Change of plans!

We had started working on the spelling bee game for the past week. However we were told a company approached the TAFE and was interested in having an educational game developed for their schools program and since our game was the closest to an educational level, the client was offered to us. So we stopped working on the spelling bee game and went back to the drawing board to come up with a game that fit with the brief that was assigned to us.

The brief we had gotten from the client was rather clear about what wasn't to be allowed however it left a broad design scope. What they were looking for was something that would help teach children about how to care for animals. A big factor that wasn't allowed was harming of animals and this proved to be a difficult issue to work around as punishment to the player is usually a key mechanic in games, so we had to think of ways to avoid this creatively while keeping it ‘fun’.

We started to look at other games, mostly educational games, games with animals, and games aimed at children, which included the clients existing games they were offering to kids to play. The few games they already had made it clear as to why they wanted a new and improved game. One game they had for example was made up of 5 mini-games and as a whole worked perfectly to the brief however it lacked in the ‘fun’ department. On the other end of the scale there was a skateboarding gecko that was fun but had very suspicious assets and interactions. It looked as if the player had to collect alcohol and drugs.

Next week we’re going to have a group meeting and work out what our next move is and what game idea we’re going to go with.

Games and roles decided

Unfortunately my game wasn't chosen by the lecturers however I was still given the role of a programmer. The game that I was assigned to was a spelling bee style game where Letters would spawn on the right of the screen and the player would guide the bee to collect the letters to spell a word set at the top of the screen. Successfully spelling the word would add points to the players score. Hitting the wasps would be a penalty. Additional points would be earned by collecting flowers and banking them at the bee hive at the bottom right of the screen. Here is a concept image as to what the game could look like.

It looks like an interesting game to create that could be fun yet educational at the same time which is usually hard to do. I do believe that the game should be achievable within the 3-4 month timeline that has been given to us. I can’t wait to get started!

Project Pitch and Interviews

In this semester we are going to be working in a team to create a game that will hopefully be able to be released. To start off everyone had to pitch a game idea to the entire class. My idea was a robot smash 'em up style of game, where the player would enter a tournament to see how if they have what it takes to be the champion.
Here is a link to the presentation and self assessment documents.

After the game pitches we were to undergo an interview with the lectures to apply for a role in a team. The lectures are now putting the teams together based on the roles that people have applied for. Here is a link to my resume, cover letter, and feedback assessment.

For the role of a programmer that I have chosen to apply for I’ll need to make sure I have an understanding of what the producer wants from the game at all times so it is completed on time. Also to achieve that I’ll need to make sure I have a constant line of communication with the other team members and work with them to implement their elements to the designers specifications.

Being the programmer means I’ll have to integrate the artwork, modelling, and audio into the game and give feedback on any issues to ensure that the game functions and complies with the designers expectations. Another important role for the programmer is to make sure the game runs smoothly on the relevant platform and debug any cross-platform issues that may arise while creating builds.

Project Goals and Objectives

My goal this semester is to get a better understanding of how a programmer works efficiently in a team environment whilst trying to improve on my skills and knowledge at the same time. By the end of this coarse i would like to have a game that is finished and releasable to the public. Then in the future I want to be using the skills I develop from this coarse to participate in the making of games from big title companies like Ubisoft and Valve etc.