XBLA games

The xbox live arcade games are a good place for me to research as they are close to the ps minis that will be designing but are a bit more advanced.

Super meat boy

·         Platformer

·         Similar to super Mario brothers and ghost n goblins

·         Spoof of super Mario

·         Hard

·         Short levels

·         Different characters with different gameplay abilities

·         Original game was found on new grounds called meat boy

Super meat boy is successful 2D platform game that was released on steam and XBLA. Originally the idea behind Super Meat Boy came from a game found on new grounds called meat boy. The game has very simple controls that more or less anyone can pick up and play but because of the specific way that the levels are made the game is very difficult. This is good idea i might take into consideration to help make my game more addictive, the hardness keeps players playing but the controls allow even casual gamers to pick up and play the game widening the audience.

Shadow complex

·         Similar to super metriod

·         Collectables for re-play ability

·         2.5D

·         Platformer adventure

·         Challenge levels with leader boards

Shadow complex is one of the top selling XBLA games. The game is platformer were the player progresses through a complex, it plays similar to games such as super metroid adding familiarity to some players of retro games. The collectibles that can be found throughout the game offer the players replay ability to keep ham playing the game through more than once, adding to this there is extra challenge levels with leader boards that track the score against friends all this making the game more addictive without changing the game play. This is a good idea as it brings players back wanting more.

Articles and reading list

Articles

I found this short list of articles which may be helpful to consider while working through my project

http://www.pspminis.com/forums/topic/which-genres-would-you-like-to-see-covered-on-minis

http://psp.about.com/od/games/tp/6-Great-Ps-Minis-Games.htm

http://www.pspminis.com/

http://www.newandimproved.com/newsletter/1075.php

http://www.develop-online.net/features/956/10-ways-to-generate-great-ideas

Reading list of books

I aim to at least read some of these books during this project

·         Rules of play

·         Laws of simplicity

·         Art of games design

·         A theory of fun for games design

·         The writers journey

·         Fun Inc.

·         The design of everyday things

Films

Certain films have aspects that can easily be taken and used for inspiration in a game and some even take inspiration from games.

Real steel

·         Robot boxing

·         Gambling

·         Underdog kind of story

·         Futuristic sport

·         Terminals used to control robots

The robot boxing that is seen in real steel could make for some interesting mechanics in the games. As I researched into real steel i found that there is actually a game based off this potion of the film that is available over Xbox live arcade. This is a interesting way to create game play but I don't think basing the entire game off this is as good as some the games that are just inspired by films and books such as Alan Wake.

Gamer

·         play as real person

·         one life shooter called slayers

·         sims style realality game controlling real people

·         control of people for subscription

·         real life convicts used instead of death sentace play in slayers

·         chip used to control people 

Gamer is based around a fps that uses real people called slayers. The way it work is the player pays to control one character and they get one life and have to survive each game to carry on using the person. Even though this is from a fictional film this could be an interesting way of charging for the game as they pretty much are paying per play similar to in the old arcade machines that used credits t/o progress through the game. As i am creating a mini this way of payment will probably not be appropriate but could be a useful way to make a game addictive.

Books

I decided look at books that vary from scrap books to short story books.

The mighty book of boosh

·         Scrap book feel

·         Short stories through a scrap book style

·         Used to add depth to the TV show

·         Making of the boosh tv show parts

The mighty book of boosh is a spin of book of the mighty boosh TV series. The unique art style that's found in this scrap book kind of book would be very unique in a game that may stand out from the crowd. This be especially fitting in a PS mini as the more unique ones such as monsters probably stole my princess sell well. This book is added to add depth to the mighty boosh TV show, it could be interesting to add a little extra not to the extent of a full book but something similar to add depth into my game really immerse the player.

The melancholy death of oyster boy and other stories

·         Short poems and stories

·         Strange characters

·         Stories explain characters

·         Tim burtons usual creepy style

This book of short stories will be helpful with this project as I wanted to use little narrative after research games such as monsters probably stole my princess and super meat boy that have been very successful and are good examples of games that work well with only using small narrative. the quirkiness is also a good point as these stories are strange and stand out compared to stories that all end "happily ever after" as they kind of don't even have a end to them which could be help to make each start back at the beginning as though nothing has happened.

