Step-by-Step Game Ideation

---

Getting Started with Step-by-Step Ideation

The Step-by-Step ideation tool is a powerful feature designed to guide you through the process of creating a game concept. It can be found in the homepage of the Ludo.ai platform. Here's how to use it:

1. Start the Process: Click on the "Start" button to begin your ideation journey.
2. Make Choices: You'll be presented with 8 sequential steps, each focusing on a different aspect of your game.
3. Consider Options: In each step, you'll see multiple options with associated Ludo Scores. Select the one that best fits your vision.
4. Custom Input: If none of the options suit you, many steps allow you to enter your own custom choice.
5. Refresh or Skip: Use the "Refresh Options" button to see new suggestions, or "Skip" if you're unsure about a particular aspect.
6. Review and Confirm: After completing all steps (or skipping some), you'll see a summary of your choices. Review and confirm them.
7. You'll get 3 more specific game ideas that follow your design choices.
8. You'll have the option to develop any of the ideas further in the Game Concept Tool.

Remember, you can always go back to previous steps or reset the entire process to explore different combinations. The goal is to spark your creativity while providing market-informed suggestions to guide your game development journey.

---

Understanding the Choice Interface

Each step in the ideation process presents you with multiple options. These choices are generated and/or sorted by Ludo depending on the selections you've done so far in the other steps.

Next to each option, you'll see a bar that represents the Ludo Score. This score is a crucial element in understanding the market potential of your choices. Ludo Score explained:

• It's a combination of two factors:
  1. Alignment with top-performing titles in the market
  2. Alignment with titles in the market that are quickly gaining popularity
• Higher scores indicate better alignment with successful games and current trends.
• The score is calculated by measuring how similar games are ranking in the top charts and how they're trending at the moment.

While the Ludo Score provides valuable insights, it shouldn't be the sole factor in your decision-making. Your unique vision and creativity are equally important in crafting a standout game concept.

---

Navigating the Ideation Steps

The Step-by-Step ideation process guides you through 8 key aspects of game design:

1. Platform: Choose between Mobile and Desktop.
2. Genre: Select a broad category defining the primary gameplay experience.
3. Subgenre: Further refine your game's style.
4. Core Mechanic: Define how players will interact with your game.
5. Player Perspective: Decide on the viewpoint for the game experience.
6. Setting/World: Choose the overall atmosphere and theme.
7. Art Style: Define the visual aesthetic.
8. Color Theme: Set the mood and atmosphere with a color palette.

Each step presents options dynamically generated and sorted based on your previous selections, ensuring relevance to your evolving concept. You can skip any step if you're unsure or want to leave that aspect open. Important features:

• Custom options: In many steps, you can enter your own custom option if the provided choices don't fit your vision.
• Refresh options: If you're not satisfied with the current set of choices, you can click the 'Refresh Options' button to generate a new set of suggestions.

---

Iterating and Refining Your Concept

The Step-by-Step ideation process is designed to be flexible and iterative. Here's how to refine your concept:

• Experiment with different combinations: Don't be afraid to go back and change earlier choices to see how it affects later options.
• Use the 'Reset' function: If you want to start fresh, you can reset the entire process at any time.
• Skip and return: If you're unsure about a particular aspect, skip it and come back later. Sometimes later choices can help inform earlier ones.
• Consider multiple concepts: Run through the process several times to generate different ideas, then compare or even combine them.

Remember, the goal is to spark creativity and provide a starting point. Your final concept may evolve beyond the initial choices made in the tool.

---

Creating and Visualizing Game Ideas

Once you've completed the Step-by-Step ideation process, Ludo.ai provides tools to further develop and visualize your game concept:

• Concept Summary: After confirming your choices, you'll get 3 specific game ideas that follow the design choices you've made previously. These ideas can serve as a foundation for further development.
• Market Information: Along side each idea, you'll find essential market information: similar trending games; similar games regardless of market performance; current related trending topics; and the detailed Ludo Score.
• Develop This Idea: If you want to proceed with one of the ideas, click on the "Develop This Idea" button to access the Game Concept Tool. This powerful feature allows you to expand on your initial concept, adding more details and exploring various aspects of your game idea.
• Game Design Document (GDD) Integration: Your ideation results can be seamlessly incorporated into a GDD template, helping you flesh out your concept further.

---

Troubleshooting

If you encounter any issues while using the Step-by-Step ideation tool, try these solutions:

• Options not loading: Refresh the page. Or try going back to the previous step and forward again.
• Custom option not saving: After typing your custom option, press 'Enter' or click outside the input field to ensure it's saved.
• Need more options: Use the 'Refresh Options' button to generate a new set of suggestions for the current step.
• Want to start over: Click the 'Reset' button at any time to begin the process again from the first step.
• None of the generated game ideas interests you: You can try generating more by clicking on the "Plus" button next to the three game ideas.
• The generated ideas are not what you're looking for: Adjust your choices in the steps. You can click on the "Back" button at the top to go back to the choices. If you skipped many of the steps, make sure to fill them so that Ludo better understands what you're looking for. <br>

If problems persist, contact Ludo.ai support for assistance or join our Discord server: https://discord.gg/FmTPyugsrR. Remember to provide details about the issue and any error messages you've encountered.