Introduction

3. Introduction

4. Who is this guy? • Game Designer – Red Storm Entertainment • Assistant Designer • Designer • Lead Designer • Lead Multiplayer Designer • Creative Director • Tom Clancy’s Ghost Recon Franchise • Ghost Recon: Island Thunder – Xbox • Ghost Recon 2 – Xbox • GR2: Summit Strike - Xbox • Ghost Recon Advanced Warfighter – Xbox 360 • Military Service • USMC - 1995-1999 • USAFNG 1999-2001 • USANG 2001-2004 • Modder • Started out making mods for Rogue Spear

5. How are military games different? Example: Quake & Halo • Movie Trend Influence on Perception of Reality • Military Games, especially shooters, are heavily influenced by movies, because the public’s perception of what is “real” is so heavily influenced. • The Audience • Military Shooters tend to have an older audience than other shooters. Many military shooter fans, especially in multiplayer, want a more mature audience, as opposed to more mainstream shooters. • The Dev/Publisher • A critical part of marketing and selling a military shooter is distinguishing it from in the market. Sci-Fi games can distinguish themselves visually, even if the gameplay is the same. Military games lack some of that versatility. Example: Ghost Recon & Battlefield

6. Why does this matter? • Recap of last years talk – Navigating the Minefields • Range of Military Shooter Games & Genres

7. The Next-Gen Military Game & Gamer

8. What’s the difference now? • What gamers expect • The majority of military gamers don’t want a “sim” or an “action game” or an “arcade shooter.” • They want it all! • Great Graphics • Immersive Gameplay • Expansive Worlds • Perceived Realism • Riveting Single Player • Expansive Multiplayer

9. “John Wayne, Chuck Norris, and Tom Hanks” • As war movies have progressed and matured, so have games.

10. Games Evolve, Developers Evolve • Next Gen doesn’t change the focus, only the possibilities! • Breaking the mold • Identifying your strengths • Blending realism, fun, and action • Answering the question – “What is your game about?” • Franchise Development – Keeping the core, refresh the feel • Perception, Perception, Perception! • It matters what the player perceives, not what is actually happening

11. Production Challenges in the Next-Gen Military Arena

12. The Push for More and More • As a larger scope is demanded from the games, the need for a strong vision is even more important • The sheer volume of production material is not just a challenge for the Producer. The keeper of the vision must be able to adapt to new expectations of development

13. Bigger isn’t necessarily better! • Is 200 guns better than 50? • There is a tendency to reflexively add “more” of everything. The standard hasn’t changed – quality over quantity. • You must balance variety versus gameplay distinction. The more of anything you have, the less distinctive those items will be. This is especially true of weapons.

14. Bigger isn’t necessarily better! • Map size and player funor “Now lets make every map 10Kx10K!” • Play space size must be tailored to movement speeds, engagement ranges, types of transportation available, field of view, etc. etc. • “Big” can mean different things to different people, and on different playspaces. • LOS directly affects “size”

15. Franchise Fun? • More investment by developers and publishers means more pressure on existing military franchise • Can “New Features” overshadow the core gameplay of your game?

16. Team Size Design Staff GR2 Xbox (Entire Game) GRAW 360(Just Multiplayer) • The more detail in a project, you either need more time or more people. If you end up with more people… • You must now Communicate Authenticity & Vision to hundreds of developers, not dozens. • Delegation of the Vision becomes key! • You can’t do it all now!

17. The Killer is in the Details… • With a next generation game, the expectation of quality and the scope of content demand more attention to military authenticity than ever before. • Example: Authenticity Check on a 500 poly weapon model, vs 1.2 million poly normal map model • Authenticity vs Product Placement • “The Real Deal” can be great, but put the game before your contractors, and don’t let consultants overwhelm you. Focus on what benefits to the game.

18. Case in Point: GR2 v GR3 • Ghost Recon 2 • Nov 2004 – Xbox • Ghost Recon Advanced Warfighter • Mar 2006 – Xbox 360

19. GR2 Xbox & Summit Strike • Staff of ~50 • Experienced GR vets, with new folks • Stable Engine • Established “GR” Map Design/Mission Flow • Managing New Directions • Single Player Focused Design • “Oh, we are are #2 on Live?” • “Hurry, change the ads!”

20. GR:AW Xbox 360 • Staff of 250+, 4 studios • Managing Authenticity Feedback • Figuring out who is who?!?! • Two Engines • Separate SP & MP Development • Changes to SP meant double the work for MP Team • Managing Consistency while balancing Gameplay • Inter-studio communication • Language Barrier • “Old Team” & “New Team”

21. GR:AW Xbox 360 • Contiguous Environment • Ambitious SP Plan • How to adapt to Single Player? • Focus on SP Consistency, MP Variety • Dedicated MP Team • Initial MP Direction – “Put Everything in!” • Innovating through design • Customizable Game Modes • Co-Op Campaign • Marriage of Marketing and Development (gasp!) • Selling our Features!

22. GRAW 360 – The Good, The Bad, And the Ugly • The Good • Separate MP Development led to dedicated MP features • Power of next-gen hardware allowed graphics & art to flourish • The Bad • Separate MP Development led to tons of headaches and work replication • Graphics and Art flourishing was a lot of work! • The Ugly • Handling team morale • Designing in a Vacuum

23. Summary

24. Thanks for your time! Christian Allen Game Designer www.serellan.com Serellan@yahoo.com