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04 6922 ch0210/28/042:32 PMPage 29Chapter2The Process of GameDevelopmentAt this point, you should have a good idea of what components andassets you need to produce for your game or project. So now you mightbe asking “How do I go about acquiring all this new content?” In thatrespect, you’re lucky because this book is designed to tell you how toconstruct each major asset to complete your game. However, even afteryou have learned how to produce all your material, you might still askyourself the infinitely more difficult question “Where do I begin?”This chapter presents a basic schedule and planning system for gamecontent development. You are more than welcome to use it as aframework for your development process, or you can design yourown based on your specific needs and your project’s requirements.Much of what’s presented in this chapter is designed for first-timedevelopers who might need some guidance in developing their game.Everyone has a different workflow, so be sure to use the methods thatwork best for you, especially if you already have experience in thefield of game development.

04 6922 ch023010/28/04Chapter 22:32 PMPage 30The Process of Game DevelopmentBuilding Your Foundation: Before Production2You need to consider many factors before you jump into game development. If you’re a gamer,try to think of the number of people you’ve heard say “Hey, I’ve got a great idea for a game!”Sometimes, the ideas really are good. You might have heard one or two that would make successful games. Perhaps you’ve even had such an idea yourself.Just thinking of a good idea, however, is not enough in the game development world. The bestideas out there will probably never see the light of day. What you need is a detailed plan of actionin which you’ve considered all the possibilities and pitfalls you might encounter throughout thecourse of the project. Creating this plan can seem overwhelming at first, but with enough time,effort, and planning, just about anything can be accomplished in the game world.In the following sections, you get a taste of some guidelines you need to keep in mind to turn agood idea for a game or project into a reality. The sections in this chapter are designed to guideinexperienced game developers and to paint a complete picture of the game development process.Developing Your IdeaYou might want to develop your idea after you have formed a team, but usually it’s better to havea solid idea and plan of attack in place when you approach prospective team members. Make sureyou think your idea through to its end. The more you know about your project, the easier it is toselect your team. Take into account the volume of assets you need to create versus the timeframein which you need to finish them. This factor helps you decide how large your team needs to be.If your plan is a small-scale one that doesn’t require a team, getting insight and feedback on youridea from others who understand games or game modding is still a good idea.Your idea should be as original as possible to set it apart from other games in the genre. The gamedesign world is a competitive environment, where new games always try to outdo the old. Gamegraphics have become more sophisticated, but this factor isn’t always enough to attract customers. You have to come up with a way to make the game fun and playable, regardless of itsgraphics. Try to come up with something that hasn’t been done before in a game, or at least puta new spin on a popular game element. The following example has been divided into three sections: the story, the player’s perspective, and the pitch.The Story:Many games have some sort of plot or story to help push the action along. Even though the gamedoesn’t yet exist, a story is an important part of your idea because it helps you determine the typeof assets your game is going to need. The following paragraphs outline an opening story from ayet-to-be-developed game called Eternal Exodus: The Fall of the Creators.Project:Single-player first-person shooter/space flight game (some multiplayer elements)

04 6922 ch0210/28/042:32 PMPage 31Building Your Foundation: Before ProductionWorking Title:Eternal Exodus: The Fall of the CreatorsPlot Introduction:It is the year 2359. Humans have destroyed theirhomeworld of Terra through overmining andpollution. They have since escaped to the starsand established numerous colonies across theirnative galaxy. They have scoured deep space invain searching for planets as abundant inresources as their fallen home planet. As theirindustry devours whatever materials they find ontheir travels, the corporations driving thoseindustries have become ultimately powerful,superseding or supplanting all governments andregulations. The most powerful of these corporations is the Lathius TransGalactic Corp., whichholds a monopoly on all interspace travel.From the decadence of society has risen a relatively small but quickly growing resistancemovement known as Fidus Terrenus. Thisactivist militia focuses on the belief thathumanity is destined to be more than interstellar parasites and that what’s happening to colonial planets is the highest atrocity. The FidusTerrenus have been known to engage in anticorporate activities, and most corporate governments have officially labeled them asterrorists.FIGURE 2.1Eternal Exodus: Fall of the Creators.FIGURE 2.2Corporate buildings, circa 2359.FIGURE 2.3Lathius TransGalactic Interceptor ship.FIGURE 2.4Fidus Terrenus troops.During a skirmish between an FT fighter groupand a Lathius deep-space gas mining fleet, alarge disruption happened. Two small ships ofunknown design entered the fray, quicklydestroying all other craft in the engagement.One of the FT ships was able to send out a distress signal that included an incomplete scan ofone of these ships.31

