Project evaluation

Now the Games design document and pitch presentation has been done and finished i will now talk about how i felt the project went what was successful and what wasn't if any.

At the start of the project we were tasked to create mini concept documents no more than two pages, this way we could quickly get game ideas down but also flesh them out within the limitations of two pages so we had to think about the core mechanics of the game mainly, this was challenging but definitely worked well in getting the core game idea down as its the most important foundations for a game.

We then chose the game idea that seemed to work the most and could easily be fleshed out into a full game idea. This is where 'Witch Hunt' developed from a concept document to a full game design document. This process was done easier because of the prep work, coming up with the concept document thinking of just the core ideas of the game, this then enabled everything else to fit around the concept document following the same theme and the aesthetics.

This way of working seemed much more beneficial and productive, it gives a way for game concepts to almost be prototyped and tested to see if they would stand as up as an interesting game before much time has gone into fleshing the game out fully. I would definitely use this process again if i was to come up with a game concept in the future that i wanted to developed.

New Online portfolios

After creating two CV's i looked for websites to make an online portfolio to present my work as i needed to make two for this project, one aimed towards an AAA company, so it should mainly contain work that you specialised in, then another portfolio aimed towards at indie companies where you can show of more work instead of just the specialised.

There are two free website builders that i found the most useful,

www.wix.com
www.weebly.com

In the end i decided to go with weebly as it has some nice features and fairly cheap to upgrade the site to a pro account which is what i want to eventually do to make it look more professional.

I started off adding lots of stuff to the websites but then i cut lots out as i decided it started to look messy, so i took it back to the basics and made it much simpler but i think it looks more professional.

Here is how the two portfolios turned out, i hopefully will add, and improve some of the work on there shortly....

http://beaulambart.weebly.com

http://beaulambgameart.weebly.com

 

CV research

In today lecture we looked at creating a CV and the do's and donts. Here i have made a template to what is needed in a cover letter and CV. For each job application there should be a separate CV tailored to suit that jobs specific needs so each CV may differ slightly.

Cover Letter

• Less one page
• quick intro about yourself
• any relevant work experience or personal projects
• eager to learn and develop skills
• career goals
• sell yourself to to the role
• show interests in the job
• purpose of cover letter is to compliment to the CV
• in 1st person

CV

Header/Title
some personal details such as name of document, name, contact info, mobile number, email, link to portfolio
Short Paragraph
Tag line, something short a brief version of the cover letter in 3rd person.
Qualifications/education
Any qualifications and main subjects that are relevant to job application
Work experience
any previous work experience from the past 5 years, paid or unpaid ( doesn't need to be stated)
explain what role you had and the skills you learnt.
Relevant practical experience
any projects that have helped in learning new software or gaining practical experience, list what you did and the skills and knowledge learnt such as improved workflow.
Software
any software you are proficient with and what you've used it for
Personal details
Name, DOB, Address, nationality, full driving licence.
References
Available on request.

AAA Studio: Company analysis

AAA Studio:Irrational Games

About

Irrational Games was founded in 1997 by three former employees of another studio called Looking glass studios. In 2006 Take-Two Interactive announced that they had purchased Irrational and plan to publish their games on the 2K games label. Currently the Main studio is situated just outside Boston in the USA. 

Games

Irrational have worked on many games but the most successful is the Bioshock Franchise. 

-Bioshock

-Swat 4

-Freedom Force vs. the 3^rd Reich

-Tribes: Vengeance

-Freedom force

-System shock 2

-Bioshock Infinite

There latest and most anticipated Release Bioshock Infinite takes place in a steampunk city of Columbia, a floating city. The game is an intense 1^st person shooter that combines rich narrative and storytelling with unique and interesting mechanics. 

Company attitude

Although Irrational games is a large, successful and very professional game studio the company likes to showcase their employees and takes into account their achievements. They have a section on there website dedicated to featuring employees that work at the company. 

As a successful company they are also always on the lookout for new talent, here is a quote from their jobs page “We will seriously consider your application even if we don’t have a specific vacancy in your area of expertise listed” This shows that they understand that it’s the employees talent that truly makes their games what they are. 

Here is another quote to show a little more of what he company is about,

“Irrational Games offers generous salary packages and relocation within the US or internationally. So if you’re interested in working at a studio that is at the cutting edge of the industry, that makes awesome games, and that fosters creativity and a sense of fun, then Irrational Games may just be the place for you!”

