Length of time to play the game : About 4 hours （about 5-8 min per stage）
Quick overview of the game : A civilisation set in a
planets wasteland .The main Character lived in Piatou city (an Dystopia world).
She is a detective on a journey, one day she gets a phone call about a new
assignment. She has to immediately return home and quickly immerse herself into
solving problems and get involved in her case. [Unicursal] Category that the game fits into :
Horizontal version scroll game
ACT game
Parkour game
Puzzle game
RPG List of contents:
4 controller characters
8 levels
32 stages Images of the game:
Sample of one turn or round of play: Some reasons on why this game will sell:
- Fast and easy to learn and play.
- Science Wasteland fiction style.
- Intelligence develop
- Smooth movement and a good sense of
combat. [Replayability]
When you have
an idea, take a look at the existing market. What similar products are out
there? What is their value proposition? How would you do it differently or,
even more important, better?
There are some games similar to my game: Megaman, Grilsyndrome and Sonic, they all have different ways to play as well. They focus on interactivity for players giving them control , and immediate pleasure in the game. I would incorporate some of these ideas into my game. E.g. a touching story,an excellent hit feel, and good rhythm. I would remove any redundant parts so not to make the game feel tedious. Also I would introduce some intriguing and interesting play modes in the game.
Game Xuan-yuan Sword2 Game Street Fighter5 From game Pal5
This is an action game of a modern city with a
Chinese martial arts style. It could be a fantasy design combined with
Kung Fu. As in the Chinese Paladin series where you play a knight to live the
life and beat evil. Or like the series of Sengouku Musou to descript famous
stories from a certain Chinese period. In this Theme park, players can play any character. The most important
things are that the leading players can experience the world full of Chinese
style. For example, the backgrounds are drawn depicting Chinese ink painting.
Chinese classical music will be added to the game with atmospheric winds
effects along with some animal movement with realistic sound effects. The
sounds will increase or fade depending on distance and
perspective. When players arrived at a new scene the screen will lock and
a cryptic poem will give information about the games fables. The special
effects also using ink line paintings to keep the same style will give
players insight into the mysterious eastern world.
This work will
not use old stories of China because it will be set in a modern city. Assuming
that the Chinese Paladins have not all disappeared, I will try to see how their
skills can be integrated into a modern roll. I will give a modern
interpretation for them in this game with a `Paladin `based theme. I must give careful
thought about the aim, the style, and form.
Controversial theme parks: what can’t theme
parks do? Remembering traumas/can a park or a game be documentary? If so how?
Theme park is the platform for game expression. Because so many
games are created fresh innovations are needed to attract players. Some topics
are given more and more performance opportunities, while some of the other
themes should be restricted or
even banned.
Egregious description of the current political, or religious or
racial discrimination issues should be added to the blacklist. For example a
guilty theme game Grand Theft Auto 5 is not allowed to be publishing in some
countries. These controversial comments had been mentioned in BBC-NEWs and The
Huffington Post:
‘Two Australian retail chains have
removed video game Grand Theft Auto V from sale in its stores, following
complaints about the depiction of violence towards women. Target and Kmart
stores pulled the game after a petition launched by three female survivors of
violence gained more than 40,000 signatures. Target said the decision "was
in line with the majority view of customers"......"It's a game that
encourages players to murder women for entertainment. The incentive is to
commit sexual violence against women, then abuse or kill them to proceed or get
'health' points," the petition reads. "To see this violence that we
lived through turned into a form of entertainment is sickening and causes us
great pain and harm."......"This game may allow you to kill, hurt,
bash and shoot anyone not just females and this game should be on the shelves
all over the country. It's made for adults not children, we have the right to
buy games despite their content," said Brett Herbert, who launched the
petition. ’
‘Customer feedback: Jim Cooper, general
manager of corporate affairs at Target, said that the decision to withdraw the
game had not been taken lightly......"We've also had customer feedback in
support of us selling the game, and we respect their perspective on the issue.
