RESEARCH
This page is suitable for ages 12 and above
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PEGI stands for Pan-European Game Information is a rating system based on the age and content within a game. It is used in over 30 countries and was launched in 2003 by the Interactive Software Federation of Europe (ISFE). Different countries have similar systems but the most well known are PEGI and ESRB, used in America. They all work in a similar fashion - the game is sent to an independent board of experts where it is assigned a rating based on violence, sex, swearing and mature content.
WHAT
PEGI Ratings
WHEN
01/10/2018
SOURCE
Kotaku (2018)
Games given this rating are considered to be suitable for all ages. There must be no images or sounds that are frightening and bad language is prohibited. Violence is also not permitted unless it is in a comical, fantasy context such as in Tom & Jerry.
These games have strict rules against bad language and most forms of violence, however it may contain some frightening scenes or sounds.
Games that show slightly more graphic violence towards a fantasy or non-human looking character or recognisable animals would be given this rating. Bad language is permitted but only mildly or referenced by bleeps. Mild sexual content is allowed, such as kissing.
This rating is applied once the violence or sexual acts are shown in a way that is expected in real life. Wounds, gore and blood are allowed but not to the point where it is extreme. Full use of bad language is permitted and the use of tobacco, drugs or alcohol is allowed in games of this rating.
The adult classification applies when the level of violence is described as grossly depicted or contains elements of specific types of violence. Games that glorify drugs or gambling, or contain extreme sexual acts and explicit nudity, also fall into this category.
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Contains depictions of violence
Game depicts nudity and/or sexual behaviour or sexual references
Game can be played online
Games that encourage or teach gambling
Game may be frightening or scary for young children
Game refers to or depicts the use of drugs
Game contains bad language
Game contains depictions of, or material which may encourage, discrimination
Different systems have different age limits between child and mature content, for example the ESRB, CERO (the Japanese system) and several other countries have a rating for Teen, whereas the UK doesn't. Games will be rated and will include a box containing descriptors of the kind of content that is included. The rating is put in place to inform customers of what the game will include.
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Like the ESRB, CERO includes a category for games that are suitable for teens. This includes mild sexual references and an increased amount of violence showing more gore. The ESRB includes a Rating Pending rating which is useful for developers who want to beta test or show early ideas of a game. Unlike PEGI, CERO is very complicated to read. When incomparison to known ratings, you can understand, but if you were to see CERO for the first time it would not be clear what each rating is supposed to stand for. ESRB has a helpful line of description of what each letter means, however PEGI has eliminted the need for this by having a simple age system.
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In some cases, a game can have different ratings in different countries. For example, Sims 4 is rated T by ESRB, 12 by PEGI, USK 6+ and ACS M. There's no perfect solution because although it is targeted at teens, it contains sexual themes, crude humour and mild violence, so it's hard to make the right call on a suitable audience. Some countries outright refuse to classify a game at all, most notably Australia recently for We Happy Few, and in previous years, State of Decay and Hotline Miami.
Google Doodle - 01/10/2018
This Google Doodle was designed for the 230th birthday of British slavery abolitionist Mary Prince.
She was enslaved for many years, and escaped when the Slavery Act of 1808 passed in Britain. She was the author of the first slavery memoir to be published in Britain. Her story of slavery resonated with many in the anti-slavery movement and continues to be an inspiration for us all to be better and not give up.
The sea is often associated with freedom and longing, but in this case I think it represents her journey, as she was shipped from Antigua to England. It shows the distance from her home, and the cruel ways in which she was ripped away from both a normal life and from her heratige when she was sent to Britain.
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She's a pivotal figure and a strong female in history, one who will often be looked over when people think of the history of Abolition for more famous men such as William Wilberforce, who founded the Anti-Slavery Society. Her story attracted a huge readership in 1831, when people were campaigning for the freedom of slaves. As a black woman in the 1800s, to have been educated and strong enough to survive the horrors she endured, the inclusion of the book in the doodle speaks to her education. The doves are symbolic of peace and of being messengers, and she was trying to spread the word of abolishing the slave trade.
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Google is the most popular search engine and so the doodles always have to be suitable for all. The target audience for this piece I believe would be young black women who need more heroes like Mary Prince.
