Ben Ankers L3 Games Design Introductory Project

Photoshop

Layers Jigsaw Exercise

Layers Manipulation Exercise

Selection Exercise

Illustrator

The word Boil made only using the ellipsis shape tool.

The word explode made only using the Polygon tool

The word smooth make only using the rounded rectangle tool

Encase transformed using the free transform

Flight Typography

Pen Tool experiment, using different pen tools

Primitive shapes transformed using pathfinder put together creating a more complex shape

Introductory Assignment Brief

Assignment brief

Qualification	90 Credit Diploma in Creative Media Production - Games Design
Unit number and title	Unit 3 – Research Techniques for the Creative Media Industries - partial Unit 73 – Sound for Computer Games - partial Unit 78 – Digital Graphics for Computer Games - partial
Assessor name	Harry Arnold Jordan Eastwood Iain Goodyear
Date issued	03/09/2015
Hand in deadline	22/09/2015

Assignment title	Introductory Assignment – EGI Platformer Pitch
The purpose of this assignment is to demonstrate that the learner is introduced to: • Applying a range of research methods and techniques • Creating sound assets for a computer game following industry practice • Creating digital graphics for a computer game following industry practice
Scenario Joining the games design course at Eccles Sixth Form Centre, you have become a member of EGI, Eccles Games Incubator and your first assignment will assess your strengths, weaknesses and suitability for the course. Over the next three weeks you are going to devise a concept for an original platformer game to be pitched via a presentation on a blog.
Task 1 Carry out visual and written research into classic and contemporary platform games. Publish your findings to your Introductory Assignment blog. This provides evidence Unit 3 – P2, M2, D2
Task 2 Generate a wide range of ideas for your platform game, paying particular attention to the objective, setting, character and mechanics. Evidence this in your Introductory Assignment blog. This provides evidence Unit 3 – P2, M2, D2
Task 3 Produce a detailed written overview of your game, and character profile. Evidence this in your Introductory Assignment blog. This provides evidence Unit 3 – P2, M2, D2
Task 4 Create a prototype which establishes the mechanics of one level of your platform game. Evidence this in your Introductory Assignment blog. This provides evidence Unit 3 – P2, M2, D2
Task 5 Create a minimum of three dialogue sequences and three sound effects for your character. Evidence this in your Introductory Assignment blog. This provides evidence Unit 73 – P3, M3, D3
Task 6 Create concept artwork for your character and background designs for one level of your game. Evidence this in your Introductory Assignment blog. This provides evidence Unit 78 – P3, M3, D3
Evidence checklist		Tick
Platform game research
Game ideas generation
Game mechanics prototype
Audio assets
Art assets

Task 1: Research

Retro and Contemporary Platformer Research.

Super Metroid: Super Metroid is an Action Adventure with a heavy emphasis on platforming. The level design is recognized as some of the best level design as it eases people into the game and introduces people into the basic mechanics of the game. This game has influenced future platforming games.

At the start of the game Samus (our main protagonist) is lowered into a ship after receiving a distress signal, after she lands it introduces the player to long vertical shafts and it help people get used to the controls as it has lots of platform which allow player to experiment. The player is forced to adapt to the surroundings and try different buttons so they can advance to the next screen; small jumps are placed so they get a feel for the jumping/falling controls. There are also there are drops so the player can understand how light the character is. No tutorial is given at this point and the player is getting a grip of the controls. After some small jumps the player gets thrown in the deep end as the player is faced with a boss, this teaches the player basic shooting options, the player would want to defeated the boss so they try shooting the boss, the boss stays near the top right of the screen so you have to try and find an alternative way to shoot.

http://www.vgmaps.com/Atlas/SuperNES/SuperMetroid-SpaceColony.png

You cannot be killed by the boss. After the bosses defeat you have a limited time to traverse back through the ship and escape, although this time there are spouts of steam that hurt the player and hey have to used h previously learned skills to travel back up the vertical shaft and it keeps you on your feet as there is a countdown. This teaches the player that there can be new things if you go back through areas that you have previously been to, this is quite a big mechanic in the game because there is a lot of exploration and secrets scattered around the game world. From this small introductory stage we learn how to jump, move on land and in the air and how to shoot in all 8 directions. This is all you essentially need to go through the game.

www.2-dimensions.com/2014/01/13/anatomy-of-super-metroid-6-kraid-on-bungling-bay/

This room in Metroid is a great example of good level design, it is a frozen monster that is an entrance into another room, and this in itself is a very memorable room as there is nothing like it in the rest of the game. It is impossible to reach this area with the power ups given at this time. As you progress through the game you get the power up that make you jump much higher and it allows the player to reach the platform. You remember this room as it is a memorable room so you backtrack through the game to reach this room so you can advance into a new area and progress through the game. This also teaches another mechanic of the game, gaining new power ups and going back to previous areas to discover secrets to help you through the game such as missile tanks and E Tanks. This area is quite early in the game so it teaches the player from the start these mechanics.

http://s44.photobucket.com/user/rico2099/media/Blog/SuperMetroid-Intro1_zpsdhduiqgk.gif.html

Even before the beginning of the game you are already introduced to a new mechanic, directional shooting, this was new for the series and this 5 second cut scene introduces the mechanic and teaches the player before the game has actually begun yet. This also gets the player thinking about new ways to play in other aspects of the game such as jumping.

