Taking an inclusive approach to My Talking Angela 2’s newest feature
My Talking Angela 2’s Fashion Editor allows players to craft their own unique outfits, opening up almost limitless possibilities for creativity and making it the game’s most powerful feature yet. In order to take Talking Angela’s wardrobe to this ambitious new level, the development team had to achieve something that had never been done before.
Giving players the tools to paint unique designs directly onto Angela’s clothes in full 3D was a challenge. But thanks to a shift in approach at the start of the project, the whole thing went, in the words of Rok Mioč, Game Designer at Outfit7 (Ekipa2 subsidiary): “boringly smoothly.”
“But I don’t mean it was boring,” Rok clarifies. “I mean it just kept rolling, and the whole feature was released without any major hitch.”
“It went really smoothly,” agrees Silina Senica Pintar, Product Manager at Outfit7 (Ekipa2 subsidiary). “But I was constantly thinking that something was just waiting around the corner, ready to jump out at us. I couldn’t help thinking that it had all gone too smoothly.”
But no nasty surprises ever came. The Fashion Editor feature was released without delays or compromises, and My Talking Angela 2 fans are loving it.
So, how did a small team make such a big idea happen without anyone breaking too much of a sweat? Well, the first step was coming up with an idea that the whole team could instantly get behind.
Have Your Cake and Wear It
While the Fashion Editor is a natural fit for My Talking Angela 2, the inspiration for the feature actually came from another Talking Tom & Friends title, My Talking Tom 2.
“A user test of the party event in My Talking Tom 2 revealed that players like painting stuff on cakes,” Rok recalls. “And I thought it would be cool if they could do the same thing on Angela’s clothes. So, the next time we needed a new feature for My Talking Angela 2, I said, ‘We need to do this!’”
“Everyone agreed that it made sense,” says Silina. “Players are always commenting that they want more outfits, so it seemed like a no-brainer to do something where they could create their own clothes.”
But such an ambitious project was going to require more than a green light. The team realized early on that a slightly different approach would be called for to ensure the thorough planning, clear communication, and committed teamwork that the Fashion Editor required.
Inclusive Ideation
“When we started researching what we could do for this feature, we realized it was going to be pretty big, and also quite innovative,” says Silina.
“This feature was something that hadn’t really been done before – that we know of,” Rok adds. “We knew we couldn’t just shut ourselves in a room, spec the feature, and then let the developers and artists make it.”
“With the Fashion Editor,” Silina continues, “we wanted to avoid finding out after production had started that some aspects of the feature weren’t doable.”
The decision was made to include the production team early in the process, so that they would have a hand in designing it.
“We gave the developers and artists the rough idea for the pitch,” says Rok, “and talked to them about what their limitations and wishes were. Then they went and explored how to do it.”
“They even built some early prototypes,” Silina adds, “just to see how the mechanics and everything would behave.”
The Storm Before the Calm
Thanks to the more inclusive ideation process, the production of the Fashion Editor moved forward steadily and efficiently, without any time wasted on dead ends or unforeseen obstacles.
“The exploration phase was quite a stormy period,” Rok admits. “But it meant that everybody knew what we were doing and what the potential risks were.”
“We didn’t have any bigger issues,” Silina adds, “because we’d already identified possible problems and figured out solutions.”
And the change in approach also paved the way for outcomes that exceeded initial expectations; Rok believes the production team themselves deserve credit for this.
“We had an amazing team that are just mind-blowingly good at what they do,” he says. “In the end we delivered everything that was expected and more!”
Fashion Influencer
The more inclusive ideation approach pioneered on the Fashion Editor project is now being adopted on other projects. What’s more, the Fashion Editor has paved the way for other ambitious features across the Talking Tom & Friends portfolio.
As Rok points out, the Fashion Editor has even had an impact on the feature that inspired it – cake painting.
“It went full circle!” he exclaims. “The lessons we learned from the Fashion Editor have helped us do really amazing stuff in the cake painting part of My Talking Angela 2’s Party with a Friend event. And another new feature for My Talking Angela 2 that takes elements from Fashion Editor, but expands the possibilities even further, is planned.”
“This is hopefully just the first step towards making even more of these bigger features,” says Silina. “We’ve learned that adding a big new feature works, and that players love it and spend time in it. This may be the opportunity to create even more of these kinds of things.”
So, the Fashion Editor is more than just an awesome feature that offers players almost limitless possibilities. For the team at Outfit7 (Ekipa2 subsidiary), it’s also been a demonstration of the power of big ideas, of thorough planning, and of making the creative process more inclusive and collaborative. Talk about making a fashion statement!
Please Note: In some territories, the Fashion Editor feature may be subject to an additional purchase.
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