This week was an important one, I was met with the reality that my game will most likely not reach gold-standard completion in the fleeting time that I have left to work on it. This challenge brought me a choice to either change the vision of the project or to alter the design schedule to make it work better with the time frame I have remaining. I decided to revise my schedule and begin working on the more technical aspects of the game including assets, interactables, and character behaviors. I do not plan on bringing this game to a state I'm particularly happy with upon the deadline, but I do plan on having something resembling my original vision. Other than that this week was mostly spent on finalizing the gamespace whitebox and beginning the greybox and texturing phase.
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This week I finally completed the initial whiteboxing stage for the play area of my game. Although behind schedule I am confident that I can complete a viable minimum project by the end of the year and have something to show when the time comes for game showcases. A real issue I faced this week was the colliding of architectural assets leading to mesh collision effects when applying textures. I solved this by individually searching for the points at which the glitch was most pronounced and manually resized the assets to work when texturing.
Goal for Next Week: Next week I plan to begin the asset creation stage and begin working on the actual code of my game. So far all I've managed to put up is a reasonably sized suburban play area where the game will take place with no real "game" taking place within. I plan to change that over the coming weeks. This week was a rough one, despite some progress being made on the whitebox phase I unfortunately lost my progress due to a botched save. I plan to work hard to return to the place I was before but I fear Im going to have to tender my expectations to fit within the time frame I am currently dealing with. Besides that I think I have made decent progress on the planning part of my game and plan to continue building on my game's foundation.
Above you can see the progress I've made in Unreal Engine 5 throughout a beginner course in the software. I found the user interface particularly intriguing as it did not include any manual coding through c++ or python, but rather uses an integrated object-orientated form of coding that us easy to use and understand. A part of this process I found most difficult was the creation and usage of blueprints by pre-configuring assets in a blueprint editor to later incorporate them into the play area. Although the means of which I could do this felt intuitive, the overall process was hard to follow and I found myself rewinding the tutorial quite a bit before I understood what to do. The easiest part of this project for me was the general placement of assets in the game world. It felt seamless to add new structures and assets that in other game engines would've been more arduous and annoying. The actual structure seen in the images alone took me under 20 minutes to erect. Overall I think the skills learned through the Unreal 5 for Beginners course have provided me with a good fundamental understanding of the UI of UE 5, I plan to continue to build my knowledge as the year goes on, and use what I've learned; such as asset placement, light logic, blueprint editing, and configuring of code to make an experience that not only functions as expected, but is fun and engaging to play.
Over the course of quarter 1 I have learned the fundamentals of pre production and planning that are used in game design. Throughout my senior year thus far we have delved into topics such as the history of game design and games in general, how games are created to induce flow state and keep the player engaged, and how we can begin planning for a game of our own which we will (presumably) be using unity to code and play. I fell as though my skills in creating photoshop graphics, as well as my understanding in what makes things fun have grown significanlty since the beginning of the school year and I feel much more confident in my abilities to create a game worth playing as we continue to learn about each facit of game production and how I can go about creating a fun, engaging game. My goals for this year are to create something that will make my peers question how I was able to accomplish something in the small amount of time we have to develop a game, although this may ionvolve sacrificing some of my free time at home to work on it, I feel as though it will help me develop useful, important skills for future CTE endevours. Overall I think my first quarter In Game art and Design has been excellent, certainly better than my first quarter in Computer Modelling & Animation. I look forward to establishing greater connections with my peers as well as my teacher, and to learn as much as I can about the development of video games and how I can go about making one for myself.Game Design Methods Project: Settlers of Catan:
