IMGD 1001 - The Game

Development Process:
Game Development Timeline

by
Robert W. Lindeman (gogo@wpi.edu)
Kent Quirk (kent_quirk@cognitoy.com)
(with lots of input from Mark Claypool!)

Outline

Game Timeline (next)

Team Sizes

1
Game Development
Timeline (1 of 5)
 Inspiration

getting the global idea of the game

duration: 1 month (for a professional game)

people: lead designer, team discussion

result: treatment document, decision to continue

 Conceptualization

preparing the "complete" design of the game

duration: 3 months

people: designer + prototype programmers/artists

result: complete design document

(continued next slide)

Based on notes from Mark Overmars

Concept
• Define game concept
• Define core game features
• Find/Assign developer
• Estimate budget & Due date

Based on notes from Neal Robison, ATI

2
Concept: Van Helsing (1 of 4)

Based on notes from Neal Robison, ATI

Concept: Van Helsing (2 of 4)

Based on notes from Neal Robison, ATI

3
Concept: Van Helsing (3 of 4)

Van Helsing
Pre-Production Video

Based on notes from Neal Robison, ATI

Concept: Van Helsing (4 of 4)

Van Helsing
Finished Concept Video

Based on notes from Neal Robison, ATI

4
Game Development Timeline (2 of 5)
 Prototypes

Build prototypes as proof of concept
• Can take 2-3 months (or more)
• Typically done a few months after project start

In particular, used to test game play

Throw prototype away afterwards
• Don't expect it to evolve into game!
• The Pancake Principle (Fred Brooks)

“Plan to throw one away, you will anyway.”

Pitch to Publisher
 (Continued next slide)

Based on notes from Mark Overmars

Prototype or 1st Playable

 Game Design Document &
Technical Design Document =
"The Bibles"
 Production budget & detailed
schedule
 Working prototype, with game
mechanics
 Focus test
 Submit concept to Sony, etc.

Part of "pitch process", next)

You'll do this at the end of

this course!

Based on notes from Neal Robison, ATI

5
The Pitch Process:
Presentation
 Key pitch presentation content:

Concept overview & genre profile

Unique selling points

• What makes it stand out from its competitors

Proposed technology & target platform/s

Team biographies & heritage

Outline marketing information, including
potential licensing opportunities

Chapter 7.3, Introduction to Game Development

The Pitch Process:

Prototype
 Key game prototype features:

Core gameplay mechanic

Game engine / technological proficiency

Artistic / styling guide

Demonstration of control / camera system

Example gameplay goals

Chapter 7.3, Introduction to Game Development

6
The Pitch Process:
Project Schedule & Budget
 Schedule & budget must:

Be detailed and transparent

Allow for contingency scenarios

Have several sets of outcomes for different

size publishers

Be realistic

Chapter 7.3, Introduction to Game Development

The Deal:
Choosing a Publisher Research
 Publishers screen Developers
 But Developers should also research
prospective Publishers:

Are they financially stable?

Do they have appropriate reach for target?

Do they market / PR their games well?

Is there a history of non-payment of
milestones or royalties?

Have they produced many titles?
 Sometimes you take what you can get!

Chapter 7.3, Introduction to Game Development

7
The Deal:
IP Rights
 Intellectual Property Rights include:

Game name

Logos

Unique game mechanics & storyline

Unique characters, objects & settings

Game Source Code including artwork &

associated assets

Unique sounds and music

 You may not have much power

And it probably doesn’t matter

Chapter 7.3, Introduction to Game Development

The Deal:
Payment Negotiation (1 of 2)
 Current approximate development costs:

$4-5 million for AAA multi-platform

$2-3 million for AAA PlayStation 2 only

$1 million for A-quality single platform
 Royalties

Percentage payments of profits made after recoup of
development costs

Developer royalties range 0% ("work for hire") to 40%
 Other considerations:

Rising-rate royalty: more units sold = higher percentage

Clear royalty definition of 'wholesale price' (i.e., including
cost of goods etc.)

Right to audit publishers books

Currency/exchange rate/VAT figures

Chapter 7.3, Introduction to Game Development

8
Moving Projects Forward
 Most Publishers have a "Green-Light Process"

Used to determine which projects go forward
 Developers submit to committee at five, mostly
independent stages:

Concept

Assessment

Prototype

First Playable

Alpha
• At each stage, committee:

Decides whether or not to continue funding
o Developers then get next "lump" of money

Evaluates market potential

Adjusts unit forecasts accordingly

Chapter 7.3, Introduction to Game Development

Prototype: Red Ninja (1 of 3)

Based on notes from Neal Robison, ATI

9
Prototype: Red Ninja (2 of 3)

Red Ninja
Pre-Production Video

Based on notes from Neal Robison, ATI

Prototype: Red Ninja (3 of 3)

