IGB220 Reflective Journal

What aspects of the reading helped inspire your design process?

One aspect of the reading that I feel helped us with our design process was being focused on engaging the player. We tried to make sure that the player would continue to feel engaged throughout the game and make sure it was always keeping them on edge and not knowing what is going to happen next. This was very important since we created a game with mostly horror-type aspects.

What’s the one thing you’d change about how you developed the prototype?

One thing I would change about how we developed the prototype as a group for the game would be to focus more on designing how the game is going to play out. I feel as though we rushed most of the mechanics for the game, just trying to get a working game out that is functional for playtesting. I would change how we managed our time around this project as well. We were supposed to have some puzzles for the player to figure out, however, we just ran out of time due to poor time management.

What’s one thing you’d change about the design of the prototype?

One thing I would change about the design of our game would be to add some sort of different ending to the game, and have a good ending and a bad ending, so the players would feel even more immersed and engaged in the game. This would also add to the puzzle element of the game that we were aiming for.

A few days after the playtesting I started to continue working on the artwork again. I only had the player character left to draw and animate as well as the sword, so I could easily get those finished. I was struggling with how I could design the character as close to the original drawing that I made because I really liked that design. I then thought of the design and started animating.

I’m really happy with how everything turned out since it is my first time drawing pixel art and animating. I choose navy for the colour since it blends into the background and fits into the eerie atmosphere of the game.

The reason why the swords and eyes of the character and magpie are yellow is that the colour yellow symbolises the good side of this world and the player is trapped on the bad side. This is seen in the background of the tutorial level, as the windows in the kitchen are glowing yellow.

During class, we asked our tutor to play test our game. We had them fill out a survey before the playtesting so we could see how they feels about games and if they play video games often.

We then asked them to play the game and urged her to talk out loud so we could understand her thought process when she was playing the game. This is what she said:

"Arrow keys gravitate to, understand the simple instructions, and easily can read the text. Understand the controls instantly, thinks it creepy! the killing is quite hard, and jarring, doesn’t want to find out what will happen to the ghost, is unsettling, and mysterious. Interesting, dream-like moment-to-moment makes however feels ethereal"

Then we asked her to fill out a survey after she finished the game so we can see her feedback and what she thought about our game.

After the tutorial, I then asked another person that I knew to also playtest our game. They filled out the survey before starting the playtest.

Once they had completed that I asked them to blindly playtest our game. During this blind playtest I asked them to say their thoughts out loud therefore I was able to capture the key thoughts and opinions that they had about our game.

“Don’t quite understand, took a while to understand how to move, figured out the magpie is teaching, confused why the lever disappeared, liked the bouncing sounds, interesting physics, the sword is a bit funky and the platforms are funky sliding off and not sliding off, great if slide the whole way (ended out breaking the game), like the platforms on level 2, good needs work like to see level moves, would like movement between level, the sword is buggy and can get trapped”

After this blind playtest, I then demonstrated how the game should’ve been played. After this demonstration, they understood how the game should work and easily completed it. Once the playtesting had ended, I asked them to fill out the after-survey to gather data on how they thought about the game so it could be analysed in the future.

For the assignment, we had to form a group to create a level for a brand-new game and I formed this group with Eloise and Oliver. We originally had very different ideas so we decided to make a google doc and put some ideas up so we could then merge our ideas together

From these ideas, we created the idea for our game based on Eloise’s magpie game, Oliver’s shrunken game and my dream game to create “Half Asleep”. For the first part of the assignment, we had to make an elevator pitch, a minimal viable product (MVP) description, and a one-page describing what the game would be.

Elevator pitch:

“The player has fallen asleep and is in a nightmare but can’t wake up. They have been shrunk and must escape a house in an attempt to escape the nightmare. Each level is set in a different area in a variety of rooms where the player has to solve puzzles and find clues to escape the dream. A mix of mice, ghosts and other small animals will be slowly chasing the player in order to add some intensity. Players can get power-ups to slow enemies and summon weapons. Players will have a health bar and can heal by stitching themselves up with needles and thread that can be found throughout the level. Players can encounter Prickles, a magpie, who can give them hints. The overall game is to make it through the nightmare so the player can wake up.”

