Game Design Document

Game Design Document

Here you will find my game design document. I enjoyed the process of developing this because it really went into detail on some things in my game that I have not yet thought about so it has made me excited to start developing this game. 

Link to GDD: https://www.dundoc.com/project/5859/outdoor-forest-survival-game

Image info: Screenshot from game called The forest: https://invisioncommunity.co.uk/the-forest-ps4-review/

Unity Tutorial 04

Unity Tutorial 04

In this weeks Unity Tutorial, we learned how to create a HUD, this stands for a Heads Up Display. We used Unity's animation system to help us do this and we also learned how to add sound to our game. 

I think by adding the Heads Up Display, the game is really starting now to take shape. A heads up display really adds that look that gives it the feel of a first person game. 

I really enjoyed creating the animation for the axe. It really the possibilities for creating a game whereas we are starting to learn how to create objects, implement them into our heads up display and then animate them in a way that it seems as if the character is swinging the axe. I think this is really exciting especially coming from someone with zero game development skills.

Also, adding in some more sounds makes our game even more immersive. I found it interesting creating the code to add some sound to our swinging of the axe animation. In C#, we created code that would allow us to trigger swinging the axe, we then created some code that would make the swinging sound play along with the swinging animation. 

Image Info:

Screenshot from Unity Engine

Game Vision Statement

Game Vision Statement

Genre

The gene of my game would be a Survival. I have not decided whether it should be first person or third person.  I would like my game to be based in a hostile, intense, open-world environment. The player would have minimal equipment. The player would have to collect resources, craft tools, weapons, and shelter, and survive as long as possible. Survival games are interesting because they require the player to work in order to survive, overcoming obstacles and solving problems. Harvesting resources and crafting tools and weapons.

Game play

The game play would generally be adventurous. I want the map to have multiple paths and places to explore so that the player would have to explore the map in order to find what the objective is. I would like to add some sort of combat element to the game. I would love if the player would have to worry about dangerous animals or maybe even other humans. I would like the player to be able to craft weapons that he/she could use to attack and/or hunt. 

Resource management and crafting would be element that I would like to have in the game. I think this would make the game a lot more interesting.

Resources Required 

Resources

Resources would be a great element to add to my game. I would like it that in order to craft a tool that would help you progress, the player would have to collect materials in order to craft the tool. Also, I would like it that the player would have to collect food and water in order to survive. 

Collection

Collection would be an obvious resource to have in this game. The player would have to collect food, water, materials and other items. 

Construction

Construction/crafting would be a great element to this game. The fact that it is a adventure/survival game would make it perfect to have some sort of crafting element.

Combat

I think that combat would make this game a lot more intense. Scenes of combat and fighting would really improve this game idea. The fact that the game is based in a survival situation, it would not be complete without some sort of intense combat. 

Link 

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Survival_game

Image Info

Screenshot of forest in game engine: https://www.deviantart.com/madmaximus83/art/CryEngineV-Lighting-and-forest-study-5-600108651

Unity Tutorial 03

Unity Tutorial 03

For this week's unity tutorial, instead of doing Jimmy Vegas' Youtube series, we done an online tutorial on how to create a functional clock in Unity. 

In order to make the clock, I first had to physically create the object in the Unity engine. To make the face, I created a 3.D smart object, which was a cylinder. I then flattened the cylinder to make a disc. I then proceeded to make the hour indicators and clock hands using cubes. I also re positioned the camera so that when the game is played it had a overview of the clock face. 

Next, I started the C# scripting. To start the script I had to define what were the hour, minute and second hands and also that were to be transformed. C# Script is a completely new method of coding to me so it was a bit confusing at the start when I was typing some of the code into the editor. I had to read the text very carefully to try and understand what I was doing. 

Also, one feature that I thought was a good addition to the clock was adding the option to make it continuous. This meant that the hands of the clock would continuously turn around the face without it 'ticking'.

Image Info:

Screenshot of my clock in Unity Engine

Feedback Strategies

Feedback Strategies

I think it is very important to be strategic when giving feedback to your peers. Being criticized is a touchy subject so we need to be cautious. 

One technique I think is important is to not just focus on the negative. Tell the person what you think they did write. Then, it is appropriate to give some constructive criticism. 
Image Info:
https://feedback-coach.com/resources/

Game Idea Research

Game Idea Research

The game idea that I would like to do some more in-depth research on is my idea of A Outdoor Survival game. I think that certain game mechanics are what will make this game really interactive and enjoyable. 

