There are several key steps in the custom video game programming process. The game development pipeline is notoriously complex and challenging.
In addition to coding the game itself, you will be responsible for creating a storyline, building high-quality artwork, and managing pressure from video game publishing companies.
If you are planning to build your first game in 2021, following a structured, multi-step process can greatly improve your chances of success.
In fact, following the best techniques will you help sufficiently combat impeding deadlines, as well as bottlenecks throughout production.
To help you get started, read on to learn about the key steps in the video game development process.
Prepare Your Game Design Document (GDD)
Firstly, take the time to prepare your video game design document. Essentially, your GDD will serve as a structured blueprint for building your video game.
Within this document, it is important to highlight your game’s idea, gameplay, storyline, and characters. At the same time, you should define what kind of genre your new product will be.
For example, many successful video game genres include arcade, role-playing, or first-person shooter (FPS).
Once you have outlined these elements, you should think about your core game mechanics, basic level, and world design. Certainly, preparing your design document is an important first step to launch your first video game.
Set Up For Pre-Production
Next, the pre-production phase will help you determine how to bring your game design document to life.
During this phase, all the writers, artists, designers, and developers will work together to brainstorm video game production.
Often, this includes drafting the story’s narrative and identifying technical constraints. At the same time, game artists can introduce their ideas for styles, graphics, and color pallets.
Following these techniques, you can ensure that every member of your team knows exactly what is going on.
Of course, this often leads to higher levels of productivity, fewer mistakes, and less redundancies throughout programming. Surely, setting up for pre-production is an important step of the custom video game programming process.
Assemble Your Tech Stack
Now, you are ready to begin assembling your technical tool stack. There are several essential tools required to build a successful video game.
For starters, you will need a game engineering studio, testing tools, and graphic design systems. At the same time, you should use a Docker registry to manage development, conduct vulnerability analyses, and manage artifact flow control. Simultaneously, you can use these resources to optimize your distribution procedures.
This way, you can reliably deploy containers, secure your Docker images, and gain deeper insights into issues. Naturally, this often leads to greater levels of team collaboration.
Absolutely, constructing your tech stack is a critical step to launch your first custom video game.
Begin Building Your Game
At this point, you are ready to begin building your custom video game. During this process, you will need to design character models, construct dynamic gameplay environments, and start to prepare your source code.
At the same time, you may need to hire voice actors to deliver the right emotion and personality to your game’s characters.
Once you have prepared thee elements, you can focus on setting game rules, establishing a scoring system, and integrating user awards.
By carefully following these steps, you can begin to configure the underlying groundwork for your new video game. Indeed, constructing your game is a key phase of custom development.
Test Your Video Game Products
Once you are confident in your game’s structure, quality, and performance, you can move on into testing. At a minimum, it is important to conduct compatibility, load, and regression testing on your video game assets.
At the same time, many developers recommend performing functionality, clean room, and combinatorial testing prior to deployment. After you have examined these technical, quality assurance (QA) related aspects, it is important to additionally conduct playtesting.
During this process, you will observe real users playing your product, then make any adjustments accordingly. Some of the most common forms of playtesting include focus group inspection, beta launch analysis, and Kleenex review.
Indubitably, testing is a core component of video game development.
There are several key steps to build a custom video game in 2021. Firstly, construct your initial GDD. Next, prepare yourself for pre-production. Now, you are ready to begin assembling your technical tool stack.
At this point, you are ready to start designing, developing and customizing your new game. Once you are confident in your quality and performance, you can officially test your game for any defects.
After you have followed these comprehensive testing protocols, you can finally deploy your game. Then, follow the top digital marketing tactics to get the word out about your new product.
Follow the points outlined above to learn about the key steps in the video game development process.