Mastering Game Prototyping: Step-by-Step Guide for Beginners

#gamedesign #gamedevelopment #howtomakeagame
How to make a game prototype and what to do with it. Indie game development is a challenging hobby that many of us would love to turn into a career. This video breaks down the process of creating a game into three steps, taking you from a prototype to a fully developed game. These steps will help you always be in the right frame of mind when thinking about what to work on next with your game.
0:00 Intro
0:27 Why make a prototype?
1:40 Step 1: Prototype
5:19 Step 2: Test
9:38 Step 3: Iterate
12:01 Outro
For a deeper dive into making a game prototype, check out these resources that really helped me:
• Making Your First Game...
• Prototyping Games in U...
• Hitchhiker's Guide to ...
gamedesignskills.com/game-des...

[@maxkopfraum]

most important: protoypes are vertical, not horizontal. a slice of every layer, not a finished layer

[@baitposter]

This is one of the simplest and best bites of information for a prototype The proof-of-concept prototype isn't your alpha and doesn't need to be; just a vertical slice and taste of what you want your game to be

[@JamesArndt]

You said you were a beginner in game dev, but you are clearly articulating wisdom that not many beginners compartmentalize early on.

[@WyrmyrGames]

I only know what I’ve been taught! Been learning from the best on KZbin and reading articles for at least five years now. But thank you 😊

[@RandomNewb]

good reminder about implementing, failing fast/receiving feedback, and iterating. back to development!!

[@isaachepp3481]

Thanks for the helpful video, I look forward to seeing your work and wish you good luck on your journey!

[@JeremyTarrier]

Thank you for the clear and concise guide to prototyping. If you're still looking for testers feel free to reach out.

[@WyrmyrGames]

Thanks for the interest! I'll keep you in mind and let you know more about it in my next devlog.

[@vast634]

Have several prototypes in parallel. One for gameplay, one for visuals like animation or post processing, one for the menu element and inventory mechanics for example. Its much easier to test and iterate on those if the project does not depend on all the other elements of the game. Other elements could be mocked if needed. Once all main "modules" are sufficiently usable, you can assemble them into a combined project, implementing them in a clean way. That then is the basis of the game.

[@BuggyGameDev]

Is that really working ? I would tend to make all element acts in synergy and respond one to the others to make a great game. Of course it can be interesting to have those draft elements and iterate on code and visuals independently, but at some point you must merge. So divergences (like having a gameplay loop with gamepad but you fast travel map is using mouse) could you make loose time, kind of exagerated but that's the idea.

[@vast634]

@@BuggyGameDev Its mostly technical and mechanics that I develop in their own sandbox project. For example NPC animation system is developed separate to an inventory system. Or having a specific project that contained the preliminary art-assets, materials and post processing setup, where everything is just staged, and im mostly interested in tuning the visuals and the lighting. I intentionally use simple prototype materials and assets in the other projects, so I can separate gameplay mechanics from visuals. The projects get merged at some point in a Main project, where I reimplement the stuff, but now in a much cleaner way, without all the temporary stuff that was just for some tests. (A big challenge of larger games is handling complexity - many assets, big codebase, not so much how to do something.) For a larger team that would be the point where productions starts, and there is a solid architecture and references on mechanics and assets and workflows.

[@CosplayZine]

Great stuff. The game art is looking great so far.

[@BestHakase]

thank you, helps a lot

[@WyrmyrGames]

Glad to hear that!

[@jefferyknudson9894]

Hey! I would love to test this game! It looks awesome! Also, I've really enjoyed following your growth and story. Reminds me a bit of myself.

[@WyrmyrGames]

Hey thanks! I'll let you know more in my next Devlog about testing. Thanks for the interest.

[@ryanorionwotanson4568]

I could test it if it works on steam deck...great advice too!

[@PandemoniumGameDev]

Good stuff! It's really logical to create prototype in order to separate good concepts from bad ones, unfortunately we're emotional creatures and a lot of times we ignore this in order to create our "dream game" 🤣. This a good reminder to stay grounded and trust the players more than your own fantasies.

[@WyrmyrGames]

Thanks! I completely agree. It's all too easy to trust your own instinct or your vision for the game and move on without testing. Instinct and vision ARE important and you should listen to them, but a healthy balance of listening to testers will only make your game better.

[@boomxhartshotxchannel3111]

Fellow new-ish Unity dev here. Interested in testing if you still have that need.

