For my first solo project I thought to myself to aim as high as possible. Obviously, my limited knowledge was the only boundary but this was not an issue. I always see the assignments as an opportunity to improve and get the best of me especially when I have all the tools I need. Despite the fact that I am a Computer Games Design, my biggest hobby regard to the industry is scripting. So, the focus of the project was to get my codding knowledge as high up as possible in a short time. In highschool I had 4 years of C++ but things are different here and little were the information I could use. I don't say I took everything right from beginning but I wasn't too prepared either.
The game I wanted to make at first was a top-down RPG I managed to get some simple animations done but was not enough and because I don't like spending too much time drawing I quit the idea for later. I reached the conclusion that the easiest way possible is to use simple geometrical shapes and rely only on gameplay and sound. The artistic part was not for me.
The production wasn't as it should have been because I didn't know how a plan should be done in order to have everything on paper before beginning. But this was not a bad thing because I could focus on scripting.
I've spent around two weeks on the development mainly because I wanted to understand and to create my own style regard to code writing.
After the game was done I was curious to get real feedback and I had my game on Kongregate. At the time I write the post I had 3 stars out of 5. I was pretty happy with this especially because "Photonic Escape" is my first ever solo made game.
This project, as well as the others, helped me to improve the way I was working as well as getting better at codding.
You can try the game here: http://www.kongregate.com/games/Paperjuice/photonic-escape
Sunday, March 15, 2015
Global Games Jam 2015
On 23rd January 2015 I participated at Global Games Jam. As the names says, is an international activity where people gather individually or in groups in order to develop a game based on a theme.
This year theme was "What do we do now?". I say activity because is not a competition as everybody is a winner after 48 ours where you went through the whole process of creating a game.
The experience on a whole is amazing because no one is obliged to participate and people who attend are really passionate and eager to make something nice and interesting. The team I took part in was composed by six people including me. After we receive the theme we started brain storming, looking for best idea possible. At some point we all agree to go with a 3d top down, gray-scale game. The story of the game is about an ex-detective that was framed after his wife was killed by someone else. Everyone thought that he is the murderer so your goal is to get the clues around the city and prove that you're not guilty.
On paper the game wasn't very hard to create as we had very good artists. I was doing the code for the game and I was pretty confident. At the end of the day, we all were here to learn as much as possible from this experience.
The first 12 hours went pretty well. We were going on straight line and and everyone had something to do. The mask managing was well done. But, as expected we started to get tired and the production slowed down a bit. Fortunately, we were on track and we had everything under control.
The only issue we had was around 12 hours before the end of the projects, Unity crashed and, even though the project was saved, the files got corrupted and we lost 6 hours of work. That was bad moment for the team because it kind managed to discourage us a bit. We got it back on tracks in couple of hours and everything was fine again.
After the 48 hours passed we were all pretty happy with our work and at the same time happy that it was all over. The experience is amazing and I think we all learned more or less from it, especially if this was the first time participating.
The game was can be played here: http://www.waterfrontgames.com/game/index/116
This year theme was "What do we do now?". I say activity because is not a competition as everybody is a winner after 48 ours where you went through the whole process of creating a game.
The experience on a whole is amazing because no one is obliged to participate and people who attend are really passionate and eager to make something nice and interesting. The team I took part in was composed by six people including me. After we receive the theme we started brain storming, looking for best idea possible. At some point we all agree to go with a 3d top down, gray-scale game. The story of the game is about an ex-detective that was framed after his wife was killed by someone else. Everyone thought that he is the murderer so your goal is to get the clues around the city and prove that you're not guilty.
On paper the game wasn't very hard to create as we had very good artists. I was doing the code for the game and I was pretty confident. At the end of the day, we all were here to learn as much as possible from this experience.
The first 12 hours went pretty well. We were going on straight line and and everyone had something to do. The mask managing was well done. But, as expected we started to get tired and the production slowed down a bit. Fortunately, we were on track and we had everything under control.
The only issue we had was around 12 hours before the end of the projects, Unity crashed and, even though the project was saved, the files got corrupted and we lost 6 hours of work. That was bad moment for the team because it kind managed to discourage us a bit. We got it back on tracks in couple of hours and everything was fine again.
