The Key Positions in a Development Team
The Key Positions in a Development Team
A development project is made up several key positions. Without any of these, it would not be successful. That being said, depending on the size of your team, a single indivual may be forced to wear many hats, or in the case of a lone developer, all the hats. That is, although all of the positions are required, a single individual may fill in one or all of them.
Because the game industry is still in its early stages, its sometimes difficult to discuss the positions to make up a team. The type of game being produced definitely has a profound effect on the required personnel. Every development project is arranged differently. As the industry matures, there will certainly be more standard types of arrangements. But until that occurs, read this topic as I lead you through skills needed as the Designer, Programmer, Audio related positions, Art related positions, Producer and the secondary positions that can be filled in optionally. I hope you like this guide into The Key Positions in a Development Team.
Designer
Many development projects have a lead game designer who is responsible for the creation of the game script. However, this position is often one of the most misunderstood of any of the key positions and is often left completely off the team. This leaves room for everyone, from the producer to programmers, clamoring for the title. It is the designer who makes many of the desicions related to the creation of important aspects such as puzzles or the levels in a first person shooter. Like a screenwriter for a movie, the designer is responsible for the overall feel of the game. Communication is a very important aspect of this job, as designers work with the other team members throughout the duration of a project. In the begginning stages of a game, designers spend most of their time focusing on writing short scripts and working on the begginning storyboard sketches. A typical storyboard displays the action of a game, in a very simple manner. Depending on the basic talents of the designer, the storyboard may even include stick figures and basic shapes to convey the action. Storyboards are a sort of rough draft tat will later be transformed into the game itself. After the desicions have been made on the game concepts, the designers begin working on a blueprint for the game called a 'design document'. Simple put, the documents details every aspect of a game and will evolve as the game is later developed.
Programmer
Game programmers are software developer who take the ideas, art and music and combine them into a software project. Programmers obviously write the code for the game, but they may also have several additional responsibilities. For instance, if an artist is designing graphics for the game, the lead programmer could be responsible for the development of a custom set of tools for creating the graphics. It is also the lead programmer's job to keep everything running smoothly and to somehow figure out a way to satisfy everyone, from the producer to the artists. Unlike the stereotype portrayed on many websites, books or even movies, programmers usually dont stroll into work at noon, work for a few hours, and then leave. The truth is that they often arrive earlier and leave later than anyone else on the development team. Programmers are responsible for taking the vast number of elements and combining them to form the executable program. They decide how fast characters can run and how high they can jump. They are responsible for accounting for everything inside of the virtual world. While doing all of this, they often will attempt to create software that can be reusable for other projects, and spend a great deal of time optimizing the code to make it as fast as possible. Sometimes a given project may have several programmers who specialise in one key area, such as graphics, sound or artificial Intelligence (AI). The following list details the various types of programmers and what they are primarily responsible for:
Engine or Graphics Programmers:
They create the software that controls how graphics and animatio0ns are storede and ultimately displayed on the screen.
AI Programmers:
They create a series or rules that determine how enemies or characters react to given situations and attempt to make them act as realistically as possible.
Sound Programmers:
They work with the audio personnel to create realistic-sounding environment.
Tool Programmers:
As previously mentioned, programmers often write software for artists, designers, and sound designers to use within the development studio.
Audio Related Positions
High quality music and sound effects are an integral part in any gaming project. This is also an area that many teams simply cannot afford to throw a great deal of money at. Having superb audio components like music, sound, and voice can greatly enhance the total experience for the consumer. The opposite is also true, however. Music that is done poorly can keep people away from your product, regardless of its other qualities. The positions listed below are usually filled by key audio personnel, although sometimes a programmer or other team member will fill in if needed.
Musician
When comparing with the stress and long hours of the programmers, musicians are often at the other end of the workload. They often have the least amount of work of any of the positions on the team. That's not to imply that they dont work hard; its just that there isn't as much for them to do. They usually are responsible only for the music of the game. While this is an important job, it doesn't typically take a great deal of time, as compared with the other team members jobs. Because of the relatively short production times, musicians often have secondary work outside of the gaming industry.
