How to Build an iPhone App (That Doesn't Suck)

Today I watched Steve Marmon's presentation on How to Build an iPhone App that Doesn't Suck for students at Stanford University's School of Engineering.  Great introductory video to the practice of App design, which should help me avoid a lot of newbie mistakes.  I thought to summarise the content below.

STEP ONE: Decide what to build
STEP TWO: Visit the App Store
STEP THREE: Explore possible solutions
STEP FOUR: Sketch
STEP FIVE: Build a paper prototype
STEP SIX: Fire up Omnigraffle
STEP SEVEN: Do it all again
STEP EIGHT: Code (at last!)
STEP NINE: Test before you submit
STEP TEN: Release

Key points:

• Talk to users
• Explore many designs
• Iterate based on user feedback

Key constraints:

• Small screen
• Less precise touch control
• Typing is more difficult
• Short bursts of usage

What I found most interesting was Steve's discussion on the design process at Apple.  He advises to make ten early designs; the first three will be easy, the next four or so will take a bit of effort, but whilst stretching yourself and exploring those final few options, you'll often find yourself at your most intuitive and creative.

My attention was also taken by the notion of "failing early to succeed sooner."  At several points during a build, things will probably go wrong.  It's best to take the time to get it all done in the early end of the build; the design phase.  Features are cheaper to fix and have less consequences than when actual coding has to be amended.

Finally, I should make note of Amazon.com's Mechanical Turk service, which allows for cheap beta testing/focussed user testing (though it looks like this a US service only, at the minute).

November 2011 Reading Summary

Since the volume of information, personnel and material is quite daunting when diving in to any new subject field, I thought that it would be useful to summarize the content that I have read on a month-by-month basis as a blog post.  This will act as a refresher and quick reference to the content that I have consumed in support of my ambition to become a Games Designer.  I will look to include books, magazines, articles and documentaries that have expanded my knowledge or sparked my interest in some manner.

So at the start of November I made a few purchases on Amazon.co.uk to start my reading on the topic of game design.  I also decided that I would start to read Edge magazine every month again.  And then I'm constantly cycling through various games magazines to stay on top of the latest games news, with Eurogamer.net tending to be my mainstay.

A Theory of Fun for Game Design - Raph Koster

Of the three Amazon purchases I bought, I have read two so far; A Theory of Fun for Game Design by Raph Koster was the first.  First of all, I'll admit that I was somewhat deterred by the presentation of the book; every right hand page was taken up by crudely pencil-drawn cartoons to illustrate points presented in the text.  Also, the early introduction and persistent use of comic sans was concerning...

But over-coming my personal tastes (though surely no one can appreciate and justify the use of comic sans, right?) and getting in to the text, I quickly overcame my initial impressions.  The content is wonderful and provides an insightful glimpse into the concept of fun, and how it applies to game design.  I can understand that the cartoons are probably intended to illustrate/amplify particular points to a younger audience, but for me, they only served to initially devalue the actually written content.  The content is pitched at an introductory level, but I feel that there is plenty to take away for anyone concerned with game design.  I felt that the book was also well paced, never labouring a point for longer than necessary, maintaining a solid rhythm of points, concepts and examples throughout.

I guess this goes to show to never judge a book by its cover.  Or illustrations.  Or choice of fonts.  I'm going to use a separate blog post to digest and revise some of the most pertinent content from the book.  I'd recommend this book as an early introduction into the fundamentals of fun, game theory, game design and player psychology.

The Art of the Video Game - Josh Jenisch

The second of my Amazon purchases is "the first book to celebrate an exciting new visual medium."  Published in 2008, Josh takes a look at a diverse range of twenty-six console and PC titles; presenting screen grabs, concept art/renders and interviews with the artists featured.  Starting with a concise synopsis of the history of the videogame medium, we're then presented with a look at each of the titles, including some of the biggest games at the time; Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare, Half-Life 2, and Tomb Raider: Anniversary.

As a fan of videogames in general, and also as someone seeking industry employment, I found much of the work very inspirational and insightful.  The lengths at which some of the artists go to in order to create their work was eye-opening.  In particular, Valve artist Ted Backman's design of the Hunter enemy amazed me.  How the spectrum of attributes that require consideration of technical requirements, form factor, and artistic direction are eventually crafted into such an iconic and downright provocative creature is awe-inspiring and entirely worthy of Jenisch's plaudits.