After the 48 hours passed we were all pretty happy with our work and at the same time happy that it was all over. The experience is amazing and I think we all learned more or less from it, especially if this was the first time participating.
The game was can be played here: http://www.waterfrontgames.com/game/index/116
Pervasive Games
We studied many games before, each of them having different elements, rules, mechanics and so on but none of them can get any closed to the originality of this kind of games: pervasive games.
What are pervasive games? Basically, the objective of the game is to stalk and kill your target but unlike other games, this kind are real life. To get into more detail, the rules are as following: if you are the killer you are undercover. You look like a normal person with common activities as you don't want your target to suspect anything. You stalk the "prey" waiting for the right opportunity to attack while your target suspects nothing. Also, you, as a killer can be the target of someone else so pay attention to everything that surrounds you. As a killer you receive basic information of the target: a photo, a name, maybe the address, as well. Using toy weapons or harmless house tools your objective is to eliminate the target by all means. You can wait in silence outside their house, or on empty hallways, anywhere as long as there are no witnesses. After the job's done you can ask for another contract. The last player left alive or the one with most kills wins the game.
"The Seventh Victim" made in 1953, is probably the inspiration for the nowadays game, "Killer".
Also, in 1965, a movie was made after the "The Seventh Victim" called "La Decima Vittima". The shows how assassination or killing is accepted as a form of entertainment.
Over time the game received different adaptations. It reached a point where the game and real world were overlapping because you could ask people for directions or details regard to your target.
The game has this social impact as it makes people leave their home in order to actually play a game with an undetermined boundaries. In different countries this game is played in groups and they are killing eachother while the city is the playground. In UK the game is called "Street Wars".
Despite the fact that the game represents an innovation in terms of mechanics, dynamics and aesthetics, sometimes things don't go as planned because at the end of the day a game is a game and real life is real life. In Ohio, in 2006 police was alerted because of someone who was carrying a suspicious package.
The game can be played for a very long period of time as there is no restrictions.
Overall, the game idea is amazing as it makes you travel, search and take decisions in an undetermined playground.
What are pervasive games? Basically, the objective of the game is to stalk and kill your target but unlike other games, this kind are real life. To get into more detail, the rules are as following: if you are the killer you are undercover. You look like a normal person with common activities as you don't want your target to suspect anything. You stalk the "prey" waiting for the right opportunity to attack while your target suspects nothing. Also, you, as a killer can be the target of someone else so pay attention to everything that surrounds you. As a killer you receive basic information of the target: a photo, a name, maybe the address, as well. Using toy weapons or harmless house tools your objective is to eliminate the target by all means. You can wait in silence outside their house, or on empty hallways, anywhere as long as there are no witnesses. After the job's done you can ask for another contract. The last player left alive or the one with most kills wins the game.
"The Seventh Victim" made in 1953, is probably the inspiration for the nowadays game, "Killer".
Also, in 1965, a movie was made after the "The Seventh Victim" called "La Decima Vittima". The shows how assassination or killing is accepted as a form of entertainment.
Over time the game received different adaptations. It reached a point where the game and real world were overlapping because you could ask people for directions or details regard to your target.
The game has this social impact as it makes people leave their home in order to actually play a game with an undetermined boundaries. In different countries this game is played in groups and they are killing eachother while the city is the playground. In UK the game is called "Street Wars".
Despite the fact that the game represents an innovation in terms of mechanics, dynamics and aesthetics, sometimes things don't go as planned because at the end of the day a game is a game and real life is real life. In Ohio, in 2006 police was alerted because of someone who was carrying a suspicious package.
The game can be played for a very long period of time as there is no restrictions.
Overall, the game idea is amazing as it makes you travel, search and take decisions in an undetermined playground.
Games Britannia - Part Two: Monopolies and Merges
In the second part of the three-part series documentary presented by Benjamin Woolley, we saw the impact of the board games board games had in the past 200 years.
We discovered that British were the first to use a board game to develop "moral instruction" upon the players. Later, the game could be found in United States, as well. The US used them to create the idea of easy money with low efforts, known as the "American Dream".
