Jed V IGB220 Blog

Jed Vella, n9938435

[jed-v]

Week 13: Assignment 3 Postmortem, Submission & GG!!

Postmortem

·         What aspects of the readings helped inspire your design process?

In Chapter 1: Passions and Skills, the readings covers communication, teamwork and process. These aspects of the reading aided in the design process as it shaped the way my team and I communicated and worked together. This allowed us to better formulate a design plan, communicate during development and ensure the process was as smooth as possible.

·         What’s one thing you’d change about how you developed/designed the prototype? Focus on process, how you made it. Try to incorporate reading or class content.

If my team and I could develop Darker Times again I would firstly aim to get on top of the development early as things were quite rushed. This meant that playtesting the overall end result were impacted due to poor time management. Coming into future development tasks I will focus on better coordinating and planning as a team. Also the design and development aspects I would change would involve the level design and character development. We had good ideas for the development of these aspects of the game although due to time constraints these ideas were left unfulfilled.

[jed-v]

Week 12: Assignment 3 Iteration and Changes

We have made good progress on our prototype for assignment 3. We have most of the art and animation done now we are focusing on the gameplay and playtesting. We have made many changes since we first started conceptualising although the core design of the game has stayed the same. Throughoutout development we have had an agile approach meaning that we make changes dependent on ideas and issues we run into while developing. As of week 12 we do not have a great deal of gameplay accessible although there is enough to provide playtesters with the means to give feedback. This feedback is being used for planning changes in future iterations and shaping the goal for the final product. The main changes that have been made to Darker Times thus far are; introducing a more simplified end goal as the initial plan was too far out of reach and also refining the gameplay mechanics involving the weapons and abilities of the character. From here on out the aim is to use our playtesting feedback to identify and resolve the problems with our current prototype. Within the coming weeks we will be wrapping up our assignment 3. I will be focusing on the feedback findings and summarising them in the report.

[jed-v]

Week 11: Assignment 3 Playtesting, Another Interesting Mechanic/Book Chapter/Game Discussion

I have set up the foundation for the playtesting documents to be used in assignment 3. Also I have identified some potential playtesters to provide feedback on our prototype. The people I have asked to participate range from casual to avid gamer’s which will provide a variety of insight that can be useful during the playtesting phase of assignment 3. Although limited playtesting has been complete at the moment as we do not have a great deal of gameplay to test.Once a sufficient amount of progress has been made on the assignment, playtesting will be used as a means to identify problems, flaws, strengths and weaknesses of Darker Times. This insight will help us shape future iterations and have a large impact on the final product. In this blog post I wish to have another interesting game discussion. Let’s talk about League of Legends, one of the, if not the biggest game in the world. I am sure if you are reading this you are aware of what kind of game LoL is, but if not, it is a rather competitive MOBA (Multiplayer Online Battle Arena). I have played league for years and have always had a competitive approach to the game. This can stem from my history of competitive gaming. I really enjoy facing other players in a high stakes scenario, fighting for ranks. I have been sitting in the diamond rank on league for several years now (within the top 1%), somewhat plateauing there. Although these days I don’t really play as much so this does not really bother me. The ranked season in LoL is 1 year long and usually ends in November of each year. This end of season period along with the early season period is where you will find players being the most competitive trying to reach their season goals. Once the season is complete they often enter a period where ranked is disabled and they introduce a new end of season patch, often highly significant. The changes coming into the next season involves the items as a large rework on the current items in the game is coming into effect. As there is such a large amount of items in the game, these changes will have a very large impact on how the game is played. What I am wondering is, how this will effect the foundation of the game; will they be able to find balance, will it take away from the fun of the game, will it be more enjoyable after the changes, perhaps refreshing the game that has been so popular for 10 years. I am anxious and excited to see the effects these changes have on the game and its community and I think Riot Games, the developers of league of legends are truly once of the greatest game development companies to every exist, so keeping a close eye on their operations will provide a great deal of insight for any would be game developer.

[jed-v]

Week 10: Assignment 3 Development Progress

Development posts

·         What have you been trying to achieve in GDevelop?

