Games GDD

From reading the article 'Design Considerations' by Greg Aleknevicus I have found it very helpful in relation to understanding games and what necessities you should always have in them.

As he said the article is not 'rules' for people who are seeking help, just suggestions. So I am going to narrow down a few suggestions that I found helpful and I will apply to my game:

• use highly distinguishable colours in your game as many people suffer from colour blindness. With this in mind, he said to never have orange and red as player colours.
• use shape as well as colours to distinguish pieces as a fair percentage of the population have trouble distinguishing colours and by adding shapes or graphics can help this tremendously.
• make sure icons are distinct from each other as if you have a lot of icons and they are not that distinguishable it can cause confusion. 
• use a legible font because you don't want it to be hard to read and cause confusion. It is important to choose a easy and clear font in a game.

This is some of the most basic and important rules that can be applied and taking into consideration with your game to improve it and avoid problems.

I read the additional readings and found the follow pages helpful:

• http://www.jesperjuul.net/text/gameplayerworld/ (Links to an external site.)
• http://pulsiphergamedesign.blogspot.com/2009/07/ways-to-reflect-fog-of-war.html 
• https://gamedesignconcepts.wordpress.com/2009/06/29/level-1-overview-what-is-a-game/ 

Game Vision Statement

Game vision statement

Introduction: I want to create a platformer game that consists of a small man character trying to complete each level and reach the star at the end 

Target audience: the target audience for this game would preferably be gamers who enjoy platformer games such as Mario Bros, Fortnite, Minecraft, Call of Duty and Street Fighter. I enjoyed platformer games so much when I was younger on my Nintendo, WII and xbox as I know a lot of other people were so I don't think that it would be hard for people to enjoy this easy game. The age range would most likely be from the age of thirteen to fourteen and onwards.

Game genre: After researching for the last while about what game idea want to follow through with I have decided to do the genre of a 'platformer game' This will consist of a small man character who tries to reach the end(a star) while avoiding different obstacles/challenges such as jumping over objects and collecting coins. These obstacles will include jumping over water and stones, reaching yellow coins along the way and trying to reach the star at the end of the game. 

I used https://store.steampowered.com/tags/en/Platformer/ to look at different and unique platformer games so that I could get a feel for different ones. I 

Game play: The game that I want to make will be set in a bright setting with a blue sky and green grass in the background. I want the game to be a bright game as I feel that it makes it look a lot more better and will be more enjoyable as it is happy and bright. The platform that the character is on will be a light brown stone looking ground. The character will be able to jump from place to place to reach the end goal- which is a star that makes a noise when you jump into it and once you reach that start you have completed the level. If you are near the star and don't touch it or jump into it, you have not completed that level. The goal for this game, like I said, is to reach the end and touch the star. There will be obstacles along the way such as having to jump over water, objects and stones and having to collect coins along the way. The game will be a 3-D game and it will be done  from the characters point of view. 

Resources required: The resources that are required in order to make this game would be a lot of YouTube tutorials on Unity, mainly Jimmy Vegas videos as I find that they really help me. I need these videos to help me create a good functioning game that is up to my standards. Features such as collecting coins along the way will be achieved by watching videos on how to do it on YouTube which are easily accessible.

The game is a single player game and it will be accessible on a PC.  

Just so that you can get an idea of platformer games on WikiPedia that I have linked below. I have found loads of games on different platforms such as WII, Nintendo, Play Station, XBOX, PC. These are a few examples of platformer games:

• Adventure Island series.
• Aero the Acro-Bat.
• Akane the Kunoichi.
• Aladdin.
• Alien Carnage (Halloween Harry)
• Amazing Princess Sarah.
• Another World.
• Shantae
• Shovel Knight
• Snow Bros
• Space Panic
• Speedy Eggbert
• Strider
• Superfrog
• Super Mario Bros. series
• Super Meat Boy
• Techno Cop

I used https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_platform_game_series  to find a few platformer games just so I could give an insight into what kind of game that I am talking about.

A few websites/videos that have helped me along the way with this whole project have been:

• https://jvunity.weebly.com/
• https://unity3d.com/learn/tutorials/topics/2d-game-creation/creating-basic-platformer-game
• https://gamedevacademy.org/how-to-build-a-complete-2d-platformer-in-unity/
• https://gamedevacademy.org/tutorial-multi-level-platformer-game-in-unity/

These videos and website have really been helpful to me during researching my game as it has given me an insight into how to make it.

All in all it is going well for me while I make and research into my game that I want to do. I hope that it is an easy enough game to make as I don't want to make it too hard for myself, I want this game to be enjoyable for anyone who plays it. Like I said I also want it to be bright, happy and colourful as I feel that it gives the platformer game a more 'positive and happy' vibe

Unity tutorial 03

Unity Tutorials

While reading through the tutorial on how to build a clock and then going ahead and making it on Unity, I didn't find it to be that difficult.