The first major game to focus on this idea was Monopoly, where wealth and avarice are the primary keys of the game. Ironically, the game was created as a radical socialist game in Britain in 1913, now Monopoly is considered the capitalist of games.
Scrabble along with Monopoly and Cluedo survived until now despite the fact that these games were created shortly after the second World War.
Woolley also talks about how much the digital era influenced the board game industry. Games started to become more complex with new elements such as role playing like Dungeon and Dragons.
We discovered that British were the first to use a board game to develop "moral instruction" upon the players. Later, the game could be found in United States, as well. The US used them to create the idea of easy money with low efforts, known as the "American Dream".
The first major game to focus on this idea was Monopoly, where wealth and avarice are the primary keys of the game. Ironically, the game was created as a radical socialist game in Britain in 1913, now Monopoly is considered the capitalist of games.
Scrabble along with Monopoly and Cluedo survived until now despite the fact that these games were created shortly after the second World War.
Woolley also talks about how much the digital era influenced the board game industry. Games started to become more complex with new elements such as role playing like Dungeon and Dragons.
Tablut: A Case Study
The study will discuss the process in which a game with many flaws can be fixed by changing the right rules based on feedback.
The game represents the battle between two sides. One that defends and the other one that attacks. The defending pieces are situated in the middle of the boards while the pieces that attack are positioned on the edges.
The object of the game is to take the piece from the center of the board(the king) and place it on one of the edge squares.
Pieces move horizontally or vertically, one at a time. When a piece is surrounded from two sides is conquered and goes outside the board. Pieces can't jump other pieces and the center square can be occupied only by the king although pieces can pass through the king's square.
The game flaws:
I've read an article by Wayne Schmittberger in which he says that the game biggest issue is that the defending team has a big advantage over the attacker: the king can easily reach the edges of the board. In his writing he also states that several similar adaptation of the games tried to fix the problem but is very hard to get it perfectly balanced when the game is asymmetric.
Schmittberger thinks that an easy fix for the game is to apply to principles: "bidding" and "the pie" rule.
The bidding rule allows the player to bid on a number of moves before the king escapes. Whoever escapes in fewer moves gets to play the defending team, next. This rule can be implemented in many other games where one player has move advantages over the other.
The pie rule is similar to splitting a pie into half. One person cuts and the other chooses. Same for here: one player chooses the bid and the moves and the other starts moving either the attacking or the defending side.
This solutions seem to make the game fairly playable and way more balanced than before.
This rules are a general solution to this problem and can easily be applied.
The game represents the battle between two sides. One that defends and the other one that attacks. The defending pieces are situated in the middle of the boards while the pieces that attack are positioned on the edges.
The object of the game is to take the piece from the center of the board(the king) and place it on one of the edge squares.
Pieces move horizontally or vertically, one at a time. When a piece is surrounded from two sides is conquered and goes outside the board. Pieces can't jump other pieces and the center square can be occupied only by the king although pieces can pass through the king's square.
The game flaws:
I've read an article by Wayne Schmittberger in which he says that the game biggest issue is that the defending team has a big advantage over the attacker: the king can easily reach the edges of the board. In his writing he also states that several similar adaptation of the games tried to fix the problem but is very hard to get it perfectly balanced when the game is asymmetric.
Schmittberger thinks that an easy fix for the game is to apply to principles: "bidding" and "the pie" rule.
The bidding rule allows the player to bid on a number of moves before the king escapes. Whoever escapes in fewer moves gets to play the defending team, next. This rule can be implemented in many other games where one player has move advantages over the other.
The pie rule is similar to splitting a pie into half. One person cuts and the other chooses. Same for here: one player chooses the bid and the moves and the other starts moving either the attacking or the defending side.
This solutions seem to make the game fairly playable and way more balanced than before.
This rules are a general solution to this problem and can easily be applied.
Thursday, March 12, 2015
Ancient Board Games - tafl
The game of "tafl" was the only board game player by the Saxons. This is what H.J.R. Murray suggested. According to him, the game of tafl was player in Scandinavia before 400 AD.
