Maths & Technologies for Games Production Processes & Asset Management CO3303 Week 10

Today’s Lecture 1.Concept / Preproduction 2.Early Production –Kick offs: Programming –Art Assets: Planning & Tracking –Asset Approval & Delivery –Audio, Speech, Story, Text 3.First Playable: Mid-production –Managing Change 4.Assets Complete: Late Production –Title, Screenshots, Demos 5.Post-Production

Concept Initial concepts come from: –Publisher: desire for sequel, film license etc –Developer: sequel, original idea, etc. Concept document goes through several forms: –From overview document –To more detailed conceptual design Conceptual design contains: –Story, characters, levels, game style, UI –Working title, market research, licensor issues Requires a green light from publisher stakeholders before preproduction begins…

Preproduction Preproduction is the planning / team building stage Several requirements: –Produce a Game Design Document (GDD) –Select a developer / team members –Set down a list of milestones, set budgets –Put Non-Disclosure Agreements in place (NDAs) –Negotiate a developer contract –Produce a Technical Design Document (TDD) The precise order / context depends on use of internal / external development team Another green light required from publisher & stakeholders before kicking off production proper

Early Production: Kick Offs The early production phase focuses on developing the core code and assets Different parts of the production are kicked off at different times –Programming and art immediately –Sound effect, speech, text and other assets kicked off later When each stage is kicked off: –The GDD / TDD is carefully worked through to identify what is needed –A full spec for that aspect is defined –E.g. a full list of sound effect / music and vocal cues

Art Assets: Planning/Tracking The first few milestones usually regard art assets –Since programming takes some time to produce results An art list is produced from the GDD: –Asset description, name, format, game location / use –Usually in the form of a spreadsheet Assets are individually or collectively tracked during development: –Responsibility, start date, draft versions, delivery dates –Approval, review status –Implementation status

Asset Approval & Delivery Batches of artwork are delivered per-milestone –Delivery formats specified in TDD Assets reviewed by art manager first –Then by the producer Producer feedbacks any review requirements Only upon approval can assets be properly used in game –And approval usually releases early milestone payments Prior to this programmers may only be allowed to work with placeholder graphics

First Playable: Mid-production First Playable or Proof of Concept is an important early point in development: –Core game mechanic is implemented –Sufficient assets so that game looks roughly as it should –Game is playable for the first time Publisher stakeholders take a keen interest here –Their first real impression of the game This is the start of mid-production –Less new development –Now just adding more detail, levels etc. Easy to lose momentum at this stage

A common effect upon development (and the game) is that many stakeholders start requesting changes: –Publisher execs –Marketing –Licensors, platform holders (Sony, Microsoft) Because of the executive nature of many of the people involved, some/many of these changes will be given the green light –Can be frustrating for the game designers Usually a good idea to strike a consensus between design purity and stakeholder needs Managing Change

Assets Complete: Late Production When asset creation is complete the late production stage starts –Only programming development still ongoing This stage is often called alpha The main marketing of the game begins here Also Quality Assurance (QA) should get their first look at the product now –Mainly for overview / planning - their job begins later Can be a tricky time for programmers because of competing demands to: –Reach beta –Produce marketing materials

Title, Screenshots, Demos The game may have been using a working title, at this stage the title is finalised The marketing department will request materials: –Screenshots for magazines –Rolling demos / animations for early release –Playable demos later –Must hit key trade show / seasonal deadlines –Promotional material for the platform holder –Developer interviews All this while the coding is being finalised

Post-Production When coding is complete, but not formally tested the beta stage is reached and the game enters post-production: –The game will be entered into QA and the testing phase begins –Localisation of text / voice assets –Game ratings will be sought –The box, art & documentation are designed and produced Once QA is complete manufacturing (operations) begins and the product enters distribution –Developers rarely get involved in (or even informed about) these aspects, and the marketing related to distribution –Yet they play a major role in the public’s perception of a product

Post-Production The programmers still have a long way to go at post- production stage –The QA test cycle –Further support for localisation –Post-release patches However, many personnel, especially artists, are freed up and move on to different roles –Staggered completion often means teams break up Last stage in the game life-cycle is a post-mortem –A final meeting to determine what could be learned for future games

Endless Productions Social games/MMOs never reach completion –Constantly cycling through the production stages –The game design detail, code and art constantly develop and evolve –The post-production stage is continuous Very different feel to the production process once the initial game is out –Can be hard to sustain momentum, –Development teams tend to undergo gradual turnover