Advanced Prototyping - Revision history

Checker at 01:00, 28 March 2011

2011-03-28T01:00:44Z

← Older revision		Revision as of 01:00, 28 March 2011
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	* Here are the [[Media:Gdc2006-AdvancedPrototyping.ppt\|slides]], in Powerpoint 2003 format.		* Here are the [[Media:Gdc2006-AdvancedPrototyping.ppt\|slides]], in Powerpoint 2003 format.
	* Here is the [[Media:Gdc2006-AdvancedPrototyping.mp3\|mp3 audio]].		* Here is the [[Media:Gdc2006-AdvancedPrototyping.mp3\|mp3 audio]].

			One idea in the talk I want to call out here is the ''Tower of Tuning''. We defined the various levels of tuning as, from top to bottom:
			* scripting language - add another language into your game
			* hotloading - reload the variables when the file changes
			* data driving - variables in a file
			* interactive editor - sliders, hotkeys, and the like to change the variables
			* recompiling - just variables in code, trivial, doesn't scale, but doesn't always need to
			Some people like to ascend as high as they can on this tower, thinking that a scripting language is the ultimate flexibility. We disagree. You want to be a low as you can on the tower and still get your job done efficiently. Each step up the tower adds systemic complexity to your project, so don't take it until you need to (for example, long compile times force you to make interactive editors, long load times force you to hotload, etc.).

	We gave the talk again at the [http://www.montrealgamesummit.com/2006/ 2006 Montreal International Game Summit], and then once again at Ubisoft after that conference.		We gave the talk again at the [http://www.montrealgamesummit.com/2006/ 2006 Montreal International Game Summit], and then once again at Ubisoft after that conference.
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	* We changed two of the intro slides to reflect the current thinking on the production process, where prepro is split out into ''discovery'' and ''preproduction'', and we talked about how prototyping is most useful during the first three stages:<br>[[Image:Gdc2006-AdvancedPrototyping1.png\|180px]] [[Image:Gdc2006-AdvancedPrototyping2.png\|180px]]		* We changed two of the intro slides to reflect the current thinking on the production process, where prepro is split out into ''discovery'' and ''preproduction'', and we talked about how prototyping is most useful during the first three stages:<br>[[Image:Gdc2006-AdvancedPrototyping1.png\|180px]] [[Image:Gdc2006-AdvancedPrototyping2.png\|180px]]

	* We mentioned one new additional metric at end, which is how often is your prototype referred back to in the archive? If nobody ever looks at it again, then either it was answering a really simple question and completely answered the question, full stop, or it maybe wasn't as useful at answering questions as you originally thought since nobody felt the need to use it to clarify or remind people of the solution.		* We mentioned one new additional metric at end, which is how often is your prototype referred back to in the archive? If nobody ever looks at it again, then either it was answering a really simple question and completely answered the question, full stop, or it maybe wasn't as useful at answering questions as you originally thought since nobody felt the need to use it to clarify or remind people of the solution.

Checker at 11:56, 29 May 2007

2007-05-29T11:56:31Z

← Older revision		Revision as of 11:56, 29 May 2007
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	Game prototyping is all the rage these days. [http://www.slackworks.com/~cog/ Chaim Gingold] and I gave a fun lecture at the 2006 [[Game Developers Conference]] titled, ''Advanced Prototyping'', based on our experience prototyping games, technology, and user interfaces for ~~Maxis~~ and at the Indie Game Jam over the past 4 years. Here's the abstract:		Game prototyping is all the rage these days. [http://www.slackworks.com/~cog/ Chaim Gingold] and I gave a fun lecture at the 2006 [[Game Developers Conference]] titled, ''Advanced Prototyping''. The material is based on our experience prototyping games, technology, and user interfaces for Spore and at the Indie Game Jam over the past 4 years. Here's the abstract:

	[[Image:Gdc2006-AdvancedPrototyping-title.gif\|right]]		[[Image:Gdc2006-AdvancedPrototyping-title.gif\|right]]

Checker at 11:55, 29 May 2007

2007-05-29T11:55:08Z

← Older revision		Revision as of 11:55, 29 May 2007
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	[http://www.slackworks.com/~cog/ Chaim Gingold] and I gave a fun lecture at the 2006 [[Game Developers Conference]] titled, ''Advanced Prototyping''. Here's the abstract:		Game prototyping is all the rage these days. [http://www.slackworks.com/~cog/ Chaim Gingold] and I gave a fun lecture at the 2006 [[Game Developers Conference]] titled, ''Advanced Prototyping'', based on our experience prototyping games, technology, and user interfaces for Maxis and at the Indie Game Jam over the past 4 years. Here's the abstract:

	[[Image:Gdc2006-AdvancedPrototyping-title.gif\|right]]		[[Image:Gdc2006-AdvancedPrototyping-title.gif\|right]]

