Sunday, October 10, 2010
Final Project: Board Game YouTube
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u1FBcbIYoAk is the link for my video of this boardgame.
Final Project: Board Game
The name of my boardgame is Tiers & Corridors and is intended to be a simple, fun, and interesting game to play with one other person. The idea came from thinking of the college path as a series of levels (in the case of the game, I used three levels). With each "tier" of education getting harder as one progresses. To represent the educational path of progression I used trivia questions which, like school, get harder as the the level gets higher.
The rules are simple. At the beginning of the game each player selects a "Movement" card (which works like dice to let the player know how many spaces he or she can move); the higher number wins for first move. The player then moves after drawing another Movement card and follows the instruction deemed by what space he or she lands on. If it is a Trivia space, the player then picks up a "Trivia" card. If the player correctly answers the Trivia card, he or she keeps going. The player wins when he or she reached the final space which says "Win".
The rules are simple. At the beginning of the game each player selects a "Movement" card (which works like dice to let the player know how many spaces he or she can move); the higher number wins for first move. The player then moves after drawing another Movement card and follows the instruction deemed by what space he or she lands on. If it is a Trivia space, the player then picks up a "Trivia" card. If the player correctly answers the Trivia card, he or she keeps going. The player wins when he or she reached the final space which says "Win".
Wednesday, October 6, 2010
Cards and Dice
Premise: To make a game that is not overly complicated. A game that kids can play, but is more complex than Go Fish.
Rules: The game begins after the deck of cards is made into a circle in front of the players with the center clear. The dice are rolled in the middle (the clear center). When the dice are rolled, the numbers signify what to do. The point in this game is to get points by making matches, which are written down as points after each match is made. On the dice the numbers 1-4 represent a suit. 1=clubs, 2=spades, 3=diamonds, and 4=hearts. Only two cards are drawn at each turn, after the roll of the dice.
Base Mechanics: The player rolls the dice and gets, for example a 2 and a 4. If that player pulls a two and a four from the deck they get 6 points. Also if the player gets a 6 and a five, for instance they get six points and the five is worth nothing and is discarded. Furthermore, if the 2 is a spade they can double the 2 points to make a total of eight points. If the four is suited as well (a heart), they can double it to make 12 points. A player must keep rolling if both the dice are above four until they get one showing a 1-4. A player can only roll one die to do this, the other die is kept.
Revisions: The possibility to add the two cards that are drawn was added to make things more interesting.
Rules: The game begins after the deck of cards is made into a circle in front of the players with the center clear. The dice are rolled in the middle (the clear center). When the dice are rolled, the numbers signify what to do. The point in this game is to get points by making matches, which are written down as points after each match is made. On the dice the numbers 1-4 represent a suit. 1=clubs, 2=spades, 3=diamonds, and 4=hearts. Only two cards are drawn at each turn, after the roll of the dice.
Base Mechanics: The player rolls the dice and gets, for example a 2 and a 4. If that player pulls a two and a four from the deck they get 6 points. Also if the player gets a 6 and a five, for instance they get six points and the five is worth nothing and is discarded. Furthermore, if the 2 is a spade they can double the 2 points to make a total of eight points. If the four is suited as well (a heart), they can double it to make 12 points. A player must keep rolling if both the dice are above four until they get one showing a 1-4. A player can only roll one die to do this, the other die is kept.
Revisions: The possibility to add the two cards that are drawn was added to make things more interesting.
Saturday, October 2, 2010
Chapter Six Book Work
3) The combat system in Quake IV did have an addictive effect on me. I couldn't wait to see what was next, especially when the player character turned into half Strogg (the enemy). I thought this was awesome and appreciated having new abilities and equipment. What I would do to improve the combat system to make it more diverse would be to incorporate the multiplayer combat system in the single player version. Even if this meant adjusting the enemy's combat system. This would effectively speed up the movement and make the game more fun.
Monday, September 27, 2010
Character Development Revisited
When I think of games like Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 1&2 and Killzone 1&2 I think about how prepared and skillfull the player characters are. They are highly trained, good at what they do, and never meet a challenge they cannot overcome with the right gamer conducting them. In Killzone 1 there are several players who you play that meet this description, and what you find out is while they are as aforementioned-they specialize in certain weapons or stealth, etc.
