Capstone Game Post Mortem: White Hat: Decode

Capstone Game Post Mortem: White Hat: Decode

Game Summary

Author

Steven Smith

Title

White Hat: Decode

Genre

Action / Adventure

Platform(s)

Android, iOS, Playstation Vita (with Gear VR and Cardboard support where applicable)

Revenue model

Core game will be free on Android and $0.99 on iPhone, with PSN pricing pending. Available map for $0.99, 10-second one-time extension for $0.99, packs of extensions at 5 for $4.99 and 10 for $9.99

Development tools/Language

Unity 3D, C#, Objective-C, Javascript, C++, Java, C++, Oculus mobile SDK, Durovis SDK

Game audience

Targets males and females 16 - 40, typically with a history in playing RPG games or an interest in new mobile hardware.

Team

Solo project

Copyright/Reference

Copyright 2014 LoungeKatt / Steve Smith

 

Backstory:

Sound Bite

Have you ever wondered what your computer dreams about while it sleeps?

Executive Summary

Enter the BetaCorp server and attempt to collect data as a member of the White Hats or Virals. Race against the clock or against friends on this and other supported platforms. Each team is trying to gather up as much data as possible, whether for protection or for profit. It is up to you which side you will choose to join in the battle to control the server databases.

Inspiration

This game was inspired by many of the innovative role playing games that provide high quality graphics and immersive navigation systems. Games, such as Persona 4, with pause menus that are animated and appear to be just as much a part of the game as game play. Games, such as Ragnarok Odyssey, that facilitate levels and multiplayer by using "physics" lobbies and buildings instead of GUI content. 

Ideal

The purpose of this project was to develop a game that would be comparable to a console release, while still being optimized for mobile platforms.

 

The Critique: What went right…

Design & Aesthetics

The music was an accidental discovery when searching for another sound, but has really brought the game together. This is a testament to the idea of not simply settling on the first thing you see or hear and not, at least, exploring alternatives to be sure.

The graphics, on the other hand, were fully planned from the start. While it was hard to fully map the depth of the intended design in the early documentation, it has come together in much the way it was planned. The characters appear detailed, while still maintaining the cartoon aspects that were desired. The start screen ties into the game, even with the requirement that a very specific Durovis logo is displayed when using their SDK. The HUD and environments maintain a Steampunk theme that is given cartoon undertones through the use of a more advanced version of the tony shaders included with the character set.

Project Management

The project management went well in terms of local timelines, schedules, etc. It is hard to find any flaw in project management when the documented items were complete in light of rearranged submissions. This shows that enough flexibility was provided in the plan and that adjustments could be made quickly.

Development

Choosing to use local code over existing templates that sounded similar to desired functionality allowed the flexibility to design the code for a specific situation or reuse it as a generic API itself, either later in this game or even in another project. It is extremely useful to have gone through the process of creating an API to better understand how they function. In future projects, there may not be time and resources to allow for choosing to generate the API in-house. Having done so in the past, it will be much easier to evaluate the uses and limits of an external API when one needs to be obtained.

Testing

The benefit of having pre-existing connections with various hardware manufacturers and developers is that there is equipment available for testing and any feedback is useful and concise. This shows the benefit of networking when developing a game. It will prove extremely useful to have a few opinions that are not based on observation alone. Those with experience using the same tools and processes can often provide much greater insight as to possible causes or alternate diagnostics. This both improves and accelerates the process.

Business Model/Plan

Having the purchases available from the early beta stages is a definite advantage. Having seen the results when apps attempt to retrofit purchase items or add items that do not fit into another upgrade, this would have been a serious failure if incomplete. It is important to ensure that primary components will fit into the overall product. Given the adjustments that were required to support the basic functionality of the necessary IAB library, it has proven that prioritizing features is vital to protect expected results, such as revenue.

Other

Unity was fairly easy to learn and taking the time to learn how to translate JavaScript to C# and back made for a humungous advantage when designing this game. Most developers that reference code examples use JavaScript, but the ambiguous nature makes a fully integrated control design unstable. This same ambiguity allows a camera script to function much more effectively. This is one example of when being able to switch back and forth between the two and integrate them into each other was almost required for success.

 

The Critique: What went wrong…

Design & Aesthetics

I do not feel there were any significant issues with the design beyond the limitations presented by the mobile platform. The characters used in this project come with the warning that while being compatible with mobile, they require careful consideration of available resources. The need to monitor resources became a very tedious aspect of attempting to provide high quality graphics.

Project Management

The plan was under a lot of scrutiny. The size of the plan made it appear as though time was insufficient for completion. Often times, the project suffered for this speculation. It was difficult to add features and generated an unnecessary amount of documentation to justify removing features, as not to give the impression it was a result of insufficient time or resources.

The introduction was an unplanned feature. This could be considered a design flaw, but it is less flawed than unimpressive. The stationary terminal output was an afterthought that fit into the theme well and provided a means to fill in a lot of backstory, but does not fit into the personification used for most of the game.

Development

Attempting to integrate the entire VR design for the Gear VR after the capstone presentation was already prepared corrupted some of the existing code. The Cardboard portion was completed and was fully tested with the standard game, but attempting to demonstrate the Gear VR support led to issues that could have been avoided had the SDK been available earlier in the development process.

Testing

This game was thoroughly tested, but not every aspect was verified against the different play styles of varying users. The original camera had the possibility of becoming blocked when turning corners tightly. This was not something that was fully tested and did not appear to be an issue. After attempting to perform “non-standard” navigation, such as turning back in the middle of rounding a corner, this issue became far more noticeable.

Business Model/Plan

The business model is not something that I feel is set in stone. I believe the map is an effective item, but I am skeptical about the time bonuses. I feel I may have to revisit this in the future by replacing these items with additional costumes or other items planned for “standard” updates.

Other

While feedback started out strong, it felt as though it became an afterthought when the project grew closer to completion. This is not something that went wrong with the project as much as it is something that required spending more time seeking out external evaluations that were intended to be part of the established process.

 

Summary:

This game far surpassed my own “unrealistic” goals. While the original written plans already appeared to be more than what is possible in the given time frame, they were only a portion of what I believed would be possible. The core of the game was used for documentation, but did not account for the progress made with virtual reality support, flexibility of the level design to add replay value, or nearly functional multiplayer mode as anything more than future plans. All of these goals have been completed and the game functions well enough for presentation at a public level. I plan to complete the one-year plan within six months.

 

References

Atlus. (2008). Shin Megami Tensei: Persona 4 [Playstation Game].

Game Arts. (2012). Ragnarok Odyssey Ace [Playstation Game].

LoungeKatt. (2014). White Hat: Decode [Android App].

Unity. (2014). Steampunk: Industrial Revolution. Retrieved from https://www.assetstore.unity3d.com/en/#!/content/17446

Unity. (2014). Blade NPC Special Pack. Retrieved from https://www.assetstore.unity3d.com/en/#!/content/9184

Unity. (2014). Sword Girl #1. Retrieved from https://www.assetstore.unity3d.com/en/#!/content/15103

Unity. (2014). Villager A Girl NPC. Retrieved from https://www.assetstore.unity3d.com/en/#!/content/5542

Unity. (2014). Medieval Toon House. Retrieved from https://www.assetstore.unity3d.com/en/#!/content/16674