Super Meat Boy: Super Meat Boy is a High pace Platformer with an emphasis on precision. This is an example of a modern platformer that did it right. The game is extremely difficult and it progresses although it is never he games fault for you dying, it’s always your fault because he controls are so good and responsive. The early levels introduce basic mechanics and it eases the player into the game. It does tell you what to an extent but there is still a lot of experimenting of different types of moving and different level mechanics. The level designs are based around the new mechanic introduced in that world.

http://www.autostraddle.com/super-meat-boy-cures-99-of-nes-mario-nostalgia-64122/

This level is an early level so it has some basic wall jumping and obstacles that the player need to get past in order to get to the end of the level. This allows players to get used to the momentum of Meat Boy. The player ca easily practice the mechanic here as it’s quite difficult to die due to the limited amount of obstacles. This game also leaves a track of where you have been as a blood trail, this help the player track where they went when they died,this then allows the player to know where they went wrong and it help the play make a new strategy to get around the stage in the fastest time.

http://www.gameinformer.com/b/features/archive/2015/01/01/tim-turi-top-five-games-of-last-generation.aspx

This level introduces weak walls that break upon contact. The way this level is designed forces the player to wall jump onto the weak walls and thus teaches the player what they do and they have adequate time to jump back to the safe wall and advance through the level. A lot is learned from this level as the design forces them to learn even though there is no tutorial, this gives the player great satisfaction because it feels like the player learned this mechanic by themselves and it pushes them forward. Later in the game different mechanic are combines to test the skills of the player so it pushes their game knowledge to the edge and forces them to learn different ways to tackle stages.
From these early we learn the momentum and speed of meat boy, how to control meat boy on the walls and on the ground and we also learned that certain walls are weak so you have to break them to advance.

http://kayin.moe/wp-content/uploads/2011/01/PCG208.pre_meat.pcsmb2-article_image.jpg

This level introduces a new mechanic which is moving death-traps. There is plenty of time before you encounter these saws in the level so you know what they do. You have to plan your route through the level with extra caution because you have to learn the rhythm on the saw blades so you don’t get killed. This level sets you up for the rest of the game as the moving saw blades are a recurring theme in this game and you will see them in most levels even in the later stages. The level puts you in situations that happen all the time in this game for example, jumping to a wall over a saw blade and quickly reacting to jump up to a higher platform.

Both of these games to excellent jobs at introducing the player to new mechanics very early so they don’t get tripped up later in the game Both introduce the moving elements of their characters in the first level and it helps them understand when certain mechanics that they have are needed. Both are completely different types of games but they still introduce the core mechanics the same way, games like super Metroid influenced the level design of many future games such as Super Meat Boy because of similar starts. In both games the player in rewarded for their platforming skill with rewards such as power ups for Samus or extra levels for Super Meat Boy.

Task 2 Ideas/Planning

Task 2: Game Ideas

Idea 1: Alternate Universe, Action Platformer, Score Based.

Name: Isaacs’ Unlikely adventure!

Backstory: In a universe where humans didn’t evolve completely and they have the extremities of monkeys/gorillas (tails and super strength) and the use of their extra skills will help them traverse the challenging obstacles in their way to reach the end of the level to reach the tastiest food in all of the animal kingdom.

This game would use mechanics such as wall jumping and optional temporary power ups to advance. The power up would consist of different fruit which enhances the characters abilities temporarily. Dragon Fruit would give temporary invincibility, a bunch of bananas would give an extra jump and a Star Fruit would give an extra life.

This would be a relatively short game but it would have decent replay ability due to a leader board system. You would have a set time limit to complete a level and the faster you complete it the higher score you would achieve.

This game would take place on single screens with the objective to reach the end and advance onto the next screen (Similar to N+) The setting would be a jungle with ancient ruins as backdrops, the power ups would be on the trees. Floating bits of land and parts of trees would be the platforms used to get higher in the level.

There will be obstacles like unstable flooring and spike pits to watch out for and they would appear more commonly in the later levels. Also there will be various booby traps that will try and trip you up throughout the level. Taking a single hit will kill you and sent you back to the start of the level and it will also deduct a reasonable amount of points from your total. Taking the power ups will reduce your score count also so you may have to find ways to complete the levels using a combination of different mechanics so you have the highest score possible. Apples would also be in the game, the would server as extra points if you collect them, although they are quite out of the way and you would have to figure out if it is worth your time to go out of your way to collect them.

The color scheme would be very bright and vibrant so it would be appealing, the main character would look like a cross between a chimp and a human. There would be lots of nods to real world structures in this game but there would be differences as this is an alternate universe (Sphinx, Stonehenge).

