Game Review: The Best Amendment

In class, we played an interesting shooting game: The Best Amendment.

At the first sight, this game is not different from other shooting games. The player moves the avatar with WASD and shoots by clicking the mouse in corresponding directions. And there is typical game mechanics: time pressure, collecting starts as goals, score keeping, leader board...

However, after several levels, we start to figure out the rules. In each level, the enemies are actually the recording of the player's previous moves, which means the player is playing against the past him/herself! The use of factors of time, which is also a key element in 'Braid', is innovative and exciting to contemporary players because it opened up playing with a new dimension.

Also, it should be noted that how this game succeeded to be entertaining and educative. The meaning of this game is to make people reflect on gun control policy. When a good guy with a gun turns into a bad guy... The message at the beginning of the game hints the main theme to the player. After several rounds of playing, the player would probably start to reflect on the boundary between the good and the evil.

Pile Up - A Pocket Game.

In the first class of AD372, we were working in groups to design a pocket game.

In our group, Tram, Patrick, Oliver and I came up with an idea by discussion, that is, to pile up all the stuff from our pockets. In this way, we were changing our stuff in to building blocks.

2 Versions of Logo

Instructions 

Players: 2-5

Goal: Collect the most points!

Materials: A stable surface (you can add some challenge by using a slope!). 

     Everything in your pockets that you are willing to risk.

Setup: Players place all donated pocket items to a central “pot” and sit in a circle.  

Rules:

1. The player who donates the most items goes first;(or the player with the “best” item in a tie)

-The starting player selects an item from the “pot” and places it on the playing surface. 

-This is setting the “foundation” piece for the pile. The starting players turn is over.  

2. Turns continue in a clockwise fashion, players select an item from the “pot” and add it to the pile. 

-When the players hands leave the item, their turn ends;

3. Play continues until any item other than the “foundation” touches the playing surface. 

-At this point the pile has “fallen” and the round ends. 

-The previous player collects all items used in the pile and claim them as points. 

-The claimed items are then removed from play.

4. Player who ended the round then places a new “foundation” to start the next round.

5. The game ends when there are no remaining items in the pot.

-Player who have got the most points wins.

-If there is a tie then the tied players share victory.

Great Illustration by Patrick

iOS Casual Game (Block Game)

A Practice for making iOS game.

Game Mechanics:
Limited moves: The shovel in the top left is a counter for player's moves. One the player clears one block, the number of shovels is reduced by one.

Take time to move: The smaller blocks are rotating all the time. They rotate within a loop of one circle in clockwise and then another circle in counterclockwise. The player has to seize the best time to make the move in order to make use of the current rotating direction to change main actor's route.

Here is the link to this practice:
http://www.stencyl.com/game/play/17819

A Serious Game ------ Stop Staring at Your Phone

A Serious Game ------ Stop Staring at Your Phone

Project Description:
Make a “Serious Game” that deals with a specific aspect of the manufacture and promotion of mobile phone/tablet device culture.

One interesting condition of this project is that all of us have to build this game with no more than 5 colors!

Apr. 15
Idea Generated

As usual, in order to find my inspiration for this project, I went to the http://huaban.com/boards/310091/
(Home page: huaban.com). The interesting condition of this project made me start from building a color palette first. When browsing color palette, I was struck by the beauty in these natural colors. All of a sudden, I realized that I am actually looking into a screen instead of viewing those scenes in reality.

The Color Palette that Inspired me.

My Color Palette

Color Palette for Monotonous World

In modern society, we human beings are sometimes lost in the convenient technology. On the bus, most passengers are playing with their phones, busy with playing mobile games, refreshing social network, reading news, etc. We often miss the scenery we are passing through. As a result, my idea for this project was born:

     "Sitting in a bus, you are playing with your cellphone. The world seems monotonous and dull. Without looking up, all you focus on is the small screen in your hands. After playing several games, updating social networking, reading some news, checking messages and emails...., you are tired of all those flooding new notifications and messages. Suddenly, a pedal with color fells on your screen. Then your view finally leaves the screen and find out the beautiful and colorful scene outside the window..."

Different from previous game project, this time I am working from a subtle experience rather than the game mechanics. Based on the experience I want to convey to players, I have an initial game mechanics in mind.

