Gaming Industry part 2- production

Game Industry By: Motaz Al-Agamawi Part- 2, Production Overview

November 2009

Prepared By:

Al-Motaz Bellah Alaa Al-Agamawi

Source: Game Design and Development, By Michael Moore, Pearson, 2007

Part 2

Production Overview

With Focus on Scheduling and Budgeting

Gaming Industry


Table of Content

2

Production Overview

Main Milestones

Milestones Details

Estimate Timeframes

Team Overview

Team Structure

Main Players

Resources over Milestones

Budgeting

Assumptions

US/EU Game Cost

Egypt Game Cost

Cost Comparisons


3

Production Overview


Production Overview…

4

Postproduction

Production

Preproduction



5

Preproduction:

• Design Specification: Pitch Paper and Design Proposal

• Game Design Document

• Technical Review

• Selecting Game Engine (Middleware)



6

Production:

• Interactive Prototype

• Designer Tools (Map Editor, Scripting Language, …)

• User Interface

• Balancing Game Play

• Debugging

• Marketing



7

Postproduction:

• Marketing and distribution of Game


8

Production Milestones Overview


Main Milestones…

9

1 • Game Design Document- GDD

2 • Technical Review

3 • Engine Proof

4 • Playable

5 • Interim Checkpoint

6 • Alpha

7 • Interim Checkpoint

8 • Beta

9 • Golden Master


Main Milestones… 1- Game Design Document- GDD

10

Game Design Document:

• Timeframe: 3 to 6 Month

GDD Art

Specification Design Doc

Complete Content

Assets List

Updated Schedule

and Budget

Summary of Marketing

Opportunity

Secondary Products Based on Design

Phase Output/ Deliverables

• Management Either Approve or Cancel

Dependency


Main Milestones… 2- Technical Review

11

Technical Review:


Technical Design Doc Production timeline

Formal Milestone

Schedule and Checklist

List of Needed Resources

Final Development

Budget

Technology Demo Code


• Approval of GDD

• Management Either Approve or Cancel

Dependency


Main Milestones… 3- Engine Proof

12

Engine Proof:


One or More Demo Programs of the Technology including

Movement and Combat Sample Art for review


• Approval of TR

• Interactive Prototype is Up and running

Dependency


Main Milestones… 4- First Playable

13

First Playable:


Working Version of the Game with at least one entire level

Including all the major activities

Sample of Game Art although engine

might not be able to handle animation

and effects

Associate Doc to Support Version

Updated Schedule and Budget based on current status


Approval of Engine

Proof Dependency


Main Milestones… 5- Interim Checkpoint

14

Interim Checkpoint:

• Between First Play and Alpha

• Frequency: Once a Month

Monthly version including main game play to be completed

and showable

Documentation showing status and explaining

all changes from previous version



Main Milestones… 6- Alpha

15

Alpha:


• Starting from end of First play

• Definition of Alpha: Feature Complete

All Major Game play are coded, player can play

from start to finish

May contain a considerable amount of

placeholders art

Shell Interface will be probably

missing



Main Milestones… 7- Interim Checkpoint

16

Interim Checkpoint:

• Between Alpha and Beta

• Frequency: Once a Month

• Time between Alpha and Beta is the Longest in production

All Art work is completed

Levels are completed

Audio is Added

Final Code Modules are Completed


Testing Starts

for Game Play

Dependency


Main Milestones… 8- Beta

17

Beta

• Timeframe: from 3 to 6

• Game is finished and ready to be shipped except for tuning and final testing

Priorities all reaming Bugs

Attempt to remove as many as possible bugs especially ones that cause crashes or

violate SW standard


Game Ready

to Market

Dependency


Main Milestones… 9- Golden Master

18

Golden Master

• Turning the Golden Master Version for Final Disk for final Verification and Approval

• When Golden Master is Accepted the Production Cycle Ends


Main Milestones… Estimate Timeframes for Games

19

Phase Highly

Sophisticated

Avg.

Sophisticated

Min

Sophisticated

GDD 6 4.5 3

TR 3 2.5 2

Engine Proof 9 6 3

First Playable 12 7.5 3

Alpha 9 6 3

Beta 6 4.5 3

Total Req. Time 45 Month 29 Month 17 Month

Approx. Time 4 Years 2.5 Years 1.5 Year


20

Team Overview


Team Overview … Team Structure

21

Source: Game Design and Development, By Michael Moore, Pearson, 2007


Team Overview … Main Players

22

Producer: Has a working experience between 15 to 25 years in game industry.

