What did I do?

During this project, I was required to carry out a number of tasks that came along with being a member of the writing department.

The main tasks that were required of me, as the writer, were divided up into two areas of pre-production and production.

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Pre-production tasks consisted of the game's story (consequence tree/timeline), the story overview (game story), character concepts (profile templates and moodboards), and location concepts (moodboards).

Then, production consisted of character biographies, backstories, side stories, full script writing, journal entries, and item descriptions.

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These are all tasks that I have carried out during this project. Some tasks have been carried out with more detail and time than others, but either way, I managed to produce something for each task.

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Most of these tasks was carried out with the intention of being put together with the work of others from my group to create a playable 3D action-adventure sci-fi pirate game (demo) that would be shown to the public at First Site for our Exhibition, which is a task that my group and I successfully managed to complete.

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How I did it?

I was planning to go into detail about each of my tasks on this evaluation, but it has dawned on me how little time there is remaining, but also the fact that I have written production diaries for each task already, and so writing how I did each task will be a waste of time with me repeating myself.

Becasue of this, I have linked the two pages below which contain all of the relevant tasks (and the pages/posts explaining their processes) that were carried out by me as the group writer for the development of the game.

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However, the one main area I will explain briefly is that before carrying out the tasks, I planned the order of the tasks, and created a schedule. On this schedule (and all of the other schedules that followed), I planned out the tasks according to their importance (my opinion of it anyway), which allowed me to carry out more important tasks first, and then less important and smaller tasks at the later point of the project. This was extremely effective, as it allowed me to manage a large number of tasks, and organise my time efficiently.

Then, when I started each task, there was it's own research/planning, but this will be explained on each tasks respective page.

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In terms of the game itself (which was the main task/goal of the project), very little of my work actually ended up being implemented into the game. The main parts that would have been added would have been my story (so my script), a few of my characters (although the models would have been the artists), and the item descriptions.

However, in the end, we didn't really end up having items in the game, meaning that there weren't items for me to write descriptions for (although I still carried out this task).

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However, in terms of story, it was I who made the decision to not implement my script/story into the game. Although I did/do have a valid reason, which shall be explained below

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Why you did it that way?

Towards the point where we were ready to implement my story into the game, I realised how much work the artists would need to do. I realised that on top of completing the assets that they were currently working on, they would need to also create cutscenes, otherwise the story wouldn't make sense.

It was at this moment where I thought about the best way to get around this problem.

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I realised how it was either have my story/script in the game, but have an incomplete demo with missing assets and rushed cutscenes, or have a more completed looking game demo without my script/the artists' cutscenes implemented. I discussed this with my team, and it was decided that we wouldn't implement the story or cutscenes, and would let the artists focus on completing their assets (which at the time were key assets such as the player model and the ship model, so pretty much two player models).

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After making the decision, and having carried out the exhibition, I'm happy that my group and I made this decision, as It allowed our game to look more like a finished product (demo), then it would have otherwise, and be more appealing to the exhibition viewers.

Additionally, I was able to show off my printed and bound script at the exhibition (separate to the game), so it's not like my work was left unnoticed.

Although it would have been nice to get it in, I was willing to make that 'sacrifice' for the game to be more appealing and complete looking.

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Challenges and how I overcame them

One of the main challenges has already been mentioned. This was that the art team didn't have time to create the final key assets, as well as the cutscenes. To begin with, I still thought it was possible, but then I realised that a slight change of concept was what was needed. This change is to not include my story or the cutscenes, to allow the artists to focus on the key assets.

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Generally speaking, there were many problems and challenges that I encountered throughout this project, but if I had to pick one challenge that was only relevant to me, it would be the writing of the script.

The task itself is shown/linked on my production page (which is linked above), so I won't go into too much detail, but completing the script was definitely the biggest challenge I was faced with.

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This was the biggest challenge for me as I had never written a script before, and so the task of actually writing one myself was rather daunting, to begin with. However, after carrying out some research (linked below), and carrying out an exercise task, I felt a little bit more confident with the task of writing my own script.

