Playtest report.

Based on playtester feedback, 10 changes need to be made to the game for the next build.

Change #1- Make the movement of the character not so slippery.

This was something that I didn't notice until people playtested the game. Players reported that the character slides forward a bit after moving, which threw them off. This is needs to be tightened up.

Change #2- Allow the player to put torches away.

Playtesters reported that they would like to be able to put away a torch in order to conserve resources. This needs to be done so the player has more control over their resources, and will also allow them to use the flint whenever they want.

Change #3- Make a HUD for the game.

A lack of a HUD confused players as they didn't know how many torches they had, and it also made learning the controls and objectives much more difficult.

Change #4- Change the sprint function, or remove it entirely.

Playtesters felt that they were just holding the sprint button down the whole time, which made it seem like just an extra button. Either the base movement speed needs to be the sprint speed, or there needs to be a stamina bar.

Change #5- Add a limiter on the flint.

Playtesters would simply spam the flint button as it had no cooldown, and made it too easy. They would just press the button really fast, making the torches useless. A limit needs to be placed on when the player can use the flint.

Change #6- Make falling traps more noticeable.

Playtesters often didn't realize that falling traps killed them. The trap would come down too fast, and the players often didn't notice the pressure plates. The traps need to be changed to be more noticeable.

Change #7- Make the game less “platform-ey.”

Playtesters reported that the game felt too much like an old school platformer, and less like a horror game. The level needs to be changed so that less platforming is required, and the emphasis needs to placed on the scary moments.

Change #8- Make a clear goal.

Right now, the game does not have a clear goal for the player. A reason for playing the game needs to put in. As it is, players felt they were just walking around randomly.

Change #9- A tutorial needs to be put in place.

Playtesters complained that they didn't know what to do, and were unaware of the torch system. Some sort of quick tutorial needs to be set up in order to acquaint players with the controls and mechanics.

Change #10- Fix respawns and add checkpoints.

Playtesters were often frustrated when they died far into the level and then had to start all over from the beginning. A checkpoint system needs to be put in place to prevent this. The player would also sometimes spawn in a different spot then where the spawnpoint was placed. This bug needs to be fixed.

Blog Post Update 3

I did lots of coding this last week. I made a ton of progress on core mechanic coding and even organization of our code. Its been an interesting experience working with another programmer on a game so Its been a good practice in keeping your code clean and readable. Go learning programming style. I've also learned a lot about JavaScript and C# programming. They are super similar, so yeah.

Blog Post for 1/31/12

This past week I finalized the sprites design. I got the main sprites down such as walking, running, and standing. I am currently working on the jumping sprites and I will start to work on other character sprites. If there's any sprites that you believe should be prioritized feel free to let me know.

Blog Post 1/31/12

This past week I edited a majority of the design document to contain most of what we are trying to do with the game, and I also worked on animating the traps and incorporating them into the game. This week I plan on changing the level to be closer to what the final level will look like, and hopefully having the traps fully ingrained into the level.

Post 3

This week I looked online for creature references and found one that was rigged. After talking with the group I decided that I am going to use this model and animate it. I will be looking at videos online from video games to movies etc that have a creepy character and study how they move to try and get a good sense how I want my creature to move.

Blog Post 3

What I did this week was I made the traps/hazards. We have spikes, a wall with arrows in it, and a log (with spikes) that is supposed to move back and forth in motion. I also made a axe/guillotine kind of trap. It is also supposed to be in motion.  The textures haven't been chose yet, but stuff like that isn't our priority.

Update Post 2

This last week I finished working on getting our sprite character system into the game. It took a while, but its working now. I am planning on getting animations for the sprite working next and synced with the actions that they are doing.

Blog Post Update

so this week I was working on making the character sprites, they still need work and revising. For this week I hope to have the sprites finished and help out with the first level design which should be complete for our playtest.

