Lately I've been having a lot of trouble getting to college. My work isn't giving me the most favourable hours and I've been sick twice in 3 weeks. I've missed 4 days of classes due to being sick and another 3 due to not being able to afford the trip. I'm trying to keep up with what we're doing in class on the classes section of the website but things aren't always uploaded there. When it's not I ask classmates if I missed anything important.
It's demoralizing because I feel like I am falling behind a lot and there isn't much I can do about it. I'm considering talking to a tutor about a quick catch-up session to make sure I at least understand the gist of what we've been learning but overall I just think I need to focus on attending class and passing my subjects for this term. Then I'm going to save money over the holidays to make sure I can afford class for the entire term. I'm going into class this week for sure so I will see what I can do.
Monday 24 November 2014
Week 8 (The Term "Game")
What is a game?
I've been thinking a lot lately about what a game actually is. I've done some reading online after a few quick searches and a lot of people disagree about what a game actually is. A lot of people argue that it is a hobby that people do for fun. Some argue that it is something to pass the time, others that it is a way to distract themselves from their real life. Sure, all of these things are 100% accurate, but they do not define what a game is.
In my opinion, a game is an expression. It is someone else's expression of something. Like art. Like a piece of art that someone poured something that was in their mind onto a moving portrait that is our pixelated screen. Game designers, programmers, animators. All of them are artists in their own right. They, you, we, me. We are all expressing ourselves through our choices, thoughts, and ability to put what we're thinking onto the screen.
No matter how much effort is put in, it is an expression of who we are. Putting no effort in shows on the screen and that, in itself, is an expression of who you are. Putting lots of effort in and being creative is also an expression. People working, learning or living in the creative medium of games are all artists and I'm excited to see what things I will be able to share with people when I go out into the world.
I've been thinking a lot lately about what a game actually is. I've done some reading online after a few quick searches and a lot of people disagree about what a game actually is. A lot of people argue that it is a hobby that people do for fun. Some argue that it is something to pass the time, others that it is a way to distract themselves from their real life. Sure, all of these things are 100% accurate, but they do not define what a game is.
In my opinion, a game is an expression. It is someone else's expression of something. Like art. Like a piece of art that someone poured something that was in their mind onto a moving portrait that is our pixelated screen. Game designers, programmers, animators. All of them are artists in their own right. They, you, we, me. We are all expressing ourselves through our choices, thoughts, and ability to put what we're thinking onto the screen.
No matter how much effort is put in, it is an expression of who we are. Putting no effort in shows on the screen and that, in itself, is an expression of who you are. Putting lots of effort in and being creative is also an expression. People working, learning or living in the creative medium of games are all artists and I'm excited to see what things I will be able to share with people when I go out into the world.
Week 7 (Game Atmosphere)
This is an interesting topic to me. I've been playing a lot of different games lately and one thing I've noticed is that they actually make me feel different. Metro: Last Light made me feel sad, Far Cry 4 made me feel oppressed, and Evolve made me feel gritty. As I switched between these games I got to thinking about how I felt. Why do I feel this way while playing these games?
One huge reason that games make me personally feel the way I do tends to be the music and audio in the game. For example, the music on Far Cry 4 gave me the feeling of being oppressed and being shackled. In a word, shackled. Here is a link to the music from Far Cry 4. The slow build up and intense singing is great for creating that kind of atmosphere. Another example is Evolve making me feel gritty. Here's one of the tracks from Evolve. You can perhaps see what I'm getting at.
I've been able to take this understanding and use it in my groups current game that we're working on to help give the game the feeling that we want it to have. I've learned that audio has a much larger impact on the atmosphere and feel of a game than any other part of the game and having that much control over our game is invigorating.
One huge reason that games make me personally feel the way I do tends to be the music and audio in the game. For example, the music on Far Cry 4 gave me the feeling of being oppressed and being shackled. In a word, shackled. Here is a link to the music from Far Cry 4. The slow build up and intense singing is great for creating that kind of atmosphere. Another example is Evolve making me feel gritty. Here's one of the tracks from Evolve. You can perhaps see what I'm getting at.
I've been able to take this understanding and use it in my groups current game that we're working on to help give the game the feeling that we want it to have. I've learned that audio has a much larger impact on the atmosphere and feel of a game than any other part of the game and having that much control over our game is invigorating.
Wednesday 12 November 2014
Week 6 (Post Mortem 2)
Process Post-Mortem
1. Important/significant events
● what were they
Completely recreating the game from scratch, twice.
Finally completing the core mechanics of the game so that we could officially "test" the feel of the game.