Checker at 02:06, 29 May 2007

2007-05-29T02:06:46Z

← Older revision		Revision as of 02:06, 29 May 2007
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	* We changed two of the intro slides to reflect the current thinking on the production process, where prepro is split out into ''discovery'' and ''preproduction'', and we talked about how prototyping is most useful during the first three stages:<br>[[Image:Gdc2006-AdvancedPrototyping1.png\|180px]] [[Image:Gdc2006-AdvancedPrototyping2.png\|180px]]		* We changed two of the intro slides to reflect the current thinking on the production process, where prepro is split out into ''discovery'' and ''preproduction'', and we talked about how prototyping is most useful during the first three stages:<br>[[Image:Gdc2006-AdvancedPrototyping1.png\|180px]] [[Image:Gdc2006-AdvancedPrototyping2.png\|180px]]

	* We mentioned one new additional metric at end, which is how often is your prototype referred back to in the archive? If nobody ever looks at it again, then either it was answering a really simple question or completely answered the question, full stop, or it maybe wasn't as useful at answering questions as you originally thought since nobody felt the need to use it to clarify or remind people of the solution.		* We mentioned one new additional metric at end, which is how often is your prototype referred back to in the archive? If nobody ever looks at it again, then either it was answering a really simple question and completely answered the question, full stop, or it maybe wasn't as useful at answering questions as you originally thought since nobody felt the need to use it to clarify or remind people of the solution.

	There was some press and blog coverage of the talk:		There was some press and blog coverage of the talk:

Checker at 07:10, 2 April 2007

2007-04-02T07:10:42Z

← Older revision		Revision as of 07:10, 2 April 2007
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	[http://www.slackworks.com/~cog/ Chaim Gingold] and I gave a fun lecture at the 2006 [[Game Developers Conference]] titled, ''Advanced Prototyping''. Here's the abstract:		[http://www.slackworks.com/~cog/ Chaim Gingold] and I gave a fun lecture at the 2006 [[Game Developers Conference]] titled, ''Advanced Prototyping''. Here's the abstract:

	[[Image:Gdc2006-~~AdvancedPrototyping0~~.~~png\|250px~~\|right]]		[[Image:Gdc2006-AdvancedPrototyping-title.gif\|right]]
	<blockquote>		<blockquote>
	Creating effective prototypes of game designs, user interfaces, and technologies requires a unique set of skills and knowledge, somewhat distinct from the skills used in making a game. This lecture discusses creating these various types of prototypes from an advanced and in-depth perspective. The talk goes through a number of important questions and topics that should be addressed before, during, and after the prototype is created, including metrics for judging the effectiveness of prototypes, how to decide the focus of a prototype, how to design, start, and build the prototype, both from a content and a code standpoint, and how to iterate the prototype via testing and integrating feedback. Various approaches to these issues are compared and contrasted, with the end goal of teaching attendees how to create successful and high quality prototypes.		Creating effective prototypes of game designs, user interfaces, and technologies requires a unique set of skills and knowledge, somewhat distinct from the skills used in making a game. This lecture discusses creating these various types of prototypes from an advanced and in-depth perspective. The talk goes through a number of important questions and topics that should be addressed before, during, and after the prototype is created, including metrics for judging the effectiveness of prototypes, how to decide the focus of a prototype, how to design, start, and build the prototype, both from a content and a code standpoint, and how to iterate the prototype via testing and integrating feedback. Various approaches to these issues are compared and contrasted, with the end goal of teaching attendees how to create successful and high quality prototypes.

Checker at 21:48, 1 April 2007

2007-04-01T21:48:38Z

← Older revision		Revision as of 21:48, 1 April 2007
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	* We mentioned one new additional metric at end, which is how often is your prototype referred back to in the archive? If nobody ever looks at it again, then either it was answering a really simple question or completely answered the question, full stop, or it maybe wasn't as useful at answering questions as you originally thought since nobody felt the need to use it to clarify or remind people of the solution.		* We mentioned one new additional metric at end, which is how often is your prototype referred back to in the archive? If nobody ever looks at it again, then either it was answering a really simple question or completely answered the question, full stop, or it maybe wasn't as useful at answering questions as you originally thought since nobody felt the need to use it to clarify or remind people of the solution.

	There was some press coverage of the talk:		There was some press and blog coverage of the talk:

	* [http://pc.gamespy.com/pc/spore/698263p1.html Gamespy]		* [http://pc.gamespy.com/pc/spore/698263p1.html Gamespy]
	* [http://www.joystiq.com/2006/11/13/joystiq-interviews-spores-chaim-gingold-and-chris-hecker/ Joystiq]		* [http://www.joystiq.com/2006/11/13/joystiq-interviews-spores-chaim-gingold-and-chris-hecker/ Joystiq]
	* [http://www.gamasutra.com/php-bin/news_index.php?story=11628 Gamasutra]		* [http://www.gamasutra.com/php-bin/news_index.php?story=11628 Gamasutra]
			* [http://grandtextauto.gatech.edu/2006/11/08/montreal-game-summit-day-1/ GTxA]
			* [http://www.kimpallister.com/2006/11/migs06-wrap-up.html Kim Pallister]
			* [http://www.jesperjuul.net/ludologist/?p=251 Jesper Juul]

	One of the meta-goals of this talk was to learn what makes a good two-person talk. You can see the lessons we learned [[Two Person Presentations\|here]].		One of the meta-goals of this talk was to learn what makes a good two-person talk. You can see the lessons we learned [[Two Person Presentations\|here]].

