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Indie Game: The Movie
Indie games are games made by a small team or an individual creator that worked on making a vision for their game. This could be someone who has a set idea or wants there to be a point or hidden meaning to a game. It's normally people who felt like or really wanted to make the game, and wanted to code and finish and make it.
Originally to make a game, you had to make it with a company, and it had to sell as a physical version of the game. There was no way of making a game unless you made it with a company. Then Steam was created, an app that allowed anyone who made a game to put onto the app and sell their game.
Super Meat Boy (Creators)
The creation of Super Meat Boy only used 2 people, Edmund and Tommy. Edmund is the designer and Tommy is the programmer. Most games can be made with up to 1000 people on it. To make a game as popular as super meat boy with only 2 people is an amazing feat. As the programmer, Tommy writes the code, checks for bugs and makes it so the game works. As the designer, Edmund makes the characters and the worlds, and levels. He makes the game come to life, so it's not just pixel blocks jumping around.
Platform
They made the game, based on the meat boy flash game that was free to play online. Essentially the revamped it and made a bigger better version. The flash game was already incredibly popular so the new super meat boy was given a lot of hype. Microsoft then partnered up with Edmund and Tommy to have the game be on Xbox. The game was released for Xbox and PC but was then added to Playstation's console PlayStation 4, Nintendo's consoles, Wii U and Nintendo Switch. The game was made using software called C++ which a programming application. It's used to type and edit code, the makers of super meat boy used this software to program the game.
a) key functions of the roles within the production team -
Designers, producers and graphic artists all contribute to the final product. However, programmers and software developers turn the idea into code, which provides the game with its operating instructions. The main job is to actual code the game so a player can interact and play the game. They do this by writing code, which is like a language. They program in basics like "if you press this button the player does this (jump)" to "doing a combination of buttons opens a door or deals damage". Anything that happens in the game needs to be written in code. Health, the score, putting the characters design in the game and so on.
b) equipment used
The main equipment the Programmer would need, like the designer would be a computer, with the right software downloaded onto it. They just need a type of coding software, they could either code through unity or the software that makes the game or do the code separately on an application like C++ or just a computer notepad. As long as you write the code correctly without errors, you can import it into the game file.
c) skills needed to carry out each roles
Obviously you would need to be able to code. You would have to have an understanding of a coding language. There are lots of different languages, but knowing at least one and maybe 2 is mostly what you need. The more you know, the more options you'll have however. You'll also need communication skills as you'll need to communicate with the designers and the games creator so you know what you're coding in.
Role One: Games Designer
a) key functions of the roles within the production team -
Game designers have a few roles to carry out, like designing characters, levels, puzzles, art and animation. They may also write code, using various computer programming languages. Depending on their career duties, they may also be responsible for project management tasks and testing early versions of video games.
b) equipment used
The main equipment the designer would need would be a computer, with the right software downloaded onto it. Depending on what software the designer uses, he could use adobe photoshop, adobe illustrator, or any software that allows you to make pixel art. Again it also depends on what kind of game it is. For example if it was a 3D game, they might end up needing to use Maya and Unity. For the initial designs however they will also need paper, pencils, pens, maybe brushes, or again they might want to design it on photoshop using a mouse or a digital pen and mousepad.
c) skills needed to carry out each roles
Need to be able to draw and or design to high standard, or at least as long as the rest of the team can look at it and understand the design. Need to have an understanding of coding and the software being used to create that game as you will need to know how to import the character/level designs into the game.
a) key functions of the roles within the production team -
Game designers have a few roles to carry out, like designing characters, levels, puzzles, art and animation. They may also write code, using various computer programming languages. Depending on their career duties, they may also be responsible for project management tasks and testing early versions of video games.
b) equipment used
The main equipment the designer would need would be a computer, with the right software downloaded onto it. Depending on what software the designer uses, he could use adobe photoshop, adobe illustrator, or any software that allows you to make pixel art. Again it also depends on what kind of game it is. For example if it was a 3D game, they might end up needing to use Maya and Unity. For the initial designs however they will also need paper, pencils, pens, maybe brushes, or again they might want to design it on photoshop using a mouse or a digital pen and mousepad.
c) skills needed to carry out each roles
Need to be able to draw and or design to high standard, or at least as long as the rest of the team can look at it and understand the design. Need to have an understanding of coding and the software being used to create that game as you will need to know how to import the character/level designs into the game.
Roles
Role Two: Games Programmer/Developera) key functions of the roles within the production team -
Designers, producers and graphic artists all contribute to the final product. However, programmers and software developers turn the idea into code, which provides the game with its operating instructions. The main job is to actual code the game so a player can interact and play the game. They do this by writing code, which is like a language. They program in basics like "if you press this button the player does this (jump)" to "doing a combination of buttons opens a door or deals damage". Anything that happens in the game needs to be written in code. Health, the score, putting the characters design in the game and so on.
b) equipment used
The main equipment the Programmer would need, like the designer would be a computer, with the right software downloaded onto it. They just need a type of coding software, they could either code through unity or the software that makes the game or do the code separately on an application like C++ or just a computer notepad. As long as you write the code correctly without errors, you can import it into the game file.
c) skills needed to carry out each roles
Obviously you would need to be able to code. You would have to have an understanding of a coding language. There are lots of different languages, but knowing at least one and maybe 2 is mostly what you need. The more you know, the more options you'll have however. You'll also need communication skills as you'll need to communicate with the designers and the games creator so you know what you're coding in.
Compare the contributions and responsibilities of each role
Overall, the Games Programmer/Developer is the main role in the making of a game. Without them writing the code and in general planning the game, there would be no game. Of course, the designers are extremely important as well, as the code would be for nothing without characters and designs. The Programmer has a lot of responsibility as the code needs to work, it needs to not have bugs and work as well as it can. If the code fails, any other effort the designers and graphics artists have made fall apart. The designer does have a lot of responsibility too however as the creator of the game has a vision of what the game should look like. Games need to look appealing, and depending on the target audience, need to look high quality if the designer can't reach that level, all the effort form coding isn't represented in the actual playable game.
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