Unit 1 - Task 1a - Josh

Unit 1 - Zac Argo

Task 1a

What particular pre-production requirements will you need for Wayne's maze game?

Finance:

Wayne's Maze game is a project for College so all the facilities I use are free to me. 

However if I was to create the game the software and hardware I'd have to use would be quite expensive, probably costing upwards of £1000, and to a student that's a lot of money. If I bear in mind that this is a solo project therefore I only have to worry about myself then I do not have to take into account salaries and such. 

If I was to create a state of the art maze game then I'd have to consider hiring a small team (to create sounds, help with coding, artwork etc.) This would be fairly expensive to somebody like me although if it was a group project with friends then it would only take our time and wouldn't cost much. 

 Time:

As it is a class project I am working on a deadline otherwise I'd fail the course. Time management is still important though for example I'd have to balance out playing games with going out with friends with designing/creating my game. 

If this was a project for the market I'd have loose deadlines depending on if it was a solo project or a team project for a company.

 If I was working on my own I could release the game whenever I felt it was done and ready.

On the other hand if I was working for a games company then I'd have to get my part of the project done by a certain time and date, much like college.

Personnel:

As this is a project assigned to me and for me only to work on it means I have to be the one to create every part of the game.

If it was a team project however I'd have to distribute the workload evenly and could bring someone in for parts of the project that aren't my strong point (such as artwork/concept art). 

The pros to this is that I don't have to pay anyone a wage and I can be proud of my work because I know I've done every aspect of the game.

Facilities:

The facilities I have access to are those at college and at home, things such as "Game Maker" and "Photoshop". Photoshop for example is a very expensive piece of software and if I had to buy 5-10 copies of this I'd be bankrupt. This is an advantage of working alone, it means I don't have to provide for other people and in turn save a lot of money.

If I was working in a small team that I was the leader of it'd mean I'd have to facilitate for everybody (software, hardware, facilities) and would be quite expensive. This is why you don't often see small indie game companies with a headquarters, it's too costly and not worth it in the long run, most small indie game groups are a group of friends who thought it'd be a fun idea to do.

Materials:

I'd have to make my own materials considering that it's my game and it's what I've been asked to do. This means I'd have to create my own sounds, sprites, logos etc.. 

If i was working in a team however I could employ people to do the jobs I'm not great just to further improve my project. 

The sprites/logo would be created in Photoshop and the game itself in Game Maker, both are provided. Sounds I can get from free sound libraries, free of charge and no copyright laws, if I don't manage to create them myself.

Contributors:

As I don't know many famous people there's no personalities that could contribute towards my project. I could create a kickstarter project if I needed money for any materials or facilities for my game but as everything is provided for I do not need to. As this is a solo project nobody could work on my game for me however I could seek advice from a professional who could give me lessons on how to do certain things if I was stuck and did not know how to do an aspect of my game. 

As I'm not a musician and don't know how to make music I could get free music from sound libraries, alternatively I could ask permission to use peoples music that way I'm not going to get prosecuted.

Locations:

In a maze game where the view is top down it's harder to create an environment that people would recognize although it's not impossible. For example I could add iconic structures (Eiffel Tower, Statue of Liberty, Uluru etc.) but it'd be very hard to create an environment that people would recognize where there aren't many iconic structures such as Leicester.

Codes of practice and regulation:

I need to be wary of copying somebody's idea even if I do not know that it exists or not. I am going to create all artwork by myself so I cannot be sued for stealing somebody's artwork. I wouldn't want to create a project where half of the work is stolen as it doesn't give me any confidence in my ability to make games and also it could land me in a lot of trouble. 

All game genres have the same basis (Maze games are figuring out a way to the exit and getting the goal at the end of the level essentially) however the plot, artwork, intro, music etc. can't be the same as somebody else's work, it's got to be original.