What is done? Create a shared language for your team by defining multiple phases until ship. Change the definitions to make sense for key components and disciplines in your game and how you plan to build your game.
Use this version for a visual reference.
Imagination needed to picture final product decreases over time and as reach 💜DD5💜
| ⬛DD0⬛ | ⭕DD1⭕ | ⭐DD2⭐ | 🔷DD3🔷 | 🟢DD4🟢 | 💜DD5💜 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Short Version | Doc | Prototype | Basic | Alpha | Beta | Release Candidate |
| General Idea | Statement of intent (e.g. doc, sketch) | Prototype: Basic functionality, Greybox, basic structure | Refinement: iteration on prototype for both look and gameplay; or has more content. | Illustrative of final product, but missing some content and has large quality issues | Demonstrative: missing small polish, outstanding issues are well scoped. | Release Candidate: all known blocking issues resolved. |
| Gameplay Feature | Design Doc | Prototype in greybox | Polished Prototype with DD2 versions of art | Implemented all edge cases | Feature Lock, but still has some jankiness | Fully polished |
| Level Design | Document of needs for the level | Basic forms: Blockout or greybox version | Flow works well | Has majority of art assets and systems as available at DD2 or higher. | Missing some minor assets/systems. | Shippable OR ready for polished art pass |
| Individual 2D Art Asset | Concept art | Block In: Blocky, basic shapes showing proportions | Flat Colours | Full colour and refined shape | Lighting, animation, and other polish | Shippable |
| Animation | Description of what's needed | Animation set to trigger | Basic blocky version | Timing is accurate | Smoothing, refinement. | Shippable |
| Back-end Code | System Architecture | Text on screen says "X will happen” | Basic Functionality | Fully functional, but with unhandled edge cases. | Full functional, but might contain small bugs | Shippable |
| Narrative | Narrative beats mapped out | Basic gist of conversation told (e.g NPC says: "I will tell you to get to the castle".) | Some conversations complete, others still only with basic gist. | Complete, but unedited | Ready for first round VO. Still needs some polish after hear VO and other aspects adjusted. | Shippable, Script Lock |
| SFX | Document outlining overall vision | Essential auditory feedback | Everything that will have SFX has at least placeholder. | Sound fully integrated with animation and player actions. | All audio in-game, but volumes may be off. | Fully mixed and shippable |
| QA | Plan of when need different testers | Blocking bugs, large issues that might involve redesign. | Bugs that might involve content changes. | Bugs that may require a lot of work, but not massive reworkings. | Ready for picky and small bugs. Larger bugs that aren't game breaking ignored. | Shippable: only minor bugs |
| Playtesting | Plan of builds when testing needed | Internal team or individual playtests | External playtesting with trusted people. | External playtesting on a small scale | Large scale external playtesting or Early Access. | No more playtesting |
| VO | DD2 or DD3 Script | Robovoice. | ||||
| Auditions. | Based on DD4 script: Full VO pass. | Based on DD5 script: Catch up sessions recorded. English complete | Translations | Shippable | ||
| Misc |
Use this version when you want to reference it easily from within a task. That way in the task you can just select that the items is ⭐DD2⭐ or 🟢DD4🟢 using the drop-down list. Duplicate the database into your own Notion area.
Degree of Done as a Reference DB
Example view of the data. Open the database to see all disciplines.
Call out when different disciplines have different degrees of done
| Build Name | Description |
|---|---|
| Initial Prototype | Everything DD1 for one level. No audio or SFX |
| Vertical Slice | Everything DD4 for one level. |
| Pre-Production Build | Character art DD2, but without animation. |
| DD1 for all levels | |
| Alpha Build | All core game content at DD3, except VO |
| Beta Build | VO at level DD3. Everything else at DD4 |
| Release Build | No known game crashing bugs. Everything at DD5 |