13 Digital Tech

Digital tech progress blog

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57 Oct7 // Further Development 1

The Adventure Game

Personal Evaluation of the Potential Outcome:

What features do you like most about this design?

This was more of a research based outcome, but I feel that there is a really solid base now for a great and comprehensive adventure game to be created on top of. As with outcome 2 the main thing left is to develop a story, which this outcome will definitely have as opposed to outcome 2 which could have a story or a curriculum progression. Also I really like that character, as it completely fulfils everything I had in mind for the character. It’s ramping up to be a tough decision between this and the other outcome as they are both live up to the brief well. 

What aspects of this design do you think need improving?

I think the next step for this outcome would be to improve the flow of the levels. This doesn’t only mean the progression of the story, which needs to be developed on its own, but the actual elements of a level which contribute towards the player moving on in the game. Take a single board of the game, I have to find a good flow for all of the elements in that board. 

Stakeholder Feedback:

What features did they like most about this design?

They love the character too! The oldest one, Marija, mentioned how she liked the change in the character’s palette when they were in different environments. I showed them the research for the outcome as well. and they have all played Machinarium before and said that if the game is like that then they would be very happy. 

What aspects of this design do they think need improving?

They were slightly disappointed that I hadn’t put the colours on the levels yet. After telling them that I wanted to add the different light levels into the puzzles they pretty much said “Do that!” so that’s something i need to improve on the outcome. 

What other functional aspects and aesthetic elements does your stakeholder want from this design?

They just wanted to see the puzzle mechanics come to fruition, like in the example of Machinarium, how when you click on a panel a detailed view of that panel appears on the screen and you solve the puzzle from there. 

Initial decision on Fitness for Purpose:

What needs developing to make sure that the design could be fit for purpose?

The puzzles absolutely have to teach the subject well and not confuse the player. Along with this, the player needs to be able to access any puzzle immediately while also being able to play the game normally. This makes the game more of a tool for learning than just a game. If a student finds a puzzle difficult or gets through one on a fluke, they need to be able to easily go back to that puzzle or its mechanic and be able to practise it to their minds content. This also ties into the menu system and what is available to the player at any one time. Do they unlock the puzzles individually? Or are they all available to go to at the start and you just play the game anyway? This needs developing to make the design fit for purpose. 

What testing/trialing/ongoing research do you need to do now (at least 4 things to research): eg size/positioning, materials, languages, dimensions, joinery/fastening, ergonomics, functionality, componentry, portability, durability etc

Menu and interface flow, story, practising puzzles, and teaching the concepts through the puzzles properly. 

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56 Oct5 // Character development

Main character design over time. The ones from before weren’t meeting the criteria I had in mind from doing the research on characters. They were sort of simple but they lacked lovability. Using inkscape to sketch wasn’t working so I moved to paper and pretty much immediately thought up the quaver character. Along with the fact that it meets my criteria, it also opens up new opportunities for spontaneous transformations which could be solutions to certain puzzles, such as the semiquaver going super fast or the semibrieve being strong. Adds more fun to the concept of playing a musical note. Could also use the character in puzzles, so all in all I thought it was a great design for the concept. 

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55 Oct5 // Messing with colour

This is not the final character at all, but instead colour tests for different environments of the game and how the characters colours would change accordingly. 

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54 Aug13 // Further Development 2

The Music Theory Program

Personal Evaluation of the Potential Outcome:

What features do you like most about this design?

I really like the identity this outcome is starting to develop. Mim as a mascot seems perfect, and keeps true to the previous developments and the goal of the game. Seeing the interface in a more final look is really exciting as it has turned out exactly as I saw it would be. Also the animation looks great so far and there is heaps of room for expansion in the area. Along with this there is still more colour schemes I can devise, which is awesome. 

What aspects of this design do you think need improving?

I still need to devise a progression or story for the game. It doesn’t necessarily have to be a classic story, but there needs to be a full list of what the user can learn from the program. Also, if this is the design I pick to move into the final stage, I need to review my brief in full to see what else I have specified for the final outcome. The UI could still do with improvement, as it isn’t working with what I had in mind for buttons and the like. I also need to devise a main menu and sub menus, along with proper mock ups of what the mini games will look like. 