Previous Google Doodles
This Doodle was created to celebrate the 30th Anniversary of Pacman. They've incorporated the classic Pacman design to fit around the logo. The mini game for this doodle was simple but great, because you get to play Pacman. The use of the original design was an informed decision to pay tribute to the original game.
The target audience is likely to be people in their late thirties, who were alive to live through the hype of Pacman coming out. It does appeal to all gamers and children; it's a simple game to learn but hard to master.
This Doodle was created to celebrate the 50th Anniversary of Doctor Who. They've included all 11 Doctors (at the time) into the design to fit above the logo.
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The mini game for this is probably my favourite out of the ones I've listed here. It's a simple premise but I love the colour pallet and the option to choose your favourite Doctor.
Google themselves describes the mini-game as the Doctor getting the Google letters back from those dastardly Daleks. (Google, 2013) The target audience is for fans old and new of the show, by giving the option of playing as any of the 11 Doctors. Although a basic point and click platformer, the game has it's own charm and is a great way to honour 50 years of the show.
This Doodle was created to celebrate the 44th Anniversary of the Birth of Hip Hop. This is one of the most fleshed out Doodle, with a real graffiti artist producing the Google Logo. The mini game for this doodle has features that you wouldn't expect in a browser mini game. It contains achievements which actually provides an educational background on the founders of Hip Hop.
In the game you get to play with interactive turntables, where you can mix samples of classic tracks, adjust the BPM and fade in/out each side. It's a real mini simulator that makes everyone feel welcomed into the idea of DJs and Hip Hop. The target audience of the original Hip Hop culture was any marginalized group in the world. Hip Hop's birth was for those who didn't fit into the norm of music at the time, which was heavily saturated by disco. As for the game, I would say it pays a homage for the older users of Google who will appreciate a simplified way to be a part of the movement they lived through, and for young people who generally find turntables and being a DJ cool.
DOODLE REQUIREMENTS
The doodle and supporting statements must meet the following criteria ("Doodle Requirements"):
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They must not be derogatory, offensive, threatening, defamatory, disparaging, libellous or contain any content that is inappropriate, indecent, sexual, profane, tortuous, slanderous, discriminatory in any way, or that promotes hatred or harm against any group or person, or otherwise does not comply with the theme and spirit of the Contest.
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They must not contain content, material or any element that is unlawful, or otherwise in violation of or contrary to all applicable federal, state, or local laws and regulation including the laws or regulations in any state where the doodle and supporting statement are created.
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They must not contain any content, material or element that displays any third party advertising, slogan, logo, trademark, representation of characters indicating a sponsorship or endorsement by a third party, commercial entity or that is not within the spirit of the Contest, as determined by Sponsor, in its sole discretion.
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They must be original, unpublished works that does not contain, incorporate or otherwise use any content, material or element that is owned by a third party or entity.
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They cannot contain any content, element, or material that violates a third party's publicity, privacy or intellectual property rights.
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The doodle is not the subject of any actual or threatened litigation or claim.
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The Entrant does not include any disparaging remarks relating to the Sponsor or a third party.
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The submitted doodle is two-dimensional and scannable (e.g., no videos or GIFs)
Inspiration for my Google Doodle
I first heard about Peace One Day while at school. I still follow their activities and donate to them when I can. It's really nice to see so many people contributing to sharing the idea of peace, and to do so through a Google Doodle would spread a lot more awareness of their cause. Also, it's interesting to see different people's ideas and where they decided to go with it. Of course, because my doodle will be animated, it's a bit more complicated, but I liked these designs so much I wanted to keep them as inspiration.
iNTRO TO ADOBE ANIMATE
WHAT
Learning To Use Adobe Animate
WHEN
04/10/2018
Adobe Animate (previously Flash) is a programme used to created a variety of animated content such as cartoons, advertisements and games which can be published on HTML5, Flash Player or other custom platforms. It offers a variety of tools and techniques, so the mastery of basic techniques is very important when going forward to create more complex animations.