Shipped Multiple titles. Act as the new company’s management.

Designer: Designed min of 3 shipped titles. One was a smash success and the

other two were respectable hits.

Lear Programmer: Has a working experience of more than 8 years in the game

industry. Has shipped multiple titles.

Senior Programmer/Tools: Has a working experience of more than 8 years in

the game industry on many different tools for designer and artist.

Senior Programmer/Engine: Has a working experience of more than 7 years in

the game industry with experience in building game engines and using middleware.


Team Overview … Main Players

23

Lead Artist: Worked as a creative director at last position. Shipped a minimum

of 6 tiles with an experience not less than 11 years.

3D Modeling Artist: Has a working experience of more than 7 years in the

game industry and a minimum of three shipped titles. Must Master 3D studio.

3D Texture Artist: The most junior group member with an experience not less

than 5 years and a minimum of two shipped titles.


Team Overview … Typical Team Members Functions

24

Producer

Designer

Asst Designer

Lead Programmer

Programmer/Tools

Programmer/Engine

Programmer/Network

programmer/ Audio

Lead Artist

Artist/3D Modeling

Artist/Animation

Artist/3D texture

Artist/Interface

Music

Lead test

Inhouse Testers

Temp Testers


Team Overview … Allocation Over Milestones

25

If we considered a minimum sophisticated Game, Milestones will be as follows:

6 Months

• Pre-Alpha

• GDD, Technical Review, Engine Proof, First Playable

9 Months

• Alpha

• 9 Interims Checkpoints will be produced

2 Months • Beta

1 Month • Golden master


Team Overview … Allocation Over Milestones

26

If we considered a

minimum sophisticated

Game, Resource

allocation will be as

follows, over 18

Months:

1st 6 Months 2nd 6 Month 3rd 6 Month

Producer 1 1 1

Designer 1 1 1

Asst. Designer 1 1 1

Lead Programmer 1 1 1

Programmer 4 6 6

Lear Artist 1 1 1

Artist 7 15 15

Music 1 1

Lead Test 1 1

In-house Tester 3

Part-time Tester 4

Total 16 28 35


27

Budgeting


Budgeting… Assumptions for US/EU-- General

28

The coming assumptions are for a minimum sophisticated game production.

Budgeting is for production cost only without any other expenses.

Depreciation and other accounting norms are not calculated.

Plan is over 18 Months, and divided by quarters.

Resources and Resource allocation are based on info mentioned in previous sections.

25% benefits are calculated from the total salaries to cover uncalculated items.

Assuming Rent as 35,000 USD per month for 2000 square foot space.

Two desk, a chair, a lamp, telephone, a whiteboard, bookshelf for each team

member. A cost of 500 USD per team member is calculated.

3000 USD per team member computer and infrastructure share in included.

1500 USD for SW license per producer, designer and testers

3000 USD for SW license per programmers

7000 USD for SW license per Art professional


Budgeting… Assumptions for US/EU-- General

29

Different Team Functions and Ranks

Salaries in USD


Budgeting… Budget for US/EU

30

# Staff over 1.5 Year

Total Salaries


Budgeting… Budget for US/EU

31

A Minimum Sophisticated Game

production cost in US/EU is

3,711,750 USD


Budgeting… Assumptions for Egypt-- General

32

Assuming an

Average of 39%

of the US/EU

Salaries

Rent is calculated

as 8000 USD per

month


Budgeting… Budget for Egypt

33


Budgeting… Budget for Egypt

34

A Minimum Sophisticated Game

production cost in Egypt is

1,255,725 USD


Budgeting… Comparing Egypt to US/EU Cost

35


Budgeting… Comparing Egypt to US/EU Cost

36


thank you…

37

For More Information and Further Discussions

Al-Motaz Bellah Alaa Al-Agamawi

Email: [email protected]

Skype ID: magamawi

Linkedin Profile: http://www.linkedin.com/in/motazalagamawi

SlideShare Profile: http://www.slideshare.net/magamawi

mailto:[email protected]

http://www.linkedin.com/in/motazalagamawi

http://www.linkedin.com/in/motazalagamawi

http://www.slideshare.net/magamawi

Date post:	23-Jan-2015
Category:	Technology
Upload:	motaz-agamawi
View:	1,195 times
Download:	4 times