Introduction

Paul KerbyLead Gameplay Programmer, Gotham TeamGareth WilsonDesign Manager, Gotham Team

Presentation FormatGame OverviewDesignArtCodeProductionConclusionsImprovements to our process

Game OverviewSpeed and StyleVisually Next GenerationDay 1 launch title XBOX 360Average 89% review scores

Production Stats2 year development cycle67 Bizarre creations staff100+ MGS staff 22,400 cans of Coke. 281,600 teabags & 9182 pints of milk! One million air miles!

Software UsedMaya 6, XSI Advanced + EssentialsVisual Studio .NET(C#, C++)Lua Scripting Nuendo 2, Pro Tools, SoundforgeAlienbrain, Tortoise Subversion MS Project 2003, Product Studio & RAID

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Design What went WrongDesign locked down too lateLacked detailSome design areas depended on new technologyDesign changes not communicatedTime pressures relating to new hardware

Design What went RightDesign documentationDesign reacted quickly to technical realitiesThe right features were trimmedMicrosoft design & balancing support excellentCore pillars agreed early and stuck to

Design Pillars ScreenshotPGR3 Design Pillars

Art What Went WrongMoving to Maya caused an initial dip in productionBuild instability caused massive overtime to get level of art polish requiredProducing track surface left late in projectRushed asset production too many last minute asset requests

Art - What Went RightAll content produced on time, despite project issuesOutsourcing used on later stagesVisual detail outstandingIn-car view became a defining feature of the game

Tokyo Screenshot

Vegas ScreenTokyo Screenshot

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New York Screenshot

Nurburgring Screenshot

Code What Went WrongHardware dates changedEarly XDKs sometimes unstableDocumentation neglectedPoor build stability hampered gameplay and artTools built from scratch for Maya

Code - What Went RightMS support excellentProgrammers given specific areas to ownBuild stabilised at the right timeOnce complete, tool chain excellentAll game features flexible and scaleableUse of scripting invaluableCoders understood where the next generation bar was

Nine Months Out

Six Months Out

Two Months Out

Production What went WrongTo begin with we failed to realise the complexities of producing HD contentEverybody rushing to the line at the same timeArt and Tech were the focus, sometimes the game was neglectedMilestone targets not communicated well to the teamProgrammers could have been scheduled better

Production What went rightNew team members hired at start of projectWhen an area was late resources were addedEmpowerment of team membersGame Balancing process went rightStrong relationship with publisherOutsourcing used effectivelyPeople looked after in times of stress

ConclusionsWe shipped on-time, a day 1 launch titleWe were Next GenWe dont want to do it like that again!Bizarre is in a prime position for future game development

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PitfallsBe ambitious but not too ambitiousAssume makes an ASS of U and MEIgnore the previous generation at your peril!Do things in the correct orderUnstable builds halt production

Funny Diary shots

Funny Diary shots

Funny Diary shots

Top Five TipsBe Flexible and Scaleable Communicate ChangeBuild RelationshipsReduce moving partsPrepare team for overtime and look after them!

Any Questions???