Idea 2: Far Future, Puzzle Platformer, Physics Based.

Name:

Backstory: Our main character has to use his wits to complete the various challenges purposed his university to see if he is worthy enough to get into the highest university in the milky way.

The setting would be very futuristic as it would include teleportation and holograms. The use of these would be to put various objects into place so you can advance through the level, these mechanics would be combined in later levels to increase the difficulty and to make you think harder about the puzzle.

There will be designated teleporters around the level that you would teleport between to reach higher areas. The holograms would be used as immovable objects to stop forward momentum of objects although you get very few throughout the game. The obstacle in this game is you own mind as you can’t die but you may reset the level lots until you find out the solution to the puzzle.

Other puzzle ideas would be coloured gates that you would need certain coloured keys to advance through. And you would have to be careful with the keys as you would not be able to jump with the key in your hands.

Idea 3: Action Platformer, Time Based Platformer, Modern Day.

Name:

Backstory: A new young explorer is given the task to explore a newly discovered cave, thought to be easy beginner cave for the new explorer they send him will full confidence that he will return in one piece. The new explorer enters the cave but falls into a booby trap minutes into exploring. He awakes at the bottom of the cave sweating as the head was overwhelming, he quickly realises that there is Magma rising from holes in the ground, his only chance to escape is up and he only has a limited amount of time until he is cooked.

The objective of the game is to get to the top of the screen before the magma engulfs you; there are plenty of ways to get higher in the level like ropes and platform that you jump upon.

Task 3 Game Overview/Character Profile

Game Overview.

The game that i have created is called "Isaac's Unlikely Adventure!". This is a platformer with an emphasis on speed and skill, in my game i have simple mechanics which are to be used together to achieve victory. From the original concept there have been some changed due to time constraints and lack of knowledge of the software. The story (or lack there of) is about a lone monkey who is searching for new types of food throughout the different areas. There are 3 different levels, each with their own theme, goal food and mechanics. Each level increases in difficulty and all can be tricky if the player is not playing attention. The themes of the levels are Lab, Jungle and Mountain.

You play as Isaac, he is an ordinary monkey who just want to try new food, there were previous concepts for Isaac each were a bi different but it was the same concept, the idea of a front facing came from the fact that it would take lots more actions and work to create more sprites for right facing animations and left facing animations. Isaac has a base set on animation for Idling, jumping and moving left/right, these are basic animations which

The different mechanics of this game is double jumping, wall jumping and power ups which give you an extra jump in the air. The combination of these can make for some difficult platforming sections in which the player has to manage their jumps to reach the end of the stage. Throughout the stages there are obstacles that obstruct your forward progression to an extent and you have to use your previously learned skills to traverse these death traps. There are also Turrets that shoot in one direction, these shoot arrows which kill the player on contact, these can either be blocked by platforms or dodged by the player. This games mechanics are quite messed up in the sense that sometime the controls do not work sometimes and it can be quite difficult to wall jump successfully. In the future the mechanics for my game will be much more refined and they will work 100%.

The game teaches the player the mechanics with minimal text, the player for the most part learns for themselves which gives them the incentive to carry on. The player always has a clue on where to go because in each level the ending point is at the top of the level and the player has to use their skills to get to them in the conventional way or the non conventional.

Task 4 Prototype

Prototype of the Game

The prototype of my game consists of 3 level, although for this i wall be showing only the first real level. This level is a jungle level, there are arrow traps and death blocks (spikes) which serve as this levels obstacles.

This is the full level, it has a crude background as i did not have enough time to refine it, but you still get the idea of the level. The level design is quite basic because there is not anything too difficult. This was the first level to be made and it took some inspiration from other platformer games such as Super Meat Boy and Jumper 2.

This is the first part of the level and it has the player making small jumps in between death blocks, this helps the player get to grips with the jumping mechanics and they feel how heavy the character is.

Following the previous section is this section, this has an arrow trap which shoots to the left every 1.75 seconds, this gives the player plenty of time to react and learn its pattern. Also this part leaves the player at a dead end and the only way to progress is upwards, they have to use the skills that they acquired in the previous level (the Tutorial) to progress upwards.

Soon after the previous wall jumping section this is power up is shown, This power up grants the player an extra jump if they touch it, this it used in such a way that the player has to think outside the box. this is placed underneath a death block so the player has to drop instead of jump into it, this teaches the player that there is a strategic part to this game also and you cant complete it without taking a step back to observe the level and figure out how to do the level

This part is the hardest part in the level as it pushes the players skill to an extent, you get one shot at jumping between brittle platforms (these break upon contact with the character). This is hard because the player only has one shot at this because the walls break and there are death traps around the area.

These are also power ups, the green makes you float in the air (gravity decreased) and the yellow makes you normal again (sets gravity to default). this can be used in quite smart ways as it lengthens your jump range and allows player to make previously impossible jumps.