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[Toeofdoom]

I definitely like notebooks (the paper kind) for this - even with no organisation whatsoever it isn't as hard to find things as you may thing because each page probably has its own distinctive layout or little scribbles etc. It also avoids those awkward situations where you have to think before writing some really simple thing by hand simply because you haven't used a pen and paper in over a month...

[starsrift]

I use post-it notes and my home walls. Usually, I don't need to write -everything- down, just notational form. I also have a corkboard where I keep stuff like my motivational surveillance pictures of John Sandoval, but it gets propped up against desks and stuff so my walls have more room. I also keep a few large notepad files of ideas and carry around a tiny pocket binder to write notes in.

[noblemaster]

+1 for Freemind! I tried different mind mapping tools and Freemind just seems the best fit.

[jotapeh]

If you're looking for another alternative, there is always mindmeister. Though imo it's too limited to be really useful.

[jwk5]

I like to use a combination of Cayra MindMap and KeepNote. Cayra MindMap is really good for brainstorming and KeepNote is really good for creating an organized database of ideas and design notes. Both are free and work for windows (and possibly other OS as well).


EDIT: Wikipedia also has lists of note taking software and mind mapping software, a good portion of which are free.

[AuthenticKaizen]

i fully recommend XMind.
its very good, functional and free (and looks good)
i use it daily.

moreover:
here are some more mindmapping ressources.
http://www.delicious.com/authentickaizen/mindmapping

[gunswordfist]

When working with ideas and concepts, I ALWAYS prefer using a physical pencil and paper.

Why?

-you can make doodles on the side
-you can't get distracted by the internets
-i like the physicality of it
-it's cool to look at

Yeah, I love writing ideas down. But I don't want to end up losing another white notebook full of ideas. That was a major loss because those were my first ideas and still much more than I have right now.

[gunswordfist]

Hypertext is good for connecting things .

Try something like wikidPad.

Hmmm, that just might be what I use.

[XRA]

I keep an idea book with me at almost all times, just a small 3.75 x 5.5" moleskin book with grid paper.  I prefer a physical book form to notepad.exe because I can naturally flip through prior pages and reference things, you may find that over time many of your ideas actually link together to form a larger potential idea.. it is just instantly accessible and keeps you unlinked from a computer, I really suggest trying it.  Prior to getting a little notebook I would write on junk mail return envelopes and stuff like that, just using a clip to keep it all together.

I've also used XMind, I think mind-mapping software is really helpful for roughing out how systems can work or hierarchy for things, like listing various abilities enemies can have, then linking together different combinations to create different types of enemies, or brainstorming for level design locations, I tend to only use it once I have an idea going on paper though.

[s0]

I have this weird slimy thing in my head that's supposed to be pretty good for arranging ideas. Maybe I could try using it some time...

[jwk5]

I have this weird slimy thing in my head that's supposed to be pretty good for arranging ideas. Maybe I could try using it some time...

NO! Never trust a brain slug!

[ink.inc]

I have this weird slimy thing in my head that's supposed to be pretty good for arranging ideas. Maybe I could try using it some time...

NO! Never trust a brain slug!

Goddamn Yeerks.

[s0]

I have this weird slimy thing in my head that's supposed to be pretty good for arranging ideas. Maybe I could try using it some time...

NO! Never trust a brain slug!

Brain Slugs go on your head not in your head.

[ink.inc]

I have this weird slimy thing in my head that's supposed to be pretty good for arranging ideas. Maybe I could try using it some time...

NO! Never trust a brain slug!

Brain Slugs go on your head not in your head.

Clearly you have never read KA Applegate's masterwork: The Animorphs.

[XRA]

oh one other important thing I should mention... if you aren't already writing down / typing your ideas, START DOING IT!!!
You will be amazed at how much weight it takes off your mind being able to just get your ideas written down, rather than keeping them churning in your brain for long amounts of time... it is stress-relieving.

[Retrogames]

- A very large Dry Erase board. My old one was 23 x 16 (before it was permanently occupied by a penguin who changes based on the holiday, as per my Girlfriend's request). To replace it, I just got a new 24 x 36 one for Christmas. I'd like to get one of the big-honking ones that come mounted on wheeled frames, but that's pretty much pure fantasy at this point. I haven't even found a place that sells them . If you cannot immediately grasp the infinite usefulness of a quickly-erasable bare-essentials work surface, you're in the wroooooong business.

Google Documents. Sometimes it runs a little slow, but being able to quickly pop open a new document anywhere, anytime and share the work with anyone (instant feedback = good) is a very good thing. Being able to access it from anywhere is also handy when I'm out of town or away from my computer and want to jot something down. It may not be as useful for organization, but being able to jot down ideas quickly means organizing them quickly.

Scratch Paper. I have two clipboards I keep loaded with copy paper and a mechanical pencil attached to at all times. One by the couch, one at my desk. A quick doodle, a fast note, a level design diagram. I also find that sometimes, I work better away from my computer; that's when these puppies come in handy.

Notepads. Years ago, I bought some spiral ring notepads on clearance at Toys R Us (they do back-to-school supplies but hardly anybody buys them) for some insanely low price (pennies each). Actually, I bought closer to a whole box. One bedside, one on the couch, one in the sideboard in the dining room, one in the car, and one anywhere else I think I'll be occupied (now that I think on it though, none in the bathroom...  ) Any time an idea strikes or a particular refinement occurs to me, I have something to write it down on.

In general, that's more of a good habit to get into rather than an organizational tool, but it's important to slip in even if it doesn't count.

[TheSpaceMan]

This is something that has been tormenting me of ages.
I find no media that is really good enough for what I want to do.

So this will sound wierd, I have considered coding together a 3D enviornment, like any other 3d game, where you can place nodes, each node will exist in 3D and can be represented by any model, but it can be focused on in 2D and contain multiple 2D nodes and linke to other 3d nodes. Since nodes can be moved around and have a mesh, it's easy to create a "theme" area.

The 2D nodes are the basic ones, text, image, sound. Top this of with a search functionality and it would be awesome.


I have a very imagefocus imagination so that is what I have figured out I would need so far. BUT it doesn't mean I have had time to implement it.

It sounds a lot like those 3d desktop things where you can shuffle around documents etc on a desk and nail them to walls, but it's not, i don't want to restrict it to a desk and physics etc, it need to be in a free 3D enviornment to actuall be possible to organize things as you want.

Am I crazy?

[FARTRON]

I used freemind for a while, and eventually I got comfortable with the keyboard commands to navigate the tree. It's a good system, but I felt it a little too constrained for what I wanted; connections and links too defined for the way my mind really works.

I've been using Tomboy Notes for a while now. Runs on anything and it lets you link notes together within the text. They describe it as a private wiki, and the informality lets me jot down incomplete ideas more easily than I found I was doing with freemind, and fill them in or link them later.

[loinbread]

Ever see Mememto? Good luck losing your notes via that.

[Trent]

I currently have hundreds.... No, more than a thousand .txt files on my desktop. A scattered mess of ideas from my current game development.

 I'll be seriously considering some of the tools listed here.