I’ve just begun work on my second iPhone game. This time around I would like to share more about the processes i’m using. These are by no means industry standards, they just represent my personal workflow.
The first step for me is the idea. I don’t have a specific method for this, I get inspiration from things I see around me. I probably come up with around 5 ideas before settling on one that I like. The idea for this particular game came about because I was inspired by an image I saw.
At this point I would normally begin coding but I was inspired by this post I read regarding mood boards and decided to apply the process to this game. I bought myself a Moleskine sketchbook and began collecting various scraps, images, doodles, and notes. I’ve really found this process helpful in defining the look and feel of the game. I hope time spent on this will shine through in the cohesion of the final game.
To ensure I get the right look and feel i’m using my Wacom drawing tablet along with inkscape to complement the moodboarding. This is very much an iterative process, trying things out in digital format and refining my mood board. I’ll share some of these designs with you in the coming posts.
Oh and, being a developer, I couldn’t help but begin coding alongside this process. I’ve rapidly programmed a basic working prototype to ensure that I could achieve the core gameplay.
Does anyone else use moodboarding or do you have alternative techniques?