General Information
Game Summary
Welcome, dad bod enthusiasts; It's time for the most anticipated event of your local neighborhood! STUDS is a 3D multiplayer party game where up to 4 players compete in a series of 'dadly' events to be crowned the Ultimate Dad.
From chaotic ragdoll physics to sabotage from neighbor's kids, STUDS will rest your dad-like reflexes as you race baby strollers down the street, or be the first to gather all the items on the hardware store shopping list. You might have the bod, the jokes, and an outrageous sense of fashion, but do you have what it takes to earn the coveted title of the ultimate dad?
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Sandalled Socks Studios
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August 2020 - May 2021
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No. of Developers: 11
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Remote
Roles & Responsibilities
Here are my contributions for the project:
Production
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Functioned as the vision holder and lead producer managing scope
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Delegated tasks and led bi-weekly scrum meetings as scrum master
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Formulated project milestones and key deliverables utilizing Trello
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Established efficient team communication via Discord for full remote development
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Led dynamic brainstorming sessions, fostering creativity and innovative thinking within the team
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Managed QA and playtesting sessions to ensure proper game iteration
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Maintained precise project documentation
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Created and delivered bi-weekly sprint reviews to AAA executives and industry veterans via Zoom
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Managed communications and scheduling with outsourced musicians
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Collaborated in developing and managing the Steam page and community hub
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Coordinated the administration and maintenance of a public Discord server
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Contributed to fostering a positive remote work environment during the Covid lockdowns
Audio & Art
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Established a collaborative partnership with musicians from Berklee School of Music
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Integration of Wwise with Unity
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Incorporating audio into the game
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Produced game assets such as UI art, trailers, and posters
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Crafted promotional materials for publishing
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Developed a variety of assets to enhance the game's presentation
Production
Pitching & Presentations
In my role as a producer, I created and presented bi-weekly sprint reviews, delivering updates and progress reports to AAA executives and industry veterans via Zoom. These sprint reviews played a major role in obtaining valuable feedback and establishing well-defined deadlines for our sprints. Keeping good flow in mind, I kept them short and designed them to match the theme of our game.
Communication & Publishing
We collaborated with musicians from Berklee School of Music and I took charge of managing seamless communication and scheduling. Additionally, I collaborated in creating and overseeing the development of the Steam page and community hub, which served an important role for engaging with our audience. I also collaborated on releasing the game in early access as well as doing developer streams on steam. After the release, I worked with some of my teammates to release updates and fixes.
Community Management
Apart from the Steam community, I was also involved in creating and maintaining a public Discord server. This gave us a platform for our community and devs to come together, share their experiences, and actively participate in meaningful discussions and feedback. We created the server during early access and it grew rapidly containing players from all around the world. From fan art to daily dad jokes, speedrunners to lets play, the community grew and to this day the server is active.
Growth
Amid the challenging circumstances of the Covid lockdowns, I always tried to keep productive remote work environment that promoted positivity and camaraderie among team members. To encourage deeper connections, I also encouraged individuals to turn on their facecams during our Discord standup meetings. I would also host gaming sessions during weekends where the team would play other party games. These sessions brought us closer together as well as proved to be useful research.
Pre-Production
Based on my initial pitch "Dad Olympics," which inspired STUDS, I served as the vision holder and lead producer. Despite my role, I actively fostered an environment where the team was encouraged to contribute their ideas and opinions regarding the game's direction. While I ensured that the core gameplay loop and theme remained aligned with the original concept, I welcomed and valued the input of team members, promoting collaborative ideation and iteration.
Development started during Covid lockdowns and everything was remote. Discord was the most optimal method of communication for our team. I use the same standardized structure for Discord servers across my teams. I believe in keeping a clean and user-friendly server to enhance productivity. With a focus on quick and effective deliverables, I established pivotal project milestones and key deliverables based on Agile methodology, utilizing sprints in Trello for tracking progress.
Pipeline Organization
I undertook the role of task delegation in collaboration with the team leads I had initially assigned. As the designated scrum master, I conducted bi-weekly scrum meetings to ensure seamless coordination and progress tracking. I closely monitored our velocity and addressed any issues during our standups. To enhance efficiency, I introduced a Discord bot that notified changes on our Trello board, resulting in quicker bug responses and easy task referencing in the chat.
Playtesting & Documentation
With regular brainstorming sessions, I tried to maintain an atmosphere of creativity and collaboration which helped in encouraging teammates to innovate. In collaboration with external playtesters and QA, I oversaw the game's QA and playtesting sessions. Using google forms for feedback, I would summarize and share the feedback with the team to ensure improvements and iterations.
I maintained documentation of key game elements and alterations throughout the development process to ensure easy referencing when needed. These documentations were important in creating Wrap kits for game competition submissions.
Audio & Art
Audio
I formed a meaningful and collaborative partnership with the talented musicians from Berklee School of Music. This involved not only identifying and engaging with these musicians but also effectively communicating the project's vision and requirements. Through productive interactions and clear coordination, we seamlessly integrated their audio in the game which enhanced the overall atmosphere of the game. They also helped me in researching and integrating the audio in Unity via Wwise.
Art & Cinematics
For my creative side, I got involved in the visual appeal of the game and learned a lot in editing. From creating in-game 2D art assets like UI and loading screen elements, to creating attention-grabbing trailers and posters, I was actively involved in creating an online presence for the game. These efforts were rewarded with an engaging and fun community about dads.
Conclusion
"Throughout this journey, I've gained valuable insights into efficient team management and adapting to remote work environment. My time management skills have notably improved along with my presentation and public speaking skills. On the technical side, I've explored Unity Engine, Wwise, and the complexities of game development pipelines. Moving forward, I aim to refine my time management further, steering clear of unnecessary crunch.I'm enthusiastic about delving deeper into game production and expanding my networking within the game development community."
