396 THE GAME PRODUCTION HANDBOOK, 2/E
General Product Information
General product information provides an overview of the game, such as plat-
form, languages, and licensing information. Be sure to that someone is listed as a
point of contact, in case there are any questions about the contents of the closing
kit. A list of open bugs and other known issues is also useful, in case there are
plans for a patch or update.
25.4 ORGANIZING CONTENT
Organize the game assets, code, documentation, and tools into separate folders.
Refer to Figure 25.1 for an example of this basic directory structure. A file
called “Kit Contents” at the root of the disc is a document that outlines the
contents of the closing kit. Create sub-folders with descriptive names to further
organize the assets. For example, the “Documentation” folder contains sub-
folders for “Game Documentation,” “General Information,” and “Technical
Guidelines.”
If the kit is comprised of several discs, include the documentation and table
of contents on the first disc for easy reference.
FIGURE 25.1 Directory structure for a closing kit.
CLOSING KITS 397
25.5 FINALIZING CLOSING KITS
Once the final closing kit is completed, find a developer outside of the immediate
development team and ask him to re-build the game and create a gold master.
This is a good way to find any errors in the directions or discover any assets that
are missing. If the kits are not verified before sending them out to third-party
vendors, the original production team may need to spend some time trouble-
shooting issues with the closing kit, thus taking time aware from their other de-
velopment tasks (some team members already be working on new games or at a
different company).
Copies of the kit are created and stored at multiple sites—one copy stays
with the developer, one copy is archived at the publisher, and one copy is sent to
an offsite storage facility.
Label each disc with the following information:
■
Game name
■
Game version
■
Target game platform
■
Creation date
■
Disc number, written as “X” out of “X” discs
■
Content descriptor (“documentation,” “cinematics,” “source code,” and so on)
These labels make it easier to locate the necessary information in the kit and
help confirm that all the assets are present and accounted for. If patches or ad-
ditional content are created for the game after it is released, create an addendum
to the original closing kit that contains all the source assets for the extra content.
Be sure to include directions on how to integrate the additional content with the
information included on the main closing kit.
25.6 CLOSING KIT CHECKLIST
Figure 25.2 is a sample checklist of the items generally included in the clos-
ing kit. The first section lists all the documentation to include in the kit. In the
following section, the game assets that are needed are listed. The last section
includes some helpful questions to answer before you complete the kit in order
to ensure all the necessary items are included.
25.7 CHAPTER SUMMARY
Creating a closing kit is an important step in post-production. While it make take
some time to collect the assets and write the documentation, it is valuable to
DOCUMENTATION Y / N NOTES
Contents of closing kit (at root of first CD in closing kit)
Design Documentation, including:
Design Documents
Cheats and Walkthroughs
User Interface Flow Chart
Test Plan
Technical Documentation, including:
Instructions on making builds (including localized versions)
Production Pipeline overview
Software requirements (including version numbers)
Hardware requirements
Instructions for proprietary tools
General Product Information, including:
Game information (platform, languages)
Contact information
List of known bugs
GAME ASSETS
Text
Source assets for all text files in the game
Checklist for all text files in the game
Voiceover
Uncompressed VO files for all game audio
Master voiceover script
Casting notes
Technical specifications for voiceover
Final in-game VO files for all audio
Checklist for all VO files in the game
Art
All source assets for art in the game
Source files for logo arts
Checklist for all art assets in the game
Cinematics
Uncompressed cinematic source files
Uncompressed cinematics
Final in-game compressed cinematics
Codecs and movie player used for cinematics
Audio track (uncompressed music, sound effects, and voiceover on
separate tracks)
Final audio mix
Checklist for cinematics
Localization
Glossaries
Packaging
Source files for packaging layout
Source files for manual layout
Uncompressed screenshots (incl. localized versions)
Checklist for box and docs to be localized
CODE ASSETS
Gold master duplicates
Game source code
Tools source code
Installer files
TOOLS
Plug-ins used with third-party software (include software specs)
Proprietary tools (including source code)
Localization tools (including source code)
OTHER QUESTIONS
Is content of closing kit clearly labeled?
Are directions clear and easy to understand?
Has kit been virus scanned?
Is kit missing any files?
Does kit contain any extra files?
Does kit contain current version of all assets?
Are discs labeled with game name, version number, platform, date, and
disc number?
Has kit been verified by someone outside the development team?
Are copies of the kit archived onsite and offsite?
FIGURE 25.2 Closing kit checklist.
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398 THE GAME PRODUCTION HANDBOOK, 2/E
CLOSING KITS 399
have all the source files and instructions for building the game in a central place.
It may be necessary to re-master the game, or perhaps the team will be asked to
port the game to another platform. This chapter provided detailed information
on what to include in the closing kit, along with advice on how to organize, final-
ize, and store the kit most effectively. The chapter concluded with a checklist for
what needs to be included in a closing kit.
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