Why this Brief?

This Brief I chose to be my second due to my extreme interest in the concept. As a designer I love creating levels and game concepts but once I get to the process of making that game I always struggle with the art for it. I would say the art part of any game is what I would struggle with the most and as someone who is not very keen on learning how to draw etc. I will always try and find a way around using art for a game (it gives me less to do!) So one could imagine my excitement when first viewing this brief.

Although many might see this brief as being one of the hardest due to there being endless possibilities, however it might be viewed as something that has none. Art in any game is essential: games can be based around their art, art can ‘save’ a game – if the mechanic isn’t good enough the art has the ability to make up for it. Thus, to some this brief may be seen as a lost cause, but not me!

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To me, this brief was one thing – a weight lifted off my shoulders. Without a worry to make the game look nice or do mood boards, colour swatches, art inspiration as well as implementing all the assets into the game, I could focus solely on one thing – the game itself.

First I had to find games that were similar to the game I’m attempting to make:

Luckily, I had found 2 games which share common themes, mechanics and designs:

The first game I had found uses VR and ‘echolocation’ to guide the player through the game – this game was useful as it’s narrative is similar to my game (Horror, navigating through a building) However, this game uses echolocation (sounds become images) which is a form of art/graphics.

The second game I found is a game which has no art and uses sounds (songs) to allow the player to create a soundtrack.

These two games can be combined to make my game – the firsts narrative and mechanics (escaping building, using walking stick) with the second games lack of art and use of sounds. This research helped me a lot to come up with the design of my game.

Bloxs

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In order to build this type of game you would need minor experience in Unity and coding. With only using the sprites unity provided me with (just normal shapes) I managed to build a two player platform Battle Royale game – it’s that easy!!

The aim of the game is to essentially trap the other player by placing a duplicate of yourself to block their path. once the player is blocked and cannot move, the moving platform (White triangles in middle of screen) will destroy the player if they come in contact with it.

Each corner and side can be entered and exited – e.g. if you exit the bottom left corner, you will enter through the top left corner. This is to make sure each player has a route they can take to escape the moving platform.

It was not easy to design this level, but by using blocks to measure each object within the level scene, I mapped out each position carefully.

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It was not easy to design this level, but by using blocks to measure each object within the level scene, I mapped out each position carefully.

Once all the rules, measurements, level designs and victory conditions were all documented and agreed upon, it was time to build the game within Unity. This would prove to be the most difficult challenge of the Brief. However, anyone who has access to YouTube tutorials on how to code and use Unity can do this too!

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Reflection Of Brief:

I really enjoyed doing this brief. I knew I would enjoy this one the most due to my love of Battle Royale games and from the amount of thought I put into it. At first glance I thought this Brief would be easy (Due to my passion, knowledge and experience of Battle Royales) however, it proved me wrong. The reason this brief asked for a Platformer Battle Royale is because it is so unique and isolated as a game genre. During my research I found that there were only 2 of these games I could find, showing me the lack of thought and ingenuity designers had for these types of games. In order for me to produce a design worth something, I had to think what people would want. This brief not only taught me how to think and document game ideas and designs, it also allowed me to start from the game only being one line of words: “What if a platform game was a Battle Royale game? No guns though please”, to becoming a playable game with documented rules, designs, scoring etc. Overall I would have to say I have thoroughly enjoyed this first brief (even though it was difficult) as it showed me that I could create something from merely a sentence.

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Brief #1 – Research and Design

I chose this brief first because I knew that this brief would be, by far the most interesting one to do. The brief was layed out to intruige me as soon as i read it:

“What if a platform game was a Battle Royale game? No guns though please”

When I saw this line i knew this brief was the one I’d tackle first. Due to my love and wide knowledge of Battle Royale games (all of them even Fortnite at its core!), this brief was right up my street. Firstly, I defined each meaning:

Platform game = “a type of video game featuring two-dimensional graphics where the player controls a character jumping or climbing between solid platforms at different positions on the screen.”