Although I'm not entirely sure FIFA 08's graphics could be considered art so early into the new engine (the players still had that zombified glaze finally rectified in FIFA 09) this is sure to be a book that I will revisit time and again; to act as inspiration for my own output, to consider artist design principles,  or simply to admire the work of some of the industry's best.

PC Build & Battlefield 3

After a lengthy and highly anticipated wait, Battlefield 3 was finally released in Europe on 28 October 2011.  Having enjoyed many an hour getting shot in Bad Company 2 on the 360, I decided that it would be a worthwhile investment to design and build my first workhorse/gaming PC in order to play the game as it's intended.  With 6 hours, 169 kills and 242 deaths (ahem!) under my belt, I thought that I would reflect on the experience from Concept, to Creation, to Lance Corporal 2 Star (forgive me).

Concept

It's always been a background ambition to build my own PC, although I had never given the idea much weight, contenting myself with my Xbox 360.  A few months ago I read (and thoroughly enjoyed) John Teti's article "How to Build Your Own Gaming PC" for Eurogamer.  Despite the blatant tongue-in-cheek tone (which was unsurprisingly wasted on some of the article's commenters), it did fuel my curiosity into what is specifically necessary to build a PC from scratch.  With my Macbook on its last legs and lacking the grunt to run Pro Tools plug-ins for even my modest requirements, and with my passion ignited for videogame design I finally decided to have a crack myself.

It's difficult to say with any accuracy, but I'd guesstimate I spent around 25-30 hours reading various how-to articles, researching various components, pricing up and comparing parts, and generally familiarizing myself with the whole system-building scene.

With an approximate budget of £1,000 to spend on the system alone, I bought from Amazon, Scan and Aria the following;

• Asus P8P67 Pro (3.1 rev)
• Intel i5 2500K (3.30Ghz unlocked)
• Corsair Venegence RAM 8Gb
• MSI Twin Frozr II GTX 560Ti 1Gb
• Kingston SATA II 96Gb SSD
• Western Digital SATA II 2Tb HDD

All of this was to be housed in an Antec Three Hundred MIDI case, powered by a Corsair 750W PSU and controlled by a Microsoft Sidewinder X4 keyboard and Sharkoon Fireglider mouse.  Before P&P, the lot totalled £1,004.

When finalising my decision on which components to choose, I tried to maintain John Teti's advice; "Your ignorance is an enormous asset. It saves money and preserves fun. Build something that works nicely within your budget, and then forget that anything else ever existed. If you still find yourself tempted by the high-end, keep in mind the great equaliser: no matter how much you spend on your PC, in a few years it will be junk."

Construction

After only a few days wait, all my components had arrived.  The most valuable media throughout my build was NewEgg's three part guide hosted on YouTube [Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3], which proved to be extremely concise throughout the whole process.  That, and my motherboard and case's user manuals when things became specific to my components.

Build time totalled approximately four hours, and that's counting for a trouble-shooting few newbie mistakes (not seating a stick of RAM properly, and not considering proper cable-management far enough in advance proved to be my most prevalent blunders).  The graphical BIOS on the Asus P8P67 made configuring and installing Windows 7 on to the Solid State Drive a breeze.  Updating the various components' drivers again proved to be uncomplicated, utilizing my Macbook and a USB stick.

Battlefield 3

After a bit of a faff with my ShopTo preorder delivery (I hope that whoever now lives at 7 Kenton Lane in Newcastle is enjoying their complimentary Physical Warfare copy of the game) I eventually installed Origin and Battlefield 3 before jumping straight into an online match.

My first impression was one of awe.  The graphics delivered by the GTX 560Ti were far better than I could have imagined.  The dynamic lighting and abundance of visual effects on screen at any one time are truly absorbing.  But what really captivated me (and still continues to do so) is the title's sound.  The audio environment is the most authentic that I've ever experienced in a game, with every shot and shout reacting perfectly to the landscape.  Coupled with the impressively bassy roar of land vehicles and the scream of fighter aircraft passing overhead, the sound and graphics combine to create a truly immersive experience.

And thankfully the gameplay hasn't strayed too far from the Bad Company 2 template.  Teamwork is still the order of the day, with objective based game types taking place across large-scale maps.  Vehicular and gun play is tight and punchy, with each kill feeling hard-earned and rarely fluked.  Even when on the losing side, the game continues to reward objective-taking and supporting team-mates, keeping the battle varied and fun.