Frame By Frame
3 cups
Blueberries
3 cups
Flour
1½ cups
Butter
Frame By Frame animation is a technique usually used when the image on the stage changes in every frame instead of just moving across the stage. When using this form of animation, onion skinning is very important. Onion Skinning allows you to see several frames of an animation on the stage at the same time, therefore helping you to plan out the movement.
3 cups
Blueberries
3 cups
Flour
1½ cups
Butter
Tween
animation
Tweening is a key process in all types of animation, as it is a way to animate a lot faster than F-B-F. It is the process of generating intermediate key frames between two images to give the appearance of a smooth transition between the two. This is done in Adobe Animate via Classic Tween, Motion Tween or Shape Tween.
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Classic Tween: This is an older way to tween, used on Flash previously, and is a motion tween performed by setting a key frame for a start point and a key frame for the end point.
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Motion Tween: This is available on the newer Animate CC, where key frames are used differently to the Classic Tween. You set up the tween in the same way, and are then able to adjust the frames within the tween individually - the tween will adjust at that frame. I was able to use Motion Tween in the example above to add a bounce and to curve the ball, which allowed for a more natural animation. This is also the only way to do 3D Tweening.
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Shape Tween: This is a tween that uses pure vector graphics. You can only use this tween on objects that haven't been grouped or changed into a symbol.
Layers
This is where you can add multiple layers to an animation, which helps keep it organised.
Examples
In lesson we experimented with Alpha, growing/shrinking, rotation and fade in/fade out
Key Frames
These are shown as a filled in dot
Background
It is easy to adjust the background and symbol without affecting the animation in place
Motion Tween
This animation was made using motion tweens
Learning To Animate
WHAT
06/10/2018
WHEN
I videoed my dog walking to help me contextualise the frame by frame animation cycle I want to use in my Doodle. It is always useful to have lots of references and by watching the way real dogs walk, it'll help me make my final walk cycle look more fluid.
In the video above I experimented with my first dog walk animation cycle. In the first half of the video I focus in on some of the early parts of the animation. Here you can see how I used onion skin to plan ahead for the future frames and how I adjusted some of them as I went. I didn't want to spend too much time on this, as it was just a practise. In this I used Frame By Frame animation, which was painstaking and took longer than expected. Next I will try to tween a walk cycle. Watching it over, I can see where changes need to be made, where feet don't look quite right or the angle looks awkward. Also, I experimented with the Frames Per Second, because it helps to understand what you're animating at different speeds, as well as understanding that the most standard FPS is 24/30. At the end you can see the final product, it is jittery because it has been done Frame By Frame. It does, however, mostly look like a dog walking so I'm calling my first attempt a success.
iNTRO TO Construct 2
WHAT
Learning To Use Construct 2
WHEN
06/10/2018
SOURCE
KEY CONCEPTS
Instance Variables - A value that can change (vary) and are stored separately for each instance.
Global Variables - Each variable can store a single number or a single piece of text.
Instance - Object instances are the actual objects you see in a game: an instance of an object type. For example, if there are four Monsters in the layout, those are four instances of the Monster object type.
Image Point - A position on an image that you can spawn objects from.
HUD - Heads-Up Display is the interface that shows the player's health, score or other information in game.
Condition - Test if certain criteria are met. If all conditions are met, the event's actions run.
Action - What happens if a condition is met.
Tick - One unit of 'run the events then draw the screen' (usually 60 times per second to match most monitors.
BACKGROUND
Double clicking in the layout automatically brings you to the dialogue box to add a new object. To insert a background, I chose 'Tiled Background' and it inserted my image. In the Layers tab, I renamed the layer to Background and locked it, so that I did not accidentally move it. Then I made another layer on top of the Background called 'Main'; this is where all of the action is going to be happening. Double clicking on the layout again, I added the input objects Mouse and Keyboard.
ADDING AND RENAMING SPRITES
First I made another layer on top of the Background called 'Main', this is where all of the action is going to be happening. The easiest way to add a Sprite is to click and drag them individually from an open windows menu onto the layout. From there I renamed them by double clicking the 'Name' property in the properties bar. This is useful as it will make it easier when adding events.
