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Climbing Mountains

Climbing Mountains. What it takes to make AAA games. The Blizzard Mission Statement. The hole is the core gamer market The doughnut is the broad gamer market All Blizzard games are aimed at both markets. The Doughnut. Definition of the AAA game . High production values

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Climbing Mountains

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  1. Climbing Mountains What it takes to make AAA games

  2. The Blizzard Mission Statement The hole is the core gamer market The doughnut is the broad gamer market All Blizzard games are aimed at both markets The Doughnut

  3. Definition of the AAA game • High production values • Appeals to a wide audience • Considered the top game in its genre • Usually a commercial success

  4. Team is motivated Easier to recruit top talent Big potential rewards Fame and Glory Long development times Very draining Lots of arguing Crunch time Pros and Cons

  5. Profile of the AAA game developer • Must love games • Only gamers will put in the extra effort at the finish line • Team player • Huge egos equates to huge problems • Willing to throw away work • Iteration is very important

  6. Culture of Criticism • Everyone should care about the quality of the game • Criticism should be encouraged and expected • Never directed at a person • Strike teams • Must remember the customer

  7. Who is your customer?

  8. Are they your customer?

  9. Is it this guy? Thanks Penny Arcade

  10. These are your customers BlizzCon 2005

  11. Game Designers • Why do you need them? • Games are too big • What are they? • Implementer of ideas • How to find them? • Hard to find since everyone can design a little bit (like writing) • Look for experience and referrals

  12. Pick your Battles • Nothing in game design is black and white. Every decision costs • You need to understand your highest priorities • Don’t take the obvious stuff for granted

  13. Easy to Learn, Difficult to Master • Make game for the core gamer first • Especially important for multiplayer games • Then make game accessible for broad market • Very difficult to take shallow concepts and add depth

  14. Some Examples Chess Poker Civilization

  15. Innovation is Overrated • Who rewards innovation?

  16. Top Selling PC games in the U.S. (October 2005) 1. Age of Empires III 2. The Sims 2 Nightlife Expansion Pack 3. Civilization IV 4. Black and White 2 5. Roller Coaster Tycoon 3 6. World of Warcraft 7. Call of Duty 2 8. Quake 4 9. F.E.A.R. 10. Battlefield 2

  17. Game Rankings.comTop rated games for 2004

  18. Innovation is Overrated • Who rewards innovation? • Execution is equally important • Different is not better • Disclaimer: Innovation IS important • Need features that identifies your game • Industry need innovation over time

  19. Control is King • If your basic controls are sloppy, then the rest of the game suffers • Frame rate and control are linked • Cannot spend enough time on this • Took months to refine mouse cursor on Warcraft III • Games like Mario and God of War made their reputation on control

  20. Pacing • The common denominator among all addictive games • Player must feel accomplishment at a fairly rapid rate • Varies somewhat by game • Can only determine proper pacing through extensive play testing

  21. Examples of pacing problems Everquest Psychonauts God of War

  22. Examples of great pacing Civilization Half-Life 2 World of Warcraft

  23. Polish or Perish • Many games fail due to being bug ridden or difficult puzzles • Polish does not just happen at the end of a project • Don’t take the small decisions for granted

  24. Don’t • Get sucked into market timing • Retrofit popular features from other games if they are not a fit for yours • Believe your own hype

  25. Happy Ending • Make games you love • If you are not passionate about a genre, you cannot make a game within it • Take the time to make it right • It is also in the publisher’s best interest • Work hard – you only have 10-12 games in your career to make

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