All in all, I would consider the whole journey of researching, building and installing my first self-built system to allow me to play Battlefield 3 on high settings as richly rewarding, thoroughly enjoyable and therefore comes highly recommended.  Building a PC is definitely not at all difficult, providing some time is spent researching the necessary components and build process.  To play Battlefield 3 as it's intended (in graphics, audio and scale) truly feels like the next generation of videogaming has arrived.  DICE are to be applauded on what they have achieved with this title.

The Crunch

This is a relatively short post, but one that reflects my reading for the afternoon.

I've heard the EA Spouse letter referenced plenty on gaming forums and comment threads, but only got round to reading it today.  And all the comments in response.  And then ninjadan's take on the topic.

It seems that I shouldn't be blindly aspiring to work for one of the development giants (EA, Rockstar, etc...) without doing my homework first.  The catch is that they are more likely to take on fresh meat, whereas smaller development studios will only consider applicants with proven experience (10+ shipped titles).

It certainly hasn't tainted my aspirations any, but it has opened my eyes somewhat.

Conversely, some studios manage to get it very right, like Naughty Dog.

Requirements of a Games Designer

Now that I have established both the what and the why, I thought that it would be appropriate to take a deeper look at what exactly a games designer is and does.  To achieve this, I have utilized various sources across the internet, as well as taking a look at the job listings for some of the major publishers, including EA, Epic, DICE, Rockstar, et al.

“The job of games designer is not just exciting, it is one of the most challenging in the world,” shouts this article at buzzle.com.  Sources are unanimous in their assessment that the role of Game Designer is rewarding, whilst extremely demanding.  EA consider game design “a highly creative and specialized craft” in their job listings.  Ryan Shwayder concedes that “a game designer doesn’t get paid as much as someone with his equivalent skills in the business world,” that it’s going to be the creativity and passion that will propel you through your games design career, not necessarily financial reward.

Requirements

“Creativity” and “imagination” are two words that continuously lace every article and job description I read on the subject.  Interestingly though, EA DICE declare that knowledge of target audiences and markets are equally, if not more, valued.  They also consider a deep understanding of hardware platforms as well as relevant technologies, techniques and software packages to be of high value.

For a game design role with People Can Fly at Epic Games, they require "excellent theoretical knowledge of game design practices," alongside other common design requirements, including; excellent communication and presentation skills, displayable experience of creating Game Design Documentation, problem-solving skills, and the candidate is to be self-motivated, hard-working and team-focused.  They also expand on the management of staff, requiring tasking and scheduling production teams whilst managing and organising design meetings.

Playfish (an EA company) echo many of these requirements, specifically requesting demonstrable experience from concept to completion.  Jagex Games Studio require a strong knowledge and experience of game design, as well as a strong track record of prioritizing conflicting demands, from a candidate who displays "passion, experience, energy and commitment."

All roles require a portfolio of work, which I will look to consider and discuss in a future post.

Software

Some openings require experience with specific software packages that I would do well to gain familiarity (and later competence) with.  Below is a list of programs specifically mentioned;

• 3D Studio Max
• Maya
• Microsoft Excel

What I Want to Achieve and Why

I've been a little off of the track when it comes to my studies recently.  I can't quite put my finger on why, though I will admit to being pretty deluded with how I'm being played by the RAF.  After working so hard and seeing no tangible reward, it makes it difficult to pluck motivation out of nowhere.  So I'm going to use this post to rectify things by realigning myself with my goals and determining my motivation for achieving them.

What do I want to achieve?

My aim is to change careers to become a videogame designer.  I've been passionate about playing games and following the videogame industry for the majority of my life.  To be employed within the sector has been a longtime ambition, and now feels like the right time to really put in all my effort in a direction that will give me the best opportunity to fully realise this goal.

If things were to go perfectly to plan, I'd like to leave the UK and work with a major studio on AAA titles; I'm thinking EA in Montreal, Canada, Epic Games in Cary, North Carolina, Rockstar Games in NYC, or DICE in Stockholm, Sweden, or whoever else is hot at the time.  I was completely absorbed by the American culture on my recent holiday, and would love a chapter or two of my life to unfold overseas.

Perhaps the option to found or co-found my own studio might one day present itself, which would also be something I'd be very proud to achieve.

And why do I want to achieve it?

I briefly touched upon the 'push' and the 'pull' in my first post.

To be realistic and frank, it is looking like I'll be out of the RAF by July 2013.  Since I'm being refused extension of my nine year contract, and am being denied any kind of promotion, it looks like I perfectly fit the bracket of "natural wastage."  In essence, the RAF neglects me promotion (and therefore extension of my contract) and in return doesn't have to compensate me for dropping my employment.  It makes financial sense for them, even if it is a slap in the face on a personal level.  I'm a victim of timing and budget cuts.

