Beta

Beta

So we are nearly finished with our game development project. This project has been such a learning experience for me. I feel like working on this game has made me so much better at game development. I ran in to so many different problems with this project but I feel like this is what will make you a good game developer in the future. It is eye opening seeing how you can set the bar so high when planning your game, and then having to strip things back to make it a bit easier. 

So basically what I done was restart my whole game. My other game wasn't very good at all and I felt like the only way to fix it was to start again. None of my script was working, my map was cluttered and confusing. My original game concept was a bit too ambitious so I decided to simplify things a bit. I decided that fighting animals, crafting weapons and eating and drinking were ideas that were way too ambitious for someone of my skill set.

My new game is just a simple little map with some scripting that lets the player collect an object found in the map. This was a lot less pressure on me because we covered similar things in the weekly Unity Tutorials. 

Image(s) Info:

Screenshots of my game in Unity Engine

First Playable

First Playable

I am relieved to finally have a version of my game that is somewhat playable. At this point, I have the fps controller and terrain of my level completed. I have created the majority of what I want to do with the terrain. I have created the landscape, the trees, the grass, the fog and the rocks. One more thing that I want to do is to create the boundaries of the level. I hope to do this by creating a denser border of trees that will act as a boundary and a guide towards the end of the game. I also plan to add a mountain into the map. 

My next step is to create the HUD and to create the AI characters. Then, after that I have to add in the weapons and inventory. This is the most daunting task for me. I am a bit worried that I will not be able to integrate everything that I plan to have in the game. I hope that I not falling behind. 

I am also a bit worried that I will not be able to create the opening and closing scenes of the game. I am completely new to the Unity engine so I do not have a clue how I would go about doing this. I will definitely need to watch a few tutorials.

Whats working well for me at the moment is that I have the basics started and I know what I need to do next. What I am struggling with is time management. I really hope I can get all this done in time while I juggle all of my other assignments. I am enjoying this module so I am going to push through. 

Image Info:
Screenshot of my game in Unity engine

Prototype

Prototype

This week we start the development of our games. I feel like I am a bit behind because I do not have a clue where I am going to get the assets for my game. Hopefully I can work something out. 

I have started the prototyping for the level design and also the HUD and view of the camera. I started the prototyping on paper. I think paper prototyping is good because it is easy and quick to make, and it is also easy to change. The first thing I did was a draw up a paper prototype of the first person view of the character and also how the character would hold the weapon. I played around with different weapon grips and cursor styles. I also made a prototype of what the health, hunger and thirst bars will look like. 

Then, I moved on to the prototype of the map. I didn't focus as much on aesthetics mainly because I want to develop the scenery in the 3.D engine with more textures. This is because I am going for a more realistic feel if possible so the paper prototyping was mainly about mechanisms and layout. The map features things such as food, water, weapons and hazards such as poisonous berrys and dangerous animals. Also, there are tiny, hard-to-find notes around the map with confusing tips that are meant to confuse the player but they can guve helpful tips if they understand what they mean. 

The next part of my plan is to go into Unity engine and begin the level design. Once I have completed this I am going to develop the HUD and start coding for the item pickups and health, hunger and thirst bars. 

One major problem I am struggling with is trying to think of ideas that are actually possible for me to make. I do not have a clue about the difficulty of some of the ideas that I would like to add in so it is a bit stressful. 

I do not have a clue where we are supposed to locate our assets for the game and also I do not have a clue if we are supposed to be designing/modelling our own characters and animals etc. I need to get more information on this before I start developing some parts of my game. 

Image Information:

First photo is my paper prototype of the first person player view and also the HUD.

The second photo is my paper prototype of the level design. 

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/

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

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

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