The Cerny Method

““METHOD”METHOD”

Cerny Games, Inc.Mark Cerny

““METHOD”METHOD”

1. Pre-Production vs. Production2. “Publishable” First Playable3. Macro vs Micro Design4. Gameplay Testing

Method, part 1: Method, part 1: Preproduction vs. ProductionPreproduction vs. Production

“Capturing Lightning”

Pre-Production

“Building the game”

Production

“IT IS POSSIBLE TO PLAN AND SCHEDULE THE CREATION OF YOUR GAME”

MYTH #1: PLANNING

Pre-Production: Pre-Production: Managing Chaos Managing Chaos

• assemble core team• create successive prototypes• prototypes become like game levels

“WORKING PRODUCTIVELY MEANS THROWING OUT NOTHING.”

MYTH #2: PRODUCTIVITY

Pre-Production Pre-Production

• you are not making a game

3 C's: character, camera, control game look key technology holistic game design (if appropriate)

• you are making a game design

Pre-Production Pre-Production

• take chances • build without knowledge of moveset• build without knowledge of tech limits• don’t know the context of what you’re

working on • etc…

“cutting edge technology is important, so build your technology first.”

MYTH #3: TECHNOLOGY

TECHNOLOGY TECHNOLOGY STANDARD PRACTICE STANDARD PRACTICE

Create Design Document

Create “Required Technology” Document

Build Technology

Build Game

DOUBLE-TRACK IT! DOUBLE-TRACK IT!

• Build, borrow or buy “Quick and Dirty” Tech for rapid prototyping

• Build “Cutting Edge” Tech for actual game

“FREQUENT PROJECT REVIEW IS IS ESSENTIAL TO GOOD MANAGEMENT.”

MYTH #4: MILESTONES

Pre-production and milestonesPre-production and milestones

• negotiated term for Pre-Production• strict deliverables for Pre-Production

first playable macro design

• results of experiments are visible externally• no “stench of failure”

• “offline” status for team during Pre-Production

Deliverables at end of Pre-Production

• “Publishable” First Playable• Macro Game Design

MYTH #5:

“ALPHA = FIRST PLAYABLE”

Method, Part 2: Method, Part 2: The First Playable The First Playable

OVERVIEW

• two levels• all local features, global features as appropriate• publishable quality

First Playable ChecklistFirst Playable Checklist Two levels of publishable quality, with:

__ player behavior fully defined __ basic technology done

__ enemy/obstacle behavior fully defined

__ art direction in place

__ all local features included, global features included as required

__ a touch of variety

__ scope of game defined

“A cancelled project is a sign of bad management or a bad team.”

MYTH #6: KILLING GAMES

Canceling Projects Canceling Projects

• Team cannot create “Publishable” First Playable

• First Playable shows game not worth publishing

• Your project will not miraculously get better during Production!

Method, Part 3: Method, Part 3: Macro vs Micro Design Macro vs Micro Design

• Macro in hand at start of Production• Micro created during Production

“THE MORE DEFINED YOUR INITIAL VISION, THE BETTER”

MYTH #7: DESIGN DOCUMENTS

“I NEED A 100-PAGE DOCUMENT DESCRIBING MY GAME.”

MYTH #7: DESIGN DOCUMENTS

Why no 100-page design document? Why no 100-page design document?

• waste of resources• deceptive and misleading• sets direction prior to verification of fundamentals

Method, Part 3: Method, Part 3: Macro vs Micro Design Macro vs Micro Design

Macro Design__ five pages__ character and moveset__ exotic mechanics__ level structure, size and count__ level contents__ overarching structure – linear, hub__ macro chart

Macro Chart Macro Chart locale level

structure exoticgameplay

required for level entry

received in level

1 Jungle 3-D Egg

2 Volcano 3-D run from lava Egg

3 Snow 2-D ice (training) Egg

4 Desert 3-D motorcycle 1 egg Egg

5 Locale A 2-D - 2 eggs Egg

6 Snow 2-D ice 4 eggs Key

7 Locale B BOSS - Key open hub 2

Benefits of a Benefits of a Macro Design Macro Design

• can accurately schedule Production

• can track progress during Production

• prevents feature creep and feature drop

• properly circumscribes creativity

[Macro Design extras] [Macro Design extras]

• brief story

• conceptual art

• acquired abilities or inventory (holistic games only)

Micro Design Micro Design

Micro Design• script• level maps• enemy descriptions, behaviors• puzzle descriptions• special gameplay descriptions• and much more

“If you want to make a hit, listen to the consumer.”

MYTH #8: THE CONSUMER

What You'll Learn from a Focus Test What You'll Learn from a Focus Test

• What's popular as of ten minutes ago

• How not to stand out

• The feature list of every recent game that was pretty good

Gameplay Testing Gameplay Testing

• two to five times

• watch what they do

• quantitative analysis

SETTING IT UP SETTING IT UP

• preproduction-based funding• greenlight is at first playable• best and brightest• ‘housekeeping’ deal during preproduction• production as usual

SETTING IT UP SETTING IT UP

• In the event of cancellation…• Publisher owns IP, but cannot develop it

with another team• Developer may purchase IP at cost of

development to date

Developer Risks Developer Risks

• Lack of full-term publisher commitment• Full team not employed during pre-

production• Uncomfortable level of transparency to

publisher

Publisher Risks Publisher Risks

• Start projects with only a rough release date• Preproduction is expensive• No milestones = no pressure?

Publisher Benefits Publisher Benefits

• Low cost of entry for projects• Very close publisher/developer relationship• Accurate production schedule and budget

Thank YouThank You