Specifications
Now, having decided on the basics, it's time to add some technical details.
Characters
Characters are the most important part for many game projects. They often leave the most lasting impressions of an entire video game. Players care for them, hate them, and fall in love with them.
Backgrounds
Backgrounds play an important role in the overall perception of the game. In one form or another, backgrounds are present in the vast majority of video games.
Items
For the most part, items in a video game can be divided into two categories: assets for backgrounds and items that the character can interact with. You need to decide on the number of items and their description; references will also be useful. Of course, item sprites must match the overall visual style of the project.
Animations
Animations take a significant amount of time to create, so it is important to determine their quantity and degree of complexity.
UI
The player will interact with the game through its user interface. Although it s not the part of a game that players often pay attention to, it can become distracting if it is not well designed. It should be easy to understand and convenient to use for everyone. The user interface design should also support the overall visual style of the project and emphasise its features.
Mockup
Based on raw numbers and lists, it can be difficult to imagine how the levels with characters and objects will look on the screen. For these purposes, we suggest creating a mockup of your future video game - one frame of a game screen with or without an interface.
One or more different mockups early in production will help to avoid and resolve many issues that might arise later in development.
Further reading
More on design and art direction for your game: