Week 12 - Game Design & Plan

This is our final development week for 1st half of game development and the last blog entry of this year. Expecting the game development will be continued over the Christmas and New Year breaks. Blogs won't be updated weekly until we begin the second half of the game development which is in January 2nd week.

Today was our team's final presentation. We forced our self to be the first team to do the presentation even though none of us have proper rehearsal. We did managed to deliver it in 20 minutes time slot in such an awful manner also couldn't time to speech the final bit which is the "Future of the game" but at least John is happy on the fact that our prototype is working and it is plenty enough to get a clear concept of the game. Each team individual, especially me, faced the lack of confidence and nervousness. Still we managed to get a nice round of applause for our bravery to do the presentation first. Compared to ours the other two team's presentation was brilliant as they never faced any difficulties that we faced and i think they got the confidence from our brave attempt ;) After all group's presentation we had a chat with John and he congratulated us for doing it first also advised us how to do it more precisely on next time. 

Phewww thanks god that's the end of a tight module. See you in January for the 2nd half.

Wish you all a Happy Christmas :)

From Tuesday (11/12/2012)

I met the team in flash lab afternoon to prepare for the presentation.Andy and Stephen already made a slide note for me based on what i should speak. It's not a biggie talk but felt some fear because i am doing the opening talk. I guess i can do it but let's see in action tomorrow.

Week 11 - Game Design & Plan

As usual we started the class at 10 today and DR. John delivered a special lecture for us that lasted for an hour.  It was very much interesting and the purpose behind it was to make the students aware that how 'to/not to' get a job in game/software industry. He talked about the development kits, future of gaming platform, important graduate skills and strengths, building a portfolio and website by going through a slide show "A survey of dev's". After the lecture our team got the first chance to have a meeting with John. During the one hour slot we discussed our progression and the current risks that could slow down our prototype release. A fair amount of functionality's need to be done within programming sector but it's not a concern yet as we got still a week left. Overall John is happy with the progression me have made so far and he agreed to have a formal prototype presentation for the next week.

We team back in the lab and talked about how we are going to present our prototype for next week. Since Callum decided to modify the sprite sheet, whom also doing the level design and tile sheets, i have been told to produce/search some legal sound effects e.g. door opening and closing, empty gun and reloading, picking up objects etc., which could apply to our prototype. We dropped the idea of recording and editing some sounds live due to lack of time but certainly do that for our complete game. I have produced a first draft slides for our presentation which will be reviewed and updated by Andy or Stephen accordingly. I finished off lab and decided to find out some online sound effects at home. I have offered some help to Callum with the tile sheet and level design but he said he is well in control. I didn't manage to take the tutorial for Melon JS so i couldn't help with the programming part. My main plan for this Christmas holidays is to learn how to code in HTML5 and it might help me to program something for the second half. I will be at work the whole weekends so can't really work on anything until Monday. One more week to present our prototype and the pressure is building up

From Tuesday (04/12/2012)

 

We had a team meeting after the flash class to discuss about the progression. Andy implemented a basic structure for first level but not used any tile sheets also made the character sprites (hero & guards) working. I came to know that last day team decided to substitute a much more impressive sprites than i made. It doesn't look the real top down that i made as been told but technically yes. The one i made in Photoshop was a simple sprite with head and shoulders viewed from the top only but what Callum made a sprite (full figure) in paint that can be viewed from any angle as it rotates. Personally it was the idea i went through in the beginning but team decided not to go with it so i sticked with the simple top down (sprites can be find above and on previous blog) sprites/objects. Now team happy n decided to go with the new sprite sheet Callum made for all the characters. I have been told that to find suitable sound effects for the first level. That's all from today and i see you guys tomorrow in lecture.

Week 10 - Game Design & Plan

Started the class at 10 and as like told last week Team Batman well presented their game prototype and it was super awesome. We never presented ours because Andy found out the prototype was not working because of some minor code error which was rectified later on. But we did manage to share the prototype with DR. John during our team meeting. Prototype means no working level has been done but just the game title screen with music and a first level layout with a controllable sprite!

I did manage to draw a top down look alike character sprite (left) but unfortunately that didn't met the expected standard. It doesn't look like a drop down version right! So back in the lab i tried to draw out some images on a paper but my team said it's better to develop the images using digital software's as it's easier to edit. The images itself need be in 32*32 pixels so i found harder to draw it out in paint after some several tries. Then using the photo shop "like a master" and nailed down a top down version of the main character. My team mates were happy with my drawing concept and i was like yaaass! I left the university afterwards and decided to finish off the images at home, the only place i could more concentrate.

Graphical Assets which i should complete in 2 weeks are allocated as below:

* Section 1 character (Done by 28/11/12)

• Civilian
• Carter without weapon
• Carter with fibre wire
• Image of fibre wire
• 1 white and 1 black computer terminal

* Section 2 characters (Done by 05/12/12 attempt by 28/11/12)

• Security guard
• Carter with knife
• Image of knife 
• Piece of paper 
• Red key card 

* Section 3 characters (Done by 05/12/12 attempt by 28/11/12)

• Elite PMC guards
• Carter with gun
• Image of gun, dynamite
• Security camera
• Another top down person pick a random colour this will be used as a main objective character for a demo level

          

                 

I have managed to make half of the sprites/objects which highlighted in red and sprites are above. Andy advised me to take a tutorial for Melon JS that could help me with map editor and how sprites and tile sheets (for level design) are to be layed out. I also thought that i could help Callum with tile sheets using a portable application called "Tiled" while Andy and Stephen working on the major coding. I didn't manage to get time to look at the Tiled and Melon JS due to my weekend job and looking forward to work through it next week only. 

Week 9 - Game Design & Plan

Came in to class a bit late by the time all teams were about ready to share the game updates and progression. When it reached our turn we shared all the evident and updates such as artworks, fan page, group page, team websites etc. During the one hour private section with DR. John we talked about the current risks that could affect the game.

We back in to the lab for further discussion. As we are flying towards the deadline we are aware that lot of tasks need to be completed so we reallocated the tasks again for each team member. I had to leave quite early today due to my work. Stephen gave me a list of assets (top down game character sprites) which must produce in two weeks time. I left university at around 2 PM.

During the rest of week i went easy on game artwork but spent most of the time working on other module assessments. I will try to produce some images by next week but confused which application should i choose - paint or photo shop?? Andy made a stunning game cover screen was another major development happened during this week :)

Week 8 - Game Design & Plan

Today we have no class/meeting with John or Group. Couple of my group mates and John went to Dundee to attend an Enterprising Youth Conference. I didn't went due to some personal matters so i don't know yet what's all about the conference, but i assumed that it was interesting when i gone through one of my colleagues blog. I will definitely try to know more about the conference in detail once i see my group next week. Still i wish i was there :(

Since last week i didn't made any contact with any of the group members. During the week days i concentrated more on the other module assessments as I know it is the best time for it since we are all having a short temporary break (I mean no class this week). As i agreed last week, i have developed the full shot image for our hero in Photoshop. I also tried to draw out some additional images for the project i.e. weapons, communication interfaces, enemies, but none of them are at the completion. I am thinking of adding those images to my blog next week after a final validation with my group.

On our team website i see the changes in project name “Late Panda” and logo as per out decision last week to alter the project information to attract and get support from more people. A rapid increase in fan database along with a fair amount of followers noticed since we renamed our project :)

That’s all from this week and looking forward to meet up the team next week ;)

Week 7 - Game Design & Plan

We groups went through the game progress during the lecture slot. Team Bane now got a menu screen working also a demo type game play with nice graphics but less interactivity and that too they developed their game in Unity 3D. Still they dominate our group and team Batman, based on the work done so far and we think we dominated Team Batman, when we compared.

After the lecture we had our meeting with John. We discussed the current progress, risk and the qualifications needed to become a computing teacher at school/college/university level. At the moment the risk we are facing is an unresponsive fan base, without them we cannot promote our game neither release the prototype. At the moment we know the consequences of changing the studio name but we decided to change it from "Joker Team" to "Late Panda" to attract more fans also we are thinking of developing a new game together over the next summer so we need a real studio name anyways.

We are back in the lab and Andy updated my images using some effects in Photoshop. I got my villain image also, again hand drawn, ready for today to finalize the game design document for Stephen. In the meantime Andrew is working on the technical analysis document. Still i need to create a full shot image of hero, which needed for our game title page. I will try to do that for the next week. There is no class next week due to Dundee trip but i will post it in our group page in Facebook. We called off the day

Below are the updated links :-

Team Website - Facebook Fan Page - Game Documents

Week 6 - Game Design & Plan

Started the lecture at 10 and all three groups don't have a presentation today on game progress instead John talked about an event in Dundee called "conference in youth enterprising", take place in two weeks time. I manage to produce a hand drawn mugshot image for the main character and second character for our game design document. All my team members were happy with these character images and they said this is more than they could ever try.

Later we look through some websites to find some game sound tracks. We found this website useful and manage to find few sound tracks for the title screen and levels and it is free of use as long it is not for commercial use and attribute his name on our work. 

Mean time Andy and Stephen updated  the game design document. At around 1 PM we met John in his office. He asked what are the current risks affecting our progress but to be honest i would say it's the programming sector as every team members are totally new to html5. Then John chat about the Dundee trip, ticket fares and etc.

We called of the day.

Week 5 - Game Design & Plan

At 10, we started the lecture where all three teams done their game presentation. During our team meeting with John, Andy showed him the Game Audience and Competitor Analysis document and Game Planning document, which he later impressed with the document layout.

The major part of game development begun this week as Andy started the marketing campaign in Facebook, aiming 100+ fans, for whom get the prototype totally free to play upon release. We named our game "Spy Green". Andy and Stephen together started working on the Game Design document. Due to unforeseen circumstances Kieran is no more part of our development team so i decided to help Callum with the level design. During out discussion about prototype, we decided to do a complete working level as a prototype that might appear in our final game.

We then discussed on what everyone doing for next week. We really need some artwork for the game plan so each member decided to create their own interpretation of main character even though i am the lead artist in our group. Also we agreed to do some research on html5 by doing some online tutorials.

We called off today

Week 4 - Game Design & Plan

Today we had a team meeting right after the flash lecture because there is no meeting with John tomorrow as per the original schedule. Andrew created both fan page and group page in Facebook. I found the group page is very useful to get updated by team members also easy enough to clarify any doubts or share any files.

Today we have managed to allocate the tasks which are very important part of the project. Andrew will do the main programming based on Stephens design concepts. Callum and Kieran were asked to work together on the game level designs. Our team need someone who is really good in artwork. I accepted that task due to my previous experience in drawings also i agreed to produce all the assets which needed for the game. I told Andy that i could also help him with the programming, not like a co - programmer but as a learner. I am more than happy because i can produce something for the team. I discussed about the game characters in details with Stephen. This is what i need to produce right so i must know what's in his mind and a list of assets need to be produced based on his design concept.

I dropped the full time work to part time now so just working only 2 days only. Now the pressure is off from me shuffling between work and study. I can spent more time concentrate on studies and for our game too :)

That's all from today ;)

Week 3 - Game Design & Plan

We started the class at 10. As usual we done a short presentation on our current progression and it were shorter than last week's so the other teams too. We haven't done much work since last week apart from finalizing the 2nd draft of the report. We have a two week time from today until next meeting with John so each team will have more evidence to share during the presentation. But this will not affect the individual team meeting with him in his office he said.

