IGB220 Game Design Journal

Nathan Prestidge | n11246537

[nathanp11246537]

Final Post! GG!

This is going to be the final post on this blog. I hope you enjoyed exploring game design with me and I hope that some of these posts were interesting or inciteful for somebody.

We had some setbacks and eventually needed an extension, but I think our group submission and this one is representative of all our hard work, which I hope pays off!

GG!

Nathan Prestidge (n11246537)

[nathanp11246537]

Assignment 3. Postmortem

Overall, I think the final prototype for "Swashbuckler Seas" is pretty close to our original goal and vision (even with the tweaks from playtesting and iterating changes).

Chapter 9 of the game design workshop book was a big help here, with playtesting being a core aspect of the design process. We were constantly iterating based on the playtesters' feeback, and I think that fixing a lot of the major problems discovered by playtesters was vital to making the game playable and overall fun. (Fullerton, 2018)

If I were to develop this game again, I would definitely attempt to fix the smaller issues faster, and improve the game's overall polish and look before playtesting. The feedback from the first playtesting session was heavily influenced by the game's lack of visual aesthetic and sprites, so we missed out on some feedback on gameplay during that time. Obviously, though, this let me work on more sprites and make the game look a bit more polished overall, which was further supported by the lack of feedback surrounding the visuals in the future playtests.

If I had to change one thing about the final prototype it would be the art style. I think the retro look didn't come out as good as it could have been, and I think a more generic or an even more stylised look could work better than this middle ground.

Fullerton, T. (2018). Game design workshop : A playcentric approach to creating innovative games, fourth edition. CRC Press LLC.

[nathanp11246537]

Assignment 3. More Sprites

I worked on some more sprites for the prototype based on feedback about the background being too noisy and hard to understand for the players. I've attempted to create a simpler more indentifiable backdrop and I also made some islands which will later act as powerups / mini-quests for the player.

[nathanp11246537]

Assignment 3. Playtesting

Our group's designated programmer finished an early prototype for our game that has all of the core features for "Swashbuckler Seas".

Through playtesting, the core mechanics have been tweaked and fleshed out, and now a simple playable asteroids is finished. We added some simple piratey sprites to portray the theme of the game, but obviously a lot of key features still need to be developed.

Continuing on, we will develop:

Upgrades

Islands

Score

Enemies

[nathanp11246537]

Assignment 3. Development

During the workshop, I got into a group with some fellow game designers and we allocated roles and processes for assignment 3. We also managed to get the majority of part A finished in the one session, and decided to use my asteroids concept "Swashbuckler Seas" from my one page and sell sheet as the final game for this assignment.

Attached is my group and our roles. Its just a small snippet of our final part A submission.

[nathanp11246537]

Assignment 2. Final

I finished both the sell sheet and one page documents. I think the aesthetic is pretty clear through the art and logo I made, as well as the little features I added like the dust and sticker, that indicate its a retro asteroid-like game.

I tried to make the sell sheet look like some sort of game cover and I think I managed to cram a surprising amount of information in a limited space, including the controls, main gameplay and themes.

With the one page, I think I got pretty much all of the core mechanics and ideas I had listed out and I finished the visual representation of the mockup so that each layer or aspect of the gameplay can be more easily seen.

[nathanp11246537]

Assigment 2. Progress

I began work on assignment 2, the one page and sell sheet. I decided to use my asteroids prototype, "Swashbuckler Seas" as the main basis for the game design concepts. I created a simple features page and a gameplay mockup based on a new aesthetic and style, as well as creating a logo.

I think aesthetics go a long way in presenting the feel of a game, and hopefully the concept will be interesting to some.

[nathanp11246537]

R-4. Racing Postmortem

I wasn't as happy with the final outcome for this prototype as I was with the other ones. I feel like I only scratched the surface and only implemented the core mechanics without adding an uniqueness or individuality to the racing genre.

I think I could've added a lot mechanics such as the abilities system to make it more cowboy-western themed, but as is it's only part of the aesthetic. Overall, pretty disappointed that I couldn't work more on this, but for a prototype it serves its function.

[nathanp11246537]

R-3. Adding A Goal

I decided to go with the timing route since I was short on time when developing this last prototype. I added a timer system that tracks the amount of time since the player had done a full circuit of the map, and added a line afterwards to indicate this progress.

A secondary timer also keeps track of the player's best time and so I made the game about competing and improving times.

Reflection

Chapters 13-16 are all about progressing into the field of game development and exploring methods of development toward entering the game industry.

