What are the essential game prototyping techniques for beginners?

I have written an entire book called “Your Turn! The Guide to Tabletop Game Design” that can be applied for paper prototyping. Any game - from a match three to a FPS - can be prototyped on paper. 70% of the problems with your gameplay design can be spotted and corrected during this design stage. Don’t ignore this valuable step in your eagerness to get something on the screen.

A design on paper helps us visualize what we want to achieve, but it also helps us convey that idea to others. I remember that a teacher once told us that engineers are very good at having ideas, but very bad at transmitting them, and that is why it is important to use paper or a blackboard to be able to express what we want to say.

1. Prototypes are experiments to prove 'something'. Devs should take a beat to define what they want to find out, and then build the prototype to test for that. 2. Be open to see what else is happening with the play experience besides the intended experience. Example 1: Typical proto Intention - Devs want to be sure their platforming gameplay is working. Results - Run and Jump works. Camera needs to show farther ahead. Fresh take - players love the falling animation, so maybe build levels where falling is intended. Example 2: Brainstorm Intention: Find gameplay that fits with narrative Results: Provide setting and role. Turn testers loose in a sandbox of many mechanics and challenges.

Being a businessman and a developer I have seen the importance of putting ideas and words on paper. The best strategies I follow are to use graph papers, pen pencils, and other geometric tools to make the design prototypes reflect the same imagination that I have in mind. The prototyping on paper saves time in the long run for our team, as now we have our whole imagination stored on papers. Helping us iterate faster and make the turnaround time shorter. This saves us mistakes and guess work time and gives us a concrete outlook of what we wanted. Most of the things when prototyped and written on paper show the flaws of itself. Hence you can correct the flaws even before moving to the actual development process.

In my opinion, it depends on what exactly you are trying to prototype. For things like puzzles, paper prototyping can help you visualize the space and how you want the player to interact with it while still being very easy to make changes to. I still do prototype a lot with code though, especially if I want to see how a mechanic or part would feel in the game. For this type of prototyping stay away from importing and setting up assets unless absolutely necessary, different colored squares and circles can more than do the work for the prototyping phase. Don't be afraid to make changes to something that isn't working either, if it doesn't work in the prototype it probably won't work for the finished game either.

Nothing beats playing an actual game prototype to showcase your game design skills. Try Unity or Unreal Engine to rapidly build a visually polished vertical slice showcasing the most fun core mechanic. Add juicy particle effects, a temporary soundtrack, a sharp sound design, and flashy placeholder visuals to hook players quickly. Let this high-fidelity prototype speak for itself - players will instantly grasp the gameplay and leave excited to experience the entire game. Please stay true to your game design pillars and cut any distracting features from the core vision. This focused prototype conveys the heart of your game more than any pitch deck ever could!

When prototyping it's easy to imagine how game should start and then work on the beginning of the game first. That sounds reasonable, but it's a mistake. If the gameplay in the core part of the game turns out not that good - all your effort will be wasted. Instead start from "the meat" of the game. If you are making a souls-like start from the bossfight, not from an inventory system or a world map.

Regarding narrative, I have found it very helpful to create a prototype using tools like Twine or Ink/Inkle. These tools help understand the pace and style of your narration, without the complexity of other engines. They can also be a quick and efficient way to prototype quests.

I have used Cocos2D-X and Unity for more than six years. So from my experience, Cocos may build your game knowledge more solid but my suggestion is not to go for Cocos engine. Go for Unity which is an indie game developer-friendly. If you are focused on graphics then go for Unreal.

Games, at their essence, exist to be played. No amount of brainstorming, documentation, or theoretical discussions can substitute the experience of interacting with a game. A digital prototype transforms those abstract ideas into reality, allowing developers to witness how players engage with the core mechanics. In the early stages, emphasis should be put on the essence of the game (i.e. its core mechanics). Graphics, sound, and UI design, while crucial, can take a backseat during this phase. The goal is to identify and refine the elements that make "your game be your game", so the first order of business should be to prototype the unique features that set it apart from the countless other games in the market.

It doesn’t need to be pretty, in fact, make sure it isn’t! Rapid prototyping is all about having your idea, seeing it in action at its core and finding the fun. It’s a prototype, it’s not a demo. Aim small! You only need what is possible to test. Prototyping “skateboard first” means you have the whole thing playable, but tiny. Later you can re-cover your tracks and improve based on feedback. Make sure to get this tested every step of the way and find what makes it fun! If it isn’t, oh well! I have loads of prototypes that didn’t have what they needed, but they served their purpose. I tested the idea. That’s why you want to perform rapid prototypes, it allows you to FAIL FASTER and find an idea that fulfils what you need it to succeed!

