Game Design Document

This week I created a game design document for my game. I created a site map on Dundoc. This was a very useful website as it gave you a structured template which I then put in all the information for my own game. 

Bananas, Source: Pixabay

The main headings I used in my document were;

-Game Introduction

-Technical

-Artwork (design)

-Audio & Sound F/x

And each of these contain sub headings also. 

I found this a very useful task as it made me think about elements of the game that I didn't think of before. It was also useful to have all the elements laid out in an organised matter.

My Game Design 

Games GDD

Games GGD, Source: Pixaby

This week I learned all about all design and everything we should take into consideration when creating a game, I read an article called 'Design Considerations' by Greg Aleknevicus. This article was a real eye opener, as it made you think about design elements that you just take for granted when playing another game.

Components - 

There are many components that must be considers when designing a game, with colour being a huge factor. Many people suffer from colour blindness so using colours that don't clash with each other is very important. As this won't help everyone, using different shape to determine differentiation will make the game play easier for someone who suffers with colour blindness. Each icon in the game must be distinguishable. Avoiding clutter is important in a game.

The Box - 

When creating a box for your game it must be visually pleasing for the player. It is important to list the name of the game on the outside of the box as this will make it easy to read from far away which will attract the attention of the buyer. You must make sure that the back of the box contains a photo of actual game play and not a photo that has been set up to look aesthetically pleasing.

Cards - 

Playing cards are a huge element to many games so the design is very important. Placing numbers on all four corners is an important component as then it can be determined which card it is, no matter which way the card is held, also make the numbers large and legible. It is a good idea to include extra cards in a deck, this allows for if any card is lost.

Theme - 

Have the theme work with the rules rather than against them.

Rules - 

Always blind test your rules, this will make sure there is no assumptions for someone who doesn't understand the game. Do not wrote intentionally vague rules, so players are fully aware of how the game is supposed to be played and cannot make up their own rules. Include a detailed list of the games components in the rules. Include examples of game play, this makes it easy to address  issues of uncertainty.

Game Vision Statement

Introduction: My game will be called 'Monkey goes Bananas' and it will be based on a a hungry monkey that is going around the forest trying to collect bananas.

Monkey goes Bananas

My original game idea was to have a open world roaming game, where an element of the game would be to collect gems throughout the game, but I felt like this wasn't a strong enough idea as there wasn't much purpose behind it, so I feel by creating a character that has to collect an item that is more relevant to it, that it would make for a more interesting game and it would add more purpose.

Description: My game idea is based around a hungry monkey, so the objective of the game will be to  collect as many bananas as possible before he loses all his energy.

I plan to have a bar at the top of the screen which will represent how much energy the monkey has, I will have this on a timer so it decreases with time if there are no bananas collected.

Key Features: I plan to include features such as different coloured bananas, yellow being ordinary and this will increase the monkeys energy levels,  red will be a super banana which will double the monkeys energy levels, which will result in you having more time to find more bananas, and blue will be the deathly banana, one which you will have to make sure to stay clear of as it is poisonous and will kill the monkey!

Genre: The genre of my game will be based within a forest, trying to find food for a monkey.

Concept Art: I want my game to look bright and fun, there will be a lot of greenery as it will be based in a forest as this is a monkeys natural habitat.

I also looked up some  more Jimmy Vegas tutorials to see how I can bring this game idea to life;

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rJRt7NnxSS8

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x-C95TuQtf0

Unity Tutorial 03

This week for my unity tutorial we had to make a clock. This week was slightly different to the last two weeks as we were making an object, whereas we have been working off a terrain. The tutorial we  used this week was from a website called Catlikecoding and it was just writing and pictures instead of the videos we have used before.

 I found it more difficult this week to follow instructions as I wasn't following a video so I couldn't see exactly what he was doing and I had to figure it out myself. Although it was fun to try and build the clock, I enjoyed putting the components of the clock together. I liked that you could just duplicate the indicators and just change the degrees of them and they fit into the right place perfectly.

This week we also had to go more in depth into the coding side of it in order to make the clock arms rotate. I found it hard to follow the instructions as they didn't show the full page so I was unsure where to write the different code. I also didn't like how he made us write code and then delete it and put in a different code.

