What is the Ideal Planning Process for a Game?

[junfanbl]

So, for planning a game, in what order do you proceed? I know this is a much covered topic, as it's a frequent question. However I'm a little mixed up on the steps:

There is your Game Design Document, Concept art (for characters, environments, props etc..) and of course the prototype. My instinct is to rush towards a basic prototype just so I can see if the game mechanics are fun. If they are fun, I will proceed to plan the game more in depth. What I want to avoid is wasting time by doing too much planning, only to find that the actual game play isn't fun. I'm giving my self a deadline of one year to finish the game, and all of a sudden that year sounds really short.

I'm planning a 3rd person action/adventure game for Windows.

Do you guys have suggestions on the order to proceed?

[thadkinsjr]

junfanbl I wanted to create an outline for my game originally. It just evolved so much that the first 10 outlines wouldve gotten trashed. I think a checklist/tasklist would be an awesome pre-game idea tbh. Uses ik. footprint decals, weather cycles, inventories, abilities, etc I'm an un organized person so I try to constantly re organize my project.