Download - The Cerny Method
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““METHOD”METHOD”
Cerny Games, Inc.Mark Cerny
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““METHOD”METHOD”
1. Pre-Production vs. Production2. “Publishable” First Playable3. Macro vs Micro Design4. Gameplay Testing
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Method, part 1: Method, part 1: Preproduction vs. ProductionPreproduction vs. Production
“Capturing Lightning”
Pre-Production
“Building the game”
Production
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“IT IS POSSIBLE TO PLAN AND SCHEDULE THE CREATION OF YOUR GAME”
MYTH #1: PLANNING
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Pre-Production: Pre-Production: Managing Chaos Managing Chaos
• assemble core team• create successive prototypes• prototypes become like game levels
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“WORKING PRODUCTIVELY MEANS THROWING OUT NOTHING.”
MYTH #2: PRODUCTIVITY
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Pre-Production Pre-Production
• you are not making a game
3 C's: character, camera, control game look key technology holistic game design (if appropriate)
• you are making a game design
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Pre-Production Pre-Production
• take chances • build without knowledge of moveset• build without knowledge of tech limits• don’t know the context of what you’re
working on • etc…
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“cutting edge technology is important, so build your technology first.”
MYTH #3: TECHNOLOGY
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TECHNOLOGY TECHNOLOGY STANDARD PRACTICE STANDARD PRACTICE
Create Design Document
Create “Required Technology” Document
Build Technology
Build Game
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DOUBLE-TRACK IT! DOUBLE-TRACK IT!
• Build, borrow or buy “Quick and Dirty” Tech for rapid prototyping
• Build “Cutting Edge” Tech for actual game
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“FREQUENT PROJECT REVIEW IS IS ESSENTIAL TO GOOD MANAGEMENT.”
MYTH #4: MILESTONES
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Pre-production and milestonesPre-production and milestones
• negotiated term for Pre-Production• strict deliverables for Pre-Production
first playable macro design
• results of experiments are visible externally• no “stench of failure”
• “offline” status for team during Pre-Production
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Deliverables at end of Pre-Production
• “Publishable” First Playable• Macro Game Design
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MYTH #5:
“ALPHA = FIRST PLAYABLE”
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Method, Part 2: Method, Part 2: The First Playable The First Playable
OVERVIEW
• two levels• all local features, global features as appropriate• publishable quality
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First Playable ChecklistFirst Playable Checklist Two levels of publishable quality, with:
__ player behavior fully defined __ basic technology done
__ enemy/obstacle behavior fully defined
__ art direction in place
__ all local features included, global features included as required
__ a touch of variety
__ scope of game defined
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“A cancelled project is a sign of bad management or a bad team.”
MYTH #6: KILLING GAMES
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Canceling Projects Canceling Projects
• Team cannot create “Publishable” First Playable
• First Playable shows game not worth publishing
• Your project will not miraculously get better during Production!
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Method, Part 3: Method, Part 3: Macro vs Micro Design Macro vs Micro Design
• Macro in hand at start of Production• Micro created during Production
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“THE MORE DEFINED YOUR INITIAL VISION, THE BETTER”
MYTH #7: DESIGN DOCUMENTS
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“I NEED A 100-PAGE DOCUMENT DESCRIBING MY GAME.”
MYTH #7: DESIGN DOCUMENTS
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Why no 100-page design document? Why no 100-page design document?
• waste of resources• deceptive and misleading• sets direction prior to verification of fundamentals
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Method, Part 3: Method, Part 3: Macro vs Micro Design Macro vs Micro Design
Macro Design__ five pages__ character and moveset__ exotic mechanics__ level structure, size and count__ level contents__ overarching structure – linear, hub__ macro chart
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Macro Chart Macro Chart locale level
structure exoticgameplay
required for level entry
received in level
1 Jungle 3-D Egg
2 Volcano 3-D run from lava Egg
3 Snow 2-D ice (training) Egg
4 Desert 3-D motorcycle 1 egg Egg
5 Locale A 2-D - 2 eggs Egg
6 Snow 2-D ice 4 eggs Key
7 Locale B BOSS - Key open hub 2
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Benefits of a Benefits of a Macro Design Macro Design
• can accurately schedule Production
• can track progress during Production
• prevents feature creep and feature drop
• properly circumscribes creativity
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[Macro Design extras] [Macro Design extras]
• brief story
• conceptual art
• acquired abilities or inventory (holistic games only)
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Micro Design Micro Design
Micro Design• script• level maps• enemy descriptions, behaviors• puzzle descriptions• special gameplay descriptions• and much more
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“If you want to make a hit, listen to the consumer.”
MYTH #8: THE CONSUMER
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What You'll Learn from a Focus Test What You'll Learn from a Focus Test
• What's popular as of ten minutes ago
• How not to stand out
• The feature list of every recent game that was pretty good
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Gameplay Testing Gameplay Testing
• two to five times
• watch what they do
• quantitative analysis
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SETTING IT UP SETTING IT UP
• preproduction-based funding• greenlight is at first playable• best and brightest• ‘housekeeping’ deal during preproduction• production as usual
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SETTING IT UP SETTING IT UP
• In the event of cancellation…• Publisher owns IP, but cannot develop it
with another team• Developer may purchase IP at cost of
development to date
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Developer Risks Developer Risks
• Lack of full-term publisher commitment• Full team not employed during pre-
production• Uncomfortable level of transparency to
publisher
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Publisher Risks Publisher Risks
• Start projects with only a rough release date• Preproduction is expensive• No milestones = no pressure?
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Publisher Benefits Publisher Benefits
• Low cost of entry for projects• Very close publisher/developer relationship• Accurate production schedule and budget
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Thank YouThank You