In this behind-the-scenes, we share with you our top 5 most valuable lessons about crafting, gameplay, testing cycles, tool quality, and planning.
We started creating games and crafting knowing absolutely nothing. It was just for the fun of creating games for our nieces and nephews to play on Christmas day. We went from crafting a rock to a gigantic modular castle. We developed 4 games, from plain paper to professionally printed. We learned a lot along the way and still are.
1. Making Dioramas Playable
The first lesson we learned was that we were making our dioramas way too small. The base was too small and there wasn’t enough space to place miniature figurines to play. As we progressed through the creation of our games, our dioramas became much larger, much higher and there were a lot more open spaces to place game tokens. It was important for us to understand the difference between a showcase diorama and a gaming build.
2. Shortening and Simplifying the Gameplay
The second lesson we learned was about gameplay. We have a lot of grandiose ideas and we love to go overboard. This can result in complex and very long gameplay. It can also create slow moments where excitement cools off. So we learned to edit out, edit out, edit out. Building and testing the gameplay multiple times using a really basic paper mock-up before creating any of the real assets is the priority. Make it fun on paper before making it impressive.
3. Early Testing Cycles are Key
With multi-component games like the ones we create which include crafting, 3D miniature printing, video game programming, electricity and lighting cues, creative storytelling, printed cards and much more, it’s easy to get caught up in the creation of all the assets and forget to test. We often got to testing and running full playthroughs way too late in the process. Running partial and full playthrough during the whole process avoids creating finished components that would be buggy or entirely cut out. It will also create a much more dynamic gameplay of a proper duration.
4. The Tool Quality Matters in Some Cases
We had no equipment when we got started and no budget either. We started with dollar store equipment and progressively bought better and better equipment. It allowed us to test the results of equipment at various price points. There are some materials that can do an excellent job that are really affordable, but there are other pieces of equipment where you get what you pay for.
We painted the whole project with dollar store acrylic paint, but we painted all the miniatures with specialized model paint. Cutting foam and applying static grass is where we invested most and will continue to do so. Cutting foam straight is key in creating a clean build and just a knife doesn’t cut it. Low quality grass applicators don’t work for everything. Dollar store crafting wood, wire, twine, and glue work marvelously well, but when it comes time to terrain, flocking, trees, and so on, specialized supplies gave us a much better result.
Our members have free access to our material guides where we rated the result of the material and supplies, what we used them for, and where we got them. You can browse the entire collection here.
5. Iterative Planning and Non-Linear Process
We started our game project with an extensive brainstorming process using a white board and notebooks. We also built a cardboard mockup of all the dioramas to envision what we were getting into. During the brainstorming, we developed an entire story. All these steps were extremely helpful and necessary, but as we went along, the plan changed a lot. We even changed the end point of the game 4 times. The initial planning is crucial, but iterative brainstorming sessions and planning adjustments will be required all the way to the end.
Summary
- Make dioramas bigger with open spaces
- Make the gameplay shorter and simpler
- Test early and often
- Invest on tools mainly where it matters
- Be prepared for your plans to change along the way
💬 Let us know in the comments what are your crafting and game development lessons learned!