Producer Experience

Providing the Skillset for Production of Interactive Entertainment
FIEA Space

My experience as a Producer at FIEA spanned 16 months. During that time I worked on five Rapid Prototype Production (RPP) games; served on a large-scale, eight-month Production project with 26 other people; and fulfilled coursework that provided numerous lessons which I may apply to my work beyond FIEA. Following is a sample of my work from that experience.

Production Courses

A variety of courses designed to encompass all aspects of interactive entertainment production, including art, programming, game production, and more.

Rapid Prototype Production

Involves improvisation, iterating on rapid prototypes, iterative game design, and other studies of the industry.

Drifters

The capstone project of my studies at FIEA.  Involves 27-person team over an eight-month period.

Production Courses

Combining Elements of All-Around Interactive Media Education
Project Management Image
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About Production Courses

This section outlines the focus of learning throughout the courses in which I participated at FIEA. Classes above all emphasized group projects, but there were also several endeavors that required individual efforts.

Some sections contain a link to an appropriate PDF Portfolio, which features samples of my work and other pertinent information.

Production
Throughout my time at FIEA, my main focus was on Production. I participated in several formal classes for this track. The cumulative experience of those classes includes, but is not limited to:

  • Knowledge of the practical aspects of planning out a Game Development project in order to work within a budget and schedule.
  • The ability to analyze a development plan and understand why various choices were made and how to improve them.
  • The ability to organize and communicate within an environment consisting of multiple kinds of creative disciplines.
  • Learning to use constraints to foster creativity, as well as provide an overall methodology and framework for creative thinking.
  • The ability to present ideas clearly and effectively.
  • The ability to perform independent research that will aid in future problem-solving skills.
  • Fundamental understanding of the various major game genres.

Production Classes Portfolio

For more information about my work in the Production Courses, please consult my selection of works featured in my PDF Portfolio.

Rapid Prototype Production

Rapid Prototype Production I:

  • Project work dominated this course as we were divided into small multidisciplinary teams to create several short game prototypes. Iteration is the key as we mastered the life cycle of a project, collaborative brainstorming, and rapid prototyping through first-hand experience. Every round of prototypes focused on a different theme, such as the “fun factor,” compelling narrative, indirect control, and emergent gameplay. To further the team-building, trust, brainstorming, and creative collaboration goals, improvisational acting techniques were also explored in a separate lab.

Rapid Prototype Production II:

  • The prerequisite for this course focuses on heavy production and core design concepts. This advanced version encouraged new gameplay constructs and the innovation of worn genres. Starting with an in-depth history of game innovations, we researched what has come before to better create what comes next. Then an exploration of paper prototypes, board games, and table-top role-playing games helped apply good design rules from other forms of gaming. A discussion of advanced graphics techniques, such as LOD, mip maps, displacement maps, and shaders, formed the basis for innovating visually. Next we learned level design constructs and used UnrealEd to create immersive, well-paced, and realistic worlds. Finally, we used the multiplayer features of our own creations to take on different roles and improvise new design ideas in-game.

RPP Portfolio

For more information about my work in the RPP Courses, please consult my selection of works featured in my PDF Portfolio.

Programming

I participated in FIEA’s offerings of ActionScript tutorials, as well as Intro to Programming 1 & 2. Although I don’t consider myself a Programmer, I’m nonetheless very interested in becoming more competent in this area.

To that end, an assortment of books have been on my reading list in order to hone my skills. Although not finished with them, I hope to get through and learn from them in due time. The list of books includes:

  • Apress’ Beginning Python – From Novice To Professional
  • Beginning Programming With Java For Dummies, 2nd Edition
  • C++ For Dummies, 5th Edition
  • O’Reilly’s ActionScript 3.0 Cookbook
  • O’Reilly’s C++ Cookbook
  • O’Reilly’s Essential ActionScript 3.0
  • O’Reilly’s Learning ActionScript 3.0
  • Wiley’s Beginning Python

Programming Samples

For more information about my work in the Programming Courses, please consult my selection of works featured in my PDF samples.

Art

Although I participated in the Introduction to Art class the first semester of FIEA, I nonetheless consider arts to be my least developed skill. My current experience includes:

  • Assembling levels with modular assets.
  • Simple texturing and UV map editing.
  • Creating simple animations.
  • Helping artists modify assets as required.

I’m also able to perform basic photo editing in Photoshop, and create simple assets and effects using programs like Illustrator, AfterEffects, etc. I also have limited exposure to MEL Script, using several scripts others have made to work with art assets in Maya.

As it stands, I would improve upon my art skills as the need to do so arises. Otherwise, my focus for improvement remains on programming.

Rapid Prototype Production

Quick Prototyping, Improv, and More

RPP Info

This section highlights two projects from the Rapid Prototype Production courses throughout the first and second semester.

There are links and photos shared for each game. For more information, please also consult the more detailed RPP Portfolio, which contains information on other projects of RPP.

