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Production The thrilling world of workflow
When is production? When you’ve got: A plan/GDD A budget A prototype/VS A timeline Tools Fun!
Level Design
Workflow/Pipeline Image courtesy of rickzrickz
Why Bother? Who wants red tape? Save time Avoid frustration Control iteration Manage budget Avoid crunch, delays
The Frontlines Pipeline
The Handoff
The phases Phase 0: it exists Phase 1: it’s got stuff in it Phase 2: even more stuff! Phase 3: The GM says it’s done Not all bad: as a designer, it’s kind of fun!
Why did it happen?
Our current process
Stages Contain steps Time boxed Clear deliverables Approvers Responsibilities
What is locked?
The Process Research & Concept Blockout & test Iteration & Vetting Refinement & Playtesting Optimization, Art content, bug fixing
A less crazy document
How’s it going? - Time estimates off + collaboration improved + No cut maps
Key Ingredients Unambiguous goals Defined stages Established approvers “The courage to be clear” It’s not about feelings
Single player process Image courtesy of max_westbymax_westby
Process breakdown
The Swarm
Positives Focus Team work Coherency Specialization
How do we do it? Unreal – architected for sharing
Submaps
The tangled web
Map Lead Produces known-good builds Insures seamless linking between sections Handles save/load issues
Drawbacks Loss of mission ownership Technically challenging
Will it work for you? Does it fit your game? Can your tools support it? Will it work for the developers?
How’s about Fallout 3? Take it Joel
55 Ayleid Ruins 57 Imperial Forts 24 Mines 09 Sewers 19 Oblivion Realms 91 Caves. 255 Dungeons What Came Before? Oblivion Staff 1 Dungeon Art Lead 4 Dungeon Artists 3 Level Designers (late) 8 Busy Individuals OblivionDungeons
How do 8 people build 255 dungeons/levels? Build Kits in 3ds Max Clutter/Light/FX “Warehouse” Layout & Populate Ship it!* *Some exceptions may apply Major Locations Got More Love
13 Metro Tunnels 12 DC Neighborhoods 26 Office Buildings 06 Vaults 15 Other 8 Caves 68 “Z” Cells. 148 LD Locations What Now? Fallout3Staff 6 Level Designers (peak) 4 Environment Artists Fallout 3 Spaces
Fallout 3 LD Workflow Iterative Passes, Formal Collaboration Pass 1: Basic Layout Pass 2: Refine, Populate, Script Art Pass: Lighting, Detail Clutter Pass 3: Polish for Ship Pass 4: Bonus Polish Time 1-5 Days per pass, depending on Size Passes Scheduled to match dependency Shared ownership, one party accountable
In Conclusion Production is hard Develop a pipeline Communicate concrete goals Stay flexible
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