Stakeholder Feedback:

What features did they like most about this design?

They still really like the rainbow screen transition and were totally stoked to see it in action. They also really liked the sound of the mini games, and mentioned a game which recently came out called Cuphead and how some of the drawings I had done reminded them of it. 

What aspects of this design do they think need improving?

They thought that Mim looked creepy from head on but looked good in the sketches, and that some of the colour schemes looked worse than others on Mim, so to improve that will be something else I need to work on in the final piece. 

What other functional aspects and aesthetic elements does your stakeholder want from this design?

They just wanted to see more colour schemes, more question types, more drawings of Mim, and a full game.

Initial decision on Fitness for Purpose:

What needs developing to make sure that the design could be fit for purpose?

The outcome needs aligning with all of the brief aspects, and needs a more comprehensive look at all of the questions and menus required to use the game, which would make it fit for purpose. Currently, it is lacking in those areas as I have only focused on the smaller aspects of the game leading up to the final development. 

What testing/trialing/ongoing research do you need to do now (at least 4 things to research): eg size/positioning, materials, languages, dimensions, joinery/fastening, ergonomics, functionality, componentry, portability, durability etc

Menus and good UI design, color theory for color schemes and just more color schemes in general, and of course the progression of questions/story.

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53 Aug13 // Mascot design

Developing an iconic character has been on my mind for most of the time i’ve been developing this outcome so it is good to finally get to it. I looked to musical symbols which everyone knows, the main ones being the notes everyone knows. I liked Breve the Bird, but the fact that Breve was in fact a semibreve made them feel misleading. I liked Mim for their extra-minimalism, and I found it fit with the game better. I thought that some people may find it creepy, but I wanted to put my creative stance forward on the mascot, and only people who find Totoro creepy will find Mim creepy. Mim will be the face of the minigames, the icon of the product, and will appear to give hints and tutorials when needed. I kept to the principals of my research and used basic shapes, and kept it as simple and identifiable as possible.

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52 Aug13 // Outcome 3: Question length, variation in question length

This post title is slightly confusing, but what I am getting at is how long a topic will be. Say I am looking at scales, there could be 3 subtopics for major, minor, and other scales. However, if I only had these 3 subtopics with a set of 10 questions, that would be limiting to the user as they may not be learning enough about the topic. To solve this, there will be an easy, moderate, and hard difficulty for the subtopics. This provides a wide range of knowledge for the user to learn, and helps cement the concepts into their brain. I also want to include special question rounds like rapid fire lightning rounds with 15-20 questions which have to be answered in quick succession, or a marathon round where there are 50-100 questions, with a overall time limit. Things like these make questions more enjoyable and give the player something to look forward to. 

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51 Aug13 // Outcome 3: Take a Break!

Something which has appeared in various Nintendo developed games in the past is a screen saying something along the lines of “You have been playing for a while, take a break!” which is something that has been on my mind for a while for both of these developments. I don’t want players of the game to be playing for unhealthy numbers of hours trying to beat classmates at the game purely for the sake of lording it over the class. These screens provide an unintrusive way to remind the player that they are playing a game, don’t get too lost and immersed the the world of the game, remember to drink water, get a snack, things like that. They are easily skipped over if someone doesn’t care, but even then they are a good subliminal reminder to consider their health and safety while using the outcome. 

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50 Aug13 // Scoring for Outcome 3

For the scoring in Outcome 3, I was thinking that the player would be answering questions, if they get one wrong, it deducts from their final score but they still get another go at the question. If the player gets it wrong more than 3 times, it just moves on, deducting 3 points from the final score. The screen shakes when the player gets a question wrong, and moves onward when the question is right. so if I get a 10 question topic, fail two questions once, my score would be 10 out of 12. If I failed a question 3 times and it moved on, I would have 9 out of 13. This score would be displayed to the player at the end of the round of questions, then the dice will be rolled to see if a minigame will be played by the user, if not, then the user will either choose what questions to do next, or exit to the menu.