"However, we feel the decision to stop selling GTA 5 is in line with the
majority view of our customers." Target Australia posted on its Facebook
page the news it was withdrawing the game and immediately received thousands of
comments, many of them criticising the decision.’
‘If Cambodia, India, or Nigeria
produced such a video game, there would be global outrage. It would serve as
unequivocal evidence of their misogynistic cultures in which women and girls
are systemically raped and murdered with impunity. We would critique the ways
in which their cultures and values are organized around the normalization of
gendered violence.’
Although there are a lot of games claiming they have a shocking
level visual effect, publishers also usually use these elements to promote.
Seriously, these works still need to be better. Some game designers are more
focused on the reality of human suffering to expand the game, but missing the
opportunity to create an amazing world as before.
------
If certain types of game use a documentary form, I’m not sure if it
will be interesting enough for some players. Will some interactivity be lost
will it be less fun to play? Because history has been recorded, it can’t be
changed. I searched for some documentary games. In `the Steam` it looks like a
documentary / movie combination with little audience interaction.
I spent some time thinking, if I wanted to design the same type of
game, then how would I give this game some different meaning? Maybe as a
documentary it could be made more educational? If so, I think I can use the VR
technology to allow players to, let’s say experience a period in history.
In fact, this concept has been mentioned in a children animation
called 'Doraemon: Nobita and the birth of Japan'. This film talks about Nobita
(main character) with his friend go back to Japan's creation for an adventure
to learn about life 7000 years ago. This film was the highest grossing asian
film (achieving ¥4.12 billion) with 4.2 billion people watching in fact the
biggest in animation movie history.
According to the above data, we can understand why this popularity
is very desirable to the film industry. Although we may experience beyond
historical sense in this animation, I think the existence of the documentary is
to give people a truth about something which is not always known .Whatever is
done will be good if people get the truth and understand the history.
This is a wasteland of planet civilization. A city named Piatou, it is an Dystopia world. Heroine is a detective in journey, One day she received a mission, now she must back home for solving problems and get involved in disputes. Game stories combined with urban legends, players will feel this story as RPG. [Unicursal]
There are 4 controller characters, but player need to unlock each one after clear game. This will help player to know the relationship and legends of these characters[Puzzle and RPG elements]. In free mode, players can play any character in any stage, but they need to unlock stages and characters in story mode (1P can not change character in story mode.).
Players can experience the fun of combat and exploration; according main & sup mission (fixed checkpoint and trigger), buying in shop (after a stage) and interaction with non-controllable characters (ACT&RPG elements).
❏ Narrative: Tell story in a form of unicursal maze. There are tips to help players in game process.
❏ Systems : Horizontal version scroll RPG ACT game。
❏Community and social integration : Multiplayer mode.
❏Currencies, metrics and IAP : Game clear, do puzzles, high scores.
❏Post release content and support: The story of urban legends, UE4
==================================================================
Information & MoodBoards:
Main Characters:
在角色设定上，游戏的第一主角我试图让她成为一个帅气，不拘小节又拥有一定战斗技能的人。她的行动非常敏捷。战斗方式想突出用短刀的帅气潇洒，在性格上开朗，自我意识强烈，短发很适合她的气质。
When I design the first protagonist, I tried to make she is looks cool and informal person, her action very quick with some fighting skills. Short hair and dagger is very suitable for her temperament.
Clothing:
主角是一个侦探，我们参考了一些废土，侦探以及朋克的元素在服装设计上。让人一看就有侦探感觉的披肩，废土的物尽其用，以及朋克主题，他们之间有很多共通的地方。
Because she is a detective. I refer to the elements of detective, wasteland, and punk style for her clothes design. I found there are many similar design on these styles, and they are good for the story background as well.
