#honoursproject

This blog will be for my Honours Project, I will post updates as I go!

I started today with just some general note taking and reading over the project document given.

This week was set aside originally to respond to usability testing, however due to the coronavirus crisis It has been really difficult to get any feedback. If you’re interested in helping (whether you have VR or not!) please register here.

Instead, I’ve been focusing this week on all of the small little changes that improve the overall style of the game. These are little tasks that I have been pushing back due to their low priority, and the fact this week was a bit quiet meant it was a perfect time to do them!

New Assets

Up until this point, the Gem and Enemy Spawns have been just coloured cubes on the game board. It was about time this changed, so that It was clearer which was which. I’ve replaced the gem with, well, a gem. The enemy spawn is a floating sphere, which, as you’ll see in the next section, has some really cool animations. The hex has also had a bit of a revamp, it’s been textured to have dirt on the bottom, and a faint hexagonal texture on the top.

Enemy Spawn Animations

The animations of the enemy spawn make it really obvious that they’re active parts of the game board with a purpose. They float ominously whilst idle, and when they spawn an enemy, they frantically spin. This helps the player notice when an enemy is spawned, as they can see it spinning from above.

Main Menu Updates

Last week I added a point-and-click main menu to the game, so this week I decided to make some additions! The player can now mute music and spot effects, and also added a toggle on the info screens!

Usability Testing

As a result of the current pandemic, I’m really struggling to get feedback on my project due to the lack of VR headsets available to fellow students. If you have an interest in being involved in Usability Testing/BETA testing for High Ground VR, please fill in the following form and I will get in contact with you! (You do not need a headset to help!)

https://forms.gle/xtt7dzYg75s1Tyzx7

Thanks for Reading!

Twitter

Twitter Moment

This week has mainly been the refinement of gameplay before user testing comes towards the end of this week. Lots of little numbers being changed and the game being tested, but the few updates I did manage to make were really cool! 

Tank Enemies

I’ve added some really cool huge enemies to the game! These are a rare spawn, but when they do, they force the player to teleport down and use their zapping power to destroy them! They’re really aggressive too, so they lead the way through all of the players buildings! 

Enemy variety is really important to tower defense games, so this is a really good step in the right direction!

Finalized Models

The final models for the barracks and mine have been made and implemented. I’ve decided on keeping with the MagicaVoxel models, as they’re very quick to make, colour and modify later on.

Smarter Enemies

Up until now the enemies have been rather simple, following very basic rules on their behavior. Now, they’re much smarter in their behavior. Enemies have an ‘aggressive’ value, which determines the chance they’ll deviate from the path you developed for them and break through your walls to get to the gem. This is increased if they’re forced to wait in a line for a while, meaning the player should try and prevent developing a queue as much as possible. 

Audio Enhancements

Lots of enhancements to audio, including little “WOOHOO” and “YIPEE” sounds when they win a battle. I’ll get a video of all of these out soon, as they’re yet to be properly balanced in the next sprint! 

This week has been strange mix of different little tasks, but as this project slowly comes to a close that was bound to happen!

Thanks for Reading!

Twitter

Twitter Moment

This week has seen a really big change in mechanics, that completely changed how gameplay now pans out. Also, I’ve taken part in Jamfuser 2020 this week, which I’ll talk more about towards the bottom!

Gameplay Demo

Being as I have a full gameplay loop ready now, I was able to do some usability testing on how It played out. The results from this are waiting to be analysed, but I’ve recorded a full demo video of the game at this point for future reference, I think it’s looking really good!

Aggressive Enemies

The completely game changing mechanic is that enemies become aggressive now! They can either spawn angry, or they become angry through being delayed on their route! This will mean that they’re more likely to navigate through your defensive walls, and the player is soon going to have some ways to deal with them! This video is a really good demo of this happening!

Game Jam

Completely non-High-Ground related, but me and a few coursemates took part in Jamfuser 2020 over the weekend. We made a really fun game called Apoca-leaps, which is available here if you wanted to check it out! 

Campaign Design

I want to create a campaign that raises awareness about endometriosis. I want people to know what it is, so that those who are suffering from it feel validated by their partners, friends, family and co-workers. This campaign will have two parts - letting these people know what it is, and how they can support those around them who have it, and encouraging people who think that they might have endometriosis to feel comfortable talking about it and getting the help that they need.

Campaign elements

The campaign will start digitally, as a video on social media. This will either be illustrative or videography (potentially both) that explains the illness in basic terms, describes what it is like to suffer from it, and gives basic insight of how you can help raise awareness and support those who have it.

The campaign will be continued by print media such as posters, brochures and stickers. These will be displayed in public places like doctors offices, university and school campuses, and perhaps even bus shelters and community spaces. People can request resources to put up around their communities to help raise a support network in their area.

The campaign will continue with merchandise such as t-shirts, tote bags and pins. This will act as a conversation point, and a way of breaking down the taboo of women’s health. By facilitating a conversation about endometriosis, it raises awareness, and helps society realise the breadth of people suffering from the illness.

Service Design

I want to create a support network for those who are suffering from endometriosis to improve their daily lives. This will be targeted at younger sufferers, ages 15-25, who are likely on the beginning of their endometriosis journeys and don’t yet have a clear understanding of how their body works, and which things effect them. The main purpose of this app will be to help users understand their bodies and be better able to communicate what they are going through to their health care professionals and loved ones so that they can gain the support that they need. As there is no cure to endometriosis, the only relief comes from managing the illness day to day. It is so important to gain and understanding of which things upset your body and which things help it. I want to create an app that makes this easy to track and gain insight from, as well as provide tips on what is helping other sufferers.

Service Elements

The service design will take place in the form of an app. This app will have different types of functionality that will be developed through user testing and surveying so that I can fulfil the needs of endometriosis sufferers and create a resource that will have a large positive impact on their daily lives.

Here are some examples of the types of functionality that the app might have:

Tracking pain

Tracking medications

Tracking food and exercise

Tracking periods

Tracking sex

Tracking mental wellbeing

Tips on how to deal with pain

Interaction with other endometriosis sufferers

Journaling

Information from medical professionals