Organising large amounts of data.
WHAT GAME DATA INCLUDES
Item and character definitions Level and encounter configuration Dialogue and text Balance values Progression tables
WHERE TO KEEP IT
In data files or a database, not in code.
WHY
Designers must change it without programmer involvement or rebuilds.
WHAT FORMATS SUIT
Spreadsheets, for tabular balance data Structured text files, for hierarchical data Engine-native assets, for things needing references
WHY SPREADSHEETS PERSIST
Designers are fast in them, and comparison across rows is natural.
WHAT TO BUILD
Import from those into game data, with validation.
WHAT TO VALIDATE
References that must exist Values within permitted ranges Required fields present Uniqueness of identifiers
WHY VALIDATION MATTERS MOST HERE
A broken reference in data crashes the game at an arbitrary moment.
WHAT TO VERSION CONTROL
All of it.
WHAT TO AVOID
Data edited directly in a built game Values duplicated across files Identifiers that are display names
WHY THAT LAST POINT
Renaming for presentation then breaks every reference.
WHAT TO USE INSTEAD
Stable identifiers, with display names separate.
