Free Collaboration Tools for Remote Teams

I've just finished my first full-scale game development project, from design all the way through post-launch marketing, and I've learned a great deal in the process. My development partner and I started from scratch to develop a new Hangman app for Android and the Web called Classic Hangman Game (very original name, I know, but it's necessary for discoverability on Google Play until genres and descriptive terms can be searched for).

One of the things we had to tackle right away was to put together a viable workflow and a suite of tools that would allow us to work together, even though we live on different sides of the country. After a few hours of trial and error, we found a group of tools that allowed us to work efficiently throughout the project, whether we were working independently or at the same time.

Dropbox

The first challenge we faced was figuring out how to share and concurrently access project files and resources. We both needed continually up-to-date access to source files, images, sounds and all of the supporting files that Unity produces on its own. We found Dropbox to be an excellent solution, and we've since used it at the Global Game Jam 2013 in Denver.

Dropbox is a free cloud file-storage system with options for premium upgrades. The service allows users to synch folders on any PC or mobile device to any other, while also being able to access the folders and their contents on the web. After a quick download, we both had Dropbox folders on our machines, and we could both access the same files at will. As an added bonus, we regularly received notifications when files in Dropbox folders had been changed, so we always knew when the other person had worked on something.

Google Drive

Google Drive works in much the same way as Dropbox, but with the added bonus of having Google Docs built in. Dropbox takes a bit of time to synch files, whereas shared Google Docs are updated almost instantly for all users. We used Google Drive and Docs to share text files -- mainly our design document. We found that we could both have the design doc open, and changes made by one of us would immediately be reflected on the other's screen. We revisited the design doc frequently, and usually designated one of us to make changes to the doc while we spoke over Google Talk.

Google Hangouts

Google Hangouts is an excellent tool for remote collaboration and communication. The things we found most useful were the speed and ease of setting up a conference, and the ability to share our screens with each other. Using Hangouts, one of us could view the other's screen, if needed, while we worked. This proved invaluable for solving engineering problems together, or walking through administrative processes such as setting up various developer accounts online. The one drawback to Hangouts is that it tends to be processor intensive compared to other voice chat services. To solve that problem, we turned to Google Talk.

Google Talk

Talk is a much more lightweight and simple voice chat program than Hangouts. Whenever we needed to free up resources, such as during play tests or project building, we would switch from Hangouts to Talk for a smoother experience. This is also our go-to program for Starcraft 2 breaks, again to free up system resources.

With this suite of tools in hand, we were able to successfully see our project through to completion, from design to publishing and post-launch support. If you've found this article helpful, please take a moment to check out the fruit of our labor: our first game, Hangman for Android! If you would rather play on the web, come on over to my portfolio website at www.davesingram.com.

Play Classic Hangman Game (Free) Now on Android!
https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.Volume.Hangman.Free

Zynga (ZNGA) and Facebook (FB) Dive Together

One of the earlier posts in this blog asked readers to consider the possible effects on social gaming companies of the success or failure of Facebook as a public company. My postulation that gaming companies closely linked to the world's most popular social network would find much of their success out of their control seems to have proven correct over the past week, at least in a small way.

I stumbled across an article on DigitalTrends.com that made me start thinking about the future of Zynga -- the phenomenal company that created an entirely new segment of the video game consumer market. The article, linked below, reveals that Zynga plans to enter the world of online gambling next year, starting with a real-money poker game to be launched in legal and regulated markets. It wasn't too long ago that people couldn't get enough of Zynga's stable of games, staring at gradually-growing landmarks for hours while dishing out hundreds of dollars, 50 cents at a time. Why, then, should the company consider serving an entirely new target market?

While considering this interesting turn of events, I saw Jim Cramer on CNBC's Mad Money highlight the fact that both Facebook (FB) and Zynga (ZNGA) stock took a major dive in trading on Thursday (Facebook plummeted even further on Friday). Then I remembered my earlier post, Upcoming Facebook IPO Could Change the Game for Social Games, and everything started to click.

It turns out that the influence over success or failure for gaming companies linked to Facebook runs both ways. I submit that the independent success of both Facebook and Zynga indirectly rallied each other in recent years, and that we're now seeing the opposite effect. As Zynga recently cut its revenue outlook for the coming quarter and Facebook reported it's number of new users leveling off, the detrimental effects of each piece of bad news seem to be shared between the two, in addition to the expected independent effects. What's good for Facebook is good for the gaming companies that rely on it, and the opposite holds true, as well.

My advice to social gaming companies is to do exactly what the social network that went public with a single productive asset did not do -- diversify your outlets. If Zynga games were as tightly entrenched in The Android Market, iPhone App Store, XBOX Live Arcade and other popular outlets, I wonder if Facebook's slowing pace of growth would affect it as much.