 

 

 

However, just becasue I had the simple understanding into how a script was written/formatted, it didn't mean that the words would flow out of me onto the page. Becasue of this, I decided to spend more time on my script. This was a good call, as my script ended up being my main piece of work, and so this allowed me to improve the quality of the scri[t itself, but also the story.

Although this did create a problem in itself. This problem was that because I wrote quite a lot, I couldn't find the time to completely read through and correct any incorrect uses of grammar or vocabulary, but more importantly, I couldn't make changes to the story. However, this wasn't the end of the world, as I had said that I'd only edit it (to a more complete/perfect states) if I had the time towards the end of the project, which I didn't/don't have.

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Teamwork and communication

Throughout the project, there was constantly teamwork and communication occurring due to the fact that the project was a team/group project. For me, there wasn't as much as some of the other members of my group would have had, as I was the only member of the writing department in my team.

However, there were still many times where I communicated and worked with the rest of my team.

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During pre-production, the main times I worked with my team/communicated with them was when I was trying to decide on various concepts. As I was the only writer, I didn't have another writer in my team that I could consult if needed, so instead, I decided to consult my team. This normally involved votes on my concepts (such as a story or character concepts), where I would present my different concepts, and get my team to vote. This allowed me to come to a decision and see what concepts of mine were most effective, but it also allowed me to work alongside my team, and get them involved in areas of my work.

This was also apparent for the reverse as well, where the different departments would consult me regarding the concept of the game (e.g. level designers asking how the game begins, or what the first level is, to make sure that they were carrying out correct work).

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However, I do believe that communication of almost all of the group members (myself included) was rather weak at the start of the project. To begin with, few people joined in on discussions (which wasn't too helpful), and it seemed like the group members just weren't comfortable. Although this was a problem that solved itself with time, as while time went on, the group got to know each other more, and discussions and conversations were occurring more naturally. This was when the gears of the project really began to turn in motion, as people were discussing with their departments and even other departments about possible ideas/concepts, and some of which ended up being added (such as level design adding weapon augmentation into the game as bonus material).

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So all in all, I'd say the teamwork and communication got off to a shaky start, but as the project went on, we seemed like an actual team as everyone began to communicate and discuss naturally and more often.

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What did I do well?

In regards to the project as a whole, there are a number of areas/tasks which I believe to have carried out rather well.

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As mentioned, I feel as though my planning and scheduling was effective, as It allowed me to carry out almost all of which I had wanted to do, as I was able to effectively plan out all of the tasks, and dedicate different amounts of time to them.

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Additionally, I also feel as though during the pre-production phase of the project, where my work was the most vital, I was able to complete the needed tasks without holding anyone up. This might actually be one of the biggest achievements of the project, as this was probably one of the most difficult phases of the project as I needed to have the work/concepts ready to give to my team, but I needed to make sure that the concepts were still acceptable (e.g. come up with a concept, make sure it's acceptable for the theme, genre and audience, and then give said concept to my team to allow them to do their work).

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In terms of my production tasks, I feel as though the main task that I was able to carry out effectively was my script. I've talked about this a number of times, but I feel as though that due to the time and effort I was able to spend on it, I managed to write a full script with the correct formatting of text, as well as a professional look. Although I know there are faults with the writing itself (improvements to be made to the story and so forth), I'm still rather proud of what I managed to accomplish.

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What would I do differently next time?

There are a few main areas that I would improve if I was to carry out a similar project in the future.

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To begin with, I feel as though I should have given my team a smaller concept.

Although the concept for this project ended up being reduced in size and complexity a number of times, I still feel as though it was too difficult for the team to meet, and so I feel s though it would have been an effective idea for the concept to have been smaller (e.g. 1 level plus the ocean section as opposed to two levels plus the ocean section).

Additionally, I would have liked to of been able to fit my story/script into the game, which I feel as though would have been doable if the concept of the game demo was smaller in size and complexity.

