Mecenas was the first project Triseum selected to publish from Texas A&M's LIVE Lab. The game needed to go from prototype (from the LIVE Lab) to release in just over five months. We decided to build on what they provided, polishing and improving on the prototype rather than starting from scratch. We developed a Feature (Wish)list and team leads worked together to determine what was achievable in the given timeframe, setting a few stretch goals and putting several items on hold for a future release.
Preproduction
Given our tight timeline, preproduction consisted of assessing and prioritizing new features and improvements to existing ones in the game. This included a redesign of the environment toward a more realistic style, the creation of assets to fit the new style and additional design and development for incomplete or new features.
Screenshots from Game
The initial release of ARTé: Mecenas was on time and met or exceeded all the requirements we were given. Feedback from instructors and students as well as our own desire to improve the product led to a second release that included quality and performance upgrades. In addition, a web-based version of the game was developed in order to make the game accessible to a larger audience.
Branding and Collateral
In addition to overseeing art and other creative elements of game production, I was also responsible for establishing the brand and supervising or creating much of the accompanying collateral. The involved the development of the logo, document templates, trailers, marketing, sales and instructional pieces.