updated/expanded/removed. Categorical Approach. Categorical Approach.

Balance 52

Balance Mechanics Beta Prototyping 52

Deconstructor of Fun

FEBRUARY 7, 2021

Eric is the author of the book Freemium Economics and the founder of Mobile Dev Memo , the ultimate growth blog and podcast. I recently gave a presentation on how rapid prototyping and audience development will be used in the post-IDFA mobile gaming environment to “wag the dog” in terms of building scale for mobile games.

Advertising 52

Advertising Mobile Gaming Mobile Mobile 52

Brand Game Development

DECEMBER 18, 2017

It is true that games speak to players through gameplay – the core engine, mechanics, and rules. The Seize the Bean prototype has little sugar cube pieces to tell its story. Dylan: This was our challenge in trying to flesh out appropriate mechanics for Seize the Bean’s wild and almost untame-able theme. Do not eat!

Mechanics 130

Mechanics Art Games Puzzle 130

Brand Game Development

DECEMBER 11, 2017

Game rules are how we regulate the mechanics of our games so that they are consistent with the messages we want to send to players. Short-term mechanic testing. Brandon: At the short-term mechanic testing stages, you’re really just using rules to help underlying mechanics manifest themselves! Private testing.

Mechanics 130

Mechanics Concepts Writing Games 130

Brand Game Development

JANUARY 2, 2018

With various other developers, I’ve talked about all the different parts that go into making a board game: the core engine , the mechanics , rules , and storytelling / internal narrative. I sometimes use blank cards or write on prototypes if I need to iterate quickly, but that typically only happens at conventions.

Playtesting 130

Playtesting Games Advertising Prototyping 130

Brand Game Development

JUNE 26, 2017

You have to spend money making a nice prototype for publishers, sure, but you don’t have to get deep into the behind-the-scenes business processes. Publishers have all sorts of vetting mechanisms in place that keep you from going to market with a bad game. Key Takeaways for Game Devs.

Quality Assurance 130

Quality Assurance Games Art Dev 130

Brand Game Development

FEBRUARY 19, 2018

If you’re a designer seeking a publisher, you will essentially need a solid prototype, a great sales sheet, and an awesome pitch. Your theme is that critical in order to nail down some concepts first, before diving into game mechanics. The post How to Find Artists for Your Board Game appeared first on Brandon the Game Dev.

Art 130

Art Games Development Prototyping 130

Brand Game Development

NOVEMBER 3, 2017

Dev Diary posts are made to teach game development through specific examples from my latest project: Highways & Byways. 2: I did not order a prototype prior to manufacturing from the same company that printed. That means I took way too long to fix bad game mechanics, clean up bad ideas, and so on. Click here.

Point and Click 130

Point and Click Media Games Art 130

Radiator Blog

DECEMBER 12, 2022

Back in 2019 I made an unfinished prototype for a Gay Western game jam to contemplate the anniversary of influential gay cowboy film Brokeback Mountain (2005). Like many game prototypes, my initial sheepherding test began as something much grander and more complicated. It's mostly "safe for work" even if the actual game is not.

Pixel 52

Pixel Film Art NPC 52

Brand Game Development

JULY 20, 2020

Garret is a sharp guy and a good game dev. ” It’ll be aimed at letting first-time game devs know what they’re getting into with self-publishing. Even if you take out vacation, that’s 9 months – I feel like that’s a surprisingly long time frame to a lot of first time devs.

Prototyping 130

Prototyping Games Playtesting Dev 130

Brand Game Development

JULY 22, 2019

In each of the design diaries that I have written so far, I have focused on a specific game mechanic or isolated portion of the game. In my first prototype, I had special “Draft Leaders” cards shuffled into segments of the Adventurer deck. 5) appeared first on Brandon the Game Dev.

Tile 130

Tile Games Playtesting Balance 130

Radiator Blog

JUNE 30, 2022

I first prototyped it back in 2019, but I didn't really know how to finish it. Originally this was prototyped as "Saugzwang" and I made it for the 7 Day Broughlike Jam back in 2019. L loss or often worse, since cops can exploit the same chain reaction mechanic as the player. Their victim's mood or consent is irrelevant.

Code 52

Code Educational Education Prototyping 52