Tv shows

Tv shows

I decided to look at tv shows that have stories as most mini’s don’t use much narrative.

The mighty boosh

·         Short quirky stories

·         Comical

·         Weird and interesting characters

·         Adult based

·         Random

·         2 main characters with recurring and single appearance characters

The Mighty Boosh is structured in certain way no matter what the episode. This would good to use in a similarly that every level of my game is structured for example it could end in the same way for start in the same way to allow a strong structure. The quirkiness of the mighty boosh is good for inspiration as a comedy mini would stand out strongly on the psn store and would easily incorporate simple controls.

      Noel Feildings luxary comedy

·         Showcase of art and comedy

·         Very short stories

·         Strange characters

·         Random

The Structure of this is show is simular to the boosh but rather than full episodes its more like sketches showing different characters and artwork. some of these random characters have good little narratives that could easily influence game narratives and even in some cases mechanics, also the art style, like the boosh, could create some interesting levels and character design.

The IT crowd

·         Episode long short stories

·         3 main with extra reoccurring characters

·         Comedy

·         Pc related

·         Work place

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The It crowd uses a simular structure to the mighty boosh which would be interesting to use in a playstation mini were level ends were a new story in the same setting can begin almost like nothing has ever happened. Also adding an environment people can relate too in my game could be good idea.

Art Styles

To look into different graphic art styles to help come with idea’s later and decide on the general look and feel of my game.

Meka

·         Uses vector graphics

·         Bold and bright colours

·         Strange yet simple characters

·         Simple shapes

·         Block colour

·         Clothing

·         Characters and logo designs

 

Losfokos

·         vector artist

·         bold bright colours

·         blend well together to create detail

·         sometimes combines photo images with vector graphics

 Benjamin Güdel

·         Detailed vector artwork

·         Bold colours

·         Solid line art

·         Realistic

·         Some pieces use a limited colour scheme

·         Comic style

Westykid

·         Vector images

·         Paintings

·         Simple characters

·         Stylised

·         Some use bold colours others use faded

The vector art style is good to use in my playstation mini as the simplicity allows for more detail and a interesting 2D look which from my previous research is more popular than the 3D mini's, also the 2D feel allows for simple gameplay to coincide with this. The bold and graphic look of vector artwork fits this perfect and will work well with a simple game that players will want to keep coming back to again and again.

time plan

·         Vita system ·         Minis and vita games	16th January
·         Social games ·         IPhone and android	23rd January
·         Art styles ·         Articles, Books, Films ·         Upload to Blog	30th January
·         Analysis of research	6th January
·         Flow charts ·         Mind maps	13th February
·         Mood Boards	20th February
·         Mechanics ·         Interactivity designs	27th February
·         Level designs	5th March
·         Narrative designs	12th March
·         Character Designs	19th March
·         Design document ·         Compose document	16th April

Iphone and android games

I decided to look into various iPhone and android games that use the touch mechanics to their advantage.

Doodle jump

·         Tilt the device to move

·         Different coloured platforms to jump on which do different things withier they hinder or help the player

·         Touch the screen to shoot in the direction faceing

·         Male and female audience

·         Casual pick up and play style game

Doodle jump uses very simple mechanics to create challenging gameplay but the logistical aspects of the game are what make people keep playing, such as the scoring system as players will want to beat there friends and improve on there own scores. The simple controls allow for a wider audience as it makes the game easier to pick up and play. Using an art style that is simple also makes the game appeal to a wider audience as male and female players both like this art style.

Dead space for android

·         Swipe to avoid/melee enemies

·         Aim by moving your finger across the screen

·         Shoot by tapping the screen

·         Reload by pressing your gun

·         Use the on screen anolog stick the move

·         Press back to use stasis to freeze your enemies

·         Mainly a male audience

·         For fans of the dead space series

·         Story focused game

For less of a casual audience

This is a tie in game to the popular console series "Dead Space". The game uses the touch screen to its advantage allowing the player to use all the action with gesture and touches. This all integrated really well with no HUD but just the in game view  which is a good idea for the touch screen. The game is very story based which is good but loses a major audience as it is really aimed at fans of the series and hardcore gamers.

