Developing a Video Game Production Pipeline For
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HIGH NOON: DEVELOPING A VIDEO GAME PRODUCTION PIPELINE FOR CHICO STATE GAME STUDIOS ____________ A Project Presented to the Faculty of California State University, Chico ____________ In Partial Fulfillment of the Requirement for the Degree Master of Science in Interdisciplinary Studies Applied Computer Graphics ____________ by © Alisha Thayer 2009 Summer 2009 HIGH NOON: DEVELOPING A VIDEO GAME PRODUCTION PIPELINE FOR CHICO STATE GAME STUDIOS A Project by Alisha Lynn Thayer Summer 2009 APPROVED BY THE INTERIM DEAN OF THE SCHOOL OF GRADUATE, INTERNATIONAL, AND INTERDISCIPLINARY STUDIES: _________________________________ Mark J. Morlock, Ph.D. APPROVED BY THE GRADUATE ADVISORY COMMITTEE: ______________________________ _________________________________ Sara A. Trechter, Ph.D. Clarke H. Steinback, Ph. D., Chair Graduate Coordinator _________________________________ Byron Wolfe, M.F.A. _________________________________ Frank Armstrong, M.F.A. PUBLICATION RIGHTS No portion of this project may be reprinted or reproduced in any manner unacceptable to the usual copyright restrictions without the written permission of the author. iii ACKNOWLEDGMENTS I would like to formally thank my committee, Clarke Steinback, Byron Wolfe, Sara Trechter, and Frank Armstrong for their help and support during this project. Your enthusiasm and interest during my time in graduate school meant more to me than you can know. My sincerest thanks go to Clarke Steinback for giving me the opportunity to direct for Chico State Game Studios during High Noon. This experience has changed my life, giving me a level of focus and dedication I had not thought possible. Of the many gifts you’ve given me over the years, this is the most precious. Enormous thanks go to the High Noon Team, who are unfortunately too numerous to print here (check Appendix J for your name!), for your trust, support, and willingness to accept and try a new director’s nutty ideas. You not only helped me create an amazing Master’s project, you made Chico State Game Studios an amazing place to work. You’re a remarkable group and if I can find another team half as fun as you guys were, I’ll be the luckiest girl in the game industry. Special thanks also go to the D.A.V.I.S. Creative Team: Andrew Holifield, Jeromy Maligie, Lindsey Anderson, Robert Utter, and Nathan Harling. Your dedication to Chico State Game Studios is inspirational and working with you on D.A.V.I.S. and High Noon was an honor. iv I give further thanks to Andrew Holifield for providing me with balance and sanity through this crazy time in my life. I’m very lucky to have you, and you’ve done more for me than you can know. Thank you to Nathan Harling for being one of my best friends and on-call editor. Your kind words of encouragement always helped me keep my momentum. Big hugs and thank you’s go to Lindsey Anderson for being my Master’s Buddy. Without someone to do this with I fear I would have never finished. Thanks for being my friend, my rock, and my sounding board. Most of all, I would like to thank my mother, Roxane Roberts, for her years of support and encouragement. Without you, I would not know the value of education, nor would I have the self-confidence to know that I could do anything I put my mind to. Any success in my life is truly a reflection of your wisdom and dedication to your children. I love you, Mom. Thank you all for helping me get to this amazing point in my life, ~ Alisha Thayer v TABLE OF CONTENTS PAGE Publication Rights ...................................................................................................... iii Acknowledgments ...................................................................................................... iv List of Figures............................................................................................................. viii Abstract....................................................................................................................... ix CHAPTER I. Introduction.............................................................................................. 1 Purpose of the Project................................................................... 2 Scope of the Project...................................................................... 7 Significance of the Project............................................................ 7 Limitations of the Project ............................................................. 9 Definition of Terms ...................................................................... 12 Source Files .................................................................................. 12 Chapter Summary......................................................................... 12 II. Review of Related Literature.................................................................... 13 A Brief History of Video Games.................................................. 15 Sources of Documentation ........................................................... 18 Methods of Production in the Game Industry .............................. 19 The Design and Implementation of High Noon ........................... 24 Chapter Summary......................................................................... 26 III. Methodology............................................................................................. 27 The Chico State Game Studios Team Structure: Senior Positions 28 The Chico State Game Studios Team Structure: Sub-Teams....... 40 The Production of High Noon: A Historical Recount .................. 56 The High Noon Semester One Production Pipeline ..................... 63 High Noon Semester One Production Pipeline Observations ...... 76 vi CHAPTER PAGE High Noon, Semester Two ........................................................... 81 High Noon Semester Two Production Pipeline Observations...... 90 High Noon, Semester Three ......................................................... 92 High Noon Semester Three Structural Changes........................... 96 The High Noon Semester Three Production Pipeline................... 97 High Noon Semester Three Production Pipeline Observations.... 111 D.A.V.I.S., Semester One: Preproduction..................................... 114 Results .......................................................................................... 118 Chapter Summary......................................................................... 139 IV. Summary, Conclusions, and Recommendations ...................................... 140 Changes Made to the Chico State Game Studios Team Structure...................................................................... 140 Changes Made to Chico State Game Studios Policies ................. 153 New Requirements of Chico State Game Studios Projects.......... 167 New Chico State Game Studios Design Strategies ...................... 171 Cautions for New Directors.......................................................... 175 Conclusion.................................................................................... 184 References .................................................................................................................. 187 Appendices A. Recommended Reading............................................................................ 190 B. Definition of Terms .................................................................................. 193 C. High Noon Design Document .................................................................. 198 D. High Noon Syllabus.................................................................................. 230 E. Example Assessment Exercises................................................................ 232 F. Level Design Boot Camp Exam............................................................... 241 G. Example Model Sheets............................................................................. 243 H. Modeling Requirements Checklist ........................................................... 246 I. Mid-Term/Final Self-Evaluation Example............................................... 248 J. The CSGS Team....................................................................................... 250 vii LIST OF FIGURES FIGURE PAGE 1. The Chico State Game Studios Organizational Structure......................... 28 2. The “Companion Cube” Reconstructed Church and the Final Reconstructed Church, Assembled by Level Designer Nathan Smart..................................................................................... 48 3. The Proposed High Noon Pipeline for Semester One............................... 65 4. Concept Design and Modeling Dependencies.......................................... 77 5. An Example of a Level Paintover, painted by Concept Designer Jade Reed ........................................................................... 83 6. Chico State Game Studios Inter-Team Dependencies.............................. 95 7. Enemy and Weapon Implementation During High Noon’s Third Semester .................................................................................. 98 8. The Unreal 2004 Red Shirt’s Revenge Ray Gun versus the Unreal 3 Red Shirt’s Revenge Ray Gun ........................................... 101 9. Production Cycles Illustrated with Chico State Game Studios’ Three-Semester System..................................................................... 119 10. Quality Assurance Checks for Game Assets ............................................ 132 11. The Three-Semester System, Illustrated..................................................