Monday, 16 April 2012

annalysis of project

If i was to go back and re-do anything within this project i would most definitely go back and add more illustrations to my documentation so that it is more visual pleasing than just text heavy, and i would also include different information within my concept document mechanics such as going into detail about the controls that are in my development document and narrowing down the xp system to fit this in.

concept document

the following images are the jpegs that are within my concept document along with illustrations









Concept document cover and page layout conecpts

I started createing variants of the cover for my document as well as variants for the page layout


risk assessment


I have composed a short list of risks that could hinder my game throughout the development process. These risks can be all checked using different methods including prototyping and surveys on a specific audience. These need to be addressed as soon as possible in the design progress and due to time periods they need to quickly dealt with, seeing as there is a deadline for a game they would need be as little loops as possible in the design process so that the final product is successful as possible.
1.       The game may not be fun to play, this can easily be tested using a simple paper prototype of part of game. This allows us to see if there is any game play that is not fun in short amount of time.
2.       The game may not be appropriate for its target audience. This can be tested by asked people within the target audience a few questions about their views on your game and if they like the concept behind it. Also showing them some concept art visuals will help them get a better idea of your game without giving to much away.
3.       The replay ability within my game could get repetitive. This can be tested using a prototype and playing through it in different ways to test if the game gets repetitive.
4.       The controls may be hard to use. This again can be tested using a prototype.

Items and collectables


There is a range of various items that found within the game, some of which are essential and some which aren’t. These are all used In different ways from one another and can mainly be bought using XP the player has earned while playing the game. This is too make the player feel like that they be rewarded for just playing the game and having fun however the player can go one step further and gain extra XP as described in the XP system part of the document.
Tears of nightmares
·         These are essential for the player to progress through the game as these are essential the levels they play.
·         These can be purchased using increasing amounts of XP from one of the stalls in the HUB world
·         The player goes to the fountain to activate and then is taken to the level they are using.
Costumes
·         There are a wide range of costumes based around the enemies within the game
·         If the player equips a certain costume there special ability will change however they will still use the simple controls that they have be using so far to keep it
·         These change the appearance of Nyx as well the attacks he uses
House Items
·         These can be purchased, using XP earned, from a stall in the HUB world
·         These items are equipped in the players home
·         They decorate the players personal space which they can share their trophies with their friends
Collectables
Each level with have a different amount of hidden collectables. The idea is that this collectables will be hidden in hard to reach areas and even sometimes in extra levels of the game that are found through exploration of the 2D world. These are comedy levels that have nothing to do with the narrative but offer the player a chance to earn more XP and find an extra collectable.
The collectables themselves give the player some additional XP for finding them that can be spent in the HUB world on items, each collectable gives the player 50 additional XP.
When the player looks through each collectable individually there will be a voice over describing the back story and properties of the collectable.

controls


The controls for the game are all using very simple touch screen controls such as tap, swipe and circle. This is easy for any play to pick up and allows the player to pick up and play the game where ever they are. The attacks and movement these controls represent are used to immerse the player more into the game as these will easy become instant reacts to the player.

The player does a simple attack to the enemy’s by swiping across the screen in the direction of the enemy. This takes off a portion of the enemy’s health. The larger the enemy and the more attack it will take to defeat the enemy.

When the health of an enemy has decreased to a certain point the player has the choice to turn them into minion of Erebus. This is however a little more time consuming but as a reward offer the player more XP, if the player is surrounded by enemies they may need to use other tactics as not to die. To turn someone the player taps on the enemy when there health is low enough.

Each costume that the player unlocks has a unique special ability for example if the player unlocks the cowboy costume they will have the ability to use Nyx’s intestine as a lasso to pull the enemy closer. This allows for a little more variety in gameplay while still keeping the simple mechanic of circling around the enemy.

To move the character the player drags their finger in the direction they would like to move across the rear touch pad. Having all of the movement on the rear touch pad and the combat on the front touch screen helps separate the two control types making it easier for the player.

The player may also jump by tapping the rear touch pad on the console.






XP system


The player uses XP earned in various ways to purchase items, levels/areas and costumes that the player can use to change their appearance and special attack. Each of these cost different amounts of XP and can be purchased in the HUB world.
How the player earns XP
The player earns XP through various ways as they play the game, each of the ways of collecting XP offer different amounts due to the difficulty of the tasks. The amounts are as fellows with their actions:
·         Defeat enemy– 10XP
·         Turn enemy– 30XP
·         Finding a collectable– 50XP
·         Defeating a Boss– 70XP
Costs
The levels, costumes and items for the players space all cost different amount of XP depending on the importance of the purchase, for example levels cost the least as they are the most important but to give the player more of a challenge they increase in price meaning they have to try harder to unlock the later levels and try to turn more enemies than defeat them. The costumes and items for the player’s space cost more than the levels as these are non-essential but offer a reward for players that have gone the extra mile and also make the player want to play better or even again to change gameplay or show off to their friends.
Characters
·         Enemy costumes –500XP
·         Boss costumes – 750XP
Items for players space
·         Small item – 200XP
·         Medium Item – 400XP
·         Large Item – 600XP
·         Decorations – 600XP
Levels
·         The prices of the levels increase in amounts of 50XP. The first level is free then the second level costs 100XP, the increases start here. The player must have completed the previous level before the next is available for purchase.