Curyeux
Context
Final student project cross department.
Project Scope
- 15 weeeks of development
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Team of 70 across 8 departments
Project Brief
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Create a complete game from a simple pitch to a released product on Steam
- Showcase the skills of all departments
- Level Design
- Scripting
- 3D Modelers
- Animators
- Tech animators
- 2D artists
- Sound Design
- VFX artists
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My roles and contributions
Lead Script Designer
I was elected as Lead Script for the project by my peers. I took on the responsabilites to coordinate the different departments to ensure priorities alligments.
My main responsabilities were :
- Lead daily in department SCRUMS
- Lead weekly inter-department SCRUMS
- Present design documents with other leads to other department
- Establish, measure and adjust short term goals in order to achieve long term goals
- Regularly reassess priorities with other department leads
What I added as a lead coordinator
- I listened to the developpers from all department to make sure I understood their realities and their needs
- I kept developpers motivation high by making them tell me how their work was important
- I adressed their concerns by communicating their impairments to the relevent teams
- I coached other leads on how to interact with developpers under their supervision
As a Developper :
- I worked on the game design document
- I prototyped hazard AI
- I tested and establish metrics limits for movements and spaces
- I playtested and gave feedback to relevent teams
- I helped with implementation for the following systems : checkpoint, area loading (data layers) and level transitions
What my peers say about me
Testimonies
The following are all the anonymus verbatim quotes of feedback I recieved. I added translated version in english. Each 70 members of the team was asked to write feedback and comment on the top 4 people they interacted most with. Due to the position I took, I had the most responses (most people had about 5 notes).
I highlited some of my favorite testimonials with orange borders.
English
Philippe is pleasant to interact with. His positive mood brings joy to the classroom. It is a pity that he has so many meetings; it makes it more difficult to find him when we need him, but that is not something he can control.
Original (French)
Philippe est agréable à intéragir avec. Son humeur positif rend apporte de la joie dans la classe. C’est dommage qu’il a beaucoup de rencontre. Ça le rend plus difficile à le trouver lorsque nous avons besoin de lui mais ce n’est pas quelque chose qu’il peut contrôler.
English
Without Phil, there is no project. It’s as simple as that. He takes a huge workload off my shoulders through his communication, and he’s a great help when it comes to prioritizing my tasks. I enjoy working with him.
Original (French)
Sans Phil, pas de projet. C’est aussi simple que ca. Il m’enlève une énorme charge de travail grâce à sa communication, et m’aide énormément à prioriser mes tâches. J’aime travailler avec.
English
“Great men don’t seek to lead; they are called to it” (Alfred, in *The Dark Knight* [2008]). This quote aptly describes Philippe: while he seems, at best, only moderately enthusiastic about his role as a manager—he would clearly prefer to focus more on hands-on engineering work—he holds this position precisely because of his exceptional competence.
Original (French)
“Great men dont seek to lead, they are called to it” (Alfred dans “the Dark Knight (2008)”) ceci est une bonne phrase pour décrire Philipe, il a l’air plus ou moins enthousiaste par rapport a sa position de responsable, il voudrais clairement plus faire du travail plus dans le engine mais il est dans sa position du a son incroyable compétence.
English
As Programming Manager, Philippe consistently meets and exceeds expectations in terms of problem-solving, communication, and attitude. It is a real pleasure to work with him, and I highly recommend him for any team.
Original (French)
Responsable de programmation, Philippe atteints toutes les attentes et les dépasse en résolution de problème, communication et attitude. C’est un réel plaisir de collaborer avec lui et le recommande vivement dans une équipe.
English
Philippe has the demeanor of a natural leader. Even though I don’t know him very well, I know I would have no trouble asking him for help or posing questions to him.
Original (French)
Philippe a une attitude de leader naturel. Même je ne le connais pas beaucoup, je sais que je n’aurais aucun problème à lui demander son aide ou à lui poser des questions.
English
No one could have taken on the role of manager better than Philippe. He possesses relentless resilience and an extraordinary ability to communicate, along with an impressive knack for managing priorities. Philippe grasps situations very quickly and reacts accordingly, all while keeping a cool head. I share something in common with Philippe: the feeling of being an “impostor.” I know this weighs on him; he has sometimes struggled to feel truly useful on this production, largely because he spends so much of his time in meetings (meetings that ultimately save the rest of us a great deal of time). Technically, he’s quite capable; I believe he just lacks a bit of practice and self-confidence. That said, I get the sense that he has come to realize that a team’s effectiveness isn’t defined solely by operational technical work. His own contributions save us a significant amount of time. Well done, Philippe! You are an essential, irreplaceable member of the team, and a wonderful person, never doubt that!