[@jameshughes3014]

This was really helpful. How could this be done for a first person role playing game like fallout? It's not exactly a first person shooter, since fighting is only one portion of the game play. I'm thinking since it would involve crafting, building, fighting and quests, i should make a prototype for each mechanic, but also one that involves all of them to make sure they're balanced?

[@WyrmyrGames]

Glad it helped! Yeah, I think you’re on the right track. I’m sure Bethesda had a prototype, of sorts, with just the player character being able to do some of things you can do in the game, before they really built out the world and all of the quests and items. I haven’t used them myself, but there are downloadable FPS frameworks that could get you started really quickly so you can focus on the unique mechanics to your game. I’d be interested to see what you come up with! (I just started playing Fallout 4 after the show came out. I should be making game but the world sucked me in 😄)

[@Uhfgood]

It depends on the type of game. If it's a narrative game, then a basic prototype is not quite as feasible (you can still do it, but you have to provide a little more content than an action/arcade/etc game). I am going to do something similar, starting with a text adventure progressing in stages until a fully graphical, animated point-and-click adventure game.

[@WyrmyrGames]

Agreed, the genre can determine how complex your prototype needs to be. It sounds like you have a good idea of how to make it work with your game. I’d be interested to see your progress.

[@Uhfgood]

@@WyrmyrGames - Maybe i'll link ya when I've started making videos. (vlogging my progress here soon)

[@BuggyGameDev]

A outline of the choices and dialogs would not be in this case the prototype ? It's not from a synopsis indeed you will make a narrative game appealing, but a concept art of the settings, characters, and the detailed plot would assure the game is good at least I would think. The hidden cost is more on the tools you will use to integrate, like the localisation, the UI (hello text too long in german), staging and narrative engagement. So if you begin directly for a short game executable... Well maybe later because of you want a unusual way of making choices (timer etc), all can fall appart.

[@Choco794]

What about a strategy game, wouldn’t it have plenty of game mechanics so how do I isolate the core of it for a prototype, It will either take too long to make the prototype then I will have to scrap it so high wasted effort or I will burnout due to the amount of game mechanics I need to build and then if by some miracle if I finish the prototype and it is validated, I have to refine and fix my code which will be almost the same amount of effort as in making the prototype. Likely, I will give up either way so what should I do?

[@WyrmyrGames]

I’m not really a huge fan of the throw-away prototype. I understand the arguments but like you it’s rather demotivating for me to have to do the same work twice. So I don’t see why you couldn’t consolidate that development into one stretch and when the prototype is completed and tested, build on from there. I’d have to do some research, but there may be kits out there for strategy games that help you build a basic game quickly without having to build all of the core mechanics yourself. (If there isn’t, maybe you could sell your prototype as a starter strategy kit 😂)

[@maxkopfraum]

@@WyrmyrGames in my opinion prototypes should be used to build up the underlying core libraries for your final game. the prototypes can still use the same libraries, but present them differently, use more or less features, combine them differently, etc that way you may lose one throwaway protoype configuration, but the core mechanics keep evolving.

[@mattrobb3566]

Hi, good open and honest ideas, thanks. But not too sure about this; as you say most genres have a set of core mechanics and it may be fairly easy to program them and test them without them being much fun or the sign of a good game to come. But isn't the key the differentiator, what really makes your game fun and what is the perceived progress process that will keep it fun? Share too much too early and a good tester will see a way forward to make a better version more quickly and this could undermine your game. Be careful out there, this is a 'dog eat dog' world. Now I must get back to my new unshared prototype: 'Hungry fish!'. Good luck.

[@WyrmyrGames]

😂 Go for it man! I’m making this game because I want to play it. I’d love to see more games like it or even better. I do understand what you’re saying though and I think it’s a common worry of game developers. If it’s a novel idea and happens to be really fun, why risk putting it out there for someone to steal? I can’t say that I haven’t asked that question myself. But I keep hearing from other game devs not to worry about it and I’m trying not to. They always say “no one cares about your game” which I think is mostly true. No one sees the full potential or vision of your game as well as you do. I think it’s important to have some balance. Find only a few trusted sources for testing at first and keep the testing on a small scale during development. Testing is too important to skip out of fear. But maybe try to avoid game developers as testers 😂

[@mattrobb3566]

As you fully appreciated I was just teasing. In all sincerity I wish you all the best and will probably 'wishlist' your game after a few more progress posts. I'm intrigued to see where the fun is, but good on you for identifying a fun way ahead with feeding fish. I would still be very careful about sharing the details of your novel ideas. So please use trusted Testers.

