climbing mountains what it takes to make aaa games
TRANSCRIPT
The DoughnutThe Blizzard Mission Statement
• The hole is the core gamer market
• The doughnut is the broad gamer market
• All Blizzard games are aimed at both markets
Definition of the AAA game
• High production values
• Appeals to a wide audience
• Considered the top game in its genre
• Usually a commercial success
Pros and Cons
• Team is motivated• Easier to recruit top
talent• Big potential rewards• Fame and Glory
• Long development times
• Very draining• Lots of arguing• Crunch time
Profile of the AAA game developer
• Must love games– Only gamers will put in the extra effort at the finish
line
• Team player– Huge egos equates to huge problems
• Willing to throw away work– Iteration is very important
Culture of Criticism
• Everyone should care about the quality of the game
• Criticism should be encouraged and expected
• Never directed at a person
• Strike teams
• Must remember the customer
Game Designers
• Why do you need them?– Games are too big
• What are they?– Implementer of ideas
• How to find them?– Hard to find since everyone can design a little bit (like
writing)– Look for experience and referrals
Pick your Battles
• Nothing in game design is black and white. Every decision costs
• You need to understand your highest priorities
• Don’t take the obvious stuff for granted
Easy to Learn, Difficult to Master
• Make game for the core gamer first– Especially important for multiplayer games
• Then make game accessible for broad market
• Very difficult to take shallow concepts and add depth
Top Selling PC games in the U.S. (October 2005)
1. Age of Empires III2. The Sims 2 Nightlife Expansion Pack3. Civilization IV4. Black and White 25. Roller Coaster Tycoon 36. World of Warcraft7. Call of Duty 28. Quake 49. F.E.A.R.10. Battlefield 2
Game Rankings.comTop rated games for 2004
Platform Title Avg Review
PC Half-Life 2 95.6%
X-Box Halo 2 93.8
PS2 GTA: San Andreas
94.7%
GC Metroid Prime 2 92.1%
Innovation is Overrated
• Who rewards innovation?
• Execution is equally important
• Different is not better
• Disclaimer: Innovation IS important– Need features that identifies your game– Industry need innovation over time
Control is King
• If your basic controls are sloppy, then the rest of the game suffers
• Frame rate and control are linked
• Cannot spend enough time on this– Took months to refine mouse cursor on Warcraft III
• Games like Mario and God of War made their reputation on control
Pacing
• The common denominator among all addictive games
• Player must feel accomplishment at a fairly rapid rate– Varies somewhat by game
• Can only determine proper pacing through extensive play testing
Polish or Perish
• Many games fail due to being bug ridden or difficult puzzles
• Polish does not just happen at the end of a project
• Don’t take the small decisions for granted
Don’t
• Get sucked into market timing
• Retrofit popular features from other games if they are not a fit for yours
• Believe your own hype