Despite what some players might assume, developers do not begin with a game design document that can and will never be changed. It’s a fluid process that, as Crowfall’s J. Todd Coleman writes, involves equal parts exploration and iteration.
“Every idea, every asset, every feature begins with exploration and ends with iteration,” he said. “It starts with an idea that we turn into a concept to visualize it, to breathe life into it. Many ideas die in the concept phase. The ones that don’t are worked (and reworked) until everyone is happy: it covers the design need, reinforces the narrative, adds to our compelling visual style, and (of course) fits without our technical constraints.”
In the post, Coleman gives the example of a divine cathedral that the team initially envisioned as a gothic structure that was a largely cosmetic social space. Over the process of development, this turned into an open-air temple with more functionality, purpose, and lore.