Updated Apr. 30th:

Some artwork:

People Staring at their Phones on the Bus

Scenery Outside the Bus Window

Staring at My Phone

Music:
The background music for the staring part is made by Ableton Live. I composed a simple piece of looped motif. For the ending part, the music is from a Japanese animation 'Natsume's Book of Friends'. This song is one of the inspiration of the whole idea of this game. One day I was listening to this song on a bus, and then suddenly discovered the beautiful scenery outside the bus.

Problem:
When I tried to publish the game, there were some problems about the format of the audio files...Still trying to fix it.
So here is the link to the version without sounds:
http://www.stencyl.com/game/play/18790

My First iOS Game -- YinYang

After the iOS maze game research, I have decided to use the concept from traditional Chinese maze. In the puzzle, there is a black ball ---Yang, and a white ball --- Yin. They move in the same direction together unless there is something that blocks its way. Players tries to make two balls meet together, that is, balancing between Yin and Yang.

Mar. 25th Prototype Done

Prototype

The prototype includes the basic game mechanic. The coding part for how the ball moves, how do they meet, and switching between scenes is done at this stage. 

Mar. 27th Music Added

It was a sunny afternoon. I sat in front of my digital piano and was in a mood for music. I used my phone to record the sound effect and background music. I improvised two pieces of background music and found the initial recording surprising satisfying. The style of the songs is intended to imitate traditional Chinese songs, corresponding to the culture of this game.

Apr. 1st Art Work Updated

Several placeholder pictures are replaced by drawing.

Back Button

Retry Button

Black Ball

White Ball

Tile

Also, a counter is added to count players' moves in each level. If the number exceeds three, it falls in the same category "余", which means redundant moves. According to the moves in each level, different windows would appear after winning.

Apr. 3rd Player Data Recorder Added

A new function added is to record player's moves for each level. They could view if they have completed a level, and whether they have completed it with the best possible moves.

Apr. 8th Finally Works on Device
With the help of Professor Kenyon, I finally make it work on device.
I change the actor behavior to use the swipe gesture embedded in Stencyl, rather than using the complex calculated vector made by the initial touch and release.

Maze Game Research

Maze is an important genre of game. From the simple lines and squares inside children's maze books, to the complex mazes that block our way to further plots in a RPG game, maze is common and popular.

First, let's look closer at maze. Wikipedia's definition for maze is:

    "A maze is a tour puzzle in the form of a complex branching passage through which the solver must     find a route."

(To clear the confusion with labyrinth, labyrinth has only a single route with more twists and turns without branches.)

There is a long history about maze. The oldest known maze is the Cretan labyrinth in Knossos. In ancient China, maze was used in military and fishing. There is even a small town named Mihunzhen (Chinese: 迷魂阵, means maze) in Shandong because it was the ancient battlefield for the famous fight when Sun Bin defeated Pang Juan in 342 B.C.. The street of the town was built with specific angles in order to make people inside confused both about space and time. The town was built according to the Eight-Diagram tactics.

Eight Diagram Tactics

To make an iOS maze game, the first thing came to me is to search for available maze game in iTunes.

Maze games in iTunes

In addition to iTunes, there are tons of maze games online for other platforms such as maze games on computers.

According to the different features of these games, there are several categories as following:

1. Action:

• Tilt

The accelerometer of the iOS device has enabled one unique operating way for the players: tilt to move.  This type of operating contributes to making iOS games more engaging than those played on other device.

Example: Labyrinth

It is a vivid simulation of a real labyrinth with a marble steel ball and wood board. The players tilt the device to move the steel ball and avoid falling in to the wholes.

Labyrinth in iTunes

• Race of time

One kind of maze game is the race of time. The time pressure is the main game mechanic.

Example: Super Maze 3D Race

A game in 3D. More graphically attractive. It could also be categorized as racing game.

3D Maze Race

• Accurate Move

One kind of maze game requires players making accurate moves.

Example: Scary Maze Game

http://themazegame.org/
It is a flash game. The map is easy at the first sight, but to get through it is very hard. Players control the avatar by moving the mouse inside the maze. If the avatar touch the wall, the players will lose. And a scary lose scene with a ghost face and loud sound would pop out, as a punishment of losing.

