Placeholders, "I'll do it later" Options

[kayden997]

Placeholders are something I've seen people do in there projects while they develop. Whether it be maps or dialogue, is it really a good thing to do? Sure, someone can just make a map with the basic walking areas and what not, then leave it and go to another map. But what if they miss it or make so many placeholders that the project becomes overwhelming thus leading to it's doom?

Personally, I always spend a lot of time on a new map to really give it it's final feel. If I have to go out of my way to create an object specifically for that map, I would. It just leaves things out of the way instead of partially finishing it just to go back to it while you're finished half the game already. I think one would lose motivation to do much effort on the placeholder if that was the case.

Not sure about dialogue but again it's something that I believe has to be fully developed and looked at if needed.

So, what are your thoughts about placeholders?

[Legacy]

I was actually reading an article yesterday about coding tricks for game developers, which touched on this subject ever so slightly. It's also something I've done in many, if not all, of my projects..

12. I'm a programmer, not an artist - Damian Connolly

For indie / solo developers who are working on an iPhone or Android game on their own, while you're looking for an artist etc, you should be developing your game at the same time. Use programmer art, stand-ins, free sprites anything. Most of the time, before even thinking about final assets, I just want something up and running quickly to see if it's fun. Prototype the crap out of it and find the game. Then, when the gameplay's locked down, you can start putting in the proper art. Doing it the other way around leads to lost money, and work that needs to be redone multiple times, which aside from harming your project, sucks your motivation to finish it (and if you're making a game to get a job, showing that you can finish a project is a good thing). Another tip if you're lacking upfront finance is to find a freelance game artist who will accept a revenue sharing deal, e.g. typically something like 30% of game revenue, payable once it gets published to the AppStore.

can be found here.

It allows for sections to be completed faster than they would by not doing this method. When I code cosmetic systems I use "programmer graphics" this is simple boxes with text in them. Just so I can get the layout done, whilst my artist is drawing up the real deal. By the end of it, we have the final piece, that only needs the art changed to make it complete.

I'm not waiting for art whilst I'm coding, so I can just carry on until the system is complete.


I was actually reading an article yesterday that coding tricks for game developers which mentioned this in the article. It's also something I've done in many, if not all, of my projects.

12. I'm a programmer, not an artist - Damian Connolly

For indie / solo developers who are working on an iPhone or Android game on their own, while you're looking for an artist etc, you should be developing your game at the same time. Use programmer art, stand-ins, free sprites anything. Most of the time, before even thinking about final assets, I just want something up and running quickly to see if it's fun. Prototype the crap out of it and find the game. Then, when the gameplay's locked down, you can start putting in the proper art. Doing it the other way around leads to lost money, and work that needs to be redone multiple times, which aside from harming your project, sucks your motivation to finish it (and if you're making a game to get a job, showing that you can finish a project is a good thing). Another tip if you're lacking upfront finance is to find a freelance game artist who will accept a revenue sharing deal, e.g. typically something like 30% of game revenue, payable once it gets published to the AppStore.

can be found here.

It allows for sections to be completed faster than they would by not doing this method. When I code cosmetic systems I use "programmer graphics" this is simple boxes with text in them. Just so I can get the layout done, whilst my artist is drawing up the real deal. By the end of it, we have the final piece, that only needs the art changed to make it complete.

I'm not waiting for art whilst I'm coding, so I can just carry on until the system is complete.