Sound Effects
Depending on the makeup of a team, a musician could be involved with the creation of the sound effects in a game. This can often make up for the lack of work that they have and help to keep budgets down. Another route that many teams choose to follow is the purchase of pre-existing sound effects. There are many sound effect companies that distrubute their works on CD-ROMS or the internet. Many teams choose to purchase the sounds produced by these companies and alter them to their liking.
Art Related Positions
Artist
The artists are responsible for creating the graphics elements that make up a project. They often specialise in one area within a project, such as 3D graphics or 2D artwork such as textures. The artists usually work from a set of of specifications given to them by the programmer. Unfortunately, artists and programmers often have many disagreements on these specifications. For instance, artists might want to increase the polygon counts on a 3D model so that their work will look better, while programmers may want to decrease these same counts to make the program run more smoothly. Game artists have a variety of technical constrainsts imposed by the limitations of the hardware that they are creating for. Although hardware continues to increase in speed and go down in cose, there is never enough power to satisfy a development project. Therefore, it is often the artists who are given the responsibility to create objects that work within the constraints. Depending on the development team, there are three basic types of artists.: character artists (otherwise known as animators), 3D modelers, and texture artists.
Character Artists
Character Artists have one of the most demanding jobs on the team. They create all of the moveable objects in the game, such as the main character, a spaceship or vehicle. It is their job to turn the preliminary sketches that are often discussed by the entire team into a believeable object onto a computer screen. Using 3D modeling tools like 3D Studio Max, True Space, Maya or Lightwave, character artists use basic shapes and combine them to form characters. If you have never used a 3D modeling program, you can think of it has a type of digital clay. Once created, characters are fleshed out with a 2D graphic image that is made out of another program. The character artists are also responsible for the animation of objects. They may be required to animate a horse, a human being, or a creature that previously existed only in someone's mind. Character artists often look at real world examples to get their ideas on how a character should move. Depending on the type of game, they may have to create facial expressions or emotions, aswell. Its often the responsibility of a character artist to implement cut scenes in a game. They have much greater freedom and are not restricted as to the number of polygons a certain object can have or the size of the object.
3D Modeler
The 3D modeler usually works on the settings in which a game takes place, such as a basketball arena or a Wild West wasteland. Background artists work hand-in-hand with the designer to create believable envoronments that work within the constraints of a game. Like Character artists, they use a wide range of tools for their jobs, including both 2D and 3D graphics tools, although they usually only model stantic objects.
Texture Artist
Texture artists might be the best friend of the other artists. It is their job to take the work created by the modeler or character artist and add detail to it. For example, they could create a brick texture that, when added to a 3D box created by the modeler, creates the illusion of a pile of bricks. On the other hand, they could create a texture that looks like cheese, turning this same box into a block of cheese.
Producer
A producer oversees the entire project and attempts to keep everything moving along as smoothly as possible. A producer often acts twice as an arbitrator to help to help patch up any problems between members. For instance, if an artist wants to increase the color palette and a programmer wants to decrease it, the producer often makes the final desicion on these types of key issues.
So that basically concludes The Key Positions in a Development Team. If you have any further questions or comments post here. I hope you had a fun read. Just some good tips to keep a sucessful team for those aspiring soon-to-be leaders:
Try to keep as least members as possible. Usually maximum two to a key can work out well or else too much organising will be needed for the producer. If you do have two to a Key, the maximum should leave one of those members in charge for that key and gives dome workload to the remaining member. Too much members can make a team fall apart so it is not reccomended. Some can succeed but some others cannot handle that much prganising and pressure. Also, you have to keep it real and livened! Keep on being enthusiastic. If the team is too professional or hardstruct, it can make a grumpy atmosphere and can cause spam or other members to quit. Keep to some of these guidelines and you will be fine. Thats me,
-Bounthunter
A development project is made up several key positions. Without any of these, it would not be successful. That being said, depending on the size of your team, a single indivual may be forced to wear many hats, or in the case of a lone developer, all the hats. That is, although all of the positions are required, a single individual may fill in one or all of them.
