Final game · Milestone 1 of 7 · Peer evaluation
Game Pitch Rubric
The team proposes its game: rules, what makes it interesting, how hard it will be to build, and what it will prototype first.
1. Game Pitch
2. Digital Prototypes
3. Initial Game Demo
4. Alpha Playtest
5. Beta Playtest
6. Final Game
7. Final Game Video
About this milestone
Expect to see
- The goal of the game, and how you win and lose
- The core mechanics and controls
- What makes it different from existing games
- The expected technical difficulties, and the prototypes that will test them
Not expected yet
- Working software
- Final art or audio
How to score
- Enter one whole number for each category, from 5 (best) to 1.
- When a category has more than one criterion, weigh them together. If you're unsure, average them and round to the nearest whole number.
- The descriptions are anchors, not checklists: pick the column that fits best.
- Score what you saw today, not what the team says it will add later.
- Most criteria are subjective. Apply your own judgment, but apply it the same way to every team.
Rubric
| Criterion | 5 | 4 | 3 | 2 | 1 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. Rules are clear | |||||
| GoalWhat the player is trying to do | Clear; I could explain it to someone else in one sentence. | Clear after a short explanation. | Somewhat clear; I had to guess at parts. | Mentioned, but vague. | Not described. |
| Win and lose conditions | Both clearly defined. | Both defined, with minor gaps. | One is clear; the other is vague. | Mentioned, but unclear. | Not mentioned. |
| Mechanics and progressionWhat the player does moment to moment, and how the game changes over time (levels, upgrades, difficulty) | I can picture exactly how it plays and how it develops over time. | Mechanics clear; progression described in general terms. | Mechanics clear; progression not discussed. | Mechanics only partly described. | Not described. |
| 2. Innovative idea | |||||
| Originality of the idea | The first time I've heard of this idea. | An interesting difference from ideas I know. | A small difference from ideas I know. | About the same as ideas I know. | Identical to an idea I know. |
| Twist on existing gamesHow the idea is applied to a game | A new twist that clearly changes how the game plays. | A noticeable twist on a familiar kind of game. | Similar ideas exist in other games, with a small variation here. | The same game exists; the difference is mainly theme or art. | A copy of an existing game. |
| 3. Sounds fun | |||||
| Makes you want to play | I'd play it the day it's ready. | I'd like to try it. | I'd try it once it's done. | I'd try it only if asked. | I have no interest in trying it. |
| Replay valueWould you come back to it? | I'd play it again and again (new levels, strategies, scores). | I'd play it several more times. | I'd play it once or twice more. | I'd play it once, to the end. | I probably wouldn't finish one play-through. |
| 4. Technically challenging (and feasible) | |||||
| ComplexityAmount and interaction of object behaviors | Many distinct object behaviors and game systems that interact in interesting ways. | Many distinct behaviors, with some interaction between them. | A moderate number of behaviors, mostly independent of each other. | A few simple behaviors (about 3–5). | One or two behaviors. |
| Algorithms and intelligenceHow smart the objects and world are | Several non-trivial algorithms (e.g., path-finding, layered state machines, procedural generation). | Some techniques beyond the class examples. | Well-known techniques from class (e.g., chasing with lerp, FSMs, randomness). | Straightforward scripted movement and rules. | No algorithms; objects barely react. |
| FeasibilityCan this team build it in the time left? | Clearly buildable by this team in the time available. | Buildable, with one or two parts that look risky. | Possible, but the scope is ambitious. | Doubtful unless the team reduces its scope. | Not realistic as proposed. |
| 5. Identified prototypes | |||||
| Risks and prototype plan | Names the hardest parts of the game and a specific prototype to test each one. | Names the hard parts; prototypes planned for most of them. | Lists prototypes, but doesn't clearly tie them to the hard parts. | Mentions expected difficulties, but no prototypes. | No discussion of difficulties or prototypes. |
| 6. Presentation | |||||
| OrganizationDemo flow | Well rehearsed and to the point; everything ready to run. | Organized, with minor hiccups. | Mostly organized; some time lost (e.g., searching for files). | Disorganized and hard to follow. | Could not show the work (e.g., builds missing or not running). |
| Team participationWho presented | Every member presented a substantial part and knew it well. | Every member presented; some parts were uneven. | Most members presented. | Only one or two members presented. | One member did everything; the others did not take part. |
Hints on preparation
Guide: you should include
- Two sentences on your game that define its spirit
- Plot, objective (win/lose conditions), rules, characters (hero and enemies) and items
- Sketches of:
- the UI
- one game level
- the style
- Digital prototypes to test out (very important):
- Identify what will be difficult for you
- Prototypes should be small, well tested and well abstracted
Examples from the previous year (2017)
These are some good examples (not all of them included everything), but none of them included digital prototypes, and they should have!
Like
- Content page
- Details of hero control, scenes and object types, and needs (audio, textures)
- Sketch of levels: types of traps
- Outlined challenges
Would be nice if…
- Chinese names and schools were included on the first page
- It described how the team intends to meet the challenges outlined
- It had digital prototypes: small programming assignments demonstrating that the challenges can be met
Like
- Content page
- Game overview with a level sketch
- Mapping to the final game's technical requirements (well done)
- Character control
Would be nice if…
- Names (both Chinese and English) and the names of schools were included on the first page
- It discussed potential challenges, and how to meet them: again, digital prototypes
Like
- Colorful, creative presentation in general
- Notice: secrets (strategies for scoring!?)
Would be nice if…
- More details were included: sketches of levels, character control, potential challenges…
Pitches with explicit references to a digital prototype list (great!)
- Quarrelsome Coral: detail, format, use of color, sample sketches of scenes and objects, the feel of the game, key prototypes, and a wish list! This is what their final game looks like (4-player collaborative on the same machine).
- Other good examples: ZoombieLove and DualShot.
These examples are from my other classes, so they're not a fair comparison: those students had a week to put together their pitches, and only 5 minutes to present.