Slam City Skates GDD Week One – Design Fundamentals

Introduction

As my second academic year begins, I am looking forward to developing myself and gaining better knowledge of my discipline. I am hoping to largely step-up with my practice this year and become a great designer, that can not only conceptualise and design games, but help to bring them to life through effective communication and team work.

Lecture and brief

The lecture going over fundamentals was a great way to ease back into my development as a game designer. While I was familiar with many of the concepts discussed, it helped to reconsider them and refresh my knowledge. In particular, it was beneficial to consider games in terms of Flow Theory, and the MDA Framework; as a designer it is important to break games down and see the individual components working within the holistic whole. I also found the section on circumventing designer’s block helpful, and I am sure that I will refer to it throughout the year as I encounter difficult hurdles in game development.

The main assignment for this module is to make a game design document (GDD) for a hypothetical game. This is an exciting task and the creative possibilities are almost overwhelming. Due to the fact that these games will not be developed (not yet, at least), we can afford to push our scope beyond the bounds of a student project if we wish. I will spend some time brainstorming ideas soon to hopefully land on one that I am confident with developing further.

Individual challenge

This week’s individual design challenge tasked us with discussing a game that we deemed ‘dead on arrival’. By critically analysing what made a game leave a bad impression on us, we can better understand how to avoid the same thing happening to players when we design our own experiences. Here is my submission:

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Wolfenstein: Youngblood (2019) completely upends everything that made the previous two reboot games so fantastic. Where The New Order and The New Colossus were fantastic modern shooters which strode forward into new territory while still having a firm respect for the series’ roots, Youngblood tries to cram in games-as-service practices and artificially lengthens the game with level barriers.

A list of issues:

  • When playing single-player, the AI buddy is more of a hindrance than a help.
  • Protagonists and dialogue that make you cringe.
  • Uninteresting story that fails to be integrated with the gameplay.
  • Level barred missions for the sake of stretching out the game.
  • Confusing, snaking level design that I got lost in many times.
  • Very poor and unforgiving checkpoint system.
  • Bland and unintuitive UI.

I think a co-op Wolfenstein game is a great idea, but unfortunately the execution of this was not ideal. I would’ve much preferred to see a linear game designed for two players to experience, rather than a half-baked semi-open world with generic mission structure and unnecessary grinding. If you’ve never played a Wolfenstein game, please don’t start with this one!

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Further reading

I read a section of Study Skills for Art, Design and Media Students (Mann 2010), which had some interesting points on efficient note-taking within lectures, as well as tips for working in team development projects. I also went to the campus and took out a copy of Game Design Workshop (Fullerton 2004). In particular, I liked the emphasis on improving our design knowledge by endeavouring “to learn to play with the same conscious sensitivity to your own experience and critical analysis of the underlying system” (Fullerton 2004: p. 9). In other words, by becoming a more thoughtful and analytical player, we become a better designer. As the book suggested, I decided to write a ‘game journal’ entry regarding Sable (2021), a game I am currently playing.

Thoughts on Sable:

  • Freedom is a core pillar of the experience.
    • You are free to go anywhere and tackle the game in any order.
    • Once you have obtained a few items you are even free to end the game whenever you want.
  • Empty space and lengthy travel emphasises reflective exploration.
    • Supported by the narrative – you play a lone wanderer in search of purpose.
    • ‘Artificial loneliness’ – feels intimate as it is often just you and the player character.
  • Choices in customisation.
    • You can customise your hoverbike as well as Sable’s clothing.
    • Makes your experience feel more personal and adds to the feeling of agency.
Figure 1: Raw Fury. 2021. Sable in-game screenshot.

 

References

FULLERTON, Tracy. 2004. Game Design Workshop. Boca Raton: CRC Press.

MANN, Stewart. 2010. Study Skills for Art, Design and Media Students

Sable. 2021. Shedworks, Raw Fury.

Wolfenstein: Youngblood. 2019. Machine Games, Bethesda Softworks.

 

List of figures

Figure 1: Raw Fury, 2021. Sable in-game screenshot. Raw Fury [online]. Available at: https://www.dropbox.com/sh/qemoej1eg4pmaj3/AAD8KwPYYEJVwj_UmaUDRG1ga/RAW%20FURY%20Released%20games/Sable/Screenshots?dl=0&subfolder_nav_tracking=1 [accessed 26 October 2021].

 

GAM150 Final Thoughts

With both of the mods completed, I would like to take some time to reflect on both the finished products, considering their quality, what I have learned through the process, as well as what could be added in the future.

