Maize
Top-Down Horror Shooter | 16 People | Creative Producer
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Made in 48 hours for the University of Utah's "Harvest" Game Jam
ROLE
Creative Producer
PROJECT SUMMARY
Developed by nonprofit organization The Monkey Barrel, Maize is best described as "the love child of Pac-Man and Slenderman". You play as a lone farmer, facing off against hordes of evil as you attempt to recreate an occult ritual.
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As the Creative Producer, it was my responsibility to not only manage team production efforts within the short time frame we were given to complete this, but also deliver a marketable and satisfying end product. Overall, Maize served as an incredible exercise in large team management with high-intensity milestones.
Logistics & Coordination
As the Creative Producer, my responsibilities were based around coordinating a large development team. I facilitated an environment where everyone could be happy and productive.
I ensured that the team would have an efficient workspace throughout the duration of the 48 hours, booking multiple board rooms for production, meetings and discussion. Whenever circumstances changed, I adjusted in response, allowing the team to focus on what they need to do, rather than stress over how it is to be done.
I provided the team with all necessary equipment that I could get my hands on - from drawing tablets to touch-screen whiteboards - even if they weren't actively requested, so as to bolster our shared capabilities and combined productivity.
Facilitating Productivity
When you are operating on a limited timeframe, every second counts. I ensured that our development team had the ability to stay focused and engaged throughout the development process.
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If a tool or device was needed, I would run to grab it. I would poll for snacks and drinks at intervals, actively supplying the team with their requests. If anything was needed, I saw to it that it was done.
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When I wasn't helping produce or design assets, I was observing my team and looking for any stalls in production. If a team member ever looked as though they had nothing to do, I would make sure to help them re-focus their efforts, utilizing self-organized kanban boards and charts to point people towards necessary features.
Product Polishing
Maize is a horror game - that means that there is a lot of emphasis on atmosphere. If the assets do not come together to create a sufficient atmosphere, then the game falters in its selling point. As the Creative Producer, I worked to make sure that Maize lived up to its best potential with our given resources.
During pre-production, I used my knowledge of game development facets to moderate the project scope, ensuring that we could not only complete the project, but give each feature our best attention. Throughout development, I delegated and prioritized tasks based on two factors: necessity and end-state. If a feature seemed like it was going to hinder our ability to complete the project, I made sure to cut it and re-focus our efforts elsewhere.
Near the end of the development process, I organized efforts to add quality-of-life features to the gameplay and visuals, operating simultaneously with those focusing on Quality Assurance. Our combined efforts provided a product that is not only functional, but satisfying to play.
Post-Mortem Processes
After the dust had settled, I organized and directed a Post-Mortem Meeting with our team's department leads, examining the challenges and successes of Maize's development process. We took note of what worked and what didn't, writing up extensive summaries of our thoughts so that we could move forward even stronger than before.
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After the dust had settled, we used some of our learnings to further develop Maize, balancing mechanics & adding in unfinished features, ensuring that all of our developer's efforts were reflected in the end-product. As of recently, Maize is being updated yet again, and will soon be ported over to our official Itch.io account.
