Evan Alley - Theatour

Development Stats

Software

Unity, Google Maps

Dev Time

4 Months

Team Size

8-Person Team

Position

Engineer, Director

Anecdotes

An Ambitious Idea

The pitch for Theatour was wildly ambitious for a one-semester class project. I was the primary vision holder for this game, and I knew going into it that we had a lot of work ahead of us. That's not to say that the team was unprepared for the task at hand - by using the GO Map Unity 3D asset by Alan Grant, we kick-started our technical goals. This was my responsibility, as the primary engineer on the project. The highlight of this work was decoupling the game from internet-based maps, a cost-saving measure that was absolutely essential to the game's functionality. What we were unprepared for was the task of content production. Our technical base was functional, but Shipping Theatour required a swath of content cuts - this affirmed my love for production.

"Ship it"

B y all reasonable metrics, the project was cursed. From family emergencies and health issues to confusion and feature creep, it felt like everything that could go wrong on a student project, did go wrong. Despite it all, we produced a technically impressive game! Even in an engineering role, I found myself drawn to production tasks. When our art team was struggling, I asked them to "create the art you want to put on your portfolio" and this skyrocketed our buy-in. My takeaway from that conversation was how to understand what motivates your team and how you can leverage that to create a more full and comprehensive product.

Takeaways

PRODUCER-MINDED

It was this project that made me realize my love for production. I found myself drawn to the role as I helped build buy-in, direct creative efforts, and ensure that the disparate parts of the game came together neatly.

Scope is Important

Before this project, I only understood scope on a conceptual level. Being in the trenches of an overscoped project is a teaching experience that no amount of lectures or advice can replicate.

Motivation is key

Finding what made people excited for the project and directing that joy into the game itself was my favorite part of working on this project! Since making Theatour, team buy-in has been at the forefront of my production process.

Theatour