Develop ideas faster

1. Use time-saving assets

Assets like high-quality artwork, music and sound effects, and pre-made game engines can help you save time in the development process, and enable you to add more fun features..

2. Use a game engine

A game engine is a software framework that helps you develop games faster. It takes care of low-level details so you can focus on creating the actual game. The Asset Store is full of helpful engines that provide framework starting points, like TopDown Engine, Corgi Engine, and Sunny Land. 

3. Connect with creator communities

Many developers create and share solutions that can help speed up the overall development process based on challenges they’ve faced. This means you don’t have to reinvent everything for your game. Communities are also a great way to learn new skills through sharing experiences.

4. Use shortcuts and hotkeys

Shortcuts and hotkeys can help you save time by not having to do things manually. For example, you can use hotkeys to quickly create objects or perform actions. There are many different shortcuts and hotkeys available, so make sure to find the ones that work best for you and your project.

5. Take a modular design approach

Organizing your process around modularity is a good way to optimize your development. For example, Shedworks used a modular design approach to efficiently build a heartfelt adventure game. They created reusable game segments, speeding up their workflow and making it easier to debug. 

6. Reuse and recycle existing assets

If you have already created or purchased assets, you may be able to adapt them for your new game. There are a few ways to do this:

• Use existing artwork: If you have artwork from previous projects, see if any of it can be reused or repurposed for your new game. This could be anything from character sprites to environment tiles.
• Use free or paid asset packs: The Unity Asset Store offers both free and paid game assets. These enable you to get high-quality art, sound, and other files without having to create everything from scratch.
• Use placeholder assets: These are temporary assets that you can use until you have the time or budget to create final versions. For example, you might use simple shapes for character sprites while you’re still working on the game’s art style.