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Another problem is that as I was the only writer, I found myself trying to do all of the tasks and rushing many, and even finding myself unable to complete some in time, such as journal entries and items descriptions (some of which might be created in time, but either way, I wouldn't have been able to spend the wasted time on them). Becasue of this, if the group could get another writer, I would be able to spread the tasks out and give myself more time to focus on certain tasks, which would hopefully allow me to up their quality.

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What have I learned from the process?

From the process of this project, I have learned that group projects can actually be rather enjoyable, which is something I didn't think before now.

Although the project was stressful at pretty much every point, I still enjoyed watching my concept develop as the members of my group all contributed their part to the game/project, until we finally had a finished product (demo ready for the exhibition).

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In addition to this, I also learned the importance and usefulness of scheduling. During pretty much all of my previous projects while on this course, I have been required to plan out the tasks of the project with a schedule, but I feel as though this has been the first project where I have actively kept to my schedule, and have been able to manage my time pretty well over the course of around three to four months.

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Self Reflection:

My personal growth

Before starting this project, and during the beginning of the project, I'd say that I was quite shy. This presented a problem, especially at the beginning of the project, as there were many members in the group who were the same as me (were shy and didn't really talk to those whom they didn't know), and it meant that there was little communication occurring between the different group members and group departments.

Due to this, and due to me being the writing leader, I realised that I needed to step up and do what was expected of me, even though it was outside of my comfort zone. I would say that it was becasue of this that I became a little less shy and somewhat more confident in myself, as I was required to talk to/communicate to individuals which I'd never really spoken to before (as quite a few members of my group were people I hadn't spoken too at all before this project, even though they were in my class).

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I would also say that I have become somewhat more confident in myself throughout the project. I'd say this becasue the project began with me getting a leadership position within my team, which worried and stressed me quite a bit. However, now the project is coming to an end, there weren't any major problems (which I have my team to thank for), and I feel as though I was able to carry out the work required to the best of my ability, but I can also end the project knowing that I managed to hold a leadership position, and (hopefully) finish with a successful project (my independent work/group game/exhibition).

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Additionally, I also feel that I have been able to develop and improve a number of skills while carrying out this project.

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Skills

The main skills that I developed during this project were planning and time management skills. These were skills that were used during all of the previous projects, but I feel as though this project I developed them, and was actually able to put them to effective use.

The first phase of the project (pre-production) was rather hectic for the writers, as they had to get most of their work done to give the other departments of the group their work, and this was the case for me especially as the only writer of my group. However, I made multiple variations of schedules, trying to manage the tasks and my time as effectively as possible, which did end up keeping me on track and even saving some time. This then went on to weekly and daily planning, which is something I'd not really done in other projects, but I found it extremely vital, as It provided me with a sense of urgency for the amount of work/tasks I had remaining.

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Additionally, I also feel as though I have been able to develop my general writing skills. This was the main reason that I picked the writing role, as I felt that my writing was rather poor before starting this project. Although I don't think it's particularly great now, I have definitely been able to see improvements throughout the project to my general writing skills (such as correct sentence structure, spelling, and grammar)

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Subject knowledge

My understanding of writing (video game writing and creative writing) has also improved throughout the course of this project.

To begin with, my understanding of different narratives was broadened via an early research task into narrative structures.

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One of the main areas I have learned about while carrying out the role of writing was script writing. This was something I couldn't say I understood before this project, as I just didn't really understand the different types of scripts or the different components/areas that are included, or even how to format one.

However, after carrying out research and writing my own script, I can now say that I have a better understanding of script writing (although it's still a very basic level, but its more than I started with). 

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Knowledge in industry processes

As stated above, my research into script writing allowed me to develop and write a somewhat professional script.

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However, there was also to other pieces of research which influenced me. One piece of research allowed me to understand the process of writing a story and explained an order to the tasks that should be carried out, and then the other was my research into the naming of my characters, as I looked into how League of Legends (Riot Games, 2009) to see how they name their characters, but then also carried out some research into other naming rules elsewhere online.

