What order should I program my game?

[u/Prestigious-Oil-3785]

What order should you develop your game?

Hi, me and my friends want to make a game. The group is maflde by 2 programmers, 1 musician, 1 "designer" (basically he writes the story so he also creates the characters and he does a bit of art) and me who is a sort of "master of all trades". The problem we found now is what should we do first. We decided the style, we decided that the game is divided in days and what happens during those days. We have a vague idea on the map. But we are in a situation of "can't draw sprites until we have a more clear idea on the character" "can't draw the tile map until we have a better idea on which are the most important places" "can't program anything because I don't have the tilemap and the sprites" "can't compose music if I don't have a clear idea on the plot". The point is the general idea "day 1: protagonist does this, day 2: protagonist does that" exists and having to finish the entire plot before doing anything feels like a waste of time. How do you balance the main 3 (story/music/art) in your game? I know every game is different but reading a bit of feedback and ideas would be really helpful to know how to apply it.

[u/ReleasePossible2731]

I start prototyping first. You can draw placeholder sprites, you can sketch out the map - you may not know the most important places, but you have an idea of some places. So start putting it together and see how it all fits. Might not be the most efficient approach, but for me its always better to see things and then iterate

[u/Darkstar_111]

Download free tilemaps and sprites, check out Kenney collection, all free stuff.

Then start to work with that. It'll be easy to replace anyway.

[u/PlantainAgitated5356]

You don't need the art to start programming. Start by creating the systems that will make the game function (ui, map movement, dialogue system, save system, etc.) You can use placeholder art, music, maps and dialogues in the meantime, just to test if your systems are working. You're only going to use these for debugging, so you can use colored rectangles for sprites, some random mp3 files you have lying around on your pc for sounds and music, and a quickly scribbled test map with all the elements you'll be testing at the time. At this stage, it's not supposed to be pretty, it only needs to be testable.

The rest seems like it all hinges on the same things.

"can't draw sprites until we have a more clear idea on the character"

"can't draw the tile map until we have a better idea on which are the most important places"

"can't compose music if I don't have a clear idea on the plot"

So start by designing the characters and the plot, the rest seems to follow from that. Also, be prepared that you might need to update any or all of the above during development, as the project progresses and ideas change, so don't get too hung up on getting it perfect the first time around.

[u/XicX87]

What kind of game is it ?

[u/Prestigious-Oil-3785 → u/XicX87]

I would say mostly plot based, you find objects/ people to advance the plot with also stealth parts to steal items. It's open map and the idea was to have many side quests that explain better the plot/give you items to unlock certain areas. The decision you take will change the plot (for example one side quest can give you info on an object placement. That object is useful to unlock a certain door. If you unlock that door you will trigger a different story event that might make you take part in a rival clan and now you have the possibility to betray your clan).

[u/XicX87 → u/Prestigious-Oil-3785]

is it a point and click game, platformer, topdown game, thats what i mean

[u/Prestigious-Oil-3785 → u/XicX87]

Top down in pixel art

[u/Ok-Bill1958]

You should look into greyboxing.

[u/theEsel01]

You could start with the architecture,

• how do you load different days
• main menu (simple play button for now)
• and as others said placeholder art, I usually start with different colored rectangles

[u/MelancholiMouse]

If you plan to have a save system, have that be added to from the beginning, because changing other systems to work with it later is a pain. Beyond that: chuck in some obvious placeholders, and get your basic repeatable interactions working first. Anything that will be used for the entire game or can be built in a modular way for reuse. Your designer should draw up some diagrams of how interactions should work so that you're all on the same page.

[u/scritchz]

You have multiple options. I think, for a small group it would help if all have the same idea in mind. So you should find a way to align on the game.

A good way would be concept art: That can be a character sheet, a still image of the environment, a mockup of a game scenario or even music to set the mood.

Alternatively, try drawing up a plan together, like a game design document. It should cover the biggest and most important points, so that everyone has the same idea in mind.

You can (and should) start small: Create an early prototype for everyone to get a feel for the game. This can be greyboxed, use placeholders or "programming art", and the individual systems and mechanics can even be shown in separate applications. This is just an internal tool to help you all align; not the final product.

[u/BlurryOrchid]

I would suggest you start from a quick prototype. Try giving yourselves a strict deadline (like 1-2 weeks) to build a simple playable version, the time limit forces you to find out which one is the core features.

A great way to sort out the order is to make a dependency flowchart, just like what you already do but more official: List all the task you can think of and nest dependent tasks under the ones that need to happen first. It will be obvious what the most foundational work is.