tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-86784079294017803232024-02-07T21:35:14.979-08:00Cog by CogA Blog detailing my work on my indie game project, Dead Gear, as well as my thoughts on Game Design in general.Alex Millerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12835710219383920729noreply@blogger.comBlogger32125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8678407929401780323.post-82879894411021795652015-06-08T13:20:00.002-07:002015-06-08T13:21:14.522-07:00Official Dead Gear website has launched!Go check it out, peeps! Very excited to finally get the ball rolling!<br />
<a href="http://www.deadgeargame.com/">http://www.deadgeargame.com</a><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_sRYAGdZMPsQlUCe7AJvU5W8oUjcCsq-LfYeIhBa_Emc4nwwwRA4wPkHzU2rX69jBGJVIm4kOhuSDYOD9csf23BIXgsui5-v4KFAMpLVEI7ZsuP6d7WaHDW3E5Wl7ZZJHQg0lCJzwK0A/s1600/dead_city_small.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="171" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_sRYAGdZMPsQlUCe7AJvU5W8oUjcCsq-LfYeIhBa_Emc4nwwwRA4wPkHzU2rX69jBGJVIm4kOhuSDYOD9csf23BIXgsui5-v4KFAMpLVEI7ZsuP6d7WaHDW3E5Wl7ZZJHQg0lCJzwK0A/s400/dead_city_small.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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In addition, if you want to hear me yammer on about stuff and occasionally things about Dead Gear, then follow me on twitter: <a href="https://twitter.com/Kirbychwan">https://twitter.com/Kirbychwan</a>Alex Millerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12835710219383920729noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8678407929401780323.post-26121696779925850382015-05-19T14:38:00.004-07:002015-05-19T15:22:52.367-07:00Update~<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJnHEE7IwXroX59t5NUSYdb73Afv02u327sgPMMRT-2mikchkrf0Toi8jkj_wUBvxw_uupMIUq-dMmp3xxdbQhG0bZZgk8omU5cC7SOTDrkOiNFCcikGXCfzrTplpCHjfctLZLgvtIomY/s1600/illyiameetswispv2.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="170" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJnHEE7IwXroX59t5NUSYdb73Afv02u327sgPMMRT-2mikchkrf0Toi8jkj_wUBvxw_uupMIUq-dMmp3xxdbQhG0bZZgk8omU5cC7SOTDrkOiNFCcikGXCfzrTplpCHjfctLZLgvtIomY/s400/illyiameetswispv2.png" width="400" /></a></div>
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Sorry for the long wait! There's been lots and lots and lots of changes and updates!<br />
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Expect a new brand-spanking-new website for Dead Gear to be popping up by next month! I'm very excited to push it to the web and get the gears turning!Alex Millerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12835710219383920729noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8678407929401780323.post-14338082191725542052014-12-24T17:10:00.001-08:002014-12-24T17:12:24.783-08:00Happy Holidays<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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It's been a hectic winter at work, trying to push out a game before the Christmas deadline (we missed it, oh well.) But in the week and a half I'm taking off after Christmas, I'll be able to get a ton of work done on Dead Gear, so I'm very excited. I finally bit the bullet and got a personal Pro license of Unity as well, which is nice because switching between Pro at work and Free at home annoyed me. I've been able to greatly increase the visuals of several aspects of the game, such as a really nice depth of field effect, and soon: dynamic 2D lighting and shadows.<br />
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Here's a look at the new dialogue UI and one of my wonderful wife's portraits. She'll be doing all portraits, and hopefully some promotional art as well.<br />
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Happy holidays, everyone.Alex Millerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12835710219383920729noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8678407929401780323.post-76425270931636410692014-10-01T00:23:00.000-07:002014-10-08T00:24:58.429-07:00Dead Gear Update!<a href="http://i.imgur.com/pjJjRbG.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></a>Hey everybody!<br />
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It's been a busy year, for me especially. At work, I'm busy doing game and level design work on two separate game projects; at home I'm working hard on a <a href="http://spacejunkarlia.com/index.php?strip_id=39" target="_blank">webcomic with my wife, </a>and of course, Dead Gear.<br />
Development has its lulls and sprints, but I think that's just part of the indie experience™.<br />
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That being said, there have been a metric ton of huge changes to Dead Gear since our last update. Time for a big photobomb. Remember, just click on the photos if you want a better look at them. Also! Very soon I will be putting up a nice website for the game (it's about time). You'll be able to see it at <a href="http://dead-gear.com/">http://dead-gear.com/</a> when it's up and running. I've had the domain for over a year, but just haven't had a chance to use it yet!<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The revised title screen! Soon I'll have to animate those ropes and the sails.</td></tr>
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Updated title image! Now we have the main symbol of Dead Gear in there (haven't added the words to the animation just yet) spinning around, and it looks pretty nice. As always, the title screen slowly fades from day to evening, to night, to morning and to day again. </div>
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Another big change you probably noticed is that Illyia is now... a redhead! </div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://i.imgur.com/IpTUNTg.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://i.imgur.com/IpTUNTg.jpg" height="178" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">You look a little different, Illyia.</td></tr>
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I did a complete revamp of Illyia's sprite and color scheme. As you can see here, I'm still using her old portrait that has her old colors and outfit.<br />
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The biggest reason was visibility. I really liked Illyia's old purple/blue color scheme, but there was one primary complaint that I heard from pretty much everybody: she was hard to see. Her sprite was missing some needed oomph, and to make matters worse, I tend to use blues and purples as shadows in my backgrounds. As a result, Illyia blended way too much into the scenery.<br />
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With her new light blue, red and gold colors, she really pops out from the scenery. I also like to think that this is a nice change thematically; she is generally always the warmest colors on the screen. Her warm colors represent warmth and life in a cold, hostile environment. It felt nice.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://i.imgur.com/OmSa25j.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://i.imgur.com/OmSa25j.jpg" height="178" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Those little flowers spin so fast that they create a soothing blue light. They only appear underground.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://i.imgur.com/6HEB2pP.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://i.imgur.com/6HEB2pP.jpg" height="178" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Will the mystery ever be solved?</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img border="0" src="http://i.imgur.com/JeItiqa.jpg" height="178" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="320" /></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Added some extra foreground elements to the airship ruins.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://i.imgur.com/9xeWPUO.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://i.imgur.com/9xeWPUO.jpg" height="178" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Everywhere you go, there's a chance of seeing a ruined city in the background...</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://i.imgur.com/iznVNvT.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://i.imgur.com/iznVNvT.jpg" height="178" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">More characters! Who are they?</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://i.imgur.com/8gdAzvU.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://i.imgur.com/8gdAzvU.jpg" height="178" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Another outside shot with the city in the background.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://i.imgur.com/WyqwKND.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://i.imgur.com/WyqwKND.jpg" height="178" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A shot of another zone, the Greenlight Mines.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://i.imgur.com/kUVtrfK.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://i.imgur.com/kUVtrfK.jpg" height="178" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Adding the roots and crystals gave everything some much needed pep.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://i.imgur.com/XG51ykh.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://i.imgur.com/XG51ykh.jpg" height="178" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Stop it, Illyia can't breath underwater!</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://i.imgur.com/rRvPHWT.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://i.imgur.com/rRvPHWT.jpg" height="178" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Stranger danger.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://i.imgur.com/2bFBeWN.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://i.imgur.com/2bFBeWN.jpg" height="178" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Pretty! I really am fond of the spinning flowers on the roots.</td></tr>
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I also began making an effort to bring more light, color and contrast into the drab colors of the current environments. Adding bright blue crystals, orange roots, crazy spinning blue cave flowers underground, and flashing yellow and green light sources did wonders. I also began adding more foreground and layered background elements where I could to increase visual interest.</div>
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And then, there's the gameplay mechanic changes. I redid a pretty significant portion of the entire beginning 'tutorial' section of the game to highlight the new mechanics: </div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://i.imgur.com/VbQnJCC.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://i.imgur.com/VbQnJCC.jpg" height="178" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Spikes! Be wary of them, as they instantly kill Illyia.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://i.imgur.com/HmKu9Kq.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://i.imgur.com/HmKu9Kq.jpg" height="178" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Wow, death via spikes is pretty bloody.</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">???????</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://i.imgur.com/YCo0ux3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://i.imgur.com/YCo0ux3.jpg" height="178" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Respawning at the last save station.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://i.imgur.com/PQZgGLk.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://i.imgur.com/PQZgGLk.jpg" height="178" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">All of her lost BYTES, right where she last died!</td></tr>
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There are no game overs in Dead Gear. Instead, when Illyia dies, she is immediately respawned at the last savepoint she touched. However, she leaves 75% of her current EXP (called BYTES) at the location where she died. If she wants it back, she needs to go back to where she died and collect her lost BYTES. If she dies before then, then it's lost forever.</div>
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If this sounds familiar, then it should be! This is essentially an adapted version of Dark Souls' bloodstain mechanic; which was also recently used by the excellent game Shovel Knight (which you should be playing if you haven't already). The catch is that upon defeat, monsters will only drop EXP a certain number of times before stopping entirely, meaning that if you lose a lot of EXP without sending it, it's gone forever. So be careful!</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://i.imgur.com/dzNcHVE.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://i.imgur.com/dzNcHVE.jpg" height="178" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">You again!</td></tr>
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Another big aspect of this system is that it is tied entirely into the game's lore. Unlike the game-story segregation that most other games have; I want death, and respawning to be completely acknowledged within the game universe, and even be a central plot point. Illyia will be dying and respawning for a very specific reason, and it's up to the player to uncover why. Dead Gear has a robust storyline with multiple branching paths and tons of drastically different alternate endings (almost any NPC and story character in the game can die or be saved in some way. No plot armor for anybody, and that's a promise), so I hope that hardcore players will try to achieve them all. (and you <i>better</i> believe there's a special ending/achievement for going through the game without dying once.) </div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://i.imgur.com/jkc2wPO.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://i.imgur.com/jkc2wPO.jpg" height="178" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Costs go up globally with every upgrade. Yes, that cost of 1 is just me debugging.</td></tr>
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In another similar vein to Dark Souls, Illyia does not level up automatically. Instead, at any save point, she can access the Upgrade Screen and spend her EXP (called BYTES) to raise five different core aspects of her stats: Health, Shield, Attack, Magic, and Memory. </div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://i.imgur.com/xKlXsF3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://i.imgur.com/xKlXsF3.jpg" height="178" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I'll be rebuilding all menus to have a really cool layered 3D look with the new Unity GUI!</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://i.imgur.com/vOyLJqd.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://i.imgur.com/vOyLJqd.jpg" height="178" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">This is where Illyia equips any programs she has acquired.</td></tr>
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This brings me to another new feature in Dead Gear: Programs. Illyia can find programs and equip programs that affect how she plays. For instance, if she finds and equips the program that grants Double Jump, she can now jump again while in the air. But here's the catch: each program requires MEMORY to run, and Illyia only has so much MEMORY (although Max Memory can be leveled up with BYTES!)</div>
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There are many kinds of different programs. Some boost HP, some boost attack range, some expensive programs may even completely change how different magics and attacks work. For example, Illyia has a basic Fireball spell, and she has two different programs: FIREALT1 and FIREALT2. Equipping FIREALT1 changes the spell to fire two fireballs at the same time.</div>
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Equipping FIREALT2 allows you to charge the fireball, and release it as a giant fireball with a big explosion!</div>
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But both require a hefty Memory. This allows players to create different kinds of builds with Illyia to better fit their own playstyle, with a lot of cool combinations that I hope players will have fun exploring.</div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Nothing as intense as Macintosh-era ASCII art, Illyia </td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">That's the spirit</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">who's a cute little AI? It's you!</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">WISP shines and sparkles when he's happy.</td></tr>
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Another thing I'm sure you've noticed is the cute little ball following Illyia around. His name is WISP, and he's a tiny personal Artificial Intelligence that speaks only in diamonds, hearts, spades and clovers.</div>
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Illyia gains him early in the game, and he grants Illyia a rechargeable shield to protect her from some attacks, as well as scooping up any BYTES that fall from enemies.</div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">This is the first available hack. Some of them are fiendishly difficult. The Xs wiggle so the screen doesn't look so static.</td></tr>
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In addition, later in the game; some doors and containers will be electronically locked. WISP can enter the locks and 'hack the mainframe' to grant access, through a pretty cool snake-based minigame. </div>
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There's a lot more I want to tell you, but dang, I don't want to give it all away, either! I'll just post some extra screens. </div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://i.imgur.com/rqLnTj6.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://i.imgur.com/rqLnTj6.jpg" height="178" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Here's one of the save stations.</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Illyia's wind magic! It's a crazy bouncing ball of wind. Super fun.</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Kaboom!</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Well hello there.</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Well, that was close. I'm sure I'll be seeing you again...</td></tr>
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Cheers,</div>
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Alex</div>
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Alex Millerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12835710219383920729noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8678407929401780323.post-65493588640916946862014-03-11T16:56:00.001-07:002014-03-28T01:21:39.716-07:00Another Trove of Dead Gear Screens<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Hey guys, sorry for the long wait; I've been busy heavily revising and polishing the very first portion of Dead Gear. Here's a big bunch of screenshots to take a look at! Click on the images to zoom in on them, but keep in mind that the image compression's a little on the heavy side.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Daytime Title Screen</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Nighttime</td></tr>
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As you can see, I've redone the original title screen. I liked the idea behind the original, but it was too barren for my liking. So I zoomed way in; showing Illyia waiting on the airship. The airship slowly ebbs down and upward, and the sky still shifts from day to night, to day again. I'm playing with the idea of maybe adding more characters into the title screen as Illyia meets them, might be a cute touch.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgfIKPOp46zZMeMChLjD7UE3GaOfg2OxBJMxK3xW1qYpBoJvcB1V1ab5vYB8VQjkNXjCo2Fnt-qGe7GljUHaFv8jjfV2zaazAcZ9EQYBND4gG7MsSVLMVxdyQ-Emj89KMw04O82mjCHanI/s1600/3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgfIKPOp46zZMeMChLjD7UE3GaOfg2OxBJMxK3xW1qYpBoJvcB1V1ab5vYB8VQjkNXjCo2Fnt-qGe7GljUHaFv8jjfV2zaazAcZ9EQYBND4gG7MsSVLMVxdyQ-Emj89KMw04O82mjCHanI/s1600/3.jpg" height="180" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Delicious exposition</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEizM9MDg4QX6-E32eHKqUSQByPmdF81yM5O1tVFeNjzc0p5AxjHuTB1I-Ktwmv7KMyakzBeDiDA_YjlW6JYhNyF-3muFwB2HKpA9f9rMS9fv8ZsnXOSa3wNoga-hOIvw4Q_zlaV6aOXBAU/s1600/13a.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEizM9MDg4QX6-E32eHKqUSQByPmdF81yM5O1tVFeNjzc0p5AxjHuTB1I-Ktwmv7KMyakzBeDiDA_YjlW6JYhNyF-3muFwB2HKpA9f9rMS9fv8ZsnXOSa3wNoga-hOIvw4Q_zlaV6aOXBAU/s1600/13a.jpg" height="178" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Yes, you did.</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Harrison in the intro</td></tr>
