Contents
Engine-independent guidance
Keep a project within reach
Protect the experience by making deliberate choices about the work around it.
On this page
Use this when: You are committing to production or deciding whether another feature belongs in the plan.
You will leave with: A protected core, an explicit cut list, and a schedule that includes learning.
Keep in mind: Cutting is not the only lever: a justified change to budget or schedule may be appropriate. Exploration also needs room. Protect what makes the game worthwhile.
Step 1
Separate the core from the optional
Rank features by their contribution to the intended experience. Decide which can be reduced or removed if time runs short.
Read the full principle and its exceptions: Scope is the primary risk — cut scope to protect quality and shipping →Step 2
Count the work after implementation
For each proposed addition, include integration, teaching, balancing, testing, polish, and maintenance. Say what it replaces or why its full cost is justified.
Read the full principle and its exceptions: Fight scope creep — default to no; every feature has a hidden tail →Step 3
Leave room for discovery
Separate known production work from unresolved questions. Budget bounded experiments and rework for the unknowns, and revise the forecast when evidence changes.
Read the full principle and its exceptions: Plan for iteration and the unknown — schedules must budget discovery →An example
A second enemy type may require more than new behavior: new animation, sound, encounters, onboarding, and balancing also enter the plan. Compare that whole cost with deepening the existing enemy before committing.
Illustrative scenario, not a report of a tested project.
Try this next
Choose one optional feature and write down its full cost and its contribution to the core. Keep it, cut it, or postpone it explicitly.
Explore the wider handbook →This guide is an editorial companion to the linked principles. Their full conditions, disagreements, and source trails remain authoritative.