Best Practices For Quick Prototyping In Game Development

Why Prototype Games Quickly

Prototyping games quickly in the early stages of development can save significant time and money compared to jumping straight into full production. By testing core mechanics, art styles, and technologies early on through an interactive prototype, teams can validate ideas without investing heavily upfront. Rapid prototypes also facilitate early playtester feedback, helping developers iterate on and improve the game concept quickly. Key benefits of quick prototyping in game development include:

• Reduced costs from testing ideas without full production values
• Faster feedback from playtesters on what’s fun versus not fun
• Quicker iteration by rapidly changing mechanics and designs
• Lower risks from catching issues early instead of later in development

Choosing the Right Prototyping Tools

The software and tools used to build a quick prototype can have a significant impact on speed and flexibility during the prototyping phase. Some popular options that balance rapid development with powerful features include:

Engines With Visual Scripting

Tools like Construct and GameMaker Studio provide easy drag-and-drop interfaces to build mechanics and trigger behaviors without coding knowledge. Their modular behaviors and event systems facilitate quick changes for rapid iteration.

Flexible Open Source Frameworks

Open source game engines like Phaser, Godot, and Unity, combined with free asset stores, enable developers to mock up quick prototypes that can later scale into full projects. Their coding-focused workflows offer flexibility compared to restrictive visual scripting.

Level Editors

Prototyping games like first-person shooters benefit greatly from using commercial or open source level editor tools to block out spaces and scenarios rapidly without finalized artwork or assets. Level editors with libraries of pre-made objects and modular level chunks accelerate environmental prototyping.

Structuring Your Prototype

Well-organized prototypes let developers focus testing on the most important elements without unnecessary scope creep. Useful strategies for structuring effective video game prototypes include:

• Lead with the Core Mechanic – Implement the single most important interaction first, like moving and jumping in a platformer.
• Use Placeholders – Simple shapes and textures speed up implementation significantly.
• Define Clear Testing Goals – Outline the key questions to answer, like if a control scheme feels intuitive.
• Simulate Final Platform – Test on target devices early to catch performance issues.
• Focus Scope on Critical Parts – Only implement what’s needed to test primary elements and feel.

Coding Quickly in Phaser

As an open source HTML5 game framework, Phaser provides a lightweight and flexible code-focused workflow for rapid prototyping. For example, here is sample code for common prototyping tasks in Phaser:

Moving a Sprite with Arrow Keys

var player;
function create() {
  player = this.physics.add.sprite(100, 100, 'player'); 
  cursor = this.input.keyboard.createCursorKeys();
}
function update() {
  if (cursor.left.isDown) { 
    player.setVelocityX(-500); 
  } else if (cursor.right.isDown) {
    player.setVelocityX(500);
  } 
}

Detecting Collisions

function create() {
  player = this.physics.add.sprite(100, 100, 'player');
  platforms = this.physics.add.staticGroup();
  
  this.physics.add.collider(player, platforms);
}
function update() {
  var hitPlatform = player.body.touching.down;
  
  if (hitPlatform) {
    // collided with platform
  }
}  

By keeping code modular for common mechanics like movement and collisions, developers can reuse and recombine those components rapidly for quick iteration.

Playtesting Effectively

Playtesting is most useful when testers match the intended audience, and feedback is collected strategically. Useful playtesting best practices include:

• Recruit friends and family first as they’re easily available for quick iterations.
• Ask specific questions about elements you want feedback on, like enjoyment of particular mechanics.
• Observe testers actually playing to see where they succeed or struggle.
• Test on appropriate platforms that match target devices early and often.

Iterating Based on Feedback

The true measure of an effective prototype is how much it informs ongoing design decisions and improvements for the final product. Useful iteration strategies include:

• Start small and work in short, focused iteration cycles to rapidly incorporate feedback.
• Prioritize feedback raised consistently by multiple playtesters.
• Continually question which features and content should be in the final game based on testing.
• Know when to transition from prototyping to full production values based on resolving critical uncertainties.

Conclusion

Quick prototyping is essential for game developers to validate and improve game concepts without overinvesting upfront. By focusing prototypes primarily on testing key mechanics, controls, visuals, and interactions, developers can catch more issues earlier compared to saving full implementation for later stages. Building upon feedback from engaged testers across multiple plays and iterations, game makers can evolve the game rapidly towards the optimal final experience for players. With the right approach and tools, quick prototyping unlocks transformative learning that leads to better games.