Deciding that we needed to change the way the movement worked.
Procedurally generated targets.
● what caused them
Lack of forethought about how the game would end up if we pursued the ideas we originally thought of.
● what have you learned from them
To think about the end of the project rather than what's right in front of me.
● what processes or procedures would you enact to manage them in the future projects
Would enforce a proper leader for the group so that nobody felt unsure about what they should be doing. Also thought more about what exactly we wanted the game to "feel" like.
2. How has your choice of production style affected the project quality and quantity?
If we'd spent more time setting out jobs for each member of the team we would've been more effective.
● How much time was spent in each project phase?
Different roles spent different amounts of times. The programmer spent the most amount of time on the game by far. Each phase lasted around the same amount of time.
3. How has your choice of software affected the project quality,quantity and style?
Unity is a great program and 3DS Max was an effective tool for creating the map.
Blog
1. Document all the assets (scripts, art, audio, etc.) you have contributed
Same jobs as my last blog in "Week 4 (Post Mortem)" which can be found here: http://jacksoncoll.blogspot.com.au/
2. How has the work you’ve contributed help you achieve your professional goals?
Designing a level is definitely something I will be doing in the future although I cannot say the same for a rhythm based game. As I want to go indie I honestly doubt I'd ever decide to do a musical game in my life. This may be naive but that is just how I feel.
● if it hasn't how will you change this in the future
In future I will speak with the group about what genre / type of game will benefit us all mutually. Even in this group, nobody was particularly fond of a musical based game, we just got carried away with doing something different.
3. What are 3 important things you’ve learnt from developing this project?
The team needs a leader.
The team members need to understand what exactly their job is.
The type of game decided on needs to be relevant to the future of all group members.
1. Important/significant events
● what were they
Completely recreating the game from scratch, twice.
Finally completing the core mechanics of the game so that we could officially "test" the feel of the game.
Deciding that we needed to change the way the movement worked.
Procedurally generated targets.
● what caused them
Lack of forethought about how the game would end up if we pursued the ideas we originally thought of.
● what have you learned from them
To think about the end of the project rather than what's right in front of me.
● what processes or procedures would you enact to manage them in the future projects
Would enforce a proper leader for the group so that nobody felt unsure about what they should be doing. Also thought more about what exactly we wanted the game to "feel" like.
2. How has your choice of production style affected the project quality and quantity?
If we'd spent more time setting out jobs for each member of the team we would've been more effective.
● How much time was spent in each project phase?
Different roles spent different amounts of times. The programmer spent the most amount of time on the game by far. Each phase lasted around the same amount of time.
3. How has your choice of software affected the project quality,quantity and style?
Unity is a great program and 3DS Max was an effective tool for creating the map.
Blog
1. Document all the assets (scripts, art, audio, etc.) you have contributed
Same jobs as my last blog in "Week 4 (Post Mortem)" which can be found here: http://jacksoncoll.blogspot.com.au/
2. How has the work you’ve contributed help you achieve your professional goals?
Designing a level is definitely something I will be doing in the future although I cannot say the same for a rhythm based game. As I want to go indie I honestly doubt I'd ever decide to do a musical game in my life. This may be naive but that is just how I feel.
● if it hasn't how will you change this in the future
In future I will speak with the group about what genre / type of game will benefit us all mutually. Even in this group, nobody was particularly fond of a musical based game, we just got carried away with doing something different.
3. What are 3 important things you’ve learnt from developing this project?
The team needs a leader.
The team members need to understand what exactly their job is.
The type of game decided on needs to be relevant to the future of all group members.
Week 5 (Motivating A Team)
Of all of the things I've learned in this term is that staying motivated in a seemingly "fake" environment is quite difficult. By fake I mean a staged environment meant to feel like a workplace. Our duty so far has been to create and perfect a in a group. Theorising has become easy enough, I've learned that to get everyone on board with an idea all you need to do is start small and build off of it rather than thinking about the complicate intricacies at the very beginning of the project.
The most effective thing that motivates a team I've found so far is when everyone knows exactly what they are doing in the group. One person does music and games design, the other does art, the other does programming and the last helps with one of the latter. In my experience, when a person feels like they are going to have a true impact on the groups success, that is when they put in their best effort and feel motivated, after all, nobody wants to disappoint their peers. So far this has been working in our group but I feel like after some more clarification on our roles, this could be the most effective group to date. I'm looking to understand more about how to motivate my team but this is what I've learned so far.
