Cutting It Down:
I had thought that I had a very simple game premise. However, after running into so much trouble on the first level alone, I decided to re-watch some of the videos from last week. Not only did this help to restore some of my faith in my abilities by reminding me that I wasn't alone in my struggles, but I also came across another important bit of information that I'd overlooked in the second video. In this video, the narrator recommends that one should "[f]ind the smallest possible game you can make; make that." Though my game design has only three levels, each one had an entirely different type of game play. Also, I had previously planned to include many changing screens and other elements. However, after having so much trouble with the first level, I decided that I would need to start cutting down parts of my game.
Minimum Viable Product:
Even though I had decided that I would need to cut down elements from my game if I wanted to be able to finish it on time, I still wasn't sure what to cut or by how much. Fortunately, I then came across this video in the video game making series and the concept of Minimum Viable Product. Though the definition can vary a little bit, Minimum Viable Product essentially means a product with the smallest number of features possible that a consumer will still want or pay for. Or, in my case, a game with the smallest number of possible features that a player will still want to play and be able to enjoy.
I'd actually heard of this concept before from a friend of mine who works in Silicon Valley, but I'd never really applied it to any of my own projects--especially because I rarely had a set budget or an imposed deadline for any of the projects that I worked on for myself. However, seeing as I am essentially out of time to finish my game, I needed to find the minimum set of features necessary to still have an enjoyable game.
A Bare-Bones Game:
With the concept of Minimum Viable Product in mind, I began to jettison parts of my game design that seemed non-essential. I have cut two levels--each with completely different game play than the rest--and I am now designing the levels to build off of the same basic game mechanics. I have also lowered the quality of my game art; now, the focus is on getting something that works first and then improving the visuals later if I have time.
The game is mainly just shapes now. I still have to decide if I will include changing screens and menus, but in all likelihood, those will probably have to be pushed aside until it's time to make a new version of the game.
The Results:
After working on my game for 5 weeks, I have a very ugly, basic prototype of my game. I am now at the point where I need to ask myself some important questions:
- Is it playable? Barely, but yes.
- Is there a key goal? It is rudimentary, but it is there.
- Could I take the basic premise and expand on it in future versions? Yes, I could. There is still so much of the original idea left to explore and implement when I have the time.
- Can I build on the mechanics that I've already developed to make a more robust game? Yes, the basic functionality is there. With some tweaks, it could be even better.
- Could this game be polished up and made to look better? Yes. Given enough time, and will some expansion and tweaks, the game could actually look really good. Overall, it could even be a really fun game to play.