Porting a Game to Multiple, Mobile Operating Systems.
Saturday, April 25th, 2009A copy of this can be found in my HoW2WiKi at:
http://how2wiki.ryanjb.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=30&Itemid=25
This write up is aimed toward taking a successful title and porting it across multiple platforms efficiently. This important part of game development can broaden a companies clientèle, draw attention to a vast range of customers, increase revenue and expand your game to many platforms. Most risks are created during the preparation of the porting phase; which will determine if the process will be easy or difficult and costly. Your team should plan and take into consideration project constraints. Such as time/deadlines, available resources (team members, equipment, any limitations), expectations, quality, complexity and the porting strategy. A successful porting plan should be based on your experience with developing titles for multiple platforms (if you are new to development, rely on the experience of your team members). Consisting of knowledge from previous titles, combine the phone operating systems together based on compatibility with each other, phone models, physical layout and resources. For example, most Windows Mobile phones are generally the same and the final port of a game for that platform will be similar for a Windows Mobile Motorola and Windows Mobile HTC devices.
Your device list should also be categorized in some logical order, such as Windows Mobile phones in one category and Java based platforms in another. Like a Game Design Document (not a sales pitch based, game concept design document), your plan should be thoroughly developed on a system thats easily accessible by all team members without constraints and a living document. Some companies create blogs, wiki, or web sites on their intranets, that allows members to view and alter the document at any time. It should be write protected based on the project phase and needs. Addressing all porting issues that may arise, such as processor information, memory issues, design specifications for phones with various screen sizes and anything that will impact the project. You can use either Serial or parallel team organization methods with your development team. Structuring your team in a serial method, the project will be handled one phase at a time. Your entire team will wok towards accomplishing a phase before moving on to the next, until the porting has reached completion. For example, a Serial team organization will have all team members work on and accomplish development, then porting, them development and porting again, until all mobile platforms have been completed. This form of team organization is great for small and single platform projects.
With a parallel organization, your team can be split into Team A and Team B. After Team A completed platform 1’s development, Team B then works and completes platform 1’s porting. While team B is working and completing platform 1’s porting, Team A continues on developing platform 2. The process keeps going until all platforms have been ported. Parallel porting is great for porting games to multiple mobile phone platforms. Some issues that may arise during the development and porting phase is not having all team members operate at their highest capacity, provide their best performance, or not keeping up with the set dead lines. Let’s consider the parallel method; Team B is at idle while waiting for Team A to complete development, before they can begin porting. An issue such as this needs to be identified and Team B could get started on working on project 2’s development, until project 1’s development phase has been completed. Our teams should develop and deliver the proper amount of content to each other that ensures each member is working together to see the completion of the project on time.
Communication and scheduling is also critical and the proper risk management will add to the success. Objectives will be reached, conflicts will be minimal and employees are utilized to their full potential.
This document is based on information I learned from the seminar given by Eric Thommerot, with PopCap International; at the Game Developers Conference at the Moscone Center in San Francisco, CA; on March 23rd, 2009, within room 130, North Hall, from 4:15 to 5pm.
Information regarding the seminar can be found at:
https://www.cmpevents.com/GD09/a.asp?option=G&V=3&id=624488
http://www.gdconf.com/
Ryan.