	[[Category:Lectures]]		[[Category:Lectures]]

Checker at 21:41, 1 April 2007

2007-04-01T21:41:28Z

← Older revision		Revision as of 21:41, 1 April 2007
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	* We mentioned one new additional metric at end, which is how often is your prototype referred back to in the archive? If nobody ever looks at it again, then either it was answering a really simple question or completely answered the question, full stop, or it maybe wasn't as useful at answering questions as you originally thought since nobody felt the need to use it to clarify or remind people of the solution.		* We mentioned one new additional metric at end, which is how often is your prototype referred back to in the archive? If nobody ever looks at it again, then either it was answering a really simple question or completely answered the question, full stop, or it maybe wasn't as useful at answering questions as you originally thought since nobody felt the need to use it to clarify or remind people of the solution.

			There was some press coverage of the talk:

			* [http://pc.gamespy.com/pc/spore/698263p1.html Gamespy]
			* [http://www.joystiq.com/2006/11/13/joystiq-interviews-spores-chaim-gingold-and-chris-hecker/ Joystiq]
			* [http://www.gamasutra.com/php-bin/news_index.php?story=11628 Gamasutra]

	One of the meta-goals of this talk was to learn what makes a good two-person talk. You can see the lessons we learned [[Two Person Presentations\|here]].		One of the meta-goals of this talk was to learn what makes a good two-person talk. You can see the lessons we learned [[Two Person Presentations\|here]].

	[[Category:Lectures]]		[[Category:Lectures]]

Checker at 09:58, 1 April 2007

2007-04-01T09:58:30Z

← Older revision		Revision as of 09:58, 1 April 2007
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	* We mentioned one new additional metric at end, which is how often is your prototype referred back to in the archive? If nobody ever looks at it again, then either it was answering a really simple question or completely answered the question, full stop, or it maybe wasn't as useful at answering questions as you originally thought since nobody felt the need to use it to clarify or remind people of the solution.		* We mentioned one new additional metric at end, which is how often is your prototype referred back to in the archive? If nobody ever looks at it again, then either it was answering a really simple question or completely answered the question, full stop, or it maybe wasn't as useful at answering questions as you originally thought since nobody felt the need to use it to clarify or remind people of the solution.

			One of the meta-goals of this talk was to learn what makes a good two-person talk. You can see the lessons we learned [[Two Person Presentations\|here]].

	[[Category:Lectures]]		[[Category:Lectures]]

Checker at 11:14, 30 March 2007

2007-03-30T11:14:49Z

← Older revision		Revision as of 11:14, 30 March 2007
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	</blockquote>		</blockquote>

	It's in [[~~Powerpoint~~\|the new fangled presentation style]] all the kids are doing these days, which means it's basically useless without hearing the audio, so:		It's in [[Presentation Style\|the new fangled presentation style]] all the kids are doing these days, which means it's basically useless without hearing the audio, so:

	* Here are the [[Media:Gdc2006-AdvancedPrototyping.ppt\|slides]], in Powerpoint 2003 format.		* Here are the [[Media:Gdc2006-AdvancedPrototyping.ppt\|slides]], in Powerpoint 2003 format.

Checker at 08:09, 29 March 2007

2007-03-29T08:09:31Z

← Older revision		Revision as of 08:09, 29 March 2007
Line 1:		Line 1:
	[http://www.slackworks.com/~cog/ Chaim Gingold] and I gave a fun lecture at the 2006 [[Game Developers Conference]] titled, ''Advanced Prototyping''. Here's the abstract:		[http://www.slackworks.com/~cog/ Chaim Gingold] and I gave a fun lecture at the 2006 [[Game Developers Conference]] titled, ''Advanced Prototyping''. Here's the abstract:

			[[Image:Gdc2006-AdvancedPrototyping0.png\|250px\|right]]
	<blockquote>		<blockquote>
	Creating effective prototypes of game designs, user interfaces, and technologies requires a unique set of skills and knowledge, somewhat distinct from the skills used in making a game. This lecture discusses creating these various types of prototypes from an advanced and in-depth perspective. The talk goes through a number of important questions and topics that should be addressed before, during, and after the prototype is created, including metrics for judging the effectiveness of prototypes, how to decide the focus of a prototype, how to design, start, and build the prototype, both from a content and a code standpoint, and how to iterate the prototype via testing and integrating feedback. Various approaches to these issues are compared and contrasted, with the end goal of teaching attendees how to create successful and high quality prototypes.		Creating effective prototypes of game designs, user interfaces, and technologies requires a unique set of skills and knowledge, somewhat distinct from the skills used in making a game. This lecture discusses creating these various types of prototypes from an advanced and in-depth perspective. The talk goes through a number of important questions and topics that should be addressed before, during, and after the prototype is created, including metrics for judging the effectiveness of prototypes, how to decide the focus of a prototype, how to design, start, and build the prototype, both from a content and a code standpoint, and how to iterate the prototype via testing and integrating feedback. Various approaches to these issues are compared and contrasted, with the end goal of teaching attendees how to create successful and high quality prototypes.