MDDN and CCDN 2013

Friday, 1 November 2013

MDDN 243

Introduction To Computer Game Design

Project 3: Symbiosis

Developing from the previous post, we had a team meeting and Tama decided that he wanted a character to be silhouetted and to have some narrative to him. Since he was in a mental asylum he said to give him a straight jacket and a mask over his face which to me sounded quite scary especially for a kids game but it's his game so I went with it for now. So I sketched a few things and came up with this as a character in his idle form. All I have to do now is put it through photoshop and animate it.

MDDN 243

Introduction To Computer Game Design

Project 3: Symbiosis

So I had a look at what Tama had created in his previous project for his character design and tried to create something like it. I tried to take on of the images and drawings that he had for that character and draw over it on photoshop using my tablet. The character was looking right and I thought I could easily create and turn this into our idle form for the character. As you can see I created a new layer and drew over the main outline of the character with a red brush to make it easier on myself to see what I'm doing. Smart right..?

MDDN 243

Introduction To Computer Game Design

Project 3: Symbiosis

After meeting up, we decided on the plan for our project which will work as a schedule for us. We also worked out what each of us will be working on.

Myself: I will be working on all of the animations for the game but mostly working on the character itself. I will have to create several designs of the character based on Tama's game and to have the animations of walking and gravity flying etc.

Ethan: He will be working on our code for the game since he has the most experience with coding out of all of us. So all the files the rest of us create and all of our designs will be sent to him since he will be the one mainly on Stencyl.

Tamati: He will be creating our levels since myself and Ethan decided that we want to have the same artwork style between each map, instead of all of us creating one map each between ourselves. Tama will also be working on the sound for our game since he is a musician and has the most experienced with sound.

Tammy: We decided for her to do the rest and fill in the gaps and to work on the sprites for our game, which we will include in all our maps/levels. Also if there is anything that we miss out on and forget to do or don't have time for, she will be the one to see and help us sort out.

Here is what we came up with:

Week 1:
Our plan for the first week was to work out the code on the program we are using which will be Stencyl. The code will be the foundation for our project as it will help us work out how the gravity will work amongst all the other essential mechanics on our game. Also during this first week, we will design the layout for our first level which will be in the asylum. I have created a template for all the levels as well on photoshop to make it easier on my team to design, which I will upload in the following post.

Week 2:
This next week we plan to have the character created, along with the enemies as well. I put my hand up for the character straight away because I know it'd be my strongest field involving several styles of artwork.

Week 3:
During this week, we will be creating the gravity shards for our game, which Tammy will hopefully be doing for us along with the animations of the glow and the blowing up/or pick up animation for it. Also along with this week, we will be doing the sounds and finding the effects we need for such things like the walking for the character I create, the pickup and explode sound effects and other sounds like the background ambience. We also had planned to create a HUD for the player so it'll be easier to navigate around the map, but we are still thinking about that since it will be a black and white game similar to limbo, which didn't use anything like that.

Week 4:
For this week we will work on the aesthetics of the game and the interactive objects for the maps which will hopefully be all done by this time, since our time frame is quite narrow. Also the sounds integrated in the map so they're all worked out perfectly and runs smoothly.

Week 5:
This week we plan to debug our game so we give ourselves room to breathe. Also if we have time we might create a tutorial level to make it easier for the player to learn the controls. This is also under discussion since once again limbo does not have a tutorial and the movements are pretty basic and easy to learn.

Thursday, 31 October 2013

MDDN 243

Introduction to Computer Game Design

Project 3: Symbiosis

This is what we've decided for the progression of the levels and narrative in the storyline, although it is subject to be changed throughout our project. Tamati has written it all out below:

1st level:

Our unnamed character makes his way back to his room. He walks down a long white corridor, only dressed in a straight jacket and a gown. He moves slowly back into his bed room and rests upon his bed. It is apparent he lives within a mental Asylum. As the night progresses he spirals into a seizure where flashes of destruction and screams of horror sound out until he wakes up to the sound of ringing in his ears.

2nd Level:

Our unnamed character has woken up in the same environment as the first level, but it has been demolished by falling meteorites and earthquakes. The earth's core is failing and gravity has become somewhat unstable. The unnamed character must make his way past crushed dead bodies and try to escape the asylum. The character finds the first gravity shard in the bathroom which he uses to break him through the floor and free him of the straps in his straight jacket. He falls through into the sewers.

3rd:

This is the first map where the player gets to use the mechanic of the game. Our unnamed character must make it through the sewers to escape the asylum. The sewers are still stable so the gravity shards cannot move the pieces of the environment around. The player must move smaller objects like grates and barrels to move through the level.

4th:

The player falls upward out of the sewers and into a green house made of overgrown brick and glass. The player must move pieces of the environment around to make it through the level. Once the player reaches a fountain or some other milestone in the map. The level ends and the map falls toward the center of earth/nibiru. The map falls for a bit and lands on different parts of the planets crust. Creating the next level.

5th: The player is 2km underground and is trying to make his way upward to avoid the earth's core. The player must use the mechanic to climb the map. Avoiding enemies that are after his gravity shards. The player reaches the uppermost part of the map which becomes unstable when the walls of the corridor he started in, falls to surround him again.

6th:
The map begins to fall at high speeds toward the center of the earth. The player must make his way down the corridor once again to get to his bed. Pieces of the floor are crumbling away as he walks. The unnamed character climbs into bed and there is a black out.

The end is yet to be continued.

MDDN 243

Introduction to Computer Game Design

Project 3: Symbiosis

As I mentioned in the last post I have joined Tamati's group to succeed in making his game called Nibiru. His game takes the theme and the storyline similar to the legend and tales of "Nibiru". The ancient tales say that Nibiru is what our planet will be called, after in the distant future when it collides with a planetary object. Kind of like an Armageddon, the end of humanity as we know it. Our game has a strong narrative which means our level progression will be very important. The main mechanic for our game is gravity shift, where the player is able to change the gravity and move on the ceiling, and also moving obstacles at the same time. This will be used to unlock new areas to finish the level and also to kill enemies since he is not able to physically kill anyone as he has no attacks. The level progression and plans will be written in the next blog post.