Because the game industry is still in its early stages, its sometimes difficult to discuss the positions to make up a team. The type of game being produced definitely has a profound effect on the required personnel. Every development project is arranged differently. As the industry matures, there will certainly be more standard types of arrangements. But until that occurs, read this topic as I lead you through skills needed as the Designer, Programmer, Audio related positions, Art related positions, Producer and the secondary positions that can be filled in optionally. I hope you like this guide into The Key Positions in a Development Team.
Designer
Many development projects have a lead game designer who is responsible for the creation of the game script. However, this position is often one of the most misunderstood of any of the key positions and is often left completely off the team. This leaves room for everyone, from the producer to programmers, clamoring for the title. It is the designer who makes many of the desicions related to the creation of important aspects such as puzzles or the levels in a first person shooter. Like a screenwriter for a movie, the designer is responsible for the overall feel of the game. Communication is a very important aspect of this job, as designers work with the other team members throughout the duration of a project. In the begginning stages of a game, designers spend most of their time focusing on writing short scripts and working on the begginning storyboard sketches. A typical storyboard displays the action of a game, in a very simple manner. Depending on the basic talents of the designer, the storyboard may even include stick figures and basic shapes to convey the action. Storyboards are a sort of rough draft tat will later be transformed into the game itself. After the desicions have been made on the game concepts, the designers begin working on a blueprint for the game called a 'design document'. Simple put, the documents details every aspect of a game and will evolve as the game is later developed.
Programmer
Game programmers are software developer who take the ideas, art and music and combine them into a software project. Programmers obviously write the code for the game, but they may also have several additional responsibilities. For instance, if an artist is designing graphics for the game, the lead programmer could be responsible for the development of a custom set of tools for creating the graphics. It is also the lead programmer's job to keep everything running smoothly and to somehow figure out a way to satisfy everyone, from the producer to the artists. Unlike the stereotype portrayed on many websites, books or even movies, programmers usually dont stroll into work at noon, work for a few hours, and then leave. The truth is that they often arrive earlier and leave later than anyone else on the development team. Programmers are responsible for taking the vast number of elements and combining them to form the executable program. They decide how fast characters can run and how high they can jump. They are responsible for accounting for everything inside of the virtual world. While doing all of this, they often will attempt to create software that can be reusable for other projects, and spend a great deal of time optimizing the code to make it as fast as possible. Sometimes a given project may have several programmers who specialise in one key area, such as graphics, sound or artificial Intelligence (AI). The following list details the various types of programmers and what they are primarily responsible for:
Engine or Graphics Programmers:
They create the software that controls how graphics and animatio0ns are storede and ultimately displayed on the screen.
AI Programmers:
They create a series or rules that determine how enemies or characters react to given situations and attempt to make them act as realistically as possible.
Sound Programmers:
They work with the audio personnel to create realistic-sounding environment.
Tool Programmers:
As previously mentioned, programmers often write software for artists, designers, and sound designers to use within the development studio.
Audio Related Positions
High quality music and sound effects are an integral part in any gaming project. This is also an area that many teams simply cannot afford to throw a great deal of money at. Having superb audio components like music, sound, and voice can greatly enhance the total experience for the consumer. The opposite is also true, however. Music that is done poorly can keep people away from your product, regardless of its other qualities. The positions listed below are usually filled by key audio personnel, although sometimes a programmer or other team member will fill in if needed.
Musician
When comparing with the stress and long hours of the programmers, musicians are often at the other end of the workload. They often have the least amount of work of any of the positions on the team. That's not to imply that they dont work hard; its just that there isn't as much for them to do. They usually are responsible only for the music of the game. While this is an important job, it doesn't typically take a great deal of time, as compared with the other team members jobs. Because of the relatively short production times, musicians often have secondary work outside of the gaming industry.
