Project Planning Tips for Game Developers
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- Опубліковано 19 тра 2024
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Behind every great game is hours of planning. In this video, I'll give you some tips that'll help you plan your next game development project so you can work faster and more efficiently.
#GameDevelopment #Unity3d
00:00 Intro
00:46 Barles is stuck
02:26 Tip 1 - Collect reference material
04:02 Tip 2 - Break your project down into chunks
05:26 Tip 3 - Create a schedule and set a deadline
06:18 Outro
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Man, your videos at first seemed... Silly, I guess? But after a few, the simple concept of having a conversation with yourself and role playing, deliberately poorly and with a very positive attitude, it suddenly clicked as to why you were doing it this way and why even despite my immediate dislike of the format, I found that I actually really love this.
In a way, you aren't just giving the advice, you're also modeling it. You're explicitly saying, "try this, and this, and this," while implicitly saying, "but don't stress about it, see, like this, I'm not stressing about it, neither should you," and, "stay positive, realize that what you might be viewing as a mistake is actually a fantastic moment of learning, and what you might view as a lack of progress is actually valuable opportunity to try a new approach or just view it from a new angle." The kind of cheesy format has grown on me and I actually find myself smiling when you make silly jokes, and realizing that my own attitude towards perceived failure is not only unwarranted but also just objectively untrue.
Thanks for these videos, man. Especially the videos on dependency injection, those videos are fascinating.
I really appreciate your feedback. It’s not lost on me how cringe these videos can be, but I really believe in this practical approach to teaching.
I know it isn’t for everyone but I’m always thrilled to hear when it clicks with someone!
@@InfallibleCode I wholeheartedly agree with you. The end result is certainly a bit cringy or cheesy, but really, who cares? The other option is more akin to your old style: a talking head, speaking slowly as if a condescending elementary school teacher, with some cuts to code on occasion to demonstrate, all while your viewer starts zoning out (partially due to boredom, partially due to an inability to understand immediately, and mostly due to associating the style with their childhood experiences of dull math and history teachers), and by the end they realize they only caught the first 20%, so they rewind and repeat until they finally manage to grasp the concept.
The other main way I see this stuff taught is the classic "record my screen with zero cuts while I blabber on with uhms every few words, my countless errors and insanely slow typing causing the viewer to spend around 50 minutes out of the 55 minute long video literally just watching me type." This approach... I mean, it's pretty obvious why this is a crappy approach, but it's also an easy one, hence why it's the most common.
The other big approach is what I call the show-off approach (or indie game marketing approach) to programming tutorials. You film your nice office and cut in and out of scenes of your living space, you put on fast paced electronic bass music, you vaguely explain the concept, and you intersperse gameplay videos of the game you're working on while almost never showing any code. Your viewer is latched on to the content the entire time, eats up the five ads you placed (one every minute and an intro and outro ad), but comes away only with the thought of, "I want to be like that guy," and "I wanna buy that game," the latter of which is made easy by the multiple links to the game's page in the video description and pinned comment. This approach is also occasionally topped off with a sponsorship, and a really bad excuse to talk about a very loosely linked programming topic ("This video was sponsored by the Chrome Password Manager," with a title of "CODING TEN INSANE PASSWORDED DOORS IN UNITY C#!!!"). I pretty much despise these, because they breed a large group of people that think they can program ("Mr. Programmerhands on UA-cam showed me how to print Hello UA-cam to a console! I can code!") and consider it to be a lot easier than it really is, as well as believing they don't need to put in any actual work to achieve their goals, and I really just think that's too bad, because if they instead stumbled on the realistic message that it's hard work like anything in life, but also that the resources needed to learn it are abundant and with some hard work they absolutely could learn, we'd have a lot more hobbyist indie game developers, and a lot less make-believe game devs. I digress...
Your new approach to this nails it perfectly. The viewer subconsciously projects themselves into your newbie programmer character, even if they're aware of the cheesiness, and as they watch more videos like this over time, they will begin to subconsciously absorb the attitude that your character takes on, even if they're aware that that effect will occur. It promotes the idea of hard work, but also promotes a positive attitude towards projects, as well as encourages people to do things that are beneficial to their learning, like finishing some of their game projects while simultaneously acknowledging that prototypes have their place in learning, too.
I've seen a lot of your videos so far, but I still have a good amount of your catalogue to go through. I just wanted to reach out and thank you for the effort. I noticed your videos don't get anywhere near the viewership they should, but I hope that never dissuades you from continuing, because you are appreciated. The only thing left to say is: put out some more DI videos! Man, that series suddenly ending left me stunned, it's a really fascinating architecture and I'd particularly like to hear your thoughts on it (rather than just learning more about it). I can always just research it on my own, which I have and will continue to do so, so it's not terrible to me that the series isn't continuing, but it would definitely be interesting to hear what you like about it, what you don't, what you would use it for, and what alternative architectures you know of and enjoy (or don't enjoy) using. My projects are small, so it's unlikely that I'll be playing with DI anytime soon - using C# events appropriately is basically all I need to get the job done - but it's still a subject that I find myself very interested in, since I'd never even heard of it despite having a long history as a hobbyist (been programming since I was 10, am now nearing 30), albeit I only ever bothered to learn more when I felt I needed to - as in, when my current knowledge wasn't enough to keep me challenged, or wasn't enough to complete my goals.
