SwimType - Development pt2
After my failed game concept and one night to create a new game, I decided to keep the main letter typing mechanic and create a swimming race game. This is a complete 180 from the dark and in depth concept I had originally had, however I knew I could make this in the small amount of time I had left, have it playable and fit the racing theme.
Fullerton says in chapter 9 that “people enjoy the opportunity to master a challenge and to fire their imaginations. Games also offer a ticket to relaxation and an excuse to hang out with friends.” I considered and applied this way of thinking when making my prototype. I wanted to give the opportunity to players to improve their skills and reward them when they reach achievements, in this case first place winner. I also intended in making this game local multiplayer in future iterations so that people could have fun whilst playing a laid back yet entertaining game with friends.
I began deleting everything I didn’t need and started working on a starting and finishing point to the race. I added other npc swimmers and gave them random swimming speeds (upwards force). I recorded who came first, second, third and fourth and would have text pop up to show this. I was able to create three different levels of difficulty, increasing how many letters used in the main mechanic (L1 - 6 keys, L2 - 12 keys, L3 - 26 keys), and increasing the random range the npc’s swim rate. Everything was finally coming together in a way that fit the theme. I created a basic swimming animation for all the people and a background image of a swimming pool with multiple lanes. I then searched for cheering sounds and added it to my scenes. This was a very rushed make, and it is obvious by the art (which completely flopped my original goal for this weeks game), however the game was playable and made sense. I was able to post it online by midday and have people review it. Tune in for the feedback.
Gdev code:
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.