Week 3 Contribution

We met up on Friday to talk about which engine we would be using to develop our game. We were debating between Torque 2D or Unity 3D an researched on which is easier to implement. We found that Unity maybe able to do on screen editing of the graphics.

Dan and Michael were researching about the engines, while the rest of us worked on the platform and overall map of our game. We worked combining the different environments in the game to create a seamless world instead of frame by frame to different areas in the game world.

Week 3 Game Critique 2: League of Legends

Game Mode

There are 2 modes in League of Legends: Classic game mode and Dominion mode. For Dominion mode there is one map that is 5v5, Crystal Scar map with two types of gameplay: normal blind pick or draft pick. The game is viewed is top-down isometric perspective in third person (omnipresence).

For blind pick, you do not get to see your opponents heroes till loading screen pops up. As for draft pick, each team take turn banning/omitting champions/heroes.

The team then picks characters in this order:

1. first team that bans character picks 1 character, opponent chooses 2 characters
2. first team chooses 2 characters, opponent chooses 2 characters
3. first team chooses 2 characters, and opponent chooses last character

There are two main modes in this game: 1.) defend your own capture point, 2.) take over opponent’s capture points and to do these you must engage in combat with them, along with team work with your team.

Core Mechanics

League of Legends is known for game play on the Field of Justice map. Dominion is a new 5v5 type of game on a new map, the Crystal Scar Field of Justice to destroy the enemy nexus. Dominion’s play style is a “capture-and –hold’ that brings faster action and tactical game play. Both team’s nexus has 500 life points and these life points diminish by controlling more Capture points than the enemy team; no damage is done with equal amount of Capture Points. The map has 5 Capture Points, with more Points captured, spawning of minions will increase.

The cons are that if you are paired with lower level players, there is a higher chance of losing. Dominion requires higher team co-ordinationin to maintain your teams capture points and if losing one capture point there is a high chance the team could lose if they only have 2 capture points left, their nexus life would decrease more. An additional would be some players are item reliant and do not play well in the early period of the game and could cost the team more damage. Overall, it is a fast paced game if the players like to get a dose of League of Legends.

Flowboard

Week 3 Game Critique 2: Skyrim

Game Mode

The Elder Scrolls series as incorporated their traditional non-linear gameplay into Skyrim, where players can explore the open world of Skyrim on foot, on horse, and fast-travel to cities, towns and dungeons after they have been discovered. The world is viewed in third person and first person perspective with a top-down map of the places that you’ve been to for quick transportation.

The main mode is exploration and compact that interchange depending on the player’s decision/choices. Quests are given to the players by non-player characters (NPCs) in the world, and these quests can be dynamically altered to accommodate for player’s actions which may influence the quest’s objectives.

An additional mode would be when not completing quests, players can interact with NPCs through conversations, and request favours or training in skills from the player. In addition to the scripted quests, there are limitless number of side quests that dynamically generate to provide players this non-linear game world experience.

Core Mechanics

The core gameplay is mostly combat with magic and weapons that the player obtains. The UI is based on a minimalistic approach, removing clutters as opposed to how MMO or Dungeon crawlers are designed. The more you do, the better you will get throughout the game; the more you pick pocket, the better you get.

There is a favourites menu where you can access all of your inventory that you carry where the game pauses instead of the usual MMO where there is a skill bar and they can access with hotkeys.

The cons of this game is that there are a few glitches in the open world and most characters have perfect body proportions, even for those with alien heads on humanoid bodies. There are not much variety in combats and pretty much hands on. A realistic feature is the more inventory that is carried, slower you move; its a con and pro depending which aspect of the game you are looking at, gameplay or realistic feel of the game. Skyrim consists of a lot of travelling, but withquick travel, players benefit and are able to move quickly from one location to another. More often, enemies find you instead of you finding enemies.

Flowboard

Week 2 Contribution

This week we focused on finalizing our concept of the game:

Objective for the character:

1.) exploration and finding artifacts to fix spaceship to go home.

2.) exploration and colonizing

We chose to create a 2-d side scrolling exploration game that the character plans to colonize.

We worked on our core mechanism and the game modes on Friday and worked on the documentation that was due Sunday. We finalized the concept of switching color mode and the color switching of the environment. Some of the team members imagined the color switching environment was including the background while others thought it was only certain platforms or areas that switch color to allow the character to camouflage with the surroundings.

We worked on finalizing the types of artifacts that our character can find and how it would aid the character throughout the game. We distributed the remaining parts on Friday and met after lecture to discuss how to present.

On Friday’s meeting, I help take minutes and organized the google doc so we would be able to reference all the changes that we made and that if team members have questions about certain aspects, it would be easier to explain and also make sure everyones on the same page. Some times we would discuss certain aspects and forget how we changed it. Dan and Michael and Tim were working on the Flow chart on the board while Wilson was sketching the character and some frames/platforms for our game.

 

 

Week 1 Contribution

For the first week, we all met online after class to talk about the type of game we plan to create for the class. I help isolate and find commonality between the types of games each member like/play or would like to create.

