INDUSTRY PROFILE

Depending on which was your main role in the development of your game:

  • Coder
  • Artist
  • Composer

Identify a current industry professional who works in that role. 

For example, in terms of the development of Super Meat Boy:

  • Tommy Refenes - Coder
  • Edmund McMillen - Artist
  • Danny Baranowsky - Composer

Your profile should be an A4 design document that includes illustrations and photographs as well as referencing at least four sources:

  • Wikipedia
  • Personal homepage
  • YouTube video
  • A website

You should also make reference to the following information on Job Roles in the Videogames industry:

http://www.skillset.org/games/careers/article_2768_1.asp

Make sure that you do more than just list what they have done. Describe the style of their work, what does it remind you of? How successful have they been in terms of awards or sales. What lessons can you learn from how they work?

MILESTONE: ALPHA TEST

In software development, your alpha test, will be a test amongst the design team itself so as to confirm that your game mechanics work. At this stage you are testing mostly for Functionality (does everything work the way it's supposed to) and Feel (does the gameplay feel right even without the benefit of polished art and sound).

On your blog, valuate your prototype Alpha build in terms of:

  • CONTROLS - does the character respond the way it should, do the mechanics work in terms of events and their responses.
  • CHALLENGE - does the gameplay feel intuitive, fun, enjoyable, or frustrating? Does the game provide the right mix? 

Next update your MoSCoW Method list in terms of tasks that have already been implemented and those that are in process.

Finally complete a new revised To-Do-List for next week and upload to your blog

CORE MECHANIC PROTOTYPE


Adam Saltsman (@ADAMATOMIC) created Canabalt in 2009 and ushered in the era of the one-touch control, endless runner genre.

The game's core mechanic is simply to run and jump from building to building and dodge obstacles that might slow you down. Your score is measured by how far you run before falling to your doom as the cityscape collapses around you.

When prototyping the game, Saltsman used art assets from a tile set he'd used for an earlier game and built a proof-of-concept prototype using green boxes to represent the buildings that spawn from the right of the screen and a white box as the running avatar on the left side.

Here is an excellent article:

http://www.gamasutra.com/blogs/AdamSaltsman/20100929/6096/

in which the game dev talks about how he went about "tuning" the level design and gameplay mechanics in Canabalt.

This week's Development Milestone is that by Friday you must have a functioning prototype video uploaded to your blog that demonstrates how the core mechanic of your game will be implemented using GameSalad. You should experiment first using simple geometric shapes until you have the core mechanic working properly rather than worrying at this stage about using your finished art assets. Take screen grabs of your progress and chart your process on your blog.





YEAR 2 - WORK

Nick has set 3 tasks to be completed - they are on the 3 posts below. 

As you've had two lessons in class and the whole of Wednesday to complete these you will now be moving on to create the assets for your game.

Remember the size of the files and criteria that Nick specified and that every character and scene needs an asset.

Making assets is a GROUP task so delegate to keep everybody busy.

TASK NUMBER THREE: MoSCoW METHOD

GROUP OR INDIVIDUAL TASK

The MoSCoW Method is a technique from business analysis and project management used in video games production to prioritise what features will be and won't be included in the final game build.

  • M - MUST HAVES: Describes a requirement that must be satisfied so that the final project can be considered a success.
  • S - SHOULD HAVES: Represents a high-priority item that should be included in the solution if it is possible. This is often a critical requirement but one which can be satisfied in other ways if strictly necessary.
  • C - COULD HAVES: Describes a requirement which is considered desirable but not necessary. This will be included if time and resources permit.
  • W - WOULD HAVES: Represents a requirement that you have agreed will not be implemented in the current release, but may be considered for the future. 

Create a MoSCoW Method sheet outlining all the possible and potential functionality you will need to implement to make your game work:

e.g., parallax scrolling background, double jump mechanic, original soundtrack, menu buttons, timer, power up icons, etc. 

Each function needs to be prioritised into one of the four categories, Must Haves, Should Haves, Could Haves, and Would Haves depending on how crucial it is to the success of the final game. For example, in a platformer, a working jump mechanic is a Must Have while movable platforms might be considered a Should Have. 

TASK NUMBER TWO: ASSETS LIST

Individually you must compile a list of the following assets that you will need in order to complete your game:

  1. GRAPHICS
  2. ANIMATIONS
  3. SOUNDS
  4. MUSIC

Create listing all the assets in each of the four categories and next to each individual asset assign a specific member of the group the task of completing that particular task. Post the completed grid to your blog.