General Game Design Ideas
For my game I would like the levels to have two layers of design just like Rayman Origins with the levels constantly moving while the characters moves across the level, I believe it will be a great way to immerse players in the game. I want cinematics to take centrefold in the game and the models will be based on the surrounding’s and 3D models as well. AI will have have a prominent role in the Game as well to coincide with the game’s identity.
The main role of the game will be survival based and will be based in the jungle, the game will also make use of smooth animations and dynamic movements from the environment will interact with the player and present various challenges. There will be items that will allow the player to interact with the environment and allow the player to take different routes through the game.
Colours will take an important place in the game and will be very important in regards in the background. Code will have to be developed so items will be able to picked up and used, such as coins and power-ups. Code will also have to be developed so that the character can perform specific functions. The background will also not be a static background but instead be made up of dynamic images, similar to what the reboot of Devil May Cry utilized with UDK. Toonshading will be prominent, but what type will be down to research. Speech bubbles will be common when text when the enemy and the character are trying to speak, and will be black and white.
This is my inspiration for the kind of art styles that I wish to implement in the game, I wish to create something like Limbo and I want to be able to use liquid-like animations as a background for the game. Checkpoints will be commonplace throughout levels and mark the progress of the player, and rewards will also be awarded depending on how the player plays through the level as well.
This part of my research also includes the design language that will have to be present throughout my game; anomalies will throw the identity that will be instinctively presenting itself throughout the game. The example in question here is the above screenshots of Sonic running through a checkpoint that obviously coincides with the games design language, although this particular checkpoint has been in use for some time now, it is still recognizable as a distinct image of a Sonic game.
Another detail to pay close attention too is the water reflection bouncing of the water on to the wall. This is something else that I want to present into my game since it boosts the level of immersive the game will have for the user.
Super Mario is also a great inspiration for me since it allows multiple players to take part in the 2D Platformer as well. It also introduces a lot of variables that will induce Mario to die if the player does not adapt to the sudden changing surroundings. I believe the camera angle is perfect for the 3D model and the reflections and shininess on Mario’s body is the type of look I’m looking for when designing my 3D model although my 3D model will be practically simpler to the specific design that Mario exhibits. The only thing that will not be present when I’m developing my 3D game is the HUD while playing to keep up the minimal tone that the game will be trying to exhibit.
Graphical User Interface
The main design interface of the game will be minimalist and rely on sound and interactions of the game.
Far Cry 3 is one of my main inspirations when it comes to selecting a menu because it provides a different tone to the rest of the game and seeming contrasts with the on-going action that is present throughout the game, the only exception will be the menu where they will be less things to choose from and the text will be in the middle of the screen. There will also be a prompt to press start when the title of the game shows up and a transitional animation will take the game to where it’s supposed to start. I want the game to have a minimalist tone to match with the content and idea of the game. The text and the title will be developed in-house with Adobe Photoshop CS6 and then imported into Unity 4.
Art Styles and Reconnaissance Photos
My original idea for the levels included reflections when looking at water but this was unlikely to be implemented because Unity required the Pro version to be used instead. Hopefully I can find a different way to implement something similar, such as projections of the character being portrayed on a flat wall.
Fog will also be present in the game as a way of hiding the character and adding an additional function to the game. Occasionally, enemies will use gas bombs to attack the character and will affect the vision of the user in response but I am not certain that the game will implement such a feature due to the short nature of the game. The image on the right will also be the design of some of the characters in the game as well.
Toon-shading for the game will also be implemented to a certain extent but the idea will not be permanent, the colors of the game will be vibrant for some levels and dark and dull for some to help further identify the bi-polar image of the game. The survival based aspects will have certain moments where it will be a brighter tone and some moments will have a dark tone. The sun will be in obvious view in some parts of the level and completely blocked off in others to reflect the variety of different locations in forests and present a certain level of realism in the games.
Lighting will literally be the most important part of the game because it will be creating so many effects that will have to be performed properly otherwise the intended effect on the gamer will not present itself. Lighting will be extremely difficult and extensive research will have to be made on how to pull it off.
Originally I wanted to make a 2D game since it seemed more immersive to make, but realized that Unity did not have that kind of capacity or engine to make such a game since everything was based on 3D models. So I decided to scale down the ideas of such a game so that the environment didn’t turn into something I couldn’t handle.
The audience of the game will be for those who are interested in survival based games and their surroundings, the game will also be for those who like pay great attention to scenery. To enhance the effect, there will be occasional moments where the player will transition into first-person view to take a closer look at the surroundings and see certain cinematics take place, I intend for the hands be visible but further research will be required to pull it off.
I’m not expecting everything to be perfectly refined since such a thing will be impossible to do at this stage but I intend to make the game easy to understand, fun to play and visually startling. Gore might be an optional feature in the game but to appease my audience for a wider range of people there will probably be no gore for people to see.
I’m thinking a sort of city will be present in the forest with players going past some of the buildings on their way to the finishing point. I took this inspiration from a series called Naruto which has the main centre of the game as a village surrounded by a forest and bordering countries. This will give the game a independent look then from anything available on the market and it will ensure it is not just some unnecessary rehash of some other game.
The game will include (in the current order), a rocky area, a forest area and a cave area; each area will be designed to be 9 minutes long and a timer will be present for 10 minutes but will not appear until the player has three minutes left. The player will be able to pick up key items such as guns and explosives which will help to defeat AI, without them the player is defenceless and will be forced to evade them. A certain degree of difficulty levels are planned but further investigation is needed to make such things work.
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Programming Variables and Core Gameplay
Programming will be necessary for tracking the movements of the player across the level and to keep a record of what the player has achieved. Variables will be recorded to store the score the player will achieve and to decide the kind of awards that will be rewarded to them. Programming will also be required to initiate the phases when the environment alternates depending on the actions of the player. Programming for collecting items and different weapons will also be utilized and used across the game as well. Enemy AI will also need to be programmed and will also be tied in with cinematic sequences. The player will also occasionally enter buildings and there will be a transition at that moment, they will likely be no animation to open the door so programming will have to include a function that transitions to the next scene.
The main object of the game is to get the player from point A to B and to deal with any threats that are encountered along the way; this includes obstacles and enemy AI. The weather won’t play a major effect in the game but elemental forces such as wind and fire will be present to add additional realism to the level although at certain intervals. I’m planning for this occurrence to happen at random but it seems such a thing will be difficult to program. A timer will also need to be programmed into the game, and will not reset if the player happens to die forcing the player to go quicker to be able to reach the exit.
Programming for Camera cinematics will be used but only to a certain extent, innovative camera movements will be implemented to add a certain refinement to the game, for example the camera will follow the character until the camera stops; at this point the camera will continue to move forward slightly and bounce back to give the player a preview of what lies ahead.
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