Here is what we thought the general feel of the game would be like:

MVP Description:

“Half asleep” is a story-based multilevel adventure horror platformer that revolves around the player and their adventure within a nightmare they cannot wake up from. With the help of Prickles, the player's companion, the player must solve puzzles, find clues, level up, and outrun or kill enemies in an attempt to escape from the nightmare.

One-page:

I made all of the art for this project, and I am still developing some animations and works at the moment while Eloise and Oliver develop the game. Here is my work:

I originally started with the sprites being 32x32 pixels as it was the recommended size. However, I found out that they were too small for the game so I had to re-draw and re-think the design for the characters.

I am still trying to think of a design for the player character.

This is my first every time using pixel art and making animations so it has been quite difficult adapting my art style since it is more cartoon realism, but it has been fun. I aim to finish the art by the end of this week.

For assignment 2 I had to make a one-sheet and a one-page for one of the games I had made from the previous weeks. A one-sheet document is an A4 page that is designed to help the viewers understand the vision of the game being made and to achieve buy-ins. This includes the name of the game, an X statement and important defining details that can help sell the game. The one-page is an A3 document that a team can use as a reference tool to understand what they will be developing. The one page includes the name of the game, version and details; whitespace for developers to write on; illustration of the game; description of what can be interacted with and a description explaining the X statement. I choose to use my platformer game “Escape the Cage” (originally called “Run! Chicken” but was changed due to copyright issues), to use for this assignment as I thought it would be interesting to explore further.   

One-sheet:

One-page:

What aspects of the reading helped inspire your design process?

Some aspects of the reading that helped me inspire my design process were focused on the player-centric approach. Making sure that I designed my game to be able to easily input player feedback into the development was very important for me to do. I had only played a small number of racing games in my childhood, so this feedback was essential so I could get the game right.

What’s the one thing you’d change about how you developed the prototype?

One thing I would change about how I developed the prototype for the racing game would be to practice making the game more with more tests in development. I struggled to understand the game's mechanics and how they work, with some things not working until the day of playtesting. So next time, I will make sure that it is playable before the playtesting to get better feedback on the game.  

What’s one thing you’d change about the design of the prototype?

After writing the elevator pitch and having some time to think about how I was going to develop this, I started making the game. I did struggle to try actually to develop the game and understand how the mechanics work. For some reason, the actual window for the game wasn’t in line with the assets so I had to do some playing around with the camera and the placement of the background. My sprites were also too big so they kept going off the screen, so I again had to play around with setting to keep them on screen. However, after a while, I did indeed start to understand how the game should look. I also did some research to know how the game should flow and what the mechanics should look like in a racing game. I used free sprites and assets I found on the internet to create the very basic prototype. There are a few issues with it however, it is playable.

I don’t play a lot of racing games (apart from Mario Cart), so I’m not very good at them. So I asked for people to play test the game for me and this is what they came back with:

What is your initial thought about playing the game?

The art is very cute and creative

The background is bright, and you would tell it was underwater-themed before the animals started to come into view

The collision is a bit janky, with the shark sometimes dying to the snail and sometimes not dying, or just randomly dying (maybe hitting a hitbox somewhere)

Is there anything that I can add to make it more enjoyable?

If the player reaches a certain point, it could change the scene

Power-ups, so maybe the shark could have a shield or destroy the enemies for a period of time

Could potentially add different enemies as the player progresses

Add a score

Add lives so the player doesn’t die instantly

Sense of progression (story etc.)

Levelling up, making it harder

In different settings, maybe the player could change the speed of the shark or the enemies

What do the controls feel like?

