PRE PRODUCTION
Moodboard
WHAT
Moodboard
WHEN
16/01/2019
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WHEN
WHAT
Game One Sheet
One Sheet For My Game
01/01/2019
Beat Chart
WHAT
Beat Chart for my game
WHEN
17/01/2019
My ideas are always ambitious; whether or not I am able to execute them given the time frame and limitations of Construct will remain to be seen. I'm not sure until I implement the ideas whether or not the game will be fun for my audience; a lot of thought will be going into how I present challenging situations for the player in a way that is suitable for 10/11 year olds. As such the objects/items may also change.
I have decided to change the setting of my game to a futuristic school in space as this will give me more freedom in the background and scenarios I present. I do not want to try to imitate a normal school as I have no idea what actual school life is anymore. Instead, I have chosen to keep with a school theme as well as activities they should be able to relate to such as trading cards, toys and riding a bike.
I hope to have notepad that updates like in Night In The Woods, which will help me to explain the various clues to the player. Some of the options in the game will not be mandatory, however I will limit the players ability to move on until they have found the main clues.
Hopefully the discussion with the parent will help the child understand what is going on without being too graphic or detailed, and this will include a word puzzle.
If I manage to get all the main ideas in, there will also be a resolution day of sorts (or animation) where the player goes back to school the next day. I hope to end the game with a checklist of the different (main) scenarios in the game and how many of the optional ones they completed.
How much I will stick to the linear style of point and click depends; I like the idea for exploration in the different environments however I think the minigames will control better with more traditional keyboard inputs. I also don't know how much I can use the format of point and click where they combine items to solve problems; it can't be too difficult for the children and it mustn't feel like a puzzle has been put in there for the sake of adding a puzzle.
Concept Art
WHAT
Concept Art
WHEN
21/01/2019
GAME UNDER MAJOR REVISION - 03/02/2019
Upon discussion with a friend's sister, who is 10, and feedback from several people who listened to my game idea and played what I had done, I have decided to completely change the game. It wasn't going to be fun, maybe not even playable with how much detail I wanted to put in without the necessary experience. The 10 year old said it would be boring, and my friends said that at times the things to collect were too ambiguous.
SO
The new idea is an endless shooter where at certain score levels the player has to tackle different problems. I can keep all of my research, and some of the themes/puzzles from my original game but incorporate it in another way. The game I began creating was focused too heavily in making something that fit the brief to a bullet point standard and not what would be engaging to play. I hope with the new idea I have to present Healthy Relationships in a less oppressive manner, lean more into the artistic style and quality of the game, rather than quantity. A tactical error was made at the beginning of this project on my half, and I'm glad to change that now.
Game One Sheet
WHAT
One Sheet For My Game
WHEN
03/02/2019
Beat Chart
WHAT
Beat Chart for my new game
WHEN
03/02/2019
WHAT
Level Design
Level Design In My Game
WHEN
04/02/2019
Asset List
WHAT
Asset list for my game
WHEN
11/02/2019
Possibility of more/ less enemies
Some things depend on how well I can implement them in the game. (down to my knowledge, otherwise they will have simpler attacks).
Some of these are subject to change as revisions are made in the game; things work/ don't work. If I come up with something to add further along I will note so.
Consequence Tree / Game Script
WHAT
Building a Consequence Tree / Game Script
WHEN
15/02/2019
Concept Art
WHAT
Concepts for my game
WHEN
25/02/2019
These are all the beginning assets I sourced for my game. These allowed me to get a general grasp of the themes/style I wanted in my game while producing the code. I struggle with the coding side of game design, so I decided that it would be beneficial to do that side of it first before creating the art myself. By using these placeholder graphics, I am able to change/adjust my final designs now that the game has some form. Many of the designs will remain the same, while others such as the 'enemi' characters used in Level 3 will be adapted.
This first level sticks closely to what I had in mind in the level design. The background is animated to move down, which gives the illusion of the rocket flying. It's crinkled because I think it gives a more dynamic effect and makes it look more interesting.
The four doodles at the top appear on the page during the game at random increments. This is also to make the background feel more alive, and have no part in the mechanics of the game.
The scenarios are in bright colours, with a font called DK Crayon. I chose this because it gives them a more childish feel, and is also bright which should catch the players eye when it appears. The final game would have an animation of a paper airplane which folds out to the scenario.
The other text is simple, which doesn't look too distracting.
The background for this level is a random book page which moves along the screen. The blocks fall from above and have a metal texture; this is to fit with the spaceship theme like it's a sci-fi novel.
The teacher is a dog, because I like to include one dog in every game I make. This also fits in with being suitable for my target audience, as it is more fun than a generic teacher and leans into it being a fictional game/world.
The for the scenarios is the same as previous but in black - this is due to the scenarios being a little bit more serious. The player shoots purple blocks with the answers on. The purple stands out from the grey which makes it obvious there is something different about them. It's a simple mechanic which allows there to be a change in how scenarios/learning is communicated.
This level differs from my original level design. I was going to have it a lot more futuristic looking, but I have changed it to a simpler, more rudimentary version of space. I got to have more fun with the design, and using a template from Construct, there are stars that float down the page during the level.
The difficulty level spikes here as there are more enemies with a greater frequency/accuracy of the bullets. The designs of the enemies I wanted to make stereotypes/simplifications of three main ideas: chat room bullies (internet), school bullies (mobiles) and online gaming (games).
The various symbols are those associated with each of the themes mentioned above. They will have a simple colour scheme so as to stand out in the black background.
The theme here is loosely based on my level design. It is still maths homework, but the falling blocks don't exactly fit maths.
The enemies will shoot the maths symbols from the left and right hand side, like a cannon ball.
The ship remains the same throughout, because the players can then always easily identify themselves through the levels.
It is going to be a basic red button, and the players will have to figure out how to make the mechanic work best.
All of the concepts work in both webpage and mobile formats; I did this on purpose because children are very in tune with technology and likely most have access to a mobile. I believe this shows the most identifiable ratio that kids will recognise.
