it is now time to figure out a realistic timeline for all tasks I'll be facing this academic year and work out how many prototypes I'll be aiming to create.
Timelines are of complicated nature, because it is rarely possible to predict how long each development process is going to take. Being a beginner in C# it is especially difficult to guess the right amount of time which will take me to produce a game even one that's very simple. The design process as well as iterating the game is also very easy to under, or overestimate.
Having shared my worries with my lecturer Rob, I was told that I don't have to follow one timeline. I can set up three time scales, one being what I think would be an underestimation, second being what seems to be too much of a challenge, so an overestimation, and the third, that I think is neither, so the perfectly balanced timeline.
Having three timelines provides flexibility, as I can move back and forth between them, depending on how my project progresses throughout, leaving me not worrying about not having enough time to complete all tasks on time if I've overestimated it, or avoid being lazy if I realise I'm ahead of time.
So here are my three timelines:
Timeline 1 (in case I take longer with development than I thought):
Semester 1
|
Week
|
Category
|
To do
|
29th Sep
|
1
|
Thoughts
Research
|
Post
dissertation thoughts
Post
about Game mechanics used for touch screen devices
|
6th Oct
|
2
|
Theory
Research
|
Post
about what makes a game easy to learn
Post
job offers
|
13th
|
3
|
Uni Task
|
Post
about the dissertation timeline and marking criteria
|
20th
|
4
|
Theory
|
Post
about what makes a game hard to master
|
27th
|
5
|
Uni Task
|
Post the proposal
|
3th Nov
|
6
|
Theory
|
Post
about four types of games
|
10th
|
7
|
Practice
|
Learn
the basics of C# by following the Pong guide
|
17th
|
8
|
Theory
|
Start designing prototype #1
|
24th
|
9
|
Theory
|
Prototype #1 designing process
|
1st Dec
|
10
|
Practice
|
Start developing prototype #1
|
8th
|
11
|
Practice
|
Prototype #1 development process
|
15th
|
12
|
Practice
|
Prototype #1 development process
|
Semester 2
|
Week
|
Category
|
To do
|
19th Jan
|
13
|
Practice
Uni Task
|
Prototype
#1 development process
Seminar
presentation
|
26th
|
14
|
Practice
|
Prototype #1 development process
|
2nd Feb
|
15
|
Theory &
Practice (T&P) |
Publish
prototype #1 on a smartphone
Get
people to playtest prototype #1
Start
iterating prototype #1
|
9th
|
16
|
T&P
|
Prototype
#1 iteration process
|
16th
|
17
|
T&P
|
Prototype
#1 iteration process
|
23th
|
18
|
T&P
|
Prototype
#1 iteration process
|
2nd Mar
|
19
|
T&P
|
Prototype
#1 iteration process
|
9th
|
20
|
T&P
|
Prototype
#1 iteration process
|
16th
|
21
|
T&P
|
Prototype
#1 iteration process
|
23th
|
22
|
T&P
|
Prototype
#1 iteration process
|
Easter holidays
|
|||
20th Apr
|
23
|
T&P
|
Prototype
#1 iteration process
Finish
with prototype #1
|
27th
|
24
|
Thoughts
|
Post
a summary
|
8th May
|
25
|
Uni Task
|
Final presentation
|
Timeline 2 (in case I take quicker with development than I thought):
Semester 1
|
Week
|
Category
|
To do
|
29th Sep
|
1
|
Thoughts
Research
|
Post
dissertation thoughts
Post
about Game mechanics used for touch screen devices
|
6th Oct
|
2
|
Theory
Research
|
Post
about what makes a game easy to learn
Post
job offers
|
13th
|
3
|
Uni Task
|
Post
about the dissertation timeline and marking criteria
|
20th
|
4
|
Theory
|
Post
about what makes a game hard to master
|
27th
|
5
|
Uni Task
|
Post the proposal
|
3th Nov
|
6
|
Theory
|
Post
about four types of games
|
10th
|
7
|
Practice
|
Learn
the basics of C# by following the Pong guide
|
17th
|
8
|
Theory
|
Start designing prototype #1
|
24th
|
9
|
Practice
|