I enjoyed this weeks tutorials but I did prefer following the tutorials by Jimmy Vegas.

My Unity Clock Tutorial

Games MDA

X's n O's

MDA stands for Mechanics, Dynamics and Aesthetics. MDA is a formal approach to understanding games, it attempts to bridge the gap between game design and development, game criticism and technical game research.

Mechanics are the components of the game, they are the rules or methods designed for each individual game to determine game play.
Dynamics is the run time behaviour of the mechanics acting on player inputs.
Aesthetics are the emotions that our hopefully evoked by the player when playing the game, these make the game 'fun'.

It is good to use certain words when describing the aesthetics of a game;
'1. Sensation - Game as sense pleasure
2. Fantasy - Game as make believe
3. Narrative Game as drama
4. Challenge - Game as obstacle course
5. Fellowship - Game as social framework
6. Discovery - Game as uncharted territory
7. Expression - Game as self-discovery
8. Submission Game as pastime'

'MDA: A Formal Approach to Game Design and Research' by Robin Hunicke, Marc LeBlanc and Robert Zubek.

I read a presentation by Clint Hocking, in which he spoke about game intentions. I learned that there were two types of intentions in a game, high order and low order. High order is when you can use a function in human ways, whereas low orders is just using mechanics. Hocking also takes about when a multiple mechanics interconnect, can result in an unexpected outcome.

https://learn.canvas.net/courses/3/pages/level-4-introduction-and-readings

Feedback Strategies

The first article I read this week was called 'Be a Mirror: Give Readers Feedback That Fosters a Growth Mindset', by Gravity Goldberg. I found this article quite interesting as it made me think about  my own mindset and how I feel about my own abilities. In this article Goldberg talks about how many of us have a fixed mindset on how well our abilities are, and this often stops us from putting in extra effort as there is not point because our abilities what allow us to achieve this high anyway. In order to change this, he speaks about idea of being a mirror when giving feedback. One of the strategies Goldberg talks about is to focus on what the reader is doing and not what is missing, as a mirror cannot reflect back what is not there.

I enjoyed this article as it made me think about my own mindset and abilities.

https://literacyworldwide.org/blog/literacy-daily/2015/12/08/be-a-mirror-give-readers-feedback-that-fosters-a-growth-mindset

The second article I read was 'Why Do So Many Managers Avoid Giving Praise' by Jack Zenger and Joseph Folkman. This article was interesting as it spoke about why feedback is often not given, one of the reasons is because of the anxiety behind the answer and response that they may get back. It was interesting to see how many people avoid giving positive and. negative feedback, when feedback can have such an effect on how people work.

https://hbr.org/2017/05/why-do-so-many-managers-avoid-giving-praise

Game Idea Research

The game idea that I have chosen to go further with is my fourth idea, which is an open world/ role play game. This will be a one-character game, where the character has chances to collect gems and build up the strength of their character by completing in-game relevant games. The character will be free to roam the world as they please.

Game Mechanics I will be using:

1.     Goals: Short and long-term goals can be achieved

I hope to have challenges within my game, this may include such things as collecting a certain amount of gems which you would receive rewards for. By taking this approach it will give my users a purpose for interaction and ‘educate users about what is valued and possible within the experience’.

Level-Up

2.     Levelling Up: Status within community

The further you get in the game and as you reach different goals, you may be able to unlock new parts of the world, this will give you a chance to find more challenges. This will also show your status in the game as you may have more of the world unlocked than maybe your friends who are also playing.

https://www.bunchball.com/gamification/game-mechanics

3.     Instant Death: Something causing the player to die.

By doing this, the player will have to go back to a certain point in the game, and they must reach a target so information that they have gathered will not be lost after that point. Death may be cause by something like spikes our falling into water that is too deep.