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I decided to move the very beginning of the game into the ruins of the ship itself, and established the character Harrison right off the bat, instead of 30 minutes in; giving the player some urgency in the story.<br />
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You might also notice that I did away with the small box portraits to do more full-body portraits. I felt too restricted to the tiny boxes, and letting me expand past them allowed me to flex some more art muscles.<br />
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You might also ALSO notice that I've jazzed up Illyia's base sprite. Her original sprite was too desaturated and as a result, would often blend too easily into the backgrounds. I increased her sprite size, gave her a more saturated blue for her hair, added detail to her clothes, and gave her a hair ornament. (Which isn't in the new portrait yet!) <br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Mysterious!</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Illyia Ph.D</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Tutorials? In MY metroidvania? Yeah, maybe.</td></tr>
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There are tutorials! Don't worry, they're mostly just tiny blurbs like this about which keys to press.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Time</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">To</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Kick</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Ass</td></tr>
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Combat is finally in! Enemies can damage Illyia, Illyia can cast and equip magic to attack, and it's pretty fun!<br />
Take that, enemies that have no AI and sit there idle.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I'm a fan of this room.</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I'll get you one day, sleeping bird</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Portraits for everyone!</td></tr>
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Much of the very beginning is fairly new; and not in my original design. I felt that the player needed to be eased a little more into the system. It's a little easier with console games and more actiony metroidvanias; there are only so many buttons to press and your demographic are people familiar with the genre.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">WIP sprite for the first big boss; testing out the size</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Exploring the ruins of the airship</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">It's flooded!</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">What a mess.</td></tr>
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Hopefully this quenched your thirst for updates! I'm still working hard as ever on Dead Gear. <br />
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<br />Alex Millerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12835710219383920729noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8678407929401780323.post-3295770508122241132013-11-19T22:41:00.002-08:002014-03-10T14:05:08.220-07:00Progress Update<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8pvNxzhXoWmIA_KifDvf8Qrww1E6D4O06iPZ4ALBlK9A3O1txZjc9ZbzFKgJTF1sQOfIrTrfVKrAEibcn3sZpFJ8_mSq2tw0R0Ezexhf4E3lv_rsf_O7FM_oMvEPHMlMkTwm4h9Cidr0/s1600/Unity+2013-11-19+21-2z2-24-14.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8pvNxzhXoWmIA_KifDvf8Qrww1E6D4O06iPZ4ALBlK9A3O1txZjc9ZbzFKgJTF1sQOfIrTrfVKrAEibcn3sZpFJ8_mSq2tw0R0Ezexhf4E3lv_rsf_O7FM_oMvEPHMlMkTwm4h9Cidr0/s640/Unity+2013-11-19+21-2z2-24-14.jpg" height="223" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A88Y doing a repository pull. </td></tr>
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Hey everyone, long time no see! I've gotten no shortage of emails asking about the status of Dead Gear, and I'm glad to say it's chugging along as good as ever. Sadly, no game design theory post this time, just a big ol' trove of DG screens for the curious! Go ahead and click on'm to see them a bit bigger.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEizEEgj7SKq1xMl3l3uQNeuSn5OvXrLPvqETrxdCpuUQmYzFncCLh0vXnMC2KAG2UICyJg_3pVll7q2i2bzhuq8OMoNMkHcuIJdvBj7xBHq6XpCYzI5Ii-iv5uYjO-pgGHVaiydGPYQ9W0/s1600/Unityq+2013-11-19+21-22-24-14.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEizEEgj7SKq1xMl3l3uQNeuSn5OvXrLPvqETrxdCpuUQmYzFncCLh0vXnMC2KAG2UICyJg_3pVll7q2i2bzhuq8OMoNMkHcuIJdvBj7xBHq6XpCYzI5Ii-iv5uYjO-pgGHVaiydGPYQ9W0/s400/Unityq+2013-11-19+21-22-24-14.jpg" height="223" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Illyia vs technology</td></tr>
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I've been hard at work getting all of our cutscenes, menus, and system infrastructure in place; and Ameen has been working hard as well to finish up the platforming code. As you can tell by the semi-annoying watermark up there in the top left, I've finally integrated the ORK framework into the game. It's still in beta at the moment, so we gotta stick with the watermark til then. It's been an amazing asset, and utilizing it along with our own scripting has saved us months of development time.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_Zexpu03Mk58MmfFVysdvwzr8HzSbfpC79MaB7A9dkQIsJZn7knzlmkFPSXYw0pGOCOFIVUtx_MgDD50-25q42XIbR4NBMl564Dx13VVmTJmvw380PC1s4juwM5tNSD7p3XZUcG77cf0/s1600/Unity+2013-11-19+21-22-24-14.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_Zexpu03Mk58MmfFVysdvwzr8HzSbfpC79MaB7A9dkQIsJZn7knzlmkFPSXYw0pGOCOFIVUtx_MgDD50-25q42XIbR4NBMl564Dx13VVmTJmvw380PC1s4juwM5tNSD7p3XZUcG77cf0/s400/Unity+2013-11-19+21-22-24-14.jpg" height="223" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The opening title screen changes gradually from day...</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7mrcXDmKTUsl6ZBeQdk7Is2dtcu9Rw4ydR8tkkf8sdwJdfmGxmV5esLQVwSERP4PJ2-kSHyZGvnTuH77Z5-1__Fo88bRo3dXqtyrl9WzF5KEmwWERdvETiWwA3ablUIsfI8yFnshfms4/s1600/Unity+2013-11-19+21-22-24-1b4.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7mrcXDmKTUsl6ZBeQdk7Is2dtcu9Rw4ydR8tkkf8sdwJdfmGxmV5esLQVwSERP4PJ2-kSHyZGvnTuH77Z5-1__Fo88bRo3dXqtyrl9WzF5KEmwWERdvETiWwA3ablUIsfI8yFnshfms4/s400/Unity+2013-11-19+21-22-24-1b4.jpg" height="223" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">... to night! And then to day again, in an endless cycle.</td></tr>
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Dan and Brian have been gradually working on the music and sound of DG, and I'm really happy with how the current batch of songs is turning out. It's really great seeing how much music and atmospheric sound can really liven up an environment.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiyejrez-3sBXnwuYXqztUC5tVFpJpFn-sq9xWVOyC4cROqKNhAOMssW1f8gheIthzIO5Cp8WTw9ueq-rOKBCRoeSYyqmcSguKjvDj_iOl8XWPRh89FsKiaARlTp1b4E_qLzKlUrw0Qgy8/s1600/Unity+2013-11-19+21-b22-24-14.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiyejrez-3sBXnwuYXqztUC5tVFpJpFn-sq9xWVOyC4cROqKNhAOMssW1f8gheIthzIO5Cp8WTw9ueq-rOKBCRoeSYyqmcSguKjvDj_iOl8XWPRh89FsKiaARlTp1b4E_qLzKlUrw0Qgy8/s400/Unity+2013-11-19+21-b22-24-14.jpg" height="222" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The intro cutscene of Dead Gear is told in an animated shadow puppet-ish fashion, along with illustration.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimSSVn-TtU7BjJAiFX7HRNolLyxh3-aeTsqAE-trQCzt4Oe88TxI5Tqy84P68g1Yn8yshcFIXQ0ASl5nZT6SIcHQ1_pD7TVotAiFSxq05Bo2VWcbrJQdE2CO_gCEHSNhMi9u9iAxrFcXA/s1600/Unity+2013-11-19+21-2b2-24-14.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimSSVn-TtU7BjJAiFX7HRNolLyxh3-aeTsqAE-trQCzt4Oe88TxI5Tqy84P68g1Yn8yshcFIXQ0ASl5nZT6SIcHQ1_pD7TVotAiFSxq05Bo2VWcbrJQdE2CO_gCEHSNhMi9u9iAxrFcXA/s400/Unity+2013-11-19+21-2b2-24-14.jpg" height="222" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">It looks pretty 3D, but it's actually a bunch of rotating 2D images. Neat.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7rrwSspLN6t7bRc9GSCmPORcD-TEHEVY4YFbjLFWEqpz1bf59Strv3bTRU57oaJTAYM4-rbnIZyGsPduWCxqo6gz_APx3dzww7zn68ZIUJ_soJoHAy5GTgUeil04KdJMaiO7wT0phTwg/s1600/Unity+20t13-11-19+21-22-24-14.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7rrwSspLN6t7bRc9GSCmPORcD-TEHEVY4YFbjLFWEqpz1bf59Strv3bTRU57oaJTAYM4-rbnIZyGsPduWCxqo6gz_APx3dzww7zn68ZIUJ_soJoHAy5GTgUeil04KdJMaiO7wT0phTwg/s400/Unity+20t13-11-19+21-22-24-14.jpg" height="223" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A88Y in a S.A.V.E room.</td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhUc6mkkH-Fu4HlvhjC1PIJWOAESde_yXyiJkqpDM5aqK8sSr9Wfcm9yeXL0cz8OAWDuvCoJilc6lb6d1QyXrhATlnVKzy7uXGKSaaQPBVgxeJc6Hy-u93a3Qn-uPUIMDXYJVwZfLXYq2w/s1600/Unity+2013-11-19+21-30-40-qwe.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhUc6mkkH-Fu4HlvhjC1PIJWOAESde_yXyiJkqpDM5aqK8sSr9Wfcm9yeXL0cz8OAWDuvCoJilc6lb6d1QyXrhATlnVKzy7uXGKSaaQPBVgxeJc6Hy-u93a3Qn-uPUIMDXYJVwZfLXYq2w/s400/Unity+2013-11-19+21-30-40-qwe.jpg" height="225" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Save your games using the Simulated Assessment Validation Environment</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNPXyd_RM6c77154et-ihWnCASrt62C0ANzB4yYWO7GESHHKJlj53hmCVooq6kSyiCd-ASVPFiHvvSN-YLTnh3YkpPRtj4Lb9xfDml74ZyCTexkYlbhuAsczQccohtxV2sodhyYo_vTxc/s1600/Unitmy+2013-11-19+21-22-24-14.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNPXyd_RM6c77154et-ihWnCASrt62C0ANzB4yYWO7GESHHKJlj53hmCVooq6kSyiCd-ASVPFiHvvSN-YLTnh3YkpPRtj4Lb9xfDml74ZyCTexkYlbhuAsczQccohtxV2sodhyYo_vTxc/s400/Unitmy+2013-11-19+21-22-24-14.jpg" height="223" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">What? It's a good name.</td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-lMIVjOfJjFZi9Re3fZNGyA3OSBIiglpr1YjdAorGLnSEaC546xsXKN6nwbhb_xNuEbOBn2VWMVNjJjOwkknXZ_el21JwPAK0QNAqOaA0psaddjs8-a9N82y2lRU-4h7Sf8fQiad-I04/s1600/Unity+2013-11-19+21-54-43-0723.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-lMIVjOfJjFZi9Re3fZNGyA3OSBIiglpr1YjdAorGLnSEaC546xsXKN6nwbhb_xNuEbOBn2VWMVNjJjOwkknXZ_el21JwPAK0QNAqOaA0psaddjs8-a9N82y2lRU-4h7Sf8fQiad-I04/s400/Unity+2013-11-19+21-54-43-0723.jpg" height="223" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Several of the game menus are already fully implemented.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0P_K2lX0GncHt3Ju3FO6eHEcMxtZrAMap9TX2V85VmSDiGXguxIjdDAISQivMmL1lzMM7CXnAqWiMtcmy1HfLrNd8IL3HmJTzVJMbkD2jcNJtYG_RLeIWwBJgVOozGzaUqGVv2AL1ahI/s1600/Unity+2013-11-19+21-54-43-072.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0P_K2lX0GncHt3Ju3FO6eHEcMxtZrAMap9TX2V85VmSDiGXguxIjdDAISQivMmL1lzMM7CXnAqWiMtcmy1HfLrNd8IL3HmJTzVJMbkD2jcNJtYG_RLeIWwBJgVOozGzaUqGVv2AL1ahI/s400/Unity+2013-11-19+21-54-43-072.jpg" height="223" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Inventory screen. Illyia opens up a small holographic display in-game when you open the menu.</td></tr>
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Most of the work so far has been in the first accessible area of the game, Crashsite. (And the crashed ruins of the Daedalus.) It's a series of caverns that contain the warped ruins of a strangely advanced civilization. Many visual tweaks still need to be made, and several backgrounds are still incomplete, but I'm pretty happy with the general direction of it so far.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjft213JHB7MlhloyzyVafX_QVp04pdSmbd7YiGAive1aOA10fMrfAb7LQfW_aW-29BE1zI3S06X7zqfJl9t5Z4jz1x5Dh2-rKolT6kdKOYmQCDCx7uHTJ3lbH7afre-05G21kgcmDFiok/s1600/Unity+m-11-19+21-22-24-14.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjft213JHB7MlhloyzyVafX_QVp04pdSmbd7YiGAive1aOA10fMrfAb7LQfW_aW-29BE1zI3S06X7zqfJl9t5Z4jz1x5Dh2-rKolT6kdKOYmQCDCx7uHTJ3lbH7afre-05G21kgcmDFiok/s400/Unity+m-11-19+21-22-24-14.jpg" height="223" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Exploring the Crashsite area of the game.</td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjL9emMwQqcVurTidL0WIHxpWyT1TajXY2HeCOCNfcAtsQzOYVUUfDmQmAXDVe_TYfIX1xS05exni_DK3gr9T_JRliWuJ9K9IlkwoACoN2fnCFjrx18HlaZX60ISxhGIaC5aSDIeCQBKhQ/s1600/Unity+201n3-11-19+21-22-24-14.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjL9emMwQqcVurTidL0WIHxpWyT1TajXY2HeCOCNfcAtsQzOYVUUfDmQmAXDVe_TYfIX1xS05exni_DK3gr9T_JRliWuJ9K9IlkwoACoN2fnCFjrx18HlaZX60ISxhGIaC5aSDIeCQBKhQ/s400/Unity+201n3-11-19+21-22-24-14.png" height="223" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The tilemaps for Crashsite are mostly complete, although some extra tweaks are needed.</td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEigfhlO2TWakEW8_2aQs-4hG0n5R_qY8_9fYGdlv-Gm4WuV178w0TMmIHMNKKWoXXt1v0P0cIYkMJyzQjxNIPc8tQmNooXRc6mn4nkhMCeiP5-jEZ8yl1KbT8zSmHhuPV72kK3VuI4Gn4M/s1600/Unity+20m13-11-19+21-22-24-14.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEigfhlO2TWakEW8_2aQs-4hG0n5R_qY8_9fYGdlv-Gm4WuV178w0TMmIHMNKKWoXXt1v0P0cIYkMJyzQjxNIPc8tQmNooXRc6mn4nkhMCeiP5-jEZ8yl1KbT8zSmHhuPV72kK3VuI4Gn4M/s400/Unity+20m13-11-19+21-22-24-14.jpg" height="223" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Illyia explores the upper Crashsite.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxDx0YgXMLnR8suu9VOUVJ6A2upq8BMA-wNwQP7dRhfLBcdSN3K8K1U_TMJZYFbDlOYbEm6eFH8fMyoxFTwtkWMdMp7jgGZQ-DuhV5BWSpnEUDr52VAtjh3RgR92LcOTk_TRWrVdgMR2A/s1600/Unity+2013-11-19+21-22-2m14.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxDx0YgXMLnR8suu9VOUVJ6A2upq8BMA-wNwQP7dRhfLBcdSN3K8K1U_TMJZYFbDlOYbEm6eFH8fMyoxFTwtkWMdMp7jgGZQ-DuhV5BWSpnEUDr52VAtjh3RgR92LcOTk_TRWrVdgMR2A/s400/Unity+2013-11-19+21-22-2m14.jpg" height="223" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Mysterious character number 2!</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQpg-Crs-GKzuHWTOlz-CmxXbC6fyEQuHLdmS8z-mvAW4rHszRPUyu3ZpbLP4_5_B5fmrjKm0hWXMfibSPg-jIt0UAOYhvuhr33KdSDLOCSEvIWek03HpKVXuUGdMKS7znkw0nu4aKABI/s1600/Unity+2013-11-19+2n1-22-24-14.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQpg-Crs-GKzuHWTOlz-CmxXbC6fyEQuHLdmS8z-mvAW4rHszRPUyu3ZpbLP4_5_B5fmrjKm0hWXMfibSPg-jIt0UAOYhvuhr33KdSDLOCSEvIWek03HpKVXuUGdMKS7znkw0nu4aKABI/s400/Unity+2013-11-19+2n1-22-24-14.jpg" height="223" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Illyia discovers a warp point.</td></tr>
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-Alex<br />
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<br />Alex Millerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12835710219383920729noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8678407929401780323.post-15496334020591732102013-06-25T23:29:00.000-07:002013-06-27T17:08:30.418-07:00Dead Gear Update<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHLM1eazbAswiQnIMpb5Ab75Lec-Q2q6nTjMsPN1eilpG8DgteSOnrzQ2eYt2WBBlGW8THigQLt7M6Bur052tYDqkIYgT68nbm5H12AD6ClqBJZs-gsDMyThiqwkoncrj6JO6Rub_X9m0/s1600/a88yRoom.gif" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="356" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHLM1eazbAswiQnIMpb5Ab75Lec-Q2q6nTjMsPN1eilpG8DgteSOnrzQ2eYt2WBBlGW8THigQLt7M6Bur052tYDqkIYgT68nbm5H12AD6ClqBJZs-gsDMyThiqwkoncrj6JO6Rub_X9m0/s640/a88yRoom.gif" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A cutscene in the beginning of the game.</td></tr>
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Still working away on Dead Gear! Our long-awaited framework package will be coming at the end of the week, so we'll finally get to put the RPG and combat elements into the game. Getting pretty excited about the progress being made.<br />
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-AlexAlex Millerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12835710219383920729noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8678407929401780323.post-749324317069054152013-06-02T22:40:00.000-07:002014-03-16T13:20:12.142-07:00Tutorials and 'Handholding' in Games<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjlJAUoLYM4_cvU_MAvPWqmcjgS5h9WZ3n3RmicYL2C5hjm8FjRsohfr1fOoVcnbJvgShf4BDZ6ftkrtLnedUa8_M_gEw4btYXOhS_XfG65ecRjNYi-o0SvwpjNJnhombZ1pJ3WOeHiMpk/s1600/Flooded_Cavern1_a_final.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjlJAUoLYM4_cvU_MAvPWqmcjgS5h9WZ3n3RmicYL2C5hjm8FjRsohfr1fOoVcnbJvgShf4BDZ6ftkrtLnedUa8_M_gEw4btYXOhS_XfG65ecRjNYi-o0SvwpjNJnhombZ1pJ3WOeHiMpk/s640/Flooded_Cavern1_a_final.png" height="196" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Finalized Look and Feel of the Flooded Cavern region of Dead Gear </td></tr>
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How's everyone doin? In DG news, Dead Gear was pushed back a bit as we wait for a scripting asset that will save us a lot of time. The asset in question should be ready soon enough, however. Anyhow...<br />
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Today, I'd like to talk about tutorials in games. During the last few months at work, as we began to put all of the finishing touches on our (still under NDA) game, a particular topic was a constant source of discussion: tutorials; or how to 'teach' players new mechanics. It's an incredibly difficult branch of design to master, and unfortunately many designers simply don't bother half the time.<br />
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Of course, that doesn't mean tutorials should always be used. When a game uses tutorials over-zealously, it becomes hand holding, and (usually) nobody wants that. Why? It can feel patronizing, it can feel too easy and bore the player. In a casual mobile game that makes sales with micro-transactions especially, you risk a player getting fed up and deleting your game from their phone/tablet. After all, people want to play a game, not necessarily have it played for them. <br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiO6EOrd1f7CAu3rybdOSz8FT02Z_CMnw3P6JG_AOCu7hQTxhCKiAOJt0RNtL9QG0Z8Bh4lE-HSD4KL-4X9Tc4fqCHQgSZTWe24zngwDp3AeFAyEYzDlSo8QIUQdULy6oW9ZDLu35CF-rQ/s1600/Catan-Tutorial.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiO6EOrd1f7CAu3rybdOSz8FT02Z_CMnw3P6JG_AOCu7hQTxhCKiAOJt0RNtL9QG0Z8Bh4lE-HSD4KL-4X9Tc4fqCHQgSZTWe24zngwDp3AeFAyEYzDlSo8QIUQdULy6oW9ZDLu35CF-rQ/s400/Catan-Tutorial.png" height="223" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Professor Easy, you smug son of a bitch, you think you're better than me?</td></tr>
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But there are two devilish sides to the same coin: you don't want to dump a player into a game with nothing to go off of either. Some players will feel completely lost, confused, or worse, stupid. They won't know why they aren't able to figure out your game, and that will cost you the player. Mostly, this balance of Hand-holding vs 'Freedom to Fail' depends on the<b> target demographic</b> of your game.<br />
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Is this a casual mobile game, targeted at people who may never consider themselves gamers? (<i>Angry Birds, Farmville, Plants vs Zombies, Where's My Water?</i>)<br />
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If so, these games can be the most difficult ones to figure out proper tutorials and difficulty curves for. The more mechanics and skill-based you make it; the more you have to rely on tutorials to ensure that this target demographic really <i>GETS</i> it and isn't just fumbling through the game without learning the vital rules that govern the game. But if you flood the game with too many mechanics (and the tutorials that you'd need to go with them), the players won't really feel like they're playing a game.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhkVVdZixSnulJs6ck0LVAVmanDv_duFlq-uvlvGBqcjGw0Rh_PwQxvxr8H_Hsv0w1RmvsKPwyJTothWTXOMeHCnyrEoLBooAHvYeyI0nnQakP-qTya-ePQiAjAXn35ETHMPRPILKhFjLg/s1600/547317-angry-birds-android-screenshot-tutorials.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhkVVdZixSnulJs6ck0LVAVmanDv_duFlq-uvlvGBqcjGw0Rh_PwQxvxr8H_Hsv0w1RmvsKPwyJTothWTXOMeHCnyrEoLBooAHvYeyI0nnQakP-qTya-ePQiAjAXn35ETHMPRPILKhFjLg/s400/547317-angry-birds-android-screenshot-tutorials.png" height="240" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Fling bird; hit pig.</td></tr>