Apologies for the long winded message and thanks again for the great content. Myself and undoubtedly all of your viewers appreciate your hard work, and I'm especially appreciative as it's been helping me teach my wife things that aren't always talked about elsewhere.
Stay safe. ♥️
@@InfallibleCode I just love when you shout out to Barles in your streams, while barely keeping a straight face XD
Also, the subtle relatable humor here and there that makes me audibly exhale air. Like "I heard you were making a couple retro games to get some experience finishing projects".
I genuinely dont know where i'd be as a game dev without your videos
I feel like I say this every time, but I can't say enough how good this format is. Not to mention that the tips are actually approachable. Cheers
1. Create reference material (everything related to topic you want to work on)
2. Break project into into pieces (small notes on the wall)
3. Schedule
Was just about to start on a new project, What you said is fairly basic but paradoxically tough to implement especially in the isolated world of solo game dev. Thanks for this!
hahaha the guy bieng taught by himself on skype
It's really comforting with not only how simple you make it, but also the incouragement. I also love idea of planning so there's an overview. In the first game I made, I just kept it all in my head haha
I really like these videos of yours, you're basically telling a story through tutorials (not just contained in the video itself but also referencing previous videos) that are much more relatable to me and are very helpful! Keep them up and you just gained a new subscriber!
The Goat Rodeo Sessions got me like🕺
Timing is perfect. I was looking for that for my new project, because i want to finish this one.
this is probably one of the only tutorials out there i enjoyed watching that’s also really helpful, awesome job!!
Really love your channel. One of the best for giving real solutions to the real life issues programmers face. I sometimes feel Barles really thinks like me.
This is one of the best, if not the best, game dev tutorials I've seen so far, really like the format. Keep it up!
This is the ultimate video for game planning. You really touched on everything I (and I'm sure many others) run into when starting. Thank you Charles!!!!! (And Barles haha)
Haha, Barles was fed up this time! Charles to the rescue :)
I am precisely in the same place as Barles right now, so that was just the calm, logical advice I needed to hear.
Nice, just three people.
I'll get started on my project.
ok this was my first video of yours and i immediately thought the format was dumb. having finished the whole thing i gotta say i can really see why you did it this way, great work!
Subscribed. The video was so much fun to watch! Keep the great work, learning stuff like this is a bliss!
The idea of you having talking to yourself, and game dev planning by watching videos about game dev planning was just 👌😂
Thanks for making this video! I really liked the video format you used, it's really unique and it really got my attention :)
format is great! Loving these videos :)
You remind me of myself when coding. Honestly, I am talking to myself when coding, and I ask the question or think of a problem, and then the Other me answers myself. Your videos seems to be like an honest depiction of what goes in your head when you are trying to do things better. Very nice.
You are on the right track there (y)
This technique is called many way, one of them is "teddy bear pair programming"
www.unconsciousagile.com/teddy_bear_effect
I slam a couple espressos and pace back and forth lecturing myself about the fundamentals of what im doing. sometimes i wonder if ive gone full schizo lol, but i atleast know how to verbalize what i need to do. If I can't splain it in words, I feel I need to hit the books
Very good work.... Im doing my assessment right now but was so confused how simply u explained kanban board there. You know.... I know everything about this but your viedo gave me confidence which i hadnt before. Thanks and keep making like these viedos.
This was a very inspiring and also concise video. Nice work!
Its a real shame youtube never recommends ur stuff(at least to me😪). I've been slowly gamedeving for 2 years and im just now finding ur channel. Ur content is exactly what ive been needing, thank you. 🙏
I love how the video keep things really simple, not exactly what I was lookin g for but worth the watch.
Thanks for your tips man, that is actually what I was looking for. ❤️
Down to the fact that I wanted to recreate snake in unity, this intro *hit*.
It's great that you took the time to have a video call with your friend and all, but could you please make a video on how you go about planning a project for the rest of us? I think that's something a lot of us could benefit from.
(just kidding, great video!! I LOVE how you use story narrative to help keep the viewer engaged and make the learning more fun
Great video man! Can you do another video about planning before starting to code? UML and thought process about all the classes that needs to be implemented
That was such a useful video! Thank you so much 😀👍
I really like this type of videos . Keep it up 👍
Real talk, I needed exactly this video. 💯
I actually think a lot of these tips are phenomenal, the post it note thing just kinda made me feel like your Isaac newton
Thank you for this "refreshing" and very well done video. You only said things that I already knew, but you said them correctly, and I have a clearer idea. I'll leave Trello out for now.
