Big Bad World of Exercise: Development Sprints

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This page is a part of Big Bad World of Exercise project, backtracking.

To develop a game, we decided to use some kind of AGILE method in order to test a working prototype on users and then adapt it to their returns. This page should summarize all iterations of AGILE approach uses in this project:

Contents

Sprint 1: Thursday April 1st-15th

The goal is to continue the learning of XNA, and others framework based-on by creating a very basic "game". In this game the user can just move a fist version of character (inanimate).

  • 100% XNA seems to be easy to use,specially with FarseerPhysics, we may have to grade sprints goals.

Already finish the fist sprint, but the game hasn't enough documentation before continuing. My first goal is to write a Main project page who team should have access to documentation around my game, or details about sprint achievement. This pages should be update each time I have time for. The refactoring my code to have an architecture more durable is the other goal. If i can add the PCGamerBike to my project it's better.

  • 100% done.

Sprint 2: Thursday April 15th-29th

  • Refactor the architecture to new version discuss during meeting of April 15th.

Summary add Thursday 22th: This meeting continue the discuss about architecture of BBWoE: So i continue to adapt (avatar and GameEntity class).

  • Implement and user test input strategy.

Summary add Thursday 22th: The idea is to informally test the strategy describe during this meeting, check the feelings of user about ground difference (ice/ground) or generally about the input method.

Sprint 3: Thursday April 29th - May 13th

  • Refine existing features:
    • Solve the flip issue. => half-done
    • Remove camera movement. => done
    • Remove changing direction from pad. => done
    • Refine terrain friction. => done
  • New features:
    • Add Use(), Enter(), Exit() function to GameEntities. => done
    • Implement use function (e.g. Elevator). => done
    • Implement a toy car (beetle) => done
    • Create some object to be able to create a real level (few minutes to finish)
      • trampoline => done
      • elevator => done
      • floating platform => done
      • ramps => done
      • a start/stop system to initialize and stop a timer. (real object for user in the game). => done

Monday 17th : All the goal is done, but created entities have to be improve for be using with all parameters possibilities.

Sprint 4: Monday May 17th - Thursday May 27th

(Little late cause of a meeting for nick, plan on Thursday 13th May.)

  • Refine control, improve and find solution for new one efficient one.
  • Refine entities, elevator and trampoline in priority.
  • Add rotate control on the avatar, and a system of respawn combine with a self destruct when the avatar are return and stack.
  • Start to reflect on the track editor, and the carriage of resource or materials for be able to build more entity.

Sprint 5: Thursday May 27th - Thursday June 10th

  • Improve Jump function: add a smoke effect + changing the jump progress bar system in a "Jump only if you touch the ground".
  • Improve the Respawn of the avatar: Add a instant destruct combine with respawn.
  • Start to document about multiplayer persistence plateformer.

Sprint 6: Thursday June 10th - 24th

  • Control issues: pick car and get the control right.
  • Create a video of 2 minutes of gameplay:
    • more realistic.
    • a vision of what to expect.
    • showing an actual person playing.
  • Set/get entities of interest to a client
  • Database to XML
  • Extra time:
    • characterize achievements
    • make them storable in database
    • make them a property of entities
    • eventually implement snapshot of achievement during gameplay

Sprint 7: Thursday June 24th - July 15th

  • Characterize Achievements
    • Make them storable in database
    • Make them a property of the entities
    • Eventually implement snapshot of achievement during gameplay
  • Add BBWOE to the EQUIS homepage.
  • Work on portability of server/client/database
  • Database to XML writing
  • Improve network play
    • Specifically, separating full entity from angle/position entity
    • Support large number of players
    • Reduce wasted bandwidth consumption
    • Continue to improve the client/server exchange: By using Janus communication utility. And in a second time, by sharing farseer physics between different client.
  • Update trailer with multiplayer gameplay footage
  • Update the Wiki with more design details
    • State of the art details

Sprint 8: Thursday, July 15th - Thursday, July 29th

  • Login persistence (User ID tracking)
  • Buffer send/batch EntityStream creation
  • Build racing + collection game
  • Multithread update/load methods
  • Adding categories to the wiki
  • Begin developer documentation
  • Design a framework for generic achievements
  • Multiplayer footage/second draft of trailer

Spring 9: Thursday, July 29th - August 17th

  • Improve second thread by changing the foreach loops
  • Clean up naming of variables/classes
  • Wiki improvement
  • Implement two achievements: RegionAchievement and a time based achievement
  • Database representation of achievements unlocked
  • Ability to add achievements to game through XML
  • Simple Website front-end display of leaderboards
  • Developer Documentation
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