Jan 18, 2010

Game Design Assistant - Part 3

Read Game Design Assistant - Part 1 and Game Design Assistant - Part 2 for background.

Game Design Assistant is currently in feature list and prototype screen phase. This means that it is at its most flexible in terms of ultimate feature set. SO, I want to know something from other game designers out there:
  • What kinds of data do you currently track while developing a game?
  • What kinds of data would you like to track, but it is currently too cumbersome to do so?
  • What is the most annoying part of designing a game that you wish could be automated in some way?
Please post your responses in the comments. Anyone who suggests a feature I didn't already have on my list and which gets incorporated will get access to the beta. Thanks!

More to come . . .
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3 comments:

  1. Don10:19 PM

    Hi, thanks for putting this together. I'm looking for a program that will help me keep track not just of playtests, but of the games themselves. I have three or four different games I'm working on, and would like to have them all in one program so I can compare them. I want to compare: titles, mechanics, desired player experience (excitement, laughter, etc), playing time, depth, and anything else you can think of.

    Hope that helps, looking forward to it.

    ReplyDelete
  2. Corey Young10:04 PM

    The games I've designed have had a lot of cards. I'd like to keep track of them as I develop them. I start with a general sense of how many of each kind I want, then I make an Excel spreadsheet with rows representing each card. I color code regions to delineate the types of cards. I keep the details for each card in multiple columns, so I'd want to be able to customize the attributes for each type of card.

    Same kind of deal for the "bits" including pawns and tokens and such.

    I make subdirectories containing all the files and artwork for each game.

    It'd be nice to be able to add feedback at the card level. Some cards work well in playtest, so I'd like to flag/rate them - maybe with a 1-5 star system or something. Ask me about the orange barrels in space, or the leprechauninja sometime.

    I admire the thought and work you put into the playtest. I've been winging it by comparison.

    ReplyDelete
  3. Michael R. Keller12:35 PM

    Thank you for the feature requests. I hadn't considered tracking individual components.

    I plan on opening up the beta for this by year's end.

    ReplyDelete

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