Table Of Content
Slot game art is mostly focused on 2D elements, so your GDD should include the particular style (and possibly story background) you want to apply to the project. Thus, the GDD will have a robust “Assets” section, featuring core and additional UI elements. On the other hand, there are those who prefer to update the document regularly, informing their staff of changes through periodic updates. A method gaining popularity involves hosting the game design document online.
What are the different formats of a GDD?
While writing down your game’s design can be useful, a written document can only really be understood in one way, word after word, chapter after chapter. And while large written design guides have, reportedly, fallen out of fashion in recent years, there’s a lot to be said for having all of your game’s information organised and stored in a single place. Untested ideas, unless you really know that they’re going to work in the way that you expect, will often change as soon as you start to build them or as soon as people try them for the first time. For example, if you need to keep track of the game’s narrative, keeping a reference to your game’s characters and how the story will unfold can be useful as you develop it. The clearer and more detailed you are, the smaller the chance that your development team will run into issues. By avoiding ambiguity you’ll even be able to anticipate problems or concerns that may come up later, giving you an opportunity to solve them before they can hinder development.
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Level Design Specifications
If we compared the design document of ten different games that all belong to the same genre, you’d most likely see ten unique formats. It is, honestly, difficult to add anything else on top of these defining reasons why you need to double down on your GDD. Calculating the cost of a game design document is a daunting task, but hiring a professional game development company will free you from this burden altogether. The answers to these questions can all influence what you include in your GDD, and your answers may change over time. This is also why it’s a good idea to start small and use your GDD to align everyone on the core concepts for your game at the beginning. Then, as you get further into pre-production or production and plans become more complex or specific, you can come back to the GDD and add more details.
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For a game like the one we used in this example, it felt natural to describe the characters, what they could do and why, in order to give some context. (The Gnumies can merge, which translates into a certain game mechanic, and they are fighting German the Germ, which explains the game enemies). Featured Blog | This community-written post highlights the best of what the game industry has to offer. There's no hard rule about how many milestones a project must have, or even how long a milestone is. I tend to plan milestones that are two or three months long, but every project is different, and you should feel empowered to pick what works best for you. Following that, you should make as exhaustive a list as possible regarding all the assets, visual effects, textures, models, and code you're anticipating you'll need for the game.
Start each section with a brief, designer-focused description of the mechanic or feature and then get into art and programmer specific info using the ctrl-f method discussed above. A possible alternative to this section, or perhaps a partner for it, is the idea dump. This is a place to throw any and every idea that the team thinks up.
Brings new team members up to speed
Creating a game design document example comes with no set standards, yet the primary goal remains to include all crucial information that will act as a reference throughout the development process. Strategically, it is wise to outline the game's objectives at the beginning of the document. Drawing on years of experience crafting game design documents and incorporating visual elements like images and infographics is highly beneficial. These elements break the monotony of text and aid in conveying complex information more effectively. Firstly, the GDD solidifies the game's concept in the design phase.
In this section you’d add every power up and item the player can use/encounter/buy and how they would affect the core gameplay. Spare no words, when you circulate this GDD around your team, there has to be the least reasonable amount of doubt about what the gameplay should be like. This is a very good section to add some Artwork or Screenshots of your prototype (we prefer to prototype the mechanics and figure out if they are fun before committing resources to a game). We don't use a monolithic GDD that evolves during development, but rather a document that can be used by the team to get up to speed.
Nuclino: Your team's collective brain
As you work through something, it’s easy to get caught up in it and forget why you’re doing it in the first place. This article was written using first-hand research and experience, without the use of AI. For more information on how Game Dev Beginner articles are written, see my writing policy. Which is why the format of your design document can make a huge difference to how helpful it is.
In this section, you must specify why the player would be playing the game and how he would play. The goal of a feature document is to focus on a single aspect of the game. Next, we need to establish the important priorities that are driving our design vision. These key concepts, or pillars, are driving forces which we use to help us select the best trade-offs for our unique vision when two equally viable paths present themselves.
Just keep it to 2-3 paragraphs and mention the nature of game (like, social, adventure), genre of game (like, puzzle, shooter, combat) and any reference games you know of. Even a simple game from a single person development team can sprawl wildly out of control, though – in both bad and good ways. Return to your docs to keep you grounded, but also to edit, rewrite, and reimagine them. Communication with your team members is at the heart of being a great game designer.
This will help ensure clarity and organization in your design process. We tried to give you an expert idea of how to make a game design document that corresponds to requirements for GDD to serve as a roadmap for the team and a reference for stakeholders. The controls section within the Gameplay segment should elucidate the methods through which players will engage with the game and execute diverse actions. The objectives section should encompass both short-term goals within each level and overarching goals that span the entire game, along with the core gameplay loop that players will engage with repeatedly. With that in mind, start with the basics – or use this 1-pager game design document template to save time.
Back to Grand Theft Auto V, the story revolves around three characters, Michael, Franklin, and Trevor. This is where you write down your aims in terms of what the game will turn out to be. This should be a breeze, as you should have a pretty solid idea of what you would like to develop. This way, you are all on the same page when it comes to all the little details. The last thing you need is to work with strangers, breaking down communication, and making your game a lot harder to work out.
It will help keep the team aligned, help to ensure clear communication, and serve as a reference point as the team builds your game. When everyone is clear on the design up-front, you can avoid needless debate, confusion, miscommunication, and wasted time. He’s utilized his web dev skills and desire to help others by creating a resource where expert game designers can share what they’ve learned with the next generation of aspiring game makers. This saves a lot of effort and frustration at the end of the game’s life. The plot, the characters–everything matches the information specified in the document. Encouraging new ideas is a worthwhile endeavor throughout the entirety of your game design process.
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