From beginning to end, producing even a single asset for a
game is a process of refinement, revision and judgement as well as an exercise in
time management and work ethic. In the industry getting a game completed on
time can be the difference between huge success and the company closing it’s
doors. Even seemingly organic processes such as doodles and scribbles for idea
generation have their place and are optimised to produce the best useable
results.
Whilst not exclusive to the
game industry the Production pipeline
is an essential tool in the creative industries for organising not only large
numbers of employees when creating vast projects but also in organising
yourself and the work you produce – it fosters good work ethics and provides a
framework and direction to work, encouraging the creations of mid-project
deadlines and a sense of progress as well as providing a formula for creating
results every time.
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| A Typical Game Pipeline (http://www.skins.abtec.org/skins1.0/?cat=27) |
Most games and their assets will follow a pipeline in order
to produce their content. It may differ slightly depending on what is to be
created (A character would not require a map or paths to be produced where a
level would, but a treasure chest would have no need for a script to be written
and so forth) but fundamentally it is the same.
The beginning of this
pipeline is the planning and concept stage. Beginning with a Mission and
Game brief which will detail the aims of the project and may include the story
and the required elements and mechanics as well as what the final product
should look and feel like. This proposal will then be used to produce mood
boards and style sheets. These collage-style documents show the inspiration and
themes of the work, as well as set a baseline for what the finished product
should really look like.
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| A Stylesheet and a moodboard, they may look similar or completely different |
Essential to the project, these documents provide a vital
springboard for the concepts
that are the next stage of this process. Without this base it’s much more
difficult to produce these concepts (Be they high quality final concepts or
quick, sketched ideas) but with them the flow of work is augmented and the
quantity and quality is greatly improved. Even when there are setbacks, like a
concept being rejected, the pipeline helps by providing a structure which is
easy to backtrack and restart work in a smooth and efficient way.
The Game Production Pipeline exists to assist the creator of
the work; it’s structure leads to a timely production of work not only in the
concept stage but carried through to later aspects of the pipeline – which I
will talk about in later blogs. Coupled with the desire of the creator to work
and produce to a high standard (In other words the creator’s strong
work ethic) This fosters an ability to produce a consistent and high quality
body of work that not only shows direction and cohesiveness when it comes to
producing an end result that answers the brief but also a clear thought process
and a structured way of working that can do nothing but benefit a professional
working alone or as part of a team.