Alone in the Woods

Overall, I am happy with how this project turned out. I put a lot of time into this mod and was able to do a full conversion of the original stub, replacing all of the assets with my own pixel art. I am most glad that I was able to replace the character’s animation cycles as the original player character’s look was very incongruous with the new look of the game. I like the aesthetic achieved, and if I were to develop this mod further I would add a larger variety of assets to keep the game visually intriguing and further develop my skills as a pixel artist.

I am proud of being able to add a whole new mechanic in the form of shooting, which can be used in multiple contexts such as shooting spiders or breaking logs in your way. I feel that this, coupled with pools of goo to avoid adds an extra layer of complexity to gameplay, making it more engaging than simply running and jumping.

Although very simple, the inclusion of an intro menu and end screen bookend the levels nicely. I feel that they make the game feel more professional, and I like their aesthetic as it fits in with the overall appearance of the game as a whole.

The implementation of a timer was novel and I am glad that it can give the player an option to challenge themselves if they wish to do so. However, I feel that I should have given the player more of an incentive to engage with this system, perhaps through the use of a leaderboard or medal system. I understand that these are quite complex systems, so in the future when I am more competent with Unity, this could be something to add.

I am disappointed that I was not able to add sound effects or music to the game as I feel that would have gone a long way to improve the atmosphere of the experience. Unfortunately I ran out of time to teach myself how to implement these features, but I will likely look into them in the future.

(Above) Figure 1: Alone in the Woods.

Canyon Rush

As a level design assignment, I am mostly happy with the finished result of my 3D mod, ‘Canyon Rush’. When creating it I carefully considered structuring and object placement, to create a flowing experience for the player.

I am glad that I combined both ProBuilder and terrain tools to create the 3D navigable space, as it taught me a lot about each toolset. They are both very versatile toolsets, allowing the user great control over what they want to create, and while I still have much to learn within them, this project has given me a good foundational understanding which I am excited to continue to develop.

I took great care over the placement and arrangement of assets throughout the level. My aim was to arrange them in a manner that provided lots of natural cover and blocked sightlines so that the player couldn’t exploit the shooting mechanics. I feel that I mostly achieved this, however, after some playtesting I have found a few locations where the player can avoid taking damage and still kill enemies. This is something that, if given more time, I would be able to iron out with more playtesting, however unfortunately I ran out of time within the project’s timeframe.

I would also ideally have liked to change the appearance of the mod some more, perhaps giving the arena new textures to make it more visually interesting than the default texturing it currently has. I also feel that the level’s terrain could do with a larger variety of texturing, as in the current state it appears very brown. I think that the level would look much more exciting with some moss or grass painted on to the terrain, to break up the colours slightly more.

(Above) Figure 2: Canyon Rush.

Conclusion

This GAM150 module has been highly beneficial to my development as a game designer, requiring me to become familiar with Unity and design theory. I feel that through the production of these two mods, I have learnt a great deal about the entire design process, in both a 2D platformer and 3D level design context. I look forward to carrying these skills forward into future projects throughout my academic career.

GAM150 Week 11 – Arena, Characters and Final Tweaks

This final week has been quite full-on, as I have been trying to finish up both of my mods in time for the hand-in date, while completing various assignments for my other modules. I have made some significant additions and changes to both the 2D mod and 3D level design mod, and I am mostly happy with what I have achieved with each project.

Within the 3D mod, I have finally added a ‘boss fight’ arena area on top of the plateau at the end of the canyon (figs.1 & 2). Using ProBuilder, I created two cylinders stacked on top of each other, with ramps around the perimeter for the player to walk up. I also placed various walls in a symmetrical fashion, so that the player can take cover against the large turrets as they fight their way through the arena. I really enjoyed putting this area together and through this process I have learnt key features of the ProBuilder suite of tools such as edge loops, grid snapping, extruding faces, collapsing vertices and more. I also placed some small hover bots around the arena to keep the player moving, and give them a source of health as the engagement is quite challenging. Finally I scattered some smoke particle systems, (made in one of the Unity workshops) to add some visual intrigue to the area. On reflection, they do not add much to the encounter in this case, but I can easily see how a more advanced particle system could add drama and stakes to a fight.

(Above, left) Figure 1: A top-down view of the arena, created in ProBuilder. (Above, right) Figure 2: A closer look at the arena and enemy/cover placements.

I have also made a few visual changes to the 3D mod, changing the overall ‘game feel’. I started by changing the skybox to be less space-oriented and more in line with the overall aesthetic of the level. After looking for a while on the asset store, I found a great skybox (Pulsar Bytes, 2017) which, after placing in the scene, looks great, with lots of open space, giving the feel of being lost in a desert (fig.3). Following this, I changed the lighting to be more appropriate with the new sky. I made the colours slightly warmer and positioned the lighting to be more directly over the playspace.

