Comments on: Challenge #13: Your Best Tip for Better Game Production http://www.gameproducer.net/2007/05/25/challenge-13-your-best-tip-for-better-game-production/ I'm baking games. Indie style. Sun, 12 Feb 2012 18:37:02 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.2.1 By: unzero http://www.gameproducer.net/2007/05/25/challenge-13-your-best-tip-for-better-game-production/comment-page-1/#comment-115099 unzero Sat, 01 Sep 2007 01:29:19 +0000 http://www.gameproducer.net/2007/05/25/challenge-13-your-best-tip-for-better-game-production/#comment-115099 stick to the script... It does not matter if the new idea is wonderfull and if you would be proud of seeing it in the game, stick to the script. what was put down on paper should be thought of as gospel, no turning, cutting corners or illusions. I have found that if the initial idea is changed, even to solve a problem, the whole project falls out of alignment and all concepts of your goal become dellutions. STICK TO THE SCRIPT, if you cant find a solution, try harder, softer, longer... whatever... but stick to the script. stick to the script…

It does not matter if the new idea is wonderfull and if you would be proud of seeing it in the game, stick to the script.
what was put down on paper should be thought of as gospel, no turning, cutting corners or illusions.

I have found that if the initial idea is changed, even to solve a problem, the whole project falls out of alignment and all concepts of your goal become dellutions.

STICK TO THE SCRIPT, if you cant find a solution, try harder, softer, longer… whatever… but stick to the script.

]]> By: Russ http://www.gameproducer.net/2007/05/25/challenge-13-your-best-tip-for-better-game-production/comment-page-1/#comment-84819 Russ Sun, 27 May 2007 22:11:02 +0000 http://www.gameproducer.net/2007/05/25/challenge-13-your-best-tip-for-better-game-production/#comment-84819 Well, I'm not in production (yet) but my best guess based on what I've experienced from the QA side would be: <b>Focus on the player</b>. Every decision should be made with the thought of how it will impact the player. Whether it is to make design changes, meeting deadlines, or evaluating input from QA, at the end of the day, it must have a positive impact on the player's experience or it probably won't be worth it. Well, I’m not in production (yet) but my best guess based on what I’ve experienced from the QA side would be: Focus on the player. Every decision should be made with the thought of how it will impact the player. Whether it is to make design changes, meeting deadlines, or evaluating input from QA, at the end of the day, it must have a positive impact on the player’s experience or it probably won’t be worth it.

]]> By: Scurvy Lobster http://www.gameproducer.net/2007/05/25/challenge-13-your-best-tip-for-better-game-production/comment-page-1/#comment-84517 Scurvy Lobster Sat, 26 May 2007 17:43:02 +0000 http://www.gameproducer.net/2007/05/25/challenge-13-your-best-tip-for-better-game-production/#comment-84517 If you work in the same room it is excellent to get the plan for the comming days up on a whiteboard. In my current project all tasks are prioritized on color coded post-it notes and given a time estimate. This makes it easy for the entire team to see what is Pending | Checked out | Done. We recently upgraded this to also have lines marking the days. Then you can place tasks according to their time estimate. This has made miracles for my project management! :-D Note 1: make sure the estimates are made by those doing the tasks. Note 2: Color codes eksample: Green is programming and red is audio. Note 3: All this still needs a long term plan to be updates somewhere. If you work in the same room it is excellent to get the plan for the comming days up on a whiteboard. In my current project all tasks are prioritized on color coded post-it notes and given a time estimate. This makes it easy for the entire team to see what is Pending | Checked out | Done.

We recently upgraded this to also have lines marking the days. Then you can place tasks according to their time estimate.

This has made miracles for my project management! :-D

Note 1: make sure the estimates are made by those doing the tasks.
Note 2: Color codes eksample: Green is programming and red is audio.
Note 3: All this still needs a long term plan to be updates somewhere.

]]> By: Juuso - Game Producer http://www.gameproducer.net/2007/05/25/challenge-13-your-best-tip-for-better-game-production/comment-page-1/#comment-84487 Juuso - Game Producer Sat, 26 May 2007 14:57:04 +0000 http://www.gameproducer.net/2007/05/25/challenge-13-your-best-tip-for-better-game-production/#comment-84487 Great tips people: - do what you can - believe in your game - do what you love - finish your game - “Perfection is achieved not when there is nothing more to add, but when there is nothing left to take away.” - make a small game - focus on focus (and other great tips in that post) - don't be a robot (not 100% what that meant though :) More? Great tips people:
- do what you can
- believe in your game
- do what you love
- finish your game
- “Perfection is achieved not when there is nothing more to add, but when there is nothing left to take away.”
- make a small game
- focus on focus (and other great tips in that post)
- don’t be a robot (not 100% what that meant though :)

More?

]]> By: swordfish http://www.gameproducer.net/2007/05/25/challenge-13-your-best-tip-for-better-game-production/comment-page-1/#comment-84386 swordfish Sat, 26 May 2007 03:28:11 +0000 http://www.gameproducer.net/2007/05/25/challenge-13-your-best-tip-for-better-game-production/#comment-84386 Don't be a robot. Don’t be a robot.