Red Ninja
Final Production Video

Based on notes from Neal Robison, ATI

10
Game Development Timeline (3 of 5)
 Blueprint

separate the project into different tiers

duration: 2 months

people: lead designer, software planner

result: several mini-specifications

 Architecture

creating a technical design that specifies tools
and technology used

duration: 2 months

people: project leader, software planner, lead

architect

result: full technical specification

Based on notes from Mark Overmars

Game Development Timeline (4 of 5)

 Tool building

create a number of (preferably reusable) tools, like
3D graphics engine, level builder, or unit builder

duration: 4 months

people: project leader and 4 (tool) programmers

result: set of functional tools (maybe not yet feature

complete)
 Assembly

create the game based on the design document
using the tools; update design document and tools
as required (consulting the lead designer)

duration: 12 months

people: project leader, 4 programmers, 4 artists

result: the complete game software and toolset

Based on notes from Mark Overmars

11
Other Milestones:
Alpha Definition
 At Alpha stage, a game should:

Have all of the required features of the
design implemented, but not necessarily
working correctly

Be tested thoroughly by QA to eliminate any
critical gameplay flaws

Still likely contains a certain amount of
placeholder assets

(Continued next slide)

Alpha Definition
 Feature complete
 "Localization" begins
 Focus test
 Play testing
 Marketing continues

Based on notes from Neal Robison, ATI

12
Alpha: Crash Bandicoot (1 of 2)

Based on notes from Neal Robison, ATI

Alpha: Crash Bandicoot (2 of 2)

Crash Bandicoot Video

13
Game Development Timeline (5 of 5)
• Level design

create the levels for the game

duration: 4 months

people: project leader, 3 level designers

result: finished game with all levels, in-game

tutorials, manuals
• Review

testing the code, the gameplay, and the levels

duration: 3 months (partially overlapping level

design)

people: 4 testers

result: the gold master

Based on notes from Mark Overmars

Other Milestones:
Beta Definition
• At Beta stage, a game should:

Have all content complete

Be tested thoroughly for bugs and gameplay

tweaks

Be shown to press for preview features

(Continued next slide)

14
Stages of Development: Beta
• Polish, polish, polish
• Game balancing
• Localization continues
• Demo versions

Based on notes from Neal Robison, ATI

Other Milestones:
Gold Master Definition
• At Gold Master stage, a game should:

Be sent to the platform holder/s (where
applicable) for TRC (Tech. Req. Checklist)
testing

Be sent to press for review

Be sent to duplication for production

Be backed up and stored

(Continued next slide)

Based on notes from Mark Overmars

15
Final/GMC/Gold
• The Game is "Done"
• Testing, testing, testing
• Intense pressure
• Submit to console
developers
• Manufacturing timing

Based on notes from Neal Robison, ATI

Post-Mortem
• Analysis of PR, marketing
• Analysis of production, source
Code
• What went right
• What went wrong
• Archive all assets
• Kick-off the Sequel!

Based on notes from Neal Robison, ATI

16
Outline
• Game Timeline
• Team Sizes (next)

Development Team Size

• As late as the mid-80's teams as small as one person.
• Today, teams ranging from 10-60 people.
• Programming now a proportionally smaller part of any
project, artistic content creation proportionally larger
• See Gamasutra, (www.gamasutra.com)

Search for "post mortem"

Game data at bottom includes team size and composition
• But it depends a lot on the genre

Laird and Jamin, EECS 494, Umich, Fall 2003

17
Development Team 1988
• Sublogic’s JET (early flight sim)

Sublogic later made scenery files for
Microsoft flight simulator
• 3 Programmers
• 1 Part-Time Artist
• 1 Tester

Total: 5

Laird and Jamin, EECS 494, Umich, Fall 2003

Development Team 1995

• Interplay’s Descent

Used 3-D polygon engine, not 2-D sprites

• 6 Programmers
• 1 Artist
• 2 Level Designers
• 1 Sound Designer
• Off-site Musicians

Total: 11

Laird and Jamin, EECS 494, Umich, Fall 2003

18
Development Team 2002
• THQ’s AlterEcho o3 Character Modelers and
• 1 Executive Producer Animators
• 1 Producer o1 2d and Texture Artist

• 4 Programmers o1 Audio Designer

• 2 Game Designers o1 Cinematic Animator

• 1 Writer o1 QA Lead and Testers

• 3 Level Designers

Total: 19+

Laird and Jamin, EECS 494, Umich, Fall 2003

Development Teams for

Online Games
• Star Wars online (2003?)
• Development team: 44 people

50% Artists

25% Designers

25% Programmers

• 3 Producers
• "Live" Team (starting at Beta, 6 months before
done)

8 Developers

50-60 Customer support (for 200K users)

1000 Volunteer staff (for 200K users)

Laird and Jamin, EECS 494, Umich, Fall 2003

19
A (Larger) Developer
Company Today
• Designing and creating computer games is
serious business

Large budgets ($10 million+)

Large number of people involved

Large risk
• Wisdom

Use modern software development techniques

• And maybe not the ones we just talked about

Keep creativity where it belongs

• In the design
• Not during the programming

20