Does a
concept exist for this new project, such as from a license?
This is a
very tricky situation. Anyone who has ever worked with a Licensor
will tell you
that licenses often come
with a legion of legal people, agents, and producers who know little to nothing
about the interactive
entertainment field, but who will not hold back on their demands for changes.
There is a
comment very often used
by Hollywood agents when addressing game companies and it goes
something
like this:
"Now
we will show you how real entertainment is done!"
Maybe it's
just me, but I've
not seen a movie with a game controller attached, or one that let the
audience wander
into every corner
of the set. There is a big difference between non-interactive and
interactive,
and as long as your
company is willing to stand their ground you should do fine.
Here are
some of the basic questions to ask when dealing with a licensed
concept:
1.
Is the Licensor offering enough flexibility to actually make a game?
For
example, many years ago I was approached by the president of a game
company who was
talking to a
advertiser about doing a game based on one of their character
commercials. It was an
extremely
well known character and I was very excited about the game
prospects, until I
went through
the proposed contract. In short, they did not want the character to
do anything
that was not in the
TV commercial and that was about 3 basic movements. Not exactly what
players would expect. After seeing
that the advertiser was not flexible on this issue, the
company
dropped the proposal.
Even If there is
enough flexibility, make sure you have all the dos and don'ts in
the contract to
avoid any
misunderstandings during production.
2.
How much oversight will the Licensor have on the project?
If they do
give your company flexibility, just make sure they don't bog you down
in a long
corporate review
process for each milestone. Some companies are large, and getting
information through to the right people
for sign-off could take days.
3.
Who will be your review and sign-off contacts with the Licensor?
You must
have clear and direct contact with the key people responsible from
the Licensor
side. This is most
critical during the concept design phase and during final
production. However, avoid involving
them in staffing issues and small studio or resource problems, it
will only undermine
their confidence in your production.
4.
What is the understanding for the target age group?
This is critical to
clarify before the design phase can begin. The licensing
company must have a clear understanding of the target market and the
level of
return in that market.
And don't
be shy about educating the Licensor on what the state of that market
might be at the time of
product
release. If you're making a racing product and 5+
other racing
games will be coming out at
that time, then you might want to hold on the concept until the
market
cools down.
I know
plenty of developers might say that if they want a racing game then
make a racing
game! But, in the
long run, this will only hurt your studio and more than likely end
your business
partnership with
that Licensor.
Note:
If you are a Producer or Project Manager you would add questions
about joint
properties, royalties
and other legal issues not focused on for this article.
What if
there is no preexisting concept?
As a
designer, this is a
much simpler situation to deal with, but it comes with its own set of
important
questions. Companies that make products without a license and a known
character are much more
skeptical about
"sell-ability." In most cases, the
designer
of the proposal must work
doubly hard to make clear his or her vision and enthusiasm for the
product.
Some of
the questions you might ask in this situation:
1.
What are the studio's procedures for presenting concepts?
Each
company you work with may have totally different procedures for
presenting ideas for consideration. One company I worked for wanted 3 concepts based
on their own characters, and 3 totally
original concepts before any new project proposal meeting could be scheduled.
On the other hand, other companies may have a rough idea in their
mind that they want you to flesh out into a full design.
Before you start to
brainstorm, it's good to spend some time getting to know the likes and dislikes
some of the
managers might have
about different styles of games. It
might
also help to understand
their concerns about marketing different types of games. This is
also a good way for you to show respect
for the job they have to do, and it helps you design a
product
they will feel more comfortable selling.
Also use
this time to find out if there is a concept floating around that
the company
managers are
considering that would make them more comfortable. By
taking
this on as your project,
you could avoid a lot of political headaches down the road and show
the company what you can do. Then, when
the next project comes, they will be more open to
trusting
your concept proposal directions.
2.
What is the timeline for producing, pitching the concept, and
starting production?
Knowing a
company's schedule idea up front is critical to
your design
efforts. It will help you effectively communicate back to them what is
possible.
For example, if the
company wants 5 concept proposals done in 30 days, then you need to
ask them what level of
depth they require for concept approval.
If
it’s significant, then you might need more design and conceptual
resources to accomplish the
task.
3.
Will the game be published in different markets, such as Japan or the UK?
This is
where a designer must do his or her homework. There are many
different styles of
game concepts
and just because one sells well in the States does not guarantee
sales overseas.
4.
What are your current resources for producing a new concept?
If the
company is looking for a really professional presentation then you
will probably need help, from conceptual artists to assistant designers.
Personally, I like to have a conceptual artist help with all concept
proposals just because, quite simply, a
picture
is truly worth a thousand words. Marketing managers don't have
the time to
go though a long
technical breakdown of how the game is going to play and look. Show
them a picture.
What is
the target platform?
Game systems
are not alike and you must know what you're getting into. For example,
when
developers recently jumped
onto the Sony Playstation 2 bandwagon, they made the wrong assumption that
they
could get up and running just as fast as they did on the Playstation. Wrong!
Game systems have become
extremely complicated pieces of hardware and the PS2 is no
exception.
Unless you work out the capabilities of your target platform, you are just
producing a wish
concept.
Here are
some key things to find out:
1.
Has the company worked on this platform before?
If a
publisher or developer has never worked on a system before there can
be plenty of hidden
problems like
delays in getting contracts done and getting needed
equipment,
software, and support.