A lot of chapter 13, which details the production process and cycle, I previously explored in a prior unit and seemed like a retreading of concepts. I found the distinction between what is considered "Alpha Code" and "Gold Code" to be interesting though, and the development process closer to and after the release of a game elaborated further on some of the processes I had previously heard about, (Fullerton, 2018).

Chapter 14 to 16 were very helpful in constructing and developing assignment 2. The details of what a publisher or team of developers are looking for in a game concept or pitch was very interesting to break down and aided significantly when I went to make my game design one page and one sheet, (Fullerton, 2018).

Fullerton, T. (2018). Game design workshop : A playcentric approach to creating innovative games, fourth edition. CRC Press LLC.

[nathanp11246537]

R-2. Aesthetics and Core Mechanics

I began work on the sprites for the racing game just to flesh out the aesthetic early on. I made a sprite of a cowboy (really just a cowboy hat) sitting on a horse, as well as some desert tiles and then arranged them in a racing track-like shape.

I also got the core functionality for a racing game done, with the player able to move the horse forward and backwards and turn, although the controls will need to be tested and tweaked further.

I figured that it would be easier to add a timer system rather than "ai" for enemy racers, but that would reduce gameplay complexity and ruin the theme of the game altogether. I'm still unsure of which route I should pursue, but either way could be interesting given the right execution.

Reflection

Chapters 11 and 12 go into detail surrounding fun, accessibility, and team structure, which are all important aspects heading into assignment 3.

Chapter 11 clearly outlines that playtesters are the ones to decide if your game is actually fun and enjoyable, and that the foundation and structure of your game is what allows for an enjoyable experience, especially when functionalities for players other than the game designer themself are added, to appeal to the playtesters even further. The section on how to fix spawn camping and camping in general in first-person-shooters was very interesting and the solutions it provided (even the most basic) were all pretty interesting to consider, even the option to outright ignore the issue since playing around campers could be considered part of the game, (Fullerton, 2018).

Chapter 12 details the structure of different sizes of game studios, and compares the publisher's side of the business to the developer's side. This graphic indicates the difference pretty easily.

(Fullerton, 2018).

Overall, I think acknowledging the idea of fun and how it is defined by the players that play your game, and the structure of game development as a whole, especially for the developer's side of things, are both important aspects going into the group work in assignment 3, where a lot of playtesting and team management will be conducted.

Fullerton, T. (2018). Game design workshop : A playcentric approach to creating innovative games, fourth edition. CRC Press LLC.

[nathanp11246537]

R-1. Racing Elevator Pitch

Bandit Bolt

"A top-down retro horse-riding racing game where the player uses their cowboy inspired abilities to slow down other racers and improve their own performance. With a revolver and a lasso in each hand, the player will have to outmanoeuvre enemy bandits to reach the end."

[nathanp11246537]

A-4. Asteroids Postmortem

The core mechanics for my asteroids prototype, "Swashbuckler Seas", are pretty much finished. The only thing I couldn't implement was an upgrade system, but since I made enemy ships break up into debris in only one shot (like the original asteroids), I decided the game should be an endless push-your-luck shooter rather than stat based.

Keeping the base simple allowed me to add a bit more depth with the points and combo system, allowing players to build up a point highscore in the form of collecting coins. The pirate ship / ocean aesthetic of the game was also simple enough to implement (with my limited art ability) and lended itself well to the asteroids sub-genre, with an easy to understand setting and a simple shooting mechanic.

The weekly readings (especially on prototyping and playtesting) were a big help in encouraging me to push past the base mechanics of the genre and iterate on more ideas and concepts rather than keeping it simple like the last prototype, although the game's complexity is still somewhat questionable. The playtesting I did also helped add a few refinements such as the UI elements (just the points and combo tracker) and some tweaks to the movement of the ship that made it easier to control.

If I were to redevelop this prototype I would flesh out the visuals a bit more, increase the amount of options at the player's disposal, as well as increasing the amount of enemies and finish implementing any ideas from the elevator pitch that didn't make it into the "final" prototype. I'd also focus less on tweaking the smaller aspects like the code for the ship's movement etc. until I get feedback on it from playtesters.

Fullerton, T. (2018). Game design workshop : A playcentric approach to creating innovative games, fourth edition. CRC Press LLC.

[nathanp11246537]

A-3. More Mechanics and Refinements

I added a points system in the form of coins that randomly appear around the arena, as well as after defeating enemy ships. I created a sprite for enemy ships which had primarily red colours, so I altered the player's ship to be blue in order to distinguish them more.

