Session 5 Production Training

Summary

Role: Writer/Producer/Menus

Intention (SMART Goal)

During this session, I will learn how to use UI to cycle through pages (like a google slide). This goal will be measured by the number of training sources I find, and if I am able to create multiple slides. I am familiar with basic UI, and so this goal is definitely achievable. This goal is relevant for future cycles where credits menus will be required as opposed to a slideshow. The deadline for this is next Friday. This goal is realistic because although it may take some training and patience, it isn’t as complicated as things such as the self-learning AI that I was working on before production cycles began (Which basically was just cycling through letters until it learned words).

PRE-PRODUCTION – INQUIRY

Leader(s) in the Field / Exemplary Work(s)

Specific skills that leaders in Game Production need are: being able to be aware of what the team is working on, Producers need to be able to keep other members working and meet deadlines, and Producers need to be able to code and work on other jobs in case another member is unable to solve a problem with that job.

https://www.gamasutra.com/blogs/ErnstTenBosch/20130912/200168/What_Makes_a_Good_Game_Producer_Part_1.php

Bosch talks about how producers need to be aware of what their team is working on because they are quite literally shepherding the developers throughout the project. Producers not only have to be aware of what is going on, but they need to be able to keep their team on task and get them to meet deadlines. Bosch also talks about how they need to be able to take over for other workers if needed or at least be able to find someone who can take over. This includes coding, art, and sound. This skill is important for keeping the development of the game on the schedule.

 

Training Source(s)

0:09 – Using prefabs can make the creation of a game easier by hand and is also easier to fine-tune.

0:35 – Making a procedural game can reduce the amount of customization you can put into its world and requires more coding than making a game from scratch.

1:01 – Updating a prefab will change all the objects that were copied from that prefab according to the updates made to the prefab.

1:09 – Clicking apply above a selected object’s settings will update all of the objects that are the same as that object.

2:11 – Two things that can make the creation of a game easier are the right view and the scene view.

2:24 – Clicking the cube on the view direction in the scene turns the perspective into isometric or flattens everything.

2:47 – You can add layers to the game scene by pressing layers in the upper right corner of the unity screen.

2:56 – By assigning an object to a specific layer and locking that layer, you can’t select it in the game screen anymore, making it easier to select other objects.

3:23 – You can select an object and go to edit and then snap settings to help control where you want an object to go instead of free-handing it, remember to use the control key to use the feature when moving objects.

3:39 – You can press command and d to duplicate the selected object you want.

 

Project Timeline

Step 1 – Create GDD
Step 2 – Choose fonts for game
Step 3 – Spell check menus
Step 4 – Unify all design elements
Step 5 – Research custom menu events
Step 6 – identify the dominant mode of interactivity
Step 7 – Provide proof of collab synchronization (Unity Collab)
Step 8 – Assist in the creation of credits menu (using fonts and design elements from previous steps)
Step 9 – Upload evidence of previous steps into menus
Step 10 – Add to GDD throughout the entire process (Daily step)

Proposed Budget

PRODUCTION – ACTION

The (GAME Creation)

Skills Commentary

I was able to show some skills for my role, such as demonstrating effective communication and working with fonts.

POST-PRODUCTION – REFLECTION

21st Century Skills

Ways of Thinking (Creativity, Innovation, Critical Thinking, Problem Solving)

During the project I worked on coding dialogue boxes. This required some problem solving. During the project, I reused parts of a code I had previously written, but I was having problems with it, and needed to do more research into dialogue boxes to fix it.

Ways of Working (Communication & Collaboration)

I communicated with my team effectively by checking the Unity Collab and asking members what they were working on.

Tools for Working (Info & Media Literacy)

I am able to effectively correct and check for mistakes in the media that my team creates. During the project I learned how to check fonts and make sure that all fonts in unity are the same, and that there are working animations in UI.

Ways of Living in the World (Life & Career)

Overall, these skills will help me in my life and in my career. I will be able to communicate effectively with team members, and research problems I am having, as well as fix any errors in info or media that we produce.

Reactions to the Final Version

“Having the same font was helpful. Good evidence of organization. Maybe use a more interesting font. Fonts add a lot of Character to design” – Scott LeDuc

“Thumbs up” – Ethan

Self-Evaluation of Final Version

I feel that although the prototype was ok, we definitely could have done better, and the project would have been easier had we had more time and more seats for Unity.

What I Learned and Problems I Solved

I learned how to better communicate effectively, and how to solve problems with code. During this project I reused old code from one of my previous projects, but it wasn’t working. I did some research and also had Sam double check my code, and the code was fixed pretty quickly.

Grammar and Spelling

I check my grammar and spelling with Grammarly, and get reviews from other members of my team.

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