Settlers of Catan is a tabletop, 3-4 player board game designed by Klaus Teuber and originally published in 1995. The game includes aspects of both Co-op and competitive gameplay. Some procedures of the game include a starting procedure, which involves a player rolling a dice to initiate a turn, progression procedures: which includes both building, and trading with other players to earn victory points and expand your settlements, and a resolving procedure: the first player to earn 10 victory points through building settlements/cities, building development cards that can grant victory points, and earning specialist cards such as longest road (5 uninterrupted roads) and largest army (3+ knight development cards. Mechanics of Catan:
Coup: Coup is a highly interactive strategy-based card game designed by Rikki Tahta. The game is set in the dystopian universe of "The Resistance" and involves bluffing, strategy, and deduction. The game incorporates many typical procedures such as the starting procedure, where the starting player initiates the game by choosing one of the many starting moves one can make (see: Coup: State Diagram) which is immediately followed by the progression procedure of challenging potential bluffs, blocking, or simply moving on to the next turn if no one contests. The game is resolved by all but one player losing both of their influences. The last player with remaining influence wins. Influence can be lost by failing a challenge, or having a coup launched against you (opponent pays 7 coins to launch a coup.) Mechanics of Coup:
Trizzle: "Trizzle" is an online puzzle game developed by Arkadium known for it's casual and accessible gameplay. Although simplistic, Trizzle still includes many facets of traditional game mechanics. It includes a starting procedure, where the player selects "start game" and is faced wit ha decision to either move an available piece in the Grid, or use a powerup. The player continues these steps as the game progresses to slowly create larger and larger matches until making enough mega-matches to complete the game. Because there are no other players or NPCs to defeat, the game is entirely a case of player vs. self, where the objective of the player is to simply achieve a higher score than before. Mechanics of Trizzle: Puzzle Concept:
Comparisons and Summary: Genre:
In summary, these three games offer diverse gaming experiences. "Settlers of Catan" is a strategic board game, "Coup" is a social deduction card game, and "Trizzle" is a casual puzzle game. Each game has its unique mechanics, player dynamics, and strategic elements, catering to different preferences and play styles. The project "Exploring Simple Mechanics" was a group led slideshow assignment used to showcase the procedures, mechanics, and gameplay of an assigned board setup and play game. Our group (Gabriel, Ahmet, Kieren, Mason) was assigned the popular children's game "Ants in the Pants." The objective of which being to relieve each of your 4 assigned colored ants into the goal before any opponents manage to do the same. The game involves the usage of a mechanical system built into each and every one of the ants which, if utilized correctly, will launch the ants in a particular direction when pressed down and released. This introduces an aspect of skill, with players having the ability to practice and understand the mechanical system and how it behaves. However, as explained in the slideshow (slide 6) the game also incorporates aspects of chance and luck by means of the condition of the ants. Due to their plastic construction, the ants legs can wear down yielding unpredictable results. As the game progresses, many following procedures take place: The starting procedure according to the rules involves one of the participating players to call out "Go," upon calling this out the game begins and players begin launching their ants towards the target. The rules dictate that the only acceptable way an ant can end up in the goal is by the usage of the mechanical launcher mentioned before. Any attempts to pick up a place the ants, or throw them without using the launcher is not allowed and will not count towards winning the game. The progression procedure is the action of scoring each ant until a player reaches the resolving procedure: repudiating all 4 of their ants into the goal. Upon scoring all 4 ants the aforementioned player is declared the winner and the game may be reset if the players desire another round. While we were playing the game we decided to incorporate some unofficial, or "house" rules in which a player only wins after a best of 3 or 5 games (Best 2 of 3, Best 3 of 5, etc.) After completing a few rounds I realized the possibility of a draw, of which 2 players may score their last ant within an indistinguishable span of time. In the case of a draw I proposed there be a rule in which the 2 players who participate in the draw either each grab a 5th ant and attempt to score the 5th first, or simply retrieve the 4th ant from the goal and try again. Overall the game incorporates many mechanics involving luck & skill, procedural progression, multiplayer aspects, and restrictive rules despite its simplistic nature. We concluded with the determination that the game is suitable for younger audiences due to the short amount of time a game can take place, the simplistic setup and easy to follow rules, and the spectacle of the launching ants as the mechanical system of the ants is released.
