Wednesday 4 June 2014
Tuesday 3 June 2014
Space Death game
This is the space game I have been working on. The objective of this game is simply find your way out of the maze before the alien gets you.
Tropical Fun game
This is the tropical game I have been working on. The objective is to collect as many coconuts as you can without dying. You only have 1 life and hitting one bomb will kill you.
Rapid prototyping challanges
Effects and lighting
Due to lack of time I was unable to add any effects to my game level. I used a single directional light to illuminate my level because it is an open landscape with a large building in the center not obstructed by anything or not inside, I only needed a single light that would act as a sun to give off a vibrant but mysterious look.
Texture List
I used this dirt texture here as an undercoat for my terrain so that any parts I din't fill in propperly would still be left with a nice dirt texture
This dirt texture was used for the pathway leading into the valley from the mountains.
I used this grass texture for the main land of the valley to cover the dirt to give it a nice green vibrant grassy look to keep up with the (illusion)
Game level audio
Discussion
Level sound is very important because it is what will set the mood for the player. Having little amounts of sound can also help with the mood depending on the level and how you want the message of the level to get across to the player. Many levels use a combination of background music, a few ambient noises and noises that happen when the player does something (move, attack and equipping stuff). in most games without sound it can be half the fun of the game gone, because sounds will put you in your characters shoes and allow you to experience things from their perspective.
Asset list
Level sound is very important because it is what will set the mood for the player. Having little amounts of sound can also help with the mood depending on the level and how you want the message of the level to get across to the player. Many levels use a combination of background music, a few ambient noises and noises that happen when the player does something (move, attack and equipping stuff). in most games without sound it can be half the fun of the game gone, because sounds will put you in your characters shoes and allow you to experience things from their perspective.
Asset list
- Wind
- Birds
- foot steps
- eerie backing music when close to fortress
- (due to the fortresses size and the 3D sound with it the rest of the scene will have no (music) because when you move close to the fortress there will be)
3D assets
I made the fortress large and symmetrical to give it an overwhelming look to scare off travelers who got close by.
The Mountains were made with the terrain editor to make them in the shape of a giant rock wall to surround the valley that the fortress is in.
The trees were made using the tree creator package in unity, the trees are here to show that it can still look nice in such a desolate location whether they are illusions or not.
The Mountains were made with the terrain editor to make them in the shape of a giant rock wall to surround the valley that the fortress is in.Game level asset list
High
- Trees
- Fortress
- Mountains/Hills
- Lighting
- Player controller
Low
- Skybox
- Rocks
- Grass textures
- Sounds
- Animals
Environment draft
The fortress will be secluded and in a large valley surrounded by mountains high above sea level. The valley is just like a valley at sea level would be with trees and grass but the question is. "Is this just all an illusion"? Either way there will be trees surrounding the fortress and it will look as if the mountains surrounding it are like a giant rock wall.
Game level characters
World Leader
Not much is known about the world leader. He is a male of 50+ years and has 0 tolerance for magic of any form. He has completely outlawed it, even card tricks will earn you a fine. He is strong willed and will not change his mind once he has made a decision. He hates being wrong and told what to do. He commends an elite army of soldiers specifically trained for dealing with dark magic users called the Raiders. He designed the armies suits to be magic resistant because he stumbled upon an odd material that the dark mages sought after greatly. He discovered it's true purpose and 10% of every armor suit has this material sewn through it. Though it does not provide complete protection it is enough to prevent any form of mind control or subconscious effects.
Dawn
Dawn is the leader of the Raiders and has been commissioned personally to take down the last fortress and bring back the High Mage alive. Dawn became leader of the raiders due to his natural resistance to magic, with thew only types of magic effecting him being physical attacks or illusions. It is not known what gave him this resistance to magic, but unknown to anyone else he want's to find the answer inside the last fortress. His quest for the last decade has been to find out what happened to is parents and find out if it was in any way linked to his natural resistance. He strongly believes the answer lies within the fortress or the high mage will know more. In reality he does not fight for either side, he chose the raiders for a greater chance at survival and finding out the truth.
