What do you find similar between Fortnite and Pac-Man?
You are right if you have guessed that nothing is similar between the two!
Even though the games have nothing similar, they still have a common thread: the game design process.
You need to follow some crucial steps to design a game no matter what genre it is or what mechanics you are using.
From pending deadlines to production limitations to pressures from the publishers, there are endless issues that a game developer may have to deal with.
The brave few who enter the game development industry are familiar with the culture and its practice of testing one’s strength and determination.
However, the desire to create video games which look, feel, and perform gorgeously is just what makes them work.
The development cycle of two games may not be the same but in the most chaotic processes even, these 7 steps are enough to guide a developer.
So, if you have run out of the strategies (which is generally the case with most people), explore these 7 stages to ensure that you are on the right path in game development.
Stages in Game Development
People can have different perceptions when it comes to game development stages. But, according to most courses and developers, the whole process of online game development is divided into 7 stages which are:
- Planning
- Pre-production
- Production
- Test
- Pre-launch
- Launch
- Post-launch
Planning
Planning is preliminary to successfully execute any project!
Skipping the planning stage of the game is a big NO. At this stage, you need to understand what kind of project you are going to build and what is the main concept.
Before developing a game, you are required to answer certain questions including:
- The genre of the game
- Is it going to be 3D or 2D?
- The art style you will be using
- The game engine you will be using
- What all mechanics will you incorporate
- The villain and hero of the game
When you will be done with these questions, the next thing you need to do is to find what resources you need to bring to the table. This process is called the proof of concept process.
Here, you will have to find answers to questions like:
- The cost of the game
- Your financial sources
- Time taken to complete the game
- Skills you need to develop the game
- Team you need
- Monetisation methods
- Platforms to publish your game
Generally, when it comes to Indie games, developers prefer using the Unity platform because it’s free and has almost everything one needs to develop a game. It is known to be beginner friendly and is preferred by smaller teams/studios.
Pre-production
Well, that’s the phase you actually start working!
After answering all the questions of the planning phase, you need to find out the best option that works for you. You will have to consider every aspect of the game development in the same way and then find the best and most suitable idea for you.
- The artist is required to choose a style and art that goes well with the genre and theme of the game.
- As for the developer, he needs to determine the game physics and the flow and connection between these mechanics and objects in the game.
- When it comes to engineers, they are required to tell the team their limitations. They should only choose the themes, finale, and mechanisms that the game can render.
- Project leads need to manage each and everything. They are required to make sure that all the processes are carried out at the right time and requirements of each team are fulfilled.
- Writers play the role of choosing a fun and Interesting storyline.
Production
The phase of designing and developing!
The production phase is one of the Lengthiest and most important phases of the whole online game development process. In this phase, the main design and development take place.
- You are required to design, iterate and render the character models.
- Audio designs must be processed in this phase to ensure that the movement of your character is authentic.
- Creating environments for the storyline is done at this phase.
- In this phase, the project lead needs to develop milestones and schedules to ensure that each process is being carried out in the right way and at the right time.
Testing
Quality control is important!
Before launching the game in the market, you need to test the mechanics and features of the game to check the game’s quality.
At this stage, you need to check if there are any existing bugs. Check if all the things are rendered correctly, working in locked environments and the game’s storyline.
You can also reach out to playtesters for stress testing. If you do not have a huge team, it is always better to invest in a good Game Programming Course to learn the knits and grits of game development and testing.
Pre-launch
Get the trailers out!
Learn some marketing gimmicks for this phase of game development. Before actually launching your game in the market, let your potential clients know about it. This is the time you have put all your efforts into your game’s marketing and collaborate with video game publishers or gaming conventions to launch it.
Launch
The moment of truth!
When the launch date is near, you are going to spend most of your time fixing the bugs that you encountered at the testing time and even after that. Making your game perfect is all you do before launching it.
Post-Launch
The scope for improvement is always there!
Not everyone is going to be satisfied with the game in the first go and let’s be honest, It is okay!
After launching the game, you will spend the first few weeks fixing the minor bugs. Later on, you will spend your time bringing new features to the game and expanding its market.
Winding Up
Are you all inspired to develop your own game after reading this post?
Well, we hope so!
These stages are all you need to go through to design a game of your choice.
However, getting into details is never a bad idea, especially when you are developing a game by yourself. So, it’s always a better idea to enroll in game development courses and learn in detail.
