Lectures 16 and 17 (15 November 07)
Success/Failure Cases on Online Game Development 1--(Pre-Production Stage)
Abstract: This lecture will present findings from case studies in
online game development that address topics, issues, or challenges that
arise during game pre-production.
The purpose is to review both what has worked successfully, what
problems have emerged, and what now to consider in future game
pre-production.
This will include examination of issues associated with the
cross-licensing of game content that originates in other media sources
(for example, feature films, broadcast television, Web sites, theme
parks, science centers/museums, books, or comics), integrating use of
future game devices and interfaces, and establishing future game venues.
Pre-production technical activities
- Research game concept
- Analyze reference materials or interview experts to learn about the game's content
- Define game details (levels, play mechanics, character sets, etc.)
- Develop visualizations for what the game will look like
- Plan for production of usable content assets
- Produce key assets for usage by production artists
- Prototype game play scenarios and variations
- Create alternative versions of game assets to help determine what works and looks best.
Pre-production business activities
- Before any game can begin development, the idea for the game is created and must be approved by the publisher/developer.
- In the common case in which developer and publisher are separate
companies, pitches are made to management at the developer, then it
needs to be shopped around to publishers.
- Demos are often used to articulate game play scenarios.
- Production can begin once (and if) an interested publisher is found.
- Depending on the size of the publisher, this may require several
rounds of pitches as the idea makes its way up through the layers of
management.
SPORE: Pre-production case notes
E-J. Waugh, Gamasutra.com, 29 March 2006
"What is pre-production? It's what you are going to build" and "how you are going to do it".
Pre-production is a working sketch of the design concepts you have
buzzing in your head, that you can throw together to see if they really
work and to better illustrate the ideas to the rest of your design team
– much as with thumbnail sketches, storyboards, or the "pre-viz"
animatics.
Pre-production is a form of planning before actually putting expensive pencil to paper, as it were.
The audience for pre-production includes studio engineers, designers,
and other team members. Most objectively, a prototype is used to
convince others that your concept is "worth the risk of a full
production".
The importance of polish -- a prototype, though humble, should possess
a degree of user design put into it. Objects were depicted by clean,
round-edged boxes that became highlighted when clicked. There was some
minimal work put into a color scheme and to get the whole package to
feel smooth and friendly to use. Though you don't want to obsess, Todd
said, "a little aesthetics goes a long way" toward making your
prototype something that people will actually use.
Part of the point of a prototype: "When you are in pre-production, you're not making the game."
Example prototype scenes from SPORE (c. 2006) -- scene01, scene02, and scene03
It's important to know from the outset, what problem a prototype is intended to solve.
Work in 2D before moving to 3D, since if you cannot successfully the concept in 2D, why believe you can in 3D.
Recent scenes from SPORE (2007) -- scene04 and scene05
Another pre-production case
Project X happens to be an MMO based on a hugely successful TV
show/book/boardgame/movie - take your pick. Your are told 20 levels
must be designed.
Q & A - How, What, When, Why, Where, & Who
How many exterior zones do we need? How many 'dungeons'? How should
they be connected? Where are these zones? Who lives there? How does the
player get around? When does the game take place? What kind of gameplay
is to be expected there? How many players do we expect to be in a
zone/level at one time? Will there be any PvP? What about player
housing? etc. The last thing you want to do is dive right into level
design without knowing at least preliminary answers to these questions,
unless you are prepared to redo your work and in the process look very
silly and unprofessional.
A good level designer is always asking questions from the engineers,
the artists, the systems designers, the studio head, the coffee man,
whoever you bump into. Know the answers to these questions so that when
asked, you regurgitate the answers without even thinking. You should
probably consider brainstorming meetings.
Do not limit your questions to those that specifically pertain to world construction.
Make it your business to know the game inside and out. How does combat
work? How many different mob models will the art team create total? How
many quests will there be? How much money is in the budget for this
game?
The more you know about the minutiae of the game, the better you'll be
able to do your job as a world builder/level designer. This could be
considered true for everyone on the team.
Research
Know thy subject matter. A good world builder will always take some
time to learn about the world he is going to build before he paints a
single height map pixel or drops in even one bush.
Good research involves lots of reading, or even watching movies and/or
TV shows related to the subject. Play other games with similar themes
and geography. What have they done? How can you do it better?
Go to the museum and make sketches and notes of artifacts from similar periods, if that is possible.
Study books on architecture and geography. If there are books or TV
episodes about the franchise, be sure to make it your business to read
and watch as many of them as you can.
Browse the web for snippets of knowledge that are otherwise hard to find.
Collect images and articles in your user directory and share them with the rest of the team.
Immerse yourself in the universe. As world builders it is our
responsibility to know the subject matter well enough that we can
portray the franchise's 'heart' in our worlds.
If you have access to franchise experts, make it your business to get
as much info from them as possible. Sometimes you'll learn things from
them that you would never have been able to through the normal channels
of research, and this goes a long way toward helping you capture the
spirit of the franchise in your designs.
Quiz on game preproduction
From Teaching Gamecraft: The theory, planning, art, production, and design of video games, Lane Daughtry, John Gabriel, Ryan Greene, Jason MacCoy, Rick McCann, and Anthony Rossano.