I continually forget the importance of evaluating your game systems immediately as they come online.  This can save you hours or redirection late in a project.  If you do it early enough everyone wins.  You give feedback on your tools , and you gain a deeper understanding of how to tune your game with the systems you have.

Meanwhile, the people who supplied the tools are still close to the systems.  It will be easier for them to make adjustments to the systems.  Better than asking them to make changes 6 months later when the intricacies of the code are not as clear.

This methodology is typically contrary my natural instincts.  I’d much rather have all the proposed systems online.  Then like a puppet master, I tug and pull at different strings until the game get the feel I’m looking for.  This method is not always best given a short schedule and clients who evaluate every step.

Moving forward it is best to keep the vision and heart of the game always within reach, regardless of the state of the development.