During this project problem solving was a major necessity. With our team down a member and having to rush production on some of the final days due to us having no actors. The ability to adapt to our issues and problem solve on the fly was unmeasurable.

Ways of Working (Communication & Collaboration)

During the project communication skills was of upmost importance, making sure everyone knew their role in the production was needed for success, although this was not accomplished to what I would have wanted. I do applaud my team for being able to, although not greatly adapt on the fly, we did get our final product out.

Tools for Working (Info & Media Literacy)

Production was heavily involved with using technology and electronic communication, either between learning new software for editing and communicating via text and using WeVideo.

Ways of Living in the World (Life & Career)

Skills that were more “refined” as to say for me was most notably communication. Many nights were spent in electronic communication to solve problems and adapt around time crunches.

Reactions to the Final Version

Although rushed and not what we wanted, reactions to our film were very positive! Josie commented and commended us about our ability to problem solve and adapt on the fly to issues and outcomes, although not as effective as it could have been it did work in the end.

Self-Evaluation of Final Version

During this project I learned that more direct problem solving although highly effective in a high intensity situation. In a school situation it is not as effective, a more set in place list and moving slow with solving problems is better. Especially with less focused and productive students. Having my team use the second type of working would have been more effective.

What I Learned and Problems I Solved

Major issues were scheduling and dealing with absences in our cast and production team. Having to adapt on the fly to problems that surfaced was very important especially with an easily distractible team. Looking back I have learned now that it is better to survey the team I am working with and better approximate the best working and problem solving styles to use with them.

Grammar and Spelling

Google Doc spell check

Editor

Robbie (:

Platform Game redesign

By Evan Laur

So, I decided to learn how to make a game harder, I spent time working on the Platformer template on Construct 3

What I learned

Game Link – https://evan-the-steak-guy.itch.io/platformgame\

So, games have always been a very fun way to spend time, but some games have made a mark in history as being hard to play.

But what makes a game hard to play?

It is said that all games are easy but hard to master, for example Dark Souls 3 (DS3) this game requires fast reaction times and patience, you need to loose to win in DS3 due to how each boss is incredibly different and requires the player to completely change their play style to beat them.

What I learned is that small changes can make the biggest difference, so moving a platform a few grids can make a jump harder instead of making the course supper long. (which is what I did)

Its in the Details

Games don’t need to be long and repetitive to be hard its the smallest detail that can make the biggest difference, adding more moving platforms, decreasing the length the player can jump, requiring fast reaction times to avoid platforms or objects flying at them. Many things can be added just to make the game harder to learn.

Eventually the player will master it,

All games are easy to play but hard to master, DS3 is a very simple game and has simple mechanics but using them practically is another story (first boss took me 2 hours) But eventually I did learn how to beat it, and then the cycle repeats.

Alien game thingy Game Feedback

https://evan-the-steak-guy.itch.io/ayylien-shooter-game-thingy

Summary

This game is a simple work in progress cut from the original Ghost Shooter game, you as a player must survive an onslaught of ayyliens that are trying to take your Twinkies. Survive as long as possible and get more points!
(working on upload issues will be set soon)

Questions

What is the best thing you like about the game?
How could i improve on my game?

Peer Feedback

Jacob – I like how they take multiple bullets to kill, it makes it more satisfying when you actually kill them

Jesssica – point system doesn’t seem to go up by +1. it has a way of making me feel good about my gaming skills

Onward vr game analysis

Summary

Onward vr is a tactical military sandbox shooter it has many different missions and levels for players to try to beat, I have always been a sucker for games like this and I have now spent my whole afternoon in VR because its so much fun (I don’t recommend it unless you want a ring around your face from the headset)

Game Play Analysis

Formal Elements
The Basics
Name of the game	Onward
The platform	VR headset
Time played (should be at least 30 minutes)	2 hours
If you could work on this game (change it), what would you change and why?	Give players more options on insertion points
Players	NOTES
How many players are supported?	16
Does it need to be an exact number?	no
How does this affect play?	the larger the teams the longer the fight and more cordination that is needed

