Howdy!
For about a month now I have been developing a game without a GDD. I have tried to write one, but I am just not a designer at heart. Is this bad practice? I mean, I have a vision of what I want, and I am working towards that, but will people take me seriously if I do not have a GDD?
Whenever I attempt to write a GDD, I just run out of things to say. Within the first page, I have described the games base mechanics and my vision for the game, and then I don’t have much to talk about.
If you’re working alone it’s optional. I did write a GDD just so I don’t forget things later. GDD is very important when working in a team though.
GDD is meant to pass the idea to others working on the project.
It may depend on what kind of game you’re making also. If it’s very simple or something you have done before, then you can get away without a GDD. If it is fairly complex I recommend some way of writing down your plan and a GDD is important. Even a basic checklist is better than nothing.
You have done a GDD. You have covered everything you feel you need to in 1 page, so it doesn’t need to be any longer.
My background is as a game designer, and I have written some very long design documents. But several managers have said they are too short, yet they cannot find anything missing. The shorter a document is, the more likely someone will read it. A large part of the need for a design document is so that the entire team knows what needs doing and are working in the same direction towards the same target. If you are working on your own and do not need to share your vision, a GDD can be just a simple series of checklists.
It may depend on the game, but this sounds like you’re running straight for a brick wall.
There isn’t a game in this world that can be designed in one page (maybe Pong… maybe).
I’ve written dozens of design docs in my time, and while writing the details (that others may consider insignificant) every time, without fail, I have run into questions that I didn’t have answers for.
The GDD is the first step in discovering these issues. The prototype is the second step.
If you think you’ve covered every detail of the game, you’re most likely wrong. And halfway through coding this beast, you’ll discover a situation you hadn’t considered and you’ll most likely have to backtrack over months of work to account for it.
If you are not in a team you don’t need it. At least not formally. The idea behind it should be covered by something else, always. Either in your head, which is probably not the best solution. But I find it sufficient to write down a plan, what to create and where I wanna go. Also to measure progress but mainly to see if everything fits together and that I have thought about all major issues (technical) that may arise. YOu don’t want to redesign from scratch when you find out at the end that something doesn’t fit.
If you think you’ve covered every detail of the game in the GDD, you’re most likely wrong. A GDD can be very useful, but if you someone (such as the original poster) who is struggling with creating one, then it may be better to just get stuck into making the game. A GDD will uncover details if you know what you are doing, but it can be more of a hindrance than a help if you are not comfortable making one.
I’m used to making a GDD up front on big projects, but I find when working on my own in Unity, I work best by creating a prototype with the basic game mechanics first, then look to document how I am going to structure the game.
Thanks for the input guys.
I’ve been working on this game for a month now, and I am working alone.
I guess I will attempt again to write a GDD.
Sometimes you just have to be in the right state of mind to sit down and make a GDD. Relax and ponder.
Don’t try to write a GDD. Write a series of DD for the game, and then compile them into the GDD. Character DD, Story DD, World DD, etc, etc, etc. For some people, the GDD looms too large. It can be a big project, they can feel anxiety in writing it, and it’s not long before the focus becomes the GDD rather than the game itself.
Yes, working on the parts individually can mean that there will be conflict as you go to compile/complete the GDD itself. Personally though, I’d rather have that conflict as I am putting the GDD together later than have it stall me during a linear process. Likewise, if I’m unsure about an aspect of a particular DD - I’ll put it aside and come back to it later. I’ll work on another DD. Again, it’s about not wanting to find myself stalled on some linear process.
If you have a conflict between the Character, the Controls, and the World as you’re compiling the GDD - you’ve still got the rest of the documents; it’s not a case that you reached that point and stalled…never reaching the other info or reaching it in a diminished form because of stalling. It can be tiring, even boring, to work on a GDD. You do not want that to sap your strength or resolve.
I also find that having those pieces and putting them together, working as if you were doing a jigsaw puzzle, helps you recognize what’s missing better than if you try to do it all from the start. One of those, oh snap - how’d I forget that? Well, it just did not seem as important when you started out. I believe you’d rather find things are missing while duct taping the GDD together than after you’ve started development.
Because, keep in mind - it’s just you. You’re not going to lunch with the guys and bouncing ideas around. There’s nobody else around to have an epiphany - it’s just you. There’s nobody else to slap there forehead at how stupid something is…it’s just you.
The process for putting together a GDD for an individual cannot be the same as putting together one for a team…because the process simply is not the same. If you’re trying to write it as if there is a group, a lead that has greater say, feedback from different technology teams, and all the other folks commonly involved in a project…and it’s just you - well, I wish you luck. I prefer taking an approach that’s more customized to my being a team of one and knowing how I work. It’s similar to any project that I’m working on - whether I’m writing fiction, throwing together an audio track, or developing software.
I think if your working by yourself you might not need it. But if you cant fill 1 page how much of a game will you really have. With a document you can save yourself alot of time if you can write it out, you might be able to kill a bad idea before spending weeks prototyping it, the worst thing you can ever do is go half cocked on a half baked “concept” that sounds good but when you really think about it and flesh out the game it doesnt work.
That’s a good idea 
I will try this then.
What’s the most likely things to occur?
So what’d put in a GDD is really quite simple:
[Basic details]
[Scope]
[Needed resources]
Now, I know that’s a crappy GDD - and I missed out on a TON of important stuff - but I actually sat down and wrote that in 5 mins, and now have a general idea of how this project is going to work. I’ve got a 4 week target, I have to get my movement and weapons working, I can’t waste time on Chat, MMO, multiple ships. While I want an artist, I know how to release my game on time if I can’t get a reliable one etc. In 5 mins I’ve already saved myself dozens of hours and drastically increased my chances of success.
Now I’d spend a week or two fleshing that out in my spare time while I do others things [particularly R&D - so I know what I’m doing when I get to it]. Given that it’s a small prototype and I’m working alone I don’t want to make to too big or specific, but I do want to flesh out the general feel of it. Maybe draw some maps, whip up some storyboards [EXTREMELY USEFUL], work on a story/backstory etc.
My problem isn’t that I don’t have ideas, I have tons of ideas, and I know that I can implement them. For me, it’s just the organization of the GDD. I don’t want to talk about the server hosting where I talk about the character. I have organization problems.
I’ve started working on a GDD for my game here. While I am working on it, it would be great if people could offer criticism. This link should update every time I make a change to it. Currently, I have only written the Brief Overview section. Please let me know what you think.
https://docs.google.com/document/d/15BqVO9_Zlu14SwGo93wk5ab521A0ACHHVFpuKWKxBCg/edit
And that’s about where I get up to. What do I talk about next? The characters? The leaderboards? The zombies?
That’s something that I forget to do at times. I’ll focus on what I’m going to include - but inevitably during development, feature creep sets in and something I should have known I shouldn’t have included causes setbacks…meh.
It covers a lot of the areas you’ll want to think about. Just go through it and fill your game into it.
I’ve taken a look at that before, and it seemed to help a bit. Right now I am using a GDD of a tutorial from digital tutors as a template.
This is a really good book on all aspects of game design. Humorous, not preachy, but chock full of creative juice. Sometimes a good read can jar loose stuff in your noggin…
Thanks!
I will see about purchasing this