Project 3: Final
Table of contents
Overview
For the final project you will be working in teams of 3-5 for the rest of the semester to make a game based on your original pitches. A facilitator will be assigned to your team to help guide your team so that the final version is as wonderful as possible.
Milestones
The timeline from here until the end of the semester is broken up into a series of milestones - 1 every 1-3 weeks. At each milestone, your team will showcase your game and have your game be playtested. Each playtest will require a set of questions that you want playtesters to answer. Between each milestone your team will update its mentor and the mentor will provide feedback and assistance based on the game’s progress. One of your earliest tasks is to coordinate as a team and come up with a schedule to meet these deadlines.
Milestone 0 (03/07)
Game design document that must include all of the following sections:
- Objective (max: 3 sentences)
- Description (min: 2 paragraphs)
- Mechanics (min: 3 mechanics)
- Genre/Platform (max: 3 sentences)
- Aesthetics (min: 1 paragraph)
- Feature List (seven to fifteen features)
- Division of Tasks
- Schedule
- Others (optional)
Try to keep this updated so that your group can stay coordinated. You can even refer to this if you mention your game on your resume. Turn in link here.
Milestone 1 (03/21)
Your MVP must be complete (refer to the [MVP lecture]). Playable prototype of the original pitch. At least two of the core mechanics of your game should be implemented, though no art needs to be in place yet. Effectively this milestone exists to ensure that your game will be fun, and to get feedback on how it can be improved if it’s not shaping up to be what you expected.
Milestone 2 (04/04):
Alpha Build. All mechanics should be in place/in a testable state. Your general art style should be decided on and you should have a few assets added in. You should have a basic level. This build may have bugs.
Milestone 3 (04/18):
Beta Build. All levels should be built, and all mechanics should be implemented. A first pass should have been done on all art assets, and they should be in the game. There may be bugs and glitches, but the game should be starting to look like the final product at this point.
Milestone 4 (04/25):
Finished Project. The game should be complete, and in line with the original pitch. It should be playable from start to finish, and mostly bug free. You will also be required to make a 9x9 graphic with the game’s title for showcase, and a 30-60 second trailer. If you need help making a trailer, here are a few options and guidelines: Trailer Guide
GDD Showcase (04/29):
Show off your game to the whole club and see what other game’s people have been working on this semester!
Playtests
At each milestone date, your team will present the current version of your game through a miniature showcase. In this showcase, you will be assigned certain teams whose games you need to play and give feedback on.
In order to assist your team in getting feedback, we will provide a classwide feedback form where you will be able to pose questions to your peers during each milestone, these questions will be determined beforehand and given to your facilitator before the milestone. During the playtest, each student is expected to submit a feedback form for three different games.
The final project showcase will be held in Jacobs.
Important Note: Milestones will be tailored to each team according to respective progress made by each team. The above milestones are still expected, but each milestone for each team will have different goals, such as animated characters for alpha for one team, and deeper gameplay mechanics for another team by alpha. Milestones are meant to help keep teams on track in areas they need to work on, as well as implementing new and fun ideas.
Team Shares
Each week we’ll be having project work sessions; a chance in class to work on the project. You’ll be required to do a teamshare with your assigned mentor during this time. A teamshare is where each team member shares what they’re working on and what they need to continue.
Every week where there is a teamshare, you will receive a mentor evaluation score. This score will range from 1-4. The guidelines for each score are: 1 - You accomplished nothing or nearly nothing 2 - You finished some things but were below the expectations set the previous week 3 - You did everything you said you would 4 - You went above and beyond
Final Submission
In order to receive a grade, your game must be uploaded to itch.io and you must create a short trailer approximately 30-60 seconds in length showing off your game.
Grade Breakdown (Per Milestone)
- Mentor evaluation: 40%
- Peer evaluations: 40%
- Project score: 20%
Final Submission links
Game, itch.io, and trailer (1 per group):
Final course writeup (1 per person):