Updates, Updates...UPDATES!

What is new with me: I have graduated with my Masters in Game Production, finally received my work permit for the US (Only took 5 years and 4 degrees to be recognized) and am in the process of job hunting for an Associate/Assistant Production or Project Management position in the Game Industry.

Of course I am keeping myself busy. While working with Warm Gun I have familiarized myself with a new proprietary software SVN called Code Spaces . I am also in the works with a small team to produce a title for the iphone using the free Unity 3D tool while familiarizing myself even more with JIRA and Confluence. This should be interesting.

Please keep checking my blog. It is about to explode with new information from......TODAY!

Custodial Carnage goes GOLD

Today is the day! After 5 months of HARD work Random Encounter presents CUSTODIAL CARNAGE to the.......WORLD! Correct, we have a LIVE stream at 1pm EST showing our presentation. Pressure much? Maybe, but that is where we thrive isn't it? ;)

http://www.ustream.tv/channel/fs-game-presentations

Thesis done! Early defense complete!

My thesis has been successfully defended one month ahead of regularly scheduled defense! The thesis focuses on examining the cohesive qualities of team members through the use of multiplayer games. Check it out! Halo fans will love this one!

WARM GUN is a GO

Some awesome news! I have been recruited by the WARM GUN team

http://emotionalrobots.com/games

The team was a FINALIST in the Make Something Unreal competition, and are working hard to really make an impression this year.

Currently we had video's of the Warm Gun mod available at China's GDC in EPIC's booth, VERY COOL! and are en route to have something "special" for GDCC in October. Be SURE to be checking that out!

Will post more details soon!

Moving to GOLD

Random Encounter is moving to Gold! With Beta all wrapped up and complete the team is putting the final touches on Custodial Carnage before it is "shipped". Final cut-scenes are going in, lighting is being reworked, ricochet is now SUPER awesome and MORE fun and essentially everything is just pretty!

Be sure to check out our Gold Presentation LIVE stream coming soon followed by our FINAL GOLD build.

Beta presentation LIVE stream

Attached is our Beta LIVE stream. I'm the guy that did the RISKS and how we plan on mitigating them :)

Check it out!

http://www.ustream.tv/recorded/8565796

Entering the world of Beta

Random Encounter is now heading to Beta with Custodial Carnage. Quite a few changes are being made. We spent all the way up until Alpha getting all of our tech in, getting it working and getting it functional without crashes...now it's time to make that tech fun!

The guys are heavily influenced by Red Dead Redemption by Rockstar, who visited Full Sail some weeks back. Actually, they liked the "Dead Eye" mode so well, they have tried to incorporate a version of their own. We are currently testing "UNdead Eye" which is a version of this. Matrix style, slowdown and pwnage...and its fun!

Another huge test phase is going into the Boss fight. Since the boss zombie Helga is the finale for Custodial Carnage it needs to hit home...it needs to hit home HARD. Currently we are testing iterations of the Bosses spit and melee abilities. We are trying scatter shot zombie spits, machine gun spits, more damage, more zombies, special spit...you name it, we're tying it.

By Friday we are going to be testing all these iterations with the team members and decide which one we think is best. With that done, we will be implementing and polishing it as much as possible.

Another HUGE incorporation for Custodial Carnage is a lighting system. Currently we are still going through iterations and bug fixes but we are certain that these minor issues will be resolved by the weekend.

Finally we are putting in a TON of effects. Each weapon is going to have their own effect, their own sound, their own feedback system and their own reward system. This is a HUGE stem forward for gameplay. Coupled with some AWESOME cut-scenes we have in store (you should see em they look like something from Dexter's Laboratory) and some hilarious comedic design by the team, Custodial Carnage is going to have the crowd rolling.

More updates and PICS to come! Stay tuned!!

ALPHA build as promised

Here it is folks! Our ALPHA build for Custodial Carnage. Please give us any feedback you have so we can make the gameplay as fun as possible!!

http://www.mediafire.com/?4zzaozmzem2

Custodial Carnage hits ALPHA

That's right folks, Custodial Carnage has hit ALPHA today. The team at Random Encounter will be presenting our most recent build to the GP Games Studio tomorrow morning bright and early. Be sure to keep an eye out, images, video's and an ALPHA DOWNLOAD will be posted soon!

Photos from Custodial Carnage

Feature Frag 2 donzo

Well Feature Fragment 2 has come....we were awesome...and now we are moving on at full steam! Alpha is within our grasp...just one week away and the team is once again going all out.


Here is a video of our FF2 build we presented before the staff of GP games this morning.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K4TsRrbukGU

Punching NOS!

Random Encounter is currently pushing the limits of their abilities as we move towards Feature Fragment 2 and Alpha. The team is literally going all out, giving all they got until we get the features in for the next milestone. But it does not stop there...stay tuned. We will be posting a Feature Fragment 2 video in T-minus 3 days!!!!

