So far in our series looking into the many stages of videogame creation we’ve covered the High Level Vision and the Game Design Document. These are both key preparation stages in locking scope and aspiration for what the game will be, and how it will be made.

The next step is Pre-Production and involves the wider team much more – but what really is it, and why is it vital in the final game plan overall? We spoke to Jon Byles, Producer on Lawn Mowing Simulator 2, to explain.

Breaking Ground

Now the game’s vision is set, and has been complemented by the greater detail encompassed in the GDD, it’s time to start some practical work. While many games will use existing technology and familiar techniques to bring ideas to life, there are almost always some systems or concepts that will need to be created specifically for the purpose.

For Lawn Mowing Simulator 2, as a sequel, it would be easy to assume that most of the new game would be built using the foundations of the original – but that isn’t the case. While some of this is down to the original game being 5 years old (and game technology changes a lot in 5 years) it’s also because it needed a fundamental rewrite in order to fulfil the vision of the sequel.

As Jon puts it, the pre–production phase is there “to come up with and prove out the mechanics and core vision based on the ideas that have been put forward.” With the original game unable to handle the addition of leaf-blowing, and with ambitions to make the grass tech significantly more satisfying, building the new game from scratch made the pre-production phase vital.

Proving the Concept

The task, then, is to test how the ideas will hang together – and find any major issues with those ideas early. The last thing you want is to get 90% of the way through game development only to discover that a crucial piece of the game’s design doesn’t work.

“The aim is to create the core systems quickly and roughly,” says Jon. “We want to get an idea of what we’re making and be able to test them internally with the team.”

Quick iteration is essential: “These quick-fire creations will usually be completely remade when moving forwards into production,” but knowing that the concepts will ultimately work is worth the time taken.

There’s also a secondary benefit to the whole team, in that once a prototype is created, it’s much easier for everybody to be on the same page regarding the intentions for that system – and while the final implementation might be a long way off, it reduces some of the risk of people within the team working slightly at cross-purposes.

Managing the Risk

A core part of pre-production is the Risk Register. “This is a list of all known risks to the project’s completion,” explains Jon. “This is then prioritised according to the significance of the risk and the expected likelihood of it occurring.

“Once all the risks are accounted for, the next step is to work out what needs to be done to mitigate against them.”

But the risk register isn’t a one-off piece of work. “It’s something that has to be checked regularly as the project progresses, because old risks can disappear, but new risks can arise.”

So there’s a lot to consider during pre-production, and it’s not a small task – so how much time should you allow?

“It entirely depends on the scope of the project,” says Jon. “I’ve usually found it has taken around 10-30% of a project’s lifespan” – which means likely months, rather than weeks (or days!)

That wraps up our look at the Game Design Document – hopefully you found it useful or interesting! Next on our list of topics to tackle is the Pre-Production Phase, so don’t forget to check back in the coming weeks!

That’s all we have for now on Pre-Production. If you missed them, and you’re interested in understanding how indie game development works don’t forget to check out our previous articles on the High Level Vision and the Game Design Document.

We’ll be pausing this series while the team focuses their full attention on the last few months of development, but we expect to come back later in the year with more articles. Meanwhile, please consider checking out Lawn Mowing Simulator 2 Steam store page, and consider dropping us a Wishlist!