Rita Parry:: 3D Game Design
A blog for documenting my various works for MDDN 343.
Permalink
MDDN343: Project Three [Game Group Evaluation]
“Carnival Carts”
Development Roles:
Kelsey Thomson: Asset Modelling / Level Design + Texturing
Rita Parry: GUI Design + Asset Modelling + Texturing
Kris Bacaling: Terrains + Level Design / Asset Modelling
Bronwyn Hopkins: GUI + Mini-map Implementation, Scene / Pickup Interaction + Audio
James McCann: Cart / Environment Physics, Camera Programming + AI Implementation
Kelsey, Kris and I were the 3 Designers in our group, and though we each had specific tasks that we were in charge of, we found that some tasks, such as 3D modeling certain assets were much more time-consuming than we thought; and thus had to cross-contribute by either texturing each other’s models while we fixed and implemented assets with the programmers.
I was solely in charge of GUI and Menus, which took a load off the others but did cost a lot of labour for assets. We didn’t realize how asset-heavy our game was until much later, and time-management was always an issue, as problems would occur that would push back deadlines, which in turn pushed back asset completion, etc. such as inversed normals, broken meshes and corrupt textures.
James and Bronwyn were our programmers, and worked strictly with the AGILE method; working in several sprints per week to get the physics and GUI implemented from the start. Physics was always an ongoing problem for us, as we had problems with colliders and the cart would go flying at the slightest jump of an uneven surface. This was eventually fixed, and we all graduated from a long learning curve that was continuous, as all of us had never used Unity before.
As a team, we worked quite well, as we all got along amicably and were happy to contribute many different ideas and concepts for our game. This was both an advantage and a disadvantage, as at times, we had too many ideas going on at once which made things more difficult asset creation-wise, and coding-wise. However, as a team we all decided on things to cut, and things to implement, so our judgement was even and fair, and everyone was willing to compromise if an idea wasn’t working out.
Overall, the experience with the team was a good one, and everyone was quite happy with the way the game turned out. It changed a vast amount from the way it was at the start, and we overcame many problems that came our way. Even though we were forced to cut many ideas due to time and ability constraints, the finished game is one we’re all proud of.
Permalink
MDDN343 Project Three: Revised Game Proposal / Document
“Carnival Carts”
Concept:
A quirky, fairytale-gothic themed racing game that will incorporate keyboard control to manoeuvre and include many different themed levels that the player will transverse on his way to the next. The player must also beat a rival AI by knocking into them to slow them down.
Narrative:
The player owns a relatively unknown and mysterious travelling circus that is touring around various towns in order to perform their show and make a bigger reputation. However, the mean Devious Mr. Cogsworth is out to stop and beat you, so you must race against him to win the town over.
Audience:
Since the game will be quite quirky, fast-paced and humourous, it will appeal to both children and some young adults who may appreciate the crazy art-style.
Gameplay + Mechanics:
The controlling of the player’s circus will be through usage of the ‘WASD’ keyboard setup, while navigating through menus will be through usage of the arrow keys and the mouse.
The player controls one caravan initially, but as they progress through the four levels, the player will automatically gain one caravan that will follow you on the back of your main one. The game will be set in a 3D landscape, and various levels will have four different-themed tracks, such as a Forest level, a Desert level, a Snow level and a Rainbow level. There is a rival AI (Devious Mr. Cogsworth) that you must beat to the town, and thus get a better score at the end of the game. The AI can bump into you, knocking your carts to break away, so you must go back to pick them up. However, you are also able to knock back into the AI, to slow him down. The in-game currency is gold coins, which you can pick up along the way on the tracks. Pickups, such as speed boosts will also line the tracks to help you on the way. Longer paths will often yield more coins, but lose you precious time in beating your opponent, so it is up to the player to decide how to play.
The game layout will thus have a timer in the corner of the screen to track the time you are taking, and a coin counter to track the amount of coins collected.
The end score, is calculated by the amount of coins collected and the time you took, with a three-star achievement system: One star gained for completing the level, another for beating the AI, and finally one for collecting all of the coins.
General Aesthetic + Soundscape:
The colours will be in shades of dark hues and royal colours to match with a quirky, Tim-Burtonesque dark fairytale theme. Highlights of gold and deep red will be used to cover menus and various items. The audio will be matched to the carnival theme; being ambient yet quirky.
Development Team Roles:
Kelsey Thomson: Environment Asset Modelling / Level Design + Texturing
Rita Parry: GUI / Menus Design + Environment Asset Modelling + Texturing
Kris Bacaling: Terrains + Level Design / Cart Asset Modelling
Bronwyn Hopkins: GUI + Mini-map Implementation, Scene / Pickup Interaction + Audio
James McCann: Cart / Environment Physics, Camera Programming + AI Implementation
Scope of Project:
Weeks 1-2: Planning of Game Implementation / Mechanics + Asset Design
Weeks 3-4: Asset Creation + Game Mechanics Implementation
Weeks 5-6: Asset Tweaking + Sound Design + Menu / GUI Design
Weeks 6-7: GUI Implementation + Game Mechanics Tweaking
Weeks 8-9: Special Effects / Camera Panning + Overall Game Tweaking
Game Requirements + Prioritised Tasks:
1. All main assets created and incorporated with textures
2. All main game mechanics implemented and working
3. GUI design created and implemented + soundtrack / soundeffects implemented
4. Have a working game incorporating (1-3).
5. Implement special effects + camera tweaks.
Preferred Platform:
This game was intended for PC.
