Support the development of Chroniques de Nomadoss
Video game development is the process of designing, programming and testing a video game. This effort is undertaken by a developer, who can be a single person (in our case, there are currently only 2 of us) or an international team scattered all over the world. The development of traditional commercial games for PC or consoles is usually financed by a publisher and can take several years.
Independent video games generally take less time and money, and can be produced by individuals and small developers. The independent games industry is booming, facilitated by accessible game engine software such as Unity and Unreal Engine and new online distribution systems such as Steam and Uplay, as well as the mobile games market for Android and iOS devices.
The different stages in video game development / Les différentes étapes du développement d'un jeu vidéo
1 . Project validation
This first stage consists of assessing whether the project is viable, taking into account the budget to be allocated, the positive and negative points, the technological constraints and limitations, and the human resources. The team in place must work together on this stage, so that everyone knows what they'll have to deal with. Finally, everyone gives their opinion, and when all are in agreement, we can move on to the next stage.
2 . Setting up the production document
This is where the brief is drawn up for the duration of the development process, setting out all the key points of the project, as well as the various constraints and choices to be made as a result. Once this has been drawn up, the game design phase begins... At this stage, the project must have a clear vision of the artistic direction, sound, etc.
3 . Creating a model
This is an important step in checking whether the project is really feasible. This means making a small part of the game, for example, a level (map), testing the gameplay, whether the universe is attractive, etc. At this stage, we know whether the project can be continued or not. It's also a stage that enables us to find funding sources, investors and publishers.
4 . Game production
This is the stage when financing is available and a publisher has confidence in your project (hence the previous stage). This is the point at which the game's production phase begins, down to the smallest detail. The more detailed the project file, the smoother the work will be. This is also where the slightest delay can have serious consequences for the project, especially in terms of the financial budget. So this is a crucial stage, as the project could end up nipped in the bud.
5 . Testing and debugging
One of the most difficult stages in production. Although there should be several phases of testing and debugging throughout development, once the project is finished, all kinds of testing and debugging must be carried out in order to correct as many bugs as possible, while fine-tuning the game as much as possible before its release.
These beta tests are carried out by the developers, the publishers and often by a restricted audience.
6 . Game location
The game, which will only be released in France, doesn't need this step, but since it's intended for international release, it should be translated into several languages.
7 . The game is Gold
"Gold" at this stage means that the game is fully finished before going into production.
8 . Making the game
This is the phase of physically manufacturing the game for sale in stores. Printing covers, burning Blu-Rays, making boxes. Although these days, this stage is disappearing more and more, and this is even truer for independent games.
9 . Distribution
The distribution phase, managed by the publisher in chain stores (or online stores), so that the game can be put on sale.
10 . Life phase
The project is finished and available for sale, but we need to continue supporting the game, working on updates, corrective patches and DLC, so that the game can enjoy a long life and build player loyalty.