Homework 15

I have completed the health bar and it’s animation. I am working to implement it into our final game. I have also downloaded the ambient bird and cricket sounds. More weapons that our character will be able to choose from in the game have also been downloaded. I have not yet completed the animations for the breaking doors/windows and the attack animation. The attack animation has been difficult in trying to manipulate the player’s armature, particularly given the character was downloaded from BlendSwap and designed by someone else who’s already implemented animations associated with the object. The health packs and food packs have been developed.

The components that I am responsible for in the game based on our established schedule are also discussed in the updated Game Notebook. 

Homework 14.2: Team Contribution

This last week and a half, our team met after class and at Dirac library 2 to 3 times. Most of our discussion surrounded the game poster and more objects we needed to download from BlendSwap for our game. We also talked about ways to simplify our game.

I downloaded multiple items from BlendSwap for the game and also met with Harsh to brainstorm about ideas for the layout of our game poster.

Homework 14.1: Indirect Control

There are different ways in which indirect control is manifested in our game. A few ways are described below:

1. CONSTRAINTS
Constraints are introduced into our game in a number of different ways. One way in which they are enacted is in relation to the weapons available to the player. The player can choose from a varied but limited collection of weapons, and based on the enemy that is attacking, one weapon may be ideal over the other. For example a knife may be used against a ground enemy, however a flying enemy would be best fought off with the gun.

Also, when night falls, the player is given a choice to either fight through the night against enemies to find the father with a greater chance of undetected attacks, or to seek shelter and wait until the morning to continue the search effort.

2. GOALS
One set of goals in our game revolves around finding clues that help lead to the discovery of the abandoned father on the island. The finding of these clues can be used by us as the designers to direct the path of the player in his search. The player can still follow whatever path he or she chooses, but we know that most likely, the path determined by the discovery of the clues will most likely be followed by the player.

3. INTERFACE
The interface will in general not be a medium through which we exert indirect control.


4. VISUAL DESIGN
There are certain visual aspects that will be implemented in our game that will indirectly control what the player does in certain situations. One example is our use of color or radiance emitted from a door to distinguish it from others to signify that it is a door that can be entered or broken into. This may be used to distinguish objects or clues that may be picked up from random debris on the ground. 


5. CHARACTERS
The main indirect control method as it relates to our game simultaneously acts as the main objective of the game: Alexander's father. Time is against our main character considering the fact that the longer the player takes to find the father, the more likely the father will be in poor condition when he finds him. Aside from that, when the player finally does find the father, the player still realizes the priority of securing the father from vicious attacks by animals. For instance, on the way back to the boat, if the two are confronted by an enemy which starts to try to attack the father, we as the designers know that the player will immediately go to the rescue of the father, as he is capable of being killed as well.


6. MUSIC
We haven't established what music we want to include in the game, however environmental and ambient sounds will be used in the game for various reasons. Obviously, one reason is to give the game a sense of realism. Another could be to allow the player to use the sounds to be aware of a certain presence in his vicinity. For instance fast foot steps could signal an impending attack in which we as the designers would know that the player would probably choose a weapon to prepare to fight. Flapping sounds may signal an attack from above by a flying enemy. Slower footsteps may signal that the father is close, which would encourage the player to search in that immediate vicinity for the origin of the footsteps.

Music may very well be included in our game, given we find a good point of balance between the music and ambient noise. The type of music could be fast and adventurous sounding, subconsciously evoking a sense of urgency in the player to complete the main objective of finding the father.

Homework 13

On Thursday, November 6th, Harsh, Heather, and I met at Dirac library to discuss and edit our game poster and game document.

Homework 12

On Wednesday, October 22nd, Heather, Harsh, and I met at Dirac Library to discuss the components of the game that needed to be implemented to advance the game to a "playable" state. This information was posted in our Game Notes document. Some of these pending implementations include finding and inserting various sounds that will act as ambient nose and give realism to the game. Also, we will split up the implementation of various animations that will be integral to our game, such as breaking windows and doors, and entering buildings. We also discussed the mechanics of the game that needed to be implemented such as the character's movement when he is attacking enemies. We also discussed the beginning scene, the ending scene, and other aesthetics to be added to the game.

Regarding our established division of duties, I approve of the list.

Homework 11

The interface of a game plays an integral role in the attraction to and ease of playing a game. Some elements regarding the interface are discussed below.

