Milestone 3 - Wii

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Milestone Schedule=
==Milestone 3 - Monday, 23ʳᵈ April 2007==
Documentation:
*2ⁿᵈ Draft Design Document
*2ⁿᵈ Draft Milestone Schedule
Running on Wii:
*Player running around on Polygonal Mesh Test Room using Wii Controller
*Able to interact with Physics Objects
*No weapons
*On foot movement only (no jumping, rolling, jet-packs etc)
Tools and Technology:
* Framework & Physics (ODE)
* Animation System
* Investigation complete on variations via shaders, i.e. Cartoony
|-|Roadmap=
==Milestone 3 - Monday, 23ʳᵈ April 2007==
Game Design:
*Deliver 2nd Draft Design Overview
Gameplay Features (Miscellaneous):
*Player running around on Polygonal Mesh Test Room using Wii Controller
**Able to interact with Physics Objects
**No weapons
**On foot movement only (no jumping, rolling, jet-packs etc)
Technical (Rendering):
*Investigation complete on variations via shaders, ie Cartoony
Technical (General):
*Framework & Basic Physics (ODE)
*Animation System
*Deliver 2nd Draft Technical Design Document
Production:
*Deliver Wii Build
*Deliver 2nd Draft Milestone Schedule
|-|Milestone Feedback=
Project Title: Battlefront III - Wii
Developer: Free Radical Design
Milestone: Milestone 3
Production: Jamil Dawsari
Gabe Gils Carbo
James Morris
Orion Kellogg
Milestone Review 
April 23ʳᵈ, 2007
Milestone 3 – 23rd April 2007
Documentation
2nd Draft Design Document
2nd Draft Milestone Schedule
2nd Draft Technical Design Document
Running on Wii
Player running around on Polygonal Mesh Test Room using Wii Controller
Able to interact with Physics Objects
No weapons
On foot movement only (no jumping, rolling, jet-packs etc)
Tools & Technology
Framework & Physics (ODE)
Animation System
Investigation complete on variations via shaders, ie Cartooney
Review Issues	
Classification-A	
Classification-B	
Classification-C
Player running in test room	
0	
1	
0
Physics object interaction	
0	
1	
0
Animation System	
0	
1	
0
Cartooney Shader investigation	
0	
2	
2
ODE Physics	
0	
0	
1
For your benefit we have chosen to classify the importance of areas for this milestone review under a classification of A, B and C, where C is of less consequence.
To obtain a pass, you are required to implement the review areas under Classification-A as high priority. You may also need to resolve Classification-Class Bs to improve the quality of the game as part of this milestone or as a part of future milestone submissions. Addressing issues that LucasArts may raise against a Classification-C, will further improve the overall product quality under our criteria, but these issues are not significant towards a pass if you are at not at or beyond the Alpha stage of development.
==Player running around on Polygonal Mesh Test Room using Wii Controller==
Overall
It is possible navigate a polygonal mesh test room using the Wii controller.
Good
There are additional work in progress features included in the delivery such as:
Jump (flick the nunchuk)
Lock on mode
Crouch
Roll
Fire the Rocket Launcher & Grenade Launcher
Fire the shotgun
Throw a grenade
Cartoon render can be toggled on in the test room.
The features above are above and beyond what was called out for delivery in MS3 and demonstrate great progress toward a Wii infantry control scheme.
It is very easy to navigate around the test room with the single analog stick.
Lock on is effective, and behaves as you’d expect. 
Strafing while locked on feels good.
Areas to Improve
Class B – Wii pointer functionality has not been implemented into the control scheme yet. Because this functionality is integral to the Wii experience, we would expect it, and the remainder of character controls, to be implemented as soon as possible to allow for testing and iteration.
[FRD: It will be in MS4]
Ideally, all character controls will be demonstrated in MS4 to allow time for feedback and iteration prior to MS5 – “Demonstrate on-foot battles that are immersive and engaging with the Wii controller”.
If all character controls will not be included in MS4, please indicate which controls will be functional in the roadmap.