Blog Post 2 1/23/2012

This week I was playing around with Maya. I have a decent amount of experience. I'm taking ANI 230 right now so that will help making the models I need to make. I've been looking up what kind of traps that could be in the game and making sure it sticks with the theme of the game.

Blog Post 1/23/12

Last week we got most of the prototype done using the tutorial 2D game for Unity. This week I am going to work on the level design and help with making the models for the environment.

Block Post 2

This week I was playing around with maya to start modeling the enemy. I got a good idea on what it's going to look like. As for now though I'm just getting a rough model done for the prototype.

Blog Post 1/23/12

I worked on making the light effect for the prototype. I was working on the script where the light would change radius and range when buttons were pressed for the prototype. I plan on start working on the script for picking up items and begin creating the level.

Blog Post 1

After meeting with the group in and out of class the two past two weeks I feel we're on a really good track to make our game successful. We pitched our game and gave a rough idea to the class about what we wanted our game to be like. Our last meeting we got down to assigning tasks for each group member to help us get to the next step. This week I will be doing a 3d model of an enemy for the game.

Blog Post 1/17/12

We came up with the basic ideas of what we want our game to be last week. We meet as a group and continued to create game ideas. We worked on the powerpoint for our pitch. Next week we want to start creating our prototype and getting our schedule set up. I worked on helping come up with game ideas. I helped expand on our original idea of a light based game concenring the level, and enviorment. Next week I want to start working on the prototype.

Blog Post 1/17/12

Besides getting the basic idea for the game done, I didn't really get a lot of work done this past week. However, for this week I will get the core look for the character down and I will begin working on the player sprites.

Update: 1/17/12

Last week, we came up with the idea for Labarynthia and presented it to the class.

Our meeting this week was helpful. We have begun work on our Game Design Document, We are in the middle of having a prototype done for the game. We need to get the camera zoom mechanic in, but we have all the ambient light off and have the light on the player done. Sort of. We need to implement the sprite based character to get that retro hipster feel to the game that we are apparently going towards.Getting that done will also help with the light since right done attaching it to the lertz makes the light weird. But yeah we have a lot of work ahead of us. But we will prevail!!!!!!?

yep.

Blog Post 1/17/12

Last week we came up with the finalized concept of the game. We conceptualized the story, main character, main gameplay hook, etc. and presented the pitch to the class. We will begin working on the design document and the schedule for our project this week.

Blog Post #1 Gian Carlo Beltran

We made our game idea of the week and we had to pitch our idea for the week. I started looking at Unity and the video turorials to get comfortable with it. Sound is important for our game, but the actual game mechanics come first so we can concentrate on our prototype so that we can present it. I'll be looking at traps so they can be implemented into the game.

Actual Game Idea

1. Possible Game Titles: Labyrinthia
2. Plane based 2.5D Platformer Puzzle Game Survival/Horror
3. Similar Games:Metroid, Zelda, Alan Wake, Dead Space, Amnesia
4. Narrative: Game Pitch # 2 setting.
5. Main Character:
6. Unique Hook: Light based game. The player has limited resources and light in order to get through. Enemies and puzzles. Mayan Space Ruins.
7. n/a
8. Target Demographic: Survival

Game Pitch # 7

1. Possible Game Titles:
2. Genre: 2d/2.5d Action Platformer fighting game
3. Similar Games: Fortune Summoner/
4. Narrative: Your in a dungeon, you kill things, with combos.
5. Main Character: Awesome guy.
6. Unique Hook: you can combo and it is not mindless mashing. OMG
7. n/a
8. Target Demographic: action platformer fans and fighting game.

Game Pitch # 6

1. Possible Game Titles: still pending

2. Genre: side-scroller Stealth-puzzle/platformer

3. Similar Games:

4. Narrative: player needs to make it through the level without being spotted, but also need to solve puzzles in order to advance to the next stage. I haven't come up with a character name or story yet.