Custodial Carnage POC complete

Most recently Custodial Carnage (The game that I am currently producing) finished our Proof Of Concept or Prototype build. Our team (Random Encounter) has created a game where you play as Niel Stryker, a custodial engineer, who has to clean up the school he works in from all the kids who have been zombified. Luckily Niel packs his own lunch and was not infected by whatever was in the cafeteria food. Niel must use any and every item in the environment (including spiked medicine balls, dissected frogs and hockey sticks) to rid the school of these enemies.

Here is our base build for our game. Its very fun to play. I cant wait for the ricochet to be up and running.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kUg-6o0P92k

Currently reading this book based on game design. This was recommended to me by Ari Patrick

Will be posting a writeup on what I thought of this book soon!

Critical analysis of Gears fo War 2

I am currently working with Ari Patrick http://blog.aripatrick.com on analysis of an FPS. We are currently examining Gears of War 2 Menu, HUD, and first 2 levels in extreme detail.

The following are being examined:


INTRODUCTION

- Theme
- Story Overview (setting)
- Key features/Selling points

INTERFACE

- Front end menu
- HUD (How does it interest the player, is the single player of interest from this)

CHARACTER DESIGN
- Player (Appearance - can the player relate to the person in a single sitting)
- Personality (Dialogue, breaks the 4th wall)
- Allies (Appearance - do they complement the player, do they help)
- Enemies (Do they feel/look like a threat, what is required for an attack)
- Neutrals (Appearance, how does the game define neutral)

LEVEL DESIGN
- Scale (size of the level and time to completion)
- Appearance (What catches the players eye)
- Paths (Linear or non-linear, does the player care)

WEAPON DESIGN
- Variety (Are the weapons something the player wants, do you care to want more/less weapons)
- Scale (weapon drop and placement vs. size of map)
- Appearance (do the big weapons feel/look big (powerful))
- Usage (Range - shotgun (close range), sniper (long range), These are two extremes, what falls in between)
- Rate of fire
- Reticle/scope change
- Bullet Management (how long, reload time)

CUT SCENES
- Length (how long does it take to complete)
- Pacing (how long it takes relative to the pacing of the gameplay)
- Is it informative/entertaining.

TUTORIALS
- Integrated into gameplay (is the tutorial separate or part of the game, does the player need tutorials)

CONTROLS
- Console controls (How do they feel relative to competitors, is it easy to pickup and play)

Progressing with Random Encounter

Random Encounter is the name of the team that I will be producing Custodial Carnage with. Custodial Carnage is a 3rd person "shooter" involving the player controlling a janitor in a school filled with teenage zombies. As Nick Stryker you will move through a Boiler Room, Science Lab and Gym picking up objects and throwing them at the enemies to gain points. The secret behind the zombification of the school is revealed in the final stage when you confront the Lunch Lady Boss, Helga...

Orbiting the Giant Hairball!

After attending GDC (Game Developers Conference) in March 2010 I was pointed in the direction of this book by Gordon MacKenzie. The book helps explain how creativity can be lost during the "ascension" process of ones career into corporate business. MacKenzie tells about his time spent working at Hallmark and certain obstacles he overcame regarding bringing out peoples creativity by speaking to corporate business execuitives. He tries to bridge the gap that seems to have been created in certain situations where creativity is stifled because of conformity to corporate structure. The biggest takeaways I got from this book were

1. Versatility is necessary when navigating the hairball
2. Knowing how to orbit the hairball becomes more necessary as you move up through a company
3. Motivation is one of the key attributes to being versatile
4. Assisting or allowing others to realize their abilities is more useful that telling them how it is done

I think it is important to realize that the creative industry is not something can always follow a set pattern, but it should always have a positive purpose. This is shown in different game industry companies where different methodologies are used during the course of production and different companies systems that conform to their creative team.

For example, the setting of a place can help someone come into closer contact with their creative side, as MacKenzie describes in one of his stories where he "upgrades" a section of the Hallmark company with desks, lighting and props to help bring out the creative elements of people.

As mentioned above, motivation and versatility is vital during the production process, especially in the game industry. Since there is no official production methodology written that works for every single game company there is no true way to say if something is going to work. Some developers may believe an idea and design is fantastic only to find out after it is released it was not received well.

It is not to say that a "terrible" game is always due to poor development. This happens, but it can also mean that pre-production or even production was just not what research showed. Sometimes it can just be a gut feeling, and knowing how to pitch that gut feeling to stakeholders is very important. I think this book helps the reader realize how to use that feeling to ones strength and gain the trust of your stakeholders to make your "dream" come true!

Multimedia/Game Design Degree Images

Personal logo used for X-Cape
Hall design made from X-cape game
Castle design from X-cape game
Dining hall from X-Cape game
Replica image made in 3DS Max

Over the last 5 years I have completed my Associates Degree in Multimedia and Bachelors Degree in Digital Entertainment and Game Design.

Attached are images created from both degrees.

Game Design Masters of Science Program

The following is a summary of the courses for my Masters program at Full Sail. The course is 12 months long. The course description is taken directly from the Full Sail Propeller website.