ADDING A BEHAVIOUR
In this example, I added the 8 direction movement to the player. It's easy to do, simply clicking add/edit in the Behaviours category on the properties bar. Construct 2 has some set behaviours, so I simply chose the one that would allow the character to move in all directions. I also added the Bullet, Monster and Explosion behaviours here, using the properties bar to tweak how the behaviours work. E.g. Slowing down the Monster speed.
EVENTS
Clicking on the Events tab brings you to an initially blank document. Events are broken down into Conditions and Actions. Conditions test whether a certain criteria has been met, e.g. collisions and Actions are the consequence of that condition being met or not. Here there are 5 Conditions, with actions applied to those Conditions. To break one of them down: Mouse is the Object, the Condition is Left being Clicked and the Action is a Bullet being Spawned on Layer 1. For this action I had to adjust the Image Point in order for the Bullet to spawn at the end of the gun.
INSTANCE/ GLOBAL VARIABLES
Instance Variables (Bottom) allow me to give each Monster it's own health value. This makes the game more dynamic and increases the difficulty for the player.
Global Variables (Top) can store Text or a Number, and are available across all layouts - which is useful for adding a score that will continue across other levels.
CREATING A HUD
The HUD is the interface that shows a player's health or score, and it remains in the same place on the screen no matter where the player moves. This is achieved by creating another object on the layout, this time choosing Text. On the event sheet, this action can be added to the Every Tick event that was created first. Using the & operator allows for the text of Score: to remain on the screen whilst being linked to the Score Global Variable.
The finished Event Sheet and Test of the game are shown above. It has a HUD, randomly spawning Monsters, Bullets that shoot out of the gun and fading explosions.
The game tutorial that I chose to follow was that of a shooter, because I personally find them more entertaining. However, when producing the minigame for my Doodle, I will probably create a platformer as these are more appealing to the general population (Doodle Jump, Super Mario Run, VVVVV). The final Event Sheet for this practice game is a lot shorter than it will be for my final product, however it gently introduced me to the concept and I now have a grasp on the logic of Construct 2. My next steps will be to create a loading screen and possibly additional levels.
Types of game genres
WHAT
Researching Game Genres
WHEN
08/10/2018
Emphasize physical challenges that require eye-hand coordination and motor skill to overcome
A manner of gameplay without reflex challenges or action
Center around close-ranged combat typically one on one fights or against a small number of equally powerful opponents
Have gameplay primarily centered around jumping and climbing to navigate the environment while avoiding obstacles and enemies
Test many problem-solving skills including logic, pattern recognition, sequence solving, and word completion
Where the player competes against time or opponents using some means of transportation
Cast the player in the role of one or more "adventurers" who specialize in specific skill sets while progressing through a predetermined storyline
The purpose of a shooter game is to shoot opponents and proceed through missions without the player character being killed or dying. Can be First Person, Third Person or a mix of both.
Generally designed to closely simulate aspects of a real or fictional reality
Simulate sports. The opposing team(s) can be controlled by other real life people or artificial intelligence
Focus on gameplay requiring careful and skillful thinking and planning in order to achieve victory
Start the player off with minimal resources, in a hostile, open-world environment, and require them to collect resources, craft tools, weapons, and shelter, in order to survive as long as possible
Platformer
Platformer games originated in the late 70's - early 80's, with some crediting the arcade game Space Panic as the first of it's kind. However, by the modern definition, Donkey Kong, released in 1981, is considered to be the defining game of the genre. It was the first game that allowed players to jump over obstacles and across gaps; it cemented Nintendo as a driving force in the video game industry at the time. Of course, Nintendo continued to belt out classic platformer games, with Mario going on to be one of the most successful franchises of all time. Modern platformers get to experiment in style and theme, leading to amazing titles such as Limbo, Hollow Knight, Shovel Knight and Super Meat Boy. Platformers are popular for developers to make as they are easily ported on all platforms, including mobile where a large consumer market of casual gamers awaits.
