Week 7 - Reviewing our work and rambling about pitching

As the second to last lecture we had a fairly important one, to me at least. We went through a briefing about a big aspect of the project - the pitch and design document.

The lecture and mostly the attached examples were really helpful in nailing down or at least giving you an idea of what it should be. To put it simple, a design document does not have a predefined word count or format. What distinguishes it, is the game itself. The document should cater to the specifics of your creation. Since we set off on this journey we were told that we have two aspects of the document: the fun part- Development process and the not so intriguing, at least to myself, Sales aspect.

As of the pitch itself ... Needless to say it requires a lot of preparation. This was mentioned by the lecturer too, however in my opinion it is not as simple as that. A person who is assigned to do this would have a plethora of different skills, the main one being skills in people interaction and a hell of a lot of psychology. What I mean to say is that, in my opinion, the successful pitches work when you have a passion about the project, be prepared and most of all know what you are going up against.

"Great game concept + Meticulous preparation + A bit of luck = Success!"

It is your personal way to get through the thick skin of the big fishes who you are supposed to bring on your side. This seems like one of the hardest aspects of this whole game, as it can be a challenge to get backing from a person who is higher up in the food chain than you are. However, in the pursuit of the big market and exposure, there is not room for repetition and mediocrity. So as long as you trust in your product and most importantly - your team, this whole deal goes from a nerve wrecking feat to the drive to accomplish a passion project and see it being materialized.

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Furthering our tasks

As I mentioned last few weeks we decided on the bigger individual tasks. Of course, prior to that we decided to create the foundations as a team, mainly because the most important part is the vision of the game we are going for.

To set this off we did our shares and this time we decided to review the accomplishments.

Beginning with the User Interface created by Euan. He brought an amazingly polished and fully thought out design of the visuals a player would be presented when playing. All his work would most likely be on his blog, however I am going to take the liberty to attach a preview to it here.

No clarification required here as he did it all perfectly. 

Next off Connor showed us what he envisioned the lore would be from the brief brainstorming we did so far. Deriving from the detailed and immersive design he brought to the table, it was clear that he enjoyed it and the result was clear. Previously we decided upon the idea that we are having a simple yet immersive story (as immersive as it can be for a mobile game such as ours) that does not restrict the player from diversifying. However, we are going for the aspect of uniqueness which was greatly brought in by Connors ideas. He fleshed out the idea we had for every character class to have a different story, expanded the world with zone history and tyrannic kingdoms.

A valid example here would be a quick snippet of our characters story and how they came to the point of no return.

• One of our characters is a rogue and what gets him involved in the feuds that are going on is the disappearance of his only sister.
• The other one is a warrior from the kings guard and due to a revelation he decides to do something worth remembering.
• Last but not least is a hunter that finds him/herself in the midst of the destruction of their village.

As of me, I had my time with Gimp and sketched simple character figures and building designs that could be a lead into what our vision of the game is. Having in mind that visual art is the sole aspect that could change rapidly with every different idea that is brought into or out of the game, I decided to keep it universal, yet still bring something unique or special to our game world. 

As buildings go I showed my visions in different styles mainly due to the fact that we were thinking of different locations, cultures and therefore different structure designs. Focusing on the building part of the game, a player would be presented with different options of structures required to grow his town. Doing so different buildings with different designs have different properties which is hopefully understandable to all. 

The characters however being the challenge they are, turned out pretty well if I could say so myself. 

Week 6 - Discussing the commercialization of our company

This week was not as eventful as the previous ones.

To summarize the highlights of the lecture and our team work on the project.

The lecture introduced me to the psychology behind the design of a game, the "look and feel" as it was phrased. What is required of a Design team, is to think and execute every aspect with the aim to make it flow perfectly. This is interpreted by everyone differently, but how I see it is: making all the aspects seamless and natural, somehow to take you out of the real world and place you in the fictional.
This surely sounds like a hard requirement, but with an incredible amount of forethought and experience in the field of design it can be accomplished. And here is where I emphasize on how important a team of designers is for a bigger project of course. (however it seems like in the current market, which is mainly mobile, the design of half the elements is absent or dulled down, but the focus falls on the gameplay and simplicity)

As of our project we discussed some more ideas around the story and gameplay. Also we had the opportunity to think a bit more about the visuals and layout of our environment and characters, the feel of the game and player choice.
We decided it is time to go over the finance part of the whole subject. It is understood that this is done by people who are seemingly passionate about it (when it comes to actual real practice project that require this on top of all else), but we did what we can with our expertise.
Thankfully in our team we have the finance guru in the face of Connor. A talented young fellow who would gladly go on and on about money and how it would work in this spectrum of things.

Week 5 - Each one of us has a specific job to do

This session we decided it is time to make it official and assign particular work the the right people.

Connor has the task to look into the story of the world and that of our heroes, to make everything feel like it should. Euan was assigned the UI design, which in the case of a handheld device such as a phone is a very important aspect. And I should get to the concept art. The looks of the characters and surroundings as my main focus, I need to translate their stories into visuals and explain it for the designers further down the line.

As of the lecture about gameplay it went over one of the most important parts of a game and it was done quite well. It helped us realize what we were going for and whether we are happy with it still. the answer is yes ... Yes we are.
Through the number of games I have played in my life I can vouch for the statement, that the balance between difficulty thresholds is the thing that should be well thought through. Focusing on what you are going for it is easy to decide on which side your game should lean to, but the hardships start when you want to create the perfect combination.