Links 

Gamefront.com (2013) Irrational games announces vita Bioshock project. Retrieved from http://cdn2.gamefront.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/08/irrationallogo.jpg?cda6c1

Ethungup.com (2013) Bioshock infinite. Retrieved from https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibiya-uG17_Y_reGkrn-7cDCE77dxEojEL3iuayMWAOXBhiTXgvzebEGkjG9PVCC3i-s3UufYMxPSRnLmE-ytjlXJr19_BX88Mb4VZ3MEdfm0Qc1audpJov80P54KyXt12fxpCFYt4MAA/s1600/bioshock_infinite_2.jpg

Irrationalgames.com (2013) Retrieved from http://irrationalgames.com/studio/careers-at-irrational/

Indie Studio: Company analysis

Indie Studio: Supergiant Games

About

Supergiant games is an independent game company that was founded in 2009, the company was based in the living room of a house San Jose California. After the critical success of their first title Bastion they have now moved to a studio in San Francisco and are now currently a team of 9. 

Games 

Bastion- The first title by the company, Bastion is an action role-playing game that has been released on multiple platforms and received more than 100 awards. Here is a quote from Game pro, 

"Bastion isn't just one of the year's best titles. It's also one of the best stories you'll see in an indie game." - (5 / 5) 

 

 

Transistor- Is due to be released in 2014, not too much is released yet but the game focuses around the same game play as Bastion but in a futuristic cyberpunk city and focuses around turn base combat. 

Company attitude 

Supergiant games are a small development team that seem extremely passionate about games and even more making them. A quote from the company website,

 “Supergiant Games is a small developer with big ambitions: to make games that spark your imagination like the games you played as a kid.”

Although the company seem hardworking and dedicated they also seem to be relaxed and don’t take themselves too seriously. Looking through one of the companies job openings these are some of the Plus requirements for a job,

“· Skill in traditional and digital art
· Skill in 2D animation
· Experience scripting in the above-mentioned 3D modeling packages
· Experience with Illustrator, Flash, or other vector graphics software
· Experience with UI design and implementation
· You like otters”

 

Links:

http://supergiantgames.com/

Supergiantgames.com (2011) Bastion bulletin, april 201. Retrieved from http://supergiantgames.com/site/wp-content/uploads/SGLogo.jpg

Supergiantgames.com (2013) Bastion. Retrieved from http://supergiantgames.com/site/wp-content/uploads/Bastion_PC_0001.jpg

Supergiantgames.com (2013) First look at our next game: Transistor. Retrieved from http://supergiantgames.com/site/wp-content/uploads/Transistor_19-mar-2013_01.jpg  

Supergiantgames (2012) 3D Artist @ Supergiant games. Retrieved from http://supergiantgames.com/site/wp-content/uploads/otter.jpg

Market research and analysis

Looking at the market and recent trends there seems to be a rise of Free to play games, that offer in game purchases.. upgrades that the player can get playing the game, but is quicker and takes less time to purchase. Because Witch Hunt is an online multiplayer game this option would be a great opportunity.
Here is some research i came across while looking on Steam which is one of the biggest online game distribution sites.

These are just some of the most popular free to play game, what I've found is that these game have a lot of replay value and don't exactly have and end game state, Witch Hunt fits nicely in with this as its all about online gameplay and rounds instead of a storyline. In this list of games there are some old and some new that are still the most popular, for example Team fortress 2 the most popular free to play game on steam was released in 2007! so a good think with free to play game is that they keep there value for a long time especially if there is new content, maps, equipment etc updating.

Witch Hunt would be a great free to play casual game because players can experience short bursts of gameplay with friends but also get immersed in the game and play games back to back.

How would the game make money?
Because Witch Hunt has customisable characters, upgrades, pick ups and different maps all of these things could come in DLC packs or in game content that can be bought, nothing that would hinder gameplay but purely to make a players character more unique for example. Theres a lot that could be done with this method, even something simple like the player has 5 slots in witch they can customise characters, if they want to create more characters then they would have to purchase 5 more slots for example. 

GDD update

Below of the Pages for the GDD of the game idea i have created called 'Witch Hunt' I will next talk about how this game idea concept would fit in the market.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

GDD Update

Here's what I've been working on for the GDD, now i fleshed out most of the document in word i began setting out the pages in Photoshop so i can make the document visually rich.

GDD update

Recently I've been working on fleshing out the sections for the GDD and solidifying the game idea even more and expanding on other areas such as game modes and sounds for the game concept. Now i have a strong idea of how i want the game to be and look i began modelling some characters to set the visual style for the rest of the concepts.

Here is an example of the Witch and Hunter.

Now i will began fleshing out the visuals for other sections of the GDD such as environments then i can play out a level design and show how the game will play.

Presentation Skills

In today lecture we looked at presentation skills and what makes a good professional looking presentation. Professional is the key word here, presentations are usually when an idea is being pitched for some kind of help weather that's financial help or something else it needs to be professional so anyone viewing your pitch will know your serious about what your pitching and you know what your talking about.  If your not serious about your pitch or even know what your talking about then why would anyone else be interested in what you have to say.

