spore: preproduction through prototyping. a brief history of spore concept...
TRANSCRIPT
Spore: Preproduction through Prototyping
A Brief History of Spore
Spore Team Size
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Tea
m S
ize
Concept Development Preproduction Production
Disclaimers
• Spore hasn’t yet shipped!
• Mostly not my work!
• Many of the mistakes are mine.
Framing
• Most applicable to new IP-preproduction
• Take the work of others for granted– Cerny’s “Method”– LeBlanc’s Mechanics, Dynamics, Aesthetics– Several others…
• This is an advanced talk, skipping foundations
• Except one…
What Is Preproduction?
• WHAT you are going to build,
• HOW you are going to build it
• Convince others that concept and team are worth the risk of full production
A Virtuous Preproduction Cycle
Clear DesignProgress
Motivated Developers
Team-wideOwnership
A Virtuous Preproduction Cycle
Clear DesignProgress
Motivated Developers
Team-wideOwnership
Describing Design With Words
A: “I think that when the player manipulates torso they should be moving around the spine and scaling each of the vertebra.”
B: “No way! That’s too complicated. We already have enough nouns for the player to be moving around in the creature editor.”
A: “But it’s the perfect analogy! It…”
B: “No it’s not.”
A: “Yes it is.”
Describing Design Via A Prototype
Decomposition
Aesthetics
Kinesthetics
Technology
GameMechanics
Describing Design Via A Prototype
Polish Matters
Polish Matters
Aesthetics
Kinesthetics
Technology
GameMechanics
Watch Out For Inappropriate Questions
A Virtuous Preproduction Cycle
Clear DesignProgress
Motivated Developers
Team-wideOwnership
Integrate Only When You Must
Not So Bad…
Aesthetics
Kinesthetics
Technology
GameMechanics
Integrate Only When You Must
Ouch…
Aesthetics
Kinesthetics
Technology
GameMechanics
Delight The Team
Delight The Team
Aesthetics
Kinesthetics
Technology
GameMechanics
Delight The Team
Aesthetics
Kinesthetics
Technology
GameMechanics
A Virtuous Preproduction Cycle
Clear DesignProgress
Motivated Developers
Team-wideOwnership
Cultivate Experimentation
Cultivate Experimentation
Cultivate Experimentation
Increasing Investment
Aesthetics
Kinesthetics
Technology
GameMechanics
Increasing Investment
Aesthetics
Kinesthetics
Technology
GameMechanics
Increasing Investment
Aesthetics
Kinesthetics
Technology
GameMechanics
Enable Tight Iteration...… For Everyone!
Q & A