The instructions were clear and they took me by it step by step. 

While making the clock and following the instructions I found it a bit difficult to make all of the arms of the clock rotate different degrees to make it all even and go around properly. I went back and continued reading the instructions slowly and I wasn't confused as every hour was a 30 degree angle and so on for all the way around the clock. Everything else went fine for me until I started to use the C# code as it wouldn't work for me at the start properly but after I realised that I had just missed out on a "{" which is such a small mistake but it affected me trying to make it for ages!

All in all the step by step guide was helpful and in the end I got the hang of it and can see what went wrong and how to get it right in the end.

It is cool how you can make something like this that is moving and functioning just from following a few steps, I definitely learned a lot from this!

Feedback Strategies

Feedback Strategies

The two articles that I chose was 'be a mirror and 'the difference between praise and and feedback' 

The first article I read was 'be a mirror' and I really enjoyed this because I felt that it changed my perspective a bit on feedback and constructive criticism.

It speaks about how some people or students progress more rapidly than others because of their mindset. Which is very true as when they develop a growth mindset about their ability with reading etc they believe their hard work and struggle paid off. But when people develop a fixed mindset about their ability they believe their reading and skill level are static and not much can change that. Which is obviously not the case because practice makes perfect, all you can try to do is your best, work on projects that you find hard and try to get the hang of it and improve. 

The second article that I read was 'the difference between praise and feedback' 

There is a difference between praising someone or giving them feedback, for example, if someone does a good painting, saying 'you must have worked really hard on that painting' is better than 'your really good at painting' because your not praising them on what they have done, but the hard work that they have put into it.

In order to provide helpful and detailed feedback and appreciation requires paying attention to children and to what they are doing. It is good to be open to different ways of learning and teaching.

Game Idea Research

Game Idea Research

For my last blogpost I brainstormed four possible game ideas.

I chose:

1. A platformer game (like Mario)
2. A driving game
3. Gardening arcade game
4. A puzzle game

After researching into these different games I have decided to choose the platformer game to focus on.

I wrote about this kind of game (like mario, mario kart) in 'my favourite game' blog as its obviously my favourite game but I would also find it cool if I could create a game like this myself and learn more about it.

I was looking at a lot of Jimmy Vegas' videos on youtube that are about building platformer games like mario: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M-1-XxO-Fyo

Before choosing a game I don't want to just pick a game and stick with it because it could end up being very difficult. But after watching several of his Unity tutorials on YouTube it doesn't seem to be too difficult. Meaning it is hard but I can put my head down and try my best.

I just feel like this game would be a good choice as it is something that we have all played back in the day or even now, it is a very enjoyable and straightforward game.

Game mechanics:

• avoiding killable objects- when the player is playing their will be certain objects that will kill the player such as fireballs, spikes being thrown etc.
• reaching a star- when you complete the level you need to reach/touch a star, if you do, you complete that level. If you don't you need to restart the game again.
• jumping over obstacles- to reach the goal(star) you have to jump and avoid certain obstacles like their being spikes on the ground, you have to jump over and avoid this.

These are my ideas for my possible platform game, I hope you enjoyed :))

Unity tutorial 02

After watching Jimmy Vegas' videos on tutorials for unity I found them both very helpful and informational.

In the first video it shows you basic code and how to add different textures etc. I found it interesting on how you add in sound effects to a game as this would be an element that I would like to add to my future game. He doesn't rush through his tutorials or make changes really fast which I like because he talks you through it and tried his best to explain step by step what he's doing.

I think watching these unity tutorials are definitely beneficial as you get to see how a 'pro' does it and you pick up random tricks along the way. The use of different folders and locations is easy to learn as it is a necessity of the game, it links in well with HTML and CSS I find.

The second video he gives you an insight into the C#   element. I found adding depth and making objects like ponds/lakes interesting as it doesn't seem to be that difficult. 

I am looking forward to creating my final game and getting to learn more about Unity along the way.

Feedback Thoughts

Feedback

I chose the article 'a fixed mindset could be holding you back' because it sounded very interesting to me. I like to read things that I know will be of benefit to me mentally and will help me make small but beneficial changes along the way. This article spoke about how the way of teaching has led to a fixed mindset. Children think that they have not done their work to their best of their ability because they haven't got a good grade, but it is still the work and effort put it into that matters, all you can do is try to improve. For example in a workplace, by encouraging staff to learn from their mistakes rather than chastising them for making them, the workplaces benefits, Professor Klein says.

From my own experience it is great to get feedback for the obvious reason that you can improve your work. Like the quote says, you learn from your mistakes. I like how in this module through the blogs, you can get feedback and see what you done well or what you could do better i.e add more pictures etc. If you get feedback you can then focus on what you might have done wrong and you can then see where you went wrong and improve on it.

The second article that I read was 'rewire your self-critical brain' which I found very interesting and of benefit to me. 

