Pre-Production; Maze Game

Unit 1- Pre-Production Techniques for the Creative Media Industries.

Lecturer: Josh Rai

Task 1a; what particular pre-production requirements will you need for Wayne’s Maze Game?

Date Given: 1^st October 2014

Submission: 8^th October 2014

Pre-Production in My Game

Wayne has asked us to create a maze game which has five different levels, each one needs to get progressively harder. He asked us to create a main character that will be the one that you control. He also wants monsters, which change on each level, and something to collect before you can advance to the next level.

In terms of pre-production I would have to consider various things before starting the process of making my game. Obviously I still need to consider permissions and copyright so I don’t get sued, but there is no need to seek out an insurance policy. As for Locations, I shall be developing most of the game within the college as I don’t have the relevant software at home. Again, as I am working on this as part of coursework within college I will not require any personnel or contributors to assist me with the production.

Things such as budget and insurance aren’t as necessary as they would be if I was working for a company. However here is some research of how much various resources would cost;

Software	Cost	Usage
GameMaker Studio	$799.99/£500.48	Main platform of which to make the game.
Photoshop Pro	£329.95	Creating aspects to go within the game.
Computer	£300-£700	Everything is computer based, so a computer is vital.
Total:	£1130.43-£1530.43

 

Even though I am making my game within the college I do need to consider what I would have to do if I wasn’t creating it using free software and unlimited resources.

Time wise, I don’t want to spend an excessive amount of time developing my game, however I don’t want to rush it. The most time I would take for this five levelled maze game would be no longer than a month. I may not need that long, but I don’t want to be over ambitious with this. For materials the main thing I need is software, such as; Photoshop, game maker studio, etc... Which is all installed on the computers around the college. The only facilities I really need is the college computers, as long as I can access the software I need, I should be able to produce my maze game.

Because I am doing this game within my course most of my facilities and locations will be within the college. However if I was working for a company I would have to consider travel costs and hiring availability. Hiring out a location will also cost money, this has to be taken into consideration if I was working under a company or franchise.

As well as locations I would also have to further research and consider insurance in greater depth. Making sure that every aspect is covered is important to assuring the success of production. Companies such as Press Complaints Commission (PCC), Advertising Standards Agency (ASA), Entertainment Software Rating Board (ESRB) and Pan European Game Informant (PEGI) are a few that need to research, looked into and consulted during the production procedure.

Personally I think my game would be a 3 or a 7 PEGI rating. There is to be no violence or graphic detail.

“Age ratings are systems used to ensure that entertainment content, such as films, videos, DVDs, and computer games, are clearly labelled by age according to the content they contain. Age ratings provide guidance to consumers (particularly parents) to help them decide whether or not to buy a particular product.” (Taken from the PEGI website; http://www.pegi.info/en/index/id/23)

Game Concept

A games concept is an idea that you want to develop into a game.

Game Idea: My idea is to remake Tetris, Below is a rough sketch of what I would do. The idea is to fill up the board to block the ‘monsters’ from getting to the top. However the monsters can break the bricks. I have yet to decide what the monsters will look like, so I have represented them with arrows. The idea is to fill the board up to the top and keep going until the monsters get reach the top of the screen. Unlike normal Tetris creating a line won’t disappear, it will however grant you points.

Target Audience: The game could be aimed at any audience.

Group or Solo: Solo, I would be making the game on my own.

Purpose: To reinvent a classic, well known game.

   

30 Video Gaming Facts

Character Evolution

Some of my favorite characters off all time are various Nintendo characters, as well as other platforms. So here are some examples of how they have changed since their release!

Mario is an iconic Italian plumber, he's evolved a lot in his 29 years. From a man made of pixels to a fancy cartoon. Mario is certainly iconic, pixelated or not.

Like Mario, Link has changed a lot. In recent games there is only small differences but there is a significant change from the first version to the last.

Crash Bandicoot, the loveable adventurer has also evolved. Not as much as other characters have, but he is still quite different from the first game version.

Visual Styles in Video Games

Visual style is the atmosphere and the feel of the game. The way the game is presented, not the genre but the style. It’s easy to get genre and style confused. Although they seem similar, they are actually quite different. Genre is the type of game, for example; RPG, MMO, strategy. The style of a game is more atmospheric.

