Notes on Game Making

[CodeHunterEx]

To start off this topic, I would like to mention something that, although may seem obvious to most, is something we need to remember. Although we may have a beefy computer that can run like a dream, that doesn't mean that the players of your game will have a decent system to run your game on. We need to try and keep the lag down so it isn't slow enough that it isn't worth playing.

What do you think?

Do you have any thoughts/notes you would like to add whether they are obvious or not that you think we should also think of when creating games?

 

[bgillisp]

My thought: Remember that your players have not played your game before. Therefore, you need to actually explain to them how things work. But make those explanations optional, as some like to just figure it out.

 

[megumi014]

Make your font big enough to be read comfortably, specially if the player can't choose to make it bigger (it applies to AAA games too... I'm not looking at you, Dragon Age, nope...).

 

[TheoAllen]

Remember that someone on another side of the world still has a bad internet connection that 300mb is still too much for them. While some of ppl might be thinking "it's just a few hundreds of MB". Even worse if your game reached 1 GB.

Personally, I will always try to trim down as much as I can when it comes to game size. I like size efficiency.

EDIT:
Also, note that not all people use the glorious 1080p screen. Forcing them to play a game with that screen with no option to shrink the size is just terrible (I know one game that did this).

 

[CodeHunterEx]

My thought: Remember that your players have not played your game before. Therefore, you need to actually explain to them how things work. But make those explanations optional, as some like to just figure it out.

Would you like instructions?

Choices
Yes, please == Explain
No, thank you == Let player figure it out (or skip explination if already seen previously)

Exactly. Thank you for the reminder. I had this in my game and it seems to have vanished. I will correct that. Thank you @bgillisp

 

[Shaz]

Make your font big enough to be read comfortably

Choose a font that is easy to read. Leave the fancy ones for your game title.

Spell check your game. Get someone else to spell check your game.

 

[CodeHunterEx]

I would add that it would be a good idea to playtest your games in an environment without the RPG Maker engine/RTP (if it isn't needed because you have your own, or other reasons) to make sure that it works as expected. This is a great way to make sure that all resources that are needed are included and available. You don't want to be getting reports of missing resources and need to go through the hassle of re-compressing your game, uploading it, etc.

 

[punchybot]

Just make your game fun. Don't pad your game with unfun nonsense.

 

[CodeHunterEx]

One thing to think about: YOU are the developer and when it gets completed is all up to you. Take your time, and enjoy creating the game. Don't rush it.

Unless you are developing for some contest or event where there is a time limit on completion of a project. Then there is a rush.

 

[FluffexStudios]

Testing is a very important factor in game design, you'll need to keep on testing and testing and testing different scenario and fix any discovered issue. Make sure to have a lot of testers for your game!

 

[Engr. Adiktuzmiko]

Test it yourself first before making others test it, and test a lot.. and dont forget to make others test it after..

Also, save a lot (goes not just for game development really but also for a lot of other computer works), and make backups of your project on other devices..

and of course, Have Fun!

 

[Wavelength]

Players are sometimes going to interpret objectives (especially ones based around puzzles or plot flags) differently than you intended, and they also might put your game down for a few weeks (or years!) before coming back to it. Since absolutely no one likes looking up "what am I supposed to do" in a strategy guide, my advice is to give the player hints and guidance if they seem to be lost, and also to have synopses or quest logs to jog their memory in case they forget what to do next.

Your point about lag is also well-taken! In testing my game it's been all over the place with lag, and just as I began to worry that it would cripple everyone's experience, a couple of my friends tried it out and had no slowdown at all on their own computers. I might not need to take super-drastic measures now, but if other people will be getting lag like I do, I might need to create a low-resource mode or similar to save their experience with my game (as it relies on crisp, quick input at times).

 

[Engr. Adiktuzmiko]

Another thing about lags and testing, make sure your tests are done in a variety of systems/specs so that you get an idea of how your game works in different setups.. So like if you're gonna get playtesters, its better if they have significantly different machines..