]]> By: VPellen http://www.gameproducer.net/2007/05/25/challenge-13-your-best-tip-for-better-game-production/comment-page-1/#comment-84377 VPellen Sat, 26 May 2007 01:40:45 +0000 http://www.gameproducer.net/2007/05/25/challenge-13-your-best-tip-for-better-game-production/#comment-84377 LiF: I see your point, and you're right, your games aren't for yourself (usually), they're for your customers. But it's more than just that: If you don't truly love games, you're going to be hard pushed to make good ones. It's not so much about making games for you as much as loving what you make. When you love what you make, you're going to put more effort into it. It's about passion. But, no such thing as a hard and fast rule, and I'm sure there are plenty of game makers who made awesome games even though they hate them. I've just never heard of any. :) LiF: I see your point, and you’re right, your games aren’t for yourself (usually), they’re for your customers. But it’s more than just that: If you don’t truly love games, you’re going to be hard pushed to make good ones. It’s not so much about making games for you as much as loving what you make. When you love what you make, you’re going to put more effort into it. It’s about passion.

But, no such thing as a hard and fast rule, and I’m sure there are plenty of game makers who made awesome games even though they hate them. I’ve just never heard of any. :)

]]> By: Grey Alien Games » Blog Archive » Best Tip for Game Production http://www.gameproducer.net/2007/05/25/challenge-13-your-best-tip-for-better-game-production/comment-page-1/#comment-84323 Grey Alien Games » Blog Archive » Best Tip for Game Production Fri, 25 May 2007 20:04:51 +0000 http://www.gameproducer.net/2007/05/25/challenge-13-your-best-tip-for-better-game-production/#comment-84323 [...] is running a good post about the best game tip for producing games. My tip was “Finish your game“. Because [...] [...] is running a good post about the best game tip for producing games. My tip was “Finish your game“. Because [...]

]]> By: Jake Birkett http://www.gameproducer.net/2007/05/25/challenge-13-your-best-tip-for-better-game-production/comment-page-1/#comment-84319 Jake Birkett Fri, 25 May 2007 20:00:30 +0000 http://www.gameproducer.net/2007/05/25/challenge-13-your-best-tip-for-better-game-production/#comment-84319 I guess it depends who you are producing games for: a) yourself for fun or b) for a commercial audience. I assumed the article was aimed at b) because with a) you don't even need to finish it! I guess it depends who you are producing games for: a) yourself for fun or b) for a commercial audience. I assumed the article was aimed at b) because with a) you don’t even need to finish it!

]]> By: LiF http://www.gameproducer.net/2007/05/25/challenge-13-your-best-tip-for-better-game-production/comment-page-1/#comment-84284 LiF Fri, 25 May 2007 17:51:58 +0000 http://www.gameproducer.net/2007/05/25/challenge-13-your-best-tip-for-better-game-production/#comment-84284 Also, I have to desagree with VPellen : (quote) "Love what you do, do what you love. If that’s games, go for it. If it isn’t, quit." Argument 1) Doing video games is not about making things that you love, it's about making games _players_ (well, consumers, to use an ugly word) love. Argument 2) Finishing a game is 50% things you love (for example programming, or creating a game design, ...) and 50% boring things (all the marketing part, the packaging, finding subcontractors, finding guys to translate in several languages, debug and debug (and debug) Just my opinion ;-) But don't worry, it's a very incredible job anyway ;-) I don't want to discourage anyone :) Also, I have to desagree with VPellen : (quote) “Love what you do, do what you love. If that’s games, go for it. If it isn’t, quit.”

Argument 1) Doing video games is not about making things that you love, it’s about making games _players_ (well, consumers, to use an ugly word) love.

Argument 2) Finishing a game is 50% things you love (for example programming, or creating a game design, …) and 50% boring things (all the marketing part, the packaging, finding subcontractors, finding guys to translate in several languages, debug and debug (and debug)

Just my opinion ;-) But don’t worry, it’s a very incredible job anyway ;-) I don’t want to discourage anyone :)

]]> By: LiF http://www.gameproducer.net/2007/05/25/challenge-13-your-best-tip-for-better-game-production/comment-page-1/#comment-84269 LiF Fri, 25 May 2007 17:45:36 +0000 http://www.gameproducer.net/2007/05/25/challenge-13-your-best-tip-for-better-game-production/#comment-84269 Focus on Focus. Find and destroy any perturbating element : kill MSN, Skype, block IP from eBay and all the favorites newspapers. Make everybody clean his desk. No post-its. Purchase good chairs and good lights. A bright light is needed to be productive. Hear the needs of your coworkers, and give them _perfect_ conditions to work and _focus_ Display and read your _true_ objectives each day. And so one. I could write a whole paper on this... Focus on Focus.

Find and destroy any perturbating element : kill MSN, Skype, block IP from eBay and all the favorites newspapers. Make everybody clean his desk. No post-its.

Purchase good chairs and good lights. A bright light is needed to be productive. Hear the needs of your coworkers, and give them _perfect_ conditions to work and _focus_

Display and read your _true_ objectives each day.

And so one. I could write a whole paper on this…

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