Original (French)
Personne n’aurait pu endosser mieux le poste de responsable que Philippe. Une resilience implacable, une capacité à communiquer hors du commun. Une gestion des priorité impressionnantes. Philippe comprends les situations très vites et réagit en fonction sans perdre son sang froid. J’ai un point commun avec Philippe, c’est celui de se sentir comme un imposteur en script 🙂 Je comprends que c’est un point qui le pese, ca a été difficile pour lui de se trouver utile dans cette production car il passe beaucoup de temps en meeting pour nous faire gagner du temps à tous. Techniquement, il n’est pas mauvais il manque seulement de pratique je crois, et de confiance en lui. Néanmoins j’ai le sentiment qu’il a fini par comprendre que l’efficacité d’une équipe de se passe pas que dans la technique operationnelle, mais que son travaille nous fait gagner un temps considerable. Bravo tu es une element essentiel et irremplacable, et une belle personne, n’en doute jamais !
English
Exemplary work; absolutely nothing to complain about. Professional and pleasant to work with.
Original (French)
Travail exemplaire, absolument rien à redire. Professionnel et agréable à travailler avec
English
I know the project is in good hands with him.
Original (French)
Je sais que le projet est entre de bonnes mains avec lui.
English
He communicates very frequently with other departments and has a thorough understanding of everything happening within his own. Discussions with him are always clear and relevant, and he appears to deliver excellent work.
Original (French)
Communique très souvent avec les autres département, connaît très bien tout ce qui se passe dans le sien. Les discussions avec lui sont très claires et pertinentes et il semble fournir un excellent travail
English
Philippe is always attentive and implements solutions to make life easier for all his teammates. He motivates others and acts as a driving force for the project.
Original (French)
Philippe est toujours à l’écoute et mets en place les solutions pour simplifier la vie de tous ses camarades. Il motive les autres et sert de moteur au projet.
English
Working with him is a real pleasure.
Yes, I would like to work with this person in the industry, and I would recommend him.
Original (French)
Travailler avec lui est un vrai plaisir
Oui j’aimerais travaille avec cette personne dans l’industrie et je la recommanderais
English
I really have nothing negative to say about him; however, there are several points that are difficult to evaluate, as I am not sufficiently familiar with the volume of work and the quality expected of him.
Original (French)
Je n’ai vraiment rien à dire de négatif sur lui, cependant plusieurs points sont difficiles à évaluer pour lui ne connaissant pas assez bien la quantité de travail et la qualité qui est attendu de lui
English
-An excellent choice for a manager. -He is concise and clear. -Good communication; he keeps us focused on the right priorities.
Original (French)
-Excellent choix pour un responsable -Il est concis et clair. -Bonne communication et nous garde sur les bonnes priorités.
English
Super helpful and attentive. I can see why he was chosen as lead script!
Original (French)
Super serviable et à l’écoute. Je comprends pourquoi il a été choisi en lead script!
English
Philippe is someone with immense patience. His ability to listen to everyone’s opinions and make logical, sensible decisions keeps the production moving forward effectively. Although he tends to be modest—or perhaps overly critical—regarding his own technical skills, they are, in fact, highly valuable and play a key role in the team’s progress. Keep it up—we only have 8 weeks of production left!
Original (French)
Philippe est quelqu’un avec une patience immense. Sa capacité à écouter l’opinion de tous et de prendre des décisions logiques et sensées permet l’avancement complet de la production. Malgré son non-optimiste envers ses capacités techniques, celles-ci sont grandement utiles et permettent à l’équipe de bien avancer. Garde la route, il ne nous reste que 8 semaines de production!
English
Philippe demonstrates a great deal of leadership, not only within the scripting department but across the entire production. He always shows a keen interest in what others present to him and is attentive to the concerns raised by other members of the production team. His attentiveness makes him an outstanding communicator, and his dedication to the project establishes him as one of the pillars of the production.
Original (French)
Philippe fait preuve de beaucoup de leadership, non seulement dans le département de scripting, mais également dans l’ensemble de la production. Il semble toujours très intéressé par ce que les autres lui présente et à l’écoute des préoccupations rencontrées par les autres membres de la production. Son attention fait de lui communicateur hors-pair et sa dévotion au projet fait de lui l’un des piliers de la production.
English
It is truly a pleasure working with you. Your commitment to the project is very apparent—I really want to highlight that. Your motivation and enthusiasm have a significant impact on the group dynamic, and it is very encouraging to see you so invested. It would be a pleasure to continue working with you in the industry!
