I think "avoid scope creep" is too general to be useful advice.
I recently decided to add an arcade mode to my game. Does it increase the scope? Yes.
But, it doesn't actually add THAT much extra work, and expands the ways to play the game and the players that might be interested.
#indiegamedev
I recently decided to add an arcade mode to my game. Does it increase the scope? Yes.
But, it doesn't actually add THAT much extra work, and expands the ways to play the game and the players that might be interested.
#indiegamedev
Comments
If you can't make a case for it, it's probably not worth it.
right now I’m making something arcade-y and will release it for pretty cheap once I feel the core gameplay is there, then will build on top of that
So my first launch will be the more arcade-y version of my core idea
Then, as I go about my project, my rule is to NOT add a feature that would DISTRACT from any of those points
There are no firm lines in the sand. Unless you have deadlines.
I'm not saying you *shouldn't* expand your audience, by the way! Just for me, that's a matter that comes second in my priorities
I was just speaking in general terms, addressing how I'd respond to the topic about "scope creep" 🙂
I think that be realistic and think your decisions through are good things. I think make smaller games and avoid scope creep at all costs are bad advice.
If you do that enough times, or choose the wrong things to change, you can tank the entire project.
That's why i think it's good to avoid it
Any one thing that changes from the original plan will affect everything else unless you included a ton of padding into your original plan.
Even in my day job at a large corporation, I can't think of a multi year plan that never changes. You gotta be a little flexible when it benefits you
If at your day job, they didn't avoid any changes, then you would feel it when they run out of money or require unpaid overtime.
By telling people to avoid doing it, we are telling them that it is something that can be very bad and to really consider it before attempting it.
Sure you have to pick your battles, but that's a far cry from avoid it or never increase scope.
It's a neat thought exercise to help you capture the core experience of your game
I'm just saying hard and fast rules aren't the way to go. If it makes your game better, sometimes you gotta let a little scope creep happen.
Don't jaywalk is a fine rule to have even tho we all break it regularly
It adds an interesting element of gameplay with relatively little commitment.
So it's "scope creep" but the return is 50x the work it takes.
And I think that’s another part people leave out. You can totally design a game to scale easily if you plan it from the start.
It's easy to overblow the initial scope on core gameplay and then burn out before getting to a playable build.
Expanding on an already working, well-built game would often not have those kinds of risks
Cuz you acknowledged it, evaluated, and proceeded. You're right, way too broad to label as "bad thing, don't do"
Cuz that's how I've seen most devs use the term.
Pretty sure all of us who have been doing this long enough have learned the lesson at some point. Just gotta remember it when we get all giddy about new ideas :P