#IGN120

[ricevber]

Week 5 - Postmortem

One of the first things I realized in these weeks of readings was the professionalism required in the game design industry. Designing and making a game is not simply a combination of graphics and codes. As a designer, I not only need to think about whether or not the game will work, but I also need to think about the market and players associated with it. Through the reading of《Game Design Workshop》by Tracy Fullerton (particularly chapters 1-5), I learned that making a game is not a one-way trip, but a repetitive process that requires constant exploration, discovery, and iteration. This knowledge has also helped me in the design process to constantly reflect on whether the game fits the original concept, engages the player and is playable. Reading also helps me in the design process, as I keep some of the earlier design elements, such as graphics and code, and update them as I develop, such as more detailed graphics and code that makes the graphics more logical and fluid.

If I were to change a part of my development process, I would prioritize simplifying the design of the visual content. Because I was so focused on seeing the prototype look better visually, I spent too much time investigating and drawing gameplay images during the design process, which resulted in a prototype that was not very playable during the fourth week of playtesting.

If I had to change my prototype design, I would modify the design focus from the feature of multi-directional movement to a richer game map and background story. As a beginner to Gdevelop, I was not able to achieve the more directional platformer mentioned in the original concept, and for this shortcoming, I hope to make up for it by increasing the size and variety of the maps to achieve the theme of infinite adventure. I would also like to add more dialogue scenes and stories, as in the original setting, the player takes on the role of a robot that has a independent mind and desires to explore the meaning of life. I think this setting could be used to develop a very engaging worldview that would allow the platformer to be more than just a side-scrolling game and would engage the player's empathy for the content of the game.

References:

Fullerton, T. (2018). Game design workshop : A playcentric approach to creating innovative games, fourth edition. CRC Press LLC. https://ebookcentral.proquest.com/lib/qut/detail.action?docID=5477698#

[ricevber]

Week 4 - Platformer development

Since the second week of learning to use Gdevelop, I have been experimenting with the software to create content that I think fits the theme of my game and the elements that a game should have.

In this Platformer development, I first added the main interface of the game, although it is simple, this layout also provides a good framework for future updates.

Secondly, I added respawn points to the game characters and have two different ways of working, one is in an inactive state when the player first sees the respawn point (red) and the other is in an activated state after the player touches the respawn point (blue). Once the respawn point is activated, then every time the player dies they respawn immediately at this point. A respawn delay or a limit on the number of respawns may be added in a future update.

The key controls have also been changed from the default arrow keys to the more familiar WASD and Space, with the possibility of adding more customized key bindings and a settings option in the main interface.

Attacks and kills When the players touch an enemy horizontally they will be killed, when the players step on an enemy they will attack, and more attacks will be added in future updates.

A soundtrack!

Initial enemy settings

Initial box settings

[ricevber]

Week 2 - Platformer Elevator pitch

This week's game genre is Platformer, a genre that I have not had much exposure to before, which has limited my understanding of platformer games to the fact that they are 2D and horizontal. Before starting the design, I read the 《Game Design Workshop 》 written by Tracy Fullerton, which helped me to clarify the factors that need to be considered in designing a game and the need for iteration in game design. It also suggested that the early stages of game development should not make too many references to existing games, which made it clear that the game I was going to design should be a break from the traditional platformer games. My initial concept for this game is to break the 2D constraints and allow the character to move in a more three-dimensional way on the map, and this concept should be iterated upon as I learn and explore.

Title: Infinite Adventure

Elevator pitch: A 2D game where the player takes on the role of a thoughtful robot and explores the “meaning of life” in a cyberpunk city. The player will upgrade by meeting new NPC and facing new enemies. As the player explores the game world, more varied missions will appear and more movement directions will be unlocked.

Genre: Platformer

Game control: WASD for movement; space for jump; E for interact; Left click for attack; Right click for aim.

Unique Selling Points:

1) Map design is no longer limited to 2D movement, providing players with more directions to adventure.

2) As the game progresses, players will unlock more mission modes.

3) As you level up, you will gain the ability to change the way you play the game.

References:

Fullerton, T. (2018). Game design workshop : A playcentric approach to creating innovative games, fourth edition. CRC Press LLC. https://ebookcentral.proquest.com/lib/qut/detail.action?docID=5477698#