Battle Royale = “Battle royal traditionally refers to a fight involving many combatants that is fought until only one fighter remains standing”

When both definitions for the games stared at me I just had to find a way to merge them both together to create a fun, unique game. The idea to make my game a ‘couch game’ was most likely the smartest way to merge these two types of games together. Where more than two people can sit in the same room and challenge each other to be the last one standing.

The research i did for this brief lead me to believe that couch games were sometimes overlooked. it also lead me to the figures of how successful Battle Roayle games have become and how they’re rising in popularity and slowly taking over the market.

However, my research also lead me to see just how little Platform Battle Royale games there are, and showed me just how unique this game I’m attempting to Design is.

The game specialism I have chosen is Design. This involves certain hypothetical briefs that must be treated non-hypothetically, where all involve a task you must do. For example, the first brief I have chosen is called prototype. This involves creating your own game in document and build form. I have chosen this specialism because I feel it has multiple aspects that involve being creative, which I like very much. This specialism seems challenging and thus I want to prove to myself that I may tackle each difficulty that comes my way.

My initial thoughts of my specialism is that I hoped it would be as fun as it is difficult. In the first lesson it was proven to me that it would in fact be fun and difficult at the same time.

The skills one may develop go beyond design. As well as designing and documenting games, a designer must be a jack of all trades: coding, sound and art work are also key skills one must need to show what’s inside the mind of a designer, and that designer must be able to show people. Thus I beleive my skills will develop not just in aspects of design such as refining ideas, setting clear instructions/directions, but with all aspects of game development (coding, sound,art)

As previously mentioned, time management is the key to organised and great work. This specialism definitely requires designers to stick to a time limit and get the best possible work done in that time. It also looks quite challenging and would require extreme organisation. As someone who may struggle with these skills, I personally think doing this specialism will improve my organisation skills.

Managing this work will all be down to me and my time skills. I’m aiming to get most of the brief done by Tuesday as that’s when I have time to discuss what I’ve done with a superior. This will not only improve my work but allow me to look at my work with an extra critical eye, allowing me to develop this certain skill and apply it to future briefs. Here is a design idea I’ve had for the brief I’m working on: ‘a platformer but it’s a battle royale’

The overall narrative of this game creates an unbelievable atmosphere along with the 1930’s modernist architecture and, of course, the amazing, overwhelming underwater city. However, even though the aesthetic achievements are immense, they aren’t seen to overpower the genius narrative of exploring a dystopian underwater society. One of the things I admire about this BioShock narrative is how the choices of the player effect the ending of the game. As people play games they attach themselves to the characters they play as as well as the ones they meet. Having a narrative that is able to alter depending on whether a player chooses to save or sacrifice is revolutionary in gaming. If it wasn’t possible to further immerse consumers whilst playing a game, Ken Levine has made it possible through this little detail that has a big impact on narrative.

The story of Hellblade is based on Celtic and Norse mythology and follows the story of a warrior named Senua as she embarks on a very personal journey through a hellish underworld. The studio did a wonderful job at mixing the magnificently rich history of the Celtic and Norse mythology with the right amount of fiction to deliver a breathtaking experience.

Although the narrative throughout this game is predominantly mythology, not only informing players but also allowing them to relive the stories that were heard hundreds of years ago, it is merely seen as a secondary source of information.

From the word go in this game I’m immediately unsettled and nervous. This is due to the constant use of whispers and voices that can be heard. Even though Ninja Theory (creators) knew that these voices would unsettle the players, they still continued to overload headphones with whispers and calls – sometimes heard from different places.

I admire what they’re attempting to show through this game as it isn’t solely about a warrior fighting Gods and getting to Hel, it also focuses on her inner, personal demons. This game has been made to shed light on real issues that real people suffer from each day. Schizophrenia is widely understood as a awful mental illness, however many people dont understand what a person who suffers from it may feel like. Hellblade portrays this extremely well, showing her inner hurt as well as her delusions.

Thus, in conclusion, Ninja Theory created two very well thought out and researched narratives, and managed to create a masterpiece of a game, as well as informing players on mental illness.

Game Specialism – Programming, Narrative, Games Design

Why do this?

• A weekly update to see progress
• To show I’m doing my work!

• Game briefs + personal work
• Programming, Narrative styles, Game design