Week 4 - Envision the feel of the game ... Also art inspiration and ideas.

This week we discussed the feel of our game and the visual approach we are taking for the characters and the world. For now we agreed upon a slightly pixelated art style with inspirations such as "Crypt of the Necrodancer" and "Titan souls". To me particularly a similar look to the game "Titan souls" seems more fitting as it looks slightly simpler. I had the idea to make it more detailed, but due to device limitations this could be a bad idea.

I envision the feel of the world slightly darker thank usual, in order to induce the urge of dread, but not as much to the point that it gets overwhelming. I had the idea of few different zones to chose from in the beginning of the character selection, for example - viking themed zone, tribal, sailor/pirate, but for now this seems to be too much to think of. All of the above would have a different building style, enemies, character designs and overall artwork. As for the settlement design (and character concept art further down).

I brought up a bunch of references that could get my idea across. Of course, the next few weeks I will be working on our original artwork, but for now you could call it looking for inspiration or even research to help envision the details and specifics of a world and its inhabitants.

Well designed and simple buildings, however I reckon this would be too realistic for the feel of our game.

An interesting looking layout of the buildings and the surroundings. 

I have always loved the feel that WoW's Grizzly Hills implies. It is desolate but still full of life. Dangerous and beautiful.
For a viking zone this sort of feel should be aimed for. 

Grizzly Hills again, but this time the focus is on the buildings. These look sturdy and natural at the same time.
Having in mind that we are going to have utility buildings such as a smith, tailor and so on, I think wooden
buildings can be modified into some of the specifics we need.

Here is another viking themed location in World of Warcraft with a slightly moodier look to it.
This could be due to seasons but the combination with the fires makes it cozier and a seemingly good location for a settlement.

A Minecraft rendered image that looks like an interesting location for a settlement.
I like how it is enclosed in a mountain ridge and it has access to a mine.
This idea could be utilized well in our case as we
want to imply that our hero is hiding.

For a sailor/pirate settlement this gives me a brief surge of ideas. The small, simple, weather-resistant structures
located on the coast surrounded by lush vegetation. That is the feel this would be going for - lively and simple.

As of the characters and enemies we are going for something that would be universal to all the possible zones, mostly because the hero is a traveler or a runaway, so he clearly shouldn't fit in. Also with time you are going to come across different skins (one way or another) that will change your appearance and equipment.

A model of a hunter.

Tattered light pair of clothes for the rogue, for swiftness and comfort.
Confident and happy as rogues are.

Heavier more battle oriented model.
Our rogue most likely will not have
a ranged weapon.

A female model of the rogue.
As we are having the choice between both genders
clothes reference like this is helpful.

The warrior should be heavier built.

A suggestion of a wizard implementation
He could be more of a battle wizard

In case a tribal zone/character is considered

Week 3 - Base decisions about Characters and Game setting

This week the lecture helped me look more in depth than I have ever perceived character design and it's importance in the grand scheme of a game. Needless to say, it is clear that in every game the first thing to notice is the main character (or even the first character you have contact with). An interesting thing to ask yourself is "What makes a character stand out to me?". Most likely you wouldn't have a straight forward answer as this is practically impossible. As with real life humans characters in a game are different ... they are So different and complex that you can not find one that has that "Thing" but none other does. 

It is often that a good character design makes a great impression, and mostly with the main character who is usually "you" whether in first person or third person games, the aim is to make the player feel for the hero. And this doesn't even cut it anymore. A good design of a great game is completed with a stunning character envisionment that plants you in the main characters head (or put the whole game world in your head). However, this might be hard or even borderline impossible ... and it definitely is a challenge, and very rarely you can have contact with a game character who makes the whole experience feel like reality (or as close as it can get). This is why many RPG designers, for whom creating a world you can feel a part of and practically live in, rely on the type of story telling that creates the illusion of a fairy tale or a story. 

For example one of my all time favorite game stories with stunning characters and immersive worlds is The Witcher. The designers were inspired by a book, yes ... But translating a form of linear media into something that depends on you for the most part, is a immense accomplishment. They had the idea of creating the narrative as if a secondary character tells the story of a legendary hunter, however, even in that you get lost in the moments you simply play as Geralt.

To summarize my thoughts, a great character story and design in whole is a really tricky process and what makes one hero "The one" wouldn't work for another. You need to think really hard into what would make the player relate, feel in control, yet have an extraordinary life or assets that will translate to the person behind his digital representation

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The progress of our game vision

Talking about our ideas so far we decided to implement a subtle story that explains the setting and makes the character feel like he is a part of this place. We are giving the player the choice to embark on the journey as one of few characters. For now we agreed to a warrior, who finds himself in a bad situation which involves the death of family members. And the rogue - a skilled thief who takes off on a forced journey to find his dissipated sister. 

There were many other opportunities for characters such as a hunter who finds himself in the ruins of his village after coming back from a hunt. Realizing his daughter is missing he runs out into the woods to find her. There he finds the rogue who tells his story briefly and they get separated due to some circumstance. In order to keep the game personal, yet make it feel like you are not alone. There was an idea to add a wizard character, but this could be thought through in the future. 

The characters will most likely be story driven but not something you can't snap out of in order to keep it simple for the main aspect of our game, which is the settlement management. The story that we are thinking over is the aspect that defines our characters, the asset that explains their circumstance, the world and the possible outcome if succeeded or failed.