Game Production Management

Sept. 20, 2006 THE Games Course

What is Production/Project Management

A field within its own right How does it differ from project management? - more focus on the PRODUCTION of a product, e.g. a game You can get a masters degree in this, so obviously in one session we will do a superficial treatment

Source for Slides

Game Archtectures and Design, A new edition, Andrew Rollings and Dave Morris, New Riders Press 2003 Section II chapter 9-15

The Romantic Version

1. Find about a dozen coders. Try to make sure that there is a good spread of specialization, (AI, graphics, sound, programmer) and whoever else is available on short notice. Appoint a quirky genius as lead programmer, usually because he is the sort of person who can code Quake III in his sleep and knows everything about anything. Put them together in a small room with a staff of artists at their disposal. Allow to simmer for an 1-24 month period, stirring periodically and adding soft drinks and pizza to taste. Be prepared to allow a little extra cooking time, but also be prepared tthat the result still may be half baked, or that the developers will have been frazzled to a crisp.

2.

3. 4.

5.

Personalities
Balancing technical and social skills
Technical skills in
Programming AI Graphics Sound (Ummm wheres the writer?)

Roles and Divisions

Management and Design Programming
Art
Software Planner, Lead architect, project manager, game designer

Lead programmer, programmer Lead artist, animators, backgrounds, lighting

Music/sound
Support and Quality Assurance

Lead music, composer, sound effects specialist

Technical support, QA team, playtester, support technician

Morale Boosters
Good flow of information Minimum level of internal competition Realistic schedules Fair play Good working relations Ground rules Pleasant work environment w/ up-to-date equipment and software Regular working hours Constructive benefits

The Software Factory

Def: a methodology of producing software using techniques similar to standard factory (e.g. for cars) Advantages:
Makes cross-platform easier Codes more reliable Code reusable Knowledge spread out among all developers Increased visibility of project progress Increased specialization of developers

Disadvantages:
First project will take longer Reusable code must be developed for each platform Code more generic - more difficult to develop Initial code development takes longer More administration Less skill flexibility

Groups
Basic: Story, AI, Interface, Programming connections, support tools, Artwork (characters, objects, sets, lighting), Sound/Music, Production management, Publicity, Quality Assurance
In a class exercise we will consider
Responsibilities Skills requirements (who needs to know what) Technology needs (group resource needs) Interaction set. Who talks to whom, about what.

Timelines and Milestones

Fuzzy milestones (one that has many interpretations and x possible ways ot achieve it)
A milestone should be clear and concise. Cast as obvious whether it has been achieved or not Creative hacking vs. design implementation Mini-milestones: not too vague not overwhelming in detail

Bad (Fuzzy) Milestones

Write a editor in your favorite language to design worlds Convert graphics engine to 32-bit Integrate two graphic systems so we can see both on screen at once Have a playable level up and running Have five playable levels Go into alpha testing

Milestone Structure (Fall)

1. Step 1
1. 2. 3. General requirements gathering Technological requirements gathering Resource requirements gathering General feasibility study Technological Resource Draft architecture spec Project initialization

2.

Step 2
1. 2. 3.

3.

Step 3
1. 2.

Milestones Continued (Spring)

1. Step 4
1. 2. Initial component prototypes Testing results evaluated

2.

Step 5
1. 2. Elaboration of details Testing results evaluated
Full product test Testing results evaluated

3.

Step 6
1. 2.

4.

Step 7: Product unveiling

Process and Procedures Reviews!!!!

Design reviews Document reviews Technical reviews Code reviews Unit testing Integration testing System testing Configuration testing Regression testing -- retest to insure module hasnt regressed

Major Phases
DESIGN DOCUMENT PROTOTYPE DEVELOPMENT Alpha Product (what will it contain) Beta Product (what improvements/details) Version 1.0 (targeted by design doc) Version

Managing Time and Resources

Understanding how to plan the process is key.
We will do an in class exercise The big projects: Engine design SDK mastery (and limitation awareness) Game design Social, cultural and ethical considerations