I have been working with Nate on a few design ideas for games modes. First, we discuss a little regarding the size of the battlefield. I wanna know if the player could have the chance to actually edit the numbers of squares on the grid before each match. After discuss a few minutes we decided that it would be easier to programming team just have one preset size. The players then can only expand the relative size of the hologram just like a normal software window. Even so, I really wanted to add more games modes just in case we have enough time. The obvious idea which immediately came to my mind was to make some kind fo "tiny" battle with only 3 units by side. Of course, this will let us do the opposite: a giant battle with a maximum of 10 units on each side of the field. As Mike told me that he didn't think we would have technical limitations. Also, I was playing with the "facing the unknown" idea: you will never actually see your opponents units. the only thing you could do is figure their position by animations, sounds, and projectiles. I don't know is any of these will be possible but as Emil told me: my job is to come with ideas.
0 Comments
I am not going to lie: I really don't like the project management stuff. Although I understand how important is for video games developing (the most difficult software to produce) these tools. After a few classes working on a video game team, it is easy to see how efficient our communication system must be in order to move forward. At the beginning, I was a little skeptical with Psyberfire because require too much time to fill out every single gap and be ready to formally start the project. However, after a few weeks learning how to use it. I am not going to lie again: I still need too many hours of practice with this program. But at least now I understand the basis and know what I am suppose to do or how to complete a task. Playing the poker to rate a specific task is kinda fun actually. It is obvoious to see why this tool is so important to control sizeable sotfware projects. But I still prefer writing characters or plots.
As leader designer, I believe the Game Design Document is always very important in order to establish a clear vision of the project to the each member of the team. So, I want to fill out at least the crucial parts for this project. Probably we won't need to fill every single gap of it because here we only have to develop the game and that it but still. So I continue with the work Andrew and Nate have already begun. They wrote basic stuff like the theme, genre, targeted platform, core gameplay and mechanics. So this class I continued working on project scope and determining the role of each person on the team. There was also a list of influences with 2 entries already done but I really want to complete it. Because influences (as references) are very important to have a concrete idea about what we are actually doing. As I didn't really know anything about this kind of games I asked Nuhi and Nate fill out the last 2 influences.
For the third character, I wanted a flying guy, The idea was to have differents ways to play the game per character. At the beginning, I believed that a flying guy will be awesome because we could use the top of the screen and not only play on the ground. This, of course, would require fill up the top of the screen with traps. But more important find a balance between this ability and the other. I mean, this character could be easily overpowered if we don't work enough on him. Ethan was agreed in the beginning. It wasn't long when we realized that achieve this would demand too much effort, work and time that right now we don't have. So I ended discarding the idea. But then I thought that just changing the ability from fly to glide I still could rescue my character. That was exactly what I did and this one is my favorite. An angel who was expelled from the heaven because of his bad jokes and ended becoming a Demon. A "Deadpool" Demon.
Click here to For the old project, somebody wrote something about a Jungle as the first level. Personally, I never liked this idea because it didn't have anything to do with the plot I wrote (even so it is just a sample no idea if we are going to follow it). Anyway, they real problem was with artist and animators. Making a Jungle will demand a lot of details in this matter and it will be tough for us. Fortunately, Ethan agreed with that. So we will be making (for now at least) my intergalactic theme. Cool.. I haven't had enough time to work on this as I would like to. But I managed to search a few samples about how the antagonist should look like (The Galaxy Queen). I took that name directly from a Yugioh card as you can see in the sample and for the twin sister just same design with different colors. I am looking forward to seeing all my design in movement.
Although I think I did a decent job with Alexis who I wanted to be a parody of the 80s and 90s action men. Ethan told me that he liked it but the mix between (girlish) dancing and gunfire violence, He was also worried the girl stuff could be too much. So I was thinking in make the character more like a cool male dancer with Michael Jackson style for example. Finally, I talked with Nick about Alexis outfit overall I think he understood the concept. I have been also working on the second character. This one was easier because the old team already knew what the wanted to do. The slime character: Flub (from the famous movie: Flubber) is supposed to be the funny guy. The quickest but also weakest of the party with powers and abilities based on speed like climbing walls. I would like to see how its eyes and mouth get blended up when he roll. I hope the animation team could do something like that.
In the second class we just continue playing the same match we left in the first one. I did a little research trying to figure out the meaning of each number. Although I fond lot of information on internet and indeed was able to understand a few more rules. I also learn how each ability work. So I tried to design classes and races which play a little with the main rules of the game. For example a player who can manipulate dices results or summon another creatures. But in the end I felt nothing what I done was actually value for this game. Mainly because I don't really see the whole picture, the aesthetic of the game as a whole let's say. Even if I would done more research I don't think I was able to produce really useful ideas. The universe of Dungeons and Dragons is so huge that there is just not enough time to cover all the main points in a couple of weeks. Even worst If is your first time ever approaching RPG genre. So in the end I give up a little with this task in part because mi ignorance but it was also my fault for no asking more when I didn't understand the requirements pretty well.
After long sessions about Psyberfire (not too fun but I have understood the concept). Scott gave me the task of designing the 4 main characters who will be playable in the game. I have to outline basic stuff like velocity, damage, special powers, etc. Now, these have been fun. Trying to follow the "Adventure-Time" aesthetic Ethan and Scott want I will parody all the references for these characters. The first one will be Alexis (because this name is unisex) and he will be a mock of the classic action man stereotype. He will be dancing all over the stage wearing a ballet tutu while attack enemies with his shotgun. I also know that the Slime will be next and it is going to be the quickest character. Then, I want a flying character. But I am still working in all these. I have had a great time doing this. I just love it.
Nate started a document sketching the basics numbers to the 5 main units we decided in the previous class. I helped him balancing those numbers and turn out it was way more difficult than it seems. The respawn problem (how to control how many units each player can have on the battlefield at the same time) was hard to solve. In the end (after so many HearthStone match) I came out with the idea of having a "mana" bar and each unit will have a specific cost to produce. Nate renamed to production bar, sounds good but we will have to see how it works testing it. Also, I felt (even being leader design) kind lost because I never liked this kind of strategic games so I have no references to support the designing ideas. After struggling a few minutes with the following problem: how to recover this production bar? I decided (with Nate help) to try 2 solutions at the same time: every time a unit destroys an enemy you will recover the half of that unit cost and the bar also will recover by itself: 1% per 1 second. Again we will have to test all this and we will probably have to do a lot of changes.
I have been struggling with this class since the very beginning. After having a good time in Introduction to Game Design last semester. I have felt completely lost in this second part. Mainly because I don't know anything about Dungeons & Dragons. Of course, I have learned its basis: why there are 5 dices, the difference between classes/races, the gameplay, and dynamics in general. However, this sensation of puzzlement towards the game persist. We need to have ready a race, 3 classes and a scenario for the following class. So that was exactly what I tried to do. Be creative with the little I know about the game. The race "Mutant" for example should be a special race which its stats would be selected randomly every time somebody chooses it. Although Matt told me that was a good idea he also let me know that we don't have enough time to balance all these variables. In relation to the classes, I basically tried to play with the few rules I understood about the game. The gambler should have the power to change dice results while the explorer should play with space and movement. I don't really know if any of these ideas will actually work... Finally, for the scenario, I proposed the creation of a Dungeon inspired in the myth of Crete's Labyrinth, this maze will change its structure every time a player enter and even while they are inside. I feel this is my best contribution here.
|
AuthorI want to study Video Games in a theoretical way. Archivos
May 2018
Categories
All
|