The most effective thing that motivates a team I've found so far is when everyone knows exactly what they are doing in the group. One person does music and games design, the other does art, the other does programming and the last helps with one of the latter. In my experience, when a person feels like they are going to have a true impact on the groups success, that is when they put in their best effort and feel motivated, after all, nobody wants to disappoint their peers. So far this has been working in our group but I feel like after some more clarification on our roles, this could be the most effective group to date. I'm looking to understand more about how to motivate my team but this is what I've learned so far.
Tuesday 4 November 2014
Week 4 (Post Mortem)
Post Mortem
Important/significant events
● what were they
We had to recreate the entire assignment after deciding that some of the key elements of the game weren't properly thought out.
● what caused them
Lack of understanding of the project. We got so caught up in theorising a good game we forgot all about practicality and it got the best of us in this case.
● what have you learned from them
That thinking ahead is extremely important when thinking of concepts for games. You may think it is the most fantastic game in existence, but how can it be if you're unable to create it?
● what processes or procedures would you enact to manage them in the future projects
I'd make sure that the group has an official team leader and if nobody is willing to step up, I will do it myself. I would also make sure that all work was shared equally among the group rather than some doing particularly hard work and others doing easier work.
How has the work you’ve contributed help you achieve your professional goals?
● if it hasn’t how will you change this in the future
I was not able to do any programming to the level that I wanted and in the future I would make sure I think ahead and get myself a role that I feel will help me in the field I want to practice in.
Document all the assets (scripts, art, audio, etc.) you have contributed
A script, and I did a lot of actual level design rather than creating content. I contributed audio files and sound effects to the project as well.
How has your choice of production style affected the project quality and quantity?
We really should have had a leader managing the group rather than people being relied on to take the incentive. I felt a lot of the time like I wasn't able to contribute properly to the game because we didn't have much face time due to the classes being split. Also the one group meeting we did have I was unable to attend due to only finding out about it the night before.
● How much time was spent in each project phase?
I probably spent 5-6 hours in each phase of the project which was not as much as some other group members but again this is due to job allocation not being distributed fairly which I would indeed change in the future.
How has your choice of software affected the project quality,quantity and style?
I like Unity a lot and I do not think this prohibited our ability to make the game at all, in fact I believe it inhibited us. I did have a few issues with Unity due to my version doing strange things with my game objects but I believe that would be an easy fix if it became too much of a hindrance.
What are 3 important things you’ve learned from the playtesting session, about your game
specifically or game design/production in general.
The game needs to be faster paced.
It also needs to be less complex controls wise (remove left and right click)
The movement scheme needs to be severely changed. (Perhaps block movement rather than smooth.)
Important/significant events
● what were they
We had to recreate the entire assignment after deciding that some of the key elements of the game weren't properly thought out.
● what caused them
Lack of understanding of the project. We got so caught up in theorising a good game we forgot all about practicality and it got the best of us in this case.
● what have you learned from them
That thinking ahead is extremely important when thinking of concepts for games. You may think it is the most fantastic game in existence, but how can it be if you're unable to create it?
● what processes or procedures would you enact to manage them in the future projects
I'd make sure that the group has an official team leader and if nobody is willing to step up, I will do it myself. I would also make sure that all work was shared equally among the group rather than some doing particularly hard work and others doing easier work.
How has the work you’ve contributed help you achieve your professional goals?
● if it hasn’t how will you change this in the future
I was not able to do any programming to the level that I wanted and in the future I would make sure I think ahead and get myself a role that I feel will help me in the field I want to practice in.
Document all the assets (scripts, art, audio, etc.) you have contributed
A script, and I did a lot of actual level design rather than creating content. I contributed audio files and sound effects to the project as well.
How has your choice of production style affected the project quality and quantity?
We really should have had a leader managing the group rather than people being relied on to take the incentive. I felt a lot of the time like I wasn't able to contribute properly to the game because we didn't have much face time due to the classes being split. Also the one group meeting we did have I was unable to attend due to only finding out about it the night before.
● How much time was spent in each project phase?
I probably spent 5-6 hours in each phase of the project which was not as much as some other group members but again this is due to job allocation not being distributed fairly which I would indeed change in the future.
How has your choice of software affected the project quality,quantity and style?
I like Unity a lot and I do not think this prohibited our ability to make the game at all, in fact I believe it inhibited us. I did have a few issues with Unity due to my version doing strange things with my game objects but I believe that would be an easy fix if it became too much of a hindrance.
What are 3 important things you’ve learned from the playtesting session, about your game
specifically or game design/production in general.
The game needs to be faster paced.
It also needs to be less complex controls wise (remove left and right click)
The movement scheme needs to be severely changed. (Perhaps block movement rather than smooth.)
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)