Don't touch the wall...

2. Logic Puzzle:

Another kind of maze game is a tease for players' logical thinking. The player is informed of the goal and current state of the game, he/she needs to make a series choices to reach the goal state of the game, that is, the winning conditions, although different in each game, all reachable by correct combinations of decisions in common.

Example: Rail Maze

In this game, the player control the directions of trails to make the train reach the destination. This one could also be categorized as puzzle game.

Rail Maze in iTunes

Example: Cycle Maze

In this game, players have to tilt to send all three balls to the destination.

Cycle Maze in iTunes

3. Adventure

Unlike the games that require players to use logical thinking to solve, adventure maze games have more randomness. Players have to explore the maze by luck, and the result of each decision is unknown.

Examples: Minotaur

http://www.freeonlinepcgames.net/play/minotaur-explore-the-minotaur-s-dungeon-mazes-f/flash-game/
It is a flash game online. Players explore the maze with many possibilities, such as encountering enemies, collecting weapons, losing a life...

Minotaur --- a flash game

4. Derivative (or Other)

Another kind of maze game may not look like a maze from the first sight. It could be some implicit elements of the game that ask the players to find the way out.

Example: Façade
In the AD372 class on 18th, Mar, we played the game Façade. It could be a derivative maze game in that players explore the plot branches by typing sentences to communicate with the NPCs.
http://www.interactivestory.net/#facade

Façade

Invader Course Practice

Space Invader Practice

http://www.swfcabin.com/open/1361370031

The practice of space invader shooting game in the class.

Top 10 Art & Design & Games Websites I Usually Go To

1. www.huaban.com

It is a website for designers in China. Community members share many works in the fields of illustration, poster design, UI/Web design, photography, architecture, etc. And this website has a web browser- embedded tool to download. The tool can add any pictures to the user's collection when using the browser, just as the name of the website --- 'flower pedals' indicates.

2. www.scribd.com

It is the website for my graphic design course. We share our homework on this website.

3. www.17173.com

It is a website for news for games (mainly MMOGs) in China. I usually go to this website to check if there is any new games to play.

4. www.hxsd.com

It is a website for game art learners in China. There are many free tutorials for game art software such as 3Ds Max, Photoshop, etc. on this website, and also some news in the game industry. A new function is that hxsd.com is now a LinkedIn in game industry in China.

Wipe Up - My First Video Game

Wipe Up --- My first video game

Sitting at my table, trying to come up with any ideas for my first video game.

Something big, with dozens of mazes and puzzles? Not feasible... 

Something fancy, with delicate artwork? Em, not enough time...

Lost in my daydreams, I suddenly recalled the scenes of my childhood. When I was playing alone in my room, as a little child, I would always 'give life' to the stuffs around me, and imagine the chess pieces as heros, the books as walls, the bottles as castles...

Then the tissue ball on my table attracted my attention. What if I 'give life' to it and give it an adventure in my room? It is actually what I have done years ago, when I was a child full of imagination. However I almost forget how to play with my daydreams after growing up...

After playing with all the stuffs in my room for an afternoon, I came up with my sketch for my first video game.

The hero of this game is the little ball of tissue. It can move round, jump, and interact with some of the stuffs in the scene. At the beginning, it knocked over a box of ink and split many ink dots. As a result, the adventure is to wipe up all the ink dots in different scenes.

I did some origami to create the actors of my game.

Cast
I'm going to make them live in the game.

With the sketch, I took several pictures of my table and photoshoped them.

Title Scene

Tutorial Scene

scene_01
The tissue ball is playing on my table :)

scene_02
Flying on a sword --- one of my childhood dreams.

scene_05
Imagining the floor as the sea -- one thing I used to do in my childhood.

Here is the link in stencyl:

http://www.stencyl.com/game/play/17344

Course 1 Game

Course 1 Game

Here is the link:

http://www.swfcabin.com/open/1360041021

Level 1

Level 2

Level 3

A traditional platform game. To enter next level, the player has to collect all the coins in each level, and then find out the connecting point to next level. There are 3 levels to explore.