As this assignment has been well thought out and a good plan has been put in place I want to use the time to focus on the development aspects of GDevelop. My team mates have been focusing on the art used for the game so I am trying to incorporate the mechanics and other design aspects into the development. This has lead to trying many new things in GDevelop and a lot of research. The first thing I am trying to achieve in this development cycle is implementing changing levels. This is a key part of the game design and I am sure if done correctly will greatly increase the success of the project. Another mechanic used for the game is puzzles. We have been trying to incorporate a small puzzle, based of character movement. The puzzle will be necessary to advance further into the level and will provide the player with enjoyment and satisfaction of overcoming a challenge.

·         What was something you learned?

I learnt how to orchestrate ideas as a team during development. I have also learnt a variety of new skills in GDevelop.

·         Showcasing design ideas and concepts from/inspired by readings/ Thoughts on readings and how they apply to what you’ve been making

In Chapter 2: What is a puzzle my team and I used many of the design ideas to brainstorm ways to create and implement puzzles into our game.  The 2 key concepts mentioned in this part of the reading is that puzzles must be; fun and have a right answer. Although this seems obvious the concepts mentioned helped us narrow down our approach to implementing a puzzle into our platformer. Also the reading has demonstrated how to incorporate puzzles into the story. This can be applied to the game by using a puzzle that closely relates to the narrative of the game and is under the same theme.

[jed-v]

Week 9: Group Formation and Assignment 3 Team Discussion

This week during the tutorial session we formed groups for Assignment 3. I was lucky enough to find 2 group mates that both study game design. We decided that for this assignment we will develop a platformer called Darker Times. Darker Times was thought up by one of my group mates and is a dark themed platformer with somewhat hack and slash/adventure aspects. I am very keen to get into this assignment and see Darker Times progress into a functioning game. We also completed part A of the assignment, creating a gantt chart to assign roles and tasks for each member and refining the elevator pitch.

[jed-v]

Week 8: Racing Post Mortem, Assignment 2 Final Design

Postmortem

·         What aspects of the readings helped inspire your design process?

In Part 2: Chapter 2, engaging the player I drew inspiration from the aspects covered such as; the section which goes into detail about challenges. This conflict challenges the players, creating tension as they work to resolve problems and varying levels of achievement or frustration. Increasing the challenge as the game goes on can cause a rising sense of tension, or, if the challenge is too great, it can cause frustration. Alternatively, if the challenge level remains flat or goes down, players might feel that they have mastered the game and move on. Balancing these emotional responses to the amount of challenge in a game is a key consideration for keeping the player engaged with the game. Fullerton, Tracy. Game Design Workshop : A Playcentric Approach to Creating Innovative Games, Fourth Edition, CRC Press LLC, 2018. ProQuest Ebook Central, http://ebookcentral.proquest.com/lib/qut/detail.action?docID=5477698.

I used this information to structure the multiplayer/competitive aspect of the game. As one player is trying to beat the other, the challenge always exists and doesn’t necessarily rely on the gameplay. The competitiveness also brings out more emotion in the player.

·         What’s one thing you’d change about how you developed/designed the prototype? Focus on process, how you made it. Try to incorporate reading or class content.

If I were to change anything about how I developed this game I would introduce a greater variety of mechanics to enhance the competitiveness aspect mentioned in the readings. As I stated in previous b logs I wish to introduce power ups that would have been attainable throughout the race. These power ups could have effected movement and combat. I believe if I could have developed this properly it would have significantly improved the play-ability of the game.

Assignment 2 Final Design:

The final design of my assignment 2 was quite aesthetically pleasing with bright, contrasting colours and well aligned images. The text wasn’t overbearing but covered the appropriate aspects set in the criteria. Overall my assignment 2 had a simplistic yet sufficient design and ended up coming out pretty well.

[jed-v]

Week 7: Racing Development Post, Assignment 2 Progress

Development posts

·         What have you been trying to achieve in GDevelop?

I have a good foundation of skills with GDevelop now so with this development I cycle I aim to hone my artistic ability and aim for a good looking end product. My previous games have have been playable although never really looked that great. For this racing game I want to make some good looking sprites and animations to compliment the gameplay.

·         What was something you learned?

During development I have learnt new interactions between multiple players. As I haven’t endeavored into multiplayer games I have learnt how to get multiple inputs to control multiple characters.

·         Showcasing design ideas and concepts from/inspired by readings

Part 1: Chapter 1, A playcentric design process. In this section of the reading setting player experience is discussed. I have applied this concept during development of this racer game. I was inspired to think about how the player will interact with the environment and also set a goal for the player. In my case, the goal is playing to win, pinning to or more players against each other in a race to victory. These ideas are at the forefront of my approach to the game design.