The game is asymmetric. It is played on a square chequered board with an odd number of squares on each side. In the center of the board is placed the king while he is defended by the pieces placed symmetrical around him. The pieces that attack are twice as many.If you're playing as the defending team, the object of the game is to take the king either to the edge of the game or in the corners. I played the game but it was pretty broken as you could easily rush the king to the borders without much effort. If you're playing as the attacking team you have to surround the white king and prevent him reaching a corner square.
The pieces move only horizontally or vertically. A piece is captured if it is surrounded from two sides by the opponent. The kind must be surrounded from all four sides in order to be captured.
The game has different variations: "tablut" from Lapland, "tawl bwrdd", the Anglo Saxon "alea evangelii".
Helmfried was talking about the balance of the game as the king can easily escape to any of the square on the edge so additional rules should help.
The game is asymmetric. It is played on a square chequered board with an odd number of squares on each side. In the center of the board is placed the king while he is defended by the pieces placed symmetrical around him. The pieces that attack are twice as many.If you're playing as the defending team, the object of the game is to take the king either to the edge of the game or in the corners. I played the game but it was pretty broken as you could easily rush the king to the borders without much effort. If you're playing as the attacking team you have to surround the white king and prevent him reaching a corner square.
The pieces move only horizontally or vertically. A piece is captured if it is surrounded from two sides by the opponent. The kind must be surrounded from all four sides in order to be captured.
The game has different variations: "tablut" from Lapland, "tawl bwrdd", the Anglo Saxon "alea evangelii".
Helmfried was talking about the balance of the game as the king can easily escape to any of the square on the edge so additional rules should help.
Wednesday, November 19, 2014
Ancient Board Games - Duodecim Scripta and Tabula
Continuing the discussion about Ancient Board Games, we came across two games that are considered to be Backgammon's ancestors: Duodecim Scripta and Tabula.
Duodecim Scripta or Ludus Duodecim Scriptorum is the game of twelve marks. Buried beneath the thick layer of lava were found, where once the citizens of Pompeii were living, two murals, 1700 years after the catastrophe that destroyed the city in eighteenth century. The first mural depicted a scene where a men accused the other of cheating. The second one was showing the inn keeper shouting at the men who better go outside if they look for a fight. Historians say that the game of Duodecima Scripta was very popular among people back then. The Roman literature has a lot of information regard to this game. Even the most important people of that time were enjoying the game as Emperor Claudius was known as an ardent player of Duodecim Scripta. He wrote a book about the game and it is said that he was always carrying the board game with him.
The game is considered to be an early version of the well-known game, Backgammon. As requirements you needed the special board game, fifteen counters each and three six-sided dice and the average game length was 30 minutes. A lot more than what a game of Backgammon might last.
The second game we spoke about last time was Tabula and historians agreed that the game is a better version of Duodeim Scripta and became played among Romans after the popularity of Ludus started to decline (10 B.C.E -54 C.E.). Around fourth century, Eastern Roman Emperor Zeno was playing a game of Tabula and fifty years later the game was described in Asia by a student. The epigram helped Louis Becq de Fourquieres to write the precise rules of the game.
Unlike Duodecim Scripta, Tabula had two rows instead of three as Backgammon has.
To conclude, despite the fact that two thousand years stay between us and the civilization that invented and played Ludus Duodecim Scriptorum and Tabula we can, in modern days, enjoy their games.
The game is considered to be an early version of the well-known game, Backgammon. As requirements you needed the special board game, fifteen counters each and three six-sided dice and the average game length was 30 minutes. A lot more than what a game of Backgammon might last.
The second game we spoke about last time was Tabula and historians agreed that the game is a better version of Duodeim Scripta and became played among Romans after the popularity of Ludus started to decline (10 B.C.E -54 C.E.). Around fourth century, Eastern Roman Emperor Zeno was playing a game of Tabula and fifty years later the game was described in Asia by a student. The epigram helped Louis Becq de Fourquieres to write the precise rules of the game.
Unlike Duodecim Scripta, Tabula had two rows instead of three as Backgammon has.
To conclude, despite the fact that two thousand years stay between us and the civilization that invented and played Ludus Duodecim Scriptorum and Tabula we can, in modern days, enjoy their games.
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