(Above) Figure 3: The new skybox, with less of a sci-fi aesthetic.

Finally, I changed the win, lose and menu screens. I removed the background images, replacing them with the new skybox to more appropriately reflect the atmosphere of the level. Then, I changed the colour and font of the text, as well as adding a thin black outline to improve readability. The name has also been changed to ‘Canyon Rush’ (fig.4).

(Above) Figure 4: The new title, with a different font and background.

I have also made final additions to ‘Alone in the Woods’, my 2D platformer mod. The most significant change being the replacement of the player character with my own animations created in Aseprite (fig. 5). The process was relatively simple, involving replacing the key frames of each animation for the original character with my own sprites. I am really happy that I have been able to implement this change, as now every asset that is seen in the game has been created by me, making the mod a ‘total conversion’, with none of the original assets from the stub being seen in the finished product.

(Above) Figure 5: The sprite sheet for the new character’s running animation, made in Aseprite.

Next, with the help of an online tutorial (French, 2020), I added a simple timer to the top left of the screen (fig.6). Initially, it was a countdown timer, with the player having to reach the teddy bear at the end of the level before the timer reached zero, when the level would restart. After some playtesting, I found that this gave an unnecessary level of stress to the game, and did not add the level of challenge I thought it would – rather being a source of frustration. So instead, I have tweaked the code to count up from zero, meaning that the player can try to complete each level as quickly as possible if they choose to, but will not be punished for taking their time with each level. This makes the game a much more enjoyable experience in my opinion.

(Above) Figure 6: The timer, situated in the top-left of the screen. It is unobtrusive to the player but adds a layer of complexity for those who wish to challenge themselves.

References:

FRENCH, John. 2020. How to make a countdown timer in Unity (in minutes + seconds) [online]. Available:

Pulsar Bytes. 2017. ‘WorldSkies Free Skybox Pack | 2D Sky | Unity Asset Store’. Unity Asset Store [online]. Available at: https://assetstore.unity.com/packages/2d/textures-materials/sky/worldskies-free-skybox-pack-86517 [accessed 12 December 2020].

 

 

GAM150 Week 10 – Final Levels, Terrain and Environments

I finished up the levels for my 2D game mod this week. There are now five completable levels, each escalating in difficulty from the last . As well as this, there is a title and end screen. I am happy with how the levels look, and hope they are varied enough to keep the player engaged throughout the play time. When designing the levels I took great inspiration from the level designs of classic platformers such as Super Mario Bros. (1985) and Rayman (1995). Aside from wanting to replace the character with my own design in order to make this mod a ‘total conversion’ (something I will do as a stretch goal), I am mostly happy with the result of this mod. I am now able to give the FPS mod my full attention within this module.

Within the 3D mod, I have created a large piece of terrain for the player to progress through. Using the terrain tools, I sculpted a mountainous region, which will serve as natural barrier to the player so that they cannot escape the play space. I then went over them with ‘smooth height’ and ‘erosion’ tools to make them look more natural, and used the ‘lower terrain’ tool to carve out a winding canyon, leading to an open area with a plateau where the boss fight will be situated (figs. 1 & 2). Using the textures from the terrain asset pack I downloaded last week, I was able to add dirt to the ground level, and make the mountains look rocky, with the tallest having snow-caps. I like this effect as it makes the level feel more believable than it had previously.

(Above, left) Figure 1: The level’s topography, with textures painted on. (Above, right) Figure 2: A closer view of the plateau, from the canyon.

Moving on from this, I populated the canyon with the low-poly nature assets I downloaded last week, as well as positioning the enemies (figs. 3 & 4). I found this to be the most fun part – tailoring the player’s experience by guiding them through the level using the environment. I have strategically placed trees, logs and boulders to be used as cover and block lines of sight so that the player can’t exploit the enemy AI by shooting from too far away. I have also made sure to think carefully about environmental  storytelling when placing these objects. For instance, I make sure that there is a tree stump nearby each log to indicate where it once stood (fig. 5), and mushrooms grow in the shadowed sections of the level (fig. 6).

 

(Above, left) Figure 3: A closer look at the object placement, designed to add visual variety and gameplay gameplay functionality. (Above, right) Figure 4: A top-down look at the (mostly) populated level.

(Above, left) Figure 6: Mushrooms placed in shade beneath a log. (Above, right) Figure 6: A fallen log, lying below a tree stump.

