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How can you choose between a prototyping tool and coding your own prototype?

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Prototyping is a crucial part of game design, as it allows you to test your ideas, iterate on them, and communicate them to others. But how do you decide whether to use a prototyping tool or code your own prototype from scratch? In this article, you'll learn about the advantages and disadvantages of both approaches, and some tips on how to choose the best option for your project.

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Diego Ricchiuti

?? 15+ Years of Experience |?? Creative Director |?? Two World Records |?? Published Author |???DICE Speaker |????…
Martin Annander

Freelance Systemic Design Specialist

1 Prototyping tools

Prototyping tools are software applications that enable you to create interactive prototypes without needing to code or with minimal coding. These tools usually have a drag-and-drop interface, pre-made assets, and built-in features that make prototyping quicker and easier. Examples of prototyping tools include Figma, Unity, Unreal Engine, and GameMaker Studio.

Using prototyping tools offers several advantages, such as saving time and effort, allowing you to focus on the core mechanics and user experience of your game, testing your prototype on different platforms and devices, and providing flexibility and customization. However, there are also drawbacks to using these tools, such as limiting your creativity, not supporting some features or functionalities that you need for your game, having a steep learning curve, and potentially costing money.

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Rudra Sekhri

Astronomer | Environmentalist | Author | Founder | Vice President | Public Speaker | Programmer | Tutor
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Prototyping tools help save time and effort, especially during the initial stages of the project because once you have a plan, you can quickly prototype through drag-and-drop tools and quickly create a functional product. However, it does limit you into the tool's way of creating those projects, so only use a prototyping tool if the prototyping tool offers all the features you need to create the vision you want

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Jinesh Raikangor

Social Entrepreneur ??| Games for Good??|Founder of GameChangersIndia | Host @The Indian Gamedev Show???????
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the choice between a prototype tool and custom coding should align with your specific project's needs and your team's capabilities. It's also worth noting that some game development projects may benefit from a combination of both approaches, using a prototype tool for initial concept testing and then transitioning to custom coding for the full game development.

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Diego Ricchiuti

?? 15+ Years of Experience |?? Creative Director |?? Two World Records |?? Published Author |???DICE Speaker |???? University Lecturer
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Anything can be a prototype tool, don't fool yourself thinking that a prototype needs to be digital. You can prototype using pen and paper, you can prototype acting the scene in real life, you can prototype using Lego... It depends on what you are trying to make and what you are trying to test in the prototype. If you need to rest the controller responsiveness you need a digital tool, probably the same that you are using to develop the game, if you need to test the narrative impact of a dialogue you can act it out

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2 Coding your own prototype

Coding your own prototype means writing the code for your game from scratch, using a programming language and a framework or a library of your choice. This gives you full control over every aspect of your prototype, so you can implement any feature or functionality that you want. Popular examples of programming languages and frameworks or libraries for game development include C#, C++, Java, Python, HTML5, Phaser, Pygame, and SDL.

The main benefits of coding your own prototype are the complete freedom and flexibility it offers; you can create anything that you can imagine and code. It also challenges you to learn new skills and improve your coding proficiency and problem-solving abilities. You can also optimize your prototype for performance, compatibility, and scalability, while avoiding unnecessary overhead or dependencies. Additionally, coding your own prototype prepares you for the full development of your game, as you can reuse or refactor your code and assets.

On the other hand, coding your own prototype has its drawbacks. It takes a lot of time and effort to code everything from scratch and debug any errors or bugs. It also requires a high level of technical knowledge and experience to choose and master a programming language and a framework or a library. Furthermore, it may not be as user-friendly or accessible as prototyping tools; you have to write and read code and use a text editor or an IDE. And it may not be as easy to test or share as prototyping tools; you have to compile and run your code and provide instructions or documentation.

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Diego Ricchiuti

?? 15+ Years of Experience |?? Creative Director |?? Two World Records |?? Published Author |???DICE Speaker |???? University Lecturer
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If you are a designer you need to code your own prototype, that's the truth, your programmers time is to valuable to wasted on making your prototype. You should create your own gym using visual scripting, test your design and when you are confident ask them to reproduce the result in actual, solid code. In this way we optimize the production time.

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3 How to choose

When it comes to deciding between using a prototyping tool or coding your own prototype, there is no one-size-fits-all answer. It depends on various factors such as your goal, resources, and preference. You should weigh the pros and cons of each approach to determine which one suits your needs and preferences better. Generally speaking, a prototyping tool is useful for quickly creating a prototype that showcases the core gameplay, user experience, and aesthetics of your game, while coding your own prototype is beneficial for customizing and optimizing the prototype. You can even combine both approaches for different aspects of your game. Ultimately, it is important to choose the approach that works best for you and your project.

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Lucas Reis

Software Engineer | Frontend Wizard | Design Generalist | Interdisciplinary Tech Juggernaut
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If you're creating something based on tried and true paradigms and just want to build upon that foundation, having a prototyping tool can help you get your idea into a testable state more quickly. Ideally, it enables you to fail faster and iterate faster before investing hours into building it, only to realize that it won't work as you envisioned. On the other hand, if you want to create something entirely unconventiona, like a game that plays with perspective, explores non-Euclidean geometry, or features wacky physics as a central element of the experience, you likely won't find a readily available tool that ticks all of your boxes. This can constrain your design decisions and hinder your ability to fully realize your concept.

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4 Here’s what else to consider

This is a space to share examples, stories, or insights that don’t fit into any of the previous sections. What else would you like to add?

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Martin Annander

Freelance Systemic Design Specialist
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Something that is an expensive trap is to prototype without an end goal. Building systems without a product in mind, or adding features that sound cool but don’t add anything to the game’s other features.

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How can you choose between a prototyping tool and coding your own prototype?

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1 Prototyping tools

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How can you choose between a prototyping tool and coding your own prototype?

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1 Prototyping tools

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3 How to choose

4 Here’s what else to consider

Game Design

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