FIFA 13; EA Sports

·        Upbeat, Fast

·        Teamwork

·        Simulation

·        Light

·        Competitive

Grand Theft Auto IV; Rockstar Games

·        Dark, Gloomy

·        Fast paced

·        Gritty, Violence

·        Angry

·        Rough, Worn

League of Legends; Riot Games

·       Atmospheric

·       Dark, Mysterious

·       Teamwork

·       Competitive

·       Rewarding

Halo 3; Bungie

·        Mysterious, Dark

·        Fast Paced

·        Quick Thinking

·        Strategic

·        Weapons, Moderate Violence  

Brutal Legend; Double Fine Productions

·        Strange, Random

·        Mindboggling

·        Fast, Gory

·        Atmospheric

·        Bright Lighting

Strife; S2 Games

·        Fast Paced

·        Energetic

·        Dark, Mysterious

·        Strategic

·        Teamwork

The style of the game can depend on the genre but it’s important not to confuse the two. As an example you could look at FIFA compared to GTA. FIFA is a sport game, whereas GTA is more stimulation violence. FIFA is more light and cheery, as GTA is violent and dark.

The visual style of a game is impacted by the genre, a game such as Mario is quite versatile. Being a franchise there is multiple Mario games. Some, like Mario Kart is more light and fast paced, whereas Super Mario Bros is more dark, mysterious and gripping.

Mysterious;

·        Strife

·        League of Legends

·        Halo

·        Assassins Creed

·        Super Mario Bros

Dark and Gloomy;

·        Grand Theft Auto

·        Strife

·        Halo

·        Super Mario Bros

·        Assassins Creed

Fast Paced;

·        Brutal Legend

·        Grand Theft Auto

·        FIFA

·        Halo

·        Strife

Upbeat;

·        FIFA

·        Mario Kart

·        Legend of Zelda

·        Sonic The Hedgehog

·        Pacman

Competitive;

·        League of Legends

·        FIFA

·        Strife

·        Wii Sports

·        Forza Motorsport

Rough;

·        Grand Theft Auto IV

·        Tekken

·        Brutal Legend

·        Assassins Creed

·        Halo

Cheery;

·        Mario Kart

·        Sonic The Hedgehog

·        Wii Sports

·        Just Dance

·        Boom Blox

Atmospheric;

·        Legend of Zelda

·        Brutal Legend

·        Halo

·        Call of Duty

·        Assassins Creed

Anger and Violence;

·        Brutal Legend

·        Halo

·        Tekken

·        Grand Theft Auto

·        Assassins Creed

Teamwork;

·        League of Legends

·        Strife

·        Wii Sports

·        Boom Blox

·        FIFA
 

Most games will have multiple styles, however they all tend to complement each other in the right ways. Some games may have a light, cheery feel to it in some places and a dark, mysterious vibe in another part. Each visual style will fit the story, then complement one another.

Lets take league of Legends for an example. Each character has their own personality and style. Vi, a metal fisted, pink haired warrior. She shows violence but also humor. Another example could be Garen, a very serious and strong soldier. Each character is different, this impacts the style of the game. Playing as Vi is more fun and adventurous, whereas playing as Garen is much more serious and challenging. So some styles can be influenced by the character you are playing within a game.

Further more, Tekken is a very dark and deep game. It is a fighting game, hence why it's quite a dark game. This further explains my theory of a games style complimenting it's genre. You don't see many fighter games where it is all cheerful and happy, unless it's a bunch of girls having a pillow fight. My point is, genre is a very different thing to style but not so different at the same time.

To  add on, Angry birds is a puzzle/strategy game. However it is quite fun, addictive too. The aim of the game is to throw the 'Angry Birds' at the structure that the 'pigs' are hiding in. The pigs have stole the birds eggs, which is why they are angry.
The style of this game is quite upbeat and energetic, with a eerie edge to it.

Even though games are different genres, games can be of the same style.
For example, The Legend of Zelda is a action/adventure game with an upbeat style. FIFA also has an upbeat feel to the game, but it's genre is sports. Two completely different games both have the same style, but very different genres.