Finalizing the Showcase: The Last Mile in Development

 Finalizing the Showcase: The Last Mile in Development

Author: Miguel Martinez

Posted on: 10/19/2023

The Problem

As the week drew to a close, our team faced the challenge of transitioning from development to presentation for our upcoming Project Showcase. My focus shifted from hardcore AI programming to final touches like updating image assets, removing debug messages, and replacing placeholders. While this may seem like an easy task compared to writing complex code, the reality is that small things can make or break a presentation. Placeholder assets and debug messages can lead to a poor impression during the showcase, affecting both the players' experience and the perception of our project's professionalism.

Problem Solution

The issue stemmed from the need to swap our development environment into a polished, presentation-ready state. To address this, I organized a checklist to keep track of all the components that needed to be updated or removed. Once identified, I collaborated closely with other team members to ensure the appropriate assets and code adjustments were made. For example, I worked with Donovan Sellers, our UI programmer, to ensure all images were in their final versions.

Next, I spearheaded communications with various stakeholders to set up the logistics for a 1vs1 tournament as part of our presentation. This added another layer of urgency to ensure the game was not just complete but also showcase-ready. The result? A cleaner, more polished game that is ready to wow our audience and provide a smooth experience, free of any debug-related or placeholder distractions.