(Project @ S4G)
Creative Producer: Benjamin Scharff
Programmer: Bastian Krüger, Lukas Schmidt
Gamedesign: Benjamin Scharff, Bastian Krüger, Noel Obermeier
Leveldesign: Bastian Krüger, Noel Obermeier
2D-Concept-Art: Zoe Hackmann
UI/UX: Fabian Arlt
3D-Art: Daniel Rabtsevich
SFX: Benjamin Scharff
Link: https://s4g.itch.io/scrap-fever
Project Length: 10 weeks
Tools: Jira, Confluence, Office, Miro, Google, Codecks
Method: SCRUM
Vision and planing
Our vision at the beginning was to make a game based on „Vampire Survivors“. Side-scrolling parts and arena battles should alternate to create a whole new gameplay experience. I did a risk analysis for it. Game design and programming were to work agilely in sprints, while the graphic designers planned their tasks at the beginning of the project and then worked through them like a waterfall.
Risk analysis
My risk analysis revealed that there were some very high-risk features. Therefore, the game should be developed in such a modular way that we could cut everything in an emergency to have at least a well-functioning Vampire Survivors clone.
Changes are important
I’ve learned how important it is to sell important changes to the team in a way that makes them see them as an opportunity rather than a threat. Since we hadn’t tested many features satisfactorily in Week 6 and some members had left the team, I had to realign our vision and distribute all the necessary tasks in a way that minimized risk. So I managed to stabilize the mood of the team and increase the velocity.
Kill your darlings
In order to finish the game in the short time we had left, I had to cut many features and replan others.
We’ve removed most of the already completed features from the game (side-scrolling-levels, Arenas and many more) and changed our vision to a pure Vampire Survivors clone.
Redistribution of tasks
In a project, you have to distribute tasks sensibly. I learned that the best person for a task is not the one who wants to do it the most, but also has the necessary time, knowledge and skill. Whenever team members were absent, I delegated their tasks to others. It doesn’t matter what someone’s job title is, because some programmers can build levels and some game designers can handle Photoshop.
SCRUM is the best
The project was planned pretty strictly according to SCRUM, which is why we had a working game at the end of each sprint and were able to get the level design crisis under control very well. My aim was to get a product that was as well-rounded as possible, which is why I opted for this drastic cut, which completely turned our game upside down. This is a rather unusual procedure for a project at S4G, where the visions are usually adhered to, even if they threaten to fail. But in the end, we got a game that we can be justifiably proud of – especially if you know the history of how it came to be. Perhaps such a drastic approach would have saved games like Gollum from total failure.
Here you can find my vita.