The earliest ancestor to the shooter genre is Maze War, made in 1973 by some students. As with development cycles, this was the earliest example of a first person game that involved tackling enemies. It wasn't until the 90's though that the shooter class defined itself. In came Doom, Wolfenstein 3D and Duke Nukem; bringing blood and gore and shooting to the forefront of gaming. This wasn't without it's controversy and, despite the popularity of titles like these, there was a massive backlash after the suggestion that violent games caused violence in children. Going forward, the Call of Duty franchise practically owned the shooter genre for many years; although there has been some fatigue in ideas in recent years, it shows no sign of slowing down. Games such as Halo, which carried a console, and Battlefield, the main competitor to COD, increased the scope of the shooter genre. The birth of Esports, through COD, Halo and CSGO show that the skill and popularity of shooters is perhaps the largest of all the gaming genres. Games can vary in their themes, crossing into different genres but having the main features of a shooter, for example Far Cry 5, Fallout and Grand Theft Auto.
Shooter
Adventure
Colossal Cave Adventure is said to be the first adventure game, released in 1976. Originally, adventure games were essentially walls of text, where you could choose from certain options for how the game progresses. Other important titles include Zork, King's Quest, The Secret of Monkey Island and Myst, which helped to evolve the genre. The adventure games now are limited only to the platform they are made on, with great examples of modern adventure games including Assassin's Creed Franchise, God of War and Detroit: Become Human. Adventure games also provide an open stage for all kinds of story telling, with small indie companies producing amazing stories that take you on the best adventures. My favourite adventure game that I have played this year is Night In The Woods.
Researching themes
WHAT
Researching The Theme For My Game
WHEN
08/10/2018
I've decided to go with the theme of Halloween. It's my true calling and ultimately my favourite time of year. I've looked at previous Google Doodles for Halloween in my research, and I loved the minigame for the 2016 Google Doodle. It was essentially a shooter, but with a cat (wizard) and spells. Also, I can link my walk cycle research into making the animation, if I had a werewolf or something similar.
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I will also be looking at a great inspiration of mine in both horror and animation, Tim Burton. He makes characters that are unsettling and loveable at the same time; he uses stop motion claymation, which I wouldn't be using, but the design and layout of his characters makes me want to try a similar style.
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* 15/10/2018 - Due to the large number of people choosing to do a Halloween themed Google Doodle, I have decided to make a dog themed Doodle. I will be making it to specifically highlight Dogs With Jobs, because although I love all dogs it's the ones that actually work for us that get the least recognition. I can incorporate this nicely into a minigame too as each level can be for each dog job!
SEmiotics
Semiotics in Video Games
WHAT
08/10/2018
WHEN
The study of cultural symbolism: of how meaning is conveyed through all aspects of communication: words, images, sounds, colour, texture etc.
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Denotation: The literal or primary meaning
Connotation: The idea or feeling it invokes
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The Theory of Signs:
'Signs' send subliminal messages to the audience, which allows you to target a specific audience with the media you create. Understanding what different symbols mean allows a designer to present ideas without having to explain or teach the viewer the concept.
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The best example of this is the use of colour, where Green = Toxic, Evil and Blue = Pure, Good
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Shapes also give us different connotations, like a rectangular box could be health; a circle could be a safe zone; a heart could represent lives.
SIGN
The Object/ Thing
SIGNIFIER
The physical existence
(sound, word, image)
Suit, Card, Pack, Ink
SIGNIFIED
The mental concept
Luck, Gambling, Mystery, Skill, Poker
games design theory
WHAT
Learning About Game Design Theories
WHEN
08/10/2018
ITERATION - Test, Analyse, Refine, Repeat
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The above graphic shows The Waterfall Model: A Traditional Approach of Software Development Life Cycle.
This model provides a linear process to development, which involves never going back to a previous step. It is simple to follow and only has seven steps, which was appealing to many developers. It encourages developers to focus on planning before writing the code.
Winston Royce wrote a paper about this model, emphasising the importance of iteration and adaptability, however in the 1970's it was read and misunderstood. Despite managers liking the simplicity of the model, programmers knew that it would never work because it doesn't include iteration. It also violates the rule of the Loop.
Jesse Schell Page: 95
barry
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boehm
'beam'
The above graphic shows The Barry Boehm 'Beam'.
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Barry Boehm presented this model in 1986 and is a closer representation of how real software development works.
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You begin in the middle of the axis, working your way outwards clockwise around the spiral, passing through the four quadrants repeatedly.
