Game Development Timeline Mohammad Zikky, M.T

Outline Game Timeline Team Sizes Game Design Documents

Classic Waterfall Model in Design Process

Game Production Timeline Inspiration (1 month) Results in game treatment/concept paper Conceptualization (3-5 months) Results in design summary/design document Story boards and prototype Technical Architecture (2 months) Determine the technical details Results in master technical specification/production document Tool Building (4 months) Assembly (12 months) Levels (4 months) Review, Testing, … (3 months) Total (about 2 years)

Game Development Timeline (1 of 5) Inspiration getting the global idea of the game duration: 1 month (for a professional game) people: lead designer, team discussion result: treatment document, decision to continue Conceptualization preparing the "complete" design of the game duration: 3 months people: designer + prototype programmers/artists result: complete design document Concept  Define game concept, define core game features, find/assign developer, & estimate budget & due date

Prototypes Build prototypes as proof of concept Can take 2-3 months (or more) Typically done a few months after project start In particular, used to test game play Throw prototype away afterwards Don't expect it to evolve into game! Game Design Document & Technical Design Document = "The Bibles" Production budget & detailed schedule Working prototype, with game mechanics Focus test Pitch to Publisher

The Pitch Process: Presentation Key pitch presentation content: Concept overview & genre profile Unique selling points What makes it stand out from its competitors Proposed technology & target platform/s Team biographies & heritage Outline marketing information, including potential licensing opportunities

The Pitch Process: Prototype Key game prototype features: Core gameplay mechanic Game engine / technological proficiency Artistic / styling guide Demonstration of control / camera system Example gameplay goals

The Pitch Process: Schedule and Budged Schedule & budget must: Be detailed and transparent Allow for contingency scenarios Have several sets of outcomes for different size publishers Be realistic

The Deal: Choosing a Publisher Research Publishers screen Developers But Developers should also research prospective Publishers: Are they financially stable? Do they have appropriate reach for target? Do they market / PR their games well? Is there a history of non-payment of milestones or royalties? Have they produced many titles? Sometimes you take what you can get!

The Deal: IP (Intellectual Property ) Rights Intellectual Property Rights include: Game name Logos Unique game mechanics & storyline Unique characters, objects & settings Game Source Code including artwork & associated assets Unique sounds and music Developers may not have much power And it probably doesn't matter as many games don’t succeed, anyway

The Deal: Payment Negotiation Current approximate development costs: $10+ million for multi-platform $5 million for PlayStation 2 only $1 million for a quality single platform Royalties Percentage payments of profits made after recoup of development costs Developer royalties range 0% ("work for hire") to 40% Other considerations: Rising-rate royalty: more units sold = higher percentage Clear royalty definition of 'wholesale price' (i.e., including cost of goods etc.) Right to audit publishers books Currency/exchange rate/VAT figures

Moving Project Forward Most Publishers have a "Green-Light Process" Used to determine which projects go forward Developers submit to committee at five, mostly independent stages: Concept Assessment Prototype First Playable Alpha At each stage, committee: Decides whether or not to continue funding Developers then get next "lump" of money Evaluates market potential Adjusts unit forecasts accordingly Then, additional stages: Beta Gold Master

Game Development Timeline (3 of 5) Blueprint separate the project into different tiers duration: 2 months people: lead designer, software planner result: several mini-specifications Architecture creating a technical design that specifies tools and technology used people: project leader, software planner, lead architect result: full technical specification

Game Development Timeline (4 of 5) Tool building create a number of (preferably reusable) tools, like 3D graphics engine, level builder, or unit builder duration: 4 months people: project leader and 4 (tool) programmers result: set of functional tools (maybe not yet feature complete) Assembly create the game based on the design document using the tools; update design document and tools as required (consulting the lead designer) duration: 12 months people: project leader, 4 programmers, 4 artists result: the complete game software and toolset

Game Development Timeline (5 of 5) Level design create the levels for the game duration: 4 months people: project leader, 3 level designers result: finished game with all levels, in-game tutorials, manuals Review testing the code, the gameplay, and the levels duration: 3 months (partially overlapping level design) people: 4 testers result: the gold master

Release Alpha: Beta: Release: When all the features are in, but not all bugs are out. Beta: Development team believes all the bugs are out. No new features except ones to eliminate huge problems. Release: No new features! Everything is done.

Types of Game Design Docs IMGD 1001 Types of Game Design Docs Concept Document Proposal Document Technical Specification Game Design Document Level Designs

Concept Document (1 of 2) Used to explore game idea in more detail IMGD 1001 Concept Document (1 of 2) Used to explore game idea in more detail Often used as a proposal within an organization Developed by designer or visionary A short sales pitch: 1-3 pages May have no art, or amateur art Many ideas never get farther than this

Concept Document (2 of 2) Must include: May also include: Intro IMGD 1001 Concept Document (2 of 2) Must include: Intro Description Key features Genre, spin, flavor Platform(s) / market data May also include: Background / License info Concept art

High Concept (1 of 2) The key sentence that describes your game IMGD 1001 High Concept (1 of 2) The key sentence that describes your game MUST get the concept across concisely and quickly If you can't, it may be too complicated to sell

High Concept (2 of 2) Not so good: Better: IMGD 1001 High Concept (2 of 2) Not so good: "MindRover is a game in which players build and program robotic vehicles to compete in a variety of challenges including battles, races, puzzles, and sports." Better: "MindRover is like Battlebots ... but with brains." Still not good enough Let's see if we can do better! … (next slide)

Exercise: High Concept IMGD 1001 Exercise: High Concept Pick one of these 4 games Burnout Grand Theft Auto Zelda - Twilight Princess Dance Dance Revolution Write a high concept for it Form groups based on game choice Agree on one

Proposal Document (1 of 2) IMGD 1001 Proposal Document (1 of 2) Used to get a deal Shown to publishers and 3rd parties Enough detail to show that the proposal is viable: 5-50 pages Sales oriented Big picture Polished!

Proposal Document (2 of 2) IMGD 1001 Proposal Document (2 of 2) Must include: Revised concept Market analysis Technical analysis Schedule Budget Risks Cost and revenue projections Pessimistic, likely, optimistic Art

Technical Specification (1 of 2) IMGD 1001 Technical Specification (1 of 2) The 'How' of game design Contains the architectural vision; technology to be used Engineering detail Production detail Owned by tech director or chief engineer Can be exhaustive (and exhausting): 10-100 pages

Technical Specification (2 of 2) IMGD 1001 Technical Specification (2 of 2) Must include: Tooling Art / Music / Sound / Production pipeline Technology detail Platform & portability issues Networking or special tech Server details Software engineering info Major design elements Key areas of technical risk Alternatives to risky or expensive sections

Game Design Document (1 of 2) IMGD 1001 Game Design Document (1 of 2) Functional spec: The 'What' of the design Describes the player’s experience and interactions in detail Could be quite long, several hundred pages, but "enough" is the goal. Artistic feel Owned by the game designer A living document "The Bible"

Game Design Document (2 of 2) IMGD 1001 Game Design Document (2 of 2) Must haves Game mechanics User Interface Visuals Audio Story (if any) Level Specs

References Hanna, Philip. Java Games Programming. Queen’s University, Belfast, Ireland Claypool, Mark. Courses in The Game Development Process, Worcester Polytechnic Institute