Objectives/Goals	NOTES
What are the players trying to do?	Depending on the mission, some require a team to work together to eliminate a set amount of AI (4 or 120) other involve PvP and team objective missions

Rules/Mechanics	For a AI mission a team of 4 has a prep faze to ready their loud outs and to look at a map of the area, they can then decide on how to clear out the enemy or secure the objective, once they complete the objective at hand they will win and move on to the next challange

Controls	NOTES
What controls are used?	VR hand controllers
Was there a clear introductory tutorial?	yes
Were they easy to understand or did you find yourself spamming the controller?	I found them easy but others have trouble
Resources & Resource Management	NOTES
What kinds of resources do players control?	Ammunition, health, healing supplies, grenades of may types
How are they maintained during play?	The players loose ammo when they engage any hostiles if one player is out he can ask another player to pass a mag or any other supply
What is their role?	to assist the player in completing their task

Game State	NOTES
How much information in the game state is visible to the player?	During game play a player will see a map before they load in, after that they only see what is in front of them, the players have many tools to help them like drones they can launch to assist in finding their objective or task

Sequencing	NOTES
In what order do players take their actions?	any order they want
How does play flow from one action to another?	depending on the choice of the player if the squad moved into a building they could have been spotted by a sniper AI then the AI alerts the other AI to their location after that a simple area to recon the enemy becomes a location the players need to fortify or they will die

Player Interaction	the players need to work together to win no matter what, as such if one runs out of ammo another gives them their spare, the game has VOIP (voice in proximity) so if 2 players got to far away they could’t hear each other but the game has a comms system for them to talk over a radio by pushing their talk button on their left shoulder

Theme & Narrative	NOTES
Does it have an actual story structure?	No, players can make their own story in a mission maker but a campaign has not been added yet the game is still in a BETA build
Is it based on a historical event (or similar)?	No
Does the theme or narrative help you know how to play?	No
Does it have emotional impacts?	No
Also, look for en media res (does it start in the middle of the game)?	No
The Elements in Motion	NOTES
How do the different elements interact?	Depending on the situation at hand they can be useful if used right or fail if used wrong
What is the gameplay like?	Very exciting and realistic
Is it effective?	yes
Are there any points where the design choices break down?	The team on all maps is randomly placed it would be better if a team could choose a insertion point instead of a random zone
Design Critique	NOTES
Why did the designer make these particular choices?	To add more replay ability to the game
Why this set of resources?	So players will come back
What if they made different decisions?	it would have had the same effect
Does the design break down at any point?	no
Graphics & Sound	NOTES
Does the game art pair well with the mechanics?	yes
Did you find any bugs or glitches?	no the team building the game is doing a very good job
What about sound?	amazing
Can you spot any technical shortcuts?	no
Various Stages of the Game	NOTES
To wrap up, some things to keep in mind (as if there aren’t enough already) as you play:	You will need to adapt and over come to any situation that you are placed in and how you decide is your choice no voice actor is telling you to get behind a rock or run to another place its your choice
What challenges do you face, and how do you overcome them?	You may find a building full of AI its your choice how to clear it, blow it up, go inside and move floor to floor, or engage from another building beside it, or something I cant even think of right now
Is the game fair?	No its learning curve is more of a mountain
Is it replayable? Are there multiple paths to victory or optional rules that can change the experience?	Yes each mission is randomized and locations change
What is the intended audience?	A tactical realism community that understands basic firearms manipulation and how to solve problems
What is the core, the one thing you do over and over, and is it fun?	All of it, i spent a full hour at the shooting range in game understanding its process of weapons and locations, the guns in game are almost the same as irl except no recoil because its a VR game and a hand controller cant shake your whole body

Game Analysis: CyberPunk 2077

Game Analysis Worksheet: TEMPLATE

Summary

IN ONE TO TWO SENTENCES, DESCRIBE WHAT GAME YOU ANALYZED FOR THIS PROJECT AND WHY YOU CHOSE IT
DELETE ALL OF MR. LE DUC’s ALL UPPERCASE INSTRUCTIONS ABOVE

Game Play Analysis

Formal Elements	Cyberpunk 2077 is a massive open world RPG
The Basics	It gud game
Name of the game	Cyberpunk 2077
The platform	Xbox 1s (DO NOT PLAY IT ON AN XBOX)
Time played (should be at least 30 minutes)	5 hours (sorry)
If you could work on this game (change it), what would you change and why?	Work on the issues with it not being compatible with lower gen consoles (its a buggy mess)
Players	Single player
How many players are supported?	for now only 1 but multiplayer is coming out in a year
Does it need to be an exact number?	Yes you cant play the game if you are not playing the game
How does this affect play?	As a single player game, It is more character driven experience where you make choices not friends.