After, I help Dan fill out our game concept document since the others had early class. We all agree to meet on Friday in person at SFU Surrey Campus. On that day, we all contributed to the mechanics of our game and discussed all of the categories that we needed to cover for our game concept document and presentation.

Dan create a draft presentation and after todays class we all met up to rehearse and polish up the slides. I changed the slides, adding precedent pictures and ordered the slides and distribute the slides for each member to present. We all contributed to working on the slides by finding pictures I could enter into our slides.

Week 1 Game Critique 1: Skyrim

Skyrim is a role-playing game that allows players to explore the open world of Skyrim with non-linear gameplay.

Mechanics:

Skyrim’s plot is affected by the player’s decisions, quests and side-quests are assigned by non-player characters and based on how the player decides to complete the task. There are consequences for the actions that the player’s make in the game.

-Leveling up of character through experience acquisition
-Skill point allocation by choice of player
-Long range and melee characters with full character customization
-Dramatic fantasy inspired storyline with a strong plot

Dynamics:

-Skyrim’s main plot is to defeat the Dragons and protect the empire and that is done by finding the warrior that could hear The Voice. Players can decide what to do in the game, not necessarily completing the storyline.

-There are hostile NPCs that can attack the player while exploring the world of Skyrim.

-There limitless quests that are generated randomly during the player’s game play, these can be completed if the player decides to take on the task.

– The leveling up system encourages continuous play and development to improve your character.

-There are different class/play styles that the player can choose without changing their character’s storyline

Aesthetics:

Discovery:

Players explore and live the world of Skyrim. Players can change character class as the game goes on to experience different character’s attribute in the game.

Submission:

Please of the non-linearity of the game, players can past the time by living and being part of Skyrim, instead of reality. With many quests and territories to explore, it is limitless to the amount of activities players can do in the Skyrim.

Sensation:

While in Skyrim, players experience the different roles of each character class. Their sensations are drawn to the types of quests, surroundings and non-player characters as well, becoming part of the world.

Overall enjoyment of this game for me is the sensation and discoveries in the game world, because of the non-linear gameplay it allows players freedom to explore and create and alter the outcome depending on how they want the game to end.

Week 1 Game Critique 1: League of Legends- Dominion

League of Legends (LoL) falls into the genre of multiplayer online battle area (MOBA) , that is an action real-time strategy (ARTS) video game where each player control a single character and compete with each other.

League of Legends emphasizes on team-play where players on each team can select and control one “hero”, a powerful unit with various abilities and advantages to form a team’s overall strategy. The objective of such games is for the player’s team to destroy the opposing side’s main structure with the help of periodically spawned computer-controlled units that march towards the enemy’s main structure.

Mechanics:

League of Legends is known for game play on the Field of Justice map. Dominion is a new 5v5 type of game on a new map, the Crystal Scar Field of Justice to destroy the enemy nexus. Dominion’s play style is a “capture-and –hold’ that brings faster action and tactical game play. Both team’s nexus has 500 life points and these life points diminish by controlling more Capture points than the enemy team; no damage is done with equal amount of Capture Points. The map has 5 Capture Points, with more Points captured, spawning of minions will increase.

–Same variety of characters (heroes) and the item composition is the same but limited to the game mode, with exclusive items only available when playing Dominion.

-Players are able to buy particular items that they believe would help counter or defeat enemy’s hero/character. This occurs at the beginning of the game and when players die and waits to get back into the game.

-Challenges when playing against higher level players, and working as a team with players that have various skills, style and level.

Dynamic:

-Health/Speed buffs are located in between the Capturing Points to increase rotation and movement in the map.

-Quests are issued to both teams every 5 minutes, involving capturing particular enemy-held Point and defending Capture points your team controls. Once quest if complete, enemy’s nexus takes 20 damage and grants 10% bonus damage to the team that completed the question.

-In the middle of the map there is a buff that both teams can fight to obtain that benefits their game play. This buff appears every 3 minutes after the first buff is captured by a team.

-In-game leveling up increases as player kills their enemy or minions and increases their characters skills/abilities. This encourages players to play more to improve their characters’ abilities.

The game dynamic provides entertainment for both players in the game and spectators based on the strategies each player picks. Because it is a live game, players have to decide on the types of items, spells and strategies that benefit the team on the spot. Spectators can observe and view the style of each player and critique the decisions made or if they find alternative strategy that could be more beneficial for the team. Overall the dynamics allow a fast-paced strategic game.

Aesthetics

Fellowship:

In this real-time strategy game, it is based on tea work, there could be one skilled player in the game but it is not guarantee that they would win. This game is based on how to work together and help each other when it is needed and the type of strategies that the team decides to implement.

Challenge:

The challenges of this game is playing against different skilled players and working with different players online. Players must be flexible to adapt to the types of play style and roles that the teams decides or assigns them.

Fantasy:

The world of League of Legends is full of magic and supernatural phenomena. All characters have different strengths/ skills that categorize them as a certain type of mythological creature such as Mage, Tank and Warrior / Archer.

Overall enjoyment of this game for me is the team work and bond created when play this game with players worldwide and the fantasy aspect/aesthetics of the game.

Hello world!

This is a blog for IAT 410- Advance Game Design Spring 2012.