Here are a few important points for a Proffesional presentation:

• Dress smart, look presentable not scruffy, makes you look like you make an effort instead of being lazy.
• Body language, be engaging and interested in what you do and what your talking about! again if you don't seem interested and have you hands in your pocket all the way throught then why will anyone else be interested.
• Be realistic, do your research. Make sure your product or idea is realistic, if its new and groundbreaking then do your research and show how its realistic. If you don't do your research people will pick your idea apart.
• Be concise, dont overcomplicate things or dont fill the viewer with too much information at once. Break up the presentation into more slides and less information and have that information stored in your head so you can verbally explain your idea. You may only have 5 minuets to pitch an idea so make sure everything your saying is relevant and will help get your ideas across.
• Less is more, use bullet points if neccasary to jog your memory on points then expand on these points and explain why the viewer needs to know this information.
• An image paints a thousand words, use image for every point you talk about to back up what your saying, this way it makes people understand more what your talking about and helps visualise any ideas and what your wanting to do.
• Prototype your ideas, if your pitching an idea its best to show prototypes of your product or idea, this helps the viewer to understand what exactly your wanting to acomplish, even if its just images to show the visual style or mocks ups to show how things will look.
• Be consistant, make sure your text and layout is consistant and tidy, this puts an idea in the viewers mind about the presenter and the person if they them selveves will be consistant and has a high level of presentation in the work they do.
• Know your audience, make sure you know who your pitching two or what your aiming your idea for. This way you know what they want, what theyve done and why your idea will interest them.

Game idea 3

Here's is my 3rd game concept i developed, a RTS with action and adventure elements. I had a real struggle with trying to get it fit on 2 pages, i couldn't cut anymore down so i had to add a small bit of information onto a 3rd page, hopefully it will be ok as the game would miss some vital information without it.

Referances

1. Wallpapers (n/a) Space craft’s in the city. Retrieved from http://wallpapers.androlib.com/android.wallpaper.space-crafts-in-the-city-qpx.aspx

2. Videojug (n/a) The planets explained. Retrieved from http://www.videojug.com/film/the-planets-explained

3. Planets for kids (n/a) Welcome. Retrieved from http://www.planetsforkids.org/

4. G4TV (2010) Morning Hangover: Good Times For Real Time Strategy Games. Retrieved from http://www.g4tv.com/thefeed/blog/post/702647/morning-hangover-good-times-for-real-time-strategy-games/

5. Brothersoft (n/a) Strategy Games - 2008 Top Five. Retrieved from http://blog.brothersoft.com/tag/pc-strategy-game/
6. EA.com (n/a) BattleForge. Retrieved from http://www.ea.com/battleforge 

Game idea 2

Here is the second game idea that i have developed into a short concept document. A near future FPS action game.

Referances

1. TMCnet (2007) Inventor creates Halo exo-skeleton armor suit for military use. Retrieved from http://blog.tmcnet.com/blog/tom-keating/inventor-creates-halo-exoskeleton-armor-suit-for-military-use.asp

2. BBC (2007) Super-strong body armour in sight. Retrieved from http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/sci/tech/7038686.stm

3.  G4TV (2013) 2013 Movie Preview: Elysium. Retrieved from http://www.g4tv.com/thefeed/blog/post/729963/2013-movie-preview-elysium/

4. Trekearth (2009) overpopulated. Retrieved from http://www.trekearth.com/gallery/Asia/Philippines/NCR/Manila/Mandaluyong_City/photo1080966.htm

5. Bumsonwheels (2010) the Many Faces of Panama City. Retrieved from http://www.bumsonwheels.com/2010/09/many-faces-of-panama-city.html

6. Nextbigfuture ( 2012) China Sky Cities Trying for Clean and Safe Versions of Judge Dredd's Stratoscapers and Megacities. Retrieved from http://nextbigfuture.com/2012/06/china-sky-cities-trying-for-clean-and.html

7. Deviantart (2005) Environment: POST-APOCALYPSE. Retrieved from http://inetgrafx.deviantart.com/art/Environment-POST-APOCALYPSE-20125872

8. Pinintrest.com (n/a) cybercity. Retrieved from http://pinterest.com/SDDavis3/cybercity/   

9. Planetside-universe (2009) PS: Next - Art Direction/Style (image intensive). Retrieved from http://www.planetside-universe.com/showthread.php?t=35584    

10. Purerlyreview (n/a) Bioshock. Retrieved from http://purelyreview.com/blog/?p=111
11. Eurogamer.net (2011) Rage: The return of id software. Retrieved from http://www.eurogamer.net/articles/digitalfoundry-the-return-of-id-software?page=2