prototype

Game concept validation requires building a fast throwaway prototype to test a specific falsifiable hypothesis about player feel. You can use HTML, engine, or paper paths to produce an evidence-driven PROCEED, PIVOT, or KILL verdict before committing to full design documentation.

An engine spike is a short, targeted technical or design test answering a single specific question without phase-gate implications. Run one during early concept testing or mid-production to check mechanic risks and rendering feasibility on target hardware within roughly four hours.

Paper playtests require selecting the paper prototyping path to manually simulate game rules and player interactions. This path validates core mechanics and loop hypotheses quickly before any code is written, ending with a clear PROCEED, PIVOT, or KILL decision based on observed results.

HTML prototypes support testing game mechanics during mid-production risk checks. You can build a minimal-scope throwaway web prototype to falsify a specific hypothesis about player feel, capturing session evidence and writing repository reports for future reference.

Documenting prototype results requires capturing session artifacts and writing a repository checkpoint report. This process records the evidence-driven verdict, observed results, and hypothesis outcomes to preserve learnings whether the final decision is to PROCEED, PIVOT, or KILL the concept.

Documenting prototype results requires capturing session artifacts and writing a repository checkpoint report. This process records the evidence-driven verdict, observed results, and hypothesis outcomes to preserve learnings whether the final decision is to PROCEED, PIVOT, or KILL the concept.