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Lazernaut



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6th August, 2013 at 06/08/2013 15:20:26 -

Hello everyone. For some years now I've been trying to make a thorough description of any project before I start developing but I always end up skipping it. It's really hard for me to figure out how to set the project description up and such. I was wondering if there was anybody out there who had a habit of writing everything down before starting work and if they would be willing to share it so people can see how other people do it?

 
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monkeytherat

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6th August, 2013 at 06/08/2013 19:14:45 -

I'm pretty sure everyone has their own way to do this, since it's really just a way to keep yourself organized and therefore very personal. That being said, they way I do it is to start as vague as I can and then go in and jot notes specifying everything little by little, then worry about organizing my notes later. I don't worry about explaining implementation details, just the general design idea. That's just me though.

 
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Sketchy

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8th August, 2013 at 08/08/2013 00:27:51 -

I believe it's known in the trade as a "design document". The articles section of gamedev.net has loads of info on design docs - eg. http://www.gamedev.net/page/resources/_/creative/game-design/developing-your-game-concept-by-making-a-design-document-r3004

 
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Chris Donovan



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8th August, 2013 at 08/08/2013 06:24:10 -

I'm not sure if I am understanding you perfectly, but I usually go through the following process once I have a vague idea of my project:

1. Create a short, advertising page.

2. Write the introduction/goal of the software in the instructions.

3. Write a simple instruction manual.

This process helps me nail down the essentials of the project, and helps me understand what I need to work on. The document is fluid, of course, as certain things prove to be too difficult, other features are improved, and new features are added.

For The Dead Miles, and other games, I followed this process. For my most recent project, which is basically a space shooter, I didn't create the instruction manual because game play is pretty simple. I did, over the course of months, plan out the global and object variables. Naming the variables was the first major thing I did with my newest project.

Granted, that my newest game isn't extraordinarily complex, but development is going faster than it ever has before.

 
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