Sound Effects
Depending on the makeup of a team, a musician could be involved with the creation of the sound effects in a game. This can often make up for the lack of work that they have and help to keep budgets down. Another route that many teams choose to follow is the purchase of pre-existing sound effects. There are many sound effect companies that distrubute their works on CD-ROMS or the internet. Many teams choose to purchase the sounds produced by these companies and alter them to their liking.
Art Related Positions
Artist
The artists are responsible for creating the graphics elements that make up a project. They often specialise in one area within a project, such as 3D graphics or 2D artwork such as textures. The artists usually work from a set of of specifications given to them by the programmer. Unfortunately, artists and programmers often have many disagreements on these specifications. For instance, artists might want to increase the polygon counts on a 3D model so that their work will look better, while programmers may want to decrease these same counts to make the program run more smoothly. Game artists have a variety of technical constrainsts imposed by the limitations of the hardware that they are creating for. Although hardware continues to increase in speed and go down in cose, there is never enough power to satisfy a development project. Therefore, it is often the artists who are given the responsibility to create objects that work within the constraints. Depending on the development team, there are three basic types of artists.: character artists (otherwise known as animators), 3D modelers, and texture artists.
Character Artists
Character Artists have one of the most demanding jobs on the team. They create all of the moveable objects in the game, such as the main character, a spaceship or vehicle. It is their job to turn the preliminary sketches that are often discussed by the entire team into a believeable object onto a computer screen. Using 3D modeling tools like 3D Studio Max, True Space, Maya or Lightwave, character artists use basic shapes and combine them to form characters. If you have never used a 3D modeling program, you can think of it has a type of digital clay. Once created, characters are fleshed out with a 2D graphic image that is made out of another program. The character artists are also responsible for the animation of objects. They may be required to animate a horse, a human being, or a creature that previously existed only in someone's mind. Character artists often look at real world examples to get their ideas on how a character should move. Depending on the type of game, they may have to create facial expressions or emotions, aswell. Its often the responsibility of a character artist to implement cut scenes in a game. They have much greater freedom and are not restricted as to the number of polygons a certain object can have or the size of the object.
3D Modeler
The 3D modeler usually works on the settings in which a game takes place, such as a basketball arena or a Wild West wasteland. Background artists work hand-in-hand with the designer to create believable envoronments that work within the constraints of a game. Like Character artists, they use a wide range of tools for their jobs, including both 2D and 3D graphics tools, although they usually only model stantic objects.
Texture Artist
Texture artists might be the best friend of the other artists. It is their job to take the work created by the modeler or character artist and add detail to it. For example, they could create a brick texture that, when added to a 3D box created by the modeler, creates the illusion of a pile of bricks. On the other hand, they could create a texture that looks like cheese, turning this same box into a block of cheese.
Producer
A producer oversees the entire project and attempts to keep everything moving along as smoothly as possible. A producer often acts twice as an arbitrator to help to help patch up any problems between members. For instance, if an artist wants to increase the color palette and a programmer wants to decrease it, the producer often makes the final desicion on these types of key issues.
So that basically concludes The Key Positions in a Development Team. If you have any further questions or comments post here. I hope you had a fun read. Just some good tips to keep a sucessful team for those aspiring soon-to-be leaders:
Try to keep as least members as possible. Usually maximum two to a key can work out well or else too much organising will be needed for the producer. If you do have two to a Key, the maximum should leave one of those members in charge for that key and gives dome workload to the remaining member. Too much members can make a team fall apart so it is not reccomended. Some can succeed but some others cannot handle that much prganising and pressure. Also, you have to keep it real and livened! Keep on being enthusiastic. If the team is too professional or hardstruct, it can make a grumpy atmosphere and can cause spam or other members to quit. Keep to some of these guidelines and you will be fine. Thats me,
-Bounthunter
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