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A simplified version of the spiral is:
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Coming up with a basic design
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Figuring out the greatest risks in your design
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Build prototypes that mitigate those risks
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Test the prototypes
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Come up with a more detailed design based on what you have learned
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Return to step 2
Jesse Schell Page: 96
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The rule of the loop is an absolute truth and no exceptions to the rule; you repeat this loop until all of the problems or bugs are identified and fixed. The more times a design is tested, the more it can be improved and the better the game will be. Games that do not use the Rule of Loop are rarely successful.
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The best way to use this model is to make every loop count by assessing the risks and mitigate them, and to build as many rough prototypes so that you can begin to run the loop as fast as possible.
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Running the loop is done by having as many people as possible playtesting the game as soon as you have something that is playable. The more you can observe and receive feedback, the quicker you can apply modifications and use the loop again.
I'll use the Waterfall model for the beginning processes of making my game, while I'm still in the idea stage. This will allow me to quickly check whether it's a good project or not.
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I think the Spiral model is too complex for this project, however I will consider the depth of the cycles it goes through.
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The Loop is the most important model that I will use. It will allow me to consider my goals and the effectiveness of this project quickly and I can ensure that my target audience and feedback is acquired at every stage of the process.
Semiotics of a game cover
Analysing A Game Cover
WHAT
09/10/2018
WHEN
Small figures doing parkour between the hands. Reveals scope of the game and the hands have the second symbolism of being buildings/skyscrapers. This hints at the movement which is at the centre of the gameplay
You can see in the shadows some of the environment, this is significant as the zombies are more active at night
Reaching hands signify undead
No clear protagonist, shows multiple antagonist suggests being outnumbered
Abstract drawing but you can tell it's a human form and the disfigured mouth suggests a zombie
Silhouette of hands which make up a zombie
Lots of negative space, especially around the zombies head - typically want brains
Contrast light against dark;
also links to the importance of day and night in the game
Sunlight symbolises hope
Zombies
Art style is like ripped and not fully formed, like a zombie
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I love the art style on this cover!
Font looks decrepit, suggests run down of society
Reverse colours of the font, Black on White/White on Black makes it stand out
Inverse expectations because white is normally good and black is bad, but the light is coloured black
Zombies, violence and weapons makes this game an 18
Good Night Good Luck - tag line, repetition of 'good' which is an oxymoron given the theme of the game. Terms of endearment, who is saying good luck?
Minions & bosses
WHAT
Analysing A Game Cover
WHEN
09/10/2018
Minions are usually the filler that you will fight throughout the game, leading up to the boss. They keep you occupied and flesh out the environments to make it more interesting.
There are normally many types of minions in a game, some which require different attacks/techniques to defeat. It's also a way for developers to teach you the mechanics of a game; in some games it allows you to grind or level up so that you are ready to take on the final boss. They're so important to the way a game flows and is designed, because without them many games would be really boring.
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Sometimes the types of minions can be detrimental to the game. For example, when Destiny 2 came out I was really disappointed they didn't add any different class of enemies. In games like Mario, the enemies are classic and understandably the same, but in a space game... Bungie should have done better.
Types of Minion:
- Patroller - Guard - Flyer - Bomber
- Chaser - Shooter - Burrower - Teleporter
One of the most iconic examples of the dynamic between a hero and a villian is that of Batman and the Joker. The Joker is more than just a boss, he's a nemesis, which makes the stakes when fighting him even greater.
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A good boss within games - or other mediums - look and feel real in that they're not a black/white character; the only way to do that is to give them almost as much personality as the hero. The whole point of a boss is to test the player's abilities that they've learned through the game, and a good boss fight can be the most memorable part of a game.
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The Joker is interesting, meanacing and looks the part. He doesn't follow classic villian tropes and his introduction means that there may be surprises or challenges that are unexpected.
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Source Gamasutra
When designing a Boss Battle itself, there are certain ideas to keep in mind to ensure that the battle is worth having in the game.
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The Boss should feel rewarding - it's a chance for the gameplay to change for a bit; the player anticipates the boss battle because they're more intense than the rest of the game. A hard boss provides a catharsis for the player when they win.
