Introduction
Currently, my team is working on Version 0.02 of the game, where we will hopefully implement one of our use cases; keeping track of the player’s steps. That is a topic for another time, however.
In a previous post, I mentioned the importance of creating a game plan before starting work on a game. One thing that is important to mention is that these designs should be placed in a design document. This document is something that you should refer to when creating your game.
The Design Document
The design document is like the requirements document, but it also contains everything about what your game will use, such as its framework or model. For example, if you plan to use object-oriented programming, then it usage will be detailed here. This document needs to cover, no joke, literally everything about the game and its structure.
The Architecture
Having a design document to refer to is very important, as everything you need to know should be printed there. One of these things will be a model of how the game will be put together. Creating an accurate model to refer to will keep the game’s structure together. Here is a quick draft of what my game’s model looks like. It could probably be better, but it is just a draft and example:
As you can see, the major entities of the game and their relations are listed. The reason why I show this is because I will be using object oriented programming. These entities will be created, and through their manipulation, will put the game together. This is why I need to create a model to show their place in the structure of the program, so I don’t lose sight of how they will be connected together.
Conclusion
It may seem like a waste of time, but creating a chart or diagram of your game’s structure will help you in the long run. A visual aid to refer to will help keep the game’s structure solid.
By putting the game loop and structure down to paper, it will consciously or unconsciously keep you on track. Having instructions to look back on is never a bad thing, so please create a design document before creating a game. This way, you can see your game’s scope and elements before you actually start work. Is everything addressed? Is there too much or too little? These questions and more should be answered by a design document.
