INFR3330: Prototype 3: Awesome Possum + Relatable Requirements

Hello Everyone!

So, in this prototype, we had to make a game with different area specifics.
In this case, for this game, we need, a bounce area, a bottleneck area, and two sticky areas.

A bounce area, is an area in which makes you backtrack, to do actions you thought you could skip, but are actually vital to your progression.

For example of a bounce area, in pokemon, (gold, silver, heart gold, soul silver, and platinum version), there is an ice cave, and here, you have to push boulders down through holes in the floor to get to the next area. Here, when in game, some players feel that they could just head through without pushing down boulders, but the way that the area is constructed, is that if you do not push enough boulders properly to, or strategically in the hole indicated for the boulder, you will not be able to proceed.

Another requirement for this assignment, we had to implement a reciprocation at the start of the game, where the main player gains a very powerful item right from the start from the npc, and at the end of the level, the NPC asks for a favour in return...

Again, in pokemon, this is shown, when in the gold, silver, etc. versions, the professor at the time, (Professor Elm) had you to run an errand which takes you to his friend Mr Pokemon's house. For this errand, he gives you your main pokemon, either Chikorita, Cyndaquil, or Totodile. Once you are done the errand, you head back to his lab, and after a certain scene (finally the end of the "level") he asks a favour of you to go on an adventure to gain information and collect every pokemon. 

When first having to make this prototype, I never thought about how each game had a different version of these elements, and I stand surprised. 

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For our game, we had the requirements, but in different places. Near the beginning of the game, for our implementation of a reciprocation, we had an NPC give us a powerful sword.

The third requirement for this prototype, was an expression system. What is meant by this, is anything that would make the character unique. In our game, we made it so that the main characters cloak is able to have its colours changed to any colour at any time of the game.

We thought that these implementations were fun, and in honesty, I hope we come back to the game, and decide to remake/improve it. Great work to all of the group!

OH, and heres the boss model, that had to be made, rigged, and weighted...MAN it was tough..but fun! :)

What had disappointed me, was that after all of the work(mostly the weighting..rigging, and modelling was incredibly easy)... some issue arised, and although the  model and texture could be used, the animations made for it didn't end up being implemented given the time constraint. Still an amazing game nonetheless! 

Thats it for this blog!
Thanks!

Kazekumaru -- Peacing Out!!

INFR 3330: Audio in Games

Hello, and welcome again to my blog!

This week is about audio in gaming. This current week within our class, our professor wants us to create a game focused on sound. As it is focused on sound, it is not allowed to have any visuals, in the sense that, if it is an actual game, it cannot have any lights, or he should be able to play it blind-folded and still manage to achieve things or continue on in the game.

When hearing this, especially in the class where we had to make a mock version of a real life game where he was blindfolded, my question was.... what?

How would one only have sounds in the game, and it be fun? But the answer was clear.

What games have I played in the past, that without sound, it would be easy to beat? Very few.

I realized that a lot of games now incorporate sound so intricately. They have it where if you had your eyes closed, you still had enough aid to know what was happening or some ability of knowing what to do.

For example, in the game Skyrim, in many areas, sound helps and aids you. Especially when fighting. The sounds of footsteps or enemies running from only your right side indicates that one should dodge to the left. The small sound of wind from your left side, shows that if an arrow is shot towards the right, it'll go a tad faster than normal.

The sounds in games are just as important as the visual, because the sound creates an atmosphere, a feeling, using your senses to aid you in gameplay. 

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Although this has been thought out as to what to do in our game, now, we must implement the ideas, and figure out what to place into it and how to make it fun in order to keep the player interested and to continue to want to play the game.

Once finished, I will upload pictures from the game, and other explanations.

But here's a question to answer... What do you feel sound does to games nowadays?

INFR3330: Game Dev Progress

Hey Everyone,

During this past GDW, I had finished all models for the characters and ideas/concepts for their individual character traits. For example, we have five different planets(levels) in our game. Fire, Ice, Tropical, Desert, and Ocean. So for each model, I designed them to take on certain traits of each planet.

For instance, the Ice planet model looks like a diamond, or icicle so if it was an inhabitant of that planet, it could thrive.

Enemy Model 5

Some problems that we're going through however, is that, with everything in gaming coming to a close, we would like to implement some interesting game design, but with the way that everything is going, we may only be able to implement certain AI (Artificial Intelligence), and have every other requirement for our classes. This is a problem.