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49 Aug12 // Minigame design

I took to paper again for developing the minigames. What I have had in mind is a series of simple, quick, and fun minigames which the player will have a chance to play at the end of a round of questions. They will only include knowledge which they have already covered, otherwise the games would be unfair. They all follow the graphical style of the game which I have already covered, using simple shapes and colours to convey what they are to the player. This opens up a good artistic challenge for the design while also looking great and consistent.

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48 Aug12 // Interface design and colour

Here we have a proper mockup of the interface for outcome 3, and a decent look into how the different color schemes would work. The ones with outlines have a finer stroke compared the the filled ones, which could be good for dark environments. I intend to keep the interface this simple, however, I may want to consider the possibility of subtle background textures, more shaped buttons, 

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47 Aug12 // Animation

First parts of development for the Theory Program’s outcome. Here’s a look into what the animation would look like

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46 Aug8 // Development 3

The Music Theory Program

Personal Evaluation of the Potential Outcome:

What features do you like most about this design?

I really like the colours, and there’s a great opening for some fun animation with the win or lose screens. As this is an outcome which doesn’t have any hard set characters, these win or lose screens will be what pushes that element of the game. There is however a possibility for a mascot as well, which I think is fun, so that is something to consider as I develop it.

What aspects of this design do you think need improving?

I think it is still a little bit stale, and more fun opportunities like the minigames should be introduced into the concept. A definitive map of all the topics I want to cover should be made at some point for this outcome. Also, alternative colour schemes should be figured out too.

Stakeholder Feedback:

What features did they like most about this design?

They really look a liking to the win/lose screens. They could see the whole Japanese influence and said how successful and appealing it is in New Zealand at the moment. They liked the sort of arcade-esque feel to the whole game and said that is a good way to go. 

What aspects of this design do they think need improving?

They liked the colours, but said they were a bit garish and could do with some rework. I told them about changing the colour scheme which they said would be cool. 

What other functional aspects and aesthetic elements does your stakeholder want from this design?

They wanted to see more characters and figures like the ones in the win/lose screens. This is of course definitely something I have considered. Do I have a whole cast of characters or only a singular mascot? 

Initial decision on Fitness for Purpose:

What needs developing to make sure that the design could be fit for purpose?

Everything I said in the improvements paragraph, but also I want to consider how long people are playing the game for, and how competitive the game is. I don’t want to create a game which incentivises competitive bullying, or unhealthy lengths of play time. I need to develop more incentives to learn in the game, as it is still, in my opinion, too boring to be considered a game.

What testing/trialing/ongoing research do you need to do now (at least 4 things to research): eg size/positioning, materials, languages, dimensions, joinery/fastening, ergonomics, functionality, componentry, portability, durability etc

Scoring, Topics, Minigames in learning (pulling in examples from tutoring places like Numberworks N’ Words), and Colour theory/colour schemes, character (mainly mascots and symbolic characters).

[cookiestdt]

45 Aug8 // Development 2

The Platformer Game

Personal Evaluation of the Potential Outcome:

What features do you like most about this design?

I really like the dark aesthetic the design has going on, and the opening for the dark weather to clear off as you progress through the game provides that interesting visual push.

What aspects of this design do you think need improving?

The character, the puzzles, the progression, the interface (or lack there of), all require refining to really get the concept moving along more. Also it probably needs reviewing for use in a school setting, as I don’t want to let it get too dark. Also the movement of the character is really important, and I have to ask myself the question of if the movement is automatic or not. 

Stakeholder Feedback:

What features did they like  most about this design?

They really liked the look of the lights in the levels. Particularly the second sketch with the cavern with the three rest markings above it. They said that looked really cool and could be added on to, possibly adding a third light to fit in with the feel of the game, make them turn on or off as you move across them.

What aspects of this design do they think need improving?