The characters are not so much affected by their environments as they are prepared for it. In COD, the player always has what he needs to win the battle be it a sniper rifle, a strong troop collaboration, maps, a predator drone, whatever-he's got it. This makes it fun for the player who can then feel the ambience of modern day warfare.
If the environment was the opposite it might not be as much fun. This is to say that they are soldiers, and have a level of expertise that if not exercised would not make much sense for a gamer. They might be able to do well at a carnival where they could test their hand-eye coordiantion shooting or throwing things for prizes, but would a player really feel it necessary to take a black ops operative into a carnival to win there? Probably not.
The characters are not so much affected by their environments as they are prepared for it. In COD, the player always has what he needs to win the battle be it a sniper rifle, a strong troop collaboration, maps, a predator drone, whatever-he's got it. This makes it fun for the player who can then feel the ambience of modern day warfare.
If the environment was the opposite it might not be as much fun. This is to say that they are soldiers, and have a level of expertise that if not exercised would not make much sense for a gamer. They might be able to do well at a carnival where they could test their hand-eye coordiantion shooting or throwing things for prizes, but would a player really feel it necessary to take a black ops operative into a carnival to win there? Probably not.
Saturday, September 25, 2010
Chapter Five Book Work
2) What I might do to create a "sandbox" for my original game is to make sections of space obtainable. With planetary travel quick and easy to understand by putting informational panels beside sections of planets to be traveled to. Also there would be space stations in between with their own side missions. The informational panels would communicate whether things were hostile or not, what enemies and/or allies to expect, motives/goals for inhabitants, food/water amounts and types, and anything else one would need to know to prepare for journeys. Ships could represent rewards for bigger mission accomplishments, while fuel and weapons could do the same for smaller side mission accomplishments. Plus players could (drawing on the idea from GTA) interact with the NPC's to test and manipulate their current environment to get new missions (perhaps to acquire more or stronger weapons).
Dice Game
Texas Hold'em Dice
Premise: To add another level of luck to Texas Hold'em Poker.
Rules: The cards are dealt like a normal game of Texas Hold'em. However, at each turn players can either put chips in the middle to pay for a roll of the die. The die is six sided and represents the number of cards players can pick up depending on their roll. Since the player starts out holding two cards, they can hold only a maximum of eight with the five dealt in the middle at the last hand.
Base Mechanics: At each turn (3 turns), the player can choose to fold, bet only, or bet and pay for a roll with the price being set at the ante (at the beginning of the dealing).
Revisions: None
Premise: To add another level of luck to Texas Hold'em Poker.
Rules: The cards are dealt like a normal game of Texas Hold'em. However, at each turn players can either put chips in the middle to pay for a roll of the die. The die is six sided and represents the number of cards players can pick up depending on their roll. Since the player starts out holding two cards, they can hold only a maximum of eight with the five dealt in the middle at the last hand.
Base Mechanics: At each turn (3 turns), the player can choose to fold, bet only, or bet and pay for a roll with the price being set at the ante (at the beginning of the dealing).
Revisions: None
Design Chemistry
When there is a project at hand, having the right people on hand can make or break its success. Surely there are somethings that we are good at working alone. However, when you want to make something big, you will most likely need more people; and surely there are certain things that someone else might be specifically better or quicker at completing on the level needed to ensure its success. In my own experience, the smaller the team, the easier the communication. Furthermore, the smaller the team, the better everyone can get to or already know each other. With this being said I currently believe that small teams can communicate to other small teams via a liaison. As we have learned from the assembly lines of the early Ford automotive production plants, specialization multiplies productivity. Granted you need to have the right people in the right places.
Prototyping
Prototyping is an extremely useful tool in design. In the field of architecture, people build prototypes or models to test for structural stability and aesthetic reasons. Afterall, the last thing you want to have happen is spend all your time on an idea and find out too late in the process that it cannot accomplish the big ideas you had for it. In video games the same is true. Plus prototypes can inspire new ideas or perfect the current one. The earlier you know how and what will work for your game, the better prepared you are to bring the whole thing together.