Read More:

Zynga to launch real-money online poker in early 2013

Ouya Impresses Kickstarter Backers with Revolutionary New Console

Ouya has burst onto the gaming scene in a big way recently, making headlines equally attractive to gamers and game developers. The company and product of the same name recently blew their Kickstarter funding goals away by over $2 million in the first several days, hooking backers with promises of a new type of console that they hope will change the face of the console-gaming market.


Built on Android 4.0, Ouya is designed as an open-source console with a price point under $100. Ouya encourages and invites indie developers to enter the world of console gaming as legitimate players, rather than as small voices in a crowded market of secondary importance, as is the case with current console's indie marketplaces. Far from a box for gimmick games, Ouya invites AAA developers and publishers to weight in with their best titles, as well.

Much has been said about the impact that Ouya may have when it hits store shelves in 2013, but I am more interested in the game-changing undertones of this project's very existence. The tug-of-war between AAA players and Indies has not seemed to favor either side in recent years. On one side, we see things like Digital Rights Management evolving to a point where sharing games is no longer an option, for example, while on the other side we see indie developers creating more open-source games with unlimited distribution. As another example, we see platforms like the Playstation 3 becoming more difficult for indie developers to break into, while at the same time publishing on mobile platforms becomes increasingly cost effective for indie (and even basement) developers. Ouya represents a merging of these two worlds and a reconcilliation of the two divergent trends. On a mass-market, open-source platform, AAA titles can exist alongside Indie titles with casual gamers unable to tell the difference between the two.

Whether or not Ouya makes the splash that many expect it to, this company has put an idea out into the world, and their success on Kickstarter shows that gamers and developers are not going to let this trend disappear. Ouya proves that the gaming industry as a whole wants to see Indie developers and AAA publishers on more of an even playing field; this can only be good for gamers and the industry.

For more information, visit Ouya's Kickstarter page:
http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/ouya/ouya-a-new-kind-of-video-game-console

"Online Game Development" by Rick Hall & Jeannie Novak - Book Review

Online Game Development was my first introduction to the Game Development Essentials Series. It was a unique learning experience, as I was soaking up as much SW:TOR as I could while the book introduced me to the intricacies and nuances of making solid MMOs. Online Game Development provides a clear and thorough overview of the many considerations that go into crafting a commercial MMO, approaching all topics from three distinct perspectives: design, technical and business. This triage of vantage points makes the book deeply insightful for anyone involved in making online games. Artists and programmers get a peek into the financial implications of design decisions, for example, while project managers gain insight into the constraints faced by server and database gurus.

The book moves logically through the life span of an MMO development project, beginning with the planning phase. Authors Hall and Novak explore the constraints that influence design decisions for online multiplayer games, and discuss methodologies for working within constraints to enhance players' experiences. Moving on to design and initial marketing, the book delves into such considerations as core mechanics, mechanical themes and social elements, tying the technical requirements into marketing considerations. Particularly insightful are the succeeding chapters dedicated to the pre- and post-launch phases of development, including the Alpha and Beta stages, as well as continuous content development throughout the life of the game.

Anyone aspiring to enter the world of MMO development can gain from reading Online Game Development. Since the book covers such a wide range of information, it is not intended to provide an exhaustive discussion of all topics. Rather, it gives you an idea of exactly what to focus on as you continue a quest for knowledge and mastery of the MMO development process.

Upcoming Facebook IPO Could Change the Game for Social Games

Rumors of Facebook's impending (but not scheduled) Initial Public Offering (IPO) cover the news wires lately, as investors look to ride what could be a sustained wave of profitability from the seemingly unstoppable force of Facebook. With numerous social gaming companies linked to the success of Facebook, the upcoming IPO will most likely have wide-reaching effects on the currently entrenched social-gaming brands, as well as changing the game for startups looking to join the ranks of social-game developers.

An IPO means two very important things -- a huge inflow of debt-free capital up front, and the ability to raise additional large sums of money for growth through future offerings. This can give Facebook a significant boost (not that it was strapped for cash) that can fuel marketing and new-customer acquisition in new markets around the world. Existing social games on Facebook could see a rush of new players from a range of geographic regions in a relatively short time. Games themed after quaint corners of North American culture or featuring core mechanics popular to U.S. players may find themselves struggling to hook customers from distant regions the way they've hooked Americans. This can provide an opportunity for growing social-game developers to create cross-cultural gems that resonate among a wider audience.

Social-game developers listed on public stock exchanges will likely find themselves facing additional stock-price pressures after Facebook's IPO (I'm talking to you, ZNGA). As Facebook becomes as hot of a topic as Google among investors, stock traders may begin to react to Facebook-related news by acting on shares of entrenched companies. As Facebook's share prices rise, so too will the shares of game companies utilizing the platform. As Facebook's share prices fall, the opposite may very well hold true. Facebook's quarterly earnings may become just as important as game developers' earnings at determining the developers' stock prices, creating new dynamics in the financial relationships between Facebook and the gaming brands entrenched in its platform.