How To Write Design Docs

I talk about the process I use to write game design documents, both in the order I write them and their contents.

[berkkarsi]

15:53 *"If you give feedback that isn't constructive, your feedback is worthless."*
Facts ✅

[TheArmchairHistorian]

Very helpful, been watching all of your videos and gaining valuable insight. We launched our first game last year and made lots of mistakes, your videos give me more confidence in trying again and doing better.

[RarebitFiends]

Man, I can't tell you how much I appreciate you sharing all of this knowledge and stories from your career with us. Sincerely, thank you sir.

[cammiescorner]

A lot of this is stuff I already do, but writing the goals of mechanics down honestly is such a good idea. I never really thought to do that, since I'm usually a one-person design team, but I should probably start doing that to futureproof my work!

[PostapocMedia]

I love how you always speak highly of people you work with or avoid naming those who didn't do too well. Also, being a game designer myself this video made so much sense. Thanks for sharing your wisdom!

[forestreader]

This channel rules. My only change would be to give Mr. Cain a projector, with relevant slides. I don't work in the games industry, nor do I aspire to, but this stuff is fascinating. More process stuff like this, please!

[sublimemime]

You are awesome for uploading all of your stories and sharing your experience with us. I always thought you had to be an extremely talented person from the start to make something great. It was stressful at times for you and your team, but knowing that it’s still possible to be successful by learning as you go is encouraging. Honestly it’s something I needed to hear.

Thank you Timothy.

[allluckyseven]

Oh, no. Thank YOU, Tim! This is a master class, and it's awesome that you put it here for free, for everyone to watch and learn from.
It's funny that that's how I started to lay things down rather recently. I'll write what I want (so yes, my goal), then how I think I could achieve that with a mechanics overview, and then detail things further. It's great because I can go back and check both of those things. If the mechanics I'm working on actually work toward realizing that goal, and also if I really (or if I _still)_ want to achieve that, if it's the right thing for this game and so on. (but I'm not working on anything digital, so that makes things less complicated.)

[EngineeredAdventures]

I loved how you stated everything i thought before clicking this video you would talk. Thanks.

[stevenmccombie]

I really enjoy how this isn't just another "I love me" channel. You're frequently giving kudos and credit to other folks...that's good stuff!

[JL-dzsj]

I love that you share everything so openly about your creative virtues and past experiences with this youtube channel, it's very inspiring to people like me who are trying to get their foot in the door for the gaming industry. I love to see consistent uploads, keep it going Tim!

[spyke]

I make software programs mostly but this is still priceless knowledge. Makes me want to try game development. Thank you for sharing.

[jdolcjw]

Hey Tim. So glad you started this channel. Just wanted to say, I very much enjoyed your chat with Boyarsky and hope you can have him on the channel again. Bloodlines is such a unique product; it would be a shame if it wasn't discussed in more detail. Also love the Fallout stuff. Keep up the good work!

[shdywyz]

Tim! I've been loving your videos and the frequency with which you've been uploading them. As an aspiring game developer, your inside knowledge is invaluable. Thank you!

[richardgrayson]

Yes! Thank you for this. As someone whose trying to make an indie game this truly helps.

[LionUnchained]

The portion where you talk about high level goal setting in mechanics design draw ups is so important and very insightful.
The design approach to melee and ranged and how it compartmentalized the design discussions based on how they served the high level goal that you set is amazing.
I think no matter what industry in or what you're working on with any team, or even working with a client: aligning goals and expectations is #1.
I'm definitely stealing this.😊

[tangpau]

This is such a great video. Going back and watching all your videos now while working on a TTRPG design. Thank you doing these. The gamng world really needs them.

[vXxNightxXv]

Extremely helpful to hear from someone who has done the work and can elaborate on the processes. If you intend to do another FAQ soon, I've got a ton of questions which ill list here below...

As there are many facets to game development, I'd like to know your thoughts on each particular development process and how you balance what gets worked on now and what gets set aside for later. You described an extremely nice outline for overall design objectives (setting, story, system), and I'm wondering at a high level how you prioritize and coordinate each of those particular objectives between a team of people, and in the case of a solo developer, how time should be managed amongst the game's design, code, writing, art, and sound.

Can you give an overview of the entire development process from A to Z? This could be the traditional process, or a more indie-like process, perhaps an overview of the different kinds of game development processes and what kind of expectations one should have, both as a player and a developer.

How are creative differences settled? how do you find a common vision amongst a team of developers? Who sits in the pilot's seat as far as overall vision and quality assessment in terms of IP? You talked about this briefly, as far as at the very least setting a goal, but I'm curious as to what sort of conversations are had during development and who ultimately makes the decisions?

Can you explain the pros and cons of single player game development vs multiplayer game development? Perhaps at a high level, what objectives the developer should optimize for given each in regards to player retention, and overall enjoyable gameplay?

For individuals who are looking to work on a project, what paths would you recommend to them? Perhaps at different skill levels as well, for example, someone who's just begun learning a particular skill, vs someone who's a hobbiest, vs someone who is an expert at their craft.

When should a developer optimize between working hard on a particular objective vs taking shortcuts? When is it necessary to trim fat off of an idea or concept? Are there any more tips/tricks you consistently use during the development process?

...
I'm sure there's many more questions I could come up with that I'd find useful personally, but you're only one person and this channel is only going to get more and more popular, so I'm happy with whatever additional insight you end up posting in the future. Thank you for taking the time to read comments while it's still manageable 👍

[jamesrivettcarnac]

I'm so happy i found this. I adored all your games. I kept going back to arcanum, and would love to see more in that setting.

[memyselfishness]

Your videos have been inspiring me to write down a design document for a game idea that's been floating in my head for a while. I had told a friend about it and he wanted to help with the writing and design part. I'm glad you made this video.