Best game dev advice I have (which applies to developing anything): keep it in a playable state 100% of the time. You're not allowed to spend 6 months in the mind palace. Prototype on day 1. You should be playing it constantly. And if someone asks what you're working on, you have a link ready. - ThreadSky

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johnrudolphdrexler.com • 82 days ago

Best game dev advice I have (which applies to developing anything): keep it in a playable state 100% of the time. You're not allowed to spend 6 months in the mind palace. Prototype on day 1. You should be playing it constantly. And if someone asks what you're working on, you have a link ready.

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johnrudolphdrexler.com•82 days ago

This makes it almost impossible for you to harbor delusions. It focuses you on real problems rather than imaginary problems. All of your good ideas come from playing the game. It is biased intensely toward testing. It forces you to address unchecked assumptions very early.

johnrudolphdrexler.com•82 days ago

This does mean you're going to have to do a ground-up rebuild 3 times. But that's probably true regardless.

alicki.bsky.social•82 days ago

Seems extreme for a game. Other things? Sure, I can see how it applies in a way. But in my experience, games are always evolving until they aren't. Once they have a solid trajectory, they are at the mercy of the developer's whims to do something unique and creative.

johnrudolphdrexler.com•82 days ago

Not extreme. They do evolve — but as they evolve, they need to remain playable so you can feel the effects of those evolutions. The second it stops being in a playable state, it’s no longer a game. It’s just a thought experiment, and you can’t feel it anymore.

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