Personally, I really enjoy this part. This is when all of the big questions get answered and there are always new features and nifty things to see. The team is usually pretty excited at this stage, and there is a real sense of accomplishment in the air. Then we have what I like to call the mid-project doldrums or the 'hard work' stage. This is probably the longest stage of the project, as well as the least interesting part for the team.
Months go by without any visual changes to the project.
It s always a challenge for the team to keep itself motivated through this stage of the project. The good news is that the next phase the all the pieces are coming together stage is among the most exciting. Assuming that your initial design was a good one, that your prototyping has exposed all of the major issues, and that you didn t miss anything during the engine s implementation, then everything starts to come together pretty fast. Every day, new features are completed, and seemingly overnight, you have something that starts feeling like a real game. The final stage is the spit and polish stage.