Spring 2007COMP Design Teams Team Structure Interdisciplinary Teams

Spring 2007COMP Game Design 1. The game design vision drives everything 2. Every team member contributes something vital Respect their expertise

Spring 2007COMP Team Structure  Director/Producer –The person who’s driving –Has the creative vision for entire project –Possibly an expert in some area

Spring 2007COMP The Game Vision  A game derives from a vision  The Visual, Audio, Graphics, AI, Networks derives from this vision  It’s a collaboration!  It’s probably not a dictatorship –No one person can do all the work

Spring 2007COMP Team Components/Members  Game Play/Storyboard  Level Design  Graphics  Graphic Design  Animators  MoCap Actors  Networks  Multi-player Design  AI  Audio  Audio Design  Dialog  Voice Talent  Playtesting  Marketing  Technical Writers

Spring 2007COMP Software Engineering  The Waterfall Model: –Design -> Spec -> Coding -> Testing  Better: –Programmers discover what the customer wants –Programmers implement prototype –Users test prototype –Tests feed back to design

Spring 2007COMP Game Software Engineering  Many team members are non- programmers  Eg. Graphic artists are sometimes semi- literate –Their mastery is pictures!  Audio people have some CS experience  Marketing people have limited CS experience

Spring 2007COMP Specifications  Game specifications will cover many bases  It’s not all about software per se

Spring 2007COMP The Bottom Line  The team members are there for a reason:  Each team member is an expert

Spring 2007COMP Eg. Audio Design  Like any design job, there must be a logic to the audio design  The logic drives –Instrumentation –Musical style –Selection of phrases

Spring 2007COMP Logic Source  The audio design logic arises from game logic  The driving vision comes from the game –It’s not about creating a hit record, for example  Team members…

Spring 2007COMP Game Play  Expertise: Games, Storytelling  Provide a compelling experience  Set up goals for player(s) –Script –Storyboard  Programmers –Control game logic –Formal Language Scripts, etc for game play –Formal Language Script interpreter

Spring 2007COMP Level Design  Expertise: Games, Storytelling, Creative writing  Provide compelling experience this level –Adjust difficulty appropriate to level –Subsidiary to game design  Design –Spatial layout –Composition of forces –Pacing

Spring 2007COMP Level Design  Expertise: Games, Storytelling  Programmers –Creating behavior of enemy agents in geographic space –Special-purpose features this level –Design tools

Spring 2007COMP Graphics  Expertise: CS -- Computer Graphics  Programmers –Create the graphics game engine –Customize engine components for particular game –Visual effects –Performance tuning –Until recently, used most CPU

Spring 2007COMP Graphic Design  Expertise: Visual Arts/Graphic Design  Providing the visual content –Design the look –Implement the look  Graphic design will generate a visual system –Main task is to make the system visually consistent, coherent

Spring 2007COMP Animators  Expertise: Visual Arts/Animation  Create the animated characters –Keyframes –MoCap – Capture, Blending, Adjustment –Programming simulation controllers to create good animations  Programmers –Animation control & playback system –Scripting setup –Simulation system

Spring 2007COMP MoCap Actors  Expertise: Dance, Acting  Act out motion scripts –Create consistent character for each captured motion –Seamlessly join together motion segments  Programmers –Motion capture –Data management

Spring 2007COMP Networks  Expertise: CS Networks, Multiplayer  Programmers –Implement network components –Client-server system –Server creation –Create multi-player control for game Prediction, Etc

Spring 2007COMP Multi-player Design  Expertise: Multiplayer, CS Networks  Design multi-player scheme –Resolve conflicts –Deal with lag  Programmers –Game-specific strategies

Spring 2007COMP AI  Expertise: AI Algorithms, AI Game Practice  Programmers –Create the AI engine Could be just a general object suite –Customize to game components –Responsible for good AI enemy play Details!

Spring 2007COMP Audio  Expertise: CS -- Digital Sound Filters/Effects  Programmers –Create System-level audio software –Environmental effects filters –Resource management

Spring 2007COMP Audio Design  Expertise: Music  Designers –Create audio space –Interact with other system elements Player health, location Time of day, environment

Spring 2007COMP Dialog  Expertise: Creative Writing, Play Writing  Create believable speaking characters –Create lines of dialog that will sound good –Get the point across (or obscure it!)

Spring 2007COMP Voice Talent  Expertise: Acting, Radio  Create a compelling animated voice character –Voice fits the body –Delivers the lines appropriately

Spring 2007COMP Playtesting  Expertise: Games, Dealing with people  Test the game with real users –Get feedback –Adjust game difficulty –Adjust explanations, back story, etc –Get organized!

Spring 2007COMP Marketing  Expertise: Game market, distribution  Get the game on the market –Figure out who your customers are –Generate demand Get it reviewed favorably Place ads Hype

Spring 2007COMP Technical Writers  Expertise: Technical communications  Create documentation –Game manuals –API manuals In house External