I then populated the level with enemies, spacing them out in a logical way, and gradually increasing their concentration to raise the difficulty as the player advances. At first, I ran into some trouble with the AI travelling through objects. I was unsure of how to fix it but after some research (Unity, 2020) I found out it was to do with the something called ‘NavMesh’. I had to ‘bake’ all of the static objects into the NavMesh so that the enemies would know to go around them. Once I had done this they functioned perfectly.

Before fully jumping into designing this level, I watched an interesting GDC talk on level design (ref). It detailed some great points to keep in mind when aiming to create engaging levels, but there were two that I particularly followed – keeping ‘flow’ within the level and rewarding players for exploration.

The design of my level is essentially one large flowing corridor, leading into an open arena. This promotes forward momentum and gives the player little reason for backtracking, unless they missed an enemy. I like this as, coupled with the staggered collectibles, it gives the player a feeling of constant progression as they move through the level.

I have also placed certain pickups out of the way of this central corridor, rewarding the player for going off the beaten path. For instance, the launcher weapon is hidden behind the plateau, amongst some fallen boulders (fig.7). This gives the player a reward for being curious and taking the time to explore the level, especially as this weapon is effective in the final fight.

(Above) Figure 7: The hidden launcher weapon, situated behind the plateau.

Next week, I am going to create a structure with ProBuilder to sit atop the plateau, where teh boss fight will take player. I like the idea of a circular arena, with scattered pieces of cover and the enemies able to shoot down from above, to keep you moving.

References:

Rayman. 1995. Ubisoft Montpellier, Ubisoft.

Super Mario Bros. 1985. Nintendo.

TAYLOR, Dan and GDC. 2018. Ten Principles for Good Level Design [online talk]. Available at: www.youtube.com/watch?v=iNEe3KhMvXM&feature=emb_logo [accessed 23 November 2020].

UNITY. 2020. ‘NavMesh Baking.’ Unity Learn [online] Available at: learn.unity.com/tutorial/navmesh-baking#5f8fa452edbc2a3616f57157 [accessed 25 November 2020].

GAM150 Week 9 – Enemies and 3D Preparations

After some playtesting and experimenting, I have changed the structure of the 2D mod to be based around a more linear progression, rather than open-ended levels. I found that players got lost more easily and had to do more backtracking in the original version. The new format requires the player to get a single collectable at the end of a level before progressing on to the next one. This way I can more easily devise levels with advancing difficulty and the player will have a more concrete feeling of progression. Unfortunately this means that I have had to take out the UI which counts the number of teddy bears collected, however I am still happy that I learnt how to implement it during the Unity workshops.

I have made a handful of levels throughout the week, which was a quick process thanks to the modular tiles I made earlier on in the project. I started by making a simple tutorial level designed to introduce the player to the core mechanics/features of the game (running, jumping, shooting and collecting teddy bears) with guiding messages written using text meshes. Following on from that, I have made some distinct levels designed to challenge the player’s aiming and platforming skills. Once the player collects the teddy bear at the end of the level the build index is accessed and the game will load up the next level in the sequence.

Another big addition made to the game is the introduction of enemy spiders. I felt that the gameplay was missing an element of risk and danger outside of the pools of acid that the player has to jump over. Using Aseprite, I created some sprites (fig) made to play as a simple two-frame animation. I made sure to stick to the same colour scheme as the acid, to signpost their danger to the player. Having implemented them into levels, I am happy with what they add to the game, as a moving obstacle and another target for the player to shoot at, besides the logs that block their path. I used two colliders on their game objects, one as trigger that detects and kills the player, and one as a collider that detects if the player has shot them. I created their walk cycles using the record feature in the animation window, having them move between two positions and flipping them on the x-axis when they reach these positions.

(Above, top) Figure 1: Screenshot. The two spider sprites. (Above, bottom) Figure 2: Screenshot. The spiders placed in the level. They walk between two points to provide a moving obstacle to the player.

I have also been brainstorming ideas for my 3D mod and preparing to use Unity’s 3D tools. I know that I would like to combine elements of terrain sculpting with structures made in ProBuilder. I have been watching Brackeys videos, to better understand both ProBuilder (Brackeys, 2019) and Unity’s terrain tools (Brackeys, 2019). My current idea is based around the player fighting their way through a canyon, picking up power ups along the way, possibly ending in a boss fight within a building. I would like to employ a low-poly aesthetic, as that would fit in with the assets already provided within the mod. Below is a low poly asset pack (JustCreate, 2020) and terrain asset pack (Unity Technologies, 2019) which I have found on the Asset Store that I will likely utilise to create the environment.

(Above, left) Figure 3: Unity Technologies. 2019. Example made using the terrain tools from the asset pack. (Above, right) Figure 4: JustCreate. 2020. The assets contained within the low-poly asset pack.