The controls were a little bit janky, arrow keys are a bit hard maybe use WASD instead

Another game that I will be developing is a racing game. I have quite a personal relationship with these games as I played them with my dad throughout my childhood, so I hope to make one reflect my experiences with them as a child. Throughout my reading of “Game Design Workshop: A Playcentric Approach to Creating Innovative Games” I have learnt that well-thought-out prototyping is the most valuable thing for improving gameplay and that if these prototypes can sustain the interest of playtesting, then the design is sold. I have been struggling with my prototype design and layout, so I am hoping to learn from my mistakes and use this game as a test of my prototyping design skills. I know now that I am not creating the final design of the game, but I’m formalising ideas and discovering what works and what doesn’t, before creating the final design of the game.

With this new approach in mind, I have come up with my idea for the racing game. This game will be an underwater racing game, where you the player will play as an underwater creature of your choosing to race against the tide and other competitors like stingrays and schools of fish to reach the finish line. This game will be intended for multiplayer purposes.

What is your gameplay?

The main gameplay will focus on the basic mechanics of the racing game, using the arrow keys to move the shark across the screen to avoid obstacles and competition. It will also include powerups such as shields, speed boosts or sabotage other players depending on if you pick up the items or not. Other players will also be able to pick these items up, creating even more competition throughout the game.

Why will it be compelling?

The themes and elements used in the game aren’t usually seen in typical racing games, for example, underwater creatures are used instead of cars. It will also be multiplayer allowing players to play with friends or strangers around the world.

Who is it for? (Target audience)

The target audience for my game will be 13+, as it is a multiplayer game therefore there will be interaction with people online.

What is the player’s role?

The player will take the role of a sea creature of their liking and race against other sea creatures (players online) to reach the end of the finish line.

How will you motivate the player? How will they be rewarded?

The player will be rewarded with collectables like skins and special powerups that they can use within their races.

What genre?

Racing

What world/setting?

The game is set underwater.

Here is my elevator pitch:

“Race of the Seven Seas” is a racing game based underwater! Players will race against one another as different sea creatures of their choosing to get to the finish line and get to the top of the podium. This multiplayer game will allow players to play with friends or strangers as they compete to win the race. With every race won, players will unlock skins and special abilities to flaunt their skills to other players.

Concept image – Mario Kart 7 (https://www.destructoid.com/an-extensive-hands-on-look-at-mario-kart-7)

Sources:

What aspects of the reading helped inspire your design process?

The major aspect of the reading that helped me design this platformer was formalising general ideas of what an asteroid game should look like. I originally had no idea what an asteroid game was about, so I had to put some hours into researching how they are played and what the game mechanics are generally like. After this, I found it a lot easier to understand how I should design my asteroid game.

What’s the one thing you’d change about how you developed the prototype?

I ended up accidentally going through the same process as before with the platformer game. I had done some research on what an asteroid game should look like and came up with a small idea of what my game should be, and then I just started developing it; hoping I would come up with ideas as I built the game. This process was very hard and frustrating as I felt like I didn’t have an original game and nothing to playtest, but after some thought and more research I ended up with my final concept and idea. Of course, this will grow and change with player testing, but having a solid concept and idea made it much easier to develop my game more confidently.  

What’s one thing you’d change about the design of the prototype?

From my elevator pitch and further concept building, I decided to start developing a prototype for my asteroid type of game. I found it quite hard and complicated to understand and implement the game mechanics for this game, but after a while of researching GDevelop and using the tools and information I had gathered, I figured out to make a playable prototype for my game. Even though it is a very simple prototype with only the key elements, I believe it still shows my idea for the game. Here is the prototype below.

Also, during this development process, I also asked some people to play test my game. I’ve learned from the reading that constantly asking for play testers and feedback is needed for developing a good game. I asked three questions, and these were the responses and feedback I received:

What are your initial thoughts about playing the game?

The art is very cute

The background clouds were bright

Couldn't see bullet (I changed this after as it was an easy fix)

Few times where you weren’t close to an asteroid and took life and took a life point off (change hitbox)

The art style is interesting – could potentially add different things, and this could make a more interesting setting

Is there anything that I can add to make it more enjoyable?

Hit certain scores have a different level

Power-ups

Change so the text is in front of everything

Feels like a loading screen game

Sense of progression (story etc.)

Levelling up, making it harder

Change over time

Different settings

What do the controls feel like?

