Platformer Post-mortem + Asteroids Elevator Pitch
My main inspiration as to what I wanted to add into my platformer was the Trine series but without the multiple characters. My game started off with having basic animations and sprites as a starting point so I could focus on the core mechanics of the game. As the game was a platformer, the movement and enemy movement were main features that I wanted to work on as it is the most important part of the game. To begin, I only had basic movement of the left and right arrow keys to move and space bar to jump. This would allow me to figure out the limitations of the jumping mechanic so no platforms were impossible to reach. After adding the movement and platforms, a basic enemy was added to get an idea of what it would turn out to be. This was presented by a simple slime moving back and forth on a platform where the player could defeat the slime by jumping on its head. If the player walked into the slime, they would die and it would remove the player sprite. With the general concept and idea of the game being made, I decided to add onto the movement and add a sliding mechanic for a more advanced movement system. This would allow players to slide under obstacles and gain access to small hidden areas throughout the level. After building out the level to become larger, the sliding mechanic was able to be used effectively. Coins were also added for the player to pick up but at the time of prototyping, they did not serve any purpose and didn’t count towards anything.
If I was able to redevelop my prototype, I would definitely add more things to it. The first thing I would add is different sprites and animations to the player character and enemies. This would allow for a more immersive experience which was unable to be done in the prototype due to the large focus on the movement and gameplay. Another change would be to add even more movement options to really grasp the concept of a stealth platformer which is what I was aiming for in the beginning. If I had more time to work on the prototype, I would have liked to add a double jump and possibly a teleport type feature which would allow for greater movement throughout the level and the player would be able to combo moves together to find hidden areas which would be usually out of reach.
If I could change the prototype and what I intended for it, a few things would indeed change about it. First, I would implement different types of enemies which would add variety to the prototype gameplay as having the same enemy with the same way of defeating it can become boring rather fast. By having a faster enemy or an enemy with increased health, the gameplay would change drastically and would make the player have to adapt to the changes with the challenges that they are facing. Another change would be adding a points system which would give some incentive for the player to try and complete the game faster or by trying to find all of the hidden areas for more points. This would make the game more competitive as people would try and get a high score.
Overall, the prototype was a solid first attempt at a platformer game which has made me understand the process of making games and the difficulties that may occur.
Asteroids Elevator Pitch
Elevator Pitch: A mix between asteroids and a bullet hell style of game which will contain asteroids for some down time and obstacles, but the main feature will be the different types of ships which will spawn which all have their unique shooting pattern.
Image:
Google images: Space ship fighting, Retrieved from: https://www.google.com/url?sa=i&url=https%3A%2F%2Fblog.en.uptodown.com%2Fspaceship-battles-shootouts-endless-array-spacecraft%2F&psig=AOvVaw2cRGNyJ5DZmBqz2RoQvBQx&ust=1631066562970000&source=images&cd=vfe&ved=0CAsQjRxqFwoTCLjO48vi6_ICFQAAAAAdAAAAABAD
Controls: Mouse movement, space is to shoot.
Selling points: Different ships which switch up gameplay and how the player will handle the enemy. Power ups which also change up gameplay (Multi shot, penetrating shot)
Fullerton, T. (2018). Game Design Workshop: A Playcentric Approach to Creating Innovative Games. ProQuest Ebook. Retrieved from: https://ebookcentral.proquest.com/lib/qut/reader.action?docID=5477698