Objectives/Goals	Wake the (CENSORED) up samurai, we got a city to burn
What are the players trying to do?	Progress as a mercenary in Night city

Rules/Mechanics	I could spend 9 hours here but to be short, as a player you can do anything, see a tv hack the tv, see the bad guy shoot the bad guy.

Controls	Standard Xbox controls very responsive and comfy
What controls are used?	All buttons are used
Was there a clear introductory tutorial?	Very the tutorial is also very funny
Were they easy to understand or did you find yourself spamming the controller?	Very easy for me to understand but i have been gaming for 13 years now
Resources & Resource Management	Very important if you go into a gun fight without any healing or bullets ye be dead
What kinds of resources do players control?	Ammo weapons, Buffs, clothing, gear, cybernetics, car, ect
How are they maintained during play?	The player can manage their inventory by using the very easy sorting system
What is their role?	To provide help to the player while he burns Night city
A resource is everything under the control of a single player. Could be the money in Monopoly or health in WoW. Other examples are:Territory in RISK The number of questions remaining in 20 Questions Objects picked up during videogames (guns, health packs, etc.)Time (game time, real-time, or both)Known information (like suspects in Clue)
Game State	buggy mess
How much information in the game state is visible to the player?	a lot, you can even see the local politics of the game on TV which changes every day depending on your actions or the AIs

Sequencing	good
In what order do players take their actions?	how ever they want to, open world open mind
How does play flow from one action to another?	very well it is like a slide but with more death

Player Interaction	all the time the smallest choice can effect an entire mission
Some examples:Direct Conflict – I attack you.Negotiation – If you support me here, I’ll help you there.Trading – I’ll give you this for that.Information Sharing – If you go there, I’m warning you, a trap will go off.
Theme & Narrative	Futuristic/punk like
Does it have an actual story structure?	yes
Is it based on a historical event (or similar)?	inspired at the begging but after that its all made up
Does the theme or narrative help you know how to play?	yes it creates important decisions
Does it have emotional impacts?	yes very much so, if my best friend in game dies im going to snap my xbox in half, (this is a in game character)
Also, look for en media res (does it start in the middle of the game)?	yes
The Elements in Motion	NOTES
How do the different elements interact?	Like butter its really impressive
What is the gameplay like?	Beautiful I feel like im there
Is it effective?	very much so
Are there any points where the design choices break down?	yes with xbox issues and it not able to take the game
Design Critique	NOTES
Why did the designer make these particular choices?	Because the game needed it
Why this set of resources?	the game is built on story not action RP is this game
What if they made different decisions?	I would not play it
Does the design break down at any point?	sometimes, again lag and bugs are everywhere
Graphics & Sound	NOTES
Does the game art pair well with the mechanics?	YES ITS AMAZING
Did you find any bugs or glitches?	plenty
What about sound?	Oh my the effects are so good
Can you spot any technical shortcuts?	not from my research
Various Stages of the Game	NOTES
To wrap up, some things to keep in mind (as if there aren’t enough already) as you play:	Keep an eye out for everything the smallest thing could change an entire story.
What challenges do you face, and how do you overcome them?	With your brain, you have to think to survive no help at all
Is the game fair?	No if you lack logic and the thirst to explore go back to a more liner game
Is it replayable? Are there multiple paths to victory or optional rules that can change the experience?	the game has 9 different endings as far as i know, and 3 different stories each 20 hours long.
What is the intended audience?	RP and true gamers
What is the core, the one thing you do over and over, and is it fun?	My god for me the guns, very very impressive gun play it so en joyful i spent all my in game cash on ammo and wasted it shooting targets

