Ask Producer - Public Design

[leunas]

Question:
What do you think of giving your design document to the
public? I mean, BEFORE the game is released.

I was thinking of this because we are starting to use a wiki to
design our next game. I think it will be more simple to use a
web-wiki than to exchange docs from one team member to
another (time will tell). But I am facing a doubt: should I let
other people reading it or should I use it as a private tool?

Obviously I will not give it to everyone, but can diffuse it only
among developers/designers. Or to the ones you trust. But
what if someone reaches the documents and spreads them?
Or diffuse it among your best testers. Can it be a good idea,
or your testers should only judge your game actual
implementation?

Answer:
That’s up to you.

I sincerely believe that you can give the documents to all your team members and for the beta testers.

In my experience, documents won’t tell how fun or what kind of game you really are producing or developing. I have given design documents and all kind of instructions (verbal, textual, images) and even then sometimes developers don’t get what I mean them to do. How could people that are not part of your team could do any better?

If you are unsure, you could give partial document to the public, and keep some parts purely private. Public might not be so interested how you handle database connections, but I’m fairly sure public would be very interested to see some images and hear things about the gameplay, story details and so on.

www.gameproducer.net/2006/07/20/ask-producer-public-design/

[Stuff]

Yeah I think I could trust all my team members and beta testers. I really don't like the idea of releasing a game and not getting the full spectrum of feedback, then hearing from somebody a year later why it was a good game but the sound effects didnt place in correctly, or "I hate that I can't do a doubl jump, or a turbo boost in the game". Theres another hanging question: To aim to please as many gamers as possible, selling more games in the popular sence; or making the game you've always wanted to see out there, not catering to everyone's desire but your own.

[leunas]

That is why studios and publishers will have focus groups. A couple of months back(May I think) Shiny was having focus groups to Westwoodlanders(coin phrase) and it gives them a good sense of what people like and dislike of their games. We will be having focus groups for our games as well.

As for the hanging question: Many people do things because they enjoy it and not to "please others". You can't please everyone, and if you attempt to do so especially with something you may not know enough of, or could care less, you will fail miserably.

On that same note, we grew up as gamers. We know what makes a game great. So in regards to that, what you like, most gamers will enjoy playing as well.