Umbra Ignite 2015: – Remy Chinchilla & Kevin Cerdà AAA indie production for Agile Sharks

Tequila Works

01/09/2015

Publisher: Sony Computer EntertainmentPlatform: PlayStation 4

Genre: 3rd person Puzzle Action Adventure

Fun Facts:• Tequila Works was the 1st Spanish digital developer on XBLA and Summer of Arcade• Deadlight was the 1st Spanish game nominated for a BAFTA• Rime was the 1st Spanish game announced for PS4

Publisher: Microsoft StudiosPlatforms: XBLA, Steam

Genre: 3rd person 2.5D Cinematic Platformer

AAA Indie Production for Agile Sharks01/09/2015


• “Where’s the Beautiful? Where’s the Crazy?”

• “3 C’s: Collaboration, Compromise, Confidence”

• “Always exploring new creative avenues”

• “Drama on the Screen”

El mantra de Tequila

Videogames are great.And we love them.



● AAA Games

● Indie Games


In general, indie games make a bigger effort towards originalityand innovation, because they assume “less risks”.


Innovation equals uncertainty.

How can you expect to plan ahead if no one has tried it before?


Over information age.Blogs, Youtube, Twitter, Twitch, Kickstarter, Patreon…

First impressions are vital!

Shark Riding


How do you survive when riding sharks?



Production


Transition from creative chaos to the reality of a production

Creativity and Chaos Vs Organisation● Every extreme is bad, chaos will make no game and only focus on organization will make a flat game

● Organize your production to awaken and maintain creativity

● You need both to end up with a good product (be innovative and original)


With

A Controlled Chaos of the Creativity● How to prevent creativity being too crazy

● How do you make sure your stay creative enough

● Close mode and open mode


How to transform subjectivity on clear objectives

• No emotions in description, just facts

• Keep it clean and concise (too much info is not good)

• Do exhausting lists (assets, dependencies etc)

• Set goals and objectives, be ready to iterate

• Know when to close things (Quality, time left, priorities)


Pipeline and process● Human factor (most of what we do is working with humans, know your team)

● Affinities, different vision, mix different department

● Keep your initial objectives in mind and compare it with the end result (lessons learned)


Quality control and agile iteration

Each individual element…… and the global product

Catalyzed/Analysedby other department

Feature with complete feasibility details(breakdown list by department)

Design idea


Strike team● Programmer● Designer● Artist● Animator

Adapt your communication● Kick off ● Regular follow up and reviews of the features● Plan a closure, review the end result and plan the next steps● Notes and conclusion of every meeting


Factors of decision making● Added value for the game (initial priority comes from design)

● Time constraint (technical feasibility/dependencies)

● Resource constraint

● Critical path


• You cannot cut too much/ too early

• You cannot let a branch grow in the direction unwanted

• Limited resources in a given time frame

• When do you cancel a prototype?


AAA Indie Production for Agile Sharks

● Know you weaknesses and strengths. As individuals and as a studio

● More than a job title, see the expertise of individuals

● Make the most of people competence

● Identify the major risks and prepare solutions for them,

be step several step ahead of your problems.

01/09/2015

Umbra Ignite 2015: – Remy Chinchilla & Kevin Cerdà AAA indie production for Agile Sharks

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