6. Unique hook: player needs to do a perfect run of the level or else they must restart the beginning of the level.

7. Picture: n/a

8. Target demographic: people who enjoy stealth games

Game Pitch # 5

Possible game title : Something to do with time
Genre : Platform/Puzzle
Similar games : Braid
Narrative : Main character get's a watch from his great Granpa that has a unique power to mess with time. He uses this watch to save himself from being captured by the enemies that are after the watch.
Main character : Billy is very quiet and loves puzzles. He wants to be an architech when he is older.
Unique hook : Like Braid, each level would have a different "time" problem.
Picture : N/A
Target demographic : Puzzle and platformer fans

Game Pitch #4

1. Possible Game Titles: Still Thinking.
2. 2D/3D Action/Platformer 3rd Person or 1st Person
3. Similar Games: PSI Ops The Mindgate Conspiracy
4. Narrative: An espionage agent has been ordered to spy on a suspicous company and discovers human experiments involoving the human brain. Sickened with the experiments he gets caught and is also experimented on. He breaks free months later and uses his new psychic abilities to take down who did this to him.
5. Main Character: [Insert Name Here] is a professional agent. He has served in the army and has excellent results. He's the type of soldier you'd want on your side and not on the other side.
6. Unique Hook: The abilities to wield both guns and psychic abilities to crush your enemies and advance through the levels is the hook I guess.
7. n/a
8. Target Demographic: Shooter/Action fans would like this.

I'm not sure if there are many games like this, but I remembered playing a game similar to this on the PS2 and Xbox. This is just a generic idea that could be expanded upon.

Game Pitch #3

1. Possible Game Titles:

2. Genre: 2D/3D Action/Platformer 3rd Person

3. Similar Games: StarFox64(tank part) MassEffect 1(Tank)

4. Narrative: A explorer is sent to investigate an ancient ruin. There is the ruins of a civilization on a recently discovered planet.

5. Main character: Duke is a veteran marine serving in the Earth marine core. He has a troubled record and has been religated to menial tasks to avoid trouble, This is another simple task he is given instead of sent to the front lines.

6. Unique hook: The player controls a tank in the platformer instead of a person. The tank jumps be using 4 jump boosters below it and are controlled by different keys. The platformer would also have areas that require manuvering with the jump jets. It would end with a epic boss fight. The tank shoots to kill its enemies.

7. Picture: n/a

8. Target demographic: , platformer fans. Action Game fans, Shooters

Game Pitch #2

1. Possible Game Titles: Labyrinthia, Depths of the World, Collapse

2. Genre: Puzzle/Platformer/Adventure

3. Similar Games: Legend of Zelda, Metroid

4. Narrative: An adventurer discovers an ancient ruin while mountain-climbing and gets trapped inside when a rock slide seals the entrance. He must find a way out before the entire ruins collapse.

5. Main character: Liam is an adventurer who travels around the world to explore the wilderness and climb mountains.

6. Unique hook: The player must solve various puzzles in a maze-like area to find a way out. The player has a certain amount of time to escape, but can save time by discovering shortcuts or by finding ways to help stabilize the collapsing ruins.

7. Picture: n/a

8. Target demographic: Puzzle fans, platformer fans.

I also had another idea to do a mech game in a similar vein as Mechwarrior, but I haven't fully fleshed it out yet.

Game Pitch #1

1. Possible Game Titles: Destiny TD, Joe the Destroyer, SPESS MAREEN TD

2. Genre: Top-down shooter/Tower defense

3. Similar Games: Bloons, Dungeon Defenders

4. Narrative: A space marine crash lands on an alien planet and is the only survivor. He must make use of whatever resources he can find along with whatever supplies are left from his ship to protect himself against an alien horde until evac arrives.

5. Main Character: Joe the Destroyer is a battle-hardened space marine who doesn't afraid of anything. He cracks one-liners to relieve the tension of mowing down aliens.

6. Unique Hook: The player must salvage what he can from the crashed ship and turn the materials into weapons by crafting them in between rounds. Enemies drop random loot used for crafting.

7. Picture: n/a

8. Target demographic: Arcade shooter fans, TD fans.