1. Noah Brickman’s Adventures in Game Development 1997-2000 Graduated UCSC 1995 Graduated UCSC 1995 VR Design 95-96 VR Design 95-96 Game Development 97-2000 Game Development 97-2000 Simulation Design 00-present Simulation Design 00-present

2. Prolific Publishing Independent developer Independent developer 10 Programmers 10 Programmers 4 Artists 4 Artists 1 Producer 1 Producer

3. Return Fire II Military capture the flag game Military capture the flag game 3Dfx Voodoo acceleration 3Dfx Voodoo acceleration AI Player AI Player Networked gameplay Networked gameplay

4. Return Fire II Lessons Successful title but… Successful title but… 6 months behind schedule 6 months behind schedule Unrealistic deadline Unrealistic deadline Bloated UI Bloated UI Deadline creep limited development quality Deadline creep limited development quality

5. Hot Wheels Crash Car crashing game for the young at heart Car crashing game for the young at heart XML scripting engine XML scripting engine Level building tool Level building tool

6. Crash Lessons A good design goes a long way A good design goes a long way Good level building tools are essential Good level building tools are essential Track your artwork resources Track your artwork resources Beware of changes from the publisher Beware of changes from the publisher

7. Daikatana John Romero’s infamous shooter John Romero’s infamous shooter 40 monsters 40 monsters 30 weapons 30 weapons 5 Eras 5 Eras AI sidekicks AI sidekicks We leant AI support We leant AI support

8. Daikatana Lessons All that glitters… All that glitters… Years behind schedule Years behind schedule Inexperienced team Inexperienced team Changing tech design Changing tech design 5 different lead programmers 5 different lead programmers Unrealistic deadlines Unrealistic deadlines Personality conflicts Personality conflicts

9. The Good… Games are just fun Games are just fun Cutting edge technology Cutting edge technology  Graphics and shaders  Modeling and animation  AI  MMORPG  UI Design Educational collaborative environment Educational collaborative environment Industry perks? Industry perks?

10. The Bad… Long Hours Long Hours  EA Spouse Tight deadlines Tight deadlines Industry complications Industry complications

11. Useful Skills Know a bit of everything Know a bit of everything  3D Rendering and shaders  3D modeling and formats  Collision detection  Game physics  AI Good team communication Good team communication Youth Youth

12. Noah Brickman noah@superlight.net www.superlight.net/cmp161 Knee Deep in a Dream EA Spouse noah@superlight.net www.superlight.net/cmp161