Start developing prototype #1
|
1st Dec
|
10
|
Practice
|
Prototype #1 development process
|
8th
|
11
|
Theory & Practice (T&P)
|
Publish
prototype #1 on a smartphone
Get
people to playtest prototype #1
Start
iterating prototype #1
|
15th
|
12
|
T&P
|
Prototype
#1 iteration process
|
Semester 2
|
Week
|
Category
|
To do
|
19th Jan
|
13
|
T&P
Uni Task
|
Prototype
#1 iteration process
Finish
with prototype #1
Seminar
presentation
|
26th
|
14
|
Theory
|
Start designing prototype #2
|
2nd Feb
|
15
|
Practice
|
Start developing prototype #2
|
9th
|
16
|
Practice
|
Prototype #2 development process
|
16th
|
17
|
T&P
|
Publish
prototype #2 on a smartphone
Get
people to playtest prototype #2
Start
iterating prototype #2
|
23th
|
18
|
T&P
|
Prototype
#2 iteration process
Finish
with prototype #2
|
2nd Mar
|
19
|
Theory
|
Start designing prototype #3
|
9th
|
20
|
Practice
|
Start developing prototype #3
|
16th
|
21
|
Practice
|
Prototype #3 development process
|
23th
|
22
|
T&P
|
Publish
prototype #3 on a smartphone
Get
people to playtest prototype #3
Start
iterating prototype #3
|
Easter holidays
|
|||
20th Apr
|
23
|
T&P
|
Prototype
#3 iteration process
Finish
with prototype #3
|
27th
|
24
|
Thoughts
|
Post
a summary
|
8th May
|
25
|
Uni Task
|
Final presentation
|
Timeline 3 (balanced timeline):
Semester
1
|
Week
|
Category
|
To do
|
29th Sep
|
1
|
Thoughts
Research
|
Post dissertation thoughts
Post about Game mechanics used for touch screen
devices
|
6th Oct
|
2
|
Theory
Research
|
Post about what makes a game easy to learn
Post job offers
|
13th
|
3
|
Uni Task
|
Post about the dissertation timeline and marking
criteria
|
20th
|
4
|
Theory
|
Post about what makes a game hard to master
|
27th
|
5
|
Uni Task
|
Post the
proposal
|
3th Nov
|
6
|
Theory
|
Post about four types of games
|
10th
|
7
|
Practice
|
Learn the basics of C# by following the Pong guide
|
17th
|
8
|
Theory
|
Start
designing prototype #1
|
24th
|
9
|
Practice
|
Start
developing prototype #1
|
1st Dec
|
10
|
Practice
|
Prototype #1
development process
|
8th
|
11
|
Practice
|
Prototype #1
development process
|
15th
|
12
|
Theory & Practice (T&P)
|
Publish prototype #1 on a smartphone
Get people to playtest prototype #1
Start iterating prototype #1
|
Semester
2
|
Week
|
Category
|
To do
|
19th Jan
|
13
|
T&P
Uni Task
|
Prototype #1 iteration process
Seminar presentation
|
26th
|
14
|
T&P
|
Prototype #1 iteration process
|
2nd Feb
|
15
|
T&P
|
Prototype #1 iteration process
Finish with prototype #1 |
9th
|
16
|
Theory
|
Start
designing prototype #2
|
16th
|
17
|
Practice
|
Start
developing prototype #2
|
23th
|
18
|
Practice
|
Prototype #2
development process
|
2nd Mar
|
19
|
Practice
|
Prototype #2
development process
|
9th
|
20
|
T&P
|
Publish prototype #2 on a smartphone
Get people to playtest prototype #2
Start iterating prototype #2
|
16th
|
21
|
T&P
|
Prototype #2 iteration process
|
23th
|
22
|
T&P
|
Prototype #2 iteration process
|
Easter holidays
|
|||
20th Apr
|
23
|
T&P
|
Prototype #2 iteration process
Finish with prototype #2 |
27th
|
24
|
Thoughts
|
Post a summary
|
8th May
|
25
|
Uni Task
|
Final
presentation
|
As the timelines show, the only differences between them are the amount of prototype development and iteration processes. If I end up following timeline 1, I'll complete one prototype (although since I'll spend so much time on it, it'll probably be a working game more than a prototype), following the - what seems like an overestimating timeline 2 will mean completing three prototypes, and the balanced third timeline, which is most likely how my dissertation will progress throughout, will provide me with two prototypes.
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