This quiz game project started because a very good client of the agency asked for a game. They had in mind exactly what they were after, and of course, they didn’t want to spend a lot of money to accomplish it.
Stay posted as this entry gets updated – we’re in the Beta phase of development.
The Request:
A local glove manufacturer wanted a quiz game that would ask the player a simple choice. What glove material shields against the chemical shown? The outcome database we created is derived from real-life research that was provided to us. Our task was to visualize the game for the client as they described it (a drag-and-drop action originally) and deliver a simple 2D interaction to use as a conversation starter at tradeshows and on salesman’s touch devices in the field.
The Assignment:
The guys at 321 looked at me with a questionmark in their eyes. When the more technical projects come in, I’m the one they look to. In this case, since it was a fairly limited scope and a small project, I thought it was possible to do the work entirely in-house.
I had always had an interest in games – playing and making them – and thought I could pull it off, even with no professional experience at it. When the scope of the specific game functions changed, I realized I could no longer accomplish the more complex backend development that the project required. It was this point where I made the recommendation that we outsource the project’s development to another company. Luckily, development hadn’t started yet.
Gregg found Spencer at Omne Solutions, and I had a great time working with him. He dealt with programming redirects, user interface changes, and a whole host of client requests throughout this project in a very easygoing way.
Concepts:
Concept One – The Corporate Brochure Flavor
In this concept, I chose to use their existing ad themes and styles for a more corporate interactive experience. I thought this approach would work particularly well alongside their print materials, which look very similar.
Concept Two – The Simplistic Graphic Approach
In this concept, Mike had suggested a dunk tank. So I took icons of gloves that were already being used elsewhere in their print and web materials (see this page for an example of that).
I chose to do a prototype of this idea (before the client settled on a concept – so I kept it quick and basic – without a lot of fuss or time spent). This was a test to see if I could code the drag-and-drop functionality that the game would require (at that time).
Concept Three – The Painterly Look
So I went off the beaten path in my final idea and painted exactly what I visualized when the client described the game to us. When it comes to listening to what people want, I nailed it here: this was the concept that was ultimately chosen.
Storyboard:
Once the third concept was chosen, I went through a more detailed version of the storyboard. This phase took weeks and was a flurry of activity and messages between myself and the client’s team. Below, I’ll post the first storyboard concept, and the final outcome of those weeks of work.
Live Game:
This is coming soon!
Translation Files:
As the beta testing winds down, and response from the game is very positive, the client asked us to create a storyboard that would prove useful for translators to translate the finished game. Here’s that document.
Credits:
Account Administration: Gregg Whitlock
Art Direction, Copywriting, Design, Art Asset Production: Laura Rafferty
Unity Development, Debugging, Deployment: Spencer Varadi of Omne Solutions