Equipment

Equipment will be one of the most important game mechanics in this game. This is a survival game so the player would need to find tools and weapons in order to survive. Maybe the player could craft tools from raw materials in order to better him/herself throughout the game. For example; maybe the player could find some sticks and rope, from these materials the player could craft a fishing rod in order to find food. 

HUD

I defiantly want to add a HUD(heads up display) into my game. A HUD is basically a display around the screen that keeps the player up to date with important info such as health, mission progress and maybe a map but there are no limits to what a game developer can add to a HUD in order to make the game experience even more immersing. 

Skills/Traits

I think that a skill system would really improve my game. Skills such as hunting, crafting, stamina and other skills could add realism to the game. It would improve the game if the player would have to try and level up certain skillsets in order to progress. 

Links:

http://www.epicwinblog.net/2013/06/35-inspiring-game-mechanics-examples.html

http://inventwithpython.com/blog/2012/07/30/need-a-game-idea-a-list-of-game-mechanics-and-a-random-mechanic-mixer/

Image Info:

Screenshot of survival game: https://www.flickr.com/photos/bagogames/23885228356

Unity Tutorial 02

Unity Tutorial 02

In today's Unity tutorial, I learned many things but the 2 main headings were improving graphics and adding a ray cast and cursor. 

In the first video I learned how to add sounds to objects and how to make objects "collectible". I created a new collider box for the gem which as also a trigger. I imported a sound effect and done some C# code that basically played the sound when I came with the vicinity of the gem and then made it disappear as if I collected it. 

After that, I imported water from my standard assets folder. Then, it was easy to add water to the game. I lowered the terrain and added water to the hole. Another thing I done was add 2 new textures, stone and brick. I created a brick wall. 

After that I then added a cursor. A cursor is basically a little marker that tells you where the player is looking(in the center of the screen). This was easy to make and I was able to play around with different shapes and colors. Lastly I added a ray cast to the game. I ray cast basically tells the player how much distance is between his character and the object he/she is looking at. This required a bit of C# coding. 

I enjoyed this weeks tutorials because the game is really starting to take shape. 

Image info:
Screenshot of my own game in Unity Engine

Game Elements

Game Elements

I enjoyed reading this article about the language of games and how we need to develop a vocabulary that is universal to all games so that we can talk about them without confusion. In this article, the author talks about the "tools" that are in games. Some of these tools are conflict, cooperation, confusion and many more. These tools are an important subject because these are what game designers use to tell a story or to create an interesting game. Without tools like these we woukdnt have a game, we would have something closer to a film. 

Links:

https://www.td.org/insights/eight-game-elements-to-make-learning-more-intriguing

http://www.theknowledgeguru.com/learning-game-design-game-elements/

https://www.google.com/amp/s/elearningindustry.com/5-game-elements-create-effective-learning-games/amp

Image info:

Photo of gameboy; https://commons.m.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Nintendo-Game-Boy-Advance-Purple-FL.jpg

Feedback Thoughts

Feedback Thoughts

Silence The Critical Voices In Your Head

The first article I would like to talk about is:  "Silence the critical voices in your head". I think this article is relevant because it encourages us to stop doubting ourselves and to take risks. The steps to cutting out negative thinking when creating creative pieces of work are:

-Look for the positive

-Hear the positive

-Believe the positive

-Act as if it were true

I think this article is very powerful and it can be applied to all walks of life.

Link: https://hbr.org/2016/12/silence-the-critical-voices-in-your-head

Why Rejection Hurts So Much

This article talks about how rejection causes us to become defensive and hurt when someone criticizes us. When in reality criticism and rejection can be the stepping stones that will make your work better. There are two types of criticism: constructive criticism and then of course the later. Constructive Criticism can be a powerful tool that will help us grow and will improve our work. In the article Mr. Guy Wich talks about some steps that we can take in order to take the sting out of criticism:

-Have zero-tolerance when it comes to self-criticism

-Revive self-worth

-Boost feelings of self-connection

I think if we all tried to apply these tips, it would help us a lot with our mental health when we receive criticism whether its constructive or nonconstructive. 

Link:https://ideas.ted.com/why-rejection-hurts-so-much-and-what-to-do-about-it/

Image Information:

Representation of criticism: http://www.arch2o.com/principles-architectural-criticism/

Game Brainstorm

Game Brainstorm

Outdoor Survival 

My first game idea is a survival style game. The player must collect materials, craft tools, cook food, scout new areas and other activities. I want to design a amazing outdoor forest map that is free-roaming(if possible). I would love the player to be able to use his/her own initiative in order to survive. the starting point of the game could be when the player is stranded in a forest. Then the goal could be then to survive a certain amount of time while fighting factors such as danger and hunger etc. To win he/she has to find civilization.