One of the
biggest pitfalls I've seen in this field is when a company makes
assumptions about producing a
game on an unknown system. The main one being that if a game could
be done
in 12 months on one
system, then it should take the same amount of time on the next.
Sure, that would be the case if all game
systems used the same operating system, but that's just not
reality.
The truth is that in a rush to get a new system to market, the
manufacturer takes many
shortcuts
in design and documentation on the system, and developers pay
the learning curve price. This is
why 2nd and 3rd generation games on a system
tend to be better. At that point developers know much more about the hardware and
all its tricks.
2.
What type of development equipment do they currently have?
If the
company has development equipment then you need to find out if it is
owned or on loan from some other
source, and what agreements there might be for that loan. You
will also need to find out if the development equipment is up to
date on the most current software
library and documentation.
If the
company does not have any equipment then you will need to know if
the company has agreements to
obtain systems, or if that's your responsibility.
Sometimes a
company like Sega or Nintendo may request an overview of your
project before
granting your
company a license to develop. During this process be extremely
cautious
when disclosing too much
information about your upcoming project.
Now
that these companies also develop software themselves it puts them
in the strange
situation of evaluating a concept that might be better than one of their own.
In the past, I have
asked that any
producers or designers who are currently working on games for the
system
manufacturer not be
allowed to attend these meetings, and I leave the technical details
out of
the conversation.
3.
What is the availability of programmers for this system if required?
This is
extremely critical for you to know before starting any new project.
High end
programmers are paid
top dollar by the big developers, creating a shortage for smaller
developers.
If the
surplus of programmers is really low and the price range is really
high then you
might want to
target your product at a less costly platform. After your
company has
built up a better
financial base, then go for the higher platforms.
This
is where I see many start up companies fail. They just don't
understand the
vast cost of
trying to target a cutting edge system.
Do you
have a Project Staff in place?
Once you get
past these other questions, then it's time to evaluate the other staff
required for the
project. Just
because there is a current staff in place does not mean that they can do the
job.
For example, when I was
asked to start a new project for a small game development studio
they told me they had a full staff of artists and programmers in place. What they did not
know
is that most of the artists did not liked to work on video games, and
that some of the
programmers did not fit
the minimum professional requirement for the position. It showed in
their work and dedication to the company.
This is why
it is extremely important that you review the backgrounds of
your
staff before you propose a
production to a company. If the staffing is not right, your schedule
will not hold, and money will be lost.
Here are
just some of the things you should know about:
1. What
are their backgrounds and strengths in development?
2. Do
their skills fit what is needed for the upcoming project?
If
their skills are not up to par, can they be quickly brought up to the
project's required level? If not, then can you bring in staff quickly
enough to fill
the project needs?
3. If
staffing is required does your company have the capability to bring
in the right staff?
Some
companies are so new that they just can't move that quickly and if a
tight schedule
is a concern then
you might want to propose a smaller initial project.
What is
the technology base of the studio?
If you're
extremely lucky then you will land in a company with game engines
and tools
already in place.
Unfortunately, that is not always the case.
Things
to evaluate:
1.
Is the game concept being targeted to a pre-existing engine?
2.
Is the engine solid or does it need upgrading and, if so, to what extent?
3.
Is the engine code well documented or remarked?
4.
Was the publisher happy with the performance of the engine?
5.
Are the programmers of the engine still with the company?
6.
Are tools in place for working with the engine?
After you
answer these questions you will have a good understanding of what can
be done technically for your concept
design.
Do you
have any tools for this project?
The right
production tools can save a company almost immeasurable time and money.
So it might surprise you to
find out that most game companies shy away from investing in
such
tools. It's been the mindset for many years that if it's not going in
the game then
why spend money on
it? Well, the wakeup call is that the most successful projects that
have ever
come out of this field
owe their existence to these types of tools. Not only did they make
productions faster, but they took away much of
the team stress during production.
If you
are lucky enough to find a company or studio that understands this point, then
the next step is to have a
clear understanding of what you are trying to make before buying or
creating your tools.
Please keep
in mind the word "flexibility" in designing and making
tools. Any tool that can
be
used for only one type of game is a poor investment for the company or
studio.
What are
the current art tools?
This can get
very tricky for a designer or manager to evaluate as it changes from
studio to
studio. Some may use SGI
where others use PCs and so on. You will have
to weed through all of this to decide if
the current art tools will fit the needs of your project.
Here are
some basic questions:
1.
If the game is 3D or 2D do you have the equipment and training
needed?
2.
Is your art staff up to speed for the task at hand or is more
training required?
3.
Do you have enough artists and equipment to do the concept?
If you can
not staff up or get more equipment to meet the needs of the design
concept, then think about scaling
back on the idea to fit your available resources. Don't
think that you can just push your staff extra hard to get what you
need. A good economy plus low
unemployment rates equal an empty studio and a dead project to show
for it. In short, it is best to work with what you
have and that what this article is all about.
Clearly there
are plenty of other questions that will pop up as you work through
this article, but these should give you some
idea of how to ask the right questions as you move into a production.
Asking these questions breaks you out of the rush and enthusiasm of the vision long
enough to
find out if you are
heading for a crash, and how to head off potential pitfalls.
After asking
the right questions, you will have a better chance of designing a game
that matches the
situation and your
team while removing much of the risk of creating a monster concept
that would, ultimately, eat your company,
money, and team.