[@everythingcouldbesimplify818]

I agree that prototype is good to start but the best is having a deadline, the game will have to be finished no matter what

[@maxkopfraum]

in practice i see many devs linger for a while on aspects they care about. i don't think it is necessarily bad, if it keeps the spirits up. it's also possible to have multiple projects at the same time.

[@ChiliTurtle]

That looks nice, reminds me of My Aquarium, I am also a solo developer and know how hard gamedev can be.That deserves a sub and a like. Will you check out my prototype?

[@WyrmyrGames]

Thanks! Definitely. Should I check out a particular video of yours or is your prototype playable somewhere?

[@ChiliTurtle]

​@@WyrmyrGames Yes it is. (I should probably put the link into the description) its on itch, I updated it today, and rewrote the physics, so currently just round courses are available (the battle royale is disabled until I am completely done with the physics rewrite) I pinned it on my video, because I am not sure if you are allowed to post links on other peoples comments section.

[@chaosordeal294]

You don't need to prototype something that you have seen work in a zillion games. Characters can jump onto platforms in video games -- no prototype necessary. If you make a platformer, a significant effort will go into perfecting the jump mechanisms, and a prototype really won't help -- you may as well start on the first iterations of the final product. Camera-tracking always needs refinement as a project progresses. Again, don't even bother with a prototype -- it's just one of those things that needs fussing with until it's right, and you won't know if it's right until you see it at the tail end of the project.

[@Choco794]

The main reason for a prototype is to test the innovative features or features not commonly seen in this genre, the USP so to say and see if it gels well with other prominent game features that are commonly found or even define the genre.

[@WyrmyrGames]

Good points. In that case a prototype, or first iteration, could have a framework of solid game mechanics from your genre layered with some more experimental mechanics of your own. There are plenty of starter kits out there for certain genres where you would only have to tweak those solid mechanics and really focus on testing mechanics of your own.

[@Choco794]

@@WyrmyrGames thanks, you answered my other questions/comment as well. Also how much new learning do you think a project one wants to sell potentially should have (approximately)?

[@WyrmyrGames]

@@Choco794 Hard to say. In my case, it’s close to 100% because I didn’t have any experience when I started. But I think if you’ve learned enough to make something like a polished vertical slice of your game, you can run with that and maybe only have to learn a few more things along the way. I probably won’t dive much deeper into 3D modeling, for instance, because I think what I know now is enough for me to be able to finish the project at the level that I want it to be. But I have a lot to learn about coding still because there are a lot of things I haven’t started on. If it’s your first game, I would say focus your learning on building what you want to make, whatever is most interesting to you. And when you’ve learned enough to make a good portion of a full game at whatever level you’d like it to be, go for it! I hope this helps. I’m learning too! 😄

[@DIPPYDO]

I disagree.. i think that if you want to learn how to code games, making prototypes could be a good way to do that.. but games are more than the code.. if you want to be a solo dev, you'll news code, art, sound, level design, story, character design,ect.. the only way to build those muscles are to work them.. i think beginners should do as many game jams as possible to practice every aspect of game dev..

[@WyrmyrGames]

I agree that’s another great way to learn! It’s kind of the same concept as a prototype, just more involved as you said. I didn’t mean to say coding is the ONLY thing beginners have to learn. But in my case it was the first thing I had to learn to actually make any sort of working game.

[@ChimeratAlpha]

I would be interested in testing, but I don't use Discord. Any program that "requires" the ability to comb your computer's programs to collect data is not welcome on my PC.

[@FH-ff9jj]

thats how most apps work though?

[@ChimeratAlpha]

@@FH-ff9jj I never once used Discord for gaming, it was intended to chat with people I knew. Then it suddenly had a list of all the games I owned. I promptly deleted it and it is no longer welcome on my systems. If you're okay with them digging into your date, that's your choice.

[@FH-ff9jj]

@@ChimeratAlpha thanks for the odd paragraph bud

[@revimfadli4666]

What about slack? It's like discord for work

[@revimfadli4666]

​@@ChimeratAlphaisn't slack like discord, but for work instead of gaming?