Vertical Slice Reflection
Our vertical slice, Cosmic Conflict, has been in the pipeline since the start of the year, but the real work had been started for our vertical slice during the past few months. The game was showcased at a Christmas party that was thrown by the college to allow for people to show their game concepts to both the public and game industry. Out of all of the people that visited our game and played the demo, the majority were very interested in the current state of the game, inclusive of both the art concepts and models as well as the marketing demographics. As a team, we were very welcoming, some of us even making sure to approach the visitors and discuss our goals and ideas with intent. The issue we discussed after was that even though a couple of us approached people, others were more unsure. This was their first time in this sort of environment, so it was to be expected, but after a lengthy discussion we agreed that this does need to be worked on, but we achieved what we went there to do and this was ultimately a good experience.
Issues:
Production Schedule:
When we first started the year we created a production schedule to follow. Overall, this worked well and the majority of things were completed, however, we should have allowed us more time to complete certain tasks, but we are all up to date now and this is ready for the future. The main fix for this was to make sure that we have regular group meetings to discuss any outstanding problems, and how/what we will do as a team to tackle these issues, dependant on if we are behind/ahead of our tasks. If anyone is behind at any point, we will now discuss how to handle the problem, be it push back a deadline or ask for another member of the team to help where possible. We will create a revised production schedule to give us more time to complete tasks that may have taken longer previously. This will improve the progress and keep are group as efficient as possible.
Software Issues
One of the software issues we came across was that the software we use for sound, Logic Pro, had been updated to Logic Pro X in the week off the team had. Which has vastly impacted the progress for our game sound. As the old files were created using Logic Pro, some of the sounds have been corrupted when being imported into the new software. Not only do we need to get used to the layout of the software, but we now need to research if there is a way to import the old logic pro files into the new software without corrupting anything.
The other software issue we came across was Autodesk Maya. Even though the majority of models are being created on 3DS Max by Sam, the models will need to be put through Maya to Unity to make the game commercially sufficient, as Maya has the commercial key. Due to miscommunication with the lecturers about whether we had the commercial key for Maya, we have been unable to import the models. In the future we will make sure to chase things up with multiple different lecturers in order to know this current situation regarding these.
Conclusion
To conclude, we feel the vertical slice as a whole has been a success, but we have all agreed that it hasn’t been an easy task. This process has taught us how to handle issues as a team, and how to be more flexible with both tasks people are assigned and designing production schedules. After this module, we believe we have all learnt from mistakes that have been made, which will ultimately lead to a better process in the future. Looking back, there are a couple of creative aspects of the game that could have been developed further. If we had the time, we could have allowed more focus on the game itself, getting a few more features polished before hitting the FMP, as I understand there will be a lot of work ahead. Of course, the same applies to the production schedule and everyone working on sound, which unfortunately were down to time management as well as the issues written above. Had this gone smoothly, the sounds would have been more refined, and if more time was allocated to working on the game it would have been a more appealing vertical slice.
Team Proposal
For the team proposal, we discussed our game plan as a team, making sure to get a general understanding regarding everyone’s strong and weak points. As Harry, Charlie Sam and I had worked on the original Cosmic Conflict last year, it was easier to get an idea of our job roles. As well as looking into what Tom and Henry did, we were also able to identify how everyone does when it comes to independently working. We were also able to discuss what areas people work well in, as well as what areas people struggle in.
Job Roles
Tom
Tom is a new addition to the team, having not worked on the game last year, he brings a fresh outlook onto how the game is built. Having built his previous game with Henry using unity, he already has some experience that he can transfer across to this project. When Tom puts his mind to it, his work is very good and he is able to follow the production schedule. I feel that I will benefit from working with him as he will help me learn my way around unity using his previous experience. Currently we are working on the games “frame” – only coding the important parts and using blocks in place of the 3d models, so we can get a functioning game before we implement all of the models.
Henry
Also a new addition to the team, Henry is being welcomed with open arms, and hitting the ground running. Like Tom, he has extensive knowledge in his specialist skill, Music. He is very experienced in using programs like Fruit Loops and Logic Pro, having made game music using them in the past. Due to this, Henry will be creating the soundtrack and other sounds for the game. He is a great asset to the team and I am happy to continue working with him.
Sam
Sam is a veteran to game design, having already completed the course on the previous exam board, his 4 years of experience with 3D Modelling and anything art related is a cut above the rest. His primary role for this project is to create the 3D Models for the game using his chosen software, 3DS Max. Having already worked on the previous cosmic conflict, creating all of the assets, we knew that Sam was up to the task. As a team, we are thoroughly impressed with Sam’s current contributions, and pleasantly surprised with the level of progression he is working at, having nearly completed all of the 3D Models. His current task is to make sure the assets are ready to be implemented into the game, and look into making textures for everything.