Sunday, September 12, 2010
Character Development
The following is the description of my player:
His name is Spatula Francis Dogwalker. He is an american ninja. Grew up in the trailer park until 16 when he left, after his single-mother's death. He dropped out of school in the 9th grade and moved to Japan with money saved from pick-pocketing. Which is where he learned the ways of mixed martial arts from sinsea Master Jetlu. After winning many competitions and events of defending his honor, Spatula moved back to the states to avenge his mother's wrongful death.
He can defend himself as a reflex, is bi-lingual, and in excellent physical shape. He has a dragon tatoo on his left forearm, is 21 and is 6'0" and 200 pounds. His parents separated before his birth. His mother was addicted to pain killers. She started taking them after a drunk driver hit her car when she was 17.
His overall goal is to avenge his mother's wrongful death. She was killed by gang members in a drug deal gone wrong. His tactic?--Kill 'em all!
His name is Spatula Francis Dogwalker. He is an american ninja. Grew up in the trailer park until 16 when he left, after his single-mother's death. He dropped out of school in the 9th grade and moved to Japan with money saved from pick-pocketing. Which is where he learned the ways of mixed martial arts from sinsea Master Jetlu. After winning many competitions and events of defending his honor, Spatula moved back to the states to avenge his mother's wrongful death.
He can defend himself as a reflex, is bi-lingual, and in excellent physical shape. He has a dragon tatoo on his left forearm, is 21 and is 6'0" and 200 pounds. His parents separated before his birth. His mother was addicted to pain killers. She started taking them after a drunk driver hit her car when she was 17.
His overall goal is to avenge his mother's wrongful death. She was killed by gang members in a drug deal gone wrong. His tactic?--Kill 'em all!
GameMechanics Examined
I agree with the article that too many mechanics can mean too much resting on the shoulders of the player. For example, in the game The Matrix: Path of Neo there are so many different combo moves that you end up just hitting buttons and seeing new moves by accident. I loved this game though because I loved The Matrix the movie. However, I basically stuck to a few combos I remembered as they came up in the game and discovered others by randomly pressing buttons. I have also felt this weight in other games where there is so much up to you, you get overwhelmed thinking of how to organize your gameplay in order to be successful in the game.
Accessibility
The controls for Quake IV are not difficult to get the player moving and targeting/shooting. However, to do more advanced movement and shooting takes time and practice to master. It is simple to go straight ahead, jump, and shoot. Strafe-jumping (which allows the player greater speed) on the other hand takes some practice to get down. Also aiming and hitting enemies with the different guns takes some practice as they all fire differently.
With no arms you cannot play the game at all in its current configuration of controls. You would pretty much have to have the ability to aim and turn and strafe by looking (perhaps with glasses that tracked eye movement), and perhaps some foot pedals to move the player.
If playing this game without sight, one would need to play by sound and vibrations. For instance, the player could move the mouse and when the crosshair was aimed at a player it could vibrate and he could fire. And when he was in the crosshair of an enemy he could hear a danger sound and could move away accordingly. Also one would need to know the map, perhaps by studying it and hearing a certain sound when a wall was collided with. The maps would need to be pretty straight forward for beginners.
With one arm a player would definitely need some of the aforementioned equipment. Perhaps the simplest would be some foot pedals to move and the mouse to aim and fire.
With no arms you cannot play the game at all in its current configuration of controls. You would pretty much have to have the ability to aim and turn and strafe by looking (perhaps with glasses that tracked eye movement), and perhaps some foot pedals to move the player.
If playing this game without sight, one would need to play by sound and vibrations. For instance, the player could move the mouse and when the crosshair was aimed at a player it could vibrate and he could fire. And when he was in the crosshair of an enemy he could hear a danger sound and could move away accordingly. Also one would need to know the map, perhaps by studying it and hearing a certain sound when a wall was collided with. The maps would need to be pretty straight forward for beginners.
With one arm a player would definitely need some of the aforementioned equipment. Perhaps the simplest would be some foot pedals to move and the mouse to aim and fire.
