PFD Week 5: Progressing project development

 

"Progressing project development"

This is the 5th blog in the series where I actively talk about the progress I'm making on my chosen professional skill titled, "Game Development through Team Collaboration".

This week will go over the progression of development for Hell's Champion.

Transferring design documentation software

As mentioned in Week 3, a GDD was created for the latest project. The GDD was created on Google Docs, a simply but high-functioning documentation application. However, the team felt that we were limited by the application chosen, and wished for better modularity, database tools and workflows. I decided to research alternatives with priority on convenience for the team.

I quickly learned that Notion was exactly what we were looking for, it had modularity that allowed the documentation to be split into sections and included powerful tables and database tools that could improve our workflow. Unfortunately, I chose not to pursue Notion due to it's financial detriment. Thankfully, I found a free alternative to Notion named, "Coda.io". It had most of the features of Notion at a free plan, with the paid plan being around 4 times cheaper for the team if required. According to Coda.io (n.d.), the platform offers robust modularity and integrated database tools that enhance team collaboration on documentation.

With that, I presented it to the team and we worked on transferring documentation from Google Docs to Coda, while adding some additional sections. For context, this took nearly 2 full days of work as we learned and developed in the new software, which required hours of verbal communication discussing and designing the game simultaneously. The google document totalled to 3500 words which was reviewed by the team during the transition.

(Google document at the time of transition)

(Table of Contents - Coda)

Although a time-locked version of this documentation is unavailable due to workspace-count limitations, a live version is available for viewing.

As well as transitioning the GDD, I also started developing a TDD (Technical Design Document) that I could use to show more technical designs behind the surface-level format that the GDD presents.

(Custom Helper Components section)

I created the Custom Helper Component Template so that if anybody developed something technical that other people could use, it could all be referenced and documented in a central location. With the template, documentation would remain consistent across everything developed, regardless of who did it.

(TDD Component Template)

Once that was sorted, I moved on with development.

I decided to code a level-select menu that would transition players across Unity scenes along with the appropriately functional UI. To ensure efficiency with the rest of the team, I discussed this with another peer who's task could potentially overlap with mine. From the discussion, I learned that the feature I wanted to develop wasn't entirely established by the team as I realised some inconsistencies between what me and my peer envisioned. Because of this, I decided to state that I wouldn't continue with my plan until the team has met to discuss the design.

(Discussing features about to be developed)

After the discussion, I decided to finish some missing documentation on Coda and spend at least several more hours discussing the game design. Until the next meeting, I decided not to pursue further for direct engine-implementation until an official meeting took place.

Reflection

This week, the transition from Google Docs to Coda.io greatly improved our team's workflow. Finding Coda.io as a free alternative with excellent modularity and database tools was crucial for enhancing our documentation. The process took considerable effort, including nearly two full days of team collaboration and discussion, highlighting the importance of clear communication. A recent review by TechRadar (2023) confirms that adopting cloud-based documentation platforms can significantly improve workflow efficiency and communication among teams, which would only be better with improved documentation software.

Developing the Technical Design Document (TDD) with Custom Helper Components has also been beneficial, providing consistent documentation across the team. However, this week I noticed the need for more immediate documentation updates by team members to maintain clarity.

Deciding to pause development on the level-select menu due to design inconsistencies demonstrated responsible teamwork and effective communication. This highlighted the importance of having clear, established designs before proceeding with development tasks.

Conclusion

In summary, this week has significantly advanced my skills in collaborative game development. Migrating to Coda.io and creating the TDD have notably improved our team's efficiency and clarity. Moving forward, I will emphasise better initial planning and encourage timely documentation updates. By doing so, the project’s progress will continue smoothly, ensuring our approach remains aligned with professional standards.

References

Coda.io (n.d.) Coda: All-in-One Doc, Spreadsheet, and App Platform. Available at: https://coda.io (Accessed: 8 March 2025).

TechRadar (2023) Best online collaboration tools for teams. Available at: https://www.techradar.com/best/online-collaboration-tools (Accessed: 8 March 2025).