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Take a look at Angry Birds' tutorial here, that shows up on the very first level of the game. Angry Birds is easily the most simple, mechanically, of the example games I listed earlier.<br />
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That's because there is only really just one single base mechanic used in the entire game: <br />
Fling Birds with the slingshot to kill the Pigs.<br />
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It's a very simple, easy-to-understand mechanic, and the simple, wordless, visual tutorial says all that needs to be said. After this one level, the player is even given about 10 levels or so to reinforce this simple mechanic, before introducing the Blue bird (That splits into three smaller birds when tapped again), which is also a fairly simple mechanic that builds upon the first.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7tSow4rmsUelSKlCQQL0pkBF-1fY7DIZilkYv3XMyFN3Omnb98qE1JAF2pTPv_peUi-mU1VkenLrzyKUrRNLX9bmtKq2lp9JhAnrzSXokzGqlG0roqdgv7pjeO3nD04xagCs4Od-Ziqk/s1600/house-of-cards.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7tSow4rmsUelSKlCQQL0pkBF-1fY7DIZilkYv3XMyFN3Omnb98qE1JAF2pTPv_peUi-mU1VkenLrzyKUrRNLX9bmtKq2lp9JhAnrzSXokzGqlG0roqdgv7pjeO3nD04xagCs4Od-Ziqk/s320/house-of-cards.png" height="320" width="219" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Noooooo</td></tr>
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But imagine if the Developers had put the Blue Bird level directly after the first level? With no reinforcement levels, players would be forced to learn a new mechanic without ever truly mastering the base mechanic in the game. Like a house of cards, videogame mechanics are often stacked upon each other; you have understand one mechanic to understand the next. If the player doesn't, well; the whole thing comes tumbling down.<br />
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Angry Birds has massive, massive international sales; and much of it can be owed to a simple fact: it's extremely simple and gives lots of room to reinforce any gameplay lessons taught to the player; and<i> </i>that fact has universal appeal across ages, languages and cultures. <br />
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Well, sure; you say. <br />
Angry Birds is so simple that the Devs probably didn't even need to put the visual tutorials in there, and people would have figured it out fine, for the most part. What about games with more <i>meat </i>to them?<br />
<br />
Maybe you aim at more seasoned gamers, or just more complex games in general.<br />
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There are a few different ways to actually teach players a mechanic.<br />
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The first, like Angry Birds up there, is to essentially tell the player straight up what they need to do. It's involuntary, you have to see it. We've all seen games like this: games that have entire tutorial sections or popups that show up on screen. It's probably the easiest way to impart information to the player, although also the most overly-expository. As such, it runs the risk of a player simply skipping it and learning nothing. It will need to be used in conjunction with a game-lock, a test, to ensure that the player has learned this lesson.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEglT-5DsIvutR3Ip_Qv6C2d6rhPL8ojx3SX09X88Ra1iTF5IeVH-UGwXNgVhetVyIoF-wi_y_bHNxIUmIgd0rMBwvbMypoN-db81qf-S0z4f5gnuVYc9qeQpPpjNYsj-g_ajSaPxvgaEp4/s1600/tumblr_mfryu4rVqA1rrftcdo1_400.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEglT-5DsIvutR3Ip_Qv6C2d6rhPL8ojx3SX09X88Ra1iTF5IeVH-UGwXNgVhetVyIoF-wi_y_bHNxIUmIgd0rMBwvbMypoN-db81qf-S0z4f5gnuVYc9qeQpPpjNYsj-g_ajSaPxvgaEp4/s320/tumblr_mfryu4rVqA1rrftcdo1_400.png" height="320" width="271" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Yoshi's Island had great optional Hint Blocks you could use</td></tr>
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It is this type that developers should be most wary of. Ideally, the strength of the level design should be strong enough to visually hint and prepare the player for the lesson. However, this in itself can be a trap, because developers often design with videogame 'common knowledge' in mind. Ideas and intuitions that may come as second nature to most gamers won't even occur to a less seasoned one. ("What's HP? I die when I fall down a pit? I thought it was just a different area!")<br />
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This brings me to a great example of good visual tutorials: 1-1 of Super Mario Bros.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPETzKxBfMgtE3UCDRpyLrhhCUNfMxvhbLr4qSSIpCj_cVh8O3wkE-sSBrbtsmKT3e_JTxlRePU1eynHCAuqbQpBYyMTCAjg2on4ZnyigqucZf1MVRYVdXP_QOxQ1bp1BEDne3hA8w6D8/s1600/mario1.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPETzKxBfMgtE3UCDRpyLrhhCUNfMxvhbLr4qSSIpCj_cVh8O3wkE-sSBrbtsmKT3e_JTxlRePU1eynHCAuqbQpBYyMTCAjg2on4ZnyigqucZf1MVRYVdXP_QOxQ1bp1BEDne3hA8w6D8/s400/mario1.png" height="162" width="400" /></a></div>
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Here we are at the beginning of the game. Let's say that the player has never played a platforming game before. Even right at the very beginning, the player will learn most of these consistent game rules just by doing them:<br />
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<i>- I can move left and right.</i><br />
<i>- I can jump!</i><br />
<i>- I can jump over obstacles!</i><br />
<i>- The level expands only to the right!</i><br />
<i>- Goombas are hostile, I die if I touch them.</i><br />
<i>- Goombas are killed by jumping on top of them. </i><br />
<i>- ? Boxes have coins or mushrooms inside them when I hit them.</i><br />
<i>- Mushrooms make me big!</i><br />
<i>- I can't break bricks when I am small, but I can when I am big.</i><br />
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Wow! That's certainly a lot of things being taught in such a small area, even indirectly. Look at that Green pipe there. That's a good example of a Blocker; Mario can't proceed past the first screen until he's learned how to jump over obstacles; the most important lesson so far. Let's move on.<br />
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In the next section, we run into another new mechanic tutorial. A bottomless death pit! Notice how the very first pit is two blocks wide. Then, the next pit is 3 blocks wide, to reinforce the lesson of jumping over the pit. Alternatively, the player can jump up onto the bricks and skip the danger of the 3-block pit. Additional mechanics being learned here are:<br />
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<i>- Green mushrooms give me an extra life!</i><br />
<i>- Some blocks have lots of coins inside them!</i><br />
<i>- I can avoid some obstacles if I'm smart about it. </i><br />
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In the next section, we run into another mechanic tutorial, and a new enemy. When Mario hits the ? block, and obtains the Star, the player may quickly realize that he is invincible, thanks in part to the change of music and the flashy effects. The player is given the chance to run through an entire row of goombas with his new-found invincibility. Alternatively, the player may discover an additional characteristic of the Koopa Troopa: jumping on it and then kicking the shell will make it zoom along the ground and kill the entire row of goombas!<br />
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Next, another jumping reinforcement. Jumping is the base mechanic in Mario, and in most platforming games; so it's absolutely essential that the player is taught the lesson and that the lesson is reinforced over and over. Notice how the level designer first makes a 'fake' pit to jump over. Even if the player fails, they'll still be alive. Then, it's the real deal. Notice how the design has given an additional block of running room as to allow the player to make a running jump.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJoVgP8ZEAjhhy2oh3frqSrZZHioFXsDYGsFwmB3rX-Zp8dY0XYmbSgGTtQ_gjfjlWa27R47Lft1DE6kuQJcR-nhRv11LOtZeEqfJaHtIUVePmrC-SV-vB8rZweMykMlWYwQZPCRVhqNg/s1600/mario5.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJoVgP8ZEAjhhy2oh3frqSrZZHioFXsDYGsFwmB3rX-Zp8dY0XYmbSgGTtQ_gjfjlWa27R47Lft1DE6kuQJcR-nhRv11LOtZeEqfJaHtIUVePmrC-SV-vB8rZweMykMlWYwQZPCRVhqNg/s400/mario5.png" height="126" width="400" /></a></div>
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Finally, we come to the end of the level. Notice that the designer reuses the two block running-space to hint to the player that they should make a running jump. Mario takes the jump, slides down the flag, and completes the level. In doing so, the player has learned enough lessons about how to play SMB to at least feel comfortable progressing through the next level of the game.<br />
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Even in games that are often touted as having zero hand-holding, such as <i>Super Metroid</i>, have several visual tutorials that force players to learn mechanics.<br />
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For example, when Samus first achieves the morph ball, (the ability to scrunch up into a ball and roll around), she isn't just allowed to leave the room. No, she must utilize the morph ball in order to even leave, again forcing the player to learn a mechanic in order to progress.<br />
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Most metroidvanias follow this pattern, in that they very often drop a player into a world without any menu-style tutorials, and instead rely almost entirely on visual and interactive tutorials to teach the player the rules of the game. <i>Dead Gear </i>will follow the same route for the most part, although for more complex mechanics, I will give the player the option for a more indepth explanation, a la SMW2 Hint Blocks.<br />
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There's still a great deal more to talk about, but I'll spare you the walls of text. (for now)<br />
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-Alex<br />
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<br />Alex Millerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12835710219383920729noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8678407929401780323.post-28327841601670722642013-04-29T17:46:00.001-07:002013-04-29T17:49:40.151-07:00If a Skill Tree falls in a forest, does it make a sound?: A glance at Talent Trees and Dead Gear.<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimLdezla4M18UFt9kK1or4wdjxOVocorAZ75mhFfdpmsECosmz5YkuQxAGlQrjWKfdVZRfylAiKDGvGeFF2j10nxxHlXFER3pHMe4oJ-l1lpWLKB6bHX25t28fEn9YAUWlMaOBg0Reubc/s1600/1126px-Lineage_Skill_Tree.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><br /></a></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/6/63/SkillTree.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/6/63/SkillTree.png" width="298" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Thanks, wikipedia.</td></tr>
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Consider the Skill tree. (Or Talent tree, or Tech tree, whatever you'd like to call it.)<br />
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It is a character development systems mechanic that tends to be seen in RPGs, that allows the player to progress their avatars in a widely customizable way, giving the player the option to develop their own playing styles. Although the origins of this type of progression mechanic obviously lie in Dungeons and Dragons and tabletop gaming (purchasing feats, abilities), over the past decade or so they have become a staple in even more mainstream, action games that want to add more complexity or depth to their gameplay.<br />
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But what makes them tick? What is it about Talent Trees that players enjoy? Let's pry a little into the history of the Skill Tree.<br />
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<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7EEWOCx7zeXMcJ3EPR5QH79-077sGwVGi_IA10nvsUfXGI4zUXKB7YYx1nGWiHXbFYql5TNlMeL2lmX2ikJwaRAnX2AISItM9GqBlNLm24y8p5rg00G7nSe23tBqPW3vsvCRGp8aQKTo/s1600/dice.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7EEWOCx7zeXMcJ3EPR5QH79-077sGwVGi_IA10nvsUfXGI4zUXKB7YYx1nGWiHXbFYql5TNlMeL2lmX2ikJwaRAnX2AISItM9GqBlNLm24y8p5rg00G7nSe23tBqPW3vsvCRGp8aQKTo/s320/dice.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Now, let the fight over whose dice is whose commence</td></tr>
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In the beginning, D&D players would lovingly create their own characters. Customization was an essential, core part of the tabletop RPG experience. Even then, D&D rule books would painstakingly craft large charts of feats, traits and abilities different races and classes would be able to take, complete with extensive criteria for each. With D&D, it tended to follow a logical approach to these feats and traits. You couldn't master how to wear heavy armor before mastering how to wear medium armor, for instance. You could only gain these sweet holy divination powers if you worshiped X deity. That makes sense!<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMLu-9dgJGFlpL5ds1iO2m9SlSeguJfzebL-rXPioLZ1SdzWRxnJfuKgwG8OnLnRBMUA-DaPWzxp_DAG5fSoT5EuL8VH1HVKmVbIlo-WB_d-QMaf6Fuf5i2Derk79nopcXmkB3-0iGRlE/s1600/Diablo2Barb.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMLu-9dgJGFlpL5ds1iO2m9SlSeguJfzebL-rXPioLZ1SdzWRxnJfuKgwG8OnLnRBMUA-DaPWzxp_DAG5fSoT5EuL8VH1HVKmVbIlo-WB_d-QMaf6Fuf5i2Derk79nopcXmkB3-0iGRlE/s200/Diablo2Barb.jpg" width="140" /></a>As videogames began to encroach on tabletop gaming, these customizable feats and traits began to take a more abstract and simplified form to better match a medium confined not to a stack of giant, masterfully written tomes, but instead a low-resolution pixel screen. Even so, these early adaptations had much more in common with D&D than our current manifestations did, often filled with complex formula multipliers and redundancies. They allowed players to, although through limited means comparatively, customize their skillset and statistics by using a visual chart, with the skills and traits illustrated clearly on the screen.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjEwW_TEa0FqtfGkPHr4dwIXohKO63uRpTDluZly1d5nbeoMIZM3uRnaQBthxQrrshh2qUJ6dSop6E-Nwn99ej_hKC-Iqmx7y1q0pKY9EJtQsQg_GfofVa6243XIjdNS_mdkxCiALyv37o/s1600/Freeciv-2.1.8_technology_tree.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="57" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjEwW_TEa0FqtfGkPHr4dwIXohKO63uRpTDluZly1d5nbeoMIZM3uRnaQBthxQrrshh2qUJ6dSop6E-Nwn99ej_hKC-Iqmx7y1q0pKY9EJtQsQg_GfofVa6243XIjdNS_mdkxCiALyv37o/s400/Freeciv-2.1.8_technology_tree.png" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">FreeCiv's tech tree</td></tr>
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At around the same time, RTS (Real Time Strategy) games were becoming a popular pastime for strategy fans.Many of these games made use of Technology trees, large charts clearly marking the relationships, prerequisites and criteria between each level of skills. For instance, you could not build a boat until you have a lumbermill. And you cannot build a lumbermill unless you have the knowledge of creating one! And don't forget about having to chop down the wood needed to build that lumbermill, etc etc. Whereas in RPGs, the skill tree was more about picking and choosing which traits you wanted to have, with only a meager allowance of points of which to spend; early RTS games often allowed you to master everything, with only time and your own ability to survive against your foes being the limiting factor.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Kingdoms of Amalur gave perks of jacks-of-all-trades</td></tr>
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<i>Mastery!</i> What a word. RPG players have usually always shown a preference to mastering a specific skillset or role when given the choice of specializing in a role or becoming a jack of all trades; often chiding the inefficiency of trying to be everything at once. This attitude goes back to dual-classing in D&D (and perhaps common sense); some combinations were simply redundant, not very optimal or useful to use. Eventually, it may have given rise to the idea that a player should only be able to master ONE thing, or settle for being only okay at a bunch of things. Basically,<i><b> Specialization vs. Versatility. </b></i><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgbWmqd7JymxQ-YX6ltWiyC87znKtqDKUaNJFT45oQG-Rgv6jDi4f_WSCnEHKuVQXylSfwggf1kvT6QpQgceBn9NfCLxoGg2vOOH9gGsQRUnlLhT4QVTBm5XOVpt7HgkwBriV7MLjWuWi0/s1600/wow_mage_talents1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="224" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgbWmqd7JymxQ-YX6ltWiyC87znKtqDKUaNJFT45oQG-Rgv6jDi4f_WSCnEHKuVQXylSfwggf1kvT6QpQgceBn9NfCLxoGg2vOOH9gGsQRUnlLhT4QVTBm5XOVpt7HgkwBriV7MLjWuWi0/s320/wow_mage_talents1.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Many MMOs and RPGs have talent builds that vary wildly.</td></tr>
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Skill trees helped visualize this spectrum. Should a player invest all of their effort into a single area, or could there possibly be pros to combining different areas?<br />
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This sort of meta-gaming was fueled by the great breadth of customization allowed by talent trees and skill allotment systems, especially in large MMOs. The craving for experimentation with different builds has became so great that it is now uncommon for a developer to NOT include a 'respec' (re-specialization) option for players to choose all of their talents/traits over again. It wasn't long before even more action-oriented games began to employ different forms of trait/skill allotment similar to skill trees.<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqWY07lr2Mko01bIeg-KlMtKW7xP84u1nUFdLG1X2WlynIP7lSJMdpMWyhXZwGWTRT40v-GKYqKfvis5ozFtN14sqJkb8ixmcbUh9LWlT7JHoFCrSNjaPRtU6JM_YmMtsLgIrIYrclly8/s1600/masseffectskilltrees.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="202" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqWY07lr2Mko01bIeg-KlMtKW7xP84u1nUFdLG1X2WlynIP7lSJMdpMWyhXZwGWTRT40v-GKYqKfvis5ozFtN14sqJkb8ixmcbUh9LWlT7JHoFCrSNjaPRtU6JM_YmMtsLgIrIYrclly8/s400/masseffectskilltrees.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">ME3 eventually returned some of the breadth and complexity, but not all.</td></tr>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-IK0Cbxtwdj6ob_XFCmj3l6TOYcx3g5FGYZEutYFfyXOFcqlDuZxFG3HT1rZcNmyKG_FtMHhv6FJYPtY3PO7MHGXE2PL-MFpv-HgEmhYZciEcxPcKPTotPlphesvB49sbc6uT3C1ib2Q/s1600/FinalFantasyX-SphereGrid.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="314" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-IK0Cbxtwdj6ob_XFCmj3l6TOYcx3g5FGYZEutYFfyXOFcqlDuZxFG3HT1rZcNmyKG_FtMHhv6FJYPtY3PO7MHGXE2PL-MFpv-HgEmhYZciEcxPcKPTotPlphesvB49sbc6uT3C1ib2Q/s320/FinalFantasyX-SphereGrid.png" width="320" /></a>Although visually and technically not a skill tree, <i>Mass Effect</i>'s skill allotment resembles one, mechanically. The player allocates points in a variety of skills and traits, unlocking more advanced skills and traits as he goes. Many agree that <i>Mass Effect 2</i>'s streamlining of skill customization may have gone too far, severely limiting the depth of player customization, and by extension, alienating the original playerbase. <br />
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Other examples of forays into trait customization includes Final Fantasy 10's sphere grid system, which made the player level up all of their party members by traversing an enormous circular grid in a sort of puzzle-like manner. While it was certainly large and intimidating, it was actually much more linear than it seemed, only offering a single path for each character to go through, for the majority of the game. A later rendition of the game changed this, revising the entire grid and allowing the player to essentially pick, with lots of freedom, which class and which abilities each character should be.<br />