High Mage
The High Mage's appearance is deceiving, Visually she looks like a stereotypical wise old man but in reality she is actually just a young girl who is very skilled at illusion magic. No one is 100% sure of her identity, Dawn and the World Leader are sure she is an old man who is leading the fortress but they couldn't be further from the reality. She is the most skilled illusionist in the world, she has above average abilities in every other magic style but they way she can control someone through the way she uses illusions has earned her the High Mage position because no other mage had as much control and precision as she does. She is very intelligent and has out smarted the likes of the world leader on several occasions, and these smarts are keeping her alive today.
Not much is known about the world leader. He is a male of 50+ years and has 0 tolerance for magic of any form. He has completely outlawed it, even card tricks will earn you a fine. He is strong willed and will not change his mind once he has made a decision. He hates being wrong and told what to do. He commends an elite army of soldiers specifically trained for dealing with dark magic users called the Raiders. He designed the armies suits to be magic resistant because he stumbled upon an odd material that the dark mages sought after greatly. He discovered it's true purpose and 10% of every armor suit has this material sewn through it. Though it does not provide complete protection it is enough to prevent any form of mind control or subconscious effects.
Dawn
Dawn is the leader of the Raiders and has been commissioned personally to take down the last fortress and bring back the High Mage alive. Dawn became leader of the raiders due to his natural resistance to magic, with thew only types of magic effecting him being physical attacks or illusions. It is not known what gave him this resistance to magic, but unknown to anyone else he want's to find the answer inside the last fortress. His quest for the last decade has been to find out what happened to is parents and find out if it was in any way linked to his natural resistance. He strongly believes the answer lies within the fortress or the high mage will know more. In reality he does not fight for either side, he chose the raiders for a greater chance at survival and finding out the truth.
High Mage
The High Mage's appearance is deceiving, Visually she looks like a stereotypical wise old man but in reality she is actually just a young girl who is very skilled at illusion magic. No one is 100% sure of her identity, Dawn and the World Leader are sure she is an old man who is leading the fortress but they couldn't be further from the reality. She is the most skilled illusionist in the world, she has above average abilities in every other magic style but they way she can control someone through the way she uses illusions has earned her the High Mage position because no other mage had as much control and precision as she does. She is very intelligent and has out smarted the likes of the world leader on several occasions, and these smarts are keeping her alive today.
Game level idea
Set in the present day, Earth is still the same planet except for the fact that dark magics have made their way into existence and the users of the dark magic have made large protected fortresses in the mountains to practice their arts. They did this in order to not cause conflict with other people, they see it as a hobby rather then a crime, but the world leader thinks otherwise and order all users of dark magic to be executed. For this reason they have made these protected fortresses far away from sight except over time every fortress was found and taken over, except one. This fortress is higher and farther away then any other before it. It is not the largest but it is said that the most powerful mages call this fortress home.
The level will be set either inside the fortress or on the mountains leading up to it.
The level will be set either inside the fortress or on the mountains leading up to it.
Good level design
A good level design is simply a level that a player will find enjoyable. As long as the player of the level is having a good time completing objectives or exploring the level then it is safe to say that it is a good level. A good level will in most cases be based off a successful level of the past from a previous game. I find that in general people have been wanting new and original levels in games and then when they get them they are disappointing or liked what they did in the previous game more, I'm not saying that anything new is bad it's just that in most cases it does not work as well as it could in keeping an audience entertained as a previous successful level. The main key to a good level is something that will keep the player playing the game, that is why previously successful levels with their core greats about them can be re used and altered slightly to give the player the same exciting and fun experience again yet still experiencing this games own mechanics and design.
Tuesday 27 May 2014
Game level
A game level is generally an objective based scene or landscape in which you need to go from one point to another or complete a primary objective with possible side objectives. A good level design will contain most of the above. This can work in both linear and non-linear games as long as there is a good reason to complete the objective.