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

Unity Tutorial 02

Unity Tutorials

This week I followed Tutorial 4 of how to use Unity by Jimmy Vegas, this was just a continuation on what we done in the tutorials last week. Within this weeks tutorial Jimmy talked more about audio and more coding, as I followed it, I added a ding noise to my gem when it was collected by a player. After this I changed the texture on the block and duplicated it to create a wall. We then used skills that we learned from the week before, making a dip in the terrain, Vegas then showed us how to insert water, which was already built into unity, into the dip we created, making a small pond. I really liked how effective the water looked. The final thing I learned in this tutorial was how to create a shadow, when a shadow was added to the trees, it instantly improved the look of the game as it made it more realistic looking. As I was following the steps within the tutorial, one thing I found quite challenging was that I was just using my touchpad, where as I was using a mouse last week and it was much harder to move around and do things with the touchpad. I am still really enjoying Jimmy Vegas' tutorials and I find him very helpful and easy to follow.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?time_continue=961&v=zS3YO5eCQ5o

Game Elements

For this task I read an article called 'Formal Abstract Design Tools' by Doug Church. I found this reading very interesting and informative as Church first spoke about all the different elements it takes to make a good game; design, art, audio, levels, code. Church then went on to talk about the importance of how we actually talk about games, and how we need a shared language of game design. This language is important in understanding someone else's game and also to explain your game to others. "Formal Abstract Design Tools" is an attempt to create a frame work for this shared language and a way of going about the process of building it. This language would be useful as it would also help us give feedback to other game designers, instead of just playing a game and saying 'I really enjoyed that',  a new vocabulary would improve our understanding of and facility with game creation. This article gave me an understanding of different tools for games and how to talk about games with a more appropriate vocabulary.

http://www.gamasutra.com/view/feature/131764/formal_abstract_design_tools.php?page=2

The Blue Shell
The second article I read was called 'The Blue Shell and its Discontents' by Ian Bogost. This is a reading about the history of the 'Spiny Blue Shell' which is a power-up from the game Super Mario
Bros that has taunted players for years now. The Blue Shell has been around since 1990-1, when a Koopa Troopa with a blue shell first appeared in Super Mario World, but it has always been associated with speed power, and security. What thing article really made me think about, is that so much thought and time has gone behind such a small element within such a huge game. There are so many small components in most games you play that you just take for granted which could really play a huge part in the succession of the game. So what I have learned from this article is to really put thought and time into each element of my game, no mater how big or small.

http://www.gamasutra.com/view/feature/218696/the_blue_shell_and_its_discontents.php

Feedback Thoughts

The first article I read about feedback was called 'Silence the Critical Voices in your Head' I really enjoyed this article as it made me think what way I take feedback and do I focus more on the positive or the negative. This article was about a man called Rajeev, 'an executive vice president in charge of a billion-dollar business within a high-tech company', and he had the mind set where he could only focus on any negative feedback he was given and couldn't realise that he was given much more positive than negative. 
This article thought me that it is better to focus on positive feedback and really take advantage of your strengths, rather to than to dwell on any negative feedback you were given. I think that article is a real eye opener and it makes you think.
https://hbr.org/2016/12/silence-the-critical-voices-in-your-head

I then read an article called 'Why rejection hurts so much' this article was very interesting as it explained why rejection hurts us so much, and it goes back to the times of hunter gathers, it is engraved in our brains to feel hurt by rejection and scientists have also done tests which shows that 'the same areas of our brain become active when we experience rejection as when we experience physical pain'. This article also talks about how the greatest damage rejection causes is usually self inflected, as we instantly put ourselves down when faced with rejection instead of just moving on and learning from it.
https://ideas.ted.com/why-rejection-hurts-so-much-and-what-to-do-about-it/

I really enjoyed this task as it has made me think about feedback and rejections in a more positive way than I every thought I could have, so I am glad I done this task and have opened up my mindset.

