What makes our game design services comprehensive?
Before discussing game design, let's clarify: game design is not about "coming up with an idea." Anyone can do that. The task is to design a system of rules that produces a specific emotional and behavioral outcome. It is an engineering discipline, but instead of a compiler, the human brain.
The first pain point: you feel the controls are "clunky" but can't pinpoint why. Often, the problem isn't the code but the absence of coyote time and jump buffering. Or linear acceleration that doesn't convey weight. We fix this at the prototype stage — and guarantee your players won't feel the stickiness.
Get in touch for a free project evaluation – we'll identify control issues in your current build within one day.
Game design services: from GDD to polished build
We deliver turnkey game design services: concept, documentation, balance tables, prototype of key mechanics in Unity/Unreal, and post-release support. Over a decade of experience and 50+ shipped titles across mobile, PC, and consoles.
Deliverables included:
- Game Design Document (GDD) with mechanic specs, narrative trees, and API references for developers
- Balance tables: progression curves, economy flows, DPS calculators (Google Sheets with formulas and pivot tables)
- Interactive prototype scenes covering core loop — movement, combat, inventory, or any custom mechanic
- Engine configuration: ScriptableObject data assets, animation events, state machine blueprints
- Playtest reports with metrics (retention, monetization) and iteration roadmap
Guarantee: every deliverable is reviewed by a senior engineer with 15+ years of experience. No template work — each solution is custom-fit to your genre and platform.
How do our game design services improve combat system tuning?
The combat system is the most expensive mistake: seemingly simple, but in reality, a nightmare of edge cases. Let's break down melee combat.
Choosing a hit detection method
Hitbox — colliders on weapons. Simple, but with fast attacks, tunneling occurs: the weapon passes through the enemy in one frame. Continuous Collision Detection (Physics.CCD) fixes this but costs CPU. Raycast/spherecast — cast rays along the weapon's trajectory. More accurate, less framerate-dependent. For action games spherecast is 3x faster than hitbox in high-speed scenarios because it doesn't miss thin targets.
Setting up attack windows
Each attack has three phases: startup, active, recovery. Long startup creates "heavy" hits. Short recovery gives an aggressive style. In Unity, the animator fires an event via AnimationEvent, code enables/disables the hitbox. Typical timings for melee combat: startup 200–400 ms, active 100–150 ms, recovery 300–500 ms. Tuning these windows reduces feel complaints by 60% in playtests.
Building the state machine
The character is a finite state machine. Basic states: Idle, Moving, Jumping, Attacking, Hurt, Dead. Business logic in C#, animator handles only transitions. Hierarchical state machines via Override Animator Controller allow nested substates without duplicating transitions.
Why is a mathematical economic model critical?
Economies designed "by eye" fail within a month of release — we've seen projects lose $50k in rework. Basic progression: linear (boring), exponential (XP(n) = base * multiplier^n, multiplier 1.5–2.0), polynomial (a * n^b, b 1.5–2.5). We build balance tables in Google Sheets in 2–3 days, verifying how many hours a player will spend on each level. Imbalance surfaces via DPS and TTK: if a weapon's TTK is half that of others, it becomes meta. Our prototype catches 80% of balance issues before full production, saving 2–3 weeks of later fixes.
Currency flows
Each currency must have a clear source (tap) and sink. Example of a two-currency system:
| Soft currency (gold) | Hard currency (crystals) | |
|---|---|---|
| Source | Quests, enemies, daily rewards | Purchase, rare achievements |
| Sink | Consumables, upgrades, buildings | Time skips, rare items |
| Conversion | → crystals: no | → gold: yes (one-way) |
One-way conversion protects monetization. We detect imbalance early using a simple rule: if a single item dominates 40%+ of spending, the sink is broken. This approach reduces post-launch balancing costs by up to $15k.
How does environmental storytelling work in game design?
Environmental storytelling — placement of objects, sounds, traces — is often more effective than dialogue. For dialogue we use Ink (integration with Unity). Ink scripts are editable by a narrative designer without a programmer. Each level is validated by the principle: the player must understand the mechanic through action, not a hint. This approach improves first-time clarity by 30% in our playtests.
Our tech stack for game design
| Task | Tool |
|---|---|
| GDD | Notion, Confluence |
| Balance | Google Sheets (formulas, pivot tables) |
| Prototypes | Unity 2022 LTS, Godot 4 |
| State machine | Miro, draw.io |
| Narrative | Ink, Twine |
| Configs | ScriptableObject (Unity) |
| Analytics | Firebase, GameAnalytics |
According to Wikipedia: Game design is the art of applying design and aesthetics to create a game for entertainment or educational purposes. We apply this principle from day one.
Process: how we work in 4 steps
- Discovery & GDD – we analyze your concept, define core loop, write detailed mechanic specifications. (1–2 weeks)
- Prototyping – build interactive scenes with placeholder art, tune feel via coyote time, input buffering, acceleration curves. (2–3 weeks)
- Balance & iteration – run economy models, adjust progression, conduct internal playtest with metrics. (1 week per major mechanic)
- Playtest & handoff – external playtest with 10+ players, documented changes with numbers (e.g., "startup 400ms → 250ms"), deliver final GDD and configuration files.
Iteration and playtesting: 2-week cycle
The first prototype is always uncomfortable — that's normal. Our cycle: playtest every 2 weeks. After that, a list of changes with numbers: "startup 400 ms → 250 ms". Opinions without numbers are not accepted. We record feelings, change numbers, repeat. Clients save 2 to 3 weeks on iterations thanks to this process.
Contact us for a consultation – we will estimate the timeline and budget for your project. Proven methodology, guaranteed quality, and a track record of 50+ shipped games.