Some levels come in the form of stages where you would generally have to collect something to progress or defeat an enemy. These stages throughout a game would usually increase in difficulty or the amount of objectives or difficulty of objective increases.
Other levels can be as simple as a nice landscape where the only objective is to get to the other side without having to complete a specific objective or even defeat any enemies. These can be used in between areas as nice safe zones or can be used for mini games between stages or levels.
A game level will in general be made to be fun and have an objective that the player will want to complete in order to continue. The level can be very large or small depending on what is needed to be completed in said level and the size of a level should have objectives that weigh the balance of size and objectives to keep a player interested in the level.
Some levels come in the form of stages where you would generally have to collect something to progress or defeat an enemy. These stages throughout a game would usually increase in difficulty or the amount of objectives or difficulty of objective increases.
Other levels can be as simple as a nice landscape where the only objective is to get to the other side without having to complete a specific objective or even defeat any enemies. These can be used in between areas as nice safe zones or can be used for mini games between stages or levels.
A game level will in general be made to be fun and have an objective that the player will want to complete in order to continue. The level can be very large or small depending on what is needed to be completed in said level and the size of a level should have objectives that weigh the balance of size and objectives to keep a player interested in the level.
80's Game designer
If i were a game designer in the 80's I would make a highly text orientated RPG in which your choices in the game will effect the outcome of the story of the characters you encounter. I would develop this game for home consoles because around the 80's is where home consoles were becoming more popular and would seem like the best direction to head at the time. For the most part of this game you will be reading text with pictures like a Visual Novel with choices but these choices will effect items you have and the stats of your character along with the relationship with others. your stats and current items will also effect how others react to you and in turn more choices in the game can become available.
I compared 3 games level designs. One from the 80's 90's and after 2004. The 3 games I compared are Pac-Man (1980), Crash Bandicoot (1996) and Dark Souls (2011). Pac-Man's level design was very simple and effective. Where each level would get increasingly harder as you progress with more cutoff points where you could get caught by the enemy. Crash Bandicoot had you go through different themed environments which would get increasingly harder whether it be from the types of jumps you needed to perform or the placement of enemies. Each level had little mini levels inside that would usually be quick levels to get more lives and boxes. Dark Souls has an open world with more areas opening up with the more you explore and kill bosses. The main areas of the games are large but in most cases the enemies will be placed in increasingly harder locations or will be 4vs1 against the player in small hallways. Each boss could be harder then another depending on your play style and items.
A games genre effects how the level is designed because some genres require free roaming and others need to be linear. an RPG like TES V: Skyrim has an open world design so the player has 100% choice on where they want to go and what they want to do. this is common in RPG games because the idea is to play a role and involve yourself in another universe. A simulation game like gran turismo only allows the player to stay on the race track while in a race with only other options being navigating around menus. Racing simulation games are designed like this so the player will stay in the race and finish it in 1st place so you can progress through the game winning money and cars. An adventure game like Terraria has an open world but unlike an RPG you can't level up or have 100% choice on everything you can do. you progress through this game by building, crafting, mining and killing monsters for items that will help you progress.
I compared 3 games level designs. One from the 80's 90's and after 2004. The 3 games I compared are Pac-Man (1980), Crash Bandicoot (1996) and Dark Souls (2011). Pac-Man's level design was very simple and effective. Where each level would get increasingly harder as you progress with more cutoff points where you could get caught by the enemy. Crash Bandicoot had you go through different themed environments which would get increasingly harder whether it be from the types of jumps you needed to perform or the placement of enemies. Each level had little mini levels inside that would usually be quick levels to get more lives and boxes. Dark Souls has an open world with more areas opening up with the more you explore and kill bosses. The main areas of the games are large but in most cases the enemies will be placed in increasingly harder locations or will be 4vs1 against the player in small hallways. Each boss could be harder then another depending on your play style and items.
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