Alternative game concept

Concept of game I am developing
A first person massive open world maps, that take place in various urban setting; a small-town and countryside setting; woodland and farm setting. Players play via the Internet, 4 co-op game modes including Checkpoints, Retrieve items, Survivalism and Invasion.

Overcoming challenges of the game
One of the challenges with the game, after game testing, was; it’s too easy, so to overcome this problem I made the enemies more difficult to kill, by editing the health of the enemies. Another problem was getting atmosphere into the game, the game was not frightening enough and music sorted this problem out, by placing scary music into the game. Another challenge was getting the level right, making the level too large meant the player would wander around too much and get bored, so I made the level short, but fun.

Different games concept
The Dark Deceit is a thrilling shock shooter that delivers a frightful experience and an impressive assortment of horrific baddies to battle. The Dark Deceit is essentially a first-person shooter set in a massive open area gothic castle. You play as Henry Irving, an Englishman travelling to Romania for the wedding of your sister Rebecca to the mysterious Count Vald Orlock. Set Victorian times, in the late 18 century the dark Deceit captures the classic hammer horror feel, with vampires, goules, zombies and much more.

Skills I could demonstrate for the game
o Laying out the larger design of the map by sculpting out hills, rooms, tunnels, etc. for players and enemies to move around in.
o Adding realism by filling in with details such as level-specific graphic textures, sounds, animation, lighting and music.
o General play testing looking for general problems within the game itself or its user interface. Major issues include stability (does the game crash?), correctness of game mechanics (does the gun deal damage?), and integrity of game assets (are textures corrupted?).

Game Sketching

What is game sketching
Game sketching is a method of pre-prototyping the basic interactivity for the purposes of playing with game ideas. Simple 3D object, puppets, actors and basic virtual characters. can be made into a controllable game piece with rudimentary functionality, not unlike tabletop or live-action roleplay.

Why game sketch
Sketching would be a useful bridge between full-fledged game prototypes. It's important for game designer to understand that good games boil down to good game play, regardless of presentation. The hope is that it will allow game makers to try new things and to rapidly prototype a game and allow playability as early as possible.


If the game sketching was a stage on the game development lifecycle

Game sketching should start early in the pre-production stage, when ideas are still occurring and experimentation is still needed. Game sketching would start after the Business parameters stage, to ensure that the game focuses on game exploration rather than on game building.

Limitations of game sketching

• Build a very simple construct of the game world
• No fancy textures or lighting
• Basic movement of a character
• Single director/dungeon master that oversees the entire play of the game, who lowers the gates on cue, resets the world, moves objects, etc.
• Acting and role playing out the game

Business rules for developing Games

Why use a game project triangle

Game project triangle is critical to identifying, on why make the game and what goals are for the game. The project triangle helps manage the particular project and its challenges. Having a triangle can keep the team flexible and decisions can be made, whether the game is going to be on budget, on time or high quality. The project triangle can also help with identify restrictions, requirements and act as a genuine opportunity to shape a successful vision of the game.

Question to answer for current game

What are you trying to accomplish?

I had this idea of making a horror FPS game and I’m trying to accomplish a game that is on time and high quality.

- When must you complete this game project?
- The game must be complete by March 20th, but unlike a real game project I can’t go over my time limit.

- How much money do you have to produce it?
- Apart from buying the software game engine, not much.

- Who do you have to get the job done?
- No one, but myself.

How to achieve an ultra-low budget game

The game project may take a long time, 500 to 1000 hours plus, so it may be a good idea to share the project with other, like friends, family and even like mind individuals over the internet. Producing a low budget game will result in a small simple game, but playable and would require a minimum of engineering to get it functional.
Working on an existing game and create a mod, is another way of creating an ultra-low budget game.

Primary, secondary and tertiary feature

Primary feature are the preproduction of the game and tasks that have been slit-up, for the team to perform, within a given time.

Secondary feature are the building of the game, taking the ideas and features of the primary and make them into finished items.

Tertiary features are after the game ships, which may involve coming back to the secondary features and improving and changing them through patches.

Using Primary, secondary and tertiary feature can support a development team, as a method of measuring progress and task completion that enable the highest quality workflows. Setting up the features by prioritizing the features into three different categories, will make the team members cruise through their tasks with confidence, feeling like winners and making progress quicker.