Environments & Places:
世界观设定是星际文明和废土，游戏的主要区域在城市内，所以既可以看到先进的未来文明也而已发现随处可见的断壁残垣。游戏界面采用2D的风格化设计，所以会有很多象征性的符号可以用来表达世界观而不必担心陷入恐怖谷理论之中。
I will use 2D interface for making the game, there are a lot of Symbolic items can be used to express the world. The world combined with planet civilization and wasteland, so we can see the technology and dust everywhere.
武器和物品方面，合金弹头给我提供了一个很好的学习范例，既有带来爽快感的先进军火，又无处不带着一种破败的感觉。而且恰当地使用特效以及技能又使得画面既热闹又不拥挤。我也将努力尝试调和科技与废土，特效与画面这两者之间的协调性。
Metal Slug give me a good sample in studying how to design weapon and items. Not only take player an exciting feeling, also a show a run-down world. The attack effects make game excited. I tried to learn the technology and wasteland elements, effects with screen.
I chose future and mechanical punk elements to design UI.
About the storyline, I would like to show player the character portrait when they are talking.
A classical horizontal interface will be used for select character.
Fighting area will be the main area of game like other ACT games.
Colour tone & Mood:
A mystery feeling around, this world is full of fantasy and black humor. So I decide using above atmosphere to choose colour.
Light colour and relaxed of the city technology area, dark colour and violent of the dusty area. Basically, each level is to remain its own atmosphere of colour.
Controls & Actions:
控制方面，我认为传统的动作游戏操作方式会让玩家感到亲切，所以采用了前后左右（摇杆）以及重攻击，轻攻击，跳跃，道具/互动这样的操作方式，和其他动作游戏类似，复合使用也会打出爽快的练级。
I think classical act controlling way can let players easy to play. So there are not big change from other action games.
Main story (fixed checkpoint), sup story (fixed trigger way), shopping in market (after clear a stage) and non-controllable characters' communication is the main interactive performance.
❏ Visual : 2D平面 2D flat
❏ Mechanics : 打倒敌人，前进，触发剧情，下一个关卡。 Beat enemies， go straight， trig story， next stage
❏ Progression : 完整的游戏流程，因为是同人游戏所以没有介绍故事。Completely game process, No telling story because it is a Doujin game.
❏ Camera : 固定位置 fixed
❏ Additional diagrammatic information : 如上视频。above video
❏Design Diagrams : 如上 images. above images
==================================================================
Levels :
❏ Progression : 以Unicursal Maze的形式来叙述整个游戏故事。在游戏过程中穿插 潜意识／非潜意识的提示帮助玩家进行游戏。Tell story in the form of unicursal mazes. Use tips to help players in the process of game.
❏ Objectives : 八个大关，32个小关，完整介绍游戏故事剧情. 8 levels, 32 stages, completely game story
❏ Environment mechanics :陷阱，栏杆，无法／允许损坏的物品／障碍，台阶，辅助工具。trap, railing, items/obstacles that can/can not be damaged, stages， sup-items
❏ Enemies : 飞车党，无赖，飞碟，变异生物etc motorcycle gangs, villain, UFO, mutants
❏ Events : 主线／非主线剧情，机关。 main/sup stories， traps
❏ Items : 道具，装饰品，补给品，人质。 tools，decorations， supplies， hostages
❏ User experience : 流畅，急速，爽快感。smooth,rapid, combat sense.
We
used some random words to help us think up some new game ideas. We
thought about each title we had 10 minutes to think and then 30seconds to talk
about our ideas .After class had finished we had 10 more ideas for homework.
King of the jungle election:
Audience:
Simulation game players. Platform:
PC, PSV, GBA, 3DS. How would you play it:
Domination simulation. Training of animals, structuring people ,NPC to be a king. (E.g.obtaining skills to build a world.) After the time limit, an election of a new animal king of the jungle would rule in each challenge level of the game. Unique selling point:
Effective traction, players would be dominant in controlling people. No waiting time !! everything would be moving at a fast pace.