Link to useful resource: https://vfxskills.com/unity-create-survival-game-brackeys-beginners/

Zombie Survival 

My second game idea would be a zombie survival game. I would love to develop a game that contains waves of scary zombies that try to kill you. The player could either use weapons or other elements such as traps in order to survive. I could design bots that spawn in and try to attack the player. I would have to integrate a health system into the game. I would like to add scary music and SFX in order to make the game better.

Link to useful resource: https://www.quora.com/How-do-you-make-a-zombie-survival-game-in-Unity

Problem Solving 

For my third game I would like to make a game that requires the player to solve brain-teasing problems in order to progress to the next level and eventually complete the game. For the problems, the player would have to use trial and error in order to figure out what needs to be done in order to pass the level. For example, the player would have to arrange spheres in a certain order to open a door, in the next room the player would have to solver another problem. 

Link to useful resource: http://mypuzzle.org/3d

War Game

The last game I would like to make would be a war game. Either I would like to make a modern day shooter game that would require the player to fight with bots in order to survive. Maybe there could be a mission such as capturing a flag or defusing a bomb. The other version of this game could be a game where the player is a knight and would have to use his sword to fight his enemies. 

For both these games I would have to create a health and damage system.

Link to useful resource: https://www.freecodecamp.org/news/unity-3d-first-person-shooter-game-tutorial/

Image Info:

Screenshot of FPS game development:

https://gamedev.stackexchange.com/questions/104300/fps-handsweapon-animation

Unity Tutorial 01

Unity Tutorial 01

In today's Unity tutorial I learned the basics of the Unity engine. Unity is a 3.D game development platform. I really enjoy Unity because it makes game development an easy process for someone who is only a beginner. Also, it is free!! I never thought that i would be interested in game development, but after today I could really imagine myself working with an engine like this in the future. 
The first thing that I learned about was the engine itself. Unity is extremely versatile and it can be customized to your liking. For example, the different windows within the engine can be moved around to your liking. Then, I learned about objects. Objects can be placed inside your world and manipulated in many different ways. They are placed along the XYZ axis and the size and other factors can be manipulated. 
The next thing that I learned about was terrain and textures. I learned about how to shape terrain to create a realistic world and also about how I could apply textures and materials to terrains and objects to further develop my world. 
Next, I learned about how C# code is integrated into Unity. I learned how i can use code to rotate an object. 
I found getting used to the engine itself. I found myself forgetting where to find the simplest things, for example; I had to re-watch tutorial 02 in order to find out how to apply texture to a terrain. 
I am really looking forward to getting to grips with Unity, it is a really fun engine to use. 

Image Information:
Unity logo: http://smwiki2016.wikidot.com/wiki:game

Game Design

Game Design

What is a game?

Firstly, I would like to talk about the question of what a game actually is. It is very easy to jump to conclusions when we think about games. Personally, when I think about what is and isn't a game, I think of first-person-shooters on my PlayStation or Apps on my smartphone. In reality, the word game defines a much wider spectrum of activities. It is very easy to only think about the electronic video games that saturate the "market" of games. 

In order to distinguish what is a game and what is not, we must consider a few factors in order to make that decision. These factors include:
-Rules
-Goals
-Conflict
-Artificial
-Decision-making
-Activity
-No material game
-Voluntary
-Uncertain outcome
-Artistic
-Simulation
-Systems
In reality, there are an enormous amount of properties that need to be considered when trying to define a game. At least these are a few factors that we can try to use in order to define what is and isn't a game. It is obvious that some "games" do not adhere to these factors but this does not mean that it is not entirely a game. 

What is game design?

Game design is a huge area media development. Game design is such a flexible phrase in the way that also all of the specific fields of work that contribute to "designing" a game can be described by using this phrase. 

One specific area of game design is system design. This contributes to the actual system of the game such as the rules, what can the players interact with in the game and the resolution of the game. Again, just like the definition of what a game actually is, game design is a very broad phase for the work that goes into creating a game and it can be specified into different areas of work. 

Image Information:
Screenshot of FPS game: http://technicalgamedesign.blogspot.com/2011/04/aim-systems-in-first-person-shooters.html
Items of interest: 
https://gamedesignconcepts.wordpress.com/
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Game
http://hippasus.com/resources/gameandlearn/slides/1_WhatIsAGame.pdf