Rock, paper, scissors may just be one of the simplest games out there, however despite this it still has a potent connection to many aspects of game theory. The game involves 2 players adhering to a general set of rules in which each of the 3 potential choices a player can make results in winning over another of the 3, and losing to the last (rock beats scissors, scissors beats paper, paper beats rock.) Each player makes there choice without knowing what the other will choose, making it an example of simultaneous game theory. The game does not have a Nash equilibrium unlike other games in the game theory spectrum since there is no advantage to be gained by playing the same way every time. In the context of simultaneous game theory this would make one player too predictable and therefore subject to lose every time. The rubric I included in the slideshow demonstrates the payoff matrix associated with a typical game of rock paper scissors. It shows the potential outcomes of all different combinations with the two main outcomes being either win/loss, or a draw. There exists no win/win scenario in rock, paper, scissors. After a thorough analysis of the game as it relates to game theory, I discovered there existed some aspects of prisoners dilemma. Although there isn't really a win-win scenario, depending on how you play the game or interact with your opponent it is possible to change the outcome of the game by use of reverse phycology, tricking your opponent, or utilizing body language to make your opponent think you will do one thing, and then do another. For example: when playing rock, Overall it was a very interesting investigation to find out how games like this interact with the idea of game theory, and how even simple games like this can be compared to economical strategies through an analysis of game theory.
In lieu of a discussion regarding "Flow State" or the state of being so engrossed in an activity you lose track of time, we were tasked with creating a chart based on a game we play and understand. I chose Vtol VR for this project as it is a game I bought recently and have enjoyed for the last few weeks. I can also confidently say I have certainly entered flow state while playing this game since there were a few days towards the end of summer I spent more time in VR than in actual reality. The 1st point on the chart is a tutorial the game recommends you take before attempting any real missions. Its not the most exiting or difficult thing, but it certainly contributes a lot to the gameplay and helps you become acquainted with the cockpit before making you face off against real opponents. The 2nd point on the list I debated on whether to add it to the chart. I decided to because I think motion sickness felt during VR can affect how engaged/immersed you are in the experience. It hits early on in the game when you're still learning flight controls and can be very frustrating and difficult to overcome. It took me a couple uncomfortable hours before I felt acclimated. The 3rd point represents the process of learning the systems of the cockpit. It is quite difficult to learn since there are so many buttons, switches, and dials all right in front of you. Not to mention the MFDs that I still don't know how to use in their entirety. At #4 I put the 2 seater training aircraft. This comes into play if you have a friend to play with and it makes the learning experience much easier and more enjoyable. If you are a solo player however, it is unlikely you will ever encounter this step in the game's progression. at the 5th point I included the very difficult training mission: carrier landing practice. It leans of the frustrating side because although it is very satisfying when you do figure out how to land, it is still extremely difficult and gets quite frustrating after a while. At #6 I put the next advanced training mission: Aerial Refueling. This mission was very difficult. You had to latch fast otherwise you would run out of fuel and fall from the sky. If you do manage to latch you have to keep your plane remarkably steady and stay within very small margins to initiate the refueling. This mission was a real challenge and took me forever. At #7 I put the first real weapons training. This mission involved learning how to use AGMs (Air-to-Ground Missiles) which were mostly fire and forget. But at the same time you were getting locked and shot at by SAM sites on the surface. It was a hard mission, but overall a good one. Next I put the first legitimate mission you fly in the game, and I hope you payed attention to the training, because this mission doesn't mess around. To complete the mission you need to destroy 8 caches split between a northern and eastern enemy base using GPS guided bombs. The plane can only store 8 of them so if you miss one, its time to restart. The mission involves utilizing complex functions of the MFDs and paying attention to your surroundings which include both SAM sites and enemy aircraft alike, not to mention the mission is at night so I hope you like night vision. Very hard, very frustrating, took me 4 hours. At #9 I put AAM (Air-to-Air Missile) practice. This training mission was very fun and challenging. It involved learning how to use Fox-1 (Aim-9s) Fox-2 (Aim-7s) and Fox-3 (Aim-120s) Missiles. I found the mission very enjoyable and can recall it as one of the times I entered flow. Lastly, at #10 I put multiplayer. If you thought training and PvE missions were hard, you're not prepared for multiplayer. I attempted multiplayer only once and can confidently say it is only for those who have progressed far enough into the game that they can manage the functions of their aircraft & ordinance with ease. It looks like a lot of fun if you have the skill. Overall Vtol VR seems to be a more frustrating and difficult game than most. But it certainly has its moments, and if you put in the time and practice to get really good at the basics, it becomes an extremely fun game with the potential to captivate you for hours.