Chalk Free Play
This game is refreshingly simple yet challenging. I did have fun playing it; you definitely have to be quick to progress. I found it challenging because of how quick you need to move-running away and attacking and playing a good defense.
This game does have a replay value. If you want to prove that you have great control with the mouse, this is the game with which to do it. Comparing high scores with friends is what I think would make this game fun.
Story does not drive Chalk. This is a game play driven game. After all there is nothing but a blackboard, chalk, and enemies and obstacles. It does seem to remind one of his own experience with the blackboard, daydreaming in classes-seeing more than meets the eye of what a teacher writes on it. And saying this it makes the game just seem like a daydream being presented to you-which in some backwards way-makes it somewhat story driven.
The game stays fresh with simple but entertaining sounds and graphics. As soon as you think you know your enemy, a new kind of enemy pops out. Either that or a bunch more of them do. It gets tougher as you go along and all of the sounds fit their purpose, making it work in a very uncomplicated way.
The controls are also quite simple in that you only use the mouse. Running, moving, "chalking", all require the appropriate direction given by the mouse. Things seem to run smoothly at first, but as soon as more enemies show up, drawing a straight chalk line becomes more difficult (which keeps things challenging and fun).
If I could change one game mechanic here it would be to let the player use the space button to jump over enemies. This would make dodging a little more easy with multiple oponents, which would probably need rebalancing by making the bullets follow you on harder levels; but would make things a little more interesting.
On a scale of 1-10, I would rate this game a 5 on the computer (too simple), but a 7 on the cell phone (just makes more sense on a phone-good time killer when you're mobile. It's not a bad game, I would just rate it better on a phone.
This game does have a replay value. If you want to prove that you have great control with the mouse, this is the game with which to do it. Comparing high scores with friends is what I think would make this game fun.
Story does not drive Chalk. This is a game play driven game. After all there is nothing but a blackboard, chalk, and enemies and obstacles. It does seem to remind one of his own experience with the blackboard, daydreaming in classes-seeing more than meets the eye of what a teacher writes on it. And saying this it makes the game just seem like a daydream being presented to you-which in some backwards way-makes it somewhat story driven.
The game stays fresh with simple but entertaining sounds and graphics. As soon as you think you know your enemy, a new kind of enemy pops out. Either that or a bunch more of them do. It gets tougher as you go along and all of the sounds fit their purpose, making it work in a very uncomplicated way.
The controls are also quite simple in that you only use the mouse. Running, moving, "chalking", all require the appropriate direction given by the mouse. Things seem to run smoothly at first, but as soon as more enemies show up, drawing a straight chalk line becomes more difficult (which keeps things challenging and fun).
If I could change one game mechanic here it would be to let the player use the space button to jump over enemies. This would make dodging a little more easy with multiple oponents, which would probably need rebalancing by making the bullets follow you on harder levels; but would make things a little more interesting.
On a scale of 1-10, I would rate this game a 5 on the computer (too simple), but a 7 on the cell phone (just makes more sense on a phone-good time killer when you're mobile. It's not a bad game, I would just rate it better on a phone.
Sunday, September 5, 2010
Chapter Four Book Work
(2)
(A.) Swat. A leader, heavy military training (15 years). Outstanding physical shape and physical ability. High IQ.
(B.) Dr. Fisher. CIA genious chemist. Taught Swat chemistry in college.
(C) Jane Smith, Black Ops perative trained by Swat. Also very high IQ and physical ability. Alleged double agent. Intel has her working for Iran in the Nuclear weaponry division, collecting secrets from the US to sell to them.
(A.) Swat. A leader, heavy military training (15 years). Outstanding physical shape and physical ability. High IQ.
(B.) Dr. Fisher. CIA genious chemist. Taught Swat chemistry in college.
(C) Jane Smith, Black Ops perative trained by Swat. Also very high IQ and physical ability. Alleged double agent. Intel has her working for Iran in the Nuclear weaponry division, collecting secrets from the US to sell to them.
Journal One
Ten thousand moons ago, there lived a dog in a house with many rooms. His master was a very wealthy collector of sorts. He was in good standing with the community, and had many philanthropic deeds to be spoken of. The dog spent a lot of time, when his master was away, wandering through the many rooms. He would gaze at many of the items wondering what they were. On some objects he would discern that they were interesting, but he had no idea what to make of them. On others he would spend hours dreaming up stories behind them and what they allowed one to do.
