Not sure in what part of forum should I post this question (something like Adventure Game Development would be logical)...
Anyway, what program (besides Notepad) you guys using for game-planning?
I mean all the branches of events etc. I was trying both - FreeMind and Freeplane to visually and logically represent how my game is unfolding, but still can't get enough flexibility from these programs. Eventually, ended up to use LibreOffice Writer, but it mostly text description, no diagrams.
How do you deal with it?
Thanks!
There's a tool called a puzzle dependency chart (developed by Ron Gilbert at LucasArts) for planning out game events in an adventure. You can make one in many flowcharting and diagramming apps.
https://grumpygamer.com/puzzle_dependency_charts
http://www.gamasutra.com/blogs/JoshuaWeinberg/20160502/270103/Puzzle_Dependency_Graph_Primer.php
https://www.gamasutra.com/view/news/189266/The_technique_LucasArts_used_to_design_its_classic_adventure_games.php
http://thewebsiteisdown.com/twidblog/day-of-the-tentacle-dependency-graph/
See also these previous threads:
http://www.adventuregamestudio.co.uk/forums/index.php?topic=56530
http://www.adventuregamestudio.co.uk/forums/index.php?topic=56262
http://www.adventuregamestudio.co.uk/forums/index.php?topic=55813
http://www.adventuregamestudio.co.uk/forums/index.php?topic=43432
I use Lucidchart: https://www.lucidchart.com/
Thanks for all the information guys - very informative!
Will check all the suggested options.
any node-graph editor?
but when you need complex tools, you likely miss on a "keep core gameplay simple" framework.
Quote from: ollj on Thu 15/11/2018 22:56:18
any node-graph editor?
but when you need complex tools, you likely miss on a "keep core gameplay simple" framework.
Tried yEd Graph Editor (https://www.yworks.com/products/yed) today and so far it looks like what I could use. And it is not a complex tool, so I'm on a safe side :D
Quote from: Ray on Fri 16/11/2018 05:56:09
Quote from: ollj on Thu 15/11/2018 22:56:18
any node-graph editor?
but when you need complex tools, you likely miss on a "keep core gameplay simple" framework.
Tried yEd Graph Editor (https://www.yworks.com/products/yed) today and so far it looks like what I could use. And it is not a complex tool, so I'm on a safe side :D
I use yEd too. I rather like it.
Editing labels can sometimes be a bit annoying. But other than that, I highly recommend it.
Yeah, I tried out yEd a few days ago, too, and I like it (mostly because it's really easy to use).
Thanks for the links, snarky, I didn't really follow the discussions back then.
I was using Freeplane (https://sourceforge.net/projects/freeplane/) before. This is a great program, but you can't create group nodes with it, unfortunately. That makes design too bloated.