I added the mechanic mentioned in the elevator pitch so the player can now stand close to enemy ships or debris to receive a boost to coin gain for a short time, which slowly builds from 1.5x to 3x. A sort of risk/reward element, where standing close to ships heightens the player's danger, but provides them with a larger reward. Sinking enemy ships will also apply this boost.

I decided to remove the idea of enemy ships shooting back since I thought it would be difficult to balance and implement, and there is already too much clutter on the screen in the first place.

I also added a simple animation for the cannon ball sprite, which now rotates as its fired from the player's ship.

Reflection

I read chapter 9 of the textbook today. Continuing on from the prototyping in chapters 7 & 8, it details the playtesting side of game design. The section of self-testing applies to my process here, and the tips the book suggested such as playing the game "fresh" and clearing your mind were pretty interesing. (Fullerton, 2018).

Although I don't have a huge budget and a large range of playtesters at my disposal, the sections outlining the ideal playtesters and how to playtest with people you don't know outlined some key concepts.

I playtested both this prototype and my previous prototype with my family, so of course the playtesting with confidants section of the chapter was the most helpful and applicable to my current situation, for instance, detailing the amount of intervention from the designer (or lack of intervention) for the playtesters was a helpful tip to get a "fresh" set of eyes and unique opinion on the prototype. (Fullerton, 2018).

Fullerton, T. (2018). Game design workshop : A playcentric approach to creating innovative games, fourth edition. CRC Press LLC.

[nathanp11246537]

A-2. Basic Code & Aesthetics

I got the basic functionality for an asteroids type game working, with a controllable ship, projectiles, and the titular asteroids (which will later become enemy ships and debris), with help from GDevelop's asteroid templates. I tweaked the movement, spawn rate and projectile cooldown time to get a more tactical and precise shooter when compared to the original asteroids.

I also added a lot of the visuals to the game, with a pirate ship, cannons as projectiles, an ocean background and a map for the health bar accompanied by an indication of the ship's damage, which slowly removes chunks off the ship in the top left.

I also edited the collision of the ship and added a death state that shows the phrase "Shipwrecked!" to go with the pirate theme. You can also see the fully depleted health bar when the player dies.

Reflection

I read chapter 6 of the game design textbook, Game Design Workshop, a few days ago, which highlighted a core facet of game design that I was missing. Conceptualization, i.e. coming up with interesting ideas.

During my creation of these prototypes, I didn't really focus too much on the ideas themselves and more on just creating something, seeing if it works, and trying to get a learning experience out of it. Though, of course, ideation is a core part, probably the most important part, of game design, and iterating on concepts is something I was lacking. The chapter lists some helpful ways to come up with ideas such as creating lists, working on a whiteboard, having no self-criticism and making idea cards, just to name a few. (Fullerton, 2018).

With my future games, and any further mechanics on this prototype, I'd like to focus more on the process of creating new ideas and I'd like to be less critical of percieved "bad ideas" to just see what can work.

Fullerton, T. (2018). Game design workshop : A playcentric approach to creating innovative games, fourth edition. CRC Press LLC.

[nathanp11246537]

A-1. Asteroids Elevator Pitch

Swashbuckler Seas

"A top-down asteroids style shooter set in a vast ocean polluted by pirates! Collect loot and sink enemy ships as you upgrade your gear and explore the seas. As a notorious pirate, you get more loot for pushing your luck by getting closer to enemy shots and sinking bigger ships."

[nathanp11246537]

P-6. Platformer Postmortem

Although the platformer isn't as fleshed out or polished as I would've hoped, I still think I achieved a good outcome seeing as though it was my first ever real game. The readings were a big help in detailing a clear process and mindset for game design, even smaller games such as this platformer.

The four basic steps of designed, as outlined in chapters 7 & 10; foundations, structure, formal details, and refinement, were a simple but effective means of designing, and the work done on prototyping (e.g. answering questions about target market, the skills needed to play this game, and whether the game is skill-based or luck-based,) was helpful to consider in the early development phase.

Early on, I was just messing around in GDevelop seeing what I liked, but I soon settled on a "dimension switching" mechanic and a simple (but probably dull, looking back at it) aesthetic. I added the character's controls and platforms as well as a simple condition for the camera to follow the player, which ultimately lead to some camera alignment issues down the line.