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Notably, the new Diablo-eque<i> <a href="http://www.pathofexile.com/" target="_blank">Path of Exile</a></i> features a progression system very obviously inspired from FFX's sphere grid.<br />
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Where does this come into play with <i>Dead Gear?</i><br />
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As you may recall<i> </i>in much earlier postings, my original vision for Dead Gear was a much more arcadey metroidvania venture, with new elemental attacks coming from found items and relics, which doubled as tools to progress the player through the game.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjcHUT7AqdjHz2u0qqmbmIaA6jRzjid9eLj8ZR5NW2BIwoawSim9FKnZvTKrJXFt7Kb8lwD65tZmBCDi2ngp7W2NfRehYkc8DdJJKaNfxtEc8UtRg6B3doUwpfqPUPfKbW1cYSvvLEid0I/s1600/DG_GemRing.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjcHUT7AqdjHz2u0qqmbmIaA6jRzjid9eLj8ZR5NW2BIwoawSim9FKnZvTKrJXFt7Kb8lwD65tZmBCDi2ngp7W2NfRehYkc8DdJJKaNfxtEc8UtRg6B3doUwpfqPUPfKbW1cYSvvLEid0I/s640/DG_GemRing.png" width="640" /></a>I liked the old system, but it bothered me that there was no real discernible character progression in the game. Whereas the Metroid games could survive on finding new tools and weapons alone, I wanted to steer Dead Gear into more of a RPG-Metroidvania direction, with leveling up, stats and picking up items. And so, I eventually came up with the Gem Ring, which is a node-based system inspired from <i>FFX</i>'s sphere grid, and to an extent, the weapon upgrading in <i>Dead Space.</i><br />
An early version of the Gem Ring, shown above, shows that there will be 8 separate trees within Dead Gear, each with their own progression. <br />
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<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9KodlorRagLfHdPYhDLRl2SuCJxeEmgrCev_T2_CwsKOISsjMPHSs3r4nqe_ovTAD8YbOIns5FcO6-2s97vR6F3nhtxlWlZ0vvenaPENx4K2MnmvBKMedjoj8HUv6NPUe5ULyIyLJfjo/s1600/gemgrid2.gif" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="255" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9KodlorRagLfHdPYhDLRl2SuCJxeEmgrCev_T2_CwsKOISsjMPHSs3r4nqe_ovTAD8YbOIns5FcO6-2s97vR6F3nhtxlWlZ0vvenaPENx4K2MnmvBKMedjoj8HUv6NPUe5ULyIyLJfjo/s400/gemgrid2.gif" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The Moonstone and Diamond trees</td></tr>
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As the player levels up, they will be able to guide energy from the bottom into unpowered nodes, giving the player different stat boosts, active and passive abilities. Each tree offers its own element, weapon-type mastery and play style. For example, a player in one play-through may decide to master the Sword abilities, allowing them to parry attacks and do air combos, and even use a massive charged attack move. Another time, perhaps they will focus mainly on summoned familiars.<br />
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To balance this, I added an 'Attunement system,' giving the player the choice of two trees to become attuned to at a single time. Becoming attuned to a specific tree means that you are granted all of the stat bonuses, passive bonuses and active abilities granted to you in that tree.<br />
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The top 1/2~ of every tree is locked off until a player decides to 'master' that particular tree. I plan to allow players to unlock the full potential of perhaps 2-3 different trees in the first play-through.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVniWtkvSZT9Y4TYzMo2YD4_A4Ns8ZkcZhmKmOFeYsflpguO4GZUDLqNIaQJu8UaubTjr1u0W6tldY5cY_RtGnqShdkGqp-P9mUxtBbqf4DsizkX0Hztt0dS0Q4nszCRMqZqox4P1vL5M/s1600/gemgrid3.gif" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="255" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVniWtkvSZT9Y4TYzMo2YD4_A4Ns8ZkcZhmKmOFeYsflpguO4GZUDLqNIaQJu8UaubTjr1u0W6tldY5cY_RtGnqShdkGqp-P9mUxtBbqf4DsizkX0Hztt0dS0Q4nszCRMqZqox4P1vL5M/s400/gemgrid3.gif" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">One half of a fusion node is energized from the left side.</td></tr>
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In addition, as all 8 trees are next to each other, but technically separate, I decided to add a bonus to players who decide to master or level up complimentary trees, called 'Fusion Nodes.' They are special active and passive abilities that can be unlocked only if they are unlocked on both sides. As an added boon, the fusion nodes will be accessible from either tree, if you are attuned to one of them!<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgzcU3n27B86k32AZGotOXs_bF9SYpg2lNm5Vn2c3_ZM_xYbT0PnApmSnjSYeoyKZWKbSNsHwKOa3WrDfUbisA3C4ys1lj4vX4PMRx-Czayb9A9RTnh050IT_Zp2cN7NLOSxCcl6JD3DU0/s1600/gemgrid4.gif" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="255" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgzcU3n27B86k32AZGotOXs_bF9SYpg2lNm5Vn2c3_ZM_xYbT0PnApmSnjSYeoyKZWKbSNsHwKOa3WrDfUbisA3C4ys1lj4vX4PMRx-Czayb9A9RTnh050IT_Zp2cN7NLOSxCcl6JD3DU0/s400/gemgrid4.gif" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Voila! Now the fusion node is unlocked and is usable by EITHER tree. </td></tr>
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Anyway, that's my little spiel on player progression and skill trees for now.<br />
<br />
-Alex<br />
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<br />Alex Millerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12835710219383920729noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8678407929401780323.post-74546506402234773342013-04-25T16:53:00.000-07:002014-03-16T13:20:43.282-07:00Dead-Ends in Games, and How to Use Them<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2KhlZobi8-73UgieZh5_ANOOF7dk31bai-kPC77P0SrNGixE-Mb8vTiJXfSdgk5FG2b-YY4W4_d9dbANhC1YZZ6e8kF0snlSHR8BvDI6wIJTJpZ-kCox923UA6AG2cKMY04zzcdfgA4I/s1600/Greenlight_Cavern11.gif" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2KhlZobi8-73UgieZh5_ANOOF7dk31bai-kPC77P0SrNGixE-Mb8vTiJXfSdgk5FG2b-YY4W4_d9dbANhC1YZZ6e8kF0snlSHR8BvDI6wIJTJpZ-kCox923UA6AG2cKMY04zzcdfgA4I/s640/Greenlight_Cavern11.gif" height="344" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A 'Dead-End' in Dead Gear. Or is it?</td></tr>
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Let's consider Dead-Ends in games. What are dead-ends?<br />
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I would define them specifically as such: <i> </i><br />
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<i>An non-essential area or path in a level that the player can take that will require backtracking to return to the original 'correct' path.</i><br />
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Dead-Ends have long been touted as an exercise in bad game design by older game design veterans; particularly those who designed multiplayer maps in first-person shooters such as Doom, Unreal, Quake, etc.<br />
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They have a point, a player running into a long corridor only to find no reward down there might feel betrayed, or annoyed. Certainly in multiplayer deathmatch maps, which were the norm back then, you generally want to keep a circular flow to the levels, allowing attacks and escapes to occur in any direction.<br />
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But even then, there were exceptions; I remember even in some of the multiplayer deathmatch maps, it was common to have a long corridor with a powerful pick-up (either a powerful weapon or full armor) at the very end. The fact that you would have your back exposed the entire time you ran down the corridor to get the powerup, and that you'd have to run all the way back; made it a risk vs reward situation; something that spiced things up and that many players appreciated.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/proxy/AVvXsEjS3ZRZ2RSud8EfnHhatpx9RN_U1SLOak1jUHVjM41GOd0PM9wl2_-jgMOxd-0g29drzewNXDWvLy1IQJijfEo4z7J8imJT6fF_rAXP9xIoaMxDmqlbOtavQWywQBIh=" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/proxy/AVvXsEjS3ZRZ2RSud8EfnHhatpx9RN_U1SLOak1jUHVjM41GOd0PM9wl2_-jgMOxd-0g29drzewNXDWvLy1IQJijfEo4z7J8imJT6fF_rAXP9xIoaMxDmqlbOtavQWywQBIh=" height="320" width="213" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The One True Way indeed.</td></tr>
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But that's an entire different genre. Different games and genres will generally have different reactions to a dead-end.<br />
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For instance, RPGs (particularly JRPGS) can be maddening when you find a path that leads to nothing. I remember playing <i>Suikoden Tierkreis</i> on my DS; a very well produced JRPG, but not without its flaws.<br />
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But two flaws in particular, in combination, inspired a rage in me the likes none have ever seen.<br />
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-Long Dungeon Corridors that lead to nothing.<br />
-Random Encounter Battles every 3-5 steps. <br />
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It made what should take a 15 minute romp through a dungeon into a grueling hours-long affair; irritatingly and artificially extending the playtime of the game. It could have been more easily forgiven if it wasn't such a pain getting to the end of a corridor, OR if there was a nice reward for doing so.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhuNFr39pgo2UvDxiWSI4oIsRVM0CW8nO_5b2Fhd2y7-TW5i-AL1_X_wjEeJtq5BESzRJVOyXtTTPUnvnIaUJTDwlS9yNTKCvs_m39fYj-Lvuqu4wq49PsL0dQtfvbK1y4XEQtwPSrhlXc/s1600/Halflife+2+Dead+End+Strider.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhuNFr39pgo2UvDxiWSI4oIsRVM0CW8nO_5b2Fhd2y7-TW5i-AL1_X_wjEeJtq5BESzRJVOyXtTTPUnvnIaUJTDwlS9yNTKCvs_m39fYj-Lvuqu4wq49PsL0dQtfvbK1y4XEQtwPSrhlXc/s400/Halflife+2+Dead+End+Strider.jpg" height="300" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Catching view of a Strider</td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"></td></tr>
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In more linear, single-player action games, dead-ends are not often used, much to the detriment to the game. Valve, of <i>Half-life</i> fame, used them on occasion, either rewarding the player with heath, ammo, hint or a visual treat that the player would not have been able to see otherwise.<br />
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For instance, near the beginning of the game, as the player walks through City 17, they can walk down a dead-end alleyway, and catch sight of the spider-like Strider enemies, something that they won't be facing until the end of the game.<br />
Valve is quite skilled in rewarding the player<i> </i>venturing off the beaten path.<br />
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And that's really one of the greatest boons to dead-ends: it prevents a game from becoming too linear, without having to create alternate pathways to the same destination. It can also intrigue the Completionist player, who wants to find and explore every inch of a level. But if used irresponsibly or unfairly, it can just irritate people playing the game, especially if there's a lot of unnecessary backtracking. Interestingly, <i>Elder Scrolls: Skyrim </i>was extremely gracious in that most of their dungeons exist in a large loop, connecting the final room of the dungeon with the very first room; allowing the player to skip backtracking through the entire dungeon. This was handy because it also allowed level designers to be more ambitious with their designs, creating points-of-no-return, obstacles that would force the player to defeat the dungeon, unable to go back the way he came.<br />
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Dead-Ends can also cause a few pretty interesting player behaviors! Take a look below.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhndfaXTaBvF5YnGujPcRP4LUFInsSu9FYiObc8fmi4yqAEfYG7wX13M7PcQFqVhQs46_Ou0eFe9gXHae-4dTI0HMBqFr8LTbs8oaMQrqoP9lhzmN7c_WWehT_Y-etX6BDJWf6h1PcNCS0/s1600/1.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhndfaXTaBvF5YnGujPcRP4LUFInsSu9FYiObc8fmi4yqAEfYG7wX13M7PcQFqVhQs46_Ou0eFe9gXHae-4dTI0HMBqFr8LTbs8oaMQrqoP9lhzmN7c_WWehT_Y-etX6BDJWf6h1PcNCS0/s320/1.png" height="320" width="320" /></a></div>
Let's pretend this is a map for the last part of a First Person shooter level. There are three paths at the end of the initial corridor, but only one leads to the end of the level. To continue, the player will just have to guess to head to the right if there are no visual or audio hints to guide him there.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhEetM0LFCPm8NAPyZG_g-d_OBtaBuo-HCmBEtiWngewwM-D_ub86cbIiaFHWE6hJcYCldzqVHeXEZYoww26tUxTcFkxgE_vGp4J1dMBIYfD7GbNIzjKj3Q4wnDCLxs-nxHQdLb8wwmUEE/s1600/2.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhEetM0LFCPm8NAPyZG_g-d_OBtaBuo-HCmBEtiWngewwM-D_ub86cbIiaFHWE6hJcYCldzqVHeXEZYoww26tUxTcFkxgE_vGp4J1dMBIYfD7GbNIzjKj3Q4wnDCLxs-nxHQdLb8wwmUEE/s320/2.png" height="320" width="320" /></a></div>
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As you can see, if the player takes the wrong path, leading to a dead end, they are forced to retrace their steps.<br />
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The fact that a dead-end does not
provide essential gameplay, means that the player is not
required to enter the dead end to complete the level.
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This of course means that the dead-end can not contain anything that is essential for completion of the level or later levels, if one cannot return to this area later. This is mostly an issue in level or chapter-based games.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4rvmuXIYrfSwBB11rjdV2xznUKz3Dz-jCR7Zf4lQsfF6LGty5NNeJ2n_CvwHAznjHV9SiG5jOIbqIxQ-K5ntlqucBSwktI6DbIPGZkguSz6Ayj_kR5-XLRqPriLMLtsKTo4ahZWMNUQE/s1600/3.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4rvmuXIYrfSwBB11rjdV2xznUKz3Dz-jCR7Zf4lQsfF6LGty5NNeJ2n_CvwHAznjHV9SiG5jOIbqIxQ-K5ntlqucBSwktI6DbIPGZkguSz6Ayj_kR5-XLRqPriLMLtsKTo4ahZWMNUQE/s320/3.png" height="320" width="320" /></a></div>
You can also justify a dead-end by making it essential to traverse in order to progress in the level.<br />
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In this example, the player needs to find the green key in order to bypass the green door. In this case, it is not really a dead-end as much as necessary backtracking within the level.<br />
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A possible fault with using this strategy exclusively is that eventually the flow of the level will feel much too linear if taking every single path is essential to beating the level.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEglX1FMNawINzm9ya-3jIAdNIlX3BqxHI126nVDT0oNmUd-FCB-O3vwlerASF11wXdnuj3XKulBElZccbnleFnTmu2k2UwuRXyTOXlBoM1aQHprz3FrkSRL5yjCh7H4Lh7wBKukUKayIvE/s1600/4.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEglX1FMNawINzm9ya-3jIAdNIlX3BqxHI126nVDT0oNmUd-FCB-O3vwlerASF11wXdnuj3XKulBElZccbnleFnTmu2k2UwuRXyTOXlBoM1aQHprz3FrkSRL5yjCh7H4Lh7wBKukUKayIvE/s320/4.png" height="320" width="320" /></a></div>
There's an interesting behavior I've noticed in players that play games with branching paths and dead-ends.<br />
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If one particular path is clearly marked or hinted that it is the correct door to go through, players will always almost <b>NOT </b>take that first! Why? Because they don't want to miss the chance to find hidden goodies elsewhere in case that hinted doorway is actually a point of no return.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLedTtyxtjWO-GmS43G6GwMUozF6zc5vwdXjboE-s5JA3BUQHsX9L7QZl9S9BHQztMuKWYvbryB0baVD03eb-UGjIblTwyE7zudTOtKXXc3jxWQgMfPlXBM0xhAU0ikVhLvkKj_s8-XnY/s1600/Super_metroid_spike_floor.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLedTtyxtjWO-GmS43G6GwMUozF6zc5vwdXjboE-s5JA3BUQHsX9L7QZl9S9BHQztMuKWYvbryB0baVD03eb-UGjIblTwyE7zudTOtKXXc3jxWQgMfPlXBM0xhAU0ikVhLvkKj_s8-XnY/s400/Super_metroid_spike_floor.jpg" height="275" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Samus cannot traverse these spikes until she gets the grappling beam.</td></tr>
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This brings us to the most relevant genre to Dead Gear; the games that feature an open game world that are not sectioned off into stages or levels.<br />
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This includes games such as Zelda, Metroid, Resident Evil and Castlevania. One of the common traits between all of them is that they feature backtracking to a degree. Another is their use of <b><i>Game-Locks.</i></b><br />
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A <i>game-lock</i> is a level design mechanic that is, for all purposes, a <b>Dead-End</b> for the player; until they obtain a new item or ability (or trigger an event) that allows them to bypass it. In a game like Resident Evil, it can be something as simple as finding a key to a matching door that they found in a dead-end ages ago on the other side of the mansion. <br />
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In many ways, the Game-lock is one of the essential ingredients to creating a Metroidvania game; ensuring a fairly linear game while retaining an enormous game world with branching paths. Look at this <a href="http://fcfantasy.cn/maps/ps/castlevania_symphony_of_the_night_50percent_map.jpg" target="_blank">map of Castlevania:SOTN</a>. While enormous, the game limits your progression entirely on abilities gained. (Although, in the game's greatness, entire regions, bosses and abilities are completely optional!)<br />
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Another important caveat is that in SOTN, there is not a single dead-end that is unrewarded. Even if it's something as simple as a small health item or a crappy weapon, the player won't feel cheated for their efforts in exploring.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2KhlZobi8-73UgieZh5_ANOOF7dk31bai-kPC77P0SrNGixE-Mb8vTiJXfSdgk5FG2b-YY4W4_d9dbANhC1YZZ6e8kF0snlSHR8BvDI6wIJTJpZ-kCox923UA6AG2cKMY04zzcdfgA4I/s1600/Greenlight_Cavern11.gif" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2KhlZobi8-73UgieZh5_ANOOF7dk31bai-kPC77P0SrNGixE-Mb8vTiJXfSdgk5FG2b-YY4W4_d9dbANhC1YZZ6e8kF0snlSHR8BvDI6wIJTJpZ-kCox923UA6AG2cKMY04zzcdfgA4I/s640/Greenlight_Cavern11.gif" height="344" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Mining Drill in Greenlight Mines</td></tr>
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Let's take another look at the Dead Gear picture I posted at the top of this post. This is an example of a Game-Lock that also functions as a Dead-End. He simply cannot progress any further with his current abilities. But the player may notice the opening from above; and even if he doesn't, he will remember the large mining drill, making a mental note of it. When he returns later with a new-found ability and manages to get through that opening in the ceiling, he will feel accomplished and proud of figuring out this Game-lock.<br />
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There's a lot more to talk about, but this post has gone on pretty long already. See you next time.<br />
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-Alex<br />
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Over the past month or so, I've been doing the next pass on Dead Gear's graphics, tilesets and animation;<br />
in addition to a <b>ton</b> of systems and combat design.<br />
