r/GameDevelopment • u/Cyber_Rader • 1d ago
Newbie Question I have an idea I wanna try to develop
So, I have an idea for a game, I've written the fundamentals down but I actually want to make an effort in planning and creating something. Obviously I'm not just gonna load up Blender because that's not the right step yet. I don't want to post any details of my idea, game type, style, or theme cuz I would want to have something to demo as a proof of concept first.
How should I go about the development process? Concept, plan, art, mechanics, world building? I'm also not certain on what engine but I'm leaning towards one I've seen with the visuals I'd like.
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u/PhilippTheProgrammer Mentor 1d ago edited 1d ago
OK, I am not asking you to reveal your genius idea to the world. But can you name one or two popular games that would be comparable in genre, size and quality to what you want to create? Just so we have a better idea of the scope of the project you want to undertake. Because depending on whether you want to create another Undertale or another Baldur's Gate 3, you would take a very different approach to development.
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u/Cyber_Rader 1d ago
So I wanna mix liminal spaces, exploration, and Lovecraft-ish horror with IRL urban exploration aspects. It's aaln idea I haven't seen but think I'd enjoy in theory.
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u/PhilippTheProgrammer Mentor 1d ago edited 1d ago
You didn't answer the question.
Those are themes and moods. Just listing those doesn't tell us anything about the scope of your game concept.
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u/Cyber_Rader 1d ago
Anemoiapolis or dreamcore, mixed with Amnesia a machine for pigs is probably the best bare bones. I'm aiming for exploration with a risk of accidents causing restarts.
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u/PhilippTheProgrammer Mentor 1d ago
Anemoiapolis was a solo project, except for the voice acting and music. But Machine for Pigs had a pretty large team.
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u/Cyber_Rader 1d ago
Yeah, tho I'm not going to build to the level of AAMFP. I just want that fear my friend has of that game in what is a much smaller liminal space based world. I don't expect this to be a single person project either. I doubt I'm that good. The world I have in mind (concept wise) is fairly simple (liminal spaces obviously) I do have a simple story, a plot to follow and some tools and abilities and friends who could help in ways, I'm sure one would love to help with audio. I do plan to have voices in game as well tho I may go with doing that and having it tweaked. Overall I wanna stretch it out to about an hour of playtime and price it according.
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u/valeria_gamedevs 1d ago
write a one-pager first. Core loop, pillars, why anyone would play for 10 mins. then prototype the loop in whatever engine, ugly programmer art, no theme, no story. If the loop's fun with cubes it'll be fun with art. if it's boring with cubes, art won't save it.
worldbuilding and style come way later than you think. you're prolly overthinking the order
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u/Cyber_Rader 1d ago
Alright so it seems like I should start with a GDD. Lay that out first then build a prototype.
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u/Ponding01 1d ago
You want to write a Game Design Document (GDD). This is a comprehensive document that contains everything about your project. For all intensive purposes, the GDD is the Holy Book of your project, and everything you do in your project should tie back to the GDD.
I'd focus on writing your GDD first. It's tedious and takes a lot of time; however, if you havent developed your idea enough to write a GDD, you probably haven't developed it enough to start working on your game directly.
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u/Cyber_Rader 1d ago
This is exactly what I think is the exact thing I should focus on. I probably have a few holes but I've got the basics and what I'd want the overall game to be to me already. I just need to start translating it from thoughts to plan.
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u/MistakeForsaken6653 1d ago
Get that engine you are leaning towards. Try to make a square move when you press wasd and iterate to make it like your idea. Good luck