1. Production Leadership

The process of producing video games involves multiple highly technical team players and requires a specialized set of strategies for leading such a team. This course examines the theoretical basis for assessing team motivation and several effective approaches to influencing behavior and facilitating high performance for the individuals and the team as a whole. The students will be introduced to the scientific method and will develop critical thinking skills necessary for their thesis research and for the effective leadership of production teams.

Accomplishments

a. Gained understanding and knowledge of leadership methodologies and motivational processes for teams

b. Became experienced in team presentations regarding leadership methodologies

c. Became experienced in team efforts and accountability regarding the completion of a team leadership project

2. Design Mechanics

Taking the concepts from the Game Design course, this course further expands on students’ game ideas, helping them towards a complete game design. Students learn how to create playable scenarios for their games as well as how to identify balance issues that arise during gameplay. Students also learn how to balance games for players of different skill levels as well as how to develop an interface that is easy to use and matches their target audiences.

Accomplishments

a. Gained understanding of Internal, External and Statistical validity associated with game production

b. Became IRB certified to assist with surveys and analysis

c. Performed research regarding my thesis document gaining information on examining the cohesiveness of small game development themes

d. Gained individual presentation skills regarding research of different design mechanics and methodologies

3. Production Methodologies

The Production Methodologies Course examines the many different ways that managers can schedule, plan, and execute their projects. Students learn project management methods and software development methods and explore how these led to the basis of production methodologies. They also examine the different approaches to planning and executing projects, as well as learning which ones are more suited to the software and manufacturing fields.

Accomplishments

a. Gained group presentations skills through the research of Six Sigma, Rapid Application, Extreme Programming, Prototype and Boutique production methodologies

b. Researched and presented comparisons of companies using these methodologies to possible uses in the game industry.

4. Production Management Principles

The Production Management Principles Course examines the many different ways that managers can schedule, plan, and execute their projects. Students learn project management methods and software development methods and explore how these led to the basis of production methodologies. They also examine the different approaches to planning and executing projects, as well as learning which ones are more suited to the software and manufacturing fields.

Accomplishments

a. Worked as a team under time constraints to deliver a fully detail Project Management Plan for the entire course of Final Project

b. Learned prioritization, team management and leadership skills for documentation using sprint methodologies

5. Leadership and Team Dynamics

The Leadership & Team Dynamics Course is focused on the soft skills necessary to successfully operate as an effective leader, particularly as that applies to production roles in the game industry. Students in this course build upon theories of leadership, management, and teambuilding discussed throughout the program, combining those concepts with theories of personality analysis that will give students greater insight into themselves and those they will lead in the industry. Students also have the opportunity to take on the leadership mantle, allowing them to experience the practical application of these theoretical systems.

Accomplishments

a. Researched leadership systems in the game industry regarding certain companies (Id, Ubisoft and Electronic Arts) and their association with established leadership identification systems (True Colors and Myers-Briggs).

b. Gained individual presentation skills through research of the dynamics of the game industry (female leads characters, story design)

6. Asset Management

Game Projects typically have thousands of assets that are created for each and every game. These can easily overwhelm most managers and cause problems in the game schedule. In this course students learn how to plan and organize their game assets from day one. This covers how to store assets, how to plan them in their schedule, and how to get them from one place to another, such as the artist to the game itself. Students will also learn how to plan the localization of their games and assets for different regions.

Accomplishments

a. Completed several research and group presentation projects on postmortems, rapid application, cost/value comparisons and moodboards.

b. Presented alternate design theories for establish games from Final Project.

c. Researched and presented localization of games regarding design, color and culture.

7. Game Production Tools

Building on the skills from the Game Project and Team Management course, this course equips students with tools used in the processes of software production and project management. Students in this course learn about project management software that aids in the management, workflow, and documentation of projects, including Microsoft Project, Visio, asset management systems, defect tracking systems, and more.

Accomplishments

a. Gained understanding and knowledge of weekly and monthly capacity planning through Microsoft Excel 2007.

b. Created production schedules including core features, cut lists and test/fail systems

c. Created a full Microsoft Project 2007 document gathering all research and compiling and presenting it by milestone to be used for pre-production, production and post-production.

I have currently started these courses and will complete them by the end of April 2010.

8. Game Capstone Project: Preproduction

In the Game Capstone: Project Preproduction Course, students are paired with an undergraduate Game Project group to plan the genre and scope of their game project, including designing the gameplay, and determining technological issues. Students decide what kind of features the game will have and exactly how they will be accomplished before assigning individual tasks and beginning production.

9. Quality Assurance

Quality Assurance is an integral component of the game design process. The successful delivery of a game is dependent on the verification and validation of an effective quality assurance system. Topics in this course include function prototypes, test sets (which include defect testing and acceptance testing), and structural prototyping. Students develop a continuous process improvement program for their capstone project. The bug testing cycle and accepted bug testing software are also introduced. This course provides students with the skills to design and implement a testing program from the beginning of the development cycle to the end.

Welcome to my blog! Keep an eye out, I will be updating this site with all my projects I have done over the past 6 years.