Project Design Image
Ballocalypse

Summary

  • An intense, fast-paced, multi-player “Pong meets Peggle” on steroids! Shoot your ball into pegs, power-ups, and your opponents’ goal to amass points and claim total victory. Requires 2-4 Xbox 360 controllers and a wireless gaming receiver for Windows to play properly.
  • More Info… | Download Game…

Contributions

  • Gameplay Design, Menu Assets, Sound and Music Assets

Development Team

  • Bobby Ciullo, Mathias Haugner, Ryan Morse, Chris Spence, Eric Montanari
Unreal Tournament 3

Summary

  • During the Unreal Tournament 3 round in RPP2, the team set out to create an Unreal level using the UT3 Editor. The foundation of the level is a multiplayer Capture-The-Flag competition. However, a team’s success is primarily dependent upon the cooperation of its members, as players will need at least two people to take the flag, and two to capture it. With some luck, players may only need one person to capture it, as the rotation of the tower may allow players to jump straight onto their home base and capture it, if timed perfectly.

Contributions

  • Gameplay Design, Level Layout, Kismet sequences for tower rotation and interaction

Development Team

  • Ryan Fernandez, Mathias Haugner, James Melsha, Katie Wollam

This is a sample video of Ballocalypse.  Ballocalypse is a game that was awarded FIEA RPP’s “Top Game of the Year” and showcased at EA™ Tiburon.

Game Reviews

A Collection of Reviews I Might Write and Publish In My Spare Time

Game Reviews

In my spare time, and combining my hobbies to analyze and write, I’ve started composing short reviews of video games I’ve played. In these reviews I set out to apply a critical evaluation of games based upon the facets of game design that I learned at FIEA. These reviews are not endorsed or supported by FIEA, and reflect my own opinions alone!

New reviews will be added periodically. I also welcomes any comments and feedback. Finally, for an overview of how my reviews are structured, please take a look at the review components at the end of each page.

Drifters

Full-Fledged Game Prototype

About Drifters

Drifters is a networked multiplayer hunt game for up to four players in which players take control of ethereal beings—known as Drifters—to hunt and eliminate their opponents. Using stealth (by blending in with the crowd in the environment) and the strengths of each of the Drifters, players are propelled into an environment of paranoia and excitement as battle commences.

The idea was originally conceived by Cohort 5 Producer Anthony DiMento, and the game was one of four to be developed through Pre-Production, and survived as one of two to be fully finished at FIEA during the Cohort 5 term. I served in a variety of roles as Producer. You may read about highlights of my work below, or view my Drifters PDF Portfolio and take a look at the game’s trailer.

Drifters was also featured on the front page of Gamasutra (1/28/2010), and a Postmortem of the game can be read here.

Gamebryo Screenshot
Gamebryo Screenshot
Design

Pre-Production

  • Collaboratively designed gameplay mechanics and other game fundamentals with fellow Producers.

Production

  • Implemented 30 paths in Scene Designer.
  • Drifters was created using Emergent Gamebryo technology. One of the tools at our disposal was the Gamebryo Scene Designer, with which the main game environment was laid out.
  • Using Scene Designer and a custom tool built by the team’s Programmers, Producers created a total of 80 paths for the different NPCs; 30 of those were created by myself, and varied in terms of length, the model to which they were assigned, etc.
  • These paths tried to emulate human behavior as best they could, given our resources.

Alpha & Beta

  • Served as QA tester.
  • The majority of time near the end of the project was spent reporting bugs using DevTrack. This was important for polishing the game as much as we could prior to its release.
  • Provided initial informational content for Drifters web site.
  • Collaborated with other Producers on revising the Content-Management-System (CMS) used for the web site.
  • Populated web site with initial informational content that would be viewed by beta testers from outside the team, and other individuals who would seek content about the game.
Organization

Headed up documentation for NPC paths & behaviors conventions.

  • Non-Player-Characters, or NPCs, play a significant role in Drifters. There are up to 50 NPCs in the museum at a given time, each with their own behaviors and path.
  • To keep track of the 80 paths the Producers created, documentation needed to be implemented in order to ensure a balance of NPC models existed, as well as an even distribution of movement throughout the museum.

Implemented initial scheduling system using MS Project.

  • The team started using a hybrid development methodology between SCRUM, Parallel Development, and Waterfall. To help document our progress and future milestones, I set up an initial system using MS Project. This system would later be revised and improved upon by team members as the Production period moved along.

Set up and updated Drifters Wiki.

  • Another gateway to retain and share information, the Drifters Wiki could be used by team members to refresh themselves on development conventions, the premise of the game, and the latest development progress.
  • This is a sample image from the Emergent Gamebryo Editor.
  • This is another sample image from the Emergent Gamebryo

Full-Time Team Members

A.I. Paths Implemented

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Game Iterative Design Work

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Project Management

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Game Testing

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Gamebryo Editing