Итерации

Почему многие games изменяются радикально during development? Потому что design is discovery. You don't know what works until you build and test. Iteration is HOW games get good.

• **Celeste** - jump feel iterated сотни раз. Tight loop = tight controls
• **Portal 2** - F-Stop mechanic killed after months. Returned to portals. Better game
• **Fortnite** - pivoted от survival to battle royale. Original vision abandoned → billions

Iteration Cycles

**Iteration** - repeated cycles of building, testing, improving. Not 'fixing bugs' - reshaping design at the core based on what you learn. Each cycle: hypothesis → test → learn → change. Games are DISCOVERED, не perfectly designed upfront.

**Celeste's iteration.** Jump feel iterated сотни раз. Each tweak tested immediately. Tight cycle: change number → test jump → feel wrong → change again. Minutes per iteration = tight controls.

**Iteration principles:** - Small changes, frequent tests - Measure against hypothesis, not opinion - Failed iterations = successful learning - Speed of iteration > quality of first attempt

Kill Your Darlings

**Kill your darlings** - cutting features/ideas you love but don't work. Hardest skill: emotional attachment blinds judgment. If it doesn't serve the game, it must go - no matter how much work invested.

**Portal 2's cut content.** F-Stop (photography mechanic) prototyped extensively. Team loved it. Didn't fit Portal. Killed entirely, returned to portals. Darling killed = better game.

**Darling detection:** - Ask: 'Would I fight for this if I joined today?' - If defending with sunk cost → red flag - If players don't miss it when removed → wasn't needed - Pain of cutting < pain of shipping broken

Scope Management

**Scope management** - controlling what's в and out of game. Scope creep kills projects. Every 'cool addition' costs time, adds bugs, dilutes focus. Great games are tight, не sprawling. Less = more.

**Undertale's scope.** One developer, tight scope. No open world, limited combat options. Every element polished. Scope discipline → cult classic. Less = more when executed well.

**Scope discipline:** - Define core experience early - Every addition must justify cost - 'No' is design decision - Better to ship tight than sprawling

Pivot Decisions

**Pivot** - fundamental change in game direction. Not iteration (small changes) - pivot is 'this isn't working, try completely different approach.' Scary, expensive, sometimes necessary. Better than shipping failure.

**Fortnite's pivot.** Originally co-op survival builder. Years of development. Battle royale mode added late, exploded. Pivot from core game = biggest game in world. Original vision → pivoted goldmine.

**Pivot wisdom:** - Pivot early if needed (cheaper) - Pivot is not failure (it's learning) - Some of team may leave (natural) - Better to pivot than ship disaster

Итоги

• **Iteration cycles** - build → test → learn → change → repeat. Faster cycles = more learning = better game
• **Kill your darlings** - cut what you love if it doesn't work. Sunk cost ≠ value. Attachment blinds judgment
• **Scope management** - less is more. **Pivot** when core is broken - painful but sometimes necessary

Связанные темы

Iteration connects to full development process:

• Playtesting — Provides iteration feedback
• GDD Documentation — Documents iteration decisions

Вопросы для размышления

• Ты когда-нибудь held onto idea too long? What made you finally let go?
• Как отличить 'needs more iteration' от 'broken at the core'?
• If you had to cut half your game's features, какие бы остались?

Связанные уроки

• st-01-feedback-loops