Name: Prototipado (Parte I)
Uploaded: 2016-01-11T18:56:21.071Z
Duration: 5 min 56 s

Well, in this unit we are going to talk on some aspects related to prototypes

and our games' prototyping to begin checking design.

As we have seen and talking about in the previous modules,

design begins on the paper but ends in the engine

and we must begin its implementation as soon as possible.

On paper everything is fine but until it isn't at an interactive engine,

we can't know exactly whether the design is right or not or if it works or not.

So prototyping and creating prototypes is used to validate the conceptual design

and discovering errors.

Sometimes errors are simply because the implementation

hasn't been properly done and sometimes the error is more conceptual,

something has been created to work in a certain way and provoke a determined experience,

but in the end it isn't as it was intended.

Well, when prototypes are being created or implemented, the

basic mechanics, the gameplay and all the level's design are implemented.

They are used to test all these different elements.

Usually basic mechanics make reference to the

character's movement, if it jumps or if it shoots, for example,

as gameplay and level design are already related to the other

different elements and how they affect each other.

Well, prototypes are created mostly at the beginning of the projects,

in the beginning of the projects development, as prototypes are used to prevent and

anticipate how the ideas being developed will be in the end,

in the future, when the other elements begin being integrated.

So, they are used to make the first initial tests and they are very

useful to later direct the development and design process.

Through these tests and validating and evaluating their results,

we can see if the design follows the right path, and we can also know

if we can go on with the development or, on the other hand, we must change something.

To create prototypes we need a minimal and adapted technology,

it isn't necessary to have an extremely developed technology, but it must be

enough to test the different mechanics.

Also, it is very important to have a basic provisional art.

It isn't necessary to have an absolutely definitive

art, as we want to save some time

and making the definitive art would require a lot of time,

so the tests are done with a very provisional art.

Prototypes are created through the different engines used to make each

project, and this depends on the development studio,

it can also depend on other factors such as the kind of game or the

kind of platform in which this game is going to be developed.

We have many options in the market in the development studios, as

they can use engines they have internally created

and there are other studios that prefer using commercial engines.

They are enterprises that have created these engines and sell them

so that developers can use them to develop video games

or even interactive applications.

There are a lot of engines, probably the most known ones are Unity and Unreal,

but in our course we will use Unity.

Let's begin talking on some initial concepts about this tool.

Unity is an integration tool.

This means that it allows us to put art elements, that is, animation

graphics with programming elements which are basically code,

scripts and elements of the design that have been created through the art and

through programming and allows us to quickly put them together.

But beware, this doesn't mean creating art and programming and design is something fast, right?

Once you have art and programming done,

integration and testing and checking and evaluating the result is

very easy, but we must understand that often,

especially art but also programming, can take a lot of time and

to create art and programming different programs are used:

external programs both for graphics and animation,

and for the code creation.

So these contents are moved,

exported, brought to Unity, and there they are integrated,

capturing and implementing design to get the wished objective.

Another important element is that this tool is meant so that

it can be developed for many platforms, so that one

makes implementation and integration

in a single work process and then it allows us to export them to different platforms,

from mobiles, to consoles, laptops or desktop computers.

Although they are free to use, they have their limitations

and there is a huge community of users.

There are a lot of developers using this tool and this allows us to,

through the different existent users webs, we can see

already finished projects and share doubts and experiences on development examples.

What we are going to talk about in this unit is basically the interface

and how we work in the program.

And here we want to point out that the objective is giving a sight on

how this tool works and its capacities.

Properly learning to use Unity requires a lot of time, dedication and

working on specific projects that have their

development time, so its learning isn't a fast process.

Well, now we will go to the program and start

explaining how the basic interface works and how to use Unity.

Prototipado (Parte I)

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