1st 3hr GameJam Experience

I feel happy today as I did my first proper 3hr Game Jam, where the goal was to make a game in 3 hours. This 3 Hour limit of course excluded design, planning, and uploading.

So with the experience behind me, I want to look back at the process and reflect on it. Understand why I did what and where.
So let me begin.

I have quite an intense design process.
It starts with the Theme.

The Theme Decoding
First I break down the Theme. I have a little diagram where I place problems, solutions, and challenges, then decided where I want to place the theme. Will it be a problem, solution, or a challenge? This allows me to break it up and make context. I would add 2 or 3 more items and place them. These could be environmental, characters, lore, or anything. It is just there to provide more context. By this time I have a picture in my head of how it will look, so I can consider the theme finished. Now it is time to start the planning process.

The Planning Phase
I start with a story Word document. In this document, I would write down what the game will be about and I explain it as I would explain it to myself. I usually just have a few paragraphs. I put this data through ChatGPT, just to provide more context and also let it create a GDD for me. I don't rely on it, but having a possible design of the end game early on sometimes gives me additional ideas and opens more possibilities. 

Next, I do a wireframe of what I am thinking. I open trusty old paint and draw the pictures in my head in paint. These "pictures" can have a lot of information by now, such as the game view, interfaces, menus, stats... The primary function of all these steps is to identify loopholes and show me elements that could prove to be a pain to build. I prefer redesigning complex features by making them simpler, rather than spending a lot of time on one feature. Documentation is secondary to me.
I feel it is also important to mention, I am in a planning mode only. Meaning I am viewing this design from the point of view of a player/designer, not a coder. 

Sometimes I will use diagram software (yEd) to model out the idea to get more context. Placing nodes for objects, interfaces, and actions. It can help when you understand the flow of the game, so sometimes I would even put in the Game loop in the model just to get more of an idea. Have a look at an example here.

All the steps mentioned above go in a loop. Sometimes I repeat them over and over until I have it the way I like it.

The Design
Okay, we are done with the planning of the idea. We understand our idea now, so let's get to the actual game concept going.
 I start by making a list of tasks. These tasks are simple one-liners that are based on a task template list that I have to guide me.
For example "Create Object" is one of the task templates. The input data for this task will be what character, what sprite, will there be click/create/collision actions, etc. On another end, "Create UI" is also a task template, with buttons, labels, etc.
This task list is designed to get me ready for the long list of tasks that will await me the moment I start the actual development.
This is still a grey area as not every task can be planned fully, and sometimes you need to know if something will work first before you can label it. This is why having task templates is so important. I have spent months building and testing these templates, and I am mostly confident in them. However, there are sometimes requirements for tasks that can not be made into a template and has to be developed at the time.
Still having a task list to start with gives you direction.
You mark them off as you go, move them down if required, and add more to the bottom of the list when you find new tasks as you develop.
This task list file also contains space for "Ideas", "Features" and "Bugs" that can be added, which I visit when my tasks are finished. Any new task that requires planning goes into the "Ideas" group. Ideas are planned and made into either features or tasks if they are simple. Features are planned and made into tasks. Bugs are also planned and become tasks on how to fix them.

This is a system that requires a lot of discipline to maintain, but when followed properly, can make your game dev experience much easier.

I hope to share more details about this whole process in the future.

Good luck with your development.