Harry
Harry is working on the marketing side of the team. Anything from market analyses to PEGI ratings, Harry has got it covered. His work create the foundation for our game to blossom. His work ethic is immaculate, making sure to hit targets and get the work done on time. Of course as the project progresses, he will have less things to do surrounding marketing so as a team we have decided that he will be helping out with other aspects in the later stages of the project. Some of these include importing the assets from 3DS Max to Maya, and then into Unity ready for Tom and I to use, as well as designing the game menu.
Charlie
As always, Charlie is the “Swiss army knife” of the team. He is very much a universal contributor to projects, helping people with 3d modelling, marketing as well as sound design. He has an amazing work ethic and is the glue that holds the team together. Any issues that are found or if anyone is falling behind, Charlie is there to pick up the slack.
Ideal Content Vs. Realistic Outcome
From the start the team and I have had a lot of aspirational plans and a vast outlook onto what the game could/should look like. From the large amount of ideas we have discussed, many have already been implemented. We have added 2 x 180 degree turrets which the player can flick between and defend the ship with, as well as a lot of other features that were planned like controller support. The game is planned to be a Play Station 4 release, so controller support was a must have.
We had also had high hopes to implement Virtual Reality (VR) into the game. However, after much deliberation we have concluded that this realistically cannot be done in the time frame that we have, so are deciding to implement VR into the game in the future, when we have more time to do so. Another thing that we will aim to do, but may not necessarily materialise is that the 2 turrets could pave way to a CO-OP Multiplayer-esque game mode. This would open the doors to a more competitive version of the current game, but this would only be implemented if the time frame allowed for it. For the moment, we have decided to leave the idea of VR and CO-OP until further notice, but have allowed for it to be integrated relatively easily when the time arose to do so.
Looking onto E3, the team and I are working hard to deliver the goal in time for the expo. Having a working demo would be ideal, and given the current progression I am confident that we will do so. Everyone is working hard and making sure to stick with the production schedule, as well as voicing any concerns should the issues arise.
Independent Proposal
My contribution to the project is to code the game with Tom. Given my previous experience in this field, having published some games myself in the past, I am eager to get going. I will be using unity for the current game, which is a first for me. I have previous experience with the coding languages used in unity, be it Java or C#, but I am very new to the layout of the games engine as well as how it functions, so I am very pleased to be working with Tom on this project, as not only does he bring a lot to the team, but he is also in place to give me a helping hand where needed. Having 2 people working on the code of the game is extremely useful in regards to getting a second opinion on something or if there are any errors, so I am very happy to have this opportunity.
I feel my previous experience with game building, as well as having worked on and built the original cosmic conflict, will allow the team to excel in their chosen roles, as I will be able to take the pressure off the code aspect of the game. I am very calm under pressure and can deal with stress well, so I am able to hit deadlines on time with minimal issues. This was shown massively during the production of the vertical slice. I felt the work we had produced for the vertical slice was very appealing, and has successfully met all scheduled features, from the camera movement to the AI random spawning. This was a great success as both Tom and myself stuck to the schedule, and successfully managed to handle any and all issues we came across. This is testament to my time management and my quality of work that I am bringing to the team.
As previously mentioned, my knowledge of the unity engine as well as a few other aspects of the programs we are currently using are limited, so I was eager to do a bit of research into how I could develop these skills. As well as learning as I go and bouncing ideas of Tom, I took the time to look into a few industry professionals and how they handled certain aspects. I researched Logo Design, the rendering capabilities of the unity engine and UI Design. I intend to continue to look into these aspects of game design, as I feel it will greatly help both me and the team, and also help me on a personal level to excel further in my unity skills as well as my knowledge surrounding this.
Anything regarding my research into this can be found here.
If the above is implemented to the best of my ability, I feel it will help me improve, and not only push me to hit the proposed goal in time for the E3 Expo, but will also give my team the extra push to smash through the deadlines, giving us more time to work on extra features, that may not have originally been anticipated in the realistic outcome, but will help to continue to improve the quality of our game.
Problem Solving
Contingency Plan
To avoid any issues during the production of the game, both the team and myself came up with a contingency plan to make sure no work was lost. This involved keeping constant backups of the assets and the game, at a minimum of week by week. This meant that if anything was to go awry we would not have to start again, but simply revert back to the previous save. This also meant that by the end of the project timeline we had ended up with numerous sound backups, as well as over 100 revisions in Unity for backups of the game. The meetings we held weekly allowed the team to show their progress, and for us all to make sure things were both up to date as well as having the appropriate backups if anything was to happen.