This analysis form was adapted from https://notlaura.com/a-template-for-analyzing-game-design/

Resources

Playing Like a Designer – I: Examine Your Experiences by Extra Credits
Playing Like a Designer – II: How to Analyze Game Design by Extra Credits
Game Analysis Guidelines by MIT
Level 3.2: Critical Analysis of Games at learn.canvas.net

Books

Mr. Le Duc’s Game Analysis Resources

Game Design – Week 14 – Intro to Analysis

COPY AND PASTE ALL THE CONTENT BELOW

“Judy Garland, Hedy Lamarr and Lana Turner” by classic film scans is licensed under CC BY 2.0

“Analysis gave me great freedom of emotions and fantastic confidence. I felt I had served my time as a puppet.”
Hedy Lamarr

SUMMARY

This week so far i have turned in my GTD and late work

WHAT I LEARNED and PROBLEMS I SOLVED

This week I learned the importance of having a game that is compatable with older gen hardware, my experience playing Cyberpunk 2077 has been a lot of fun! but my console is about to die because of it

Game Design – Week 13 – Changes

“The successful free to play games are selling positive emotions. Not content.” – Nicholas Lovell
“It should be the experience, that is touching. What I strive for is to make the person playing the game the director.” – Shigeru Miyamoto

SUMMARY

During this week we cover coding and learning to work in teams on the same project.

PRACTICE ROOM (TUTORIALS)

Construct 3 – Javascript

This week on SoloLearn I worked with variables and learning to input them.

CLASSROOM (THEORY & ANALYSIS)

MDA Notes

Mechanics
Dynamics
Aesthetics
MDA is a formal approach to game design and research
It is a way for easy construction and work between the developer and the consumer

LAB (THEORY PRACTICED)

According to Wikipedia:
- Mechanics are the base components of the game – its rules, every basic action the player can take in the game, the algorithms and data structures in the game engine etc.
- Dynamics are the run-time behavior of the mechanics acting on player input and “cooperating” with other mechanics.
- Aesthetics are the emotional responses evoked in the player.

Brainstorm Ideas for Each of the Eight Categories

Sensation (Game as sense-pleasure): The player enjoys memorable audio-visual effects.
- A rank up sound games like Call Of duty have always had the classic rank up sound in each title, when that sound is heard it is always remembered as a challenge completed
Fantasy (Game as make-believe): Imaginary world.
- Personally i have always been a sucker for futuristic games, Star Citizen is a personal favorite
Narrative (Game as drama): A story that drives the player to keep coming back
- Games that have multiple endings depending on the choices of the player are the best or games that never end at all. Cyberpunk 2077 has 4 endings so far that have been discovered, at the beginning if a player makes one choice it can lead to him having 2 hours of fighting instead of 1 or none
Challenge (Game as obstacle course): Urge to master something. Boosts a game’s replay ability.
- challenges and added DLCs to be released after the game comes out
Fellowship (Game as social framework): A community where the player is an active part of it. Almost exclusive for multiplayer games.
- Place idea here…
Discovery (Game as uncharted territory): Urge to explore the game world.
- Ghost Recon (Breakpoint) is a perfect example, in this game you must explore in order to continue the game, you build your own story and have to make decision that could end it or progress it every place and thing that you do.
Expression (Game as self-discovery): Own creativity. For example, creating a character resembling player’s own avatar.
- Character customization is always important i feel like it is a way for the player to express themselves in the game cough couch Fallout 4 cough cough
Submission (Game as pastime): Connection to the game, as a whole, despite of constraints.
- To be a good game a player needs to be connected to it, when I play Titanfall 2 I feel like i am there, i can feel the movement of my character through my controller and hear the sounds around me, I have played that game for 4 years now and it still never gets old.

OUTSIDE (CREATIVITY, PRODUCTIVITY & THE BRAIN)

Work, its interesting we always talk about working. But in some aspect we never do,

STUDIO (CREATIVITY)

Construct 3 is an amazing piece of coding software, it works really well for me because of my limitations while using a Chromebook.