So why then the videogame industry?  I would be a much better candidate for something aerospace related; perhaps pursuing Air Traffic Control with NATS, or Air Defence contracts with IBM, for example.

In short, I want to work in a creative industry that produces entertainment products for commercial release.  I've always been creatively minded, and think that I would thrive in such an environment that would much better match my personality than my current employment.  I appreciate that it's a demanding sector, where success and failure hinges on sales, but I know I would relish the challenge.

To work in one of the top studios would improve my lifestyle ten-fold.  The option to live in another country with a working visa, to travel around the world with teams in aid of research, to work alongside and be inspired by some of the industry's best, to work in some of the best facilities and campus' with premium equipment, and to be rewarded financially for my efforts...

The why speaks for itself really!

Press Start

I thought that it would be appropriate and rewarding to write about my adventures and misdemeanours as a Videogame Designer. Except I'm not yet a Videogame Designer. So… What exactly am I actually going to write about then?

Since I've now finalised my decision and commitment to break into the videogame industry as a Games Designer, I thought that it would be appropriate to start a blog from day one. This practice benefits me; crafting a reflective account of victories, defeats and learning points encountered on my journey, and might also benefit you; assuming you’re here because of an interest in videogame design, I hope that you might glean some information or entertainment from these musings.

So a brief back-story; I am presently serving my seventh year in the Royal Air Force, as an Aerospace Systems Operator. This role has me working with bespoke radar equipment to maintain the integrity of the UK’s airspace and to assist with the control of various military fast-jet and support aircraft. Whilst the RAF has been good to me, I find it stifling and without reward a lot of the time. This is detrimental to personal motivation and productivity, so I decided to investigate what I really wanted to do with my life.

I’ve always thoroughly enjoyed videogames; from Spellbound Dizzy (1990) on my Amstrad CPC up to Battlefield 3 (2011) on my new custom-built PC; I’ve enjoyed countless hours playing a wealth of games across a number of platforms. So to work for a studio to help create videogames has always been a background ambition. I first considered the possibility in 2004, as I was completing my second year in sixth form… But let’s just say that I lacked the authentic passion and drive to convince anyone that that was the right decision for me at the time. So I instead joined the Air Force.

Fast forward seven years, and I’m now in the position where I really want to pursue my career choice again. The RAF has (both intentionally and unintentionally) taught me a lot of lessons over those years, and I believe I am a much more balanced and capable character, now possessing the energy, drive and experience required to press forward toward my ambitions.

Two events helped me reach the above conclusion. The Pull: a friend works as a girl's outerwear designer for Abercrombie & Fitch in Columbus, Ohio. After visiting her campus and studios for a tour, I finally recognised that “I want to work as part of a creative team to design and produce products that people will buy and enjoy.” Upon returning to my job in the UK and learning of certain decisions that had been made, I finally found The Push: that “If the RAF won’t recognise, support and reward my genuine hard work and ambition, then it won’t have it.” I finally knew what I wanted to do and, most importantly, why.

After a brief stint with a couple of the Open University’s computing courses, I discovered Train2Game.com. The company offers videogame-based diplomas in the disciplines of Art, Design, Programming and QA. Backed by TIGA (the UK’s videogame industry trade association) T2G seemed to be the perfect option for me; distance learning at my own pace, offering a qualification in precisely what I want to do, officially backed by the industry I want to work within. I chose to study Videogame Design since I enjoy writing and technical writing; I enjoy the creative arts (drawing, writing, music); I enjoy speaking in front of people, and have experience in communication, leadership and management from my RAF career.

Following an interview with a T2G rep, I was officially enrolled onto the course in August 2011. And that pretty much brings up to where I’m at now. I have my introductory materials to be working through, which use Pogo’s Game Maker software to introduce the basics of games design and development. After submitting an introductory Tutor Marked Assignment (TMA), then I will be starting the main Design course.

I’m looking forward to the challenge of balancing the course demands against the rest of my life; I still want to work hard in my current job, socialize with friends and family, keep myself in shape at the gym, embarrass myself on Battlefield 3 AND get horrendously drunk at the weekends… But I know my time is now a precious commodity. And therein lays the personal challenge for me: I know I’m perfectly capable of completing the course and moving into the games industry, but am I willing to dedicate the time and effort to finally do just that?

Let’s find out…