They really wanted more detail with these sketches. How do the puzzles work? How are they paced, do they have to stop in order to solve the puzzles or are the quick to solve as you run? What does the character look like? That kind of thing.

What other functional aspects and aesthetic elements does your stakeholder want from this design?

Like I said earlier, they wanted to see more of those lights, used in creative ways, to teach music theory, which I liked the sound of. 

Initial decision on Fitness for Purpose:

What needs developing to make sure that the design could be fit for purpose?

Mostly control of the outcome, how the character moves through the level and how the player solves puzzles. Pacing. That kind of thing. Along with this of course is the rest of the details other than the look of the outcome. 

What testing/trialing/ongoing research do you need to do now (at least 4 things to research): eg size/positioning, materials, languages, dimensions, joinery/fastening, ergonomics, functionality, componentry, portability, durability etc

Controls, characters, progression, and pacing.

[cookiestdt]

44 Aug8 // Outcome 1 Development

The Adventure Game

Personal Evaluation of the Potential Outcome:

What features do you like most about this design?

I love the overall look which is coming along with this design, and with a bit of colour in the next stage of development, and a bit of movement here and there, its going to look fantastic. I’m really keen to continue with this design mostly because it looks like fun, and has the ability to fit into whatever platform it is presented with. 

What aspects of this design do you think need improving?

I would say the character design needs changing, make it into something more relatable, less so a orb head. I really need to flesh out more details about the game which I haven’t covered already. Also I need to improve on the progression of the game. Can a player start in a place which teaches them the very basics and they work their way up from there, or can they go to random places around the topic of music theory, improving on that skill in particular. Should the outcome offer both possibilities? Should there be a hint book which helps people out? Things like that are what I’m thinking of in terms of improving the progression

Stakeholder Feedback:

What features did they like  most about this design?

They really liked the little details in the levels I had sketched. Like the lock on the first sketch and the panels on both. They said it “invoked a need to explore further” which I found funny but is definitely what I was going for in the design of those levels. 

What aspects of this design do they think need improving?

They really wanted to see the rest of the game, other puzzles, other subjects under music theory, they felt frustrated with the lack of further development in that area. They also wanted to see the colour of the environments and asked me if it would be bright or dark. I asked them what they think would be more appropriate and they said it would be cool to have something fun, kind of like a kids game with a more mature edge to it.

What other functional aspects and aesthetic elements does your stakeholder want from this design?

When I mentioned that I was going to work on animation next they got thrilled and mentioned that they would really like to see some fun animation on the character, in the environment, in the puzzle panels, and just on as many things as possible. 

Initial decision on Fitness for Purpose:

What needs developing to make sure that the design could be fit for purpose?

I really need to look into interface and interaction, as I need to get both outcomes I pick feeling good on mobile, tablets, laptops. and desktops. For wider stakeholders I should also look into use of keyboard or controller to interact with buttons and game objects.

What testing/trialing/ongoing research do you need to do now (at least 4 things to research): eg size/positioning, materials, languages, dimensions, joinery/fastening, ergonomics, functionality, componentry, portability, durability etc

Characters, Variation in controls depending on the platform, colours, and interface.

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43 Aug1 // Conceptual Development 1b

Out of my three developments so far, this is definitely the one I like the least. Regardless, here is the look I had in mind for the game.

This is the look of a fast paced intervals puzzle. The player must hit the correct interval in order to progress, failing to do so will set them back to the beginning of the puzzle, or back to a checkpoint. Something I also had in mind was to have the game constantly be on rhythm, similar to crypt of the necrodancer, or in some ways similar to mobile platformers with autorun such as geometry dash or jetpack joyride. As can be seen, the lines traverse off screen, as the puzzle keeps going. 

Something else to consider here would be camera movement, as for larger intervals the camera would need to be zoomed out to see the full extent of the interval.

Similar to the interval puzzle except that this one required waiting on the rests. The player jumps on the rests and waits for their amount of time resting, then jumps to the next. The patterns would get more complex as the player progressed through the puzzle. 