Next week I would like to start creating the level within the 3D mod stub we have been given. I would also ideally like to finish up on the 2D mod so that I can give this first person shooter my full attention for the final two weeks.

References:

BRACKEYS. 2019 How to Make Terrain in Unity! YouTube [YouTube user-generated content] Available at: www.youtube.com/watch?v=MWQv2Bagwgk&t [accessed 19 November 2020].

BRACKEYS. MAKING YOUR FIRST LEVEL in Unity with ProBuilder! [YouTube user-generated content] Available at: www.youtube.com/watch?v=YtzIXCKr8Wo [accessed 19 November 2020].

JustCreate. 2020. ‘Low-Poly Simple Nature Pack.’ Unity Asset Store [online] 24 Aug. 2020, Available at: assetstore.unity.com/packages/3d/environments/landscapes/low-poly-simple-nature-pack-162153 [accessed 21 November 2020].

Unity Technologies. 2019. ‘Terrain Tools Sample Asset Pack.’ Unity Asset Store [online]. Available at: assetstore.unity.com/packages/2d/textures-materials/nature/terrain-tools-sample-asset-pack-145808 [accessed 21 November 2020].

List of figures:

‌Figure 3: Unity Technologies. 2019. Example made using the terrain tools from the asset pack. Unity Asset Pack [online]. Available at: assetstore.unity.com/packages/2d/textures-materials/nature/terrain-tools-sample-asset-pack-145808 [accessed: 21/11/2020]

Figure 4: JustCreate. 2020. The assets contained within the low-poly asset pack. Unity Asset Pack [online]. Available at: assetstore.unity.com/packages/3d/environments/landscapes/low-poly-simple-nature-pack-162153 [accessed 21/11/2020]

GAM150 Week 8 – Menus, UI and Goo

This week’s Unity workshop was all about UI interfaces. Paul went over, canvases, panels, text and images, as well as appropriate methods of scaling and anchors/pivots. This was helpful as Unity’s UI tools have confused me in the past. With the knowledge from this session, I was able to make a menu screen for my 2D mod (fig. 1). The background was made in Aseprite (along with the text and buttons) with the line and paint bucket tools, using an Autumnal colour palette. Creating this menu meant that I also had to come up with a good name. It may be simple but I like ‘Alone in the Woods’ – it conveys the mood I’m going for with the game. Using the animation window (fig. 2) and the ‘record keyframe’ feature I was able to add some motion to the title, making it bob up and down for some visual intrigue.

(Above, top) Figure 1: The menu screen with background, title, and play/quit buttons. (Above, bottom) Figure 2: The animation timeline used to create the bobbing effect on the title.

Paul was also able to guide me through creating a piece of UI in the game itself which tells the player the number of teddy bears they have picked up and how many they have left to find (fig. 3). I also applied an outline component to the text to make it stand out against the background for ease of readability. This required a chunk of coding that I was unfamiliar with such as ‘singletons’ and ‘instances’, and I still don’t fully understand what each does but it was helpful to be go over it step by step with Paul.

(Above) Figure 3: The text overlay displaying the number of bears collected.

The final addition I made was an obstacle for the player to avoid in the form of toxic goo. I created them in Aseprite using a limited, bright colour palette that differs from the overall colours to signify that it must be avoided. I also added a collider which, when hit by the player, kills them and sends them back to a recent position. I’m really happy with this as it adds an extra layer to platforming, with added stakes and visual variety.

(Above) Figure 4: The pools of acid inside a cave, with a skull sign to signify their danger to the player.

Next week, I want to find a use for the shooting mechanic (possibly to clear obstacles in your way?) as I think that it will make the game more compelling with this extra mechanic in action. Then I’d like to lay a large level with lots of teddy bears to find. I might add a timer too, so the player can see how quickly they were able to pick them all up.

I have also spent a bit of time getting familiar with Unity’s ProBuilder package as it is what I’ll be using for the level design mod. I followed a Brackeys tutorial (2018) which went over each of the tools and how they can be used to construct 3D spaces. Next week I’d like to put more time into this, as so far I’ve definitely been focusing largely 2D mod.

References:

BRACKEYS. 2018. MODELING IN UNITY?! – ProBuilder Tutorial [YouTube user-generated content]. Available at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PUSOg5YEflM&feature=emb_logo [accessed 11 November 2020].

GAM150 Week 7 – More Tilesets and Collectables

This has been a very challenging week due to some technical difficulties. My PC froze up halfway through the week and is currently in the GA awaiting repairs! As such I have not been able to do as much work on the 2D mod as I would have liked to, but prior to the crash I did make some progress on the game.