[FRD: Controls will be for gun-based characters. Jedi and melee class characters will be absent]
STATUS: APPROVED
==Physics Object Interaction==
Overall
Physics object interaction has been implemented in the test room.
Good
The player can move crates in the test room by throwing grenades near them, and by physically pushing against them.
Characters go into rag doll behavior when they die.
Corpses are affected by forces such as grenade explosions.
Crates break, collapse, and fade as they do in the PC version of the game.
Areas to Improve
Class B – When a player runs over a crate, they are launched forward at very high speed. This can actually throw the character out of world.
[FRD: Noted]
Expected Result – When the player walks into a crate, the crate would provide some resistance, and may move along the floor depending on its weight. But it would not cause the character to accelerate or otherwise behave in an unconvincing manner.
[FRD: Noted]
STATUS: APPROVED
==Animation System==
Overall
The character animations system is in place, and demonstrated in the test room.
Good
The animations look very similar to their Xbox 360 / PC counterparts.
Areas to Improve
Class B – There are a number of quality issues with the animations. We would assume that all animations currently in the test room are in an early stage of development, or temporary/placeholder.
[FRD: Noted]
Bugs include:
Twitching on the player character in the idle state.
Noticeable popping of the character’s arms and weapons during a jump animation.
Grenade throw animation is not synched up with the release of the grenade. 
[FRD: Noted]
STATUS: APPROVED
==Cartooney Shader Investigation==
Overall
Reaction to the cartoony shader investigation has been largely positive.
Those who have seen it recognize the potential for visual differentiation on the Wii.
Whether or not it is worth moving forward with depends on a few issues:
Memory – Will it actually be more costly on the memory budget to use a cartoony shader?
[FRD: We don’t believe there will be any significant memory cost]
Technology / LOD – There would need to be a system in place to diminish or eliminate the outline at a distance.
[FRD: A system can be put in place for this]
Art Schedule – We expect that some texture re-work would be required to pull off a coherent aesthetic. Does the schedule allow for additional texture work for the Wii version of the game. Would there be enough art staff to cover texture rework?
[FRD: We may have space in our art resources to accommodate a small amount of texture reworking]
Marketplace – We need to fully understand the marketing and PR issues that may surround a unique look for one of the SKUs.
[FRD: This is our primary concern in this area. We would be interested to see figures for cartoon shaded games.]
[FRD: Note that there will be a slight CPU cost with this shader.]
Good
The outline “pops” details that otherwise get lost in the lower-resolution Wii models.
The clone trooper’s helmet and back panel in the test room are good examples.
At a medium distance, the outline does an excellent job of distinguishing units from the background.
With the cartoon renderer on, some colors seem more vibrant and saturated, giving the game a different look.
Areas to Improve
Class B – The thickness of the outline does not change, meaning that distant objects appear almost entirely black.
[FRD: The outline can only go down to a single pixel thickness. After that it will need to be faded out.]
Class B – On objects like the X-wing, the outline is the only noticeable change between the standard and cartoony shader.
This makes the visual style feel rather incoherent. The textures have realistic lighting, shadowing, and detail, but it is surrounded by a cartoony outline.
We would expect the cartoon shader to also include changes to the way materials take light, handle shadows, etc.
We would assume that in addition to the outline rendering, some texture work would need to be done on the Wii version to pull together a cohesive aesthetic.
[FRD: It will be costly to change the renderer to accommodate these suggestions. We would prefer to learn more about the marketplace feedback before committing to changes]
Class C – The cartoony shader negatively impacts the look of certain texture details.
E.g. The stains on the sides of the clone helmets become solid black smears when the cartoony look is applied.
[FRD: These would have to be addressed by hand through individual art changes]
Class C – There is the option to turn on the cartoony shader for the terrain on Tatooine, this effect is not terribly convincing.
The extremely realistic terrain clashes with the outline.
The outline effect could be interesting on some terrain, if applied sparingly. But it does not seem to work as a global visual effect.
