Overview

With our groups released (mine being me, Archie Cottrell, Nathaniel Ramsey, Luke Grace, and Ethan Giles), my group decided to hold a meeting the weekend following the release (06/12/2025).

Technical Description / Explanation 

We all provided "mini-pitches" to convince one-another about which elements of our pitches should be included in the group pitch. Additionally, we discussed issues that may arise from combining our pitches over simply picking and expanding upon one of the five. Issues discussed include:

1. Scope creep - If we implement or combine multiple gameplay loops, we may struggle to maintain the scope of the project. The agreed solution was to limit the number of mechanics we lifted from each pitch.

2. A "muddy" concept - Combining multiple themes and genres could muddy the overall goal and concept of our group pitch. Our solution is to merely be aware and ensure that we justify and explain all elements of the pitch.

3. Straying from the brief - This was one of my biggest concerns. Some of the individual pitches within our group were not very relevant to the brief's theme or client. As such, I suggested that we avoid implementing any sort of overt violence / inappropriate horror themes and try to maintain a more metaphorical interpretation of the brief (while still allowing for literal reflective elements).

By the end of the meeting, we had agreed on a broad concept that we could work on. The game would commence with a puzzle section (about 2-3 minutes long) on a train ride towards a station. Figuring out the puzzle will cause the train to arrive, where the player is confronted by a (then undecided) entity. This entity initiates a battle in the real world, which is intended to be deceivingly easy. Partway through the battle, the entity will drag both itself and the player into a mirror dimension with a monochrome, geometric art style. Actions taken by the entity cause a cuphead-like mini-game to trigger, causing the player to take damage when hit by projectiles. This boss battle is intended to take around 7 minutes to complete.

Reflection

This meeting was our first experience of working as a team. It was a good way to get comfortable with the flow of how meetings should go along with discovering what sort of dynamic works best with our team. From what I observed, we seem to work best when everyone is given their time to say their piece and contribute to discussions and decisions made during the meeting. Additionally, there seem to be no conflicts of personality between anyone in the team, and everyone gets on quite well.