CONTROL ROOM (PRODUCTION)

Using this, I can work with a team and others on the same project or projects, coding is much more fun with friends!

WHAT I LEARNED and PROBLEMS I SOLVED

I need to stop procrastinating on my work, I do it far too often and I cant figure out why. I solved many issues with work this week and coding.

WEEKLY ACTIVITY EVALUATION

This weeks work was very fun and eventful i enjoyed it a lot

Game Design – Week 11 – Updating Workflow – Mind Like Water

“‘Be shapeless and formless.. like water’ (Bruce Lee)” by Akinini.com is licensed under CC BY-NC-ND 2.0

“Have a mind like water.”
― David Allen, GTD

SUMMARY

This week I practed working on Construct 3 and using solo learn. I also learned about DOSE and how to manage your work

PRACTICE ROOM (TUTORIALS)

Construct 3 / PlayCanvas – Javascript

This week on solo learn I completed the Overview and part of the basic concepts part for Javascript

CLASSROOM (THEORY & ANALYSIS)

Construct 3 is a very impressive tool for making games using java script, it has the ability to be used on chrome books and almost every other laptop and computer. With its vast range of tools very impressive games and simulations can be made.

LAB (THEORY PRACTICED)

OUTSIDE (PRODUCTIVITY & THE BRAIN)

Each day a person should do something they enjoy, I go for a run and read a book. It is important to get a healthy balance of work and relaxation each day.

STUDIO (CREATIVITY)

Screenshot from Construct Begginer’s Guide

I followed the tutorial and learned how to make a basic background and a player, the player can move in all directions and shoot a gun

CONTROL ROOM (PRODUCTION)

WHAT I LEARNED and PROBLEMS I SOLVED

I learned that making small games is a lot of fun, but i do need to get used to using construct 3 i had many issues in remembering what buttons do what and had to watch many you tube videos

WEEKLY ACTIVITY EVALUATION

This week was a lot of fun working with construct 3 i enjoyed it a lot. I hope we get to use it a lot more in the future.

Game Design – Week 8 – Logic, Flowcharts, and Coding

“Binary code” by Christiaan Colen is licensed under CC BY-SA 2.0

When asked the most important thing I should teach my students, the MIT student I was interviewing simply stated , ‘ teach them logic.’ – Mr. Le Duc

SUMMARY

During this week we cover basic code, writing stories, and flowcharts

PlayCanvas

https://www.sololearn.com/Course/JavaScript/
Today I learned about basic functions of JavaScript, like how to write a sentence and how var works

CLASSROOM (THEORY & ANALYSIS)

Image from https://monkeyblogmonkeydo.com/2010/07/19/so-duh-pop-quiz-classic-video-game-flowchart-edition/

When making a flow chart remember these things
Prioritize key game play over small details
but never forget the details
when you make one follow a shape guide for more flow

Mr. Le Duc’s Flowchart Shape Guide

More Flowchart Creation Resources

LAB (THEORY PRACTICED)

When making a Flow chart I make a situation in a game there is a door it will not open. You have many tools at your use but must use them correctly, you turn the handle and push, you can feel the handle move but the door is barred, you kick the door and it opens.
Another door the door is locked, you push on it and you can feel it move but get stopped my a lock. You pick the lock trough trial and error until you unlock the door.

OUTSIDE (CREATIVITY & THE BRAIN)

Creativity is a special thing, today I took a walk on the beach (I’m in Maui right now) and looked at the horizon, it looked never ending but I knew that wasn’t true but what my eyes could see was telling me another thing. When I make a game I will remember that, not all things seen are true and can have another meaning behind them.

STUDIO (GAME DESIGN)

PlayCanvas

Screenshot from Daniel Wood’s YouTube Channel Playlist

WHAT I LEARNED and PROBLEMS I SOLVED

Today I worked on basic code and solving problems, I also took a look at the playground mode on solo learn and I enjoyed myself with JS! It was quite fun I spent 6 hours on my flight working on a fun game.

WEEKLY ACTIVITY EVALUATION

This week I worked with other types of code, I also worked on making creativity with other blogs and Youtube videos. This week was rather hard for me with my traveling but next week I will come back.