[FRD: It is likely that an entirely new texture would be required to address this. However, we would prefer to learn more about the marketplace feedback before committing to changes.]
STATUS: APPROVED
==ODE Physics==
Overall
Reaction to the cartoony shader investigation has been largely positive.
Those who have seen it recognize the potential for visual differentiation on the Wii.
Whether or not it is worth moving forward with depends on a few issues:
Memory – Will it actually be more costly on the memory budget to use a cartoony shader?
[FRD: We don’t believe there will be any significant memory cost]
Technology / LOD – There would need to be a system in place to diminish or eliminate the outline at a distance.
[FRD: A system can be put in place for this]
Art Schedule – We expect that some texture re-work would be required to pull off a coherent aesthetic. Does the schedule allow for additional texture work for the Wii version of the game. Would there be enough art staff to cover texture rework?
[FRD: We may have space in our art resources to accommodate a small amount of texture reworking]
Marketplace – We need to fully understand the marketing and PR issues that may surround a unique look for one of the SKUs.
[FRD: This is our primary concern in this area. We would be interested to see figures for cartoon shaded games.]
[FRD: Note that there will be a slight CPU cost with this shader.]
Good
The outline “pops” details that otherwise get lost in the lower-resolution Wii models.
The clone trooper’s helmet and back panel in the test room are good examples.
At a medium distance, the outline does an excellent job of distinguishing units from the background.
With the cartoon renderer on, some colors seem more vibrant and saturated, giving the game a different look.
Areas to Improve
Class B – The thickness of the outline does not change, meaning that distant objects appear almost entirely black.
[FRD: The outline can only go down to a single pixel thickness. After that it will need to be faded out.]
Class B – On objects like the X-wing, the outline is the only noticeable change between the standard and cartoony shader.
This makes the visual style feel rather incoherent. The textures have realistic lighting, shadowing, and detail, but it is surrounded by a cartoony outline.
We would expect the cartoon shader to also include changes to the way materials take light, handle shadows, etc.
We would assume that in addition to the outline rendering, some texture work would need to be done on the Wii version to pull together a cohesive aesthetic.
[FRD: It will be costly to change the renderer to accommodate these suggestions. We would prefer to learn more about the marketplace feedback before committing to changes]
Class C – The cartoony shader negatively impacts the look of certain texture details.
E.g. The stains on the sides of the clone helmets become solid black smears when the cartoony look is applied.
[FRD: These would have to be addressed by hand through individual art changes]
Class C – There is the option to turn on the cartoony shader for the terrain on Tatooine, this effect is not terribly convincing.
The extremely realistic terrain clashes with the outline.
The outline effect could be interesting on some terrain, if applied sparingly. But it does not seem to work as a global visual effect.
[FRD: It is likely that an entirely new texture would be required to address this. However, we would prefer to learn more about the marketplace feedback before committing to changes.]
STATUS: APPROVED
Next Milestone
Milestone 4 – 21st May 2007
Documentation
3rd Draft Design Document
3rd Draft Milestone Schedule
Final Technical Design Document
Tools & Technology
Transformation Portals
[LEC] Please indicate in the roadmap where we will be able to see transformation portals in use. (We assume it will be the capital ship hangar)
[FRD: Yes it they’ll be shown in the capital ship hangar]
Running on Wii
Player traversing Terrain & flying to Capital Ship and able to land in the hangar, using a starfighter
[LEC] Please include in the roadmap what player controls will be functional in this build.
[FRD: Flight controls, infantry controls (gun infantry, not Jedi or melee class)]
Conquest Game Mode – Player with one weapon working in 1st and 3rd Person
[LEC] Please indicate which weapon will be working in 1st and 3rd person mode in the roadmap.
[FRD: The rocket launcher]
3 AI in a Test Room
[LEC] Please clarify what AI behaviors we can expect to see.
Will AI engage the player in combat?
[FRD: Normal conquest AI]
If so, what should we look for?
[FRD: AI firing at the player, attempting to take CPs]
Overall Rating: APPROVED
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Category:I&T - Milestones