Chapter 7.1Game Production & Management

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Overview

Mainstream Video games and computer games are made by large teams of people.

– Big– Expensive– Time-consuming projects

Chapter 7 is from point of view of the Producer (a.k.a. director or project manager)

– Producers can work for game developers– Manage the developer’s team in fulfilling a game

development contract

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Five Phases of Making a Game

1. Concept Phase

2. Preproduction

3. Production

4. Postproduction

5. AfterMarket

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Concept Phase

Publisher has decided to pursue a game concept.– Producer usually first person assigned to work on new

project Game concepts usually not brainchild of game

designer Usually based on past successes or business deals Where concepts come from

– Sequels based on previous successful games– Film licenses – Technology re-use (characters, add new features inherent

in other games that are gaining wide consumer acceptance)– Occasionally, original concepts get greenlit

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Concept Phase – cont.

Producing the conceptual design– Written by Producer or Game Designer– Producer can hire internal or external game designer (sworn to secrecy)

Requires several meetings Describes story and character developments to occur Outline improvements

– Game– UI– Level design

Address ways game will reclaim users If the game was a licensed concept…

– Producer would have to discuss concept with the licensor. Working Title (Important Marketing Tool) For Sequels you just need a subtitle Producer creates executive summary (just highlights)

– Concept Document needs to be brief, yet provide satisfactory answers to big questions

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Concept Phase – cont.

Green Light Committee Producer supplies

– Printed copies of conceptual design– PowerPoint presentation– Games are installed in meeting room

Folks Present– Executives of Publisher’s studio, distribution, licensing, sales,

marketing, financial and international divisions (by teleconference or video conference)

The meeting could go smoothly or not . If all goes well the Producer will get approve the Green Light to

proceed and use the Publishing company’s resources:– Money, personnel, equipment, office space, and internal network

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Pre-Production Phase

Producer needs GDD written by internal or freelance designer and and selects development team

GDD (Game Design Document)

Team Selection

Internal staffing plan (management challenge)– Existing employees (same roles)– Promotions, transfers (new roles)– Hire new employees

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External Development

Selecting an external developer– Previously used developers

Other sources (e.g. IGDA and Gamasutra.com)– Referrals (producers, developers)– Non-Disclosure Agreement (NDA)

Bid package– Treatment or GDD to date– Publisher’s expectations for product

Developer needs to know Genre, Platform, Target Audience and Competition

– Bid format and due date Triple-A or budget title? How many levels, characters, or missions game entails? Special technology or features Demo? Specs? Demo Due date? Some developers ask for royalties on the game’s sales. Producer will

want lower upfront cost (advance) if royalties are a part of the picture.

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The Development Agreement

Developer’s obligations Publisher’s obligations IP ownership Warranties Termination Milestones

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Milestones

Highly detailed, specific Quantifiable, measurable Due dates Payment amounts (upon acceptance) Avoid terms like “alpha” and “beta” unless

clearly defined Milestone approval cycles

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The TechnicalDesign Document

GDD is a statement of the problem; TDD is a statement of the solution

Foundation for the programming work Identify technical challenges Plan for technical solutions Set forth asset format guidelines

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Scheduling

Generate task lists from GDD & TDD Plan everything

– Programming– Assets– Demos– Approvals– Green lights– Vacations, holidays– QA

Work backwards from completion

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The Golden Spike

May 10, 1869 – Promontory, Utah Start at both ends, work towards the middle

(alpha and/or beta) The back end cannot be compressed Determine target beta date to achieve

desired ship date Can game achieve beta by target date?

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Adjusting the Schedule

Add people to reduce development time? Deliver assets on time

– Don’t make programmers wait for assets

Prioritize feature set– Lower priority features to be done later if possible

Look for bottlenecks– (feature-technology interdependencies)

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Budgeting

Personnel costs– Salary x time x involvement %

Developer/Contractor payments Equipment & software Supplies Travel & meals Shipments

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Profit & Loss Analysis (P&L)

Costs– Production budget– Cost of goods (COGs)– Marketing– Licensor royalties– Developer royalties

Revenues– Projected Sales– Wholesale price– Ancillary sales (OEM, strategy guides)

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Kickoff Green Light

Producer’s plan for the project– GDD– TDD– Schedule– Budget

Green light– Executives– IP owner (licensor)– Platform holder

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Production Phase

Programming now underway Kicking off tasks – art creation

– Art lists– Art asset file naming conventions– Art asset tracking– Art asset approval cycles– Art asset delivery formats

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Red Flag Spotting

The usual causes of red flags:– Team conflicts– Personnel issues– Design problems– Money troubles– Technical glitches– Change requests– Schedule delays

Take immediate action

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Kicking Off Tasks - Audio

Sound list Music specification Story text Voice-over script Creation of sounds Creation or licensing of music Recording of voice-overs

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First Playable – Proof of Concept

Keeping everyone on board– Licensor(s)– Platform holder(s)– Executives– The Team

The Cerny method Keeping the momentum going

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Phases Within Phases

Pre-production Production

– Early production– Mid-production

Alpha

– Late production Beta

Post-production

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The Multitasking Producer

Time management Managing mid-production Expecting the unexpected Red flags in mid-production Design by committee = consensus? Late production

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Working with Marketing

Working title final title Screen shots E3 demo Magazine demo Platform holder promo

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Post-Production

Personnel transfers Localizations ESRB rating Box & docs Strategy guide

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Quality Assurance

Test plan The QA database QA – the view from inside The QA-producer relationship

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The Light at the End of the Tunnel

Operations OEM & bundled versions Post mortem