Now that I am really close to releasing the final version of Caste Break, I think it’s time to share again about my development workflow. Almost every part of it was improved, and that made me spend less time on stuff, while doing more.

Here’s the list:

• Created a Node.js package to generate JSON files from Google spreadsheets, to quickly update the units.
• Created a script to update the tileset information on all maps (I use Tiled TMX files).
• Improved the final “build” process to remove debug related code.
• With the last version of audiosprite, I don’t need any extra shell scripts.
• Switched to Aseprite, mainly for the CLI capabilities, but the good thing was that it could open a sequence of PNG files (sprite1.png, sprite2.png…) as a single animation, so I didn’t have to convert anything from my previous editor.
• Switched to TexturePacker, also for CLI (which is the best feature ever, in any application).
• Created shell scripts to update spritesheets, audio files and unit information with a simple command.
• And, finally, when doing lots of modifications on image or audio files, I set up a file watcher to automatically execute the previously mentioned shell scripts, as needed.

However, the most important lesson here, I think, is that you won’t do things quickly when you’re learning, or using new tools. Don’t bother optimizing your process, unless you’re already comfortable with your current tools, because only in that moment you’ll know where are the flaws that needs to be addressed.

Hope this post can help you in any way!