GAME DEVELOPMENT

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John Hight Jeannie Novak

T H O M S O N *

D E L I V 1 A R L E A R N I N G A u s t r a l i a C a n a d a M e x i c o S i n g a p o r e S p a i n U n i t e d K i n g d o m U n i t e d S t a t e s

CONTENTS Introduction xi Game Project Management xi

making it happen xi About the Game Development Essentials Series xii About Game Project Management xii Who Should Read This Book? xiii How Is This Book Organized? xiii How to Use This Text xiv

key chapter questions xiv sidebars xiv quotes xiv case studies xv tips xv notes xv profiles xvi chapter review xvi

About the Companion DVD xvi About the Instructor's Guide xvii About the Authors xvii Acknowledgements xviii Questions and Feedback xxi

• • ! • ; '

Part I: History & Concept Development . 1 -ж-1

--Chapter 1 History of Game Project Management

from engineer to producer 3 ш

One Lone Programmer: The Early Days 4 в Renaissance Men: The 1980s 8 3 Battle for the Living Room: The 1990s 11 f Console is King: The 21 s t Century 17 Chapter Review 23 n

3 Ft ID 3 r+ V)

-•с

Chapter 2 Concept Development describing the big idea 25 What Is a Concept? 26

Who Writes the Concept? 27 High Concept 28 Premise and Story Synopsis 30 Unique Selling Points 31 Features 35 Genre 36 Strategy 39 Platform 42 Customer 45 Competitive Analysis 47 Financial Analysis 47 Team 48 Proof of Concept 48

Market Conditions 49 New Console Introduction 49 Holiday Season 49 Competition 49

Selecting Your Concept Team 50 Coming Up with New Ideas 50

Will Your Game Be Revolutionary 53 . . . or Evolutionary? 54

Is There Room for New Ideas? 55 Publishers 56

Choosing a Publisher 57 Non-Disclosure Agreements (NDAs) 58

Я Meeting a Publisher 58

*> Presenting Your Concept 61 Ш Chapter Review 64 С

Pant II: Documentation g SL Pre-Production Б5 (8 Q и Chapter 3 Game Design e defining the vision 67 и g Design Team 68 0 Ü

Story 69

Outline 69

Plot Points 70

Environments 70

Script 71

Non-Interactive Sequences 79

Storyboards 80

Non-linear Storytelling 81

Player Character (PC) 81

Types 82

Customization 84

Abilities 85

Progression 87

Rewards 88

Vulnerabilities 89

Inventory 89

Non-Player Characters (NPCs) 91

Boss Characters 92

Features 92

Gameplay Mechanics 95

Pillars 95

Repetition 96

Save/Load Scheme 96

Pacing 97

Level or Scene Descriptions 98

User Interface 98

In-Game Interface 99

Menus 100

Chapter Review 103

Chapter 4 Technical Design creating the blueprint for production 105

Architecture 106

Coding Standards 106

Tools 108

Game Engine 112

Risks and Contingencies 113

Loss of Data 113

Schedule Slips 114

Third-Party Technology Dependencies 114

Security 115 • • ^ " Security Policy 115

Revision Control 116 Artificial Intelligence 119

Behaviors 120 Pathfinding 120

Physics 121 Input/Output (I/O) 121

Media Formats 122 Streaming 122

Hardware Considerations 123 Minimum Specification 123 Multiprocessor 124 Performance Goals 124

Multiplayer and Internet 124 Graphics 126

The 3D Pipeline 126 User Interface 127 Art Tools 127

Sound 127 Tocalization 128 Research and Development 129 Technical Design Review (TDR) 129 Prototype 130 Chapter Review 134

as i Chapter 5 Ar t & Sound Design giving the game shape and emotion 137

| Art Style Guide 138 Mood 139

| Palette 140 0 Characters 140 ь

Environments and Objects 141 Sample Scenes 141 Icons 142

О Menus 142 j2 Asset Lists and Dependencies 142 щ Art Production Pipeline 143 С Description 143 U Concept Drawings 144

Storyboards 144

Placeholder Art 145 Modeling 145 " • ™ Animation Rigging 146 Texturing 146 Shading 147 Lighting 149 Animation 150 Special Effects 150 Video Resolution and Aspect Ratio 151 Safe Area 152

Sound Design Document 152 Sound Effects 153 Soundtrack 154 Adaptive Audio 154 Voiceover 155

Chapter Review 158

Chapter 6 Production Plan bringing order to chaos 161 Phases of Game Development 162 Staffing Plan 164

Roles and Responsibilities 164 Flexible Staffing 172

Project Schedule 172 0 Tasks 175 Master Project Schedule 179

Budget 181

:

8 Salaries 182 *». 9

General and Administrative (G&A) 183 0 Research and Development (R&D) 183 Licenses 185 Travel and Entertainment (T&E) 186

Financial Analysis 186 Units Sold 187

® Manufacturer s License Fee 188 g Cost of Goods Sold (COGS) 188 Distribution Fee 189 0 Development Costs 189 »* Return Reserves 189 3 Net Receipts 189 И Licensor Royalty 189

Developer Royalty 190 Marketing 190 The Limitations of Financial Analysis 190

Chapter Review 194

P a r t III: M a n a g e m e n t & P r o d u c t i o n . 1 9 5

Chapter 7 Team Management communication, objectivity, and leadership 197 Five-Stage Team Management Model 198

Forming 198 Storming 198 Norming 198 Performing 199 Adjourning 199

Accountability 199 Documentation 200 Meetings 200 Monitoring 202 Status Reports 202 Task Assignments 203 Change Requests 203

Feature Creep 204 Slippage 206

Milestones 206 Regular Builds 207 First Playable 207 Alpha 207 Beta 208

0 Ф Release Candidate 209

Gold Master 209 Localization 209

Leadership 211 Honesty 211 Adaptability 211 Accomplishments and Objectives 212

в Conflict 212 Chapter Review 220

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Chapter 8 External Relationships managing beyond the development team 223 Publishers 224 Developers 225

First-Party Developers 225 Second-Party Developers 225 Third-Party Developers 225

Licensors 226 Hardware Manufacturers 226

Vendors 228 Quality Assurance 228

Playability Testing 228 Test Plan 229 Bug Report 229 Bug Classification 231 Bug Fixing 231

Archives 232 Marketing 233

Marketing Asset List 234 Marketing Plan 235 In-Game Advertising 236

Legal and Business Affairs 237 Negotiation 238

Й Project Termination 240 § Sequel and Porting Rights 241 3

ft Derivative Works 242 Talent Rights 242 Errors and Omissions (E&O) Insurance 243

Chapter Review 245

Chapter 9 Putting It All Together from idea to reality 2 4 7 Galactic Buccaneer: A Case Study 248

Create the Concept Proposal 248 3

Pitch the Game 251 * Seal the Deal 251 § Staff Up Your Core Team 251 3 Create the GDD, TDD, ASG, SDD, and Production Plan 252 * Proof of Concept or Prototype 252 j?

Technical Design and Greenlight Review 252

Into Production 253

Alpha 253

Beta 254

Release 254

Post-Release 254

The Future of Game Project Management 259

High-Definition Television (HDTV) 259

Peripherals 262

Broadband Internet 265

So You Want to Become a Game Producer 268

Chapter Review 272

Resources 2 7 4

News 274

Directories & Communities 274

Organizations 275

Events 275

Books & Articles 276

Index 2 7 9