Choosing an Authoring Tool

Computer Game Developers Conference, 26 April - 29 April, 1997, Santa Clara, CA

"Choosing an Authoring Tool" Handout
Jamie Siglar, Castle Moose, Inc.

  1. Storyboard or Functional Outline

    1. Analyze your content for features and context of content and interactivity

    2. Prioritize your feature needs -- both content and interactivity

    3. Create a prototype design document to benchmark possible authoring tools

  2. Investigate your Tools

    1. Read the feature lists; any tool under serious consideration needs to work perfectly with your top priority content and interactivity

    2. Obtain the "save disabled" or "time limited" demo versions of the tool; if not available, purchase on a "30-day return" so that if it won't suit your needs, you haven't laid out money for the wrong tool. Don't believe the hype about a tool; test it to see if the way the feature is supported will work with your content and design.

    3. Build your benchmark (from your prototype document) prototype and test; eliminate tools which are bad fits.

  3. Select the best match

    1. Decide what to do about features that your chosen tool can't support.

      1. Re-design to drop unsupported features

      2. "Roll-your-Own" feature support via coded externals -- including 3rd-party products

    2. Build a "real" proof-of-concept prototype to test any additional requirements.



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