Firstly, I have expanded the tileset (fig. 1), to allow for interior cave-like systems. I’m really happy with this as it adds some much needed visual variety to the environment (fig. 2). At first it was difficult to create each tile so that they can be placed seamlessly without looking out of place (you have to be careful with repeating art so that patterns aren’t obviously spotted by the player) but I eventually I got there. I have now used this tileset to replace the example level layout with one of my own design (fig. 3).

(Above, left) Figure 1: The expanded tileset which allows for cave systems. (Above, right) Figure 2: An example of the caves that are able to be made with the new tileset. (Above, bottom) Figure 3: Part of the new level layout, I tried to add more verticality and platforming challenge.

Another addition to the game was the ability to collect lost teddy bears (figs. 4 & 5). Following along with an official Unity tutorial (Unity, 2020), I wrote some code that made it so the bears disappear when the player enters their trigger. Eventually, I would like to create some UI that shows how many collectables you have picked up/how many you are yet to find, but in the meantime I am displaying it in the debug log (fig. 6) – which serves the same function. I would also like to create an effect when they are picked up, possibly a particle system or new sprite, to make it more visually satisfying than them just disappearing. I don’t yet know how to do this so I will have to look into it soon.

  

(Above, left) Figure 4: A teddy bear before being picked up. (Above, right) Figure 5: A teddy bear after being picked up. (Above, bottom) Figure 6: The message displayed in the debug log as a temporary replacement for UI.

Moving forward, I would like to continue to expand the level. I’m yet to decide whether or not to have multiple levels or one large, sprawling level. I think after some experimentation with level layout, I will have a better idea of what best suits the game.

This week’s GAM150 lecture was on character controllers and how they change dependant on the context of the game they are part of. While this is seems obvious to most people, there are many nuances and subtleties to this. For instance, Shadow of the Colossus‘ (2005) control scheme and camera positioning are all in service of making the player seem small and insignificant to the colossi and the desolate landscape they inhabit. This led me to increase the camera’s size so that the player character is smaller on the screen and players can see more of the environment. This solved some issues I had experienced where you were unable to see the platforms you are trying to jump onto.

Due to my computer issues I was unable to join this week’s Unity workshop unfortunately, so I’ll catch up with what was covered by going over the worksheets on Learning Space.

Soon, I would like to implement some UI to my game to display the number of bears found, as well as potentially adding a menu for when the player first loads up the game.

References:

Shadow of the Colossus. 2005. Team Ico, Sony Interactive Entertainment.

UNITY. 2020. ‘Collectable Objects’. Unity Learn [online]. Available at: https://learn.unity.com/tutorial/collectable-objects [accessed 6 November 2020].

GAM150 Week 6 – Aseprite and Tilesets

Much of my work time this week has been spent creating new assets for my game mod. Having decided on a pixelated art style, I decided to buy Aseprite (which was luckily on sale on Steam!), and started experimenting with the program – within a short space of time I was comfortable with it. Having previously used Photoshop for pixel art, I appreciat Aseprite’s simplicity and clean interface, allowing for more creativity in art creations. In particular, I am a big fan of the feature which allows you to enter tiled mode, which makes it much easier to create repeating patterns. Following along with a YouTube tutorial (MortMort, 2018), I was able to create a basic tile set with which I can construct levels (fig.1). I am happy with the end result, and I think it has a fun, chunky style which fits the aesthetic I had in mind. As well as this, I made some basic sprites, including small and large bushes and a teddy bear which will operate as a collectable (figs. 2, 3, 4).

(Above, top) Figure1: The basic tile set made in Aseprite. I would like to eventually add more tiles to allow for different environments, such as caves. (Above, left) Figure 2: Small bush made in Aseprite. (Above, middle) Figure 3: Large bush made in Aseprite. (Above, right) Figure 4: Teddy bear collectible made in Aseprite.

Thanks to Unity’s tile palette feature, I was able to replace all of the tiles in the 2D game stub within a matter of moments (fig. 5). I am really happy with how it looks overall, and the tiles all repeat seamlessly. When playing, the character now looks especially out of place, so I will need to begin working on replacement sprites that fit in more with the pixelated aesthetic.

(Above) Figure 5: The 2D game stub with all tiles replaced with my own created assets and some collectables / scenery implemented.

This week’s lecture was on developing systems and the concept of emergence. I had never considered the recursive nature of systems, and how they can be imbedded within one another. It was also fascinating to study emergence, and how by definition, it is impossible to design for this, rather it is a ‘by product of intentional design’. I would love for my game to be able to allow for some form of positive emergent gameplay (without being considered a bug), but that will be largely dependent on the amount of systems I implement, which will likely not be a lot due to it being my first game. Additionally, the examples shown of cellular automata and flocking algorithms were mesmerising. It is very impressive what can be achieved from basic principles; weather effects, water currents, fire spread, moving crowds and traffic to name a few.

