Dream Foundry Games

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the designer of a tabletop RPG app. I had the idea and system for it, but I wasn’t able to build the game.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Dream Foundry Games?

I needed a company that understood games. I wanted a team that could code and create a game while also working with me to make the one I was hoping for. I was looking for experienced coders and game designers.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

Dream Foundry Games is developing my game. I came up with the idea and worked together to workshop it. The team's help has changed some things. The game is being built from scratch using Unity, and the team has done the UI design too. The main goal is to make it an app on iOS and Android, but we’re hoping to do a Steam version as well. It’s just not a top priority.

The game is mostly built out, but Dream Foundry Games is still touching up bugs and fixing things. There was recently a significant change in how we’ll save things to the cloud, so the team is finishing up the last few things. We haven’t started any alpha testing yet. We’ll do that soon and start getting our testers working on it, but we want to ensure that the game is functional first.

What is the team composition?

I’ve worked with several people. The first person I talked to was Gabriel. He reached out to me and made all the phone calls. He was trying to see if the game was something they’d be interested in working on. Then I spoke with the team's CEO. We talked about setting up a contract and everything.

I also work with a coder and programmer, who is in charge of my project. For a while, I worked with a graphic designer and business manager. She ended up switching to my project to manage it for a while. She’s not with the project right now, but she did start it and went very far with it. Now, the CEO has taken up that spot.

How did you come to work with Dream Foundry Games?

I went to a website that let me input my idea, what I hoped for, and my budget. The site sent the information to several different game designers. I had phone calls with many of them and talked about the game. I went with Dream Foundry Games because they were very personable and excited. They seemed genuine game enthusiasts, so I felt I could trust them to work with me.

How much have you invested with them?

We’ve invested around $50,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working together in September 2023, and the project is still ongoing. We're still in the process, but it's nearing completion.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

What evidence can you share that demonstrates the impact of the engagement?

Dream Foundry Games is doing a great job, and I’m really happy with the product. 

How did Dream Foundry Games perform from a project management standpoint?

They’re super good at communication. We collaborate through Discord. We have lots of tabs, and everyone’s on them so that we can communicate easily. We also have video calls and meetings each week. 

Whenever I’ve reached out with a question or concern, the team has responded quickly and very openly. In the very rare times Dream Foundry Games has made a mistake, they’ve looked into it and fixed it right away.

For the most part, we’ve stayed on budget. A few things we wanted for the game have ended up being a bit more challenging and intensive than we originally predicted. We’ve gone over budget a bit, but that was communicated well initially. Dream Foundry Games has been generous and has tried to help us as much as they can. They’ve given us a few hours of their own time to help make sure the project runs well.

What did you find most impressive about them?

Dream Foundry Games is very passionate. They’ve been excited to work on a tabletop RPG. The team loves the project, so it’s been awesome. It feels like a collaboration, which I appreciate.

Additionally, all the employees in the company are treated really well. I like the owner, and the employees are compensated fairly. They’re happy to work there and seem to love working for the CEO. The team is very open, honest, and willing to work with me in different ways. Even if I say something didn’t turn out the way I wanted or I want something changed, Dream Foundry Games still tries their best to work with me. I appreciate their flexibility and dedication.

Are there any areas they could improve?

No, there aren’t any. The project leads switched in the middle, but it wasn’t foreseen. Things outside the development happened, and the team needed to switch it up. There were a few bumps in the road, but that will happen in any game development project, and they handled it pretty well. They ended up giving me the CEO to take over.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

If you’re going to work with Dream Foundry Games, you want to come to them with something you’re really passionate about. They’re professionals and skilled at what they do. It’s not a super cheap process, but if you want a group of people who love it, they’ll be excited to work on your project.

Additionally, make sure you know what your project is and what you’re hoping for. I came in a little underprepared, so we had a slow start. I needed more time to finalize my vision.

BACKGROUND

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the CEO and founder of Vent Creativity, a health tech company that uses AI to design surgical plans.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What challenge were you trying to address with Dream Foundry Games?

We hired Dream Foundry Games to work on our AR and navigation systems, and they have experience in gaming environments.

SOLUTION

What was the scope of their involvement?

We started with an initial project that was completely unrelated—hardware-related. We were sort of like the intermediary. Then that project was finalized, and I decided to take them on because I liked how they worked. Now, we're working on our own custom software that's separate from the initial project.

Dream Foundry Games has created a custom environment for us using Unity 3D and other engines, which is very specific to our needs since we have many regulatory requirements. They’ve assigned a couple of engineers to work specifically on our needs, so the work is customized for what we're looking for.

The team is responsible for developing a surgical planning system that allows surgeons to see cut planes and register bones relative to space. The system can work with robots and streamline the orthopedic environment for surgery, reducing costs while keeping accuracy high.

Our main requirement for them is to create a system that surgeons can use without having to understand software environments. Surgical planners often look at PhD-level CAD modeling systems that are impossible to understand.

The team has also been working on the UX design and suggesting the general layout of the system. The team actively maintains the system as we build it, and we’re still iterating it to a point where we can test it. Since it’s FDA-related, it must have documentation and maintenance associated with it.

What is the team composition?

