This Session

1. Game Documentation

2. Project Management

3. Group Breakout

4. Start Level !

Game Documentation

• High Concept• Pitch Doc• Concept Doc• Game Design Doc

(GDD)• Art Production Plan• Technical Design Doc

(TDD)• Test Plan• Project Plan• Manpower Plan• Resource Plan• Project Tracking Doc

• Budget• P&L• Development Schedule• Milestone Definitions• External Events• Current Risks• Credits List• Change List & Project

Archives

High Concept Docu

• Few Sentences• “What is your game about”• Like an organization’s mission statement, post it around the

office to remind everyone what the game is about

Game Proposal (“Pitch”)• High Concept. The one- or two-

sentence statement of the experience you're trying to create.

• Genre. A single sentence that places the game within a genre or a hybrid of genres.

• Gameplay. A paragraph that describes what kinds of actions the player can per form during the game.

• Features. A list of the major features that set this game apart, including anything from technical advancements to artistic style.

• Setting. A paragraph about what makes the game world and its occupants unique and interesting.

• Story. If the game has a story, summarize it here in a paragraph.

• Target Audience. A single sentence that describes the demographic you're trying to reach.

• Hardware Platforms. A list of devices your game can be played on.

• Estimated Schedule and Budget. Your estimate of how long the game will take to develop and how much it will cost.

• Competitive Analysis. A list of existing and planned games that will compete with yours.

• Team. Names and credentials of the design, tech, and art leads. Also, list the games the organization has shipped.

• Summary. A restatement of why this will be a great game, and why your team is the one to develop it.

Project Management

Agile Development

Useful in projects where• Requirements are not well-understood• New technologies are being created• Customer is willing to be deeply involved in development• Perfectly describes game production

Manifesto• Individuals and Interactions over processes and tools• Working software over comprehensive documentation• Customer Collaboration over contract negotiation• Responding to change over following a plan

Project Management

How to implement it – A suggestion

• Problem: You are the developer and the client• Solution: Use a friend as the “client”• Show him/her your work and ask for a short written report• …. at least every two weeks• …. put in learning journal

Breakout

– Within your groups complete one “Pitch” document for a game

– Present the pitches (use OHP transparencies)– Present an elevator pitch on another game– Start research for your level– Start constructing your level

Research

– Concerning you game genre– Other academic research – Competitive Analysis, Market Research– Assets – meshes textures– Supporting material: Photos, plans of buildings– Other engines …. Postal2