Positive Thoughts

Game Brainstorm

My first game idea is based of the game ‘Wii Sports’ for the Nintendo Wii. This is a game that I used to really enjoy when I was younger as it was very diverse, and you had the choice to pay which ever sport you were feeling on that particular day. So, my idea was to create a little virtual reality world which resembled an arcade or a sports center, in which you could walk around and decide which game or sport you would like to play. By creating a game like this you are not confined to one audience, as you have a variety of mini games to choose from. Within each of these mini games I would like to have some sort of scoring system, so you could compete against friends in the different games and there would be high score holders. I am not sure if this game idea is realistic for this project as I am not sure if it will be possible to enter different games within a game, but it is definitely something that I would be interested in looking into and seeing if it is possible for me to create. I would start of the process of making this game by making the little world in Unity and make each mini game from there. 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3-ztHNFHXTY

My second game idea is based on Super Mario Bros. This is a game that has been around since 1985. It is a game that everyone is familiar with and I would be surprised if someone told me that they didn’t play Super Mario when they were growing up. The aim of this game is that Mario and Luigi have to get through many levels and challenges in order to save Princess Peach from the villain Bowser. This game consists of different worlds which contain different sub-levels. So, I would like to create my own characters and my own world with the same concept of the Super Mario series. Each level would start of easier than they would get more difficult the further you progressed. I would create the game so they player starts off with four or five lives, losing a life each time they are defeated, then when all lives are gone they would have to start from the start again. The characters would be faced with many different challenges, including different villains and for the chance to fall of the world, resulting in losing a life. I would also include ‘power-ups’ in this game as it would allow the character to grow stronger and faster, giving them better opportunities to get further in each level and one step closer to completing the game. After each level I might add the feature that there will be a ranking of how well you completed each level, this may be represented by 1-3 stars, this feature may encourage people to go back and play a level again, so they can get the highest number of stars possible. This is a game that I would be very interested in trying to create as it is a game that I have always enjoyed, and it would be fun to put my own spin on it.

https://supermarioemulator.com

My third game idea is a game that I used to play when I was younger. The concept of the game I used to play was very simple yet effective. The aim of the game was to get a frog safely across a very busy road. There were many obstacles in the way of the frog, including cars, buses, trains and even trying to cross rivers by jumping on tree logs. I cannot find the exact version I used to play as I cannot remember the name of the game or find it online. However, I have found many other versions and concepts of the same game idea. The most modern version I have found of a game that has the same concept is called ‘Crossy Road’, in this game you start of as being a chicken animal and you have to try get the chicken across the road. When playing this game on a PC or laptop you would use the arrow keys on the keyboard to move the animal from side to side or forward or back, in the hopes to get by all of the obstacles in your way. In my version of this game I would start the animal off as a being a frog, as that is what I remember from when I was a child, however I would like to include the choice of your character being another animal, which you could unlock as a reward for doing well in the game and getting your animal so far. I feel like this game would be a good one to try and create as it is quite simple and the level is the same every time, but it is a game concept that is very addictive and makes the player want to play it over and over again in the hopes to get further and that they make be able to unlock a new animal to use as their character. This is a game that I could see myself being able to create and enjoying the process also.

https://poki.com/en/g/crossy-road?gclid=Cj0KCQjw3ebdBRC1ARIsAD8U0V6Nr-ZXVTfCqyXJocqDaEVnvrirlsOSi6AUk9wQEDV5KoBrX4Q1I5QaAtwrEALw_wcB

For my forth game idea, I hope to create my own open world roaming/ role play game. My hopes for this game are for the player to create their own character, which will then be placed in a world that I have created. This character will be free to roam around this world freely discovering new places and new things to do. There will be chances in this game for the player to build up the strengths of their character by completing relevant tasks. I would also like to hide different gems around in this world, which the player can find in unfamiliar places, the player can build up their gem count for in game purchase, which could include features that will improve their character, they would purchase weapons which would make it easier for the player to complete tasks or make it further into unknown places within the world. With these gems they could also build up the town they live in, improve on the buildings in the town and even build more buildings. The world could be interchangeable with the player being able to add more buildings in certain areas. For this game I hope that the player would feel like they have entered a different world and lose themselves in playing a character and trying to make their character better. I feel like this may be the game that I am most intrigued in, as it is very adaptable, and you could just create a whole new world which I feel would be very fun. The game that comes to mind for me when I think of this idea is the ‘The Legend of Zelda’, so my game might be somewhat similar to that game.

https://www.zelda.com

Unity Tutorial 01

Today was the first time I had ever even heard about Unity, so I was a complete beginner to the program. I first started by watching the three tutorials in full. When I first heard that we were going to make a game I didn't imagine the process to be quite like that. As I watched the tutorials I was fascinated by how much you can adjust everyone to your own preference and completely create your own little world.