The Unity workshop had a lot of new information. I have been largely working in 2D, so ProBuilder was a lot to take in. From the demo given by Paul, it seems to be a very powerful tool in aiding with 3D level creation. I took some time to experiment with the FPS game example provided, and moved around some enemies, changing values such as health and speed, however I would like to give the project more dedicated time when I have the chance to. I had been thinking of creating a Skyrim (2011) dungeon using the Bethesda Creation Kit for my 3D level mod, but depending on how I get on with the engine, I may likely decide to create my mod using this versatile package.

Moving forward with my 2D mod, I would like to implement a collectable system, where the player can pick up the teddy bears, and have a counter tracking how many they have left to find. I would also like to create new sprites for the player character and extend/change the level’s layout. Lots to do!

References:

MORTMORT. 2018. My Tileset Workflow (Pixel Art & Gamedev Tutorial) [YouTube user-generated content]. Available at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=btnH0x7_1g8 [accessed 29 October 2020].

The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim. 2011. Bethesda Game Studios, Bethesda Softworks.

GAM150 Week 5 – Brainstorming and Shooting Mechanics

I have been doing some brainstorming of ideas for my mod, focusing in on a concept inspired by the Playdead games Inside (2016) and Limbo (2010) (fig.1). I like the concept that I have come up with as I think it would be easy to turn into a short game working with the stub given to us.

(Above) Figure 1: Idea brainstorm for the 2D mod.

I have already incorporated a crude shooting mechanic into the mod project with the help of a 2D tutorial (Brackeys, 2018). Using a free mushroom asset from the Asset Store (Sev_4, 2019), I was able to make a projectile prefab which would be instantiated and fired in front of the player (on an empty child object named ‘firePoint’) when the left-mouse button is clicked. I am happy that I have been able to get this working in the game, however there are some flaws needing to be addressed – the projectiles only fire from left to right and don’t despawn after they have hit a collider, which could lead to potential memory problems if too many objects were in the game. I would also like to give the player the ability to aim before shooting. I will need to do some research and try to figure out how to fix these problems over the coming weeks if shooting is to be a core mechanic.

(Above) Figure 2: The projectiles being fired in game. The despawning issue can be seen too.

I enjoyed this week’s lecture on level design and environmental storytelling as I have always been fascinated with games’ unique capacity to telegraph different narratives through the exploration of their playspace. I enjoyed analysing how context affects the structuring of a level, with multi-player maps requiring a more free-flowing design, encouraging forward momentum, whereas many single-player levels are linear with minimal backtracking to promote the feeling of progression. This information will all prove invaluable to me when designing my 3D level design mod later on in the GAM150 module.

While going back over the lecture, I took the time to go over some of the recommended reading. I found the ‘What Happened Here? Environmental Storytelling’ presentation (Smith and Worch, 2010) to be particularly informative. It is apparent to me that environmental storytelling is a delicate balance, needing to be traceable for a player, and not only tell an individual story, but also echo the world at large. Their unique take on systemic environmental storytelling was something that I hadn’t considered and will definitely utilise in the future. The blog post from Joel Burgess on modular level design (Burgess and Purkeypile, 2013) was also insightful. It was interesting to learn of the ‘double-edged sword’ of modularity and repeated designs – while this framework allows for time-effective and cost-effective workflow, it runs the risk of causing ‘art fatigue’ for the player if the designers of not take effort to vary layouts and object arrangements.

Paul’s Unity workshop covered a lot of important features this week, namely colliders, tags and layers. I have used these features (particularly colliders and layers) in my personal projects, and so have a basic knowledge of them, but it was good to go over each in detail and see how they work in conjunction with one another. It was a lot of information to absorb in only two hours, so I will likely go back over the recording to consolidate my understanding.

As per every week, Paul recommended that we follow along with a Unity tutorial. This week I followed a ten-part tutorial (Brackeys, ) which took me through creating a 3D endless-runner-like game, complete with multiple levels, and title/credits screens (figs. 1, 2 & 3). I really enjoyed this tutorial as it was the first time I was able to create a ‘complete’ game and it taught me a great deal of helpful features and techniques.

(Above, top) Figure 3: A running level. The gameplay involves sliding left and right to avoid obstacles in order to reach the end goal. (Above, left) Figure 4: The title screen with an animated title and start button. (Above, right) Figure 5: The credits screen with a quit button.