We met John in his office according to the allocated time, talked about the risk factors, strengths and weaknesses of each team member. Stephen and Andrew said they were made an analysis of 3 similar games earlier the day, which updated in the 2nd draft of the report (GAACA) as well. We told john that our goal is to complete 5 working levels for this game at the end of the year and we could do it if we get the first level working. We are actually decided to do the 1st level itself as a prototype and John showed us his archive of assets, e.g. soundtracks, which we could use as a resource. Still we haven't allocated any tasks for team members and hopefully will sort it by next week. We came back to the lab and Stephen updated the 2nd draft of the report, meanwhile Kieran completed the project plan using Microsoft project. Andy told us that he had set up a real time website called "World of Text" for our group's meeting so we could communicate virtually about the development. I couldn't connect with my team at all because i was working the entire week end :(

We called of the day. We are not having a meeting with john next week so rather than coming next Wednesday we were all decided to meet after Tuesday's flash lecture. When i got spare time during the week i spent more time understanding the HTML5 as i am completely new to it. I think this is a common issue with all the other team members. I used the following sites to learn HTML5 in more depth but i found myself struggling with it ;)

http://www.html5rocks.com

http://www.w3schools.com/html/html5_intro.asp

Week 2 - Game Design & Plan

Previous week John told us that from this week onward lecture start at 10 AM rather than 9 AM as per the scheduled timetable. This is because people turning up late, telling excuses like woke up late, miss the train, etc. also it is most convenient for everyone. Lecture started at sharp 10 and the purpose of this to give a short presentation by each team about their own game. We presented our game ideas and progression as a team, where two other teams and John were audience whom made some good suggestions. 

After the lecture John allocated a time schedule for each team to meet him up in his office. Our team got an hour to spare before the meeting with john. During that time we discussed more about the game ideas, when/where the game need to be set whether if it's in past or future, how realistic can it be, etc. We headed back to John's office and continued our informal discussion. He suggested us to split each daily hour in to three 4 hour segments so we can do our work more conveniently and effectively well within time. He warned us otherwise it will end up lack of time and project will burn out due to work overload.

Personally i think it is a very good idea especially when working within a project team but my dedication to full time employment doesn't allow me to do so. I am working 4 and half days and at this situation i am sure that i can't provide a quality work even by a margin of 25%. I discussed my situation with john because i don't like to give any pressure to my colleges in the future because of my incomplete work whenever they need it. The only option is to drop back to part time and i told them that i will think about it as soon as possible.

Discussion completed after an hour so we headed back to the lab. Stephen and Andy co-worked on the Game Audience & Competitor Analysis report since the last week and Stephen provided me a copy of the first draft. All we know by now is each member need to carry out certain tasks but not decided yet 'who do what'!! Andy updated the team website and said he will complete the 2nd draft of the report by next week.

We called off the day :)

Week 1 - Game Design & Plan

Today it was the first session of the module as we students made a formal meeting with our module coordinator DR. John Sutherland. He clearly explained us about the course, course materials and how we are going to be assessed. This course work is group based so that only he divided up the students to form three individual groups. We formed our group, named “JOKER “which consists of five members – Andy, Calum, Kieran, Stephen and I. He allocated a one hour session per week for each group to have a private meeting with him in his office to discuss the team activities and game development.

We have been told that in order to pass this module, we must complete three reports that cover 3 different aspects of the game and a 5 minute playable prototype. The reports are as follows:-

v    Game Audience & Competitor Analysis Document

v    Game Design Document

v    Game Technical Analysis Document

We were asked to think about a single game idea and the platform to develop it. We met each team members and got to know each other in detail before we proceeded in to john’s office for a private meeting. All our team members are familiar with several programming languages like java, Javascript, c#, visual basic but in this occasion, we would like to experiment with HTML5 incorporating JavaScript regardless which genre of game we are developing.

After the meeting with john we had a team discussion in lab for some game concepts. Finally we came up with a brilliant idea of developing an espionage top down shooter game, the player will have to sneak past enemies and complete several objectives/levels. For the rest of the time I have played some similar games online for research purpose. We created our team website and email address in “Weebly” also updated our blog entry. 

We called off the day :)