Week 2
— GDS212 —
Embedded Files
Solo Pitch
Solo Pitch
— TU —
Elevator Pitch Slides
Elevator Pitch Slides
Saltwater Explorer
This is my elevator pitch slides for my game idea, Saltwater Explorer. The game in a nutshell: "Swim your way through underwater caves filled with traps, dodging hungry marine life and solving puzzles in search for Captain Willy’s mythical treasure."
This game idea takes inspiration from games like New Super Mario Bros. Wii (2009), more specifically its underwater levels; and Subnautica (2014); as well as movies like The Goonies (1985), where the narrative of finding a treasure in a shipwreck deep within water caves full of danger is inspired from.
This idea was brought to me after me and my support worker went out to Point Peron for a snorkel around the rocks. The rocks were sharp, they did not feel good to touch (author's note: try not to panic when you see a crab and you're around sharp rocks, it's not a pleasant experience), but the idea came through all the sustained scratches.
Feedback & Reflection
Feedback & Reflection
My presentation took between half an hour to an hour to throw together, which was done in class. This was because, at home throughout the week, I have been working on a one-time video editing job for the host of the Leading Ladies community market event from late last year, and due to the editing style I have gone with for the job, I have continuously underestimated the amount of time I would need to spend working on this video editing job, and this has resulted in my planning for the job and this solo pitch activity being thrown out the window.
I believe that, for a quick throw-together presentation of my idea and no rehearsing, I think I did good enough with presenting my idea to the class. I did get some questions and feedback after my presentation that are of note.
The first question I was asked was about the art direction, more specifically the pixelated 2D style I chose for the idea. The point that was raised was that the specific pixelated style that should have been highlighted was not highlighted, which caused some confusion as to what style of pixel art we'll be going with, whether it be simple NES-style pixels or something more detailed. I answered this question by stating that the style and level of detail for the pixel art will depend on the scope and amount of time we will have for the project; for example, an NES-style pixel art style may help strike the balance between time-efficiency and level of detail. Glen pointed out that I should source some assets instead of making all of them, but I can't remember the reason why.
The next question I was asked was a two-part question revolving around the level design. The first question asked was about what idea I had for the hub world, and the second question was about how I would make each level distinguishable from each other. I had to be honest and state that I couldn't answer the second question as I don't have an answer for that question, which was because I hadn't yet expanded on the level design of the idea yet because of the fact that I had only just started expanding on the idea during class. For the first question, however, I did say that the hub world would be an open water cave with tunnels around the cave that lead off to different levels of the game, which was an accepted answer.
My idea wasn't chosen in the random roll, as that went to James Ryan with his idea, Relic Rally, which he said was basically "Super Mario 64 meets Indiana Jones."
Class Notes
Class Notes
— TU —
Think about ideas for the level design for James' idea, Relic Ralley, by tomorrow.
Discord thread link: https://discord.com/channels/1070212053911998464/1075577938956783647
James' elevator pitch slides: https://docs.google.com/presentation/d/1y2Vuc8_3TsekpC2BU6zBFzzk4eW4DZ1FYIQdjGqmr4w/edit#slide=id.p
James' elevator pitch video: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1hz3EuSvHyd7dz7irYMFB2BbnN9s0clQ_/view
Level Design Ideas
Level Design Ideas
— WS —
Environment
Environment
Mesa
My idea for an environment is a mesa. According to Wonderopolis (n.d.), "mesas usually consist of compressed layers of sedimentary rock with a top layer of harder rock that's resistant to erosion. For example, in many areas, the top of a mesa might be a thick layer of cooled and hardened lava." Wonderopolis also states that you most often will find mesas in arid and semiarid regions.
I thought of a mesa environment not only because of the gorgeous looking landscape of a mesa, but also the potential for an explorative environment, perfect for a quest game.
Image: Mesa landscape, by Bill Vanan (n.d.).
Culture
Culture
Image: Assyrian Lion Hunt Relief, by Jan van der Crabben (2012).
Ancient Culture: Mesopotamia
My idea for an ancient culture for the game was Mesopotamia. According to the History.com Editors (2017), "Mesopotamia is a region of southwest Asia in the Tigris and Euphrates river system that benefitted from the area's climate and geography to host the beginnings of human civilization. Its history is marked by many important inventions that changed the world, including the concept of time, math, the wheel, sailboats, maps and writing."
I thought of Mesopotamia mainly because that was a subject I learnt about in high school, and while I have forgotten a lot about Mesopotamia, the culture and its location seemed like a great idea for a quest game just like ours, thinking back to Indiana Jones with his quests in places like Egypt.
Note: The History Channel website is region-locked. Thanks, NordVPN, for taking care of that.
Prototype 2
Prototype 2
— WS —
Prompt Information
Prompt Information
Focus: Guiding the Player on a mini quest
Genre: Adventure
Prompt (by ChatGPT)
Design a narrative quest game set in a post-apocalyptic world where the player character is a scavenger trying to survive and help their community. The player starts out in their small settlement, where an NPC approaches them with a desperate plea for help. A group of bandits have stolen their water supply, and the settlement is running out of water fast. The player must set out to retrieve the stolen water, facing various trials and obstacles along the way.
Your Game Needs the following:
3rd person player character;
Narrative quest - beginning (call to adventure), middle (trials and obstacles), end (reward).
Interact with an NPC who sends you on a quest.
2 items you can pick up;
Functional Inventory;
One item must unlock something related to your quest.
Don't forget to add:
A reset button for dev testing.
In game controls cue for players.
A convenient way to exit your game. Button or Esc.
Credits: Asset packs, game engine, middleware,
Avoid:
Mechanics not mentioned.
A large open world - quest needs to be completed in 2-3mins.
Image: Example 1, desert apocalypse scene, similar to Mad Max.
Image: Example 2, city apocalypse scene, similar to I Am Legend, from pnea (2018).
Project Delivery
Project Delivery
The documentation for this prototype is available on the week 3 page. Click the button below to go to it.
References
References
Vanan, B. (n.d.). Sunrise in Hunts Mesa navajo tribal majesty place near Monument Valley, Arizona, USA [Image]. Wonderopolis. https://d3mvlb3hz2g78.cloudfront.net/wp-content/uploads/2017/12/Mesadreamstime_xl_89450979_1.jpg
Crabben, J. v. d. (2012). Assyrian Lion Hunt Relief [Image]. World History Encyclopedia. https://www.worldhistory.org/image/96/assyrian-lion-hunt-relief/
History.com Editors. (2017). Mesopotamia. Retrieved February 24, 2023 from https://www.history.com/topics/ancient-middle-east/mesopotamia
pnea. (2018). [Post-apocalyptic city art] [Image]. TimeSpace Warps. https://timespacewarps.files.wordpress.com/2018/05/post_apocalyptic_art_vladimir_manyukhin12.jpg
Wonderopolis. (n.d.). What Is a Mesa? Retrieved February 17, 2023 from https://wonderopolis.org/wonder/what-is-a-mesa
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