Board Game -- Beijing Dream

Board Game Prototype

Name: Beijing Dream

Game Rules

Map

Game Bits

Idea:

The idea behind designing this board game is to reveal the traffic problem in a big city. The map is designed based on the real subway system in Beijing. The mechanic of this game results in a difficult experience for the player to get to a specific location. Other players blocking your way is a simulation of the crowded subway system.

Update:

After play testing, I have taken some suggestions to make some changes:
(1) The winning condition is proportional with the number of players.
2 Players: 5 stars
3 Players: 8 stars
4 Players: 11 stars
Changing reason: It takes so much time for two players to complete 12 stars.

Game Analysis--Braid

Game Title 

Braid

Company or Author

Jonathan Blow

Type of game 

Platform and puzzle

Price
$20 

Goal

What is the object of the game?

To collect and assemble all the jigsaw puzzle pieces in six worlds, and to control the protagonist Tim to rescue the princess from a monster.

Allure

What makes the game fun?

The first thing that draws players’ attention is the delicate artwork of the game. The background and soundtrack at the beginning of the game could give players great sense pleasure. These features could serve as keeping players playing the game.

Also, the power of time manipulation is the most appealing feature of this game. Players can reverse time and rewind actions. Accordingly, there is no dying in Braid, players can always go back and undo the consequences. The time-based game mechanic in each game world is unique. Therefore, this feature could provide players with brand new experience and challenges.

In addition, this game constructs a mysterious atmosphere at the beginning. The plot makes players eager to discover how the story goes, where the princess is on earth. Unravelling the mystery step after step could satisfy players’ curiosity, thus making the narrative part of this game attractive.

Is it fun to replay? Why or why not?

It is not so fun to replay after having solved the puzzles. In many puzzles there is only one particular way to collect the jigsaw piece. Although many of these puzzles require crafty operations with high precision, replaying is merely repeating previous actions, and it does not give the players any new experience.

Hang-ups

What was not fun about the game?

There is so few tutorial and hints in the games that players might find it confusing and not know how to control. Also, in some hard puzzles, players might feel frustrated and give up after many failures.

What would correct this?

In this game players could move to next puzzle even if they haven’t solved the current puzzle yet, as long as they could reach the door connecting to next puzzle. This setting enables players to move on in the game, rather than making players stop at one puzzle.

User Actions and Control Mapping

How does the user interact with the game?

The player can control the protagonist Tim to move, jump, stomp on enemies, and operate levers by pressing direction keys and spacebar. Also, players can control time by pressing the action key. In the jigsaw puzzle play, players can use the keyboard or the mouse to move and assemble jigsaw pieces.

What actions are available and how are they executed?

Move left/right/up/down: Press Left/Right/Up/Down

Jump: Press Spacebar

Climb: Press Up

Stomp on an enemy: Jump over the enemy’ head

Operate lever: Press Up

Make time reverse: Press Shift

Get key: Move to key

Open locked door: Move to the door with the key

Assemble jigsaw: Click and drag the pieces, or press directions, hold shift         button to drag

Challenges

What puzzles and hurdles are presented to the user?

In each puzzle, there are several jigsaw pieces scattered. Players have to find a way to collect these pieces, with the hurdles of locked doors, patrolling or actively attacking enemies. Players have to find the key to open a locked door, to operate the lever to get access to certain places, and to avoid or stomp on enemies to survive.

In many puzzles, some of the hurdles are designed to be solved with extremely precise time control. Players have to find the exact time point to take certain action. Interestingly, some items in the puzzles are not affected by time manipulation, accordingly, players have to make use of this characteristic to solve the puzzles.

Scoring / Rewards

What incentives does the game provide?

Collecting jigsaw pieces and discovering the plot of this game are two important incentives. Solving every jigsaw puzzle unravels the mysterious plot of the game. Therefore, players are motivated to continue the adventure in this game.

How is progress tracked?

In the startup interface, there are six rooms for the six game worlds, and for each world there is a board showing which jigsaw pieces the player has already collected. And in each world, for every small puzzle there is a door representing it, and the number on the door indicates how many jigsaw pieces are left to be collected in this small puzzle.

Strategies

What techniques are useful to improve your standing in the game?

Since it is a platform game, players have to be very good at operation. And players have to get familiar with the power of time manipulation in order to find the exact combination of operations as the only solution to the puzzles.