Today I took a peek at another blog because after publishing my
first post on game design, I felt quite lost. I wasn't entirely sure where I
was going or if I was doing the ‘right thing’.
Although I did mention that I've played a few games, they are usually
between long periods of ‘breaks’. I do
appreciate games, however I was never really an avid or consistent gamer.
During my exploration I noticed how well some people were able to articulate
their ideas. They either had more game experience, a wider range of game
terminology or were just simply better writers. I realize this is something I
need to improve on over time.
The game idea I decided to expand on is the life of an animal. My
aim for this game is to create an immersive environment for the player to
explore. In order for that to be my main focus, I will need to carefully
reflect on the game mechanics in order to make it simple yet engaging enough
for the player to actively explore the environment around them. Another aspect
to consider is if I'm hoping to incorporate a certain level of detail to the
environment, I will need think about the size of the actual map of the game. Lighting is another element of the game I will need to practice with Unity. Since the game is set in nature, I find it important to be able to create a picturesque and atmospheric ambience in the game. The Unity User Manual as well as a video by UGuruz on Youtube will allow me to get started with lighting.
Lost Ember is a game I
recently discovered. I never played the game, however from what I've seen it
does hold similar elements to what I am going for. Here's a sample image which roughly reflects the game idea.
The following are my current thoughts on mechanics for the game:
Movement/Interaction
So far, in Unity we learned to add basic movements to our game
objects as well as learning to rotate our game objects so they wouldn't seem as
rigid and constrained in their movements. I hope to expand a little more on
that while also being realistic about my limited knowledge and skills in using
Unity. What I hope to achieve is to make the animals appear a little more
life-like by including a walking animation so they don't look like their
dragged across the screen. If this is achievable within the required time frame
for this project, I hope to add small
interactions between the player and the animal NPCs. For instance, if the
player were to approach a flock of birds, the birds would be able to ‘sense’
this and disperse. This basic unity animation tutorial by MrQboll on YouTube may help me get started with that.
Hunting
Well for starters, the initial part of the hunt is the chase. If
I'm able to achieve having the player’s
action provoke a reaction, the npc they will approach should be able to flee.
In which case the player will have to chase after it. In order to allow the
player to reach the target, said target would have a decrease in speed over
time. To kill the target the player will have the option to pounce (jump),
slash (claws), and bite the target once in range.
Foraging
The player has also the option of searching through vegetation
for plant based food. Plants which are edible will be highlighted with a
coloured ‘aura’ surrounding it. Plants will provide short buffs to the player,
such as increased movement speed and attack damage. There will be a wide
variety of plants and berries to choose from and some will be harder to obtain
- the player will have to get passed an obstacle.
Transformation and Obstacles
As mentioned in the previous post. I want to be able to give the
player the option of experiencing their surroundings as different animals - and
potentially different perspectives (depending on the size of the animal).
Currently, I'm considering a fox, a bird (swallow), and perhaps a fish. The
player will have the option of switching between the three animals to overcome
obstacles - each related to the animals’ natural habitat e.g turning into a
fish to cross a river. However, the player will start off by playing only one
animal. Once they have overcome an
obstacle they will have access to the second animal and so on until they reach
the three animal cap. This will avoid the player from rushing to the game and
make it more of a challenge.
Wow Julia, I am so impressed reading all your games ideas, I liked all of them, but the most astonishing idea was number three-earning the favor of gods,
ReplyDelete.Maybe because I like both Greek and Armenian mythology. And honestly, I will play that game with pleasure, though I am not a fun of online games at all. I wonder, if you can design that game in this semester using Unity 3d tutorials, but I am quite sure you will.
I noticed you added more details on the game design, so, when I was reading, I imagine already the game on the computer screen. What if you used the idea and create a cartoon for the kids, I am sure they would like to know more about Greek mythology, and it could be used in the education system, either. At the end, I would like to thank you for sharing your interesting ideas with us. Good Luck!
Hey Julia! It's Ellen x if you saw my comment on your intro blog this proves my point. Your ideas are so creative and different from everyone else. I can't wait to see the game you design. I hope you're adjusting to college from home, its not easy. Good luck with this semester !!
ReplyDeleteHi Julia,
ReplyDeleteI really liked your "Lost in Space" game idea in your previous blog, its sounds very intense! And also because I have a love for astronomy. The game idea is definitely very creative and worth creating, but can see that you’ve already chosen the “The life of an Animal”, which is also a great choice too. From reading your game ideas, I can see that you like playing adventurous games, have you ever created a game before? Just curious. I really liked the game idea you’ve chosen to create for the rest of the semester, I especially liked that you wanted to make the player transform into animals, what if you could add animals sound effects also, I think that it would really amplify your game even further, either way I know your game will turn out great! Good luck with it!
-Khang
Hey Julia! I really like this game idea you wrote here! It's really detailed and I can see you have a great game in mind! I'm excited to see how you go about creating the game and your final outcome! Best of luck and stay creative!
ReplyDeleteHi Julia, I think your game idea is incredibly interesting. I love the small details you're adding in to make it more realistic and life-like. I like that you want the appearance a particular way, like getting the lighting right and so on. You've definitely researched it well too. What will the surroundings be like? I suppose it depends on the animal. Do you have a set location or animal type? Or will it be something the player can choose from themselves? Maybe a list of three types of wolves or four types of foxes or something like that? I'm interested to see what you choose. I think it could be interesting if you added 'scent tracking' in the hunting section if it was possible. I'm not sure how doable it would be, but Red Dead Redemption 2 did something like this and it made the hunting action very fun and added an extra sense of realness to it. Best of luck with it!
ReplyDeleteHey Julia! Out of all the game ideas I've read so far I haven't seen one other one like this and I love it! You have put a lot of thought into the smaller things like when you mentioned vegetation for food. I see that the player will be able to hunt by slashing and pouncing but was wondering if the player will have any dangers to themselves? That could add a bit more challenge to the player if they are also trying to avoid something! I also wonder if you know what animal the player will be? In the photo you included it's a fox but it could be cool to have a few different options that the player could pick to play as! Although I do like the idea of the vegetation giving the player short buffs of speed I also wonder would it be quite difficult to pull off for your first game? I don't even know where I'd start with that myself! Anyways I think its a fantastic idea and hope it works out well for you!!
ReplyDeleteHey julia , fantastic blog entry, i really enjoyed reading your game idea, I like the the over premise of your game so far i think the animal aspect will add a interesting dynamic to the game, also have multiple animal the play can obtain will keep it interesting
ReplyDeleteHey Julia,
ReplyDeleteI love the overall vibe and feel of your game idea so far and I am really excited to see the final product. I'm a big fan of these types of more chill exploration type games where you can kind of relax while playing the game and I'm really intrigued by your concept so far.
How are you going to build the map for the game? Is it going to be completely open from the start so you can interact, see, explore the different areas for the three animals or are you going to reveal it in sections? Like will you be able to see the fish sections initially but not be able to overcome them yet or will there be alternative routes?
With the time constraints of the module in mind maybe you could make the game a little more linear rather than a large expansive open world to cut down on resources. You could implement the game mechanics you want within smaller sections/missions maybe?