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Working in a professional environment

As the project was a group project, I was required to work in a group. In addition to this, our teacher didn't ever really directly tell us what to do or when which meant that the groups were all required to plan and carry out the tasks themselves.

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Becasue of this, I feel as though as I was able to improve my independent work, as I wasn't relying on teachers to provide work for me to do, but instead, I was using my own initiative to plan my own work and carry out tasks that I felt were important/necessary (whether research tasks or the order of my production task).        

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Additionally, I also developed my group work skills, as for the project I was in a group of 11, which is the largest group I've ever been in for an actual project. Becasue of this, during the project, I was required to communicate and discuss with my group to try and ensure the project success and effectiveness in appealing to our audience when being a completed product.

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Maturity when handling difficult situations

The main difficult situations that I can recall dealing with during this project were often problems between certain group members (problems/arguments).

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During the course of the project, there was a number of times where I was required to sort out problems between my group members. Most of the time, the problem was between the same two members of the art team, and the problems would result in them stopping all communication, which wasn't exactly helpful as the project was a team/group project.

An example of one of these problems was when they both wanted to do the same page for the GDD (during the pre-production phase), but only one of them ended up getting the page. This led to the other member not being too happy but also stopping communication with the member who got the character concept page (which they both wanted).

I then managed to eventually sort this out by coming to a deal with both the members where they both agreed to do half of two different pages each, which I thought was fair, and which they both agreed too.

This was a problem that they could have easily sorted out by themselves, but as they stopped communicating, I had to get involved. This also occurred a number of other times, with me having to get involved. This pretty much included me talking to them each individually and trying to resolve the problems they had.

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Additionally, there were a number of times I would have liked to complain/argue with certain people (still referring to the two members of the art team causing problems), but I decided not too. I knew that causing an argument wasn't going to help anyone but would end up with the opposite effect of destroying the group atmosphere we had going throughout the project (leading to no communication between certain members/departments).

Although I feel as though my reasons for complaining would have been valid (such as not doing a piece of work/sending it weeks after having been asked), I still feel as though my decision to keep my cool, and politely ask for the work until it was completed/sent was the best decision could have made.

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Additionally, it was brought to my attention that one of the same team members was complaining about me behind my back. As of the current moment in time, I have decided not to confront her about this, as I didn't want an argument to occur this late in the project. I'm still unsure whether this was the correct decision or not, but by not bringing it up, there was no arguments about the topic, which meant the team's communication wasn't impacted. And so I would say that it might have been the best decision.

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leadership

For this project, I wasn't just required to carry out the role of lead writer, but also the role of my group's sole writer.

To begin with, I was dreading this project becasue of this, as I didn't believe that I had what it took to be a leader or the only writer.

Looking back over the project, I can definitely recall times where I could have been a better leader, but I do think there were times where I fulfilled the role effectively.

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To being with, I feel as my leadership skills were lacking significantly, as at the beginning of the project I found it rather difficult to talk to the other members of my group openly. However, as the project progressed, this is something I definitely saw improvement in, as the longer, the project went on, the more I was required to speak to my team, which also meant that I got to know them better, which then allowed me to talk openly more easier.

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Although I do still feel as though there was a number of times (even further in the project) that I should have advised my team more.

I say this because there were certain tasks/products which ended up being significantly different from what I had originally envisioned. An example of this would be the minion enemy crab, which I had hoped to have a distinguishable bulky mechanical look to it, which ended up not being apparent in the concept art or final model. However, I do feel as though the model ended up being effective, but it didn't fit my concept, as well as I,  had hoped, meaning my reason for the concept wasn't apparent (minions being distinguishable as robots to signify sci-fi theme of the game).

However, there were a number of other times where I was consulted about work, and I gave my opinion. But these times began to occur more and more as I settled into my group. An example of me advising one of the other leads about his cutscenes can be seen below.

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