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The Boss should be a goal/milestone in the game - bosses act as a chapter placement in the game, players have reached a goal in the game when they fight them (either a minor boss or a major one) and defeating the boss provides the player with positive feedback
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By defeating the Boss, the player displays their mastery of the game - it's a chance for players to demonstrate the skills they've learned in the game. It links back to feeling a reward, as the boss is a chance to prove their understanding and mastery of the skills.
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Boss fights build and release tension in a way that is satisfying - good pacing is very important both in a game and for the boss fight itself. By building up the tension in the levels leading up to the boss fight, the player has a greater anticipation for what's to come. By finishing the boss, that tension is gone and the player gets to feel good!
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A Boss Is A Test
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Make a list of the skills you want to test the player on, e.g movement, jumping, melee, blocking etc.
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Make a list of attacks or challenges that will test that skill e.g. if the boss ground pounds, the player has to jump over a ring of damage
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Decide how to theme the attacks e.g. if the character of the boss is a large guy, you can have him stop his foot to produce the rings
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Decide how the boss defends himself e.g. a boss can fly out of range of player attacks, keeps the fight from becoming too easy or stale
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A boss is a story
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Build Up
This step increases the tension and anticipation for the main boss fight. This is how throughout the game the player is reminded of how mean, awesome, dangerous etc the boss is
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Intro/Reveal
The beginning of the boss fight, where the boss introduces themself to the player must be something epic. This can be cliche, or to antagonise the player, but it's very important to give the player a hightened sense of anticipation
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Expected Stuff
In this stage of the fight, the boss will use the basic attacks that the player is already familiar with. This allows the player to pick up on necessary patterns, learn something extra if needed and prepare for the escalating fight
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Escalation
Now the player is ready, the real fight can begin. The boss will change up it's attacks or the intensity of the attacks, and thus the difficulty can be ramped up; the player will get more into the fight the harder it gets
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Midpoint
This is a turning point of sorts during the fight. It allows for the player to take a break and raises the stakes set by the boss. This can take place in different forms: a false victory, false defeat, transformation, death or emotional trash talking. This should once again fire up the player for more.
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It's ON
The boss now has a full range of attacks and the fight is at it's maximum intensity.
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'Kill' Sequence
This must show the boss at his weakest, and at the door of defeat. It should allow the player to bask in winning, but also decide the fate of the boss. The bosses defeat should be obvious and if it dies... It should die spectacularly
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'Victory' Sequence
​This is about rewarding the player for beating the boss. It comes in many forms including cut scenes, treasure or literal celebrations.
Here are some very quick and basic design ideas for a boss and three minions. The theme is what dogs find scary, and linking those to household objects. The hoover is the boss, and is larger with more varied attacks than the minions. The minions all move different, a scoot, walk and flying enemy. This is all in preparation for the boss fight so that the player will know how to bark, jump and tail swipe.
level design
WHAT
Investigating What Makes Good Level Design
WHEN
15/10/2018
SOURCE
Good level design is a basic developer-consumer relationship, if people are satisfied and enjoy playing your game it is going to sell better.
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Escapism
People buy games in order to escape their current reality. Immersion is a key part to making the player feel a part of the game; to maintaing the player's attention and sense of escapism is key. Occurances such as glitches, bugs and inappropriate content can break a player's immersion. This can be simple things such as playtesting enough, or not putting a KFC on the corner of a medieval town.
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Challenge
Players want to be challenged, otherwise a game is not going to keep their attention. The most successful games should test multiple skills/understanding of gameplay like a strategy game that incorporates shooter reflexes.
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Entertainment
This is the most obvious one; people play games to be entertained. Understanding what the current target market considers fun can be difficult, which is why the best thing a designer can do is play as many games that are in a similar genre as possible. It is also important that when a game is said to be 'challenging' it shouldn't be frustraiting or boring.
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Uniqueness
No one wants to buy a game only to be replaying a similar, or even the same, level design over and over again. There is some charm when it comes to certain franchises, and Mario kept the same formule for years, but as a rule a level should be exciting to explore; it should envoke players' imagination and variation as to what they've seen before.
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Stories essentially come in three parts: Thesis, Antithesis and Synthesis
Thesis - The introduction to the setting, the characters and the hero. Each level ends up being its own story, and because the players can interact with the level, you have to be aware of all the situations a player could be in when progressing through the level.
