Part 2: The "Publishable" First Playable.
There's a bit of confusion about what a First Playable is, let alone a "Publishable" First Playable. This leads to a myth that:
MYTH #5: Alpha
"ALPHA = FIRST PLAYABLE"
Alphas are still prototypes
- Gameplay is not finalized.
- The look hasn't come together.
- The whole thing isn't defined until all of the levels were built.
Method, Part 2: The First Playable
Two levels with all local features and appropriate global features implemented that are of publishable quality.
A First Playable is when you can look at your playable game and say:
- “I know exactly what this game is.”
- “I know exactly how I'm going to build it.”
- “It is really really good."
This is your "slice of heaven."
Two Levels
Example: Crash Bandicoot A level that includes the run and jump. Another level where Crash runs towards the camera, while being chased by a giant boulder.This second level would prove that Crash has that "special something" that makes it sellable.
All Local Features and Appropriate Global Features are Implemented
A very rigorous First Playable contains all local features, and whatever global features are required to make a level work. This proves that you precisely understand what your game is and is not, and that you know what game you are producing.
Publishable Quality
A First Playable reaches ”publishable quality” when an uninitiated consumer will look at it and believe that it is a level from a commercial product, and be impressed by it.
If your "look" doesn't overpower anything on the market right now, go back and fix it. If your gameplay isn't exciting, go back and fix it. Your game must be sufficiently compelling that it will be marketable 12-18 months from now.
First Playable Checklist
If you think you have a First Playable in hand, here's a checklist for you:
Two levels of publishable quality, with:
- Player behavior fully defined
- Enemy/obstacle behavior full defined
- All local features included,global features included as required
- Basic technology done
- Art direction in place
- A touch of variety
- Scope of game defined
Player behavior Fully Defined
Can you demonstrate everything your player character is going to do in the game? Are all your character's base moves completely defined and animated to match? Does the animation look great? Does the personality of my character feel fully formed?
Enemy and Obstacle Behavior Fully Defined
This goes hand-in-hand with the player behavior. Can the player character interact fully with all typical enemies and/or obstacles in the game? Are the representative examples well-animated? Does the whole interaction between player character and enemy feel great?
All Local Features Included, Global Features Included as Required
This is very dependent on the particular game you're making. Are there pickups or powerups? Are they in? If you have a "mission" structure, is it working? Is it fun? If NPCs give you your missions, have you properly implemented them?
Basic Technology is Done
Hopefully your technology improves over the course of the project, but from First Playable forward, you're not counting on it. So, is your engine, including any "killer" features that you are counting on, up to speed? Also, are all gameplay-necessary features fully functional and looking good?
Art Direction is in Place
What's this game going to look like? Your in-game art should convince all concerned that it has that "killer" look.
A Touch of Variety
No game can stand on a single leg of 'basic' behavior. You have to have variety, and your First Playable has to demonstrate what sort of variety you're targeting, and exactly how it works and feels. So, is this variety going to be sufficient? Is it good?
Scope of the Game is Defined
What's the size of an area, stage, or level? How many of these levels will you need? By the way, one of the great benefits of a rigorous first playable is that constructing a project schedule becomes almost trivial. For example, how long does it take to put together a level? To estimate this, just look at how long it took to put together the levels in the first playable!
Playtest Your First Playable
While this is not the main intent of First Playable, it does represent your first opportunity to put the game in front of your consumers in a gameplay test or focus test context. Do this. Note in detail how your players pick up the control, whether they struggle with the camera, whether it's too easy or too hard, and of course whether they seem to be finding it compelling. If anything is wrong, now is the time to fix it.
What if you can’t reach 1st playable or it flops at playtesting?
Let's take the worst case, which is that after months of effort you realize you're not going to get to the bottom of that checklist; or perhaps you did and the game bombed unmistakably in the hands of consumers. This brings us to our next myth:
MYTH #6: KILLING GAMES
"A cancelled project is a sign of bad management or a bad team"
A cancelled project is sometimes something you should be proud of and a sign of good management.
Benefits of Canceling a Project
By not moving forward with Production you potentially save:
- Several million dollars.
- A year of the team's lives.
Canceling Projects
When and why do you cancel the project? When either:
- The team cannot create "Publishable" First Playable
- The First Playable shows game not worth publishing
Failure to Create "Publishable" First Playable
It's very common to discover that the team simply cannot assemble everything required for a "Publishable" First Playable. This is usually a consequence of not having the "best and brightest" on the team during Pre-Production.
The Game is Not Worth Publishing
The more likely cancellation scenario is that you create your "Publishable" First Playable and find out that you have a game not worth publishing, even if it were done today. Canceling a project at this point is difficult, especially due to the emotional investment of all involved. But do it. Your project will not miraculously get better during Production. You have to compare your First Playable with published products in your category and your First Playable has to be better. If it isn’t, cancel it.