The mouse-based mechanic is a bit hard to use

The game is very responsive

Couldn't tell when being hit by the asteroids

Another game type of game that I have started working on is an asteroid game. Since I’ve learnt about the importance of playtesting and a player-centric approach with the other game I have created will create this game with the feedback of other students in my tutorial. From continuing my readings from my textbook “Game Design Workshop: A Playcentric Approach to Creating Innovative Games” I have learnt that iterative processes are key to designing a good game. This design process is to design, test and evaluate the results throughout the development of my game until the player's experience meets the criteria. This criteria involves:

That the player experience goals are set,

The idea or system is conceived,

The idea or system is formalised,

The idea or system is tested against player experience goals,

And the results are evaluated and prioritised.

With this iterative design process in mind, I hope to adapt this into my game building and playtesting.

My idea for this asteroid shooter game is adapted from the classic style of space invaders, but with a more modern twist to it. It is going to be based around aliens invading earth and hoping to take human’s most prized possessions. So, your goal as the player is to stop this from happening and shoot down the aliens.

What is your game play?

The main gameplay will focus on the basic mechanics of an asteroid shooter, using the arrow keys to move across the screen and clicking or pressing the space bar to shoot at the enemies. It will also include powerups such as larger bullets or triple bullets depending on how you complete the level.  

Why will it be compelling?

The game will still have that ‘old-timey feel to it with it having elements of the classic arcade style and mechanics. However, it will also have new and different elements that will contrast the ‘old-timey feel’ which will make the game more compelling to players.

Who is it for? (Target audience)

The target audience for my game will be 7+, as it will contain some violence, in terms of pixelated explosions.

What is the player’s role?

The player will take the role of the pilot, defending the Earth by defeating aliens entering the atmosphere.

How will you motivate the player? How will they be rewarded?

The player will be rewarded with different weapons, power-ups and skills when they complete the level or defeat harder enemies. The type of weapon, power up and skill will depend on the difficulty of the level and/or the enemy.

What genre?

Shooter

What world/setting?

The game is set in today's world; however, it will be invaded by aliens.

Here is my elevator pitch for my asteroid game:

“‘Look Out!’ is a shooter asteroid game that is about aliens invading the Earth, trying to steal and rake away Humans' most prized possessions, like the Eight wonders of the world, jewels, and precious metals as well as natural resources. This will be a fun and interactive game where players will have to defeat the aliens as they try to attempt to steal these artefacts from our world. When players defeat bosses and clear levels, they will be rewarded with weapons, power-ups and new skills to assist them with their adventure”

Game inspiration and style - Space Invaders (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Space_Invaders)

Sources:

What aspects of the reading helped inspire your design process?

The major aspect of the reading that helped me design this platformer was formalising general ideas of what I wanted to game to look like over many different design ideas and processes. I also spent some time understanding how the mechanics and the art style of a platformer game influence the player experience by playing a few myself which were Super Mario, Rayman Legends and Hollow Night. From there, I now understand how a platform should flow and process the story.

What’s the one thing you’d change about how you developed the prototype?

 One thing I would change is how I came up with the idea for the prototype. My mistake was just to start to develop the game with one idea and then to just continue to develop my idea as I developed the game. This wasn’t ideal for me as when it came around to playtesting my prototype, I didn’t have much in a way of a unique platformer design, compared to the other platformer games I play-tested for other developers.

What’s one thing you’d change about the design of the prototype?

My research from The Game Design Workshop by Tracy Fullerton has led me to understand how to develop and understand how to create a good game. Fullerton pushes the play-centric approach, which invites feedback from players early on and is the key to making good games as the mechanics of the game are developed with player influence (Fullerton, 2018). Because of this, I have realised that gameplay is the most important aspect of creating a game, without good gameplay, players will have a bad experience and will get bored of the game; therefore, as I am the designer it is important that I integrate the player's ideas to help improve the overall quality to the game. In the platformer game, I want to focus on storytelling while also focusing on the main concepts of a platformer game, running, and jumping. I want to be able to use these to tell the story of the game.