We typically work with four teammates, including the founder and a lead engineer, who focus on the Unity side of things and support our labs and customer talks. An off-site engineer primarily works on the Unity engine and environment, and a UI engineer primarily works on wireframing and creating the environments, as the surgeon would say.

How did you come to work with Dream Foundry Games?

We had a mutual friend who recommended them. We were looking for an engineering team that could handle tasks with minimal supervision. That's how I met them; we've been working for two years.

How much have you invested with them?

We've spent about $100,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working together in April 2024, and the engagement is ongoing.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

What evidence can you share that demonstrates the impact of the engagement?

The team meets or exceeds our timelines for specific project changes. We have labs where we test the system every two weeks. After the test, we usually have take-home action items on what we need to change. Within a week to about 10 days, we have the new system up and running, ready for the next test.

The team is very perceptive about timelines and what needs to be accomplished. The team addresses our questions and requests for each test. We work with surgeons, and they can take their opinions, turn them into action items, and respond within two weeks.

They're very competent in UX design as well, obviously because they create a lot of gaming environments. They have an eye for design and what looks good and is functional for any user. 

How did Dream Foundry Games perform from a project management standpoint?

Their founder is very perceptive in generating requirements and creating a clear workflow of tasks that need to be done and expectations of when things will be done. 

The team has weekly calls to explain where they are in the process and where the roadblocks are, so they are very hands-on in making sure that we're aware of where the product is. 

We have a Slack channel and weekly Friday meetings to discuss the action items from the previous week.

What did you find most impressive about them?

They come from different backgrounds, so they understand regulated worlds. We didn't have to train them on why certain things matter. They're a great partner for us because they know the approach to coding we expect.  Other companies wouldn’t quite understand that.

Dream Foundry Games is flexible and can work in regulated and gaming environments, so they’re a one-stop shop for any software needs. They do an excellent job of really understanding the customer.

Are there any areas they could improve?

We initially had some communication issues, but the CEO immediately addressed them. He saw the shortcomings and wanted to ensure the company’s reputation didn’t suffer. He took swift action, and I was impressed with how he handled it, ensuring the relationship didn't shatter.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Provide an abundance of explanation of what’s expected.

My work style is that of a CEO, where I look at the big picture and the two- to three-year outcomes. And I was qualified, saying, I want you to design X, Y, Z, but with the mind in mind that within two to three years, this is what we're trying to shoot for, so that they understand how to develop products that are going to be future-proof. 

Dream Foundry Games handles over-communication well to create their Gantt charts and action items with those inputs in mind. The team doesn’t work well with open-ended questions, so give them specific tasks. When you give them specifics, you can rest assured that they’ll do the job.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and position.

I am the Creative Director of Chocolate Toast Studios, LLC

Describe what your company does in a single sentence.

 A studio that promotes diversity through it's IP's story lines, and character designs

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What specific goals or objectives did you hire Dream Foundry Games to accomplish?

• Promote the demo and secure funding for a complete game
• To create a mobile game app demo for IOS, android, and P,C,
• Develop a complete game to distribute to multiple platforms

SOLUTION

How did you find Dream Foundry Games?

• Online Search
• Referral

Why did you select Dream Foundry Games over others?

• High ratings
• Close to my geographic location
• Great culture fit
• Good value for cost
• Company values aligned

How many teammates from Dream Foundry Games were assigned to this project?

2-5 Employees

Describe the scope of work in detail. Please include a summary of key deliverables.

Services for playable demo:

Design-Level design -10 hrs $450

Demo design-30 hrs $1350  UI design - 25 hrs $1125  Sound -10 hrs $450  VFX- character animation- 15 hrs $675  VFX - effects (explosions)  10 hrs $ 450  Environmental design- 10 hrs $450  Gameplay mechanics- 6 hrs $270

Development - Framework integretation-  40 hrs $1800

Level implemation- 20 hrs $900  Demo implemation- 20 hrs $900  UI implemetion- 20 hrs $900  Sound- 10 hrs $450  VFX- character animation 40 hrs $1800  VFX- effects (explosions) 20 hrs $1900 Assets logistics- 15 hrs $675  Gameplay mechanics- 15 hrs $675  AI mechanics- 15 hrs $675 

Deployment- Web 10 hrs $450

Estimate- $15,345.00

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

What were the measurable outcomes from the project that demonstrate progress or success?

Dream foundry:

-delivered what we was contracted, a playable fun demo

-exceeded my excpectations

-project completed ahead of schedule

Describe their project management. Did they deliver items on time? How did they respond to your needs?

Dream Foundry's project management is highly professional. The team stayed in constant contact through weekly updates being meetings and emails. As stated the contracted project was delivered ahead of schedule.

What was your primary form of communication with Dream Foundry Games?

• In-Person Meeting
• Virtual Meeting
• Email or Messaging App

What did you find most impressive or unique about this company?

The most impressive trait to me about Dream Foundry is how much they care about the client's project. The insigh, and knowledge they have in the gaming industry is top notch.

Are there any areas for improvement or something Dream Foundry Games could have done differently?

Nothing. from reaching out and creating this project I have developed personal relationships with some of the staff. To me I felt my vision was in the capable hands of a lifelong friend.