Splinter cell conviction

·         Onscreen buutons to shoot and take cover

·         Drag across the screen to aim

·         On screen anolog stick to move

·         Swap weapons with the indicator in the top right of the screen

·         Mainly a male audience

·         Story focused game

·         For less of a casual audience

This is a IOS version of the splinter cell conviction game for Xbox and PC but it uses the touch mechanics that android and iPhone are capable of. some the mechanics are good such as the cover where you tap the cover and character moves but the aiming is hard to pull off at the same time as the movement of the joy stick. This leads to less fluid gameplay and remove most of the immersion. The game is based for fans of splinter cell that couldn't get a hold of the actually conviction game. This is a bad and broken game as the gameplay feels clunky and on top of that the audience is minimal as it only appeals to fans and mostly a male audience.

Social games

I decided to look at games for Facebook and other social games, seeing as the PS Vita has internet access through 3G and Wi-Fi I could incorporate some kind of social interaction within my PlayStation mini.

Pocket God (Facebook version)

·         Customize tribe

·         View friends island/tribe

·         See friends level and social interactions

·         Send gifts to friends also playing

·         Kill the tribe in various ways by clicking various things and performing certain actions such as drag and flick

·         Male and Female audience

·         Help your tribe by giving them food and other various ways

·         Xp system is used to level up, when you level up you earn the ability to more ways and interaction to kill your tribe

Pocket god for Facebook uses simple click and gesture mechanics with the mouse to kill your tribe. This is unique in social gaming as they usual just point and click so this has a bit of variation. The game is based off a IOS game of the same name. It also use logistical gameplay by gaining XP to level and gain new powers to use against or for your tribe. Theres also a more and energy system where you can buy items within in game or real money that either give you energy or customize your island and tribe, this is a good way of making money in social games that are free to play.The bright colours and art style helps to make the game appeal to a mixed genre audience.

Dexter a slice of life

·         Based on the newest series of Dexter

·         Interact with crimes and solve case in a way similar to a story mode

·         Hunt and kill your friends and other players using dark passenger mode

·         Directed at fans of the series mainly

·         Various locations to travel between

·         Own liar that you can customize and share with friends, you can also vist your friends liar

·         Use of blood slides to buy in game items

·         Mask used to perform actions, when mask is gone you can’t perform any more actions for a certain amount of time

·         Mostly male audience

This is a fairly new social game on facebook that was designed to tie in to the latest series of dexter in america. The game works as a point and click adventure and has 2 modes that the player can change to hunt other people. This is a great way to add social elements into a game as it allows you to meet other people with a interest in the same show. The game is designed mainly for fans but not entirely, however this still narrows the audience a bit as it uses familiar locations and characters that fans recognize but not other people. The art style looks similar to the Sims but more realistic.

Farmville

·         Grow and harvest crops within your farm by planting seed and tending to the ground

·         Visit other friends farms and help them with certain tasks

·         Level up by harvesting items within your farm

·         Earn money by harvesting

·         Male and female audience

·         Leave signs for friends in their farms

·         Customize your farm using in game cash and credits bought with real money

Farmville uses logistical gameplay to its advantage create highly addictive gameplay that makes you want to play more by narrowing your use of the game for a certain amount of time. This is a good idea as it makes the player want to play again to carry on their progress and brings them back again, however this would only work in a social game not playstation mini. The game uses real money to be able to buy unique items which as with pocket god is a good way to make money in a free to play game as these aren't necessary but can be bought of the players free will

PS Vita System

The PS Vita system is released on the 22^nd February in the UK. I decided a good starting point for this brief to look at the systems features in more depth to understand what the platform is exactly.

·         D-pad, 2 Anolog sticks, face buttons all similar to the PS3 controller

·          Quad core processer and another additional processer

·         Built in GPS

·         Wi-fi, 3G and blu tooth

·         2 camera’s that are used for face detection, head detection, and head tracking. It also allows for customization and personalization

·         The PlayStation Vita will have 512 MB of system RAM and 128 MB of VRAM that are used for cross-game chat.

·         5-inch (130 mm) OLED capacitive touchscreen in the center of the device

·         Touch pad at the back of the device 

·         The games being released seem to use graphics similar to the graphics found on the next gen systems such as xbox360 and PS3

·         Minis which are mini games that are developed many by 3^rd party companies and indie developers usual lasting across a few levels.

·         PlayStation classic games imported from PS1 over the PlayStation store

·         Social Apps such as Facebook and twitter