As per my tutor feedback, I was asked to look into both ‘Waterfall’ and ‘Agile’ pipelines in terms of game development.
After researching the two, I decided to create a table to compare them and decide which one was a better process for the development of Lament:
| Feature | Waterfall Pipeline | Agile Pipeline |
|---|---|---|
| Development Style | Linear, sequential | Iterative, cyclical |
| Planning | Heavy planning upfront | Lightweight planning, ongoing adaptation |
| Flexibility | Low – hard to change direction | High – can pivot based on feedback |
| Prototyping | Minimal early prototyping | Prototypes early and often |
| Feedback | Late in the process | Continuous, frequent feedback loops |
| Risk Management | Risk discovered late in development | Early identification and reduction of risk |
| Ideal Use Case | Stable, well-defined projects (e.g. some AAA titles) | Projects with evolving requirements (e.g. indie, student games) |
| Testing | Done at the end | Continuous testing throughout |
| Adaptability to Feedback | Low | High |
| Delivery | One large release at the end | Frequent builds or playable milestones |
Ultimately, I decided that an ‘Agile’ pipeline would benefit the development of Lament much more for a few reasons:
- Allows us to prototype quickly
- Approach Lament’s development iteratively
- Adapt certain aspects on what we/ or others deem to be better
- Work can be divided into smaller, more easily managed tasks
In terms of my procedurally generated rooms and level design, I have been implementing the ‘Agile’ pipeline subconsciously. Constantly testing and iterating prototypes of it after feedback from others or even myself. Which allowed me to fix bugs a lot quicker and manage creating such a complex system by breaking it down into smaller chunks of tasks that were a lot more managable.
Therefore, throughout the development of Lament, I will be utilising the ‘Agile’ pipeline method.
Research sources:
www.gridly.com. (n.d.). Agile vs Waterfall Localization in Game Development: Pros, Cons, and How to Do It Right | Gridly. [online] Available at: https://www.gridly.com/blog/agile-localization/. [Accessed 20 Mar 2025]
Kolibri Games. (n.d.). Waterfall VS Agile Workflows – Kolibri Games Blog. [online] Available at: https://www.kolibrigames.com/blog/waterfall-vs-agile-workflows/. [Accessed 20 Mar 2025]