The timeline shown below was created with the purpose of drawing connections from modern games to games played thousands of years ago. For my timeline I chose to investigate the similarities the popular MMO looter-shooter Destiny 2 shares with ancient games traced all the way back to 3100 BC. The first connection I made was between Destiny 2, and another popular shooter created by the same developer: Halo Combat Evolved. The game company Bungie clearly drew inspiration from the Halo franchise to create Destiny. Both games feature similar gunplay, abilities including grenade & melee, and map designs of which seem almost like matte paintings at a distance. The games also share a massive multiplayer presence unlike anything console games have experienced before. The improvements they made to Destiny however, is that the game receives weekly content rotations, and dozens of new activities added each year to keep players invested. The next connection I drew was to one of the first FPS shooters: Doom. Although the games differ in the quality of their graphics and mechanics, they share very similar themes. Both being fantasy/sci-fi shooters and incorporating similar map designs with multiple rooms and hallways. From Doom I went back to Maze War, the very first computer fps shooter. It to utilized indoor spaces with many rooms and hallways as a major aspect of its gameplay. Which perpetuates the gameplay seen in Doom, Halo, and Destiny. The next connection I drew was back to Battleship, the popular board game originally conceptualized during WW1 in the late 1910s. The game shares aspects of its computer-based counterparts through its gameplay involving military simulation, and strategy. Following this I went way back to the 10th century AD to Butts: an archery game designed to train archers in a fun and engaging way. The game involved landing multiple targets in a row while navigating obstacles and was one of the first games to introduce time trials. The game shares similarities with future games by utilizing military equipment in some way, shape, or form, and by incorporating aspects of strategy. From Butts I went back to 6th century AD to the game we all know and love: Chess. Although it was slightly different back then, It still involved simulating a military engagement between 2 players and required immense brain power and advanced strategy to play well. Which links it back to the aforementioned games. Next I went back to 7th century BC to Indian Chaturanga. Some historians argue that Indian Chaturanga was merely an early version of chess. I would argue the differences in how the pieces move, and the fact that it can be played with up to 4 players sets it apart in a major way. Gameplay is quite similar to chess however, with the last individual with pieces on the board is considered the winner. Finally, the last game on the timeline: Senet. Traced all the way back to 3100 BC, Senet was one of the first tabletop games ever conceptualized by early human civilization. Although simplistic in nature, Senet is very similar to the games mentioned before as it is designed to simulate a fight between 2 war chiefs, and simulate the strategy necessary to conquer your opponent in battle. Overall the common theme between all of the games spanning 5000 years is an attempt to dream up some kind of war or battle to fight, and use intuition and strategy to overcome your opponent. This illustrates the human tendency towards violence, and overcoming a challenge. Which even today provides millions of people with the dopamine rush every time they beat a boss, defeat their opponent in PvP activities, or conquer them in chess. I think it is safe to assume that another 1000 years in the future we will still be playing games sharing these themes.
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AuthorI am an 12th grade student at CHHS who enjoys being creative and expressive in my art. Here you will find all the projects and skills that I will develop over the course of the year. Archives
January 2024
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