I altered the camera so it only moves every room rather than locking on to the player's position constantly, and I eventually did an overhaul of the graphics, adding a bunch of assets that contributed to the heaven and hell vibe I was aiming for (although the "heaven" sprites were just recoloured "hell" ones) as well as adding a small animaton for the player's walk and jump. I think adding a hazard in the form of a spike was a simple way to increase the game's depth, to an extent, allowing for more options when designing levels, avoiding any repetition and creating a bit of conflict for the player.

One thing I'd change about how I developed this prototype game would be cutting down on time spent implementing the basics of the genre and focusing more on unique mechanics and systems. Aside from the core mechanic, this prototype isn't too unique or interesting in my opinion and I think the concept could be expanded. If I did have to redevelop the prototype I would also refine the art a bit more, adding some more frames to the walk cycle and implementing some more player rewards through some sort of collectable or point system. I think trying to aim for that "flow state" at this point may be a difficult task, but getting a platformer close to a much more enjoyable point would be a good goal for next time.

Reflection

I read through chapter 10 of the textbook. It details more of the aformentioned 4 basic steps of design, game balance, and looks at hypothetical solutions to issues brought up in the playtesting section.

The section on loopholes, especially in regard to a game's core systems and economy, and the distinction of loopholes from features, was the most interesting, and got me thinking about innovative game mechanics that weren't entirely planned out by the developers, like the LAMs in Deus Ex or trip mines in Half Life, that show that all games aren't as meticulously planned out as I thought, and that happy accidents (or issues) can occur pretty often. (Fullerton, 2018).

The sections on game balance were also interesting, highlighting the differences between balancing symmtetrical and asymmetrical games, as well as the difficulties in balancing for skill.

Fullerton, T. (2018). Game design workshop : A playcentric approach to creating innovative games, fourth edition. CRC Press LLC.

[nathanp11246537]

P-5. Aesthetic Overhaul & Minor Gameplay Tweaks

I "fixed" the collision errors when switching between the two dimensions of space by resetting the player's location to the start of the level they are currently on. I didn't know how to fix the collision in general since I've never used Gdevelop before this unit, so I settled for the less effective approach of just killing the player.

I think this solution works as all the levels are very small and only take about 5-10 seconds to complete, so restarting the player each level isn't too big of an issue, though fixing the issue entirely would obviously be preferred.

I also overhauled the graphics with a selection of older sprites I previously made for an older project.

I added functionality for some spikes that reset the player to the designated location in each level I mentioned above for the collision issue, though no other assets have as much functionality (e.g the gems, sword swipe, and wall climb sprites are currently unused). The hell aesthetic in these sprites really fit with the second dimension that the player can switch to, and still retains its readability.

Reflection

This week I read chapter 3, 4 & 5 of the game design workshop textbook, which featured 3 distinct work processes and aspects when looking at game design. Chapter 3 focused on formal elements such as players, objectives, rules, conflict, boundaries etc. and detailed the influences, restrictions, social aspects and other specific info on each.

Although each of these elements is simple at a first glance, the book goes into a surprising amount of depth with each topic, listing specifics like, for example, the relationships of players and the game, vs players and other players in the players section. (Fullerton, 2018).

Chapter 4 focuses more on abstract emotional elements, the more subjective and less measurable qualities of games, such as challenge, character, story and play. The outline of "flow" in the challenge section was particularly interesting as it dictates the core goal for any major game (i.e. where a player's ability is constantly and consistently being met with a similar level of challenge), something I'd hope to achieve in all of my future games. (Fullerton, 2018).

The branching story structure diagrams in the story section also helped illustrate the complexity that stories can have when the viewer themselves has player agency or any say in decisions in the story, which is mostly unique to the medium of video games.

Chapter 5 looks into the intertwined systems in video games such as the combination of objects, behaviours, properties, and relationships etc. I found that the analysis of certain games, for instance, Clue, Tic-Tac-Toe, Chess, or even economies in such games as Settlers of Catan was by far the most interesting few sections in this chapter, allowing for a much deeper understanding of the core systems of games and how they interact rather than looking at each topic individually. (Fullerton, 2018).

Although the games I'll be creating in this unit are rather tame or simpe in comparison, I believe incorporating a lot of these ideas and systems into my future work would allow for a much deeper and unique experience, and I already have a few ideas of where each of these sits in some hypothetical games I've thought about but never fully formed a basis for.

Fullerton, T. (2018). Game design workshop : A playcentric approach to creating innovative games, fourth edition. CRC Press LLC.