Heart of the Leftover Subway Sandwich:
Audience:
Young People. (about 6-18 years old) Platform:
Mobile platform. How would you play it: It's
a fun horror explore game set in the subway. The Sandwich monster is
looking for people to eat (NPC and Players) are like zombies. Players need to
save themselves and leave the subway in any way they can. Unique selling point: It is a game to promote environmental protection i.e
:Waste as in the discarded sandwich. It uses dark humour get people interested
in it. At its finale ,the game sends people a message to learn how to not waste
food and not discard waste.
Academy curriculum arrange jam farewell
Audience:
School students (Children) Platform:
PC, Mobile, 3DS How would you play it: Jam(Jamie)
is so outstanding that his Academy are saddened by his decision to leave. So
they give Jam a special curriculum arrangement before his farewell. Players
must clean the block in map to find useful tools. After cleaning a
stage, players will get a random card from their choice. Unique selling point: Could
satisfied anyone with their obsessive-compulsive disorder. Cleaning block to
find useful tools is compared with some famous types of mini game. It will be a
good way to kill time.
Freedom queen basic dimension factory
Audience:
Girls ( 8-12 years old ) Platform:
PC XBoxone Playstation4 How would you play it: This
is a 2D card game.The queen must lead people to destroy the subversive elements
which are controlling her kingdom. Players use tools to help them get to their
goal. Cards can be combined and upgrade to improve the entertainment of
gameplay. Unique selling point: It's a fight game full of exhilaration and intensity and simple for children.
Potential outfit hit password
Audience:
children (3-6 years old) Platform:
Mobile platform How would you play it: Aliens
have invaded the earth. The player is a skilled hacker who's task is to find
out the passwords or key of Aliens' technology to save the earth. This is a
maths game to help children learn some basic math skills. Unique selling point: It's
for children who want to be heroes and like science fiction will find the
story interesting and then hopefully get to enjoy mathematics.
Automatic offensive coalition's despair verdict
Audience:
6-14 years old Platform:
PC How would you play it:
A brutal empire has thrown its enemies into a hunting ground filled with automatic attack devices. The prisoners need to escape. This is a parkour game, players need to collect keys for the next stage and dodge enemies' attack. Unique selling point:
Simple, funny and challenging. Interesting achievements.
Contemporary black dinner
Audience:
Simulation&cooking game players Platform:
PC Mobile How would you play it: A
wife prepares a lunch for her office worker husband. There are three possible
scores, they are for nutrition, calories and taste. Hamburgers, grilled fish,
pasta correspond to different games. Unique selling point: A
click mini game. Simple and easy to play. Suite players who like cooking and
want a quick fun game.
Tattered gem imperial
Audience:
Busy plarer Platform:
PC PSvita 3DS How would you play it: Gems
crumbling into pieces, players needs to control the bottom of the screen,
shooting at villains. Gem debris needs to be pieced together to form a complete
gem. A complete gem will shine then disappear, faster and then faster until all
have gone and the game is finished. Unique selling point: Match-3
game is a classical type. Paired with good story, music and gameplay
achievements.
Nightmare of island
Audience:
Open game players Platform:
PC XBoxone How would you play it: Player
is castaway on a desert island. players need to explore and build to survive.
Fight and hunt wild animals and demons. Open survival game. Unique selling point:
An arrive game without zombies, Sandbox open game, D&D open story.
Rubbish federation
Audience:
16-22 years old Platform:
PC 3DS How would you play it: Home
Electronics devices which are no longer useful are thrown away . But they join
together and form a league of revenge. Tricky games, players need to control
the different electrical devices to set traps in the house before the time
limit to frighten/tease the homes occupant. Unique selling point: Funny
entertainment game, helps people unwind and relax after busy day.
Stop that ward
Audience:
12-18 years old Platform:
Mobile How would you play it: Similar
to the "whack a mole" type game in which there are ghosts
in the ward, players need to control a nurse to capture the ghost which
appear in the light. There are a total of nine lights. These lights need to be
turned on by players and the ghosts try to turn them off. Unique selling point: Upgrade
the gameplay of “whack a mole”, add RPG mode and explore stories. A fun and
relaxing game for players.