2:41 at this point I feel Boom my mind just opened a whole new dimensions💥. I suddenly know what to do and feel this is gonna work. I just got a full of excitement right now and gonna start soon my game development. Thanks for this Video. It gives me a lot of Inspiration.🔥🔥
analyzing the sample game app - can help a lot
Imagine living next to someone who you hear holding a 7 minute Q&A conversation with himself.
so helpful esp the sticky notes
this channel is great, congrats
I love the GOAT RODEO Sessions!
Yes! It’s so good! I’m gonna play it right now haha
@@InfallibleCode hey thanks for replying, I Also want to say that while I am not a game developer (I am systems engineer) I find your videos really great and most everything you talk about applies to most sub-genres of software! Keep up the great work!
Great set of tips!
Oscar Nomination for Best Actor in upcoming years.
Charles is the only person I’d download Skype for 🤣
Thanks for the video. Love it.
Man , you are life saver
What a way to tech. Thanks
I have another states of features when they are ready:
- it is working, acceptable (grade C)
- it is working nicely (grade B)
- it is awesome or advanced (grade A)
nice video this is really helpful
Hi Infallible Code, Love most of the video u guys created. I would like to ask is it possible ask could you guys to share on how to break down the project into a management chunk ? Like how small or big the chunk wound be just right ( like goldilocks and the three bears ). Thanks in advance.
great content! TBH I always cringe a little at the dialogue, but it is funny(ish) and engaging. Thank you as always
Okay that's creepy now. I am doing a snake Clone myself, just set up trello after being stuck a bit and so you're video recommended now. Wringting this after your intro. Let's see how spooky it can get!
Okay, so same same about trello/post-its ;) Schedule is actually a good idea, though I'm not certain which task takes how much time. But I guess that is just part of the process, too, right?
Great video once more, keep the good stuff coming :)
Yeah schedules can be hard to figure out. My advice is to guesstimate how long it'll take and then double that lol good luck!
As a game developer, I personally use Trello and post-it for my own project but the hardest part is definitely the scheduling of all those tasks 😅
Don't like to be confined to timelimit or such or well... do normal job and then this too. Sounds easy way to get yourself stressed fast.
Formula to never drop projects = Motivation + Determination
thank. you. 🎉
I am finally at the stage of moving from "doodling" with my game designs to "let's make this thing." I am finding hacknplan.com to be a good tool for me to keep myself on track. I also like using colored index cards as a way to help design out and brainstorm the game. I am making a (what was originally simple) turned based strategy style game. So I am finding myself having to keep massaging the mechanics out. Although I am in the "brainstorm and design phase" I use tasks and due dates to keep myself focused on individual mechanics. I will set a due date out a day or two and expect to "not be done" but then I will switch focus on another mechanic for a day or two and come back later.
cheers for the link to hacknplan looks interesting.
Do you have a game plan writing form? If you have it, please......
thanks sir !
Welcome!
I usually use Trello cards to planning my solo projects (gamedev or not), but I really understand the psychological factor to use real post-its on the board, it looks like we are more compromise to clean that board on our side.
I saw the "Unity Open Project #1" using www.codecks.io. Maybe I'll give it a try someday to see how is using it compared to Trello.
BTW, great video! It's important to keep things simple and still on track during a project, does not matter what size it is.
Thank you for the shout-out!
gee, it looks like passive aggressive video about my incapacity to start projects. But it's a great video
Which pages could I use for collecting reference materials?
What keyboard do you use?
Nice acting, man!
nice video bro
very nice
Can we expect something related to VR? You are dropping hints in this video. xD
i'm a doodler, but it's good for me because I enjoy writing systems not content... idk about the trello/vs notes, trello is so unbelievably simple once you learn how to delete items :P
Nice
Cool video
Ur friend is cool. U r just, kewl...
The phone being upside down at 0:44 bothers me more than it should.
Forgot to mention that after setting the schedule you should plan enough post-it notes to move them all to done.
Where's the refrence material? need examples :)
Is this an educational video from the 90's?
I don't do scheduling... :(
Don't use Scrum if your team is less than 3 people or more than 9. :)
ua-cam.com/video/8m859pxcyLY/v-deo.html
Which app was this?
why sticky notes instead of Trello? Trello seems much easier to use
Because easier doesn't always mean better. The problem is if you are not used to this kind of workflow it can be easy to just... not open it. not check it and not use it. It is a lot harder to avoid if it is stuck to your wall.
Second there is something very satisfying and motivating being able to walk into your office each day and start it by seeing how many notes have been moved to the done pile over the course of the day. It it very motivating. Trello is great for groups and teams, it can also be practical for lots of projects, but if it is just you I highly suggest the sticky note approach as it will make you feel a lot more enthusiastic and energized at making progress.
i love u
Need some help...to develop a game external tool....is there anyone who can do it for me??....
I am ready to pay if you are really expert and interested in my project.....
dear sir can you geve me game develop projects
Just make sure not to get stuck in tutorial hell
Hey you sir are taking about snake game too much.
Why you don't do a snake game tutorial
Yeah, but what 8f you are making a bigger, OWN thing, not recreating a 101 game
Are...are they the same guy??
are you guys brothers or something
This was almost too white for me. And that's coming from someone who's pretty dang white himself. Good info though!