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There's still a lot of work to be done, especially in getting tiles to mesh correctly, restricting camera movement so that it doesn't show certain section; (will be raising the camera so Illyia is not in the center of the screen, as well, but rather below the center.) Still pretty unpolished, but acceptable for this stage of development, at least.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgjJACeRYcavGC2sagilu7Ul5pzb4t1jkVDd4YHHB2c0Rmm7GhrG8zSFoj-Yx3Ut7xLour8gqOmh4TaVE0Jh47yL31SHeugezvk9x1LYIXonsO-HWwneDFA6kRKVQfW4-zgPa2XQ0DnBKE/s1600/1.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="179" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgjJACeRYcavGC2sagilu7Ul5pzb4t1jkVDd4YHHB2c0Rmm7GhrG8zSFoj-Yx3Ut7xLour8gqOmh4TaVE0Jh47yL31SHeugezvk9x1LYIXonsO-HWwneDFA6kRKVQfW4-zgPa2XQ0DnBKE/s320/1.png" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Does this look familiar? Ingame version of my very first mockup. Still needs a background.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhkrxBvjwYiwfg_F6aJUpi40SnkxFUrI13WGL6Cfbn8DDOxIwdorPW_x_sCHqBoVpZYTc_tgcuvbPj2CcWVNAFLAX37S34F2V4N_jPHosAA9ETKAVIjDrZ1afPTCsqcooeGIeT5S_sa-U0/s1600/2.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="179" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhkrxBvjwYiwfg_F6aJUpi40SnkxFUrI13WGL6Cfbn8DDOxIwdorPW_x_sCHqBoVpZYTc_tgcuvbPj2CcWVNAFLAX37S34F2V4N_jPHosAA9ETKAVIjDrZ1afPTCsqcooeGIeT5S_sa-U0/s320/2.png" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Inside the ruins of the airship.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8W186jgW0pFIfwLqqs8_vt0x6THGZTAFyakzN7bDrn5U-mGD7neunyDy3Xr7p5DpYyFci1GIP_47imUy0cPePHSyryrQdmSgar5r4S5dWj4iEZDtpkHO5aGeQVkfVNVjMLfyc5SbGzI4/s1600/outsideDeadGear.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="179" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8W186jgW0pFIfwLqqs8_vt0x6THGZTAFyakzN7bDrn5U-mGD7neunyDy3Xr7p5DpYyFci1GIP_47imUy0cPePHSyryrQdmSgar5r4S5dWj4iEZDtpkHO5aGeQVkfVNVjMLfyc5SbGzI4/s320/outsideDeadGear.png" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Outside in the snow</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhRGtzOtE630lW5SwjrmX53ZC7G0WcwWD_ocLyfEJ2jVpvHxX2KRhuk6HRsiyuEX0fDIndkU0G99CZJydtwgsGeyJgVPKNcDDTR5iH4k2UsfyB85JVweF-w0D86BZIafQbiIdO0aQ5tURk/s1600/3.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="179" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhRGtzOtE630lW5SwjrmX53ZC7G0WcwWD_ocLyfEJ2jVpvHxX2KRhuk6HRsiyuEX0fDIndkU0G99CZJydtwgsGeyJgVPKNcDDTR5iH4k2UsfyB85JVweF-w0D86BZIafQbiIdO0aQ5tURk/s320/3.png" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Illyia, your room's kind of a mess.</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Updated concept of Title screen, will shift from day to night.</td></tr>
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-AlexAlex Millerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12835710219383920729noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8678407929401780323.post-91847215070601439462013-04-13T17:22:00.000-07:002013-04-14T23:56:35.184-07:00A Quick Glance at NPC CompanionsGosh, it's been quite a while since I updated. Sorry about that, been pretty busy!<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Elizabeth, your constant companion in Bioshock Infinite</td></tr>
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Ever since completing the recently released, beautiful Bioshock Infinite on hard mode with my wife, (What? Yes, I'm married now!) I had been giving some pretty heavy thought to a particular mechanic that is used sparingly in games; and for generally good reasons. This mechanic, of course, is the <b>NPC companion</b>; a computer-controlled character that the player frequently, and directly interacts with in the game, either in narrative, or gameplay, or both.<br />
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Ever the bane of the player, the NPC companion/escort AI usually manages to be annoying, intrusive, <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=13YlEPwOfmk" target="_blank">creepy,</a> useless, or a complete liability to have around. They break immersion by failing to interact with the character or break into uncanny valley territory. For this reason, and the difficulty in countering all of this, having NPC companions as a central gameplay mechanic is unusual, and usually very hit or miss.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Would you call Wheatley an NPC companion?</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">At least she didn't tell me to listen</td></tr>
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As a reminder, when I think of the term NPC <i>companion</i>, I'm usually thinking about mechanics revolving around computer-controlled characters that follow you around in <i>actual gameplay</i>, either to support you; or for you to defend. For instance, I would not think of Wheatley from <i>Portal 2</i> so much as an NPC companion as much as an NPC character, even though he was brilliantly written, and you do interact directly with him in the game for brief moments. However, all of his dialogue and movement is completely scripted and timed, and you generally interact with him indirectly. In the same vein, I wouldn't call Navi or Midna from <i>Zelda</i> NPC companions, regardless of them hanging around the player the entire time. Even though they were their own characters; functionally, they served more as an extension of the main character.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhSeftMoINAQGEAalIYKsoZr_hKiDGJAeqvzGHNEgN30xB1MsB3YHVVdBbY8tnzsiSuudRqx2G-XSHcXdgFILsSH_ESO8ii3nKLFxxjlfpbW9ObhfPM4wGylOtOiZf2oy8ejHRcdPCXBQc/s1600/samme-mejias-resident-evil-4+%25281%2529.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="177" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhSeftMoINAQGEAalIYKsoZr_hKiDGJAeqvzGHNEgN30xB1MsB3YHVVdBbY8tnzsiSuudRqx2G-XSHcXdgFILsSH_ESO8ii3nKLFxxjlfpbW9ObhfPM4wGylOtOiZf2oy8ejHRcdPCXBQc/s320/samme-mejias-resident-evil-4+%25281%2529.png" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Escorting Ashley Graham through RE4.</td></tr>
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More classical examples of an NPC companion would be the computer-controlled Helpers from <i>Kirby Superstar</i>, Ashley Graham and Sheva from <i>Resident Evil 4/5</i>, etc. (An obvious hallmark in NPC companions would be Alyx Vance from <i>HL2</i>, but more on that later.) Others might include your AI Teammates in<i> Left 4 Dead</i> or <i>Mass Effect.</i><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhh3mSEoxDxvK0KEG9_raZBc6JicDVEgy-_X38PUB5-eKVzrcGvmV42zdghRz0Be26gKWQt1fKJ_R7ASDieTCYfZgatbEAIZLWdHdn2zXHlXX9TC3xkry7Gz__hANd_Hx8nA_tVlu-hlw/s1600/tumblr_m9efkznmgO1r6qglpo1_500.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="177" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhh3mSEoxDxvK0KEG9_raZBc6JicDVEgy-_X38PUB5-eKVzrcGvmV42zdghRz0Be26gKWQt1fKJ_R7ASDieTCYfZgatbEAIZLWdHdn2zXHlXX9TC3xkry7Gz__hANd_Hx8nA_tVlu-hlw/s320/tumblr_m9efkznmgO1r6qglpo1_500.png" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Unintentional bloodshed with Oblivion/Skyrim companions.</td></tr>
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Looking back over the past 15 years or so, there have been a decent library of games that featured NPC companions as a feature, although rarely as a central mechanic. Many of them were terrible, most of them were workable, and a few of them were pretty good. <br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Hand-holding in Ico as a gameplay mechanic</td></tr>
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One game that might get overlooked would be Konami's <i>Ico</i>, where the main mechanic of the game was for the player has to hold an aloof and otherworldly girl named Yorda's hand and guide her to safety. Ico is a fantastic game for several reasons, but the very human, almost intimate act of guiding somebody by the hand and defending them from harm was an excellent way for players to form an emotional bond with two characters that are otherwise completely silent. Although her entire function is essentially that of an helpless and mute escortee; guiding Yorda around Ico's world felt more real and immersive than the majority of games that use NPC companions as a core mechanic.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhITfkn0cSz-A9HloKrQU8fV-qM1bhtqtaQvKVlj0fnynq32ad1IlXefdBYgv3CoBTZzgyBAZX2gAM0ZuTdcJjhwPUX4lYaRJlq4K_DXOhsR1dPu29b6WcURUun2dNMzM7v6oLp7sh-l1Q/s1600/356030-kahuna.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhITfkn0cSz-A9HloKrQU8fV-qM1bhtqtaQvKVlj0fnynq32ad1IlXefdBYgv3CoBTZzgyBAZX2gAM0ZuTdcJjhwPUX4lYaRJlq4K_DXOhsR1dPu29b6WcURUun2dNMzM7v6oLp7sh-l1Q/s200/356030-kahuna.jpg" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Not pictured: me murdering Boomer</td></tr>
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I remember years ago, playing the original <i>SOCOM</i> for the PS2, where you had to order around AI teammates with voice commands. Eventually, I started each mission by shooting my personal NPC companion, Boomer, in the head, until he was dead. My in-game avatar would mark this grisly murder by yelling 'MAN DOWN! MAN DOWN!!' into the radio. But I had no regrets. Boomer would no longer throw grenades directly at a wall to have them bounce back and kill us both. While the other two teammates were useful and could work on their own, he would tag around me, give away my position, get killed, and was more liability than ally.<br />
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But when playing Bioshock Infinite, I noticed something: <i>I didn't hate Elizabeth.</i> In fact, I actually enjoyed having her around as both a gameplay and narrative mechanic, in addition to being an interesting character. But what design choices made her different from Boomer? (With respect to the difference in game genres) Here are a few key differences:<br />
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<b>-While she didn't actively participate in the fierce gun battles, Elizabeth would still provide a vital supportive role by throwing much-needed money, ammo and restoration items at the player. She also gave the player the ability to summon allies, turrets or cover. She would even lockpick locked doors for the player, giving access to new areas, point out items that the player might have missed, and even revive the player when he died.</b><br />
From a gameplay and narrative perspective, this was a great design choice. Elizabeth provides such useful support, that when you get separated, you feel the sting of her not being there. It is considerably easier to force players into creating an emotional bond with an NPC through gameplay than it is through a narrative. Had Elizabeth not provided concrete, measurable gameplay support, the sting would not have been as noticeable. <br />
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<b>-Elizabeth would not be harmed in battles, instead hiding behind cover, away from the battle.</b><br />
This design choice prevented the entire game from being a dreaded babysitting escort mission, which would essentially cripple the player's gameplay experience and the developer's ability to create a large variety of combat situations. Elizabeth would even yelp out an apology if she's briefly in your way during a fight.<br />
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<b>-Elizabeth constantly interacted with the environment and other NPCs.</b><br />
I can't count the number of times I would see Elizabeth out of the corner of my eye doing something interesting. Eavesdropping on conversations, enjoying the view, playing with her hands, reacting to dialogue, curiously observing signs and painting and wincing at dead bodies. Elizabeth's clothes became torn and she would switch outfits throughout the game. Notably, Elizabeth would not always follow you, but instead take the lead and run ahead when something interested her. Overall, the game did a pretty excellent job at immersing Elizabeth, and the player by extension, into the game's world.<br />
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<b>-Relevance to the Game Narrative and having a Emotional Bond</b><br />
Of course, these facts would not matter if the player did not establish an emotional link to Elizabeth through the narrative and some pretty excellent acting. Elizabeth is designed to be an immensely likable character that is easily empathized with. It's no coincidence that many have been comparing her look and mannerisms to that of Disney Princesses, which serves as a stark contrast with the flat-toned, realist Booker. The player shares the majority of cutscenes in the game with her, and indeed, the plots revolves almost entirely around her. In other games with NPC companions, would you feel as touched by their death as much as Elizabeth or Alyx Vance's?<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQ5TklM3RQi-XWkODmdUq-hdRFkXasCz-qQ4mlOjHhn7085gxOxbR-48X2mSVnM_MQIrT5xblnPys17N42xq4wp6GIgHoY5woTjQHqcUsIWFeDP2Lo53YCSo6CqFpmjRQP4fuYmzUCYns/s1600/1527616-alyx02.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQ5TklM3RQi-XWkODmdUq-hdRFkXasCz-qQ4mlOjHhn7085gxOxbR-48X2mSVnM_MQIrT5xblnPys17N42xq4wp6GIgHoY5woTjQHqcUsIWFeDP2Lo53YCSo6CqFpmjRQP4fuYmzUCYns/s320/1527616-alyx02.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Alyx Vance from HL2 was a revolutionary development for NPCs. </td></tr>
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Overall, I personally think that Elizabeth is the first really big step forward NPC companions since Alyx Vance in Half Life 2 back in 2004. While certainly not the revolutionary feat that Alyx was, Elizabeth is rather a very impressive <i>evolution</i> of Alyx's concept and design.<br />
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I'd argue that some of Alyx's flaws were even averted with Elizabeth; Valve had the narrative and emotional link with Alyx, but she did not often actually fight or interact directly with the player except for some short segments (although this was remedied somewhat in EP1-2). She was a companion from a narrative point of view, but not necessarily from a gameplay side. Alyx would not comment on her surroundings unless it was a directly scripted cutscene, or support the player directly; she could fight and get damaged, but the vast majority of the work was done by the player. In a way, Alyx primarily served as the voice for the mute Gordon Freeman while being a strong, independent character of her own. Granted, HL2 was revolutionary mainly for the scripted real-time cutscenes, and Alyx was, in some ways, simply an extension of it.<br />
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That's not to say that Elizabeth was perfect, however. Although very rarely in the game, I think there were sections that could have been changed to improve immersion. For example, at one point in the game, Elizabeth is upset with Booker and wants nothing to do with him. But not 20 feet away is a locked door, and Elizabeth cheerily agrees to open the door for you, despite her apparent distaste for you! Would it not have been more interesting and immersive for the level designer to place a door there for the sheer purpose of having Elizabeth refuse to open it for you? Or a small dialogue where Booker tries to convince her to open it up for him? Luckily, these small breaks in immersion were rare and never enough to actually take me out of the game; but I think they could have been built upon for a richer, more believable experience.<br />
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In conclusion, I really think the key point to all this is that making a good NPC companion within a game requires these things:<br />
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-Contributes positively to the Gameplay through support or additional mechanics<br />
-Contributes to the Narrative <br />
-Immersive and creates an Emotional Bond <br />
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Some games hit all three of these marks very high, some of the games hit only one or two. This doesn't mean that they're bad games of course; some of what they lack may be adding to the charm of the game itself.<br />
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I plan to add an NPC companion (aside from summonable allies) for a short stretch of Dead Gear; but nothing too revolutionary, simply an ally to help you dish out the pain!<br />
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-Alex<br />
<span id="goog_280411417"></span><span id="goog_280411418"></span><br />
<br />Alex Millerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12835710219383920729noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8678407929401780323.post-84685851434593078382012-09-25T01:06:00.002-07:002012-09-25T01:06:19.864-07:00Quick Update!Whoops!<br />
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It's been a while since I've had a chance to update the blog; it's been pretty busy since August.<br />
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I got a new gig as a Game/Level designer for a small indie company, and Ameen has been super busy at his new job as well. However, now as things begin to settle down, we're ready to get back into Dead Gear.<br />
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I'll be trying to update at least once every week, or at the very least, 3 updates every month. (For real, this time!)<br />
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As Ameen works on getting the base code for weapons and enemies prepared, I've begun to start experimenting with more finalized looks at the game and continuing to muck around in the design work. Here's a look at one of the updated Crashsite areas; pretty fancy; a far cry from the original rendering, eh?<br />
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On a side note, it's a good month for games, it seems. If anyone's interested in roguelikes, I'd have to recommend the excellent <a href="http://www.ftlgame.com/" target="_blank">FTL</a>, a scifi roguelike that's had my attention lately. It's a gem of a game, although I do wish it had more content; it takes a lot of willpower to resist modding it and adding 500+ more events, extra races and ships to the game myself. (Maybe one day!)<br />
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I'll try to do a nice Dead Gear design post next update.<br />
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-AlexAlex Millerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12835710219383920729noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8678407929401780323.post-2574785390865149442012-07-30T18:03:00.002-07:002014-03-16T13:21:47.360-07:00On Title Screens<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Title screens. You know what they are. Whenever you start a game on your computer or console, the game cycles through a myriad of slash screens displaying the publisher's logo, the developer's logo, the engine used, etc. But eventually it always comes to the first screen you'll see in the game: the title menu.<br />
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I've been pretty busy lately working with <a href="http://ps3code.enginetechnologies.net/wordpress/" target="_blank">Ameen,</a> and getting a lot of design work done, as well as finalizing Dead Gear's native resolution, and working out some bugs and problems with the Unity engine. But until a few days ago, I still hadn't actually worked out an actual title menu screen, aside from some layout frames. Heck, I hadn't even really put any thought towards the game's actual logo!<br />
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When <a href="http://swearmusic.com/" target="_blank">Daniel</a> chatted with me a few days ago regarding the main theme of Dead Gear; I thought that it would really help inspire him if he had a closer idea as to what the music would be accompanied by on-screen. So I gave him a few mockup splash screens that would appear right when you boot the game up.<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjclMaqSI1-e0tBpX9XbRrynasnyCKSA-Smc-NYhBri2ZYJPoscvDK2SahHFfBr70RSDG9PhwMd5Ohi9uUuREmh077YabzAdeqjyhEaHcWIzj-R5HrvUVeKrXseMT78tAP6XWLNyfV6nVw/s1600/daedalus_splash_small.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjclMaqSI1-e0tBpX9XbRrynasnyCKSA-Smc-NYhBri2ZYJPoscvDK2SahHFfBr70RSDG9PhwMd5Ohi9uUuREmh077YabzAdeqjyhEaHcWIzj-R5HrvUVeKrXseMT78tAP6XWLNyfV6nVw/s320/daedalus_splash_small.png" height="179" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">An animated splash screen that eventually fades into:</td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgzyrXRtvBLXhEgtQI9vOiWxeZfnCRGZYOyokr9hxDPNrNOOq1ca0xXFXQoB1POHU6QXK5rOBDsyc5QfT1WNFFM2iVdn1SGNpF-s21m7kp4zWKvSdyMxeTey-3IW-Y64Z1dRo4_tAe-wdM/s1600/Daedalus_Logo.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgzyrXRtvBLXhEgtQI9vOiWxeZfnCRGZYOyokr9hxDPNrNOOq1ca0xXFXQoB1POHU6QXK5rOBDsyc5QfT1WNFFM2iVdn1SGNpF-s21m7kp4zWKvSdyMxeTey-3IW-Y64Z1dRo4_tAe-wdM/s320/Daedalus_Logo.png" height="114" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">This! The logo for Daedalus Games.</td></tr>
