Games Development - Task 1 / Game Design Document
25.9.2024 - 23.10.2023 (Week 1 - Week 5)
Chong Hui Yi / 0363195
Experiential
Design / BDCM
Task 1 / Game Design Document
TABLE OF CONTENT
1. Lectures2. Instructions
3. Task 1
4. Feedback
5. Reflