Note: this scope log was kept throughout the project and altered as the project progressed.
During the first week of the project our team got to work on pinpointing which areas were needed for the vertical slice and what could be cut out of the project to reduce the scope. Areas that could be cut out were highlighted in yellow rings.
We also looked at the GDD and highlighted (in pink) what needed more design in order for us to be able to implement it. These would be some of the most important first steps to work out what our final scope would be. If we make the design too big then it wont be finished on time, so designing the missing chunks from the GDD is important.
Scope Document
From this scope mind map we then created a shared google document containing all of the individual elements we would have to make and labeled how important they were.
The assets were also labelled as either independant or Non-Independent, with their depending pieces then listed next to them. This allowed me to be mindful of what would have to be completed first before making the next element. It made it much easier to create a gant chart for everyone to follow.
Scope Changes
Due to illness within my team we decided to reduce scope slightly. This meant that we started to cut out some of the parts that we had already decided were not essential to the vertical slice.
At this stage we had also decided that the vertical slice only needed the first quest, meaning we could focus on the envrionment and level design which really creates the adventure and wonder that the GDD displays.
Remote Scope Reduction
Once coronavirus hit we decided to reduce the scope once again. This was because remote working made it much harder for all of us to be working at once, making communication harder for us.
The decision was to only create the first area of the game (The grasslands) and have the first quest playable.
We cut out the non-quest collectables and UI for this as it became far too ambitious within the given time frame. This meant we no longer had to make:
- 3D models for collectables (or design them)
- Flavourtext for each collectable
- The 3D book UI containing each collectable
- The 2D UI to navigate the collectables
- The animations for the 3D UI
It significantly reduced the scope and allowed us to really focus on the envrionment and level design as well as testing the user experience.
SketchbookMegan 