Assignment 2 Progress

I have made good progress on my assignment 2. I chose to cover my platformer game from early in the semester. I have found this assignment quite easy as it doesn’t involve any software use, which is what I am struggling with the most in this unit. I have pretty much complete both tasks, all that is left is to proof read and clean up the aesthetics. I focused on many of the concepts from the readings and lecture content to shape the way I discussed my game within this assignment. I believe I have covered all the important aspects required by the criteria.

[jed-v]

Week 6: Asteroids Post Mortem, Racing Elevator Pitch

Postmortem

·         What aspects of the readings helped inspire your design process?

The part of the reading that inspired my design choices while creating the Space X asteroid game come from Chapter 1: Designing for innovation. This part of the reading focuses on providing new experiences for players through the means of game development. The aspects I took away from this portion of the text and applied to development process involve appealing to new players and the integration of story and gameplay. I believe the approach I had towards this game, using a real life scenario meant that I could appeal to non hardcore gamer’s and also integrate a real life story into a gameplay scenario.

·         What’s one thing you’d change about how you developed the prototype? Focus on process, how you made it. Try to incorporate reading or class content.

One thing I would change if I were to have developed this game again would be providing more goals for the player. I belie this could have increased replay ability and also just made the game more fun. As there is little reward for the player in the current iteration of the game I think using a scoring system or something along those lines could have improved the game and the players enjoyment.

Elevator Pitch

·         Name and brief description of the prototype

Following the approach to the asteroid theme, I have decided to yet another Space-x design for this racing game. The game will be called: First to the moon and back. The basis of the game, following the outer space theme will be spaceships racing to the moon, and back. I haven’t completely decided what the mechanics of the game will be but my thoughts are, each racer will have the ability to combat other racers and there will be obstacles to dodge while racing.

·         The genre

Side scrolling racing game, I guess.

·         Primary Mechanics or Mode of Gameplay

The primary mechanics are basic movement, pretty much just side to side and potential power ups that can change the players movement or grant them combat bonuses. Also there will be obstacles, such as space debris for the player to dodge while racing.

·         Setting/Style

This game will follow an outserspace/spaceship theme. The setting will be between the earth and the moon. During the start of the race the spaceships will leave earth, then reach the moon and come back to earth. the first one back wins.

·         Audience or Demographics

I would say the target audience for this game would be any sort of casual game, between the ages of 12-30. Although I think this game could catch the interest of anyone as it is quite basic and easy to play.

[jed-v]

Week 5: Asteroids Development Post

This weeks blog post is about the development of the asteroids game which I conceptualized in last weeks post.

Development posts

·         What have you been trying to achieve in GDevelop?

I am still trying to learn how to use GDevelop so during this exercise I have set a goal of developing a cleaner, more functional game than my previous platformer. I wish to make use of more features in GDevelop and have a more artistic approach to the sprites I use.

·         What was something you learned?

I learned how to make use of more movement and combat features. The shoot feature is pre-defined in the GDevelop software and this was a main mechanic in my game. Through development I have gained a better understanding on how to program enemies with a focus on movement and combat.

·         Showcasing design ideas and concepts from/inspired by readings

Part 2, chapter 6 of the reading introduces conceptualization. I used the tips on insight, evaluation and elaboration to guide my concept from last weeks blog post into fruition through development. This reading helped me get my thoughts and ideas in order so I could focus on the development aspect of this game.

·         Thoughts on readings and how they apply to what you’ve been making

Like I previously stated the readings helped me plan my design process which allowed me to focus on the tools in GDevelop as that is where I am struggling at the moment. By planning ahead I could take my time in the software and explore further which will in turn aid in future development endeavors.

[jed-v]

Week 4: Platformer postmortem and asteroid elevator pitch

Postmortem

Looking back at my time developing the platformer I have learnt many lessons on both the GDevelop software and the process of development. I believe this task has set the pace for the rest of the semester and has given me a great foundation to base future development tasks off. I see my platformer game as an introduction into the tools and trades focused on in this unit. Now I am excited to move on to the next game which is asteroid themed.

Elevator pitch

·         Name and brief description of the prototype

SpaceX: Mars Attack. This game would follow Elon Musk and crew while they set out to attack martians on Mars. The game would feature a SpaceX themed ship that fights a variety of martians while trying to reach the end goal Mars. Mars would be the final level of the game and touching down would trigger the credit scene.