References:

BRACKEYS. 2018. 2D Shooting in Unity (Tutorial) [YouTube user-generated content]. Available at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wkKsl1Mfp5M [accessed 20 October 2020].

BRACKEYS. 2017. How to make a Video Game in Unity – BASICS (E01) [YouTube user-generated content]. Available at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IlKaB1etrik [accessed 21 October 2020].

‌BURGESS, Joel and Nate PURKEYPILE. 2013. Skyrim’s Modular Approach to Level Design. [online] Gamasutra. Available at: http://blog.joelburgess.com/2013/04/skyrims-modular-level-design-gdc-2013.html [accessed 25 October 2020].

Inside. 2016. Playdead.

Limbo. 2010. Playdead.

SEV_4. 2019. ‘FOOD Free’. Unity Asset Store [online]. Available at: https://assetstore.unity.com/packages/2d/textures-materials/food/food-free-145841 [accessed 20 October 2020].

SMITH, Harvey and Matthias WORCH. 2010. ‘What Happened Here? Environmental Storytelling’ [online lecture]. GDC Vault. Available at: https://gdcvault.com/play/1012647/What-Happened-Here-Environmental [accessed 25 October 2020].

GAM150 Week 4 – Design Fundamentals and Introduction to 2D Mod

After being introduced to the new 2D side-on/top-down mod I am feeling confident that this is the route I would like to pursue. I feel that there is much more room for possibility and creativity within this framework and it is much less limiting than the previous framework. I ran into a bit of a creative wall with the previous mod and found it less inspiring than the current one.

I was looking forward to working on a platformer game with this mod, as it is one of my favourite genres, so I did some preparatory learning for it with the help of some YouTube tutorials from Brackeys (2018). By following along with them I have learnt many new things about how Unity works in a 2D context. I can use the tilemap editor to arrange 2D levels using modular tiles and applying colliders to the appropriate platforms. I have also learnt the basics of mapping player movement, along with creating corresponding animations for each player state through transitions and parameters. Finally, I am able to make 2D cameras that follow the player through the Cinemachine package, tweaking smoothing and lookahead time to create the desired framing. Using the ‘Sunnyland’ package (Ansimuz, 2017) from the asset store, I made a simple level with some platforms to jump on and crouch under (figs. 1 & 2.) I really enjoyed the whole process, and the modularity of the tiles saves a lot of time while designing levels.

(Above, top) Figure 1: The game running. (Above, bottom) Figure 2: The game in editing mode.

I enjoyed this week’s GAM150 workshop on game design fundamentals. It was interesting to go over terms that I am mostly already familiar with, and understand how they are actually utilised to contribute to a game’s overall play experience. I was previously unfamiliar with top-down / bottom-up design, zero sum / non-zero-sum games and the MDA framework, on which I found the further reading (Hunicke et al.), to be fascinating, so I am pleased to be able to add them to my repertoire of game design vocabulary. My most valuable takeaway from the lecture, however, was the concept of core design pillars. It strikes me as a great system to adhere to when developing games as it ensures nearly everything you incorporate supports these key values and the vison they uphold. It took me a while to distinguish pillars from features, but now that I understand the concept I can imagine how easy it would be to overcomplicate a game and overwhelm players if developers were to have too many pillars or deviate from them. I took some time to think about my favourite games and attempted to break them down into their design pillars:

BioShock (2007): 1. Evocative environmental storytelling 2. Versatile toolset 3. Interplaying systems 4. Story-rich

Papers, Please (2013): 1. Constraints 2. Randomness 3. Dark humour 4. Moral dilemmas 5. Controlled chaos

When developing my 2D mod, I will establish my core pillars early on, and make sure to constantly evaluate my game against them in order to have a vision that is consistent.

References:

ANSIMUZ. 2017. ‘Sunny Land | 2D Characters | Unity Asset Store’. Unity Asset Store [online] Available at: https://assetstore.unity.com/packages/2d/characters/sunny-land-103349 [accessed 14 October 2020]

BioShock. 2007. Irrational Games, 2K.

BRACKEYS. 2018. How to make a 2D Game in Unity. [YouTube user-generated content]. Available at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=on9nwbZngyw&list=PLPV2KyIb3jR6TFcFuzI2bB7TMNIIBpKMQ [accessed 18 October 2020]

HUNICKE, Robin, Matt LEBLANC and Robert ZUBEK. ‘MDA: A Formal Approach to Game Design and Game Research’. [online PDF] Available at: https://users.cs.northwestern.edu/~hunicke/MDA.pdf [accessed on 18 October 2020].

Papers, Please. 2013. Lucas Pope, 3909 LLC.