Hala and I had our first planning meeting today, for the game project we're working on. Here are the notes:
Next week is 14, we have until about week 20 to complete the project. As it's too early to say how long time different phases of the project will take (or even what phases there will be), at the moment we plan day-to-day: The important thing, at present, is having a clear idea what we will be working on next time.
Today, we agreed that the story will be of a person in surgery who experiences dreams. If the dreams go badly, his EEG goes flat. The doctors can revive him three times (or an infinite number of times if you have life_cheat = on).
This gives us a lot of flexibility in story and puzzles, and ensures that we can make the most of every good puzzle idea we get, and every model or sound effect we find or make. The bits are most important right now: since we're moving in uncharted territory, having an inflexible story could doom our project. About the only thing I'm commited on engine-wise is the fixed cameras that change when the player moves into a new region (a la Alone in the Dark). That's easy to implement and gives a lot of artistic freedom with camera angles etc. Also, it eases the level design, since we don't have to worry about the bits the player won't see. An inventory system of some sort will also be hard to avoid.
So next time, I'll be working up a very basic camera/player system for testing, while Hala searches for good models and sounds which are acceptably licenced. At the end of the day we get together and look at the stuff Hala has found and discuss how we can use it to make good puzzles - hopefully we can fix a few. Then we commit on a program for wednesday.
We have resolved to not make the player model ourselves, that is beyond our artistic capabilities. Instead, we find a good model with bones and adapt it to our needs.
I'm considering whether to start on the camera/movement system right now, but Solveig is waiting, so I think I'll wait.
Posted by vintermann at April 1, 2005 02:40 PM