AGS Games Crit Sheet

Game Title

Elevator



Description of the games concept


You wake up alone in some strange elevator. Not remembering how you got there, you try to get out, but soon find that you are "trapped". It's as if someone, or something, is trying to prevent your escape. Are you a prisoner?



How easy is the game to understand. What you are supposed to do?

Very unclear (0-20%)
Pretty unclear (21%-40%)
Neither clear nor unclear (41%-60%)
Pretty clear (61%-80%)
Very clear (81%-100%)
Easy to understand; just get out of the lift.


Player controls with the game? How easy/difficult were the character(s) to control?

Very difficult (0-20%)
Pretty difficult (21%-40%)
Neither easy nor difficult (41%-60%)
Pretty easy (61%-80%)
Very easy (81%-100%)

comments

Point and click, right click to change what action you want to take. GUI is easy to use.


Graphics quality of the game?

Very poor (0-20%)
Pretty poor (21%-40%)
Neither good nor poor (41%-60%)
Pretty good (61%-80%)
Very good (81%-100%)

comments

Pretty good, reminds me of Silent Hill 4. The pixels are a bit annoying in trying to figure out what things are.



‘Playability’ i.e. quality of the storyline, responsiveness, pace.

Very dull (0-20%)
Pretty dull (21%-40%)
Neither dull nor compelling (41%-60%)
Pretty compelling (61%-80%)
Very compelling (81%-100%)


comments

The story is good, reminds me of the Saw films and Old Boy. Very atmospheric, intense and claustrophobic environment.


Sound – how slick and smooth was the sound? Did the music suit the game.

Very clunky (0-20%)
Pretty clunky (21%-40%)
Neither clunky nor professional (41%-60%)
Pretty professional (61%-80%)
Very professional (81%-100%)

comments

No music or SFX. Dull!


Contextual gameplay - The interfaces for interaction e.g., load, quit etc.; were these easy and clear to use.

Very unclear (0-20%)
Pretty unclear (21%-40%)
Neither clear nor difficult (41%-60%)
Pretty clear (61%-80%)
Very clear (81%-100%)

comments

GUI is simple to use, there is a save option. An option were you can see past dialogue or events that have occurred would have been helpful, because you do get long periods were you wonder around and forget what has just happened.


Write the average of the percentages score here:


61% A good game, done well in using AGS.





Game Title

Besieged



Description of the games concept:

The king is besieged in his castle by the evil Count Bleicher. In desperation the king hatches a scheme to catapult a messenger over the enemy to bring reinforcements. Naturally the top soldiers shirk the honour onto someone lower down the hierarchy, until the buck finally stops at the lowly Dung Shoveler.

The Dung Shoveler must now break the siege and save the castle. Success may well win him the heart of the Servant Girl, while failure will bring certain death, either at the hands of the besiegers or his own side! You must guide the Dung Shoveler through this short but potty-humoured adventure.


How easy is the game to understand. What you are supposed to do?

Very unclear (0-20%)
Pretty unclear (21%-40%)
Neither clear nor unclear (41%-60%)
Pretty clear (61%-80%)
Very clear (81%-100%)

comments

The style of font make it unclear to read and the text disappears to quickly to read at times, which can lead to confusion on what to do.


Player controls with the game? How easy/difficult were the character(s) to control?

Very difficult (0-20%)
Pretty difficult (21%-40%)
Neither easy nor difficult (41%-60%)
Pretty easy (61%-80%)
Very easy (81%-100%)

comments

Easy to use and navigate the character around the different scenes.


Graphics quality of the game?

Very poor (0-20%)
Pretty poor (21%-40%)
Neither good nor poor (41%-60%)
Pretty good (61%-80%)
Very good (81%-100%)

comments

You can make out the character and what the other NPC’s are.


‘Playability’ i.e. quality of the storyline, responsiveness, pace.

Very dull (0-20%)
Pretty dull (21%-40%)
Neither dull nor compelling (41%-60%)
Pretty compelling (61%-80%)
Very compelling (81%-100%)

comments

The story line is funny, but the pace is slow. The dialoge you can pick while talkin to the NPC’s can be at times not very helpful.


Sound – how slick and smooth was the sound? Did the music suit the game.

