- Where is Team 1 right now in the game design process?
---> Our team is currently prototyping Ro, a science-based puzzle/adventure game. Right now we have been working on modeling characters, creating an introduction gameplay screen, a sample level, and working game document. The next steps in our game design will need 2d backgrounds for level design, modeled game objects, and just working with what we have so far and making it better in one way or another.
One thing I have found particularly difficult is balancing the complexity of characters, items, ect with the game engine. I always like to add lot of detail to things, and with the latest games as comparison, I guess a lot of people come from the idea that good characters need to be extremely detailed and high resolution. Although, I've learned a lot about the complexity of characters. It's not how detailed they are, it's what you can do with them, knowing what to add and what to leave is part of making a great game and what can make it an art. Doing complex things with simple starts can create amazing results, don't underestimate the power of small!
- How is iteration used in Team 1's game design?
Our group has been using iteration to develop our game by constantly throwing ideas back and forth between members. For example, technically I am considered the artist or graphic designer of our team but overall our group is very open to new ideas and members who want to switch up jobs. Just because one member is good at something doesn't mean others don't also enjoy it and having something to offer. The main way I help with the iteration process is developing ideas after talking with the group to see what our general goals for the game are I might create several versions of something and the most liked ideas as a team go further into the design process and prototyping. So far some of my contributions to the group were creating character concept art, creating a beta version of the team's game document(with a tentative team game overview in mind). Meanwhile other members of my group are constantly play testing beta levels seeing what we might want to add next.
- What could go wrong in your team’s game?
In a few words, a lot, but to list some:
- Gameplay Lag
Tentative solution: Avoid high polygon count objects and characters
- Boring Gameplay
Tentative solution: Advanced textures on characters, new and changing low poly graphics(2d image backgrounds, character animations, cut scene animations?
- Character State Change Errors
Tentative solution: play testing, beta testing, creating objects, ect to avoid the player's view from small glitches
- Short Gameplay
Tentative solution: create more levels, 2 player option after beating the game?
- What are some changes that “might” have to make to be made?
Other than the tentative solutions above, we might have to make compromises in the final version based on how the actual gameplay works. It's hard to stay what else would have to be tweaked but keeping characters and items low poly will save our group headaches in the long run with where we are right now. If our game can handle the high resolution characters, they might be added later but overall gameplay > graphics, graphics are secondary but must have a level of quality even at a low level.
- What are you doing that “might” not work as expected?
Right now I am working on 2d backgrounds for the side scrolling gameplay. It may or may not work as planned but depending on how things work I can create something else to keep improving the game.
- What are the characteristics/experiences/features that players will like and not like? What are your expectations from the players of your game?
Some characteristics players 18-24 may like from our game in the escapism element of our game. Many students struggle while in college or finding job after job and might be able to relate to our main character's lost drunken state.
This game is not meant for people below age 21 but as with most games that are rated mature, kids from about 10+ years old seem to find a way to get a hold of the games and the element that the game is restricted might cause that group to like it more, for the suspense and strategy needed to even get the game.
Some features a general audience may enjoy from our game is the strategy involved in gameplay and how it is integrated in a normal side scrolling game. Most side scrolling games are first person shooter games and the added strategy of our game should make it more interesting to any player.
Overall, our game may not be liked by parents, schools, and agents against violence and alcohol abuse. Although our story does offer a lesson from gameplay which may make up in part for the disliked public elements of alcoholism and "drunken bum syndrome."
Some things players might except with a side scrolling game are limited time to complete tasks, a sense of distance, repeating and non-repeating elements(example, platforms might repeat, but a repeating background becomes monotonous).
- Will men and women like your game equally? What could be done to enhance the game for one or the other gender?
Generally men and women will not like our game equally. Generally women are more against alcohol abuse than men or to phase that better, men are normally more willing to play games that involve alcohol and drug abuse than women. However, this has been changing depending on the content of the game. For example, Grand Theft Auto, a game which allows players to steal cars, kill others, and steal money was generally seen as a mature game when it came out, restricted for adults and not to be played or viewed by anyone under 18 but as the game fell more into the hands of "underage" players, the age and gender bountries of the genre of mature games has been greatly blurred. Now that women have been more desensitized to alcohol abuse, killing, ect they are more willing to play games which involve those aspects if there are enough elements which draw them to the game.
Some ideas of appealing to men and women:
Men: defeating enemies, search and goal gameplay, strategy, time based, unappealing conditions --> more appealing conditions.
Women: cartoon-like characters, vivid backgrounds for gloomy settings, goal based gameplay, rythmnic gameplay, background and introduction music
- What would have to be done to your game to make it appealing to 15-18 year group. Same question for group between 40 and 50.
The 15-18 year old group generally will probably enjoy our game as-is but turing the main character's problem into drunkeness from soda might make it more G rated for people in that group from strict households which do not approve of alcohol related games. Having the main character become drunk from soda is kind of an ironic twist with a slight reference to "drunken bum syndrome."
To make the game appealing to 40-50 year olds, we could slow the game down more, create more problem and puzzle based challenges, and possibly include mini-games of board games or simple strategy games to appeal to that group.
- What pleasures does your game provide to the players (Chapter 8)
Some pleasures our game offers players is escapism, endurance through difficult situations, opportunities to be creative, restricted real world experiences with no negative consequences(ex. killing, drunkeness with no responibility), enjoyment of visual asthetics, button-mashing for enemies(for some people this is one of the main reasons they play), and freedom(by helping our main character escape).
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