Stephane Assadourian, SA Consulting. Inc

Producer's Wisdom: Key Tips to Deliver

(White Nights Conference Moscow 2018)
The official conference website — http://wnconf.com

Transcript

1. Producer’s wisdom Tips from real games
2.  Book - your feedback is VERY welcome! A few words  Explaining why and how ⇒ real games + metaphors  Formalized approach ⇒ highly replayable (grand) strategy game  Metaphors about moving in an unknown space
3. Stéphane Assadourian: 20 years xp
4. “Of course we have production issues, I don’t know any production who does not have issues” “I don’t have the complete image” Gamescom update Producers are asking for help Why the struggle?
5. Vision unclear 90% of the production issues come from not understanding the game we are making Product strategy unclear 90% of these 90% come from not understanding the target audience How can you create value for players if you don’t know who they are? 90% of 90% “Loot vs No Loot”?
6. A race against time… ❖ starting line? ❖ finishing line? ❖ shape of the race track? …is it a straight line? We are losing precious time
7. A race against time in a dark maze Don’t move just now! You need to see more of the map
8. Make a status update:  assess dev. phase: Conception? PreProd? Prod? Closing? Live?  assess deliverable: What are you making? Is it too ambitious?  assess team’s potential: Lacking key skills? The right team?  gather data about the threats (talk to your leads / team members)  understand current blockers and threats  prioritize the threats (what kills the project first) See the map by zooming out
9. Execute: 1. Milestones 2. Production Plan 3. Monitor Progress 4. What about Failure? With this status update in mind
10. Execute: 1. Plotting a trajectory: locate exit (Milestones) 2. Consider walking that trajectory: analyze terrain (Production Plan) 3. Start moving: kickoff + check distance to exit (Monitor Progress) 4. What about dead ends? (Failure) The “algorithm” to escape the dark maze
11. Execution 1. Plotting a trajectory: locate exit (Milestones)
12. “must-go-through” flags visualize build evolution Milestones
13. visualize build evolution core / sensitive systems first Incremental  M 1 = most threatening aspect  M 2 = M 1 + ω 1  M 3 = M 2 + ω 2 …  M last = deliverable M 1 , M 2 , M 3 …. Milestones
14. Example M 1 ⇒ 2 sync’d online players can move around in an empty map M 2 ⇒ M 1 + basic AI & online players can combo kill & 50% map LD M 3 ⇒ entire polished demo (as per the script) Name them after what players can achieve:
15. 1. Plotting a trajectory: locate exit (Milestones) 2. Consider walking that trajectory: analyze terrain (Production Plan) Execution
16. We are moving the build on its trajectory Micro up to two months, macro afterwards One milestone at a time Production Plan: everybody’s skills & efforts
17. Example M1 ⇒ 2 sync’d online players can move around in an empty map
18. 1. Plotting a trajectory: locate exit (Milestones) 2. Consider walking that trajectory: analyze terrain (Production Plan) 3. Start moving: kickoff + check distance to exit (Monitor Progress) Execution
19. Features progress “Business as usual” Monitor Progress ⇒ Maintain completion % ⇒ Define expected QL ⇒ Definition of Done
20. Ensure build is progressing in the same way ⇒ Build Reviews  prepare with QA  build reviews feed the backlog  harder to reach next milestone A real measure of your team’s performance Monitor Progress
21. Create winning conditions  clear set of goals & progress (P. Plan)  task has clear & immediate feedback  balance perceived challenges & skills Improve Performance
22. 1. Plotting a trajectory: locate exit (Milestones) 2. Consider walking that trajectory: analyze terrain (Production Plan) 3. Start moving: kickoff + check distance to exit (Monitor Progress) 4. What about dead ends? (Failure) Execution
23. (rarely too late to get some help) complicated uncomfortable dangerous It‘s not working? ⇒ First, zoom out again: go back to vision or you can't execute ⇒ Cuts: quality vs time saved vs business objectives ⇒ Rearrange team: “strike team” to fix an aspect of the game
24. e-mail : stephaneassadourian@gmail.com Thank you! @vancekic stephaneassadourian