Very clunky (0-20%)
Pretty clunky (21%-40%)
Neither clunky nor professional (41%-60%)
Pretty professional (61%-80%)
Very professional (81%-100%)

comments

The music is pretty cool and suits the game. There’s different music to each scene. No sound effects though, which is pretty dull. It reminds me of Wonderkid in monster land and the Alex kid games for the Sega master system.


Contextual gameplay - The interfaces for interaction e.g., load, quit etc.; were these easy and clear to use.

Very unclear (0-20%)
Pretty unclear (21%-40%)
Neither clear nor difficult (41%-60%)
Pretty clear (61%-80%)
Very clear (81%-100%)

comments

Easy to use point and click. Three easy to use icons (look, speak and walk). Also a save option which makes things a lot more eaiser.



Write the average of the percentages score here:


55% A good and easy adventure to pick up and play.

What Are Game Assets?

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Game_development

“Game assets are the "things" that go into a game. Some examples of assets are artwork (including textures and 3D models), sound effects and music, text, dialogue and anything else that is presented to the user. Sometimes the terms content or objects are used interchangeably with the term assets”.

http://www.deccanherald.com/Content/Aug72008/dheducation2008080683119.asp

“Game assets are everything that contributes to the visual appearance of the game. Environments, characters, vehicles, interactive props, weapons that may be used in a game and even costumes that differentiate different teams in sport games”.

http://internetgames.about.com/cs/gamingnews/a/gameassets.htm

“Real world economies based on the value of persistent world game characters and items. When Ultima Online and EverQuest characters started appearing on eBay, a lot of people found it hard to believe that anyone was willing to exchange actual money for game items that are, after all, largely imaginary. Nevertheless, trade in these digital goods continues to grow, and it has already gone from being a pastime pursued only by a handful of hard-core gamers to being a fledgling industry in its own right”.


My Definition of game assets

I believe game assets are creations of 3D modelling, animation, special effects, characters, weapons and anything else that is visual and is accessible to the player.

Studio 8 | Concept Art

The sections in the design document that will benefit from concept art are:

I think the basic concept heading; at the start would be a good idea to have concept art, just to give a basic overview of the game. There could be a character or a background of the world map.

In-game user interface heading could use some concept art, as the user interaction. The buttons and icon can be used for showing how the player uses them and what they do i.e. health, weapon, lives, etc.

There could be concept art in the shell menu, like different cars the player can choose, different characters the player can pick.

Detailed game mechanics heading in the report could have concept art. Could show weapons the player character will use; armour and items they will find.

World back-story heading can have concept art. There could be art of the game world or a map of the area the player could run around in.

The Character background can really use concept art, there can be NPC the player character will interact with and even the player’s character.

There can be concept art in Level, Mission Design section of the design document, there can be a top down view of the map the player will use and move around in.

In the Cut Scenes, there could be storyboard art, showing the different cut scenes within the game.

Concept Art

World back Story

A back ally in the city of black water rush, a locations in the game world.

Character background

The Goddess Sashelin.

An elf scout.

A cleric female

Studio 7 | Exploring Playability

http://www.audio-surf.com/

Notes on observation of AudioSurf

1. In multiplayer mode, I found the two players concentrating more and trying to help each other, by getting the same coloured blocks.

2. All the colours and graphics, on screen made the player a bit dizzy.

3. The player needs an audio file i.e. music file to play the game and if the player does not have an audio track on them, he/she will not be able to play.

4. The players enjoy that they can use there own music and not have to put up with the in game soundtrack.

5. The control were picked up very quickly for the player as there are only a few controls the player can use and they are left and right, because the vehicle moves forward on its own and there is not reverse.

The exercise was useful, because it showed how easy to use the game is and pick up. The controls are simple; all the participations could pick up the controls and do well. The ship is controlled using the mouse or by the keyboard. The concept was pretty easy to pick as well, as all the participations have played WipEout and Tetris.

Collect blocks by hitting them. Clear clusters by grouping like-colored blocks together.

The lack of alternate play modes is disappointing and become repetitive after a while. Unlike other rhythm games, there's no penalty for missing blocks or mucking things up. Whatever the participations do, you'll reach the end of every song you play - they just won't get a great score.

The observation could have been improved by develop a good rating instruments, while using clear descriptions for the points on the evaluation form. It also could have been improved by observing out of the way and not in the part-participation role.

To round up, the game is simple, addictive, and easy fun, and the way the track moves and shakes to the beat of the music will keep your attention much better than most casual games.