His favorite things in the house were the photos. Though he did not comprehend how it was possible to look at something that he was inside of, often alongside his master, he loved the memories and imagination provoking nature of them.
The dog always slept in the bathroom because he loved the privacy and especially the coziness during storms. His master had moved the dog's bed in there when he realized how much he loved it in there. Also, the dog liked that there were photos in there as well. These pictures were not pictures of places he had ever been. They were foreign places and things to him like the many photos he had seen throughout the house (that were of his master on his many world traveling outings he was always talking about when there was company in the large house).
There were four photos placed on the cabinet in front of the dog’s bed at his eye level. Seemingly, his master had placed them there for him. He had apparently witnessed the dog staring at pictures in the house many times.
One picture the dog imagined was of a condo for animals. A mid-sized building of four stories where of course all the dog’s friends lived; the squirrel he always chased around the yard, the female poodle he always smelled and licked in the park, and that puppy that couldn’t play enough with him a few years back (whom he had not seen since, but never forgot). The second picture was a photo of the glorified doggie door, the back (animal) entrance to the condos. The third was a close up of one of the shields the animals stored there if ever there should be an animal war. And the fourth was of a large building, an animal castle of sorts, much like the one of his master, except it was for animals,
His favorite things in the house were the photos. Though he did not comprehend how it was possible to look at something that he was inside of, often alongside his master, he loved the memories and imagination provoking nature of them.
The dog always slept in the bathroom because he loved the privacy and especially the coziness during storms. His master had moved the dog's bed in there when he realized how much he loved it in there. Also, the dog liked that there were photos in there as well. These pictures were not pictures of places he had ever been. They were foreign places and things to him like the many photos he had seen throughout the house (that were of his master on his many world traveling outings he was always talking about when there was company in the large house).
There were four photos placed on the cabinet in front of the dog’s bed at his eye level. Seemingly, his master had placed them there for him. He had apparently witnessed the dog staring at pictures in the house many times.
One picture the dog imagined was of a condo for animals. A mid-sized building of four stories where of course all the dog’s friends lived; the squirrel he always chased around the yard, the female poodle he always smelled and licked in the park, and that puppy that couldn’t play enough with him a few years back (whom he had not seen since, but never forgot). The second picture was a photo of the glorified doggie door, the back (animal) entrance to the condos. The third was a close up of one of the shields the animals stored there if ever there should be an animal war. And the fourth was of a large building, an animal castle of sorts, much like the one of his master, except it was for animals,
Friday, September 3, 2010
Chapter Three Book Work
If I were to redesign the multiplayer version of Quake IV, a fast action, first person shooter, the game would be drastically different. If one used a third person camera, he or she would lose much of the intensity and control of the game. In the game there is actually some code you can enter to change the camera to third person. Players claim it helps them understand the player's movement better and practice with it for a while. However, there is no crosshair in this view which is basically a death sentence in this game. What I gather about it being an aid to the movement learning curve is that the player can better his or her strafe-jumping, and can tell the difference when they switch back to first person. It helps them play and the new speed adds intensity to the game. In this game players will do just about anything to aquire an edge on their competitors.
Thursday, September 2, 2010
Genre Vs Type
The "Game Type vs Genre" article demonstrates the current best classification system for games today. However, after reading the descriptions for GTAIII it seems like there should be another level of classification for games that pull from different genres and types. For example, Fanta-Crime for genre (that is if there are others who could fit this too, which there are), and Action-RPG or A-RPG for the type.
Sunday, August 22, 2010
Free Play
HURRICAN
Hurrican is a fun and challenging game. It reminds me of Contra from years ago on NES. It looks fairly simple, but isn't. Enemies come at you from all over the place, and while you do have a weapon that clears the screen of enemies, you only have three rounds.
The replay value here is high, as it is immediately addictive. While it looks simple, one must work hard to figure out the timings of one enemy, while doing the same thing from evermore approaching enemies. It is hard to accept failure here.