Dawn's machinery culture
Audience:
Simulation game players Platform:
PC How would you play it: Intelligent machinery has become part of society and
people rely on them in this concept. A
social game, the player controls a robot that has been created by
them ,of their own design to run their life in a virtual city, following the
players every command you can also help others or maybe get into some mischief
Etc Unique selling point: An
online communication game. Help people to make new online friends for social
gaming.
killers consciousness bar
Audience:
RPG game players Platform:
PC Mobile How would you play it: Back
ground of this game is set in a Bar .The player plays the leader of a group of
assassins . He appoints a selected killer to perform his murderous tasks.
He explores new ways and methods and trains assassins and even communicate with
other countries, expanding his forces internationally and building his killing
empire. Unique selling point: Accomplishment
of developing an empire. Strange tasks.
What are the
important things for games from the structural level. There are three points,
including mechanics, dynamics, aesthetics（Robin
Hunicke，Marc LeBlanc and Robert Zubek, 2012). In MDA theory, they explain how
these three interact.
Aesthetics is the
foundation of the other two. The first selling point of a game design is to
give a good fun experience to players. Through visual, auditory, and tactile feel,
others, players can interact within the game; the purpose is to get totally
immersed in the enjoyment of the game. For example, when you play Monopoly, you
are a real estate / landlord it's the same when you are playing World of
Warcraft, you are an explorer. Whether it is induced or catered, the purpose is
not changed.
Aesthetics include 8 aspects: Sensation，Fantasy，Narrative，Challenge，Fellowship，Discovery，Expression and Submission. Some mechanic and
dynamics ways are also present in these.
（Robin, Marc and Robert, 2000）State:- From
dividing and comparing these elements, there appears its own experience for
each game everyone have their own definition of aesthetics.
So it is a big challenge
to make a good game for its players. I think, we must decide the core
aesthetics first. Design with a core is far better than free to add and
deleting later.
Mechanics are the rules of game. It is the limit the designer sets for
his players. It's the easiest part of the game designers work, it also is the
farthest part of the player experience, but it sets the base for aesthetic.
There is a large database that
we know about to allow designers and players to communicate in the mechanical
part of the game such as the HP, magic, or even moving by W A S D. There are
also a number of more stringent rules of reality that are directly related to
aesthetics. If a game designer is too focused on their own personal thoughts,
their game will be likely to be considered a monster.
In the
interaction of aesthetics and mechanics, it produces dynamic range and it
shoulders an important mission of game's playability. In other words,
"dynamics "is what the player does do in the game. Such as the game's
backward compensation and leading penalty mechanism. This will not make too
much different between leaders and backward in a game which can make players
lose interest.
1. What
does the author think that games are for, or how they can function?
The author believes that the story is a part of the game, but the game is not just simply telling a story but need to express all the details to create a world, and allow the players to experience the story immersive. Author referred his understanding at first. 'Game designers don't simply tell stories; they design
worlds and sculpt spaces.' he said. Then he repeatedly stressed some good points in telling stories and games to support this view:
'Game designers don't simply tell stories;
they design worlds and sculpt spaces. It is no accident, for example,
that game design documents have historically been more interested in issues of
level design than plotting or character motivation.A prehistory of
video and computer games might take us through the evolution of paper mazes or
board games, both preoccupied with the design of spaces, even where they also
provided some narrative context. ......When we refer to such influential
early works as Shigeru Miyamoto's Super Mario Bros. as "scroll
games," we situate them alongside a much older tradition of spatial
storytelling: many Japanese scroll paintings map, for example, the passing of
the seasons onto an unfolding space. When you adopt a film into a game, the
process typically involves translating events in the film into environments
within the game. When gamer magazines want to describe the experience of
gameplay, they are more likely to reproduce maps of the game world than to
recount their narratives.'
