1. Ultimate Spider-man DS: - Creating handheld counterparts to major console titles  Brent Gibson  Lead Artist, Vicarious Visions  Jan-Erik Steel  Lead Programmer, Vicarious Visions

2. What you should already know:  Planning is everything  The entire project should be planned in “High Level” based on features and team resources.  The project should then be planned in excruciating detail two milestones in advance.  NEVER massage your estimates to fit the schedule.  Leverage existing assets.

3. What you should also already know :  All work should be reviewed by peers.  Communication will make or break your project  Staff properly.  If porting a completed game, start the team together.  If a lot of design is needed, give the designers a head start.  Don’t plan on losing people at the end of the project.

4. Overview of this talk: 1. What do you have to live up to? - Analyzing the console game 2. Take your design a step further than the console game. - Making your game stand out from the console title 3. Getting your content into the game. Creating efficient, handheld-friendly pipelines 4. Are we having fun yet? Making sure the game is a good as it can be

5. What do you have to live up to?  Dissect the console game.  The ENTIRE team needs to thoroughly familiarize themselves with the console game.  If the console game isn’t already completed, make sure EVERYONE plays the console builds when you receive them. Gather everyone and play it together.  If the game is completed, or is a sequel, reach out to community of existing fans. Compile all reviews for previous game, scour boards for information directly from the people who play the game.  Spend ample time searching for the ‘essence’ of the console game.

6. What do you have to live up to?  Realize that you WILL be compared to the console game.  Most kids don’t really care if you only have a tenth of the RAM and a 2000 polygon budget. There’s no crying in handheld game development.  What can you feasibly do?  Unless you are making a direct port, never try to make your game exactly like the console.

7. Ultimate Spider-Man console  Incredible cutscenes  Second playable character  Cell-shaded rendering  Open city  Superb swinging mechanic

8. What we can’t do:  Full free roaming 3D  Realistic web swinging  In engine cutscenes  Sandbox Gameplay

9. What we can do:  Custom Dual Screen cutscenes  Second playable character  Cell-shaded rendering  Spline based city  Simplified swinging  Semi Linear Gameplay

10. Taking the game a step beyond the console game  Can you do things that they can’t?  If you fully utilize a system like the DS you can have features and functionality that the console game couldn’t possibly have.  With a loss in sandbox gameplay we gain a tighter narrative.

11. Acknowledge your limitations  Avoid watering down features so much that they don’t add anything to your game.  If there’s something you can’t do, remove it and replace it with something specifically designed for a hand-held.  Avoid adding features simply because the hardware supports it.

12. Acknowledge your limitations  Most likely you cannot compete graphically. So pick an art style that both complements your console counterpart and caters to your platform.  Time! Recognizing that disciplines need to have workflows that reduce dependency.

13. Embrace your strengths  Your screen is small, you don’t always need high resolution textures or high-poly models.  It must be pick-up-and-play, and highly enjoyable in 5 to 10 minute chunks.  Simplifying aspects of a game for a younger audience doesn’t necessarily have to detract from the game-play.  Your team is small and EVERYONE can have an impact. Keep everyone excited and involved.

14. Technology is key to excellence in Art and Design Streaming is your friend: Animation, sound, level geometry, textures can all be streamed off the cart to free up memory. Dual Screen UI and Cut-Scene player Most obvious way to differentiate from console. Pipeline improvements Allow a designer to create a level and play it without an engineer or artist. Bone Manipulation Technology Example of custom technology that opens up new design.

15. Getting content into your game  Establish your core mechanics as early as possible.  Recognize the “High Risk” problems and create solid solutions quickly.  Plan a pipeline that allows artists and designer to get content into the game without the help of an engineer.  A good build machine can be the best thing that ever happened to you.

16. Are we having fun yet?  Kid testing is critical!  Make sure you actually use all the information that you get from the kids.  Don’t ignore their criticisms, that’s the information you REALLY need.  Good review practices are a foundation for a solid game with fun features.

17. Are we having fun yet?  Have play sessions with the whole team.  Once a week.  Eat unhealthy food.  Laugh and enjoy the game.  Brag about the features you just added to the game.  If nothing new has been added, use it to allow game designers to describe up and coming features.  It’s a noble attempt at getting everyone to play the game.

18. Are we having fun yet?  Marketing information and market tests.  Examine this information very carefully but with a grain of salt.  They may tell you that kids buy games with talking fish, but it’ll take more than that to actually make an enjoyable game.  Use all of the information given to you, don’t discount it just because you don’t agree with it.

19. Are we having fun yet?  Schedule for an extra ‘Polish’ milestone.  You’ll be amazed what you can accomplish in the last few weeks of the project if you’re given just a little more time.  A game can become completely broken in the last few weeks if things are rushed.  The polish you add in this period can give you a 10% higher scores in reviews.

20. Take Away:  It is reasonable to aim for a higher review score than your console counterpart.  Spending ample time prototyping is a good thing.  If it’s not fun, CUT IT!  If you made a good handheld game, you should be able to go back to the console version and feel that you have improved.  Kids are young, not stupid.