The Complexities of Game Development & the Importance of Pre-Production

Being in the tech space, Game Development continues to be an evolving area. The processes that were first adapted from traditional software development are long outdated and in its place has emerged new methodologies and systems to better track, estimate, and produce games.

The first big shift started in the early 2000s with the introduction of AGILE methodology, replacing the traditional waterfall model of development, and continues to evolve as gaming is now entering new spaces like VR/Metaverse and Web3. We as game developers and pioneers in the Web3 space must be knowledgeable in this field and also up-to-date with the newest developments and evolutions in game development.

This is the first of a four part series detailing the intricacies of Game Development from a high level. Many of these topics that we touch on, such as Game Design or AGILE can be elaborated on much more, so much so that many people attend school for multiple years just to understand it all! Our hope is that after reading these articles, you, our Tiny Colony Family, have a better understanding of what exactly it takes to make a game, and how Tiny Colony has been not only following this process closely, but also innovating on it by including the community in its active development.

The first step in game development, assuming you already have an initial concept or idea of what the game will look like, is Pre-Production.

What is Needed in Pre-Production?

At the heart of every game is an idea. A core concept that the game revolves around. In our case, our concept is that of a resource based construction and management game. Proper due-diligence during pre-production can determine the success of the game development down the road.

Successful pre-production for game development starts with 3 key documents:

1. Game Design Document

The Game Design Document is a single document that details the entirety of the game, down to the finest detail. This document should have detailed descriptions of all the game mechanics, the flow of the user experience, game economy details (as much as possible), and the design of the metagame (in-game reward systems that drive engagement). Having a well fleshed out Game Design Document will make the development process much smoother down the road. Remember that this is a living document, meaning that it can be constantly evolving as more details are refined or fleshed out.

2. Art Style Defined — Art Bible

The Art Bible is a document detailing the visual style for the game. This can include anything surrounding art — from the look and feel of the product to detailed instructions regarding how to achieve a certain look or style. At the beginning of a project, this document will usually begin with reference images to other games or media that the game will draw inspiration from. This leads to concept art for most aspects of the game (backgrounds, characters, weapons, etc) and eventually becomes a detailed list of steps that an artist can replicate to create the same look and feel defined by the Art Director. Ideally this will also include budget and tech requirements but is not entirely necessary for the success of this document.

3. Tech Stack Defined — Tech Bible

The Tech Stack is a list of identified technologies that will be needed for the completion of this project. This initiative is usually spearheaded by the Tech Lead of the project and should define what language and engine the project will be built on. It should also include any dependencies and additional software that will be needed. Ideally this list will also include budgets and details of the expense of all the software needed and for how long.

These three documents should be created by someone who has experience in the field. The Game Design Document should be created by, or at least created with the help of, a Game Designer. The Art Bible should be created by the Art Lead and the Tech Stack should be created by the Tech Lead.

Assuming you have completed the three documents above, the next step is to start defining your scope. This process is usually best led by someone who has some project management experience. The idea is to start creating a list of all the assets you will need in-game and a list of all development needed to complete the project. Start with large items (we call this epics) and refine them down to individual steps. This may take a long time and you may end up with an incredibly long list, but doing a good job here will make the project much smoother when in development.

This list, if created correctly, will give you the ability to determine the progress of your project and track whether or not you are falling behind. It will also help you determine whether or not you are still within your budget. Estimates for each item should be coming from your Art and Tech Leads. Much like the Game Design Document, this estimate is going to be a moving target and will evolve as development is underway.

Next article we will start to look at the Production and define some terminology around Game Development that we commonly use in our communications. Stay tuned!

About Tiny Colony

Tiny Colony is an expansive pixelated metaverse and construction and management simulation game designed for the Solana blockchain. Players can earn in-game currency by building and running an effective ant colony, battling with other colonies and wagering in community events.

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