A handy list. Many/most of these can apply to instructional design too.
Rapid Game Prototyping: Tips for Programmers | devmag.org.za.
A. Rapid is a State of Mind
- – Know and remember the goal
- -Find the essence of your idea, and schedule enough time for it
- -Take creative risks, but avoid technical risks
B. Planning and Process
- – Think about content
- – Plan
- -Follow an implementation strategy, but adapt it to follow the ebbs and flow of the creative process
- -Know and avoid time drains
- – controls, balance, gui, animation, procedural content generation,
- -Consider using serial development (programming pipelines)
- – Don’t get stuck
C. Code Design and Implementation
- – use placeholder code: controls, feedback, AI, procedural content, approximation
– use design shortcuts (use with care) - – avoid false design shortcuts
- – manage your tweakables
- – write readable code
- – use implementation patterns
D. Before, After, In-between
- – reflect
- – build a library of code that enables rapid prototyping
- – identify implementation patterns bug patterns and time sinks