Headline
Why Would Someone Play This?
60s Trailer Storyboard
Say your trailer is only 60 seconds. What are the 5 most impactful moments that will make players want to learn more? What are the key visuals, mechanics, or emotional beats that define your game?
About Tane
Quick Navigation
What is Tane?
Tane is a free, browser-based game design document tool crafted specifically for indie game developers. It helps you organize your thoughts around two critical aspects of game development: your game's appeal and its execution plan. Unlike traditional game design documents that quickly become outdated, Tane is meant to be a living document that evolves with your project.
Your data stays completely private, saved only in your browser's local storage. There's no account needed, no cloud storage, and no content sharing, just a simple tool to help nurture your game idea.
How to Use Tane
1. Start with Appeal
- Write a compelling headline that captures your game's essence
- Define what makes your game fun and engaging
- Sequence your trailer to figure out how you'll communicate it to players
2. Sketch Your Vision
- Capture the essence of key moments and scenes
- Checkout Masahiro Sakurai's video on writing game propsals to see how he breaks down his game pitches into quick and easy to understand slides
3. Develop Your Plan
- Collect inspirations to guide your design
- Decide which elements of fun players should expect to frequently engage with in your game
- Define core mechanics that deliver on your appeal and sketches
- Make an inventory of major asset categories and quantities needed (e.g., 10 character sprites, 5 music tracks)
4. Iterate and Refine
- Continue to review your appeal, sketch, and plan
- Ensure mechanics support your core fun factor(s)
- Adjust scope based on your timeline
5. Export Your Work
- Click "Export as Markdown" to save your work for local use (sketches not currently exportable)
- All data stays private to you in your browser
- Use the exported file in your favorite markdown editor
Essential Game Design Exercises
Appeal
Define what makes your game special and engaging. Focus on your headline hook, core fun factor, and how you'll present it to players. A strong appeal is crucial for standing out in today's crowded market.
Sketch
Bring your game to life through quick sketches. Capture key moments, visualize your game's look and feel, and establish the mood and atmosphere. These sketches help communicate your vision and serve as a reference for development.
Plan
Transform your vision into tangible assets needed. Break down what you'll need to create in broad categories (sprites, music, levels, etc.). The timeline assumes one week per item, this is a starting point for beginners and if you beat the estimate then great!
Planning for Commercial Success
While pure artistic expression is a valid reason to create games, many developers hope for some level of commercial success. This is where thoughtful planning becomes crucial before writing a single line of code or creating any assets.
The indie game market is more saturated than ever, with thousands of new titles released each year. Standing out requires more than just good gameplay, it demands a clear understanding of your game's market position and appeal.
Market Considerations
- Familiar vs. Unfamiliar: Balance recognizable elements that help players understand your game with unique hooks that make it stand out
- Target Audience: Identify who will be most excited about your game and what they're looking for
- Marketing Hooks: Define clear, compelling aspects that can be communicated in screenshots, trailers, and store descriptions
By using Tane to define your game's appeal and plan before development, you're not just organizing your thoughts, you're also setting realistic expectations and creating a foundation for potential commercial success. This upfront investment of time can save months of work on features that don't contribute to your game's core appeal or market position.
Remember: If you're creating purely for artistic expression, follow your vision wherever it leads. But if commercial viability matters to you, take the time to thoroughly consider your game's appeal, market position, and production scope before diving into development.
The Germinate Feature
The Germinate feature provides a holistic view of your game design, bringing together all the elements you've defined. It helps you reflect on how these components work together as a cohesive whole.
When you click the Germinate button, you'll see a visual presentation of your game's vision, trailer storyboard, inspirations, core mechanics, and production timeline. This overview encourages you to consider important questions:
- Is your game's appeal effectively supported by its mechanics?
- Does your production timeline realistically match your ambition?
- Are your inspirations reflected in your core design?
- Does your trailer effectively communicate what makes your game special?
Take time with the Germinate view to reflect on these connections and make adjustments to ensure all aspects of your game design are aligned and working together.
Cultivate Your Game's Seed
The name Tane (種) means "seed" in Japanese. Just as a seed contains everything needed for a plant to grow, your game idea contains the core elements for a successful project. This tool helps you nurture that seed from initial concept to execution plan so that you can grow it into something incredible.
Feedback & Other Tools
How can I share feedback?
Please send any feedback, suggestions, or questions to james@kokutech.com. Your input helps make Tane a better tool for you and other indie game devs.
What other tools does KokuTech offer?
You can find more free tools for creators that work right in your browser, like an indie game marketing checklist, at this link.
Credits
Special thanks to game-icons.net for providing the amazing icons used in Tane under the CC BY 3.0 license.