This is both a story driven and game driven game. The story at the beginning draws you in and explains much of what is going on when you are the sole survivor of a crash landing into an alien planet. Yet, as I stated, the gameplay is immediately addictive and keeps you fighting, but also wondering what the next advancement will bring.
The games presentation is impressive for a 2d scrolling mode. It is a well colored and attractive game complete with some old school style theme music. They, while not incredibly hard to make, are done well.
The controls take a while to get used to, especially if you are used to the "w" "a" "s" "d" configuration of 3d games. However they are simple enough to get used to relatively quickly.
If I had to change one mechanic here, it would be to make the directional controls on the left side of the keyboard with the firing controls on the right (as this is pretty standard on today's games).
Hurrican is a fun and challenging game. It reminds me of Contra from years ago on NES. It looks fairly simple, but isn't. Enemies come at you from all over the place, and while you do have a weapon that clears the screen of enemies, you only have three rounds.
The replay value here is high, as it is immediately addictive. While it looks simple, one must work hard to figure out the timings of one enemy, while doing the same thing from evermore approaching enemies. It is hard to accept failure here.
This is both a story driven and game driven game. The story at the beginning draws you in and explains much of what is going on when you are the sole survivor of a crash landing into an alien planet. Yet, as I stated, the gameplay is immediately addictive and keeps you fighting, but also wondering what the next advancement will bring.
The games presentation is impressive for a 2d scrolling mode. It is a well colored and attractive game complete with some old school style theme music. They, while not incredibly hard to make, are done well.
The controls take a while to get used to, especially if you are used to the "w" "a" "s" "d" configuration of 3d games. However they are simple enough to get used to relatively quickly.
If I had to change one mechanic here, it would be to make the directional controls on the left side of the keyboard with the firing controls on the right (as this is pretty standard on today's games).
Chapter Two Book Work
2)
Game Overview for Thieves:USA
The game I am creating here is called Thieves:USA, a sandbox, open world game centered around thefts, big and small. I hope to draw in much of the Grand Theft Auto fan base, as it will have some similarities in its design.
There will be a t least a few gameplay modes: 1) Players will be able to move around the city on their own and mess around as much as they want (robbing and what not). 2)Players will be able to go on missions obtained following the story line. 3) Players will be able to climb buildings to get views and recon' for missions or their own plans. This last mode should be enticing as you can set up your own "jobs" a acquire different things with the spoils.
The goals for this game are not to just create another Vice City, but to borrow from it while embarking on some new territory.
Game Overview for Thieves:USA
The game I am creating here is called Thieves:USA, a sandbox, open world game centered around thefts, big and small. I hope to draw in much of the Grand Theft Auto fan base, as it will have some similarities in its design.
There will be a t least a few gameplay modes: 1) Players will be able to move around the city on their own and mess around as much as they want (robbing and what not). 2)Players will be able to go on missions obtained following the story line. 3) Players will be able to climb buildings to get views and recon' for missions or their own plans. This last mode should be enticing as you can set up your own "jobs" a acquire different things with the spoils.
The goals for this game are not to just create another Vice City, but to borrow from it while embarking on some new territory.
Game Play and Control
Quake IV is currently my favorite game. I am a big fan of first person shooters on PC. It took me a long time to figure out how much more this game had to offer than other shooters. In the beginning I, like countless others, couldn't, for the life of me, figure out why some people moved so much faster than I did. The game seemed to out of my grasp and I thought people must have been cheating. However, I stuck with it and chatted with people in the game and they either told me themselves, or they told me where to pick up movement tips. There were even training maps where one could hone his skills to catch up with the competition. I feel this game is polished, however some of it has to be sacrificed unless you have a very expensive computer (that has better graphics cards, more RAM, etc.). Though you can still watch bodies explode when you frag them with a rocket launcher.
I never expected to have as much fun as I did playing this game. Thanks to the learning curve (which brings in hours of training and testing your progress) I fell into this game very deeply. And was satisfied even without all of its polish.
I never expected to have as much fun as I did playing this game. Thanks to the learning curve (which brings in hours of training and testing your progress) I fell into this game very deeply. And was satisfied even without all of its polish.
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