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Antithesis - Where the conflict and villains are introduced, and what will be the majority of the story. The players interact with the levels in this stage and it is important to get the balance of challenge right. Players have to be able to take in the situation and react; if there's too much challenge, most of the players will be alienated, and if there's not enough challenge, it won't be worth playing for anyone. A good level has a satisfying victory for mediocre player and optional additional challenges for experts.
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Synthesis - Some form of resolution, whether it be good or bad. Winning or losing should be obvious, as this is the conclusion to the entire level. If they lose, they should be able to understand why; if they win, there should be a satisfying result for the player.
The Rule Of Three
If you've played enough games, you come to recognise certain patterns within gameplay. Whether it be in the design itself, a boss or simply a minion, three is always a recurring factor; three hits to take a minion down; three stages to a boss fight; three chances to learn a mechanic.
Before you challenge the player with a new feature, you first present it in 3 easy but varied situations.
I'm going to show this in an example of level design by Shigeru Miyamoto (The Man; The Myth; The Legend). Instead of forcing players to go through a tutorial, his games taught the player key mechanics through the gameplay - not making the game any easier, but allowing the player to learn.
SOURCE
Step 1: Introduce the Challenge as simply as possible
The first time you ever see a Goomba, he walks slowly toward you. This is the easiest way to introduce an enemy.
Remembering that this is in the early days of console gaming, although the answer may seem obvious, for many people (especially children) this first Goomba may have killed them. So just stomp or jump over it.
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It's not possible to get past this Goomba without jumping. By doing this, the player now knows the most important skill in this game: jumping.
17/10/2018
WHEN
Looking At Target Audiences
WHAT
Clicker profiles
Gender
Female
Age
Mixed
Mother's Day, 2015
Education
Mixed - it's targeted at all mothers
Likes/Dislikes
Flowers, soft colours, day time TV
Ethnicity
Any
Geo-demographic
Western world
Media Preferences
TV
Product Preferences
High Street Shops
Has a Smart phone, probably iPhone
Sexual orientation
Any
Sexual orientation
Any
Likes/Dislikes
Halloween, sweets, stars etc.
Halloween, 2014
Gender
Any
Age
6-14
Education
Primary/
Secondary School
Ethnicity
Any
Geo-demographic
Western world
Media Preferences
YouTube
TV
Product Preferences
Shops
Has a tablet/ access to parent's phone
The Doodle doesn't have to be long, and the movement itself can be simple or a transformation. I would like to include a transformation however it doesn't fit my theme (I may play around with it just for practice). It is important to consider the pallet, as the Doodle doesn't have to follow the Google colours.
Comparing screen capture software
WHAT
What's the best screen capturing software?
WHEN
15/11/2018
SOURCE
OBS Studio
+ HD streaming and recording
+ No restrictions on video length
- Setup takes a little while
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OBS is my preferred software when is comes to screen recording. The interface is simple and you can set up multiple different profiles to use, depending on the situation. There is no restriction on the length of the video and the quality can be up 4k.
It can take time to set up the profile and understanding all the different options available comes with experience.
Flashback Express
+ Well designed interface
+ Built-in video editor
+ Choice of output formats
- Basic, lacking features
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This software is free and easy to use, although it doesn't have as many features as OBS. Additional video editing software may be required to properly edit videos.
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It doesn't put watermarks on the videos and you may record at any length.
Share X
+ Capture as video file or GIF
+ Dozens of export options
+ Also great for static screen grabs
- Unintuitive interface
- Not suitable for games
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This software is great for screen grabs and basic screen recording. It's not good for game recording as it won't work in full screen mode.
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You can upload your grabs and videos directly to social media.
OBS is for many reasons my preferred software. I find it easy to use, and the inclusion of 'scenes' allows for you to set up multiple scenarios for quick streaming/recording. The settings are extensive and allow you to isolate audio and video feeds, produce high quality videos and adjust other settings where need be. It can link a scene to streaming services such as Twitch; allowing both high end and low budget streamers to record. I have two monitors, and OBS lets me seamlessly choose the monitor I actually want to record. OBS is also free, which is an added bonus.