My new game is coming along and I really feel it's one of my best games so far. I spent more time than usual planning things out and I feel that the game is better for it. So that got me thinking, what steps do you guys usually follow when you start making something?

I spent about a month writing down ideas for levels, stories, UI's, mechanics and characters before I opened Flash to work on anything. It really simplified things, there was always a plan to refer to. The document I wrote wasn't all inclusive though and I did end up cutting and adding a few things. After the initial planning, I used placeholder public domain art and programmed every mechanic and puzzle idea I had before I worried about the aesthetic. Reminds me of how I-Smel said how No Time To Explain needed a design doc.

In the end, getting all the ideas out in the prototype helped me to make a less buggy and more cohesive product. I'm really eager to start my next project now, at the very least because I know I can design and program a halfway decent game now.

So for the people who care to respond, how do you develop games or make animations? How much of your time is spent in predevelopment, storyboard and the like? Do you write your own tools for things such as level editing and particle effects?

And because I don't think I've said yet, my new game is going to be a platformer based around telekinesis with a little bit of time manipulation. It should be out in a month or so, it's got some nice ideas in it!