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This splash screen is followed by this:<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhzpOcmsGIbauCyHptTKW2Otbh2TQMgWF8GJWs3hCoZwsSD5gO0285tkvjW7WopYoCwgpWpITkbkrk7edoDtADjcsQbV2JTV5mc1E_z1c9xO9c3KWwpLSGqPjlGWuNeuGe8KIpYBjNGSeg/s1600/small_project_cogs.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhzpOcmsGIbauCyHptTKW2Otbh2TQMgWF8GJWs3hCoZwsSD5gO0285tkvjW7WopYoCwgpWpITkbkrk7edoDtADjcsQbV2JTV5mc1E_z1c9xO9c3KWwpLSGqPjlGWuNeuGe8KIpYBjNGSeg/s320/small_project_cogs.png" height="179" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A static splash screen for the COGS project; a series I hope to continue.</td></tr>
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But I had yet to create the actual title menu or Dead Gear logo. So I set myself to brainstorm mode and, through a lot of trial and error, came up with this:<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2OVjoWM5dY9dsdxzDHJJXK6se0qepxOQ4fcdwxaH8fjYO3_K9kJfmhh4FYd-UYLTo8_j47UF-RjcHPSszVrPvvtlZQMidfQod-00srjQxN-jJdsbbmpsg-JT4_ytmaiRaxMMmiGj7XFE/s1600/Dead_Gear_Title_small.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2OVjoWM5dY9dsdxzDHJJXK6se0qepxOQ4fcdwxaH8fjYO3_K9kJfmhh4FYd-UYLTo8_j47UF-RjcHPSszVrPvvtlZQMidfQod-00srjQxN-jJdsbbmpsg-JT4_ytmaiRaxMMmiGj7XFE/s320/Dead_Gear_Title_small.png" height="128" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The current Dead Gear Logo.</td></tr>
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As anyone who has tried their hand at graphic design will tell you, the art of crafting an excellent logo can be maddeningly difficult. I must have tried ten dozen different ways to create a clever logo that somehow incorporates a gear into the letters themselves. My best effort? A G that looks kind of like this:<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLXtIWf5LwpObsBflXbqkuT98whLMZ4H4cnorHjtqXRAzDQZi3GS2iinN1TMXd0OaWkn5Ga82rXnwNUJQsONpnTeyLV2Z6v_GdCSiVYSHfdyGV2L8yDsn0YSPWm5z_dtf6kqo7qhp4RyI/s1600/G.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLXtIWf5LwpObsBflXbqkuT98whLMZ4H4cnorHjtqXRAzDQZi3GS2iinN1TMXd0OaWkn5Ga82rXnwNUJQsONpnTeyLV2Z6v_GdCSiVYSHfdyGV2L8yDsn0YSPWm5z_dtf6kqo7qhp4RyI/s200/G.png" height="177" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">if you flip it on its side, it kind of looks like a flamingo's head</td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"></td></tr>
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But eventually I came to the semi-finalized version above, which gave it the sort of look I desired: a more elegant, simple, Final Fantasy style. I then incorporated it (again, through a lot of trial and error) into a mockup title screen:<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjugGdLfz7Skz4IpYm9A4kikZL1qW3gmhgjpz3G5xbIp8b-Z9U1-ypcE06r-drXw5j7KdCe5NxXNs1RUC1Yx7AJZjgdY1aYzOkIwogqMF8hiKb36Bs06-mwVBxQNWLc5vHSmjOz3YdRpRw/s1600/Title+Screen.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjugGdLfz7Skz4IpYm9A4kikZL1qW3gmhgjpz3G5xbIp8b-Z9U1-ypcE06r-drXw5j7KdCe5NxXNs1RUC1Yx7AJZjgdY1aYzOkIwogqMF8hiKb36Bs06-mwVBxQNWLc5vHSmjOz3YdRpRw/s400/Title+Screen.png" height="225" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">To fans of my comic and not-comic, it might look familiar!</td></tr>
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While still not perfect (it'll certainly need more tweaking before release), I felt that it fit the mood I was going for. And while I was crafting this, I did a lot of thinking about title screens in other games. There's a pretty rich history of title menus.<br />
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<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhcW6rKOKnRVWAeUwNiGgirZd2ILiGNv8NLPRrxnlmzj84biuzvZeFCOgRKBvJvJjSWiLlGVokoHlNl-pKo10mNlFZdJmDNdkd0WSIeElJiISjOd_D-oJ9QssgRJQxb-Id6lMXgqAxGa_Q/s1600/galaga.gif" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhcW6rKOKnRVWAeUwNiGgirZd2ILiGNv8NLPRrxnlmzj84biuzvZeFCOgRKBvJvJjSWiLlGVokoHlNl-pKo10mNlFZdJmDNdkd0WSIeElJiISjOd_D-oJ9QssgRJQxb-Id6lMXgqAxGa_Q/s200/galaga.gif" height="175" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Galaga, or wall of text, the game?</td></tr>
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Back in the 80s, menus screens were almost carbon copies of their arcade counterparts. In arcades, menu screens were pretty barebones, and served a few pretty simple purposes: to display the current high score, to display the game's logo as prominently as possible, how many credits had been inserted and as a small menu to choose whether to or not you'd be playing with other people. As a general rule for the early title screens, it always seems like there's more text than anything else taking up the real estate of the screen, and then programmer art.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDUZvoOOInViXea98xAWmnV9-gQ-qXrZ8kr84cnyvmFo-3gEz62Z4Oid-1DV_6rUVEMe82iASmk17_KwFXhq70EMOaq8yQH8CE4INUDKEdQdmTtPCUQ1UJJO_-lJkr75WzZNwDV5RjzIo/s1600/Mega+Man+2+-+Title+Screen-620x.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDUZvoOOInViXea98xAWmnV9-gQ-qXrZ8kr84cnyvmFo-3gEz62Z4Oid-1DV_6rUVEMe82iASmk17_KwFXhq70EMOaq8yQH8CE4INUDKEdQdmTtPCUQ1UJJO_-lJkr75WzZNwDV5RjzIo/s200/Mega+Man+2+-+Title+Screen-620x.jpg" height="146" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Damn your rustled, windswept hair, megaman.</td></tr>
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Eventually, as programmers let the artists do more of the layout work, and most of the text disappeared in the early 90s. Art filled most of the screen, giving a more aesthetically pleasing title screen. Now, the text that did remain were purely for the sake of the menu. In the early 90s, some games began giving players the option of difficulty levels as well, something that wasn't very common with arcade games of the age.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiLKRquJSDsHoUEQy7b_jxhyphenhyphenwfQTmzPx5isuE1hJMUjJCdPrTix2Jib7y-x2iydq-wsMlPB-cqdYgVUU61m9Wql8wtQVlNtveQjT-B87UcZiTfQFTaiL-wsBHtJwjEmbzoj02SK4I70D4M/s1600/Super+Metroid+-+Title+Screen-550x.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiLKRquJSDsHoUEQy7b_jxhyphenhyphenwfQTmzPx5isuE1hJMUjJCdPrTix2Jib7y-x2iydq-wsMlPB-cqdYgVUU61m9Wql8wtQVlNtveQjT-B87UcZiTfQFTaiL-wsBHtJwjEmbzoj02SK4I70D4M/s200/Super+Metroid+-+Title+Screen-550x.jpg" height="163" width="200" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg29XlMS75aDqvGI5UN-oEYxrDMve5tFVyfrEkc5N_cSw0FmUAeLz-hqdjyKSr9WObkfbPZ4j7kxE_Iyf0urNzm_tbllEtuhNZUlNArRw1TTuNy3YIk6BQ4ImyMTGjTOcU0gJzxtWMbBKA/s1600/Ocarina-Title-Screen1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg29XlMS75aDqvGI5UN-oEYxrDMve5tFVyfrEkc5N_cSw0FmUAeLz-hqdjyKSr9WObkfbPZ4j7kxE_Iyf0urNzm_tbllEtuhNZUlNArRw1TTuNy3YIk6BQ4ImyMTGjTOcU0gJzxtWMbBKA/s200/Ocarina-Title-Screen1.jpg" height="150" width="200" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNxxTQUSrgqqIqqqSEdNr-qHBlcEibONRvBzum0NQct3F5DL7qzJApQBD-wVM32HNAEkJh432dTFU0qwOSJBFwYQ_DtoKrmiF8WvZpZGMpJzKxoNmSqkRl0nuk3Td7xMJjMsmU6o8XZLM/s1600/Chrono_Cross-title.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNxxTQUSrgqqIqqqSEdNr-qHBlcEibONRvBzum0NQct3F5DL7qzJApQBD-wVM32HNAEkJh432dTFU0qwOSJBFwYQ_DtoKrmiF8WvZpZGMpJzKxoNmSqkRl0nuk3Td7xMJjMsmU6o8XZLM/s200/Chrono_Cross-title.png" height="135" width="200" /></a></div>
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Eventually, as the 90s progressed and tastes were refined, only a single unwritten rule remained: The game's logo should naturally take up a large portion of the screen space, with a small copyright text. This wasn't so much a rule as it was common artistic sense: this allowed the title screen to be both pleasing to the eye, and it gave the developer a chance to hook players into the game. If the players weren't sure if they wanted to play the game, they sure did now.<br />
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The Zelda and Chrono Cross title screens were interesting, as they were simply the game's logo imposed over a moving 3D background, displaying gameplay or the game world itself instead of static art or imagery. Zelda's title screen played the iconic Zelda theme while listening to the stomping of Epona's hoofs, which was for many who played the game, an extremely memorable experience. Chrono Cross' title screen played soothing music while moving a camera through a beautiful underwater landscape. Many other games eventually took that path as well, although many still opted for classy static backgrounds and art.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiyuRg7BcrpplWKV_LyFD5yoqx1Uhf7jiDVki42AbghlXVdtxmxeo2ZYGCne1GmMVK1mhF9mpwHaeP8qZYPISLcEGVmtwQU-RlTPhHnqK4PnOZu7cdMWIVe_zdC8_H3kWYuISlEMN7wXHI/s1600/limbo_title_screen.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiyuRg7BcrpplWKV_LyFD5yoqx1Uhf7jiDVki42AbghlXVdtxmxeo2ZYGCne1GmMVK1mhF9mpwHaeP8qZYPISLcEGVmtwQU-RlTPhHnqK4PnOZu7cdMWIVe_zdC8_H3kWYuISlEMN7wXHI/s200/limbo_title_screen.png" height="111" width="200" /></a></div>
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhocrkqhIMxrAtrhIgwGkdLuXVLt6R8PrjyVjbDKosdRZuBOEeGOASFDhj7iNSwYZ9HkjWcmuSfMLihTaL1WNpczV7Kw8IuZPsGmkNoSDkMN262BUwdfXD_ITi2WEF0Gk-jYGehf1S3T7Y/s1600/Half_Life_2_Title_Screen.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhocrkqhIMxrAtrhIgwGkdLuXVLt6R8PrjyVjbDKosdRZuBOEeGOASFDhj7iNSwYZ9HkjWcmuSfMLihTaL1WNpczV7Kw8IuZPsGmkNoSDkMN262BUwdfXD_ITi2WEF0Gk-jYGehf1S3T7Y/s200/Half_Life_2_Title_Screen.jpg" height="158" width="200" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPJQOZA9eViFKIzdMlPb563Ely-czs-6Xqz_fplNl3o6dC_eQF4961fyUVqkxJMploUn49f4G8J6IrwGnW60fwdOPcCiNYh6Rddq0mBXukozVwy1f0cdF15okKqNrcu_OZK94fDBnzht0/s1600/2107795-javaw_2012_01_18_22_21_32_58.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPJQOZA9eViFKIzdMlPb563Ely-czs-6Xqz_fplNl3o6dC_eQF4961fyUVqkxJMploUn49f4G8J6IrwGnW60fwdOPcCiNYh6Rddq0mBXukozVwy1f0cdF15okKqNrcu_OZK94fDBnzht0/s200/2107795-javaw_2012_01_18_22_21_32_58.jpg" height="118" width="200" /></a><br />
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Now, in the modern age of gaming, developers have tried to keep things as simple as possible. Many indie games and many AAA-quality games still go for the simple, static approach. Other developers try to mix it up a little, like how Valve cleverly changed the backgrounds of Half-life 2 depending on what section of the game you were currently on; serving as a sort of reminder to the player as to where they last left off. (Minecraft used a similar idea as well, using a generated world as the background for the title screen.)<br />
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So by looking at all of these, what do we need in a successful title screen?<br />
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I would say that it really only requires three things:<br />
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-A good, strong title/logo.<br />
-A non-clashing background. If the background clashes with your logo and the menu, it will look amateur. If you want an example, take a look at the majority of flash games.<br />
-Music and/or sound! Tying a memorable song to the main menu/title screen is important, as the players will be going through it each time they play the game. <br />
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With Dead Gear, I decided to go with a more static, simple imagery; simply because I felt it worked best. The maps, ink and paper slowly shift in the background so it isn't just a flat, unmoving image. Anyway, that's my little talk on title screens. Sorry for the lack of updates this month! In August I'll try to go for one update per week.<br />
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Take it easy,<br />
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-Alex<br />
<br />Alex Millerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12835710219383920729noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8678407929401780323.post-31835855786143355412012-07-13T23:43:00.003-07:002012-07-14T01:58:28.684-07:00Main Characters and the Blank Slate theoryOn this blog, I've never really delved into the plot of Dead Gear, but today I figured I should at least tell you who it's about!<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYqLeef_GH07g91BJVlcKDdmqGM_mNPhNedGHjmycoJtbMRi7NCSxOw0mxlQ9eb4oCOul8-Xpc2XJfwHYHgjA8MASXJPFW3IywBvk0vP03fsoGehJ7tF4ojmbBFVV4u2GKi72CNzNbq0g/s1600/Solina_Sprites.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="246" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYqLeef_GH07g91BJVlcKDdmqGM_mNPhNedGHjmycoJtbMRi7NCSxOw0mxlQ9eb4oCOul8-Xpc2XJfwHYHgjA8MASXJPFW3IywBvk0vP03fsoGehJ7tF4ojmbBFVV4u2GKi72CNzNbq0g/s400/Solina_Sprites.png" width="400" /></a></div>
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The player controls a girl named Illyia. Her direct description from the game design document is as follows:<br />
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<blockquote class="tr_bq">
A curious-minded 15-year old Aetherian girl named Illyia. She has an unusually strong gift in <i>Crystalmancy</i>, the ability to evoke magic from crystals and stones; a trait common in her Aetherian heritage. Raised by wealthy foster parents in Central City, she braved an adventure to find her real parents in the midst of the Centralian-Aetherian war, forging friendships with unlikely people. After crash-landing on Dead Gear, she will stop at nothing to find her friends in the Daedalus crew. She prefers dressing simply, wearing only a purple tunic and a necklace. Her refusal to wear shoes is a source of humor and fascination among those she meets.</blockquote>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjLzrTbSaG6Ra7PVHUqP_ITdrF_yYy-ltjGKNIVNVAP88Ntg1aOfs2j5S74Uni_Bhf94eYoEVvEbBdFFQGcM9EYyzf6X7wZynqXJO5FZp1kz1qJtRnHxL4pb5aEXLehuQtLBVzFQ0zCT4/s1600/Illyia_Blink.gif" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjLzrTbSaG6Ra7PVHUqP_ITdrF_yYy-ltjGKNIVNVAP88Ntg1aOfs2j5S74Uni_Bhf94eYoEVvEbBdFFQGcM9EYyzf6X7wZynqXJO5FZp1kz1qJtRnHxL4pb5aEXLehuQtLBVzFQ0zCT4/s1600/Illyia_Blink.gif" /></a></div>
As the description says, Illyia's main skill is in Crystalmancy, her ability to use magic from the stones and gems she collects during the game. She's an intelligent, sharp-tongued girl, and her dialogue in the game reflects that.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiaG81aTnRZSSQcz1l5d0yeOErpNj2_QRtvl7ImpjVUkMbZGSxsNUj4zEJ1A1x7w-rvL-fxcGiIf9ZS5Kabq5PfhIxc2KDzuGoB7puZUe8RDB09Ike6Dq6yBi7EqPJikYh6HGw-ztIGmGs/s1600/illyiaface.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="55" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiaG81aTnRZSSQcz1l5d0yeOErpNj2_QRtvl7ImpjVUkMbZGSxsNUj4zEJ1A1x7w-rvL-fxcGiIf9ZS5Kabq5PfhIxc2KDzuGoB7puZUe8RDB09Ike6Dq6yBi7EqPJikYh6HGw-ztIGmGs/s400/illyiaface.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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This reminds me of a technique used in a lot of games, and you're probably familiar with it. You can call it the blank slate theory, the tabula rasa theory; but basically, it's a silent protagonist. A main character that never speaks, but may convey emotion through facial expressions, actions, etc.<br />
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If you're any kind of gamer, you'll recognize this type. Mario, Link, Gordon Freeman, Samus Aran, Master Chief, Chell; all of these characters belong to this trope. Some people in the game industry have gone on record saying that they hate the silent protagonist, that it's lazy storytelling. They prefer a fully developed character, or at least one that you can mold to your own liking, like Commander Shepard in Mass Effect.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNd484uHYXn0jtwVfaRHQs2gg7L-aEMSco9jtKGwOE06IXT2DHPVuMCQ2cO5cG-mFnm2AdPzTHVsgJeXl7wX_Qb7b4ztriaqtkd8J4c3pycDVaKkmgvWpvxZzEDLFDv3Wg8eWwxkGvvqU/s1600/zelda5c.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="184" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNd484uHYXn0jtwVfaRHQs2gg7L-aEMSco9jtKGwOE06IXT2DHPVuMCQ2cO5cG-mFnm2AdPzTHVsgJeXl7wX_Qb7b4ztriaqtkd8J4c3pycDVaKkmgvWpvxZzEDLFDv3Wg8eWwxkGvvqU/s320/zelda5c.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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And yet, games such as Wind Waker and the Paper Mario series excel at telling a fairly complex story with nothing more than pure expressiveness, and even some tongue-in-cheek lampshading of the trope itself. Even Jack from Bioshock is completely mute, and it only seems to intensify the narrative. Why is it so effective?<br />
When a person plays Zelda or Half Life, <span style="font-size: small;">the silent protagonist technique allows me to play a blank slate and put my own personality
into the character. They depend on other characters and situations to do the talking for them, and I can personally respond to these characters and situations in my head, without having thinking about what Link would ACTUALLY say. It endears the characters to the people playing, because effectively, they are playing as themselves.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: small;"> Of course, the silent protagonist technique doesn't work for all games. Would Metal Gear Solid have worked if Snake hadn't spoken? Probably not very well, even if all he did were annoyed grunts. It all really depends on the game and the plot. If the plot is character-driven, then the silent protagonist usually doesn't have enough strength to stand on its own; unless the side characters are so compelling that the story really becomes about them (such as Bioshock). </span><br />
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<a href="http://borderhouseblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/12/bioshock-intro-12.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="228" src="http://borderhouseblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/12/bioshock-intro-12.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"></span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;"> All in all, people who dislike the silent protagonist are often missing the big picture. They feel like they need a pre-established character in order to create a compelling narrative, and that simply isn't true. Some people simply cannot seem to immerse themselves into a blank slate character, and that's kind of a shame, since many of the silent protagonist games are the most well-written! </span><br />
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<span style="font-size: small;"></span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;">With my respect for the silent protagonist, you might think that I would adopt that plot mechanic for Dead Gear, especially since it's a common device in Metroidvania-style games. But I ultimately decided to give Illyia a voice of her own, rather than the player giving her one. She's a developed character with a past of her own and a story to tell, so I thought that it would be the best course of action.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: small;">-Alex</span><br />
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<br />Alex Millerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12835710219383920729noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8678407929401780323.post-52503971245988357212012-06-28T16:55:00.002-07:002012-06-29T13:59:57.706-07:00Enemy AI or: How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the FlowchartMost games you play have some form of AI inside of it in order to control Enemy behaviors.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiyg3mJXone7d-i3uOuE4DUDPychhBSxnPmKIOxlHRdlAobMiAhsKcMReYwIgzJh5HC5cwHF0WQpaTEHPyC86YsULf8nQOIls9MZ1i_HEKpxcGFLiCursBFME-OX7AuRIlFZfkvzXxRLb8/s1600/goomba.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiyg3mJXone7d-i3uOuE4DUDPychhBSxnPmKIOxlHRdlAobMiAhsKcMReYwIgzJh5HC5cwHF0WQpaTEHPyC86YsULf8nQOIls9MZ1i_HEKpxcGFLiCursBFME-OX7AuRIlFZfkvzXxRLb8/s1600/goomba.jpg" /></a></div>
Some are incredibly simple; take the Goomba, for instance. <br />
His only behavior is to move continuously to the left, regardless of pits. If he hits an obstacle, he reverses direction. Codewise, the Goomba behavior is pretty simple to explain and implement, and barely warrants documentation. Even Bowser, the main boss in each world of <i>Super Mario Bros</i>. consists of a continued pattern of jumping up and down while shooting fireballs.<br />
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But what happens when you need more complex behavior? What about enemies who actually change what they're doing depending on what the player is doing? Well, that's a bit harder.<br />
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I'm not a programmer at all, and have little skill with code; but as a designer, it is still my responsibility to document my ideas in a fashion that is easy to translate to code. The easiest way I've found to do this is using a <i>Flowchart.</i><br />
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What is a flowchart? Well, if you've spent time on the internet, I'm sure you've seen a few humorous ones. But the actual definition is this:<br />
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<blockquote class="tr_bq">
A <b>flowchart</b> is a type of diagram that represents an algorithm or process, showing the steps as boxes of various kinds, and their order by connecting these with arrows. This diagrammatic representation can give a step-by-step solution to a given problem.</blockquote>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiSSjAiiTifkg_prE_nOs-JuLWcBprrQuZdoJBRHRT1pQXF6wDOMstpA-s_xSvPszU8mrYtBJfhup2NKoOtzgT61bxOzfrxsStLWruQ8nRgcNU4gXZsDe4XtMfmLfY-B949Un0I7EKLvqk/s1600/220px-LampFlowchart.svg.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiSSjAiiTifkg_prE_nOs-JuLWcBprrQuZdoJBRHRT1pQXF6wDOMstpA-s_xSvPszU8mrYtBJfhup2NKoOtzgT61bxOzfrxsStLWruQ8nRgcNU4gXZsDe4XtMfmLfY-B949Un0I7EKLvqk/s1600/220px-LampFlowchart.svg.png" /></a></div>
Basically, flowcharts are invaluable charts for documenting, analyzing, designing, or managing a process or program. It allows a person to easily see the flow of the processes, and also design a chart that is more-or-less translatable to code. While it doesn't solve the problem of actually having to code the process, it allows people to create a well-designed algorithm, and most programmers and electrical engineers take advantage of them. For instance, here is a flowchart depicting the entire game of <a href="http://colinfahey.com/tetris/standard_tetris_flowchart_for_timer_event_001.gif" target="_blank"><i>Tetris.</i></a> Neat, eh?<br />
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But what does this have to do with Enemy AI?<br />
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Most enemies in older games rely on repeated, recognizable patterns. This is beneficial in a number of ways. For one, it's easier to program. But design-wise, it forces a player to recognize the movements and attacks of an enemy, and counter them to defeat it. Players typically get a nice rush when they recognize and overcome the patterns of an enemy. If you've ever played the Megaman games, you'll know that each Robot Master boss follows a very strict set of patterns explicitly made for you to recognize.<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPnQzOuug3PJDHRUS07EvVed5l0TF2INnQ6pK-gjzKAEkFFsePGp7cklaGjeI6gAAdUPfh3_P8vtVulI0tPGYDvMhX-Ki95IRMs4flxi3JpCbsjAAvZWM2WzlbiN-oqdGmDEUkuSZ_GnA/s1600/bosses.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="310" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPnQzOuug3PJDHRUS07EvVed5l0TF2INnQ6pK-gjzKAEkFFsePGp7cklaGjeI6gAAdUPfh3_P8vtVulI0tPGYDvMhX-Ki95IRMs4flxi3JpCbsjAAvZWM2WzlbiN-oqdGmDEUkuSZ_GnA/s320/bosses.png" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Bastards, each and every single one</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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As games have evolved, so has AI. Nowadays, developers try to create enemies that are the exact opposite: unpredictable. Normally, the reason for doing this is an attempt to emulate the ultimate antagonist: another human being playing against you. So many FPS, RPG and Stealth games in particular try to create an enemy AI that can anticipate what the player will do and act intelligently; but <i>without being cheap or feeling artificial.</i><br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEilnMNGGNsyS-qL8JjWgHWXfd4HR-tbbEycmApd8drvWIXN26TEbTHeQy4BK-C4VFxT33freFDtYy-n5-pcB0ToYEpY5Ashae56nQCao9v3eZQNWuv4M0tK4HlqrU3MXId-P4iUUHI7l0I/s1600/whosfootstepsarethese.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEilnMNGGNsyS-qL8JjWgHWXfd4HR-tbbEycmApd8drvWIXN26TEbTHeQy4BK-C4VFxT33freFDtYy-n5-pcB0ToYEpY5Ashae56nQCao9v3eZQNWuv4M0tK4HlqrU3MXId-P4iUUHI7l0I/s200/whosfootstepsarethese.jpg" width="195" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Not a good example of self-preservation</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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This last point is particularly important, because nobody wants to play against an all-knowing player who can see through walls and has perfect aim. But at the same time, nobody wants to play against a mindless robot that never changes up their patterns, defying any attempt of self-preservation. It's a delicate balancing act, between being bound to a pattern that players can recognize and overcome, and being just unpredictable enough to still be a challenge.<br />
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In Dead Gear, I'll be taking the more classic way to AI. Not only because it tickles my love of retro games, but because it's simply the best method with limited time and resources.<br />
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Here's an example of the first real boss monster in the game:<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgwsJTlyp5nmfzTRYgfLkGQFqyhY1gA9xl2W5Srn3ApCuRoAPWPooxyvFlDZ48QbsHp42wxSxnnEBk-WqijzeUYwbAmjWYxGxkG82K-s1oRpZgw-DJ7WOr4TsDrjPgVvID2Wa398g4aRzU/s1600/Spore_Crab_AI_flowchart.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgwsJTlyp5nmfzTRYgfLkGQFqyhY1gA9xl2W5Srn3ApCuRoAPWPooxyvFlDZ48QbsHp42wxSxnnEBk-WqijzeUYwbAmjWYxGxkG82K-s1oRpZgw-DJ7WOr4TsDrjPgVvID2Wa398g4aRzU/s400/Spore_Crab_AI_flowchart.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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The Spore Crab that lives down in the Flooded Cavern, directly below the mushroom-filled Greenlight Mine. He's the first boss, so we need him to be pretty simple and forgiving. Every boss in Dead Gear will have a weak spot; the Spore Crab's weak spot is the green mushroom cap growing on top of its head. The player must bounce off the Green mushrooms on the side of the room and <strike>HIT THE WEAK SPOT FOR MASSIVE DAMAGE </strike>jump onto his head (which also functions as a bouncing mushroom!), and aim their attacks downward onto the weak spot.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9Dpn0dzMM-OrhBgd1gYEvGF2CNs2Ze8GJQRzBKdRJqh9AGmBeByW1mc7JYyP3BCsA9sfnGctkN_gYhwunTgytcODQ882aCVkFnuXt11VEJvmV0xVuX4VnmkbbBBHdxcnuWGPuF9T8XA8/s1600/Spore_Crab_AI.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="259" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9Dpn0dzMM-OrhBgd1gYEvGF2CNs2Ze8GJQRzBKdRJqh9AGmBeByW1mc7JYyP3BCsA9sfnGctkN_gYhwunTgytcODQ882aCVkFnuXt11VEJvmV0xVuX4VnmkbbBBHdxcnuWGPuF9T8XA8/s320/Spore_Crab_AI.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
For those interested, you can view a flowchart of the Spore Crab's AI patterns right here. Try to see if you can understand how it flows and moves.<br />
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Before this post gets way too long and out of control, I'll stop right here. I hope you liked this little talk on AI and flowcharts.<br />
<br />
-Alex<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiyg3mJXone7d-i3uOuE4DUDPychhBSxnPmKIOxlHRdlAobMiAhsKcMReYwIgzJh5HC5cwHF0WQpaTEHPyC86YsULf8nQOIls9MZ1i_HEKpxcGFLiCursBFME-OX7AuRIlFZfkvzXxRLb8/s1600/goomba.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><br /></a></div>Alex Millerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12835710219383920729noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8678407929401780323.post-21824447898808379452012-06-14T01:24:00.002-07:002012-06-20T02:05:45.135-07:00Experimenting with Dead Gear HUD and MenusLately I've been experimenting with menu wireframes and layout, and I figured I'd show it here.<br />
<br />
Before going into it, let's do a little refresher course on the various design theories. HUDs (Heads Up Display) are basically the method by which information is <b>visually</b> relayed to the player, as part of a game's user interface. That's the technical term, but we all know it as the 'Number of lives you have left' and the 'score' up in the corner of the screen. You might also know it as the HP gauge, the ammo, the compass, etc; basically anything that the player NEEDS to see while playing a game; should be in the HUD.<br />
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Some designers have deemed the HUD an artifact of the arcade-era, and have tried to design games with an absolutely minimal HUD. Some of these games, like Ico and Shadow of the Colossus, used this to great effect and created an almost surreal, cinematic experience. These games proved that you could have a well-designed, easily playable game without pesky menus breaking the player's immersion.<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://gangles.ca/images/bloom/bloom-ico.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://gangles.ca/images/bloom/bloom-ico.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Ico went through great lengths to create a seamless, cinematic experience to minimize breaking player immersion.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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Other games followed their lead, such as Limbo, and several other more indie/artistically-inclined games. Even First Person shooters began to remove some thought-to-be-essential HUD elements, like the Health meter. (As mentioned a few months ago in the game mechanics post.) However, on the opposite side of the scale, some genres demand constant micromanagement, such as RPGs and MMOs.<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.tentonhammer.com/image/view/79034" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://www.tentonhammer.com/image/view/79034" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">oh my god no</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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Keeping in mind that Dead Gear is not meant to be an artistic experiment, nor a horrible abomination, I decided to try and keep Gameplay HUD to a minimum, by keeping only the most essential elements grouped together in the top left corner: Health, Anima, the currently equipped magic, and the number of prisms (serves as a form of currency in-game) collected. I also included a small notification in the bottom right that displays the name of the enemy last damaged by the player.<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjAecOhnYDJZJJu48R7CZd11IAah2HVppeC5RHswksLInGjFbdxK2S0lip3Q7MiPlK-2_rh0siOT195scJdSmOGoKr1JClkzx_FYA4G-EiaBqWg-_7kaXfX8JFh6jb_FVijfMz9RwGcc14/s1600/HUDMOCKUP.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjAecOhnYDJZJJu48R7CZd11IAah2HVppeC5RHswksLInGjFbdxK2S0lip3Q7MiPlK-2_rh0siOT195scJdSmOGoKr1JClkzx_FYA4G-EiaBqWg-_7kaXfX8JFh6jb_FVijfMz9RwGcc14/s400/HUDMOCKUP.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Dead Gear Gameplay HUD</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
I've also been modifying and fiddling around with the gameplay menu, where the player can check their status, the time played, the % of the game completed, etc. They can then switch to their inventory or fusion menu screens. My original idea for the menu was that the menus were juxtaposed on top of large, slowly moving gears that cover the screen. I haven't decided on whether this crosses the line from 'interesting' into 'distracting,' though.<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRqsnGwk7RQ5QvvkuCeLbSsyq75vo8P5qnk1p0zKNOQAPOCyt2KAcAzEQN9S7kf_LS_6KFkSdgNeY-AouMP6C8K2pd5zLsh3_4UrA1uxzbYpY1SixfdCE1foiCEt5KkenKDp79Rfg0hDA/s1600/Menu_Status.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRqsnGwk7RQ5QvvkuCeLbSsyq75vo8P5qnk1p0zKNOQAPOCyt2KAcAzEQN9S7kf_LS_6KFkSdgNeY-AouMP6C8K2pd5zLsh3_4UrA1uxzbYpY1SixfdCE1foiCEt5KkenKDp79Rfg0hDA/s400/Menu_Status.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Current layout for Status Menu</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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Each time the player opens the menu, the Gears will move in from the sides of the screen. Let me illustrate the idea with terrible little doodles.<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhC4W2rOYx64NAWwHD9P0Jy-f4l3OjlwTfLDwPKpH0TLRccsYqJcGusgs-bpYao3mkseVvQCA_j2RbsEFHd5ZomK2Xygjb8v-IFGNsKHVODBoZCw_eXTlkO9sXQ3BSqXXt3a1u8St2-N_g/s1600/menu1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhC4W2rOYx64NAWwHD9P0Jy-f4l3OjlwTfLDwPKpH0TLRccsYqJcGusgs-bpYao3mkseVvQCA_j2RbsEFHd5ZomK2Xygjb8v-IFGNsKHVODBoZCw_eXTlkO9sXQ3BSqXXt3a1u8St2-N_g/s400/menu1.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">1</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
Here's the basic screen, with Illyia doing her thing. When the player hits the Menu button, however:<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXvCpQeCZuvO6MufbevE51uQyVz2Q9Dnx2qgtrqVpNbOb0jm_f2QYzbkb2Mlfcpy8EJKHeAhbdp6HAYsw5rMdTpqCXugw5MhcmXDcEldRcY58SpzsTG4DWR2WUWikagY7YGrgrmFrgW9k/s1600/menu2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXvCpQeCZuvO6MufbevE51uQyVz2Q9Dnx2qgtrqVpNbOb0jm_f2QYzbkb2Mlfcpy8EJKHeAhbdp6HAYsw5rMdTpqCXugw5MhcmXDcEldRcY58SpzsTG4DWR2WUWikagY7YGrgrmFrgW9k/s400/menu2.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">2</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
Within a second, large gears approach from the left and upper right, as well as the little switch panel in the bottom right. They'll have to move in fast, because the player will become frustrated and irritated at the game if opening the game menu takes longer than a second.<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjvUQMzsanIXlFcOfoXnSMF11n7fQr20nEANiLBPANLMuw_R_4DsWygOhjIaDxkmjiNNYR2chVV8cEsjpd1_l-jACRDmC634jCj-ZHAjek1O6I_8ONrdBoCBr_6h1ZfpW2-2kuqXoglF70/s1600/menu3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjvUQMzsanIXlFcOfoXnSMF11n7fQr20nEANiLBPANLMuw_R_4DsWygOhjIaDxkmjiNNYR2chVV8cEsjpd1_l-jACRDmC634jCj-ZHAjek1O6I_8ONrdBoCBr_6h1ZfpW2-2kuqXoglF70/s400/menu3.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">3</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
As the Gears move into position, the text and stats appear, as the gears continue a very slow rotation in the background.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_v5nKODJaVHVm119SqJqbjr4pXiaBaOzkjK8pwPc8zc1Cyyw1TIlFFxP5ovKN2KN0XTQ1HlFbc6Ui9JMKadXLQ4KnHNxLOr1L0cDzn9xEoo5cCiEWr549aNyI6PtN9W0oKg2pb1RW8U0/s1600/Menu_Status.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><br /></a></div>
Anyway, that's my little spiel on HUDs and the current state of the Dead Gear status menu.<br />
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<br />
-AlexAlex Millerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12835710219383920729noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8678407929401780323.post-40095686478455586162012-06-08T01:11:00.001-07:002012-06-08T11:37:35.677-07:00Gem System in Dead Gear Part 2I once hinted about Dead Gear's weapon system, but since then, I've sat down, analyzed it, and completely reworked it. The previous system I had laid out had many good points, but ultimately, I felt I needed to push it in a different direction, and most importantly, design it completely before coding on combat began. Let me give you a few snippets from the game design document:<br />
<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
Illyia has the ability to draw magic out of crystalline stone, and it is her primary method of attacking. Throughout the game, Illyia will find and pick up precious stones and add them to her repertoire of spells, combining them for new effects. She can equip one 'Base' Gem spell, and two spell combinations (fusions) at a time, switching freely. But she can only equip new gem fusions at a save points.</blockquote>
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<blockquote class="tr_bq">
Gems can be used by themselves, which is called their ‘Base’ fusion. They cost no Anima (mana/MP) to use, and serve as a basic attack for Illyia. Base attacks can also dictate what the general theme of the gem is. Let’s take a look at the very first two gems that the player collects in the game: Diamond and Moonstone. </blockquote>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
Moonstone, if fused with itself; equips its Base spell, the ‘<b>Moonstone Bolt.</b>’ Moonstone Bolt is the game’s most basic projectile attack, and it can be held and charged for a more powerful projectile. As mentioned above, the Base hints at what the gem’s defining traits are. In this case, all gem combinations that use Moonstone result in a Fusion that can be charged up for a more powerful attack or effect. Diamond, if fused with itself; equips its Base Fusion, the ‘<b>Blade.</b>’</blockquote>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEirh7g8vcCcz2MpfIRmFSl5_uQlZV3jtlqKoJfdLQKqcq7zjc3dANpdYpm6kKJc1B9DMM_jMnJCjZ9zCdHkpeoeRnGGWRq7v9L__vjxcjQY8p7k6QHTRYWf9bt3s5Jrty1zhx5Y0RHXPVk/s1600/MagicFusion+Example.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="340" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEirh7g8vcCcz2MpfIRmFSl5_uQlZV3jtlqKoJfdLQKqcq7zjc3dANpdYpm6kKJc1B9DMM_jMnJCjZ9zCdHkpeoeRnGGWRq7v9L__vjxcjQY8p7k6QHTRYWf9bt3s5Jrty1zhx5Y0RHXPVk/s400/MagicFusion+Example.png" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Fusion matrix example, some names are outdated. Magic Bolt = Moonstone Bolt, Magic Sword = Blade</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
The Diamond’s defining trait is that it is a <b>melee weapon</b>. All gem combinations that include Diamond will be short-range melee weapons, or involve them in some way. </blockquote>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
When two separate gems are fused, they always result in the same Fusion. (ie: both Moonstone+Diamond AND Diamond+Moonstone would both result in the Holy Sword Fusion.) The Holy Sword Fusion takes elements of both the Diamond (melee weapon) and the Moonstone (charge shot), and combines them; the Holy Sword is a melee attack that you can hold and charge for a very powerful attack. </blockquote>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhLK3PFpE6ILGKQrPNktMoHPTyx8N-BpxwarHg8RkXiHXS2c04vRkySwnbcelRvGnFzqoRcryjGvSG2kfynOyf1RhawqKS0pX0sDjS1w0S1VnAQCbgELt2m1NPl9G_aWoB-WgYRocsl6Xo/s1600/gemchartsample.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="336" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhLK3PFpE6ILGKQrPNktMoHPTyx8N-BpxwarHg8RkXiHXS2c04vRkySwnbcelRvGnFzqoRcryjGvSG2kfynOyf1RhawqKS0pX0sDjS1w0S1VnAQCbgELt2m1NPl9G_aWoB-WgYRocsl6Xo/s400/gemchartsample.png" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A snippet from the Fusion chart. There are ten gems in all, which means a total of 55 different spell fusions.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<blockquote class="tr_bq">
To continue the example, Garnet’s Base Fusion is Flamethrower; fairly powerful, but an attack that takes some skill to wield. Garnet’s defining trait is that all its fusions are powerful, but come with a requirement that all of its fusions require skill-based usage. Whereas the Holy Sword is slow, fairly strong and easy to wield; the Flame Sword is fast and powerful, but requires precise timing on the combo, stunning the player if the cue is missed. </blockquote>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
Likewise, the Fireball fusion is powerful, but requires the player to input a specific command each time they want to use the spell, instead of just mashing the attack button. Since it is a Moonstone combination, Fireball can be charged for an immensely powerful attack.</blockquote>
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Or, as a tl;dr: The player will be able to mix together and equip different gems for a large variety of different attacks.<br />
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Hopefully, players will have fun experimenting and choosing different spell fusions to find a combination of weapons that fit their own playstyle.<br />