1. The user interface will be simple and intuitive, that way it will not interfere with the gameplay, but flow seamlessly and enhance the player's experience. We are going to implement simplistic menus in which the player can choose to resume a game or start a new game, manipulate the sound levels, view controls, etc. An integral in-game element that is part of the interface is the health bar. 

2. The interface generally plays many roles in a game. In our game, the different ways in which the player interacts with the interface will all serve to help progress the player through the game, giving the player insight on the capabilities of the character in the game, helping the character navigate throughout the game world, etc.

3. It will be a relatively simple task to master the interface in the game. This will allow the player to be able to focus primarily on the decision making and action within the actual game and leave the interface to act as an aid to the player.

4. The player will have the strongest influence over the outcome of the game. The player's decisions will solely determine the outcome and conclusion of the game. The player has to make decisions about traversing the island and have to depend on the skills developed through experience to survive attacks by different enemies on the island. The player also has to find and make decisions about clues that may or may not aid his search for the father on the island.

5. The players will realize power in many different ways in our game. The inherent power introduced in the openness of the world is the most apparent. Also, the fact that the setting of the game is an abandoned island plays into this concept. Since realistically, an abandoned setting really reduces restriction, the player will feel the power of being able to basically go anywhere and use any resource he or she may find on the island while playing. To be able to access any car and drive where ever he or she wants to is another example of power. Finally, the use of weapons, which most players wouldn't have access to in real life, and the ability to fight of enemies introduces another dynamic to the realization of power in the game.

6. The player can pick up and touch a number of objects. These include weapons of varying sorts, vehicles, health items, food items, objects used as hints to find the father, the boat used to get to and from the island, as well as break windows and doors and fight animals.

7. Yes the interface helps to visually translate actual occurrences in the real world. For example, when the character is faced and attacked by an enemy, the realistic incident of getting hurt is illustrated through the health bar. If the player is attacked the health bar goes down, depicting that the player was injured. Finding and using a health pack will make the health bar go up, to illustrate the real world instance of someone receiving medical attention and being healed.

8. The interface of our game does allow the player to see, hear, and touch the world of the game. Of course there are always improvements that can be made to enhance the player's experience of the game as a whole.

9. The interface of our game will facilitate the realization of the player's desire to assume virtually complete control over the game play, keeping realism and available resources in mind. 

10. Our interface won't require much thought, but the player will benefit by learning the simple navigation throughout the interface. We will try and make the interface as natural as possible to promote seamless integration into the game.

11. Our game interface will be as simplistic and intuitive, and therefore, natural, as possible. If it were possible to use an actual joystick, whenever the character was attacked, we could make use of the vibration function of most controllers manufactured now for consoles. Also, when the character's health that has been diminished to the point where the character is near death, we could introduce a hazy affect to the camera to simulate the loss of vision and transition into unconsciousness until the character actually dies or regains health through a health pack, in which the haziness would clear up.

12. Our game will have many consistent instances of feedback. For instance, when the player comes to the door of a vehicle to drive to help him more quickly navigate the island, there will be a pop up on the screen telling the player what to press to enter the car and, after entering the car, on-screen directions on how to drive the vehicle. Also, when the player comes to a door or window that can be broken, or a door than can be opened, the interface will present a similar pop up stating which button to press to execute the respective actions. All of this helps the player in accomplishing the main goal of the game in retrieving the character's father.

13. The feedback in our game is continuous. Virtually every situation experienced and decision made in the game has a consequence, and these consequences are generally represented in the interface.

14. Basically, interface modes introduce the concept of remapping a specific control from one function to another, based on the specific parameters and situations in the game. Our game may have multiple modes, however we will try to implement as few as possible, so as to keep the game play as simple as possible.

Weekly Contribution(s): Discussed Game Notes document, downloaded items from Blendswap, looked for pictures and inspiration for poster.

Homework 10

The following pictures are of the development of the health bar that will be used in the game.

Initial health bar (with black background for clarity).

Half full health bar (after animation was finished). 

"Health" text added.

Heart symbol added. Completed look.

In-game visual of health bar.

This video illustrates the in-game look and behavior of the health bar.

HealthBar Blend File

Weekly Contribution(s): Completed health bar animation. Downloaded heart from Blendswap and resized to be used with health bar.