I was just wondering, when you guy make games (as I presume you do anyway) what order do you make the various parts in?
I find myself making dialouge/cutscene systems first mostly... Followed by inventories, item equip screen, HUD, then a movement engine, enemies, all other framework and then levels.
When I used to attempt to make a game (that's right, attempt ) Id always try and do gfx and cut-scenes first, being my strongest point, but nowadays I really think it's important to have a solid engine and a good story first, that way I feel like I have something to work for.
This is what you're supposed to do, but I've never been able to follow any sort of orderly plan most of the time. I usually start with the main character, or list out a bunch of ideas on a piece of paper. I find that if you make a decent enough main character it will encourage you to continue on with the actual game. If your character looks like ass, it won't. The best example of this was I wanted to make a 1942 style shooter, only instead of planes you were a dragonfly buzzing a pond. Not a bad idea, but because my dragonfly came out so horribly, I gave up on it and worked on another game that I actually finished.
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"To be a true ninja you must first pick the most stealthy of our assorted combat suits. Might I suggest the bright neon orange?"
DXF Games, coming next: Hasslevania 2- This Space for Rent!
For me I usually draw some main sprites ready (main character, some environment). Then I start with the engine, do the most important things in it, and when I need to, I add more to the engine. I do all menus (except in-game ones) when the actual game is mostly ready.
Which are then constantly cycled over. I don't work in the most effecient way, I'll go at something over and over until I feel happy with it in that very same order.
Um i actually often reuse old engines. So in most cases i do graphics first. But i'm constantly adding or tweaking the engine and graphics in my games so I do those at the same time really.
Music and sound effects are last.
Then i often chuck in an awful boss at the last minute.
Pretty much the same as Circy:
1. Engine with really terrible graphics
2. Proper graphics, music
3. Levels, title screen, random things
Although by the time I'm done with making level editors etc I'm usually sick of looking at the game. A lot of games are sitting idle between stage 1 and 2!
0: Doodles during class lectures at school
1: Sloppy starter graphics
2; Player engine
3: Better graphics + enemy engine + debugging
(divides here)
4: Ideas for next project while still not done with current one
5: Lack of interest grows
6: Project canceled in favor of new one, graphics & engines discarded
4: Level Editor (sometimes)
5. Levels + more debugging + more graphics + more everything
6. Presentation stuff
At work, we first build the engine, then graphics, but not final graphics, mostly place holders. Then once the engine is near final, we make the game pretty. Knowing that, that's how I've been building my game.
I usually use the default diamond to work with a few basic things I'll need with the game engine.
Then I work on place holder graphics such as filled outlines for the actual objects.
Then I use those to farther work on the engine.
After I've got a somewhat solid engine set up, I'll work on the graphics.
From this point on, I'll just bounce back and forth between graphics and engine.
Once I'm happy with graphics and engine, then I'll start working on level design. This does not include test "levels" I make though, to test for bugs or exploits in my engine against various types of level design.
Originally Posted by Newt At work, we first build the engine, then graphics, but not final graphics, mostly place holders. Then once the engine is near final, we make the game pretty. Knowing that, that's how I've been building my game.
that might be the best way if you're working from a design.
However if you make game on the fly (like me) then there is no order. It sort of starts out like that but with an awful lot of tweaking and adding things to it before the cut scenes and such.
1)Game concept
2)Rough sketches
3)Level design
4)Panic
5)Make a few levels
6)Realize how crap they are and scrap them
7)Burn eyes open with a glue-gun and then nail my feet to the floor so there is no escape
Finish levels
9)Scrap those
10)Levels again
11)Finish levels
12)Work on boss levels
13)Scrap, make, repeat
14)Pull my feet out of the floorboards and then re-nail them.
15)Eat something
16)Void bowels
17)Do title screens, openings, finishings, and so forth
1Look at the finished product, vomit, and release the evil upon the virgin-strewn wasteland that is the internets.
Fine Garbage since 2003.
CURRENT PROJECT:
-Paying off a massive amount of debt in college loans.
-Working in television.
Pff you guys went into heaps of detail... Fine then:
1) Idea written in notepad
2) HUD
3) Menu's
4) Movement System
5) Attacks
6) Whatever comes next
7) Graphics (by me or artist) and goto 6 until engine is done
Debug for a while
9) Add little bits in
10) Level designs
11) Cutscenes
12) Enemy Designs
13) Bosses
14) Clean Up
15) Cry because no-one likes the game.
- have an idea (in recent times; Sam 2)
- whilst working on said idea I'll get a better one (Tormunk)
- original design doc
- using placeholder graphics whip up the engine and physics base
- rustle up a story, do concept art and "quotes" for such. Establishing the essence of the game.
- construct a few levels and story telling media to see if idea works. (if yes- move on. if no- go back a step)
- start at the beginning of the game!
*- update the engine to accomondate new features or enemies.
- Work on music.
- graphics phase 1.
- refer back and update the design doc without losing the essense of the game.
- make more levels!
- Idea (many brilliant ones)
- Story if its a joint project
- Engine (many brilliant ideas fail here)
- Story if its an individual project
- Graphics (most brilliant ideas fail here)
- Menus, credits etc.
- Release game
1. Game concept design.
2. Engine design.
3. Data searching for engine design.
4. New engine design.
5. Engine coding.
6. Editor coding.
7. A lot of swearing and angry posts at TDC because my engine coding is un-editorable.
8. Goto (2), if it reaches (4) again, compress folder and toss it somewhere.
Disclaimer: Any sarcasm in my posts will not be mentioned as that would ruin the purpose. It is assumed that the reader is intelligent enough to tell the difference between what is sarcasm and what is not.
Deleted User
6th March, 2008 at 01:44:59 -
10 Make Engine
20 Write Storyline
30 Sing Theme Song
40 Make one level
50 Abandon game
60 GOTO 10
1-think up an idea
2-make an engine and fiddle with it
3-Get annoyed that it won’t work and think maybe it’s not such a good idea after all
4-Finally get it working
5-Draw some characters with rubbish animation
6-write a story if there is one
7-Sketch some level designs on paper
8-design them in the game
9-get annoyed at all the bugs
10-give up and leave the game for two months
11-give it another go and finish it
12- make a title screen and credits sequence which consists of a million different things all ending with ‘ by Craig Tait’
13- Have a proper play through of the game and notice lots of bugs
14-fix bugs while creating new ones…then fix them
15-If I think it’s good enough, post game on the daily click.
16-crap myself waiting to see what people think of it!
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) Id always try and do gfx and cut-scenes first, being my strongest point, but nowadays I really think it's important to have a solid engine and a good story first, that way I feel like I have something to work for.
gfx always frist tho 
Edited by the Author.
and I also agree with Adam.