04 6922 ch0232210/28/04Chapter 22:32 PMPage 32The Process of Game DevelopmentDays later, a massive signal was transmitted tovirtually every Terran colony. The signal’s forcewas so intense that only the most powerfulreceiving stations were able to monitor it without overloading. The transmission was translated via supercomputer within just a fewhours, suggesting that the source of the transmission wanted it to be understood quickly.The message was simple but enigmatic: “Wecome to put an end to that which we havebegun.”Ships from LathiusTransGalactic and Fidus Terrenus.FIGURE 2.5The Player’s PerspectiveAfter you have a story, drafting out how yourplayers are exposed to the plot throughoutgameplay is a good idea. This step can be a littledifficult to nail down, so take your time. Also,don’t be too surprised if your idea is forced toadapt to changes that arise as your game isdeveloped. This draft doesn’t need to includeevery single level and nuance of your game, butit should give your development staff an idea ofhow the game will progress. The following sections give you an overview of how players experience the story of this make-believe game.Receiving station where theoriginal message was intercepted.FIGURE 2.6Overview of Game Plot from thePlayer’s PerspectiveThe game begins with the player known as JaceDelaroix controlling the main character. Jace isa contracted escort fighter pilot and corporatebodyguard for some middle-to-upper management of Lathius TransGalactic. The messagefrom the alien race, who call themselves “TheCreators,” was received months ago, and severalof the outlying Terran colonies have beendestroyed.FIGURE 2.7station.Control room of the receiving

04 6922 ch0210/28/042:33 PMPage 33Building Your Foundation: Before ProductionThe first few missions of the game include theplayer acting out the role of corporate bodyguard, in space and on foot. It’s a time of turmoil, and smuggling, looting, and piracy arerunning rampant. Basically, players will havetheir hands full completing each task.Eventually, Fidus Terrenus approaches Jace,asking him to abandon the corporation. Theplayer can accept or refuse, and this decisiondetermines the next several missions. If theplayer chooses to join Fidus Terrenus, Jace willhave to complete such tasks as smuggling runsand skirmish assaults against corporate establishments. If, on the other hand, the playersticks with the corporation, Jace will combatthe FT, trying to cut their supply lines and endtheir reign of terror over the colonies.Either way, the Creators’ threat eventuallyspreads to the player’s location, and a massivebattle ensues between The Creators and theplanet’s colonial inhabitants. Battle is on foot atfirst and then in space, as Jace tries to escape theplanet and avoid the imminent doom broughton by the Creators. The only hyperspace-capable transport belongs to Fidus Terrenus, andJace is forced to join their ranks if he wants tosurvive.Jace is then taken to FT headquarters, where hefinds out that a plan has been put into motionto retaliate against the Creators. At first, theplan requires capturing some of the Creators’ground forces, an exceptionally difficult task, asthey have a tendency to self-destruct whendefeated or overcome. Jace helps with thesemissions and eventually leads an assault to capture a Creator ship. During these missions,Creator technology is used to create newweapons and defenses.FIGURE 2.8Player character Jace Delaroix.FIGURE 2.9Jace approached by FidusTerrenus.FIGURE 2.10 The battle begins, and theplayer is right in the middle of it.33

04 6922 ch0234210/28/04Chapter 22:33 PMPage 34The Process of Game DevelopmentThe FT then learns that the Creators are a raceof beings who found a rare kind of planet,which soon became Terra, and spawnedmankind as an experiment, losing contact soonafter developing a race now known as theEgyptians. During the next several thousandyears, mankind achieved space travel, destroyedits homeworld, and began to spread like a virusacross the stars. Mankind became the Creators’greatest failure, so the Creators have come todestroy mankind once and for all and put anend to their “experiment.”The FT also discovers that the Creators know ofa planet similar to Terra, which is accessibleonly through an unstable wormhole. Theremainder of the game consists of missionsrevolving around running from the Creators,getting the remnants of the FT to this planet,and destroying the wormhole, effectivelyremoving the threat of extinction. The gameends with a sequence in which players find outthat the Creators actually created the wormholeleading to this planet. This discovery suggeststhat the FT might have an encounter with themin the future, should the Creators choose toconstruct another wormhole.FIGURE 2.11 Jace meets the leader ofFidus Terrenus, Shelia Sorenson.FIGURE 2.12 Planet exploding as a resultof the Creators’ attack.The game has multiplayer aspects as well,including ground-based skirmish levels, such asFT forces fighting Lathius battle squads. Spacefights with ships are also included, which couldbe team based or free-for-all. Finally, the multiplayer aspect could include a cooperative modeso that at least two players could move throughthe single-player campaign.The Pitch:If your game or project is more than just ahobby, the pitch is the most important part ofyour plan. To convince others to be involved inFIGURE 2.13Space shot of wormhole.