Finishing the game - priorities ?

BlitzMax Forums/BlitzMax Beginners Area/Finishing the game - priorities ?

Dax Trajero(Posted 2007) [#1]
So I find myself probably half way through the develop[ement cycle of my first game, a 2D retro effort. Right now the problem I'm having is, because I'm in-experienced I'm writing code as I go instead of planning things out. As a consequence, I'm currently wasting time getting explosions to look "nice"

What advice would you give in order to get the game finished ?

Is it best to get the whole framework running, using placeholder graphics? Or do people do graphics first and integrate from the start ?

Do you integrate score and soundFX at the end or during developemnt ?

Intro screens and high score tables, I take it should be last ?


tonyg(Posted 2007) [#2]
I suffer from the same problem BUT I know the answer and still don't do it.
Get it going then polish it.
However, that does mean you need to plan your code to some degree and make sure changes can be made simply without too much editing.
Nice, standalone, reuseable modules/functions/types are the best way of doing that and that's where I normally fall foul.
Rather than create the module, add the functions I need and worry about future functions later I always attempt to write an all-singing, all-dancing version.
I'm committing myself to doing at least one proper, polished game for my son.
That *might* well mean another customer for GA'S Framework.


MGE(Posted 2007) [#3]
I had this same problem at first, but after you write several games you'll notice a trend starting, you start to organize everything better, everything just flows better. Some novice game designers will work on graphics because it's the one thing that gets immediate visual gratification. It is good to have a decent library of place holder graphics which helps you avoid the urge to pixel play. Developers who also do their own graphics, tend to spend alot of time "tweaking" graphics, code, back and forth, etc, etc. Taking alot longer than farming out one of the 2 to someone else.

a) Get an idea.
b) Prototype the idea using place holder graphics, show it to a few friends, end users, see what they think.
c) If it's something you want to work on seriously, write a short story describing the game. Be as detailed as possible. This will become the story board for your game. As you code the game you should come back to this story frequently for ideas and inspiration.
d) Start the coding process. Tackling very small sections of code at a time. Break large routines down into several smaller sections. It's easier to debug.

The last 5-10% of your game (interface, portal friendly, etc,) will take forever and is the most boring part. But it's also the most important part. ;)


Gabriel(Posted 2007) [#4]
What advice would you give in order to get the game finished ?


Make it work.
Make it work good.
Make it work fast.

In that order.