Although AI are amazing to have in the game, a game needs unique level design. Once it has this, it can only make the game greater, and more "fun" for the player.

We will try and tackle this problem once other things are figured out..but for now..

Kazekumaru -- Peacing Out!

INFR 3330: Game Design Class

Hello! Welcome again to my blog!

As this class has continued, now in its second form --its gotten quite informing when it comes to understanding the concepts of games. For example, when with the group that I am in, they mainly just talked about what they wanted in the game, the type of art, the type of particles, programming, and what they want as their game...But truly? You have to think of so much more.

What do you want the player to think at certain times? How will you involve the player? How will you challenge them? How will you let them understand what they need to do?

Is it a mind-using kind of game? Like Portal?

Does it require precision? Like Call of Duty?

One needs to think of certain things while designing games.
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Often, or every few classes, our professor hands us either homework, or gives us in class assignments to make games. The in-class assignments are more to make concepts of games, to teach us what is truly important when it comes to the concept of games.

One day, we were asked to play a game where we flip tiles on top of each other to gain either points or achievements.. but the problem after that was, after te achievements were achieved...what else was there to do? The point of it was so that we realize that, and to begin making our own objectives, in which we did.
Later, he assigned homework comparing to that, and that, turned into our "Risk"-like board game.

What we had done is make a new rule-set, a new concept, and using the "Risk" board, we re-arranged the planet to make our new concept of a game.

We called it "History...what're you doing...History...STAHP!"

Later, we then had to make another game. 

However, This was different. 

This time, comparing it to a wedding game. 

The title?

"Will You Marry Me?"  -- NO. I'm not asking you to marry me. That's the actual name of the homework!

Our game's name, was the "Tunnel of Love"

For this game,  we were to instill nice memories, thoughts, feelings, leading up to the final question between two people, where the man asks the woman to marry him. This however, was a difficult thing to think about.

So, in the end, the idea, was to actually make ideas, thoughts about the past that the couple had, making the woman remember everything, leading up to that fateful day.

After quite a bit of modelling, and programming, the entire group was able to make a soft-hearted game, although, some things could have been increased for a more dramatic effect, I feel that it was touching.

Made me shed a tear. A manly tear....cuz I'm a man...

However, that wasn't the point of it. What I felt was the point of this game, was to make us think in certain ways, what exactly, would be efficient, in order to use, through gaming technology, which would allow us to propose? Although very confusing at first, the idea presented itself. 

For this, we used gaming elements used in class. For example, as I had stated before, how do you involve your player? We used interaction with the background to involve the player. We made a heart, or pieces of one, scattered, one piece in every room. To lead the character to it (how will the player know what to do?) We emitted music from it, giving a general idea that it would be an important item. After the player clicks on that piece of the heart, in the main corridor, it shows pieces of the heart on the end door (the proposal door).

Once continuing through the other rooms, after every two pieces of the heart, it is shown on the door what you have, and once you have all pieces, you click on the final door, and a wedding/proposal scene happens, where it shows her in a white dress, where you propose to her. 

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As I think more and more about games, I start to find design flaws, and slightly get irked as to how they can easily be fixed.

My question to everyone is, what is one game you like, although it may have a design flaw? What is the design flaw? Would you fix it? How would you fix it?

I like many games. one that irritates me was Vindictus. I liked the game quite a lot, and I used to play it quite a bit in the past, however, because of the non-changing fighting style, repetitiveness, and lack of upgrades, I got bored quite quickly..apparently it had changed recently, and I have not seen the upgrade. However, those few things got irritating quite quickly, because also, one would always want their personal character to look different than others, and to have different skills, however, earlier, when I played, there were limited characters, and everyone had the same armour.. My question..is why have different characters, if not fully customizable armour to distinct yourself from others? I like personally creating different characters with different armour, aspects, strengths, etc. Even if not in some games, they at least have other factors which differentiate them from the rest. I would not change Vindictus, because in a long time, Nexon had ruined some games with their cash shop, and what items could be purchased...I wanted to see what they would do with the main game I fully accepted...Vindictus. 

I will try out the new additions to the game, and see where it takes me! I will reply to this post with the answer to what I have found from the new Vindictus! 

Kazekumaru -- Peacing Out!

See You next time Guys, answer the questions, and let me know about what you think/feel about certain games!