1 / 40

Overview of the Casual Games Space with a focus on the needs of developers.

Overview of the Casual Games Space with a focus on the needs of developers. Ivan Tkachenko Vice President of Production Nikitova Games / Kenjitsu. Nikitova: Outsourcing. 6 years of experience 5 offices Chicago, LA, Kiev, St Petersburg, Dnepropetrovsk 3 dev teams

brie
Download Presentation

Overview of the Casual Games Space with a focus on the needs of developers.

An Image/Link below is provided (as is) to download presentation Download Policy: Content on the Website is provided to you AS IS for your information and personal use and may not be sold / licensed / shared on other websites without getting consent from its author. Content is provided to you AS IS for your information and personal use only. Download presentation by click this link. While downloading, if for some reason you are not able to download a presentation, the publisher may have deleted the file from their server. During download, if you can't get a presentation, the file might be deleted by the publisher.

E N D

Presentation Transcript


  1. Overview of the Casual Games Space with a focus on the needs of developers. Ivan TkachenkoVice President of Production Nikitova Games / Kenjitsu

  2. Nikitova: Outsourcing • 6 years of experience • 5 offices • Chicago, LA, Kiev, St Petersburg, Dnepropetrovsk • 3 dev teams • Kiev, Ukraine; St Petersburg, Russia; Dnepropetrovsk, Ukraine • 250+ employees

  3. Nikitova: Casual Games Projects • Wild Tangent • Fire Fly • Polar Golfer • Polar Bowler • Shrek 2 Ogre Bowler • Big Fish • Mystery Case Files • Anarchy Enterprises • NDA Project • …

  4. Nikitova: Casual Games Development Service • Full game development • Development of Game Design Document • Art creation • Characters • Levels • Special Effects • Programming • C++ • Java • Flash, Director • Porting to alternate platforms

  5. Developer's Goals • Make hits (top 10) • Own popular IP • Increase revenue • No excess in value chain

  6. Scope of work: What developer needs to reach his goals • Management • Sales & Marketing • Production • Infrastructure and artefacts • Postproduction

  7. Management • Project management • QA Manager • Lawyer

  8. Budget Typically produced for approximately $50,000 to $200,000 USD Small Team Roles overlapping 1 person plays a number of roles Number of projects go simultaneously Planning / Tracking Meetings Coordination Communications Reporting to stakeholders Conventions Project management

  9. QA Manager • Test Plan • Looking for bugs • Compatibility testing • User Surveys • Usability testing • Focus Groups • Play balancing • Linguistic and Functionality Testing

  10. Sales & Marketing • Research • Pitch • Negotiations

  11. Research • What is your Target Audience? • Who are your publishers? • Game mechanics • Setting • Art Style

  12. Pitch • Look and feel • Prototype? • More pictures • Key Selling features • Short description instead of GDD

  13. Negotiations • IP holder • Type of contract • Publisher • Self-publishing • Work-for-Hire • Funding • Share Risks • Give up rights

  14. Production • Stages • Team involvement • Technologies • Processes

  15. Stages • Concept • Prototype • Alpha • Test • Beta • Test • Gold

  16. Team involvement • Art • Programming • Game design • Management & QA • Sound

  17. Art • 20-45% of budget • Art Director • Style • Light • Color • FX • Outsource • Sketches

  18. Programming • 20-25% of budget • Lead programmer • Architecture • Flexibility • Handles • Tools • Outsource • Prototype - No re-using • GDD • TDD

  19. Game design • 20-25% game design / narrative / script • Idea • Producer • Game Designer • Game mechanics • Key Design elements • Outsource

  20. Idea • Reference analysis • Thinking Organization • Number of people • Brain storm • MindMaps • More Ideas - wider choice • Test you choice

  21. Producer • Is it fun enough? • Creative opposition to PM • Marketing support

  22. Game Designer • GDD • Levels • Balancing • Explaining features on production stage

  23. Game mechanics • Matching Games • Chain Popper • Find Subsets • Shape Manipulation • System Management • Breakout Variants • Casual Sports Games • Card & Parlor Games • Other Arcade Variants

  24. Key Design elements • Simple and Meaningful Play with Transparent Rules • User Interaction • Depth & Complexity • Rewarding Players • Showing Progress • Forgiving Game Play • No stress • Visuals and Themes • Narrative and Characters • Using Sound and Interactive Audio to Enhance Gameplay

  25. Outsource • GDD • First phase of outsourcing full title

  26. Management & QA • 15-20% of budget • Project Manager • QA team

  27. Sound • 1-10% of budget • Outsource • Sounds list • Music list • References list • Playable demo with Handles

  28. Technologies • Engines an Framework • Director • Flash • Torque • HGE • Popcap Framework • Web + PC + Mac • Network • Community based and multiplayer casual games.

  29. Processes • Small Team • Small Budget • Agile method

  30. Infrastructure and artifacts • CVS • Feature & defect tracker • Art asset management • Project Plan

  31. CVS • Documentation • GDD • TDD • WIKI • Code • Graphics • Variants • CVS • AlienBrain • Perforce

  32. Feature & defect tracker • Test Track • Bugzilla • OnTime

  33. Art asset management • AlienBrain • Perforce • Art Tracking Tools

  34. Project Plan • Microsoft Project • Tracker

  35. Postproduction • Porting to alternate platforms • Localization • Support

  36. Porting to alternate platforms • Open own division • Outsource to porting house

  37. Open own division • Long term • Experience • Risky

  38. Outsource to porting house • Short term • Nikitova Mobile

  39. Nikitova Mobile • Nikitova Mobowise • Service • Product

  40. Localization • Plan at preproduction phase • German, Japanise

More Related