2. Why
do you think they claim this?
With the development of image technology, the performance form is getting better and better, which also allows the ability to express game story has been greatly improved. For example, in 'the last of us'（TLOU）, we can clearly feel how deep the pond they have just walked through from the height of water on their clothes. This is the creation of various details to express the story world, allowing players to experience the story immersive, rather than simply tell a story.
TLOU is an emotional experience-based (core) game, supplemented by gameplay (shell), and successfully in integration of the two. Everything is services for the emotional experience. Naughty Dog use film elements for the game experience in uncharted series, but there is no dazzling images and exciting fighting in TLOU. Although art and sound is the current level of the game industry, but in the performance approach is restraint, all technical are support of emotional experience, the core rather than overwhelming. No matter what kind of that, they give players a good experience, and have a good response from players. This may also show the future development of game will be different.
There is a classic action game Megaman, like many old games, they will gradually increase difficulty with some subtle tutorials, such as player need to escape when monsters are falling down, or the trap is starting so player need to stop it. But for the game story, there is not too much dialogue to process, sometime even you do not need to know story for a fun gameplay. Just as Egorapotor said in the video ‘Sequelitis - Mega Man Classic vs. Mega Man X’.
‘Jenkins'
research into video games was influenced by his prior interest in the
debates around emerging popular culture media forms as well as his parallel
interest in children's culture. Referring to Gilbert Seldes’ Seven Lively
Arts (1924) which championed the aesthetic merits of popular arts often
frowned on by critics who embraced high art to the exclusion of popular art,
Jenkins dubbed video games "The New Lively Art" and argued that it
was a crucial medium for the growing rise of digital interactive culture.’
‘Transmedia
storytelling, Jenkins writes, is "the art of world-making", "the
process of designing a fictional universe that will sustain franchise
development, one that is sufficiently detailed to enable many different stories
to emerge but coherent enough so that each story feels like it fits with the
others";[29] and crucially, these different stories or story fragments
can be spread across many different media platforms encouraging users engaged
in the story experience to explore a broader media ecosystem in order to piece
together a fuller and deeper understanding of the narrative.’
For the traditional game industry, the story does not need to be a part of the game. Pac-man the classical game,does not need a lively story in order to allow players to understand that they need to eat beans and avoid monsters.
Dan Cornners (The creator of Telltale) also said this in E3: The shooter folks, sometimes they seem like, “Get that stuff out of here. I just want to go play.”
4. How
persuasive do you find the author’s argument?
In seminar 1 we discussed, quality is not the most important thing of game. Similarly, the story also is not the biggest. The core of the game always is allowing players to enjoy and fun. Such as sports games or racing games, the plot is usually not the focus. These games allow players to experience through the game process. Excessive plot explanation sometimes will be the limit of game process. For example, players will question "why I must go this way, why this role will die." The result is that game experience is not smooth.
seminar 1 ： James Newman, ‘The Myth of the Ergodic
Videogame: Some thoughts on player-character relationships in videogames,’ Game
Studies 2:1 (2002) [Full Article: http://www.gamestudies.org/0102/newman/ ]
For game designers, it is to provide a rich gameplay, so that players can enjoy into the game world, while ensure the wide range of game interaction, allowing players to explore and discover. But this form of expression is very trivial for a story to tell, and we need to break it down into smaller chapters. For example, 'The hero's journey', it is just a generalization, not a consensus; there is enough space for designer to express story contents.
In accordance with this law to create, players and the designer are more likely to resonate even encouraging players to have interest in exploring. When Overwatch was just on sale, I and my friends usually talked about the story of each character and the relationship between them. For this, Blizzard made a beautiful CG animation for players, and not forced to add them in game.
We say that, but there is still a game which is focused on storytelling that being ‘Minecraft-Story Mode’, Many players say it doesn't really feel like a Minecraft game because it gives up the open world mode.
‘It's not just not-Minecraft, it's not
(yet) a very good Telltale game, either’.
