#first prototype

[tpodmdgt]

Platformer Development

Over the past week, I have begun to develop my platformer prototype to see what I could manage to make within a small-time frame. The elevator pitch idea that I had come up with was definitely too ambitious, as Fullerton mentioned, “make it simple and focused on a particular question.” (Fullerton, 2018). Despite this, I still tried to implement different mechanics that would be used in the actual game if it were to be made.

Adding a slide mechanic

The first mechanic which I added after the initial design and mechanics was the sliding feature. This feature would allow the player to manoeuvre around the stage using different paths and movement to find the optimal way to complete the level.

Adding an underground area

An underground area was also added to act as a second part of the level which wasn’t the same feeling as the beginning. This was inspired by other platformers which had different locations in the same level.

While I wasn’t able to add too many features, I had a great time figuring out how to implement the different mechanics and other aspects of the game into my prototype. Near the end of developing the prototype, I partnered with another student and did some playtesting to see if the movement and other parts of my prototype felt nice to play and if there were any issues. I recorded some notes from the playtesting about the good parts and parts that need to be improved for my prototype.

Some things that needed to be improved or changed were that the slide animation could occur when the player is jumping which looked weird and interrupted the flow of the game slightly. Some things that could be added were a coin counter for the coins that the player picked up throughout the level, and a proper wall texture for obstacles that the player has to slide under to progress further into the level. Another aspect is that the prototype was still using default sprites which wasn’t a major concern but is something that would definitely be changed further into the development of the prototype.

Whilst there were parts that needed to be changed, some good aspects were found within the prototype. One was the quick understanding of the sliding mechanic and how to use it. The play tester was able to figure it out without and help or hints which is a good sign about the mechanic. Another part that was found to be good was that the level was not too challenging for the tester, and they were able to get to the end without too much hassle, which allowed the state of flow to stay with them the whole time, instead of them becoming bored or frustrated with the game.

Overall, for the development of my first game prototype from IGB220, I would say it was fun to make and it allowed me to better understand the GDevelop program and what it is capable of making with different types of games that will be made in the future.

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

[atticube]

Finish prototyping the first item that should be available in about a week.

Need to grab better images.

[guushoeberechtsdae]

First prototype / ecological matters / 09.11.2018

The first prototype I started on, for my footprint generator. I decided to leave it at this stage because it became clear to me that this is a shoe no one can walk in (the sole is made of wood, the wire construction and it is tiny (like actually tiny)). I will focus on making a shoe that someone can wear, made of materials I DIDN'T BUY, in the spirit of recycling. This means I will use only materials I find around, say, school, or materials I still had lying around. 

I will do research on materials I would need to make the machine and keep the person wearing it safe. 

I might make a 'working' prototype, with another material instead of plastic, something that doesn't need melting (ex. paint). 

[explorativedesign-blog1]

Group Work:

For the first game, I’m working with my group mates, Jana and Maximilian. Last Wednesday, was the first group meeting to share the ideas and choose the best one for the final outcome. Each of us, had at least a specific game Idea or a simple prototype. We played (tested) two of them to get some feedbacks from another group members and it was the first step to figure out :

What kind of rules, should be considered / changed.

Are the game ideas funny enough.

Is the concept of Time Travel, considered properly?

For the next step, each of us supposed to work on our individual ideas and develop their own prototypes. Then we are able to skip or combine them for the final game.

The next meeting will be held on Wednesday 30th March at Max’s place with solleti and beers! :D

[biolight]

As shown in the picture above, we have begun assembling our parts.

In order to attach the pieces, we planned on using L brackets; however, the brackets we have are too small to fit around the exterior of the box and must be attached to the interior. Unfortunately, because of the cutouts in the triangles to reduce weight, there is nowhere to attach the brackets. In this instance, we used scrap particle board to attach the L brackets to the triangles, but this is a temporary solution. The attachment has proven to be especially problematic since the small pieces are hard to attach and keeping everything flat is difficult, making assembly a challenge.

We have altered our CAD to reflect this design change. The triangles which form the top of the lid originally sat on the top of the walls but now will be attached to the inside edge of the walls. To enable this move, the sizes of the wall and bottom square needed to be changed and our newest cut sheet reflects these alterations.

[biolight]

The machine shop had a much faster turnaround than we expected, and we received our parts today! Since we'd decided not to include some of the simpler pieces on the cut sheet, we first needed to hand-cut the remaining parts, mostly squares. First we marked the cuts we needed to make on the particle board and cut them in the wood shop using a band saw. Once we finished all of our parts, we started to put things together. To attach the two sections of the lid together, we were originally planning on using wood glue, but had difficulty finding the necessary supplies. In the absence of the glue and in the interest of time, we decided to nail the two parts together. This worked out well, and now our lid parts are complete.

To put the walls and the lid together, we have decided to use L-brackets, which we'll be working on for the next bit. Finally, we'll need to attach the hinges to allow the walls to open.