Stress and negativity do remarkable things to your brain. When stress overwhelms you enough to keep your mood constantly low, your brain gradually change.The grey matter (the core component of your brain) but it can grow denser in some self-critical parts. Your brain can keep developing, and the unhelpful changes can be reversed. 

This stood out to me because although you can have negativity that is stuck in your brain their is a still a way of changing that mindset to be positive.

I think all in all these articles were of benefit and definitely shows how you can have a positive impact towards your work and change anything that can be worked on.

Game Brainstorm

After looking into several tutorials and finding games that I think everyone would like I have gathered four possible games that I will create.

The first idea for my game is 

to make a platformer game. Super Mario Bros is a platform game and it is the game that I spoke about in my blog post 'my favorite game'

I used to always play these kind of games when I was younger and I think it would be a fun game to create. I researched into making a game like this on unity and after gathering different information from articles it seems like an easy enough game to create which is good because I then focus on other obstacles I would like in it such as:

-jumping over obstacles

-avoiding objects coming their way

-reaching a star at the end of the level 

The game would be based around a small character who jumps around to go from A to B avoiding different obstacles.

The main article I read was this one as it demonstrates how to make a game like Mario on unity.

https://noobtuts.com/unity/2d-super-mario-bros-game

The second game that I would like to create is a driving game. I used to always play driving games and parking games when I was younger and I think that it is almost a 'fun' way to learn about driving. The game is when your in a car driving around a city and trying to avoid traffic. There would be certain ways of avoiding traffic i.e going through two cars to drive past, going through short cuts. I researched into articles about making a driving game and it talks you through the basics and down to very end of producing this game. I have watched peoples driving games they have made on unity and they look professional and well done.

https://www.udemy.com/course/make-car-racing-games/ 

The third idea is a fast pace gardening arcade game, this will involve planting vegetables, harvesting them and protecting them from various insects and 'enemies', such as snails, birds and worms. The goal is to protect the vegetables from insects destroying it and making sure it stays alive by watering it daily. I thought this game idea was quite different and is not like the other two that I spoke about but it would be something unique. 
https://forum.unity.com/threads/asset-farm-planting-system-plant-grow-and-harvest-from-box.629146/

The fourth and final game idea that I have come up with is a puzzle, there would be different 'mini' games such as X's and O's, tic tac toe and puzzles. This is like an all in one game as there are different mini goals within the three games. I thought this would be something cool because they are small basic games that you can play and win.
https://learn.unity.com/search?k=%5B%22q%3AMini%20Tutorials%22%5D

I have found many articles and youtube videos helpful while doing this brainstorm activity. 

The youtube channel 'unity' has been helpful because it shows different ways of creating unique games. The links below that I have added have also helped me out.

Unity tutorial 01

After viewing a few episodes of Jimmy Vegas' series on how to create a game and go from a beginner level to an advanced level using the Unity programme I have found him extremely helpful and his instructions are very clearly. 

I wanted to get to know Unity before this blog post for myself to get to know it  and I looked up random videos explaining how to use the programme but I didn’t find them that helpful as they didn’t really do it from a beginners point of view, that’s why after watching Jimmy’s video I found myself a lot more comfortable with it.

The first two videos explained the basics and step by step guides on how to learn about the programme as a whole, the 3rd video was interesting as it looked into downloading online content such as trees and grass. I found it cool when he was working on the movement of the grass as it is a programme that I have never used before and it is fascinating to see everything that you can do with it. 

Apart from Jimmy Vegas’ tutorial I also looked up a few myself on YouTube after watching his to get to know it a bit better and I found it helpful. 

This programme is very new to me and I do still find it fairly confusing because there is so many different things to it but I am also excited to get to know the programme better and be able to make good games and projects. 

I won’t lie my first attempt wasn’t the best but I know that along the way and with a bit of help I will get better at it.

Game Design

In the German language a game is described as an activity that is done only for pleasure and without conscious purpose.

In every game there are rules, a goal and competition. The course of the game is never the same. 

Time Strategies

Time Management

It is hard to try and manage my time with all my assignments that I have to get done, working on the weekends and also having a bit of time to relax.

I get a lot of my work done in college as I always have spare time in between classes and while I'm waiting for the bus. I think that I do work best when I am in college as everyone else around me is also doing their work and it motivates to be productive. I like to get my work done before it is due so that I have a bit of time to relax beforehand and go over my work.

I would say that my time management this year is a lot better compared to last year as last year I feel I definitely did just try and get my work done on the day or the day before it was due. This did not work well for me at all because I would always be stressed out and get overwhelmed and think 'Why do I always leave it to the last minute?' Although I think that I do work better under pressure, I don't like having loads of things to do at once.

I have a lot of spare time in college because my bus only comes every 2 hours so if I am even finished class at 15:02 I have to wait until 17:00, which is so annoying but it also gives me time to get my work done.