My original idea for the platformer game was going to be about a cat. However, it was too tricky for me to come up with an interesting and engaging story for the players as well as being able to create appealing gameplay.

My new idea is to base the platform game on a chicken escaping a farm and exploring the world, defeating foes, and making friends. This platformer will be more story-based (like Hollow Knight), illustrating the chicken's adventure.

With this very vague and basic concept in mind, I had to answer some questions from the first lecture.

What is your gameplay?

The main gameplay will focus on the basic movement of a platformer (running and jumping), however, it will include gameplay like combat and puzzle solving, as well as different types of power-ups for the player to collect.

Why will it be compelling?

The game will have a story to it and players will be able to experience in real-time the story of the game, through the different styles of gameplay that will be used throughout the game. The game will switch from defeating enemies to solving puzzles to get to the main goal of completing the level; and the player will mainly focus on completing the levels to continue the game while being immersed in the storyline.

Who is it for? (Target audience)

The target audience for my game will be 12+, as it will contain very little violence, however, the mechanics (puzzle solving) may be a bit difficult for a younger audience to understand.

What is the player’s role?

The player will take the role of the chicken and guide it across the levels to complete the story

How will you motivate the player? How will they be rewarded?

The player will be rewarded with different weapons, power-ups and skills when they complete the level or complete a puzzle. The type of weapon, power up and skill will depend on the difficulty of the level and/or puzzle.

What genre?

RPG platformer

What world/setting?

The game will start on a small country farm where the chicken must escape, and as the player continues the storyline the world setting will change as the chicken discovers different and new places to explore.

Here is my elevator pitch for my platformer game:

'Run! Chicken’, is an RPG platformer that tells the story of a chicken escaping an evil egg factory and exploring a brand new world, defeating enemies along the way, and saving all chickens from the factories around the world. This adventure will not be as easy as it sounds. Players will have to defeat enemies that will try to defeat the player and will have to solve challenging puzzles to continue their journey. From defeating these enemies and solving puzzles, players will be rewarded with weapons, power-ups and new skills to assist them with their adventure.

Concept Art:

Art inspiration – Stardew Valley (https://www.stardewvalley.net/)

Game inspiration – Hollow Knight (https://store.steampowered.com/app/367520/Hollow_Knight/)

Sources:

In the first tutorial, I learned the basics of building a platformer game in GDevelop. It was honestly very confusing at first to learn and understand how to use the application, but after a while, I started to get the hang of it. I’m still a bit fuzzy on how to animate the sprites however I reckon after some playing around, I will get the hang of it fast. I think using Gdevelop is very literal, like with coding, so it’s a good place to start when creating your first game. Using this I was able to gain some understanding of what my game could look like, will have the basic platforms (Mario and Rayman) or will it be more of an explorer and story-rich type platformer game (Hollow Knight and Cuphead). Being able to test and practice using Gdevelop, I found that making a story-rich platformer like Hollow Knight was indeed possible, but I had to understand the basics that went into making a simple platformer game. Below is a photo from the Gdevelop practice:

After developing this small platformer, I then created my own sprites to gain an understanding of what my game could potentially look like:

With these new sprites (chicken and fox) added to my game, the next week I then went around the class asking people to play test my game for me. I only had two questions to ask them when they finished playing my game and they were:

What is your initial thought about playing the game?

Is there anything that I can add to it to make it more enjoyable?

The answers to these questions were incredibly useful as they showed me an outsider's view on how my game should look or act, therefore adding to the player experience in the game. The general feedback on the game from the answers to these questions was:

Answers to question 1:

Enjoyable concept, fun game to play, nice theme, liked the art style

There is an obvious dynamic between the player and the enemy (foxes and chickens)

Easy platform and was easy to understand (the seed was the goal and the player had to get the seed)

A bit of a gameplay issue (will foxes really die if a chicken jumps on them?)

Answers to question 2:

Add sounds and lives

Have different types of enemies

Have different mechanics for the enemies as it gives them some personality

Chicken should have a slower descent

Different seeds give different types of powers

Maybe something else to collect