This final sketch was a look sketch more than anything, just looking into the look of exterior environments. I was thinking that as the player went along in the music complex that the day would get clearer towards the end. It’s something I’m still considering as it gives a visual incentive to keep on going. I’m definitely taking cues from N++ in terms of how minimal the art style is. 

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42 Jul20 // Conceptual Development 1c

Here’s the basis of the game, just the same as Musition or Minuet but instead of being boring, it actually has some interest factor in it. Cheerful colours, fun characters, and of course this is only a sketch of what the final thing would look like. 

Here’s what I would imaging it would look like when you win do well in a section, and following this would be a stat breakdown and what to work on next.

Opposing the previous, this is what it would look like if you didn’t score well, but i think as long as the characters are still fun and silly, it wont matter and wont hit as hard if the player did not so well. The stats breakdown would still tell them what they need to work on for next time, and they are given the option to do that section again, or move onto the next. 

Of course the puzzles wouldn’t just be the press a button format like the one seen here, I would add in variation to the various questions and make the game interesting and replayable, This style of game probably wouldn’t appeal to the wider stakeholder as much as the other outcomes, but I think it still stands well on its own as a game to play. It would also teach you the concepts instead of just asking the questions, which is something musition doesn’t do well at all. Musition is more of a teacher-aid, as is minuet. This is a stand alone game which can teach you the concepts of music theory. 

Here’s an example of a keyboard question, instead of text based buttons. Text placement definitely isn’t final at all, as a matter of fact it sucks at the moment. 

Something I thought about is also the pace of the game, and the space between different question types or topics. I considered adding a timer to the top right corner of the screen, and still might if I develop this outcome further. 

At first I thought this outcome would be really really boring, but I’m actually starting to like it more and more as I go along. Part of this is the introduction of mini games between questions, like so,

This one would definitely have a time limit, almost to surprise the player with a sudden mini game in which they have to hit a keyboard button when the spot light floats over a mordent. If they spot it in time, then the mini game moves on and its back to questions. This gives the brain a shake up after doing a bunch of questions and would keep the user engaged as time went on. 

Finally a draft of the title screen. The stave with the notes is like a marquee/ticker of random musical symbols and instructions, similar to mario kart where the items of the game scroll across the channel screen and the main menu, if i am remembering that correctly.

It was the channel. The two strips of items are scrolling from one end of the screen to the other. It helps setup the mood of the game in the players head, movement, fun, the colours and shapes are different and interesting, which I think is something I can do through the title screen of this outcome.

Also, this outcome would almost certainly have vector graphics, as everything needs to look sharp. If I develop this outcome, that would be one of the focus points of the development.

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41 Jul20 // Conceptual Development 1a

Developing the adventure game into more detail. These two layout sketches convey most of the game’s function. The ability to interact with the world and progress through the facility is something which is required for this game to work. Something I have also noticed when talking with my stakeholder is the fact that using analogies for teaching this kind of information is not a good way to do it, and they liked the way I am incorporating real information into the puzzles of the game, keeping it real vs making it too abstract.

The main character has a high potential to be annoying if they talk, and for this style of game they should be kept simple, probably never uttering a word are the words of my stakeholder. The game Portal did a similar thing with its advertising by using diagram like figures to demonstrate the mechanics of a puzzle, but what about taking that and making it into a character for a game? This also fits along with the research i did on N++, where everything is kept super simple, and the main character is just a collection of lines. 

This is an UGLY draft of the title screen, but, it does help me get the message across. In games like Ratchet and Clank 1, 2, and 3 there were title screens with the main characters interacting with the world in some way. It gave them an extra level of polish which made them memorable. This is something I want to consider for not only the core stakeholder, but the wider stakeholder as well. People online have commended the title screens in those games, as have my friends, so I think it would help push the game up more to have something akin to that. 

As of now, this idea is sounding good as it would and could be targeted at a wide range of people as it wouldn’t scare people off like a shooter would, But the pace would be good as it has the potential to go super fast or really slow, depending on the level of learning and on how quickly people figure out the game.