This article explains the Game Design Documentation Checklist for feature specifications, profile Specification, and audio while making a successful game. Documents includes feature specifications, profile Specification, and audio while making a successful game.
After knowing the whole of the end to end process for game development, I realized the game developer’s job is real easy compared to designer. They are the real guys, the coordinators who transforms the creative ideas to a visual prototype and then to a working piece. Here are few of my thoughts shared which explain the checklists for a game designer’s specification document. The below points are as critical as we breathe to live
- Remember that the documentation is also for other people
- If anything is differently in this document than in the game, QA will bug it
- Post Production will solve their problems based on what the Features Specification document specifies
- Update the documents before every milestone
- And remember to use the version control table
- Does the document explain the cheat code
- From QA: Consider language testers who need to see every text/stage of the game (Make sure each game step can be reached individually (for localization) and unlocking all milestones is a separate cheat, consider adding cheat menu (good example: Wind)
- Is the unlocking structure explained in its own section?
- Is the scoring system clear and explained?
- Explain what is the games high score(s)
- Explain is possible how the games score is counted
- Is what the HUD contains explained?
- Is the mission structure/career explained in detail in its own section?
- Are the controls explained?
- Use a table to explain the controls in-game and in menus
- Use the version history table to report every change.
- After Beta it is mandatory to report every change here! But even before, use it!
- Do not explain same things in two places
- Use one term for one thing throughout the document
- Use a lot of tables and lists
- Use an own header for game modes, locations, for unlocking, difficulty levels, mechanics, scoring, high score, ranking, power-ups, hud, tutorial, controls, settings etc. items so they can be found easily from the document
- Concentrate on features
- Create a own header for each feature (one feature = one header rule)
- If you do put actual values of variables from the game in the document, do verify their values
- If you have screenshots (like for the HUD) use them
- Group things: like everything concerning screens, put them in one place, everything “technical” like Settings, Controls and so. In one place
- Do not use 5 key in the cheat code, since might be an action
- Consult with QA what they’ll need for the cheat code
- You can put game texts to the document, but in that case you’ll have to be updating them a lot
