Fight scope creep — default to no; every feature has a hidden tail
GDC-L1-PROD-000201
Statement
Features are easy to add and hard to remove, and each carries a hidden tail — integration, balance, polish, bug-fixing, testing, and maintenance — usually far larger than its build cost. Guard the scope actively. The default answer to a new feature added mid-project is no.
02
Rationale
Scope creep is the slow accumulation of "just one more thing," each individually reasonable, that collectively unbalances the project into delays, crunch, or cancellation [S-scope-production]. The trap is that people estimate the build cost of a feature and ignore its tail: a new mechanic must be integrated with every existing system, balanced, polished, taught (UX/onboarding), debugged, and maintained forever after. Ten "small" additions can sink a schedule. Because the pressure to add is constant and the cost is hidden, the discipline has to be structural — a default of no, a filter every addition must pass (the pillars, VISION-0002), and a conscious accounting of the tail before saying yes.
03
Applies when
Throughout production, and especially in the messy middle where the game is playable enough to inspire endless "wouldn't it be cool if" additions.
04
Does not apply / Exceptions
Not every addition is creep — sometimes a new feature is exactly what the game needs, and rigid feature-freezes can prevent genuine improvements found through iteration (PROTO-0006). Pre-production and prototyping deliberately explore widely before locking scope. The rule is "add deliberately, accounting for the tail," not "never change the plan." The default is no; yes requires justification.
05
Implementation
Run every proposed addition through the vision's pillars (VISION-0002) — does it serve this game? Estimate the whole tail, not just the build. Prefer deepening existing systems over adding new ones. Keep a "cut/later" list so good-but-wrong ideas are captured without being built now (PROTO-0005). Make adding scope a deliberate, visible decision, not a quiet drift.
06
Disagreement
Firm scope discipline (protect the schedule and coherence) vs. openness to iteration-driven change (the best features are often discovered mid-development, not planned). The reconciliation: distinguish creep (unaccounted accumulation) from deliberate iteration (a justified change that pays for its tail). Cut creep; welcome justified change.
07
Notes
The active-defense partner to PROD-0001 (scope is the primary risk); its filter is the vision (VISION-0002/0003) and its spirit is elegance (DESIGN-0007). Confidence 4.
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Connected principles
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