Where do I start development as a world builder?
Hi, I’m a 19-year-old college student working on my dream game. I originally started the project about 3 years ago, but I lost most of my files due to poor file storage and a computer issue. Over the past few weeks I decided to start again from scratch, but now I’m realizing I don’t really know where to begin.
I already have a lot of story written, a decent amount of art, Unity experience, and some Blender experience. The game I want to make is a retro N64/PS1 style 3D platformer inspired by games like Banjo Kazooie, Conker, Super Mario 64, and Crash Bandicoot.
Right now I have several Trello boards, notes, and ideas, but I feel stuck trying to figure out what the first real step should be. Should I focus on defining a gameplay loop first? Should I prototype movement and mechanics? Or should I start building out the world and level design?
My goal is to lock in a strong foundation so I don’t lose direction again. I’d really appreciate advice from people who have experience starting large personal projects, especially world-heavy games.
If you were starting over with a project like this, what would you focus on first?