<br />
-AlexAlex Millerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12835710219383920729noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8678407929401780323.post-61928659294140468752012-05-29T18:26:00.000-07:002012-05-29T18:27:08.810-07:00Mockup UpdateQuick update: Here's a mockup of one of the bosses in the 'Bunker' area of the game. As you fight it, the corrosive acid rises and lowers. Was definitely listening to old Contra music while making it. <br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGKH-Pk0j283-8yjAdXLH0fvTKkrAoT-pzIg27HaI-CjVoEo8_cI9Ov0WM0-rINkn9IUeMcJmbN5KWi4XlnRTYPJXaYjRz6qkQjIVxKm2oKAVs5UTUjKpYKELHquPp6ZVydI1npjSWl8w/s1600/bunker7+MOckup.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="221" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGKH-Pk0j283-8yjAdXLH0fvTKkrAoT-pzIg27HaI-CjVoEo8_cI9Ov0WM0-rINkn9IUeMcJmbN5KWi4XlnRTYPJXaYjRz6qkQjIVxKm2oKAVs5UTUjKpYKELHquPp6ZVydI1npjSWl8w/s400/bunker7+MOckup.png" width="400" /></a></div>
<br />Alex Millerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12835710219383920729noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8678407929401780323.post-82857371943884234332012-05-14T19:17:00.003-07:002012-05-14T19:17:51.681-07:00What Game Designers are NotI just read a <a href="http://www.gamasutra.com/view/feature/170258/candid_words_from_diablo_iiis_.php" target="_blank">little interview</a> with the director of Diablo 3, Jay Wilson, and I thought he made a pretty excellent point during the talk:<br />
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<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
"And so a lot of the times I think you see people get into design because
they have a lot of ideas and they think, 'If I'm the designer, then
everybody just has to do my ideas.' And I would say if that's your
reason to get into design, please don't go into design. That's a
terrible direction to come from."</blockquote>
</blockquote>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
"If anything, your goal as a designer should be, 'I can't wait to get
somebody else's ideas into this game,' because you're not going to be
the one making it. Your art team and your programming team are going to
do a ton of the hands-on work. You're not even going to be able to work
until they do their job." </blockquote>
</blockquote>
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This is great, and I think very truthful of a lot of gamers who want to break into the industry. They think to themselves: 'I can't do art, I can't program, I can't compose music; but hey! I have a lot of ideas. That's what game designers do, right?'<br />
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Unfortunately, everyone has ideas! An idea man is not useful, because ideas are the only thing he can provide. <br />
Most game designers have a background in art or coding, because the more disciplines or fields of knowledge they have, the better they will be able to filter their own ideas or ideas from the rest of the team, into a big pot of good ideas (hopefully) that we would call the game.<br />
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<br />
Wilson continues:<br />
<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
We get anywhere from 400 to 700 skill ideas. And there's a whole bunch
of them that are awesome, but either aren't right for the class, or they
aren't right for the game. That's the designer's job: to know the
difference. It's not an artist or producer's job to know that. It's the
designer's job to know that."</blockquote>
</blockquote>
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The Game Designer is just that; they control and design the infrastructure of the play mechanics of the game. They do not just toss out ideas and expect others to make a game.<br />
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Of course, in small teams such as Dead Gear, where I essentially perform the Level Design, Game Design and Artist roles all at once, I believe the Designer has a bit more say in what the actual game should consist of.<br />
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But overall, and I've heard this echoed by tons of successful Game Designers, the main role of the Designer is to <i>LISTEN.</i> You listen to your team, you listen to your playtesters, you listen to everyone. It is arrogant to believe that good ideas can not come from people who aren't designers. That being said, the Designer needs to fight for the good ideas, and stick to a particular vision; otherwise you run the risk of draining time, resources and team morale by redesigning things over and over based on people's comments.<br />
<br />
-Alex<br />
<br />Alex Millerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12835710219383920729noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8678407929401780323.post-7670009618508288032012-05-11T18:10:00.000-07:002012-05-11T23:09:43.878-07:00The Importance of Illustration in a GDD<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgwIc1huYHlsaQNjjJzjh0W8pnDsLmveLhVXs6Q1nTEjymniuk-GSyXTJeLpY7P__QGOKzGrjsBr1XY-faTLI-4P27kwwS2cY7aaYkcv-fbDspntFxhl7na1UOfGj2nNFW26IGYrNG9iwc/s1600/momma+sketch.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><br /></a></div>
As I create pages within the game document and direct tasks for coding, it's become more and more apparent that in a good design document, the game designer should illustrate almost everything to better convey what they see in their mind.<br />
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I'm personally guilty of writing everything down in finely organized text and charts, with my own imagination filling in the blanks. The obvious danger of this is that the rest of the team will simply not be able to comprehend what your ideas are unless you make it as clear as possible. I'm an artist by trade, so the easiest way to go about that is just drawing or making a mockup.<br />
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After all, while this section in the GDD may convey most of the necessary information:<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUxzAiMWXZ2CqYwzhfwJklMhHcgIqoEVriy6quNQTtMv3iIONtNDr00_YU4SS9-pTz3h1ifMoIi71iyp3pqeAQTMrUNjeOjg8Dqd2fsWcyi1j_lO5oxOR4b5N5MGDMZPTpjjCR97cmqZA/s1600/mamakuku2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUxzAiMWXZ2CqYwzhfwJklMhHcgIqoEVriy6quNQTtMv3iIONtNDr00_YU4SS9-pTz3h1ifMoIi71iyp3pqeAQTMrUNjeOjg8Dqd2fsWcyi1j_lO5oxOR4b5N5MGDMZPTpjjCR97cmqZA/s400/mamakuku2.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
<br />
Something as simple as adding a little sketch can really help.<br />
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Or rather than giving a detailed text explanation about how swimming mechanics should work, I found that simply making an easy little image document (in addition to the detailed explanation) made things more clear:<br />
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So, lesson learned. When in doubt about explaining unclear mechanics, always take the time to create a visual example for the rest of the team, and save everyone a lot of time.<br />
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-Alex<br />
<br />Alex Millerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12835710219383920729noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8678407929401780323.post-69585213800592334292012-04-28T05:13:00.001-07:002012-05-01T14:05:02.222-07:00Game over, man, game over<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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I was recently replaying SOTN, one of my favorite games of all time. As I died the umpteenth time to a particularly mean boss in the inverted castle, I realized something.<br />
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Game over screens <i>suck</i>!<br />
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Game over screens were a staple of games even as early as the 1950s, with pinball machines lighting up the phrase with lightbulbs.<br />
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Naturally, they became a staple of the arcade scene as well, often followed by a CONTINUE? screen with a countdown, challenging arcade-goers to empty their pockets of sweaty quarters.<br />
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So in reflection, I guess game over screens have always sucked for people experiencing them. But when did they begin to become obsolete?<br />
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In an arcade, getting a game over literally meant your game was over. There were no save points and you had a finite amount of lives.<br />
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When the home consoles came out, many of the games available were formatted the same way. They were essentially arcade games for home.<br />
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You just didn't have to pony up the cash to continue. Heck, in most early console games, you didn't even get continues.At best, you might get a terrible password combination to get back to roughly the same place you were when you died.<br />
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But even when savepoints and checkpoints were being introduced late in the famicom's life cycle, the game over screens persisted, even though the game was never over! <br />
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I suppose the main point of this rambling early-morning post is that Game Over screens are largely obsolete, and usually irritate a player if he has to sit through the same game over screen, press start, wait a few seconds for the main menu to appear, and THEN reload his save. <br />
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If you're designing a menu screen flowchart for a game, <b><i>allow the player to instantly reload their latest save directly the game over screen.</i></b> This way, instead of a game over screen, it becomes a permanent Continue screen, without the question mark, and you don't grind a player's nerves.<br />
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I've noticed that personally, if I am able to instantly reload my save when I die, I'm not nearly as irritated than having to wait 10~ seconds and go through a few screens before reloading my game.<br />
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Just something to think about.<br />
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-AlexAlex Millerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12835710219383920729noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8678407929401780323.post-91569955328097847262012-04-20T13:41:00.003-07:002012-05-14T17:09:07.535-07:00BHOLDR MockupQuick little update, I was fond of this mockup I just did, so I decided I should post it. Click on it for full, animated size.<br />
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The room houses a neurotic Artificial Intelligence named <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Beholder" target="_blank">BHOLDR, </a>and his little pet.<br />
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This room serves as the shop in the game, the AI sells you the junk his pet scavenges from the Dead City. In typical <a href="http://gaming.wikia.com/wiki/Metroidvania" target="_blank">Metroidvania</a> fashion though, it is possible to beat the game without ever finding him.<br />
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Once I get the assets in-game, I'll have to take advantage of some particle effects, maybe add some dripping water and steam; should look pretty nice.<br />
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Update-wise, we inch closer and closer to a workable prototype. We've completed a great deal of the movement-based code, which is, for obvious reason, the bread and butter of a platform game. I've even gotten my little idle animations in there too, which is nice. <br />
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-AlexAlex Millerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12835710219383920729noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8678407929401780323.post-36664303509439704482012-04-09T15:18:00.002-07:002012-05-02T03:39:45.591-07:00A small look at my level design process in Dead GearWhile a significantly large portion of the design work is done primarily in word documents; I still have to design the actual world prototype. Here's a very small , shrunken cropping of an enormous 1:1 scale game world map that I build in photoshop. (The actual 1:1 image is somewhere around 60000x18000 pixels; it's pretty huge.)<br />
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It's an evolution of the original layout I had created using Visio, which is pretty invaluable for layouts and flowcharts.<br />
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As you can see, the majority of it is simple gray and black; with only a few colors to discern special platforms, enemy placement, or objects affected by gravity. It's very difficult to not get caught in the trap of making everything beautiful from the get-go, like IceForest1 up there in the corner. But it is <b>essential</b> to get your level flowing and working well as a prototype before adding all of the flair, because, after all, what if the level you designed turned out to be crappy and unfun?<br />
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With prototypes like these, I can write in a document about what the room is going to be like, design the room design visually, insert them into the game, use them for playtesting, and then once we're satisfied, I can begin the task of making it pretty. (Although I do like to create a small, pretty mockup of each area before I begin. It helps me feel out the atmosphere of the area, as well as block out the colors I'll need later.)<br />
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The purple boxes are rooms that are documented, but yet to be designed visually. I typically try to judge their sizes with the purple box, but on occasion the final design is often larger or smaller than anticipated. <br />
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Each 'room' has its own PSD file and Text file; I add relevant gameplay notes everywhere I can. Then I flatten the room and paste it to this large map. The giant map is somewhat unwieldy, but it's important to examine the game world as a whole, and to make sure areas are connected appropriately and logically, game-wise.<br />
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-AlexAlex Millerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12835710219383920729noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8678407929401780323.post-27208586967189486252012-03-28T14:50:00.004-07:002012-03-30T13:40:11.296-07:00Unseen Mechanics in Platformer GamesVery often when you play a game, you usually take several design mechanics for granted.<br />
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One, in particular, was something that was discovered and perfected in the NES platformer era, called <i>Mercy Invincibility. </i>The best, and easiest example would probably come from the NES Megaman series.<br />
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In Megaman 1, when the player took damage multiple times, consecutively, it meant that he could die at a very rapid pace, without having a chance to correct his behavior. Enemies with rapid attacks were deadly; getting hit and then falling into spikes was a death sentence. Naturally, this was frustrating for the player, as this left very little room for error. (Something already pretty notorious in the Megaman series.)<br />
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But in Megaman 2, the designers attempted to fix the problem. When Megaman was hit, his sprite would flash rapidly, and he would have a solid second or two of complete invulnerability. This is called <b><i>Mercy Invincibilit</i>y</b>, and it allowed to players to get hit, and then, quickly correct themselves to avoid further attacks. Experienced Megaman players even used Mercy Invincibility to their advantage, allowing themselves to get hit, and then using their temporary invulnerability to walk on the normally-fatal spikes. This greatly increased the ease of play, and lowered the frustration of insta-dying.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGsqlERVhVMl85NWWbAeQ4zM6be6Db6BpFKQViDsaizPTIbxhTeeHtepHzAYVp-2HotreUggRj3pwliCzKfcGTJL8ekXF0ojIHgRbF0934XeM228NNVHUzpzwdjtmsJidtDf8Tcj3M1DI/s1600/300px-SMB2_SuperMario.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGsqlERVhVMl85NWWbAeQ4zM6be6Db6BpFKQViDsaizPTIbxhTeeHtepHzAYVp-2HotreUggRj3pwliCzKfcGTJL8ekXF0ojIHgRbF0934XeM228NNVHUzpzwdjtmsJidtDf8Tcj3M1DI/s200/300px-SMB2_SuperMario.jpg" width="132" /></a>But before Megaman 2, even the original Super Mario Bros. had come up with a form of Mercy Invincibility, even though Mario had no health bar and would instantly die if he took any damage as small Mario. After Mario had consumed a mushroom and transformed into Big Mario and then gotten damaged; he would flash several times as he shrunk into small Mario, and more importantly, for a few brief moments, he would become invulnerable to all forms of damage. (Except the all-mighty pits of death.) If you play or look at a lot of amateur platform games, you can usually see when the creator neglects to add this little caveat of a mechanic, and usually it's an indicator of bad design. There are always exceptions to the rule, though, and sometimes even well-designed games do not have Mercy Invincibility, although they typically become notorious for difficulty, ie: Metal Slug, Contra series.<br />
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(If you want to see a incorrect way to utilize Mercy Invinciblity, check out the hilariously bad PC version of Megaman made in 1990, <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iDZ3hzwfAic" target="_blank">here.</a>)<br />
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As a side note, the idea of Mercy Invinciblity may have been an indirect influence on the <a href="http://beefjack.com/news/resistance-3-dev-insomniac-explains-removal-of-health-regen/" target="_blank">Health Regen</a> seen so often in FPS games nowadays. But as the Insomniac dev in the article above explains: most of the time it goes too far; often preventing the game from becoming suspenseful or exciting, which is never a good thing, especially in a combat-oriented FPS. Perhaps a more direct descendant of Mercy Invincibility would be <i>Spawn Protection</i>, protecting players in multiplayer games for a few seconds after they spawn.<br />
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Another mechanic that's very common in more well-designed Platform games is something I call <i><b>Jump Forgiveness.</b></i> Traditionally, in platform games, you can't jump unless you're standing on something. Obviously, this also has a basis in reality. So, naturally, when you play something, you believe that you're doing what you see below: running and jumping BEFORE you hit the yellow line; the edge of the ledge. <br />
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However, if you try coding this in your game, you'll notice that it becomes difficult to jump right at the edge, even if you have good reflexes. Half the time, you'll just end of falling off the ledge and being unable to jump. <br />
I assume that Miyamoto, the designer behind SMB, noticed this problem, and addressed it by doing this:<br />
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He allowed the player to jump in midair, if only for a half second of leeway, after walking off a platform. This made it considerably easier to jump from platform to platform, an invaluable thing to have in something as platform-centric as Mario. The amount of leeway you give your player can vary, but generally a half-second to 1 second is the sweet spot.<br />
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The most important thing about these mechanics, and others like them, is that they allow the game to flow so smoothly that the Player does not even know that these designs are in place. <br />
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-AlexAlex Millerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12835710219383920729noreply@blogger.com1