Blog 3 - Business Rules For Developing Games

1) The benefits of using the game project triangle are that you can decide which one you want to focus on: Quality, Time or Cost. For example if you are a small independent games company and you are on a low budget then cost would probably be your main issue so it is important to spend as little as you can. However, if a company like EA is making a game, cost isn't and time aren't problem because they are hugely successful and are their own publishers, so the quality of the game needs to be outstanding. Or if a company doesn't want to focus on just one aspect of the triangle, then they can balance the three. Perhaps they are under a deadline or they have a budget they can't go over, so quality of the game may need to be cut a little to meet the deadline and not go over the budget. The triangle may also act as a sort of plan for some companies. For example if there's no money budget or time constraint, you could go over the top and produce a game that is completely different from the original concept.

2) What are you trying to accomplish with this game? - I am trying to make a game that can use all of the features of the game engine (AGS) to the best of their ability. I am trying to make something unique to other games made in AGS and to get the idea I have in my mind into the game.

When must you complete this game project? - I must complete this project for the deadline date.

How much money do you have to produce it? - I don't have any money to produce it because it is a university project.

Who do you have to get the job done? - I only have myself to do all the work to complete the job.

3) The main things that I need to archive for an ultra-low budget game are work hours for each person working on the game (its just me), make the game a small one or a mod, make a demo, make an offline-only game, focus on the other areas more, quality and time.

4) Primary features are things that are definitely going in the game. These are the most inportant features and they must be completed before anything else. An example of primary features could be online play, a certain number of levels or certain puzzles to aid game progression. Secondary features and Tertiary features are things that could be in the game, but aren't as important as primary features. Examples of these could be updated graphics, extra minigames, unlockables etc. These might not even make it in to the shippable version of the game because the company might run out of time, depending on what focus of the proejct triangle they have chosen.