#problem analysis

Methodology

My team and I had a meeting with the client where we pitched our first playable, informed them about the problematic situation we’re facing and discussed the directions in which we could proceed with the project. Furthermore, we had two meetings with a developer at Fantazm who explained to us the reasons for the ineffective code repository and prepared a working version of it. We’ve been having team meetings everyday throughout this process where we discussed what would be the best solution for us to deliver the industry project.

DOT framework methods used:

Resources

First playable pitch meeting with client

First playable Q&A document

Code review meetings with Fantazm’s developer

New client repository

Products

My team and I decided to create our own wild boar management simulation game from scratch. We came to the conclusion that this would be the best approach for pursuing the project outcomes due to the time restrictions we have and the fact that we haven’t had received the resources needed for the completion of the initial problem statement in time.

However, throughout this tedious process, I gained experience in the industry project’s main aspects:

Working with scrum ✔️

Communicating with your client ✔️

Working in a group ✔️

Working on a complex challenge ✔️

I haven’t been feeling productive and motivated lately but now this has changed and I’m ready for the amazing game that my teammates and I will make.

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Methodology

I approached this problem by analysing our game and noting down its features and main parts of its core concept in order to use this for structuring a design challenge. After that, my team and I brainstormed on how to define proper user stories based on the design challenge and tasks that emerged from the stories. We referred to the slides that’ve been given to us in order to apply best practices. In the end, we pitched our design challenge and user stories to our teachers and classmates multiple times and iterated over them by applying the feedback we received.

DOT framework methods used:

Resources

Slides:

Challenging Scrum - Game Design Workshop

My First Design Challenge - Presentation by Tom Langhorst

My favorite ones:

Products

The progress (more or less) in iterations of our design challenge:

Iteration 1:

Design challenge:

Design a first person shooter game to enable players that play PC games to experience shooting enemies with laser guns in 6 degrees of freedom with similar mechanics to the game Overload.

vs.

Problem statement:

Player that plays PC games wants to play a first person shooter game on a PC in their free time. Our game will provide a unique experience which allows the player to shoot enemies with laser guns in 6 degrees of freedom so that they have fun, improve their eye-hand coordination and spatial awareness.

Feedback:

What kind of players? Describe your target audience better.

State more features of the game.

Focus on design challenge instead of problem statement.

Iteration 2:

Design a first person shooter game to enable casual mid-tier strategic players that play FPS games in their free time to experience shooting enemies with laser guns in 6 degrees of freedom with similar mechanics to the game Overload and improve their fast-paced reaction and spatial awareness skills.

Feedback:

Take out the users and context parts.

Focus only on the type of solution (state the game features) & the activity that is performed and the target performance (core game concept).

Iteration 3:

Design a space arena first person shooter game where you shoot enemies with laser guns in six degrees of freedom (6DoF) and which tests your fast-paced reaction and spatial awareness skills.

Feedback:

Missing the inspired by other products part.

Iteration 4:

Design a space arena first person shooter game inspired by the movement of Overload and weapon mechanics and aesthetics of Hardspace: Shipbreaker where you shoot enemies with laser guns in six degrees of freedom (6DoF) and which tests your fast-paced reaction and spatial awareness skills.

Feedback:

The skills part is not clear – does the player need these skills to play or will they develop them while playing?

Iteration 5:

Design a space arena first person shooter game inspired by the Battle Room in Ender's Game movie and the movement mechanics of Overload and Hardspace: Shipbreaker where you shoot enemies with laser guns in six degrees of freedom (6DoF) in order to save humanity by using your fast-paced reaction and spatial awareness skills.

And our Trello scrumboard with up-to-date design challenge, user stories and tasks which can be found here.

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I feel like this challenge helped me describe my game in a very specific and understandable way. I practised on how to to break down a problem I am facing into parts and figure out what exactly I want to achieve. I got to think and remember what exactly the core concept and features of the game are. This will help to keep the most important things about my game in my mind when I am prototyping it in order to deliver the concept that I and my group initially intended.