Once I finished watching the tutorials I downloaded Unity and I was excited to follow them and try it out fro myself. As I started to make my own I found it more difficult than I thought I would have by watching the tutorials, I had to keep going back and fourth between the tutorials and Unity. What I did really like about Unity is that it is very adaptable and you can change everything around to suit your own preference. Once I started to edit and build up my own terrain I found it very fun experimenting with all the different materials and making it the way I wanted. However, I do feel like it will take me some time to get familiar with the software and to use Unity independently with having to reference to tutorials. It is great that there are so many different functions within Unity, but it also makes that it will be harder to get around and remember all the functions within it. Although once you can actually walk around in your own little world that you have created it is very fun and I am really excited to learn more in Unity and to eventually create my own game.

I also really liked the tutorials that we are using as they are really informative and easy to follow.

Learning about Game Design

The first piece of work that I read was called 'The Essence of Euro-style Games' by Lewis Pulsipher, (http://www.thegamesjournal.com/articles/Essence.shtml). When I first read the title, I thought this was going to be about games in which you win money, but very soon into it I realised I was wrong. So, as I'm not very knowledgeable in the world of gaming, even when I was a bit into this reading I was still thinking in the back of my head 'what is a euro game and what is he talking about? 'So, I had to do some research to find out what exactly a 'euro game' was. When I found out that it was a German-style board game I was more intrigued to read on as I have probably played one before. As I read on I got some insight into the in's and outs of what really makes a euro game. What really made me think after reading this was how much thought actually goes behind what seems to be a simple game, with elements that you wouldn't have thought of and just took for granted. With euro games being games of somewhat simplicity, it gets you thinking about how much thought process and planning must go into the high-end video games today.

Euro Game 

 The second piece of work that I decided to read was 'So You're Going To Make A Game For The Very First Time?', which was also written by Lewis Pulsipher, and I am glad that I read it. As I am just at the start of my Multimedia module, I am very much a beginner when it comes to the world of gaming. As part of this module we were told that the final piece of work will be for us to create our very own game, and when of course you hear that your mind starts to go crazy and you instantly try to think of new creative game ideas that have never been seen before. (CREDIT: Getty Images)
 But after reading this piece I was given a reality check, and pulled me back down to earth. I learned many things from this reading. Although it is great and wonderful to be creative and have new ideas, there are many factors you must consider before making a game. Before you start anything, you must have some sort of skills in actually developing a game. You are going to have to really develop your programming skills. After this you can begin to consider what kind of game you are going to have and how it will function. from this I have learned that it isn't such a bad thing to take inspiration from other games, and that 'the best way to start out is to make a variation of an existing game', as that way you know that it is achievable, and you can put your own spin on it further down the line. Even after you get through the process of completing you game, most of the work is still ahead, one thing you must do is test the game in with loads of different people and this may be a challenge. I leaned what the most important process of game making is and that is 'laytesting, evaluating the results, modifying the game to improve it in light of the results, playtesting again, and going through the whole cycle again and again and again'. I am very grateful that I read this piece as I feel I have learned a great deal and it has made me very excited about making my first game!



 For my third piece of reading I took part in an interactive video called 'Understanding Games: Episode 1' by pixelate, ( http://www.kongregate.com/games/pixelate/understanding-games-episode-1), which I really enjoyed. I thought the interactive video was a great idea and it keeps your viewer focused on what is going on in the video. This video also thought me a lot about gaming and the thought that goes behind what seems like a simple game. One thing I really learnt is that you must make rules very clear, for instance in this video it was said that when Bob hit the ball behind the paddle he scored, it was not made clear to Bob that rules apply for both players and he can only score when the ball goes behind his opponents paddle and not his own. When creating a game that a person is playing with an online source, if the online source is only programmed to win, the player will get very sick of losing and will not continue to play. Therefor the game must be programmed more fairly, that the player can both win and lose. I really enjoyed this interactive video and I think it is an effective way of learning.

Online pong Game