Platformer Toolkit
An interactive game-design tool by Mark Brown about how platformer controls feel.
Where Platformer Toolkit comes up1 episode or test
- No plan for two years
- Real progress in only 9 of 24 months
- Task list made once prototype showed fun
- About 40 levels in a month
With a plan: about 40 levels in one month
From Mark Brown on Platformer Toolkit
What was said about Platformer Toolkit
Platformer Toolkit shipped on time because it had a concrete plan. Mark Brown made a proper plan for Platformer Toolkit, a task list that said what was in the game and what was not, and he credits it with finishing the game in a reasonable time.
His advice is to skip detailed planning while prototyping and write the plan once the prototype shows what is fun: "You don't want a detailed design document luring over your head stifling your creativity." He contrasts it with his next game, Mind Over Magnet, which had no plan for two years and made real progress in only nine of 24 months, then produced about 40 levels in a month once a plan was written.
The one thing you need to finish your game (Developing 11)
It had a proper plan from the start and was finished in a reasonable time, which is the contrast with Mind Over Magnet.
Platformer Toolkit shipped on time because it had a concrete plan. Mark Brown made a proper plan for Platformer Toolkit, a task list that said what was in the game and what was not, and he credits it with finishing the game in a reasonable time.
His advice is to skip detailed planning while prototyping and write the plan once the prototype shows what is fun: "You don't want a detailed design document luring over your head stifling your creativity." He contrasts it with his next game, Mind Over Magnet, which had no plan for two years and made real progress in only nine of 24 months, then produced about 40 levels in a month once a plan was written.
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