Development pearls of wisdom

[FunInfusedGames]

Playtest playtest playtest.

You really should playtest your games with other people, ideally while you watch. They'll do things you don't expect and find things fun or not fun that you may not. When it's your game, you're predisposed to enjoy / approve it. You need to find out what people with no vested interest think.

[Woodesh]

This :

Keep your project very small. If you think it's small, it's NOT small.

think of something simple and stick to it, your biggest enemy is you.
its better to make 5 progressively better tiny sh"t games over 12 months than one sh"t game over 12 months.
expierence is learning, nobody made a sucess on their first game.

if you have time watch this, interesting talk with creator of super meat boy.


Youtube link | Pop Up

[TheGreatWhiteApe]

Add something like Flurry to your games or apps. Flurry is a free system that lets you get stats on users, usage etc., so you can see where people are having trouble, what device they were on etc.,

Also great if you ever end up looking to sell your apps, prospective buyer will want to see as many stats as they can get on performace.

App annie is also an awesome system for receiving daily stats via email, and tracking global success and app store positions and customer reviews.

[glaze]

• Use static analysis tools such as the one included in Xcode or Cppcheck.
• Use Clang.
• In some devices, GLSL variable ivec4 must be declared highp.
• Render order recommended by Imgtec: opaque/alpha test/alpha blend.
• Use Instruments to find CPU/GPU bottlenecks.
• Don't use GL calls directly in the game code. Abstract them, so porting is easier.
• Remove unneeded stuff from .pngs with pngcrush or a similar tool.
• Consider using some other language than Objective-C for easier porting.
• Test your game with and without audio. Provide visual feedback for important events.

[schplurg]

Originally Posted by Woodesh

This :


think of something simple and stick to it, your biggest enemy is you.
its better to make 5 progressively better tiny sh"t games over 12 months than one sh"t game over 12 months.
expierence is learning, nobody made a sucess on their first game.

if you have time watch this, interesting talk with creator of super meat boy.

YouTube: video

Not true Good overall advice though. I will say though that it is a lot tougher than it was 2 years ago. Look at all the big names in the top spots now.

I have a lot of dev "rules" I go by. My latest one is "Good Enough Isn't". If I catch myself saying, "Bah, that's good enough", I ask myself, could it be great instead? On the other hand some things are best left "good enough".

Have fun. I laugh every day testing the new Daredevil Dave. Not every game is funny, and not every app is fun, but make what you can of it. Think of all the other crappy jobs out there you could be doing!

Know when to say "when". I catch myself adding new things all the time. I see a lot of potential new features, but if I added them all I would never finish the game. Save some new features for updates maybe.

Don't let anybody or anything bring you down, or discourage you. Try not to live in a fantasy world of expectations either, but if you know you have a good idea, go with it!

[thedollarhunter]

Wise words indeed, what a great thread.

Originally Posted by david_loqheart

More about process:

(1) Just because you are completing tasks on your "to-do" list and are "really busy" doesn't mean you're actually making a better game. There are times when focusing on the task at hand is good, but take time to step back and evaluate whether what your'e doing is the most important thing you should be doing and whether it will make your game significantly better. If there's something else that could get you further and faster, then do that instead.

(2) Along the same lines, PUT YOUR GAME INTO SOMEBODY'S HANDS! NOW! Don't wait till it's "better" or "more polished" DO IT NOW. You are too close to the game. Just sit back and observe other people play. Don't guide them. Or tell them anything. Just see how they get confused, or when they get frustrated, or tap the wrong things, etc.

(3) Don't wait till the last week to start marketing and telling everyone about your game. Marketing takes time, because you need to build trust and make connections.

(4) Stay healthy and surround yourself with supportive people. Morale always goes down the longer you're in production. You need a partner or someone close to you to lift your spirits. But they should also be honest with you in terms of feedback. Just having your family and friends tell you it's a good game is not going to help you in the long run. Supportive, but honest.

[sifter]

Great thread. I'd add:

* Don't insist on a particular method, just insist on doing it right
- (not me, can't remember where I heard it, it's on a whiteboard at work now!)

* "Consider a user talking about your app saying, “it can do this, it can do that”. Now compare that to them saying that with your creation “I can do this, I can do that”. The difference is syntactically small but incredibly important."
- This article.

* "Great design is all the work you don’t ask the people who use your products to do."
- This thread on Quora. Particularly good when thinking about loading screens, journey into the game itself.

Hope those help you like they've helped me