Original (French)
C’est vraiment très agréable de travailler avec toi. Ton implication dans le projet se ressent vraiment et j’insiste sur ce point. Ta motivation et ton engouement se ressent beaucoup dans la dynamique de groupe et c’est très encourageant de te voir aussi investi. Ce serait un plaisir de continuer à travailler avec toi dans l’industrie !
English
Very pleasant to interact with; maintains an open mind while leaving artistic interpretation to the modeling teams.
Original (French)
Très agréable dans ses échanges, garde un esprit ouvert tout en laissant l’interprétation artistique aux équipes de modélisation.
English
Excellent work and communication; I don’t think anyone else could have replaced you on this production. It’s always a pleasure to chat with you or work on a part of a project together, and I would definitely be happy to have you on my team in the industry! If I’m ever asked for a recommendation during an interview, your name would be the first one that comes to mind!
Original (French)
Excellent travaille et communication, je ne crois pas que quelqu’un aurais pu te remplacer dans cette production. Toujours un plaisir de te jaser ou travailler sur une partie du projet, et je serais définitivement heureux de t’avoir dans mon équipe dans l’industrie! Si on me demande une recommandation en entrevue, ton nom me viendrais dans la tête rapidement!
English
Very good work in terms of the ideas brought to the project.
Original (French)
Très bon travail au niveau des idées apporter au projet.
English
I see Phillipe working all the time. He is an excellent colleague! He is always on top of things and is an outstanding manager. He consistently delivers what is asked of him—and then some. He’s a busy guy, but he always gets every task done. I would be happy to work with him again in this industry! I would recommend him without hesitation, and I’d be thrilled to hear that I’ll be working alongside him. Keep up the excellent work, Phillipe!
Original (French)
Phillipe je le voit tout le temps en train de travailler. C’est un excellent collègue de travail! Toujours à son affaire, c’est un excellent responsable! Il fait toujours ce qui lui ait demander et même plus. C’est un gars occupé mais qui fait toutes les taches. Je travaillerais avec lui avec plaisir dans l’industrie! Je le recommanderais sans hésiter et je serai ravi de me faire dire que je vais travailler avec lui. Continue ton excellent travail Phillipe!
English
He works efficiently and has a keen eye for detail. He radiates a positive energy during discussions. His motivation and determination are evident, which is highly encouraging.
Original (French)
Il travaille efficacement et a le soucis des détails. Il a une bonne énergie positive qui dégage pendant les discussions. On voit sa motivation et sa détermination ce qui est super encourageant.
English
I would be happy to work with this person in the industry, and I would recommend them.
Original (French)
Je serais heureux de travailler avec cette personne dans l’industrie et je recommanderais.
Planning
Design Constraints
3D camera
- Showcase 3D modelers design of the character
- Challenge scripting team of the most used camera in AAA
Single Hero Mecanic
The gameplay must revolve around a single mecanic to reduce overscope.
Up to 4 Gameplay ingredients
- Must all be linked to the Hero Mecanic
- Force design team to find ways to reuse ingredients in novel ways
- Reduce overscope
Challenge physical & mental abilities
- Must all be linked to the Hero Mecanic
- Force design team to experiment with varied challenges
Prohibited items
- No dash
- No contact with enemies
- No enemies that walk on walls
- No boss fight
- No hookshot
- No openworld
- No firearms
- No complexe enemi AI
- No fog based gameplay ingredient
Characters
- Exactly 4 different character models
- Humanoids
- Clothed
- No backpacks
- No palet swap
Environment constraints
- No Mirors
- No interaction with water
- At least 1 cinematic
- No folliage environment
- Outside/Open environment
Narrative
- No polarised subjects
- A begining cinematic
- An ending cinematic
Target Audience
Acrobats/Bounty hunter from Quantic Foundry
Acrobat:
Acrobats are solo gamers who primarily want to take on challenging gameplay and they want to practice over and over again until they can take on the most difficult missions and bosses in the game. They enjoy games that are moderately paced, that require some thinking and figuring out the game mechanics on your own. What Acrobats really don’t care about is world-building and window-dressing. So in their popular games list, we see titles like Super Metroid, Tetris, and The Binding of Isaac.
Bounty Hunter:
Where the Slayer wanted an on-rails curated cinematic experience, the Bounty Hunter wants a game world that they can make their own through customization and exploration. So where the Slayer had low Discovery and Design scores, we see above-average Discovery and Design scores here for the Bounty Hunter. Bounty Hunters are also interested in power progression through leveling up their characters and upgrading their weapons. So they want to see their characters grow and become powerful in the context of the world. This is also something that differentiates them from the Slayer, who didn’t care about power progression and seemed to be more interested in the moment-to-moment experience of the game. So here in the Bounty Hunter’s popular games, we see titles like Saints Row, Far Cry, and Mass Effect.