·         The genre

Space Invaders themed.

·         Primary Mechanics or Mode of Gameplay

The game would have basic movement of up, down, right left with only forward shooting weapons that may contain upgrades to introduce other mechanics.

·         Setting/Style

It would be an outterworldly themed game with the primary colour scheme being that of the SpaceX logo for the players ship.

·         Audience or Demographics

The target audience would be 16-50 which combines both avid young gamers and the older generation of gamers who grew up playing similar games. The theme of the game would be interesting to all members of this demographic.

[jed-v]

Week 3: Platformer development and playtesting/pitching insights

Hi there! This weeks blog post is about my platformer game and how it’s development is going.

Development posts

·         What have you been trying to achieve in GDevelop?

My aim with developing this platformer is to get a basic understanding of how the GDevelop system works while creating an enjoyable game. My game is quite basic and uses many of the stock attributes of the GDevelop platformer template. I have experimented with a degree of tools to make my game unique. My goal with this game is to provide a one level, fast paced game that is decently challenging.

·         What was something you learned?

I have learnt how to navigate the GDevelop application and have experimented with a variety of tools inside the software. I have created my own sprites with the art tools and assigned them unique interactions. Also I have noted that GDevelop is a lot more complicated than I previously had though it to be after discovering more of the software.

·         Showcasing design ideas and concepts from/inspired by readings

In the playtesting section of the readings covers inspiration and how playtesting can help the developer approach the game from another perspective. In the case of my platformer, I tested it at each iteration. I would take notes and come up with ideas on how to better the development. By analysing my game from a players perspective I was able to gain inspiration and come up with applicable changes. Doing this will help me in later exercises and has given me a good foundation to base my play testing and development off.

·         Thoughts on readings and how they apply to what you’ve been making

In chapter 1: Process; the reading covers the process of change in game development. This can be applied to the way I have developed this platformer as I made many changes, some leaving me with problems and some solving provlems. Each time I made changes to the game it was appropriate to reflect and assess the best next step for development.

[jed-v]

Week 2: Platform elevator pitch & GDevelop experimentation

This week I started some practical experimentation on the GDevelop app. GDevelop is the first game development tool I have used and it seems quite interesting and beginner friendly. The task set was to experiment with a platformer type game and mess around with the tool to getting a better understanding of how it works. I initially began my experimentation by messing around with the default platform game provided on GDevelop. This game was simple but contained a variety of mechanics. There was only one level that was not difficult to complete. The level contained moving intractable objects and enemies, that could not damage the player.. I began to experiment with this level by introducing aspects that could possibly make it more difficult such as allowing the enemies to damage the player and adding extra obstacles that made certain tasks harder. This week we also conducted an activity on pitching a platformer game of our own. I decided that my game would involve certain aspects of shoot-em-up type games as I thoroughly enjoyed playing these as a kid. The basis of my game involves a randomly generated platformer game where the player goes from level to level trying to survive with an arsenal that can be upgraded throughout the game. I imagined this game to be entertaining as it contains random aspects that ensure each play through is unique. Thanks for reading and cya in next weeks post!

[jed-v]

Week 1: My introductory post

This is my first blog post! Although I had not previously used Tumblr setting up my blog was a simple task. The step by step guide provided on blackboard made it a breeze to setup and configure my blog. Now I just have to get it looking pretty! As this is an introductory post to myself and my blog I will talk a bit about myself, my interests in game development and aims and objectives for this unit. Firstly I am Jed, I was born and raised in North Queensland. I think I am a pretty down to earth guy who enjoys the simple things in life. I have been an avid gamer for as long as I can remember dating back to the N64 and PS1/XBOX days. As a kid gaming was always a way to escape from reality and find peace in the comfort of my home. I guess this is where my interest in game development began. Although I actually study IT/Information systems I am intrigued by game development as I like to think I am somewhat of a video game connoisseur. Well at least I often critique games quite heavily. I have lost a great deal of interest in games released within the last 5 years or so as I think the market is becoming dull and over saturated. An insight in to game development will help me better understand why this is the case and what can be done in the future to ensure game developers release quality games. Finally my aims and objectives for this unit. My main aim is to pass... Other than that as I a have very limited experience in coding especially in game development I hope to learn the basics of this technique and overall get a better understanding of the industry. Thanks for reading! See you in next weeks post.