Sometimes we want to make prototypes for proofs of concept that include assets with millions of polygons and super high resolution textures, when in reality to convey the idea of what we want we can show prototypes based on planes and cubes or with objects with few polygons and with simple, low-resolution textures, without getting too complicated.

All great points above, in addition, the actual feeling of game is not only from game mechanics but also the world of environment the player can experience. Sometimes, it is necessary to recognize the development with full of imagination which could be helpful to support with more defined prototypes both on game play as well as world building. I believe they can not be separated for the next steps on development.

It is important to understand that in this type of prototyping, codes must not be beautiful and optimized. Within a game studio, the most suitable professionals to develop rapid prototypes are junior game programmers or technical designers.

Rapid prototyping is all about learning and knowing more about game mechanics. It's helps you to make a big game in the later part of your dream game. My suggestion is if you are new in this sector, it's okay to dream big but not start working on it first. Most new developers find lost when making a big game at first in their career. Let's make the same prototype of the game first and make the first cycle of your big game very small like the rapid prototype. If you feel to upgrade start from there to add more additions to these later. Almost every successful game development company uses rapid prototypes and gathers information from them to make a successful game later.

Playtesting is the process of letting players try out your prototype in a controlled environment. You can observe how they play, what they like or dislike, what challenges they face, and what suggestions they have.?Playtesting can help you test the gameplay mechanics, features, interface, graphics, sound, and story of your prototype.

Enhancing Game Quality and Polish: Quality and polish are what differentiate good games from great ones. Through iterative prototyping, every aspect of the game can be refined and enhanced. This includes improving graphics and animations, fine-tuning sound effects and music, fixing bugs, and ensuring that the user interface is intuitive and responsive. With each iteration, the game becomes more polished, providing a better experience for the players. Discovering New Opportunities: Sometimes, the iterative prototyping process can lead to unexpected discoveries. As players interact with the game, they might use features in unforeseen ways or express a desire for additional content that wasn’t originally considered.

I can say that iterative prototyping is crucial. It means making a basic version of your game, getting feedback from players or testers, and then making improvements based on that feedback. It's like making a rough sketch of your game and then refining it bit by bit until it's just right. By using tools like playtests (letting people play and watching how they react), user feedback, and looking at game stats, beginners can spot what's working and what needs tweaking. This approach helps fine-tune game mechanics, difficulty levels, and rewards, ensuring players have a fun experience. Plus, it keeps developers flexible and ready to adjust if something isn't clicking with players.

Organize regularly local gamedev meetups with your pairs and show your game. You'll have valuable feedbacks to improve your game. As a bonus, you'll be part of a community.

A very promising opportunity is to iteratively test and improve your multiplayer game: deploy it in a metaverse platform, especially Roblox, Fortnite, Rec Room, and VRChat, all of which have large active user bases looking for fun content to enjoy and also have integrated monetization options for creators. You can iterate your game based on player feedback while also experimenting with how to best monetize. Many developers have done this to finally launch a standalone game on mobile or PC/consilea — or simply make a good living from the game as deployed and added to on the original metaverse platform.

I would say this can be the most effective method to use when prototyping games. Build modular pieces of features and bring them together with “Middle Man”. This way, when you want to go into production you won’t have to start from scratch. You can still use your prototyping code.

You never know what part of your prototype is going to be golden. Modular prototyping lets you ensure that you'll be able to keep those little bits of gameplay intact for future development. In addition, while we all want to have excellent source control skills, the truth is that you will have a merge conflict at some point. Having a modular design can be a real lifesaver when this happens.

modular prototyping is a powerful approach that aligns well with the iterative nature of game development. It promotes efficiency, collaboration, and scalability, but careful planning and consideration of integration challenges are crucial for its successful implementation. As developers gain experience, they often find that modular design significantly enhances their ability to create and maintain complex game projects. I really recommend it.

When you faced with a difficult project and start afraid of losing efficiency, the best prototype method may be Modular Prototyping. Break the challenges into pieces, solve each piece separately and combine them! It is really useful to work in parts; you can update each module separately and even remove the modules you do not want directly from the prototype without affecting other modules. You can also use these modules for other prototypes with minor updates later. While working big projects Modular prototyping is best choice in my opinion (depends on project).

This way of prototyping is very helpful in creating creating multiple iterations of an idea. When components of your game are modular, changing and adding things to your prototype is more efficient. It also lets you reintroduce old ideas, and see what works together and what doesn't. What's even better is that if you have a new project to start on, the old modular components can be reused in your new project, making prototyping even faster.

Everyone defined the vertical slice differently. We at Gamedev Camp split it in two parts: a game demo and a vertical slice. In both cases it should be a playable, a pitch deck and a trailer. In both cases the playable should feature the core game loop. To qualify as a vertical slice demo, our teams need to make 5 to 10 minutes of fulfilling gameplay that is fun and engaging. The rest can be placeholders and stock assets. The key thing from my take is that it is dramatically hard to make a game engaging and fun even for 5-10 minutes. It requires multiple feedback and playtest sessions and gameplay iterations.

Vertical slice can be many things. And it can become a breaking point in any project. Some fundamental questions need to be accounted for, as part of setting up the project. Why do a vertical slice? Who is it for? What is it trying to prove or represent? What are the learnings we want to get out of it? Knowing what the vertical slice is, and aligning that with all stakeholders, up and down and sideways, is key to succeeding.

One thing I have found helpful is embracing vertical slice prototyping. In my experience with 7 years in game development, creating a mini-version that encapsulates the game's core features and quality is invaluable. This approach not only showcases the game's potential but also attracts investors and builds anticipation. Utilizing methods like trailers or demos offers stakeholders a tangible feel for the final product, helping to clarify scope, budget, and potential challenges upfront.

I am more in a hardware in gaming. Creating prototypes and tested for FPS, Driving, Voice, command with some DIY gesture. With a purpose of creating a new gaming experience for old or current gamers. If I can make at least one of my prototype that will fit perfectly in current game/s. Then I can have chance to build a new game with new hardware as a whole. With help of software developers to make games which guarantee a new experience in playing games. Nice to show to Investors and anyone can support to build this project.

Vertical slice prototyping basically is a wide test of your game project. In this process, many developers and designers try to show their project to investors or publishers. The main difference from the demo is that it tries to present the structure of the entire game. In my opinion at this stage, unique gameplay mechanics and fun elements should consider very well like a real game to impress publishers and investors. As much as you can do make a fun show to investors for 10 minutes is main focus for this prototyping. It also allows you to see your mistakes from a broader perspective during the technical development phase.

Two pieces of advice I like for newcomers: 1.- You don’t have to know all of the answers. You just have to know how to find them. 2.- If you are not screwing up, then you are not trying hard enough.

Prototyping is about validating ideas. Before starting prototyping, it is important to understand what questions need to be answered, as the purpose of prototyping is to obtain answers. These could be questions about game mechanics, level design, art definitions, etc. It is very important throughout the prototype development time to focus only on these questions so as not to waste time developing unnecessary things.

Two more thoughts. The Power of Accidental Discovery:. There are countless stories where a glitch or an unintended player interaction resulted in a beloved game feature. A bug might create a humorous character movement that ends up defining the game’s charm. These serendipitous moments remind us that not all discoveries are the result of deliberate planning; sometimes, they emerge from the chaos of creativity and experimentation. Embracing Diverse Perspectives: feedback is richest when it comes from a diverse set of players. Each brings their own experiences, biases, and preferences to the game. Embrace an array of perspectives to uncover blind spots in design, discover universal elements that resonate with a broader audience.

I would say that the below insights are essential for game or concept prototyping, no matter which tools you use: - Good communication. You need to communicate your idea clearly. It is up to you to make the listener see your vision, and it helps if you can find the right tools for that. Pictures are usually immensely helpful! - Iterate. Iterate, iterate, iterate. Test a prototype as early as you can, gather data, make data-driven decisions on what to change and how, repeat. Not only does it make your product better; it also gives you a very in-depth understanding on why and how your product is good, as well as how it works when you take it apart!

All the prototyping techniques are useful to know and to use. Which one to use depending on the situation is why learning them all is important. Paper design can help test more complex strategy game that would require too much time to prototype in engine. In engine prototype are good to assess production risks and moment to moment gameplay. Vertical slice proto/demo is good to have for pitches to outside investors. It's a set of tools, and the situation should tell you which one to use.