I usually learn by doing, so I jumped into prototyping my game idea in a bit of a rush. It's been exiting to see ideas start to take shape while everything is still rough and experimental. But the process has had a fir dose of frustration, as I realise that I need a more technical understanding of the inner workings of video games . In this post, I'll walk through my early prototyping process for Vector Shift: Precision, Speed, Legacy, what I've learned so far, and where I'm headed next.

Why Prototype?

Rather than jumping straight into polished mechanics or final art, I wanted to quickly test the core gameplay—specifically, how movement feels in a turn-based racing game. My goal was simple: see if the movement system felt intuitive and fun before committing to a more refined implementation.

I took a "quick and dirty" approach, focusing on:

• Getting basic movement mechanics working
• Understanding how Godot handles input and grid-based movement
• Figuring out if an isometric grid layout makes sense for the track

This stage is all about discovery, not perfection. And I have discovered a few things along the way... More on that later.

Choosing the Tools

Why Godot?

This helped me quickly test basic movement before implementing more complex mechanics.

After considering different engines, I settled on Godot for a few key reasons:

• Open-source & lightweight – No licensing fees, and it runs smoothly on my hardware.

• Good support for 2D games – While my game has some 3D aspects (like isometric perspective), it's fundamentally a grid-based 2D experience.

• Great community – Godot has an active and helpful community, making it easier to find support and resources.

• GDScript is similar to Python – Since Python is the language I'm most familiar with, GDScript felt like a natural choice and helped me get started faster.

Why Isometric Tiles?

Since Vector Shift is based on grid-based vector movement, I needed a track layout that conveys movement options clearly while still looking dynamic. I considered both top-down and isometric perspectives, but isometric seemed to offer a good balance: ✅ Clear grid-based layout while still feeling immersive ✅ More visually interesting than pure top-down ✅ Potential for depth if I add environmental elements later.

For now, I'm using simple placeholder tiles, but the isometric structure seems to be working well.

Challenges & What I've Learned

1. Software Architecture – The Player Script is a Mess

Like many first prototypes, my initial code works… but it's becoming unmanageable. Right now, my player script handles everything:

• Movement logic
• Grid calculations
• Input handling
• Collision checks
• Turn management

The result? A bloated, hard-to-read script that will become a nightmare to maintain. Moving forward, I need to break this into modular components—probably using separate scripts for movement, input, and turn management.

2. Game Loops & Modularity – A Key Concept

I'm realizing that understanding the game loop is critical to structuring the game properly. Right now, I'm handling turns and updates in a clunky way, and I need to:

• Refactor turn logic to work more cleanly with Godot's engine loop
• Explore better modular structures, like state machines or even entity-component systems (ECS) for flexibility

These concepts will be crucial as I refine the game.

What's Next?

The prototype is not finished yet. I'm aiming to add start and game over screens, at least one NPC opponent, and to test the selection of power-ups (more on this in my next post, which will be about game loops).

My next steps involve:

1. Refining the prototype to test additional mechanics, like obstacles and power-ups.
2. Refactoring movement & input handling to make the code cleaner and more modular.
3. Deepening my understanding of game loops—studying state machines and ECS to see if they fit my needs.

I also need to start thinking about visual style, which could be a great topic for my next blog post. Should I go for a minimalist, neon-inspired look? Or something more detailed and semi-realistic? That's a challenge for another day!

Final Thoughts

Prototyping has been an eye-opening experience. While it's tempting to rush into making things look polished, I've learned that laying a solid gameplay foundation is the real priority. The scrappy early version of Vector Shift is already teaching me a ton, and I can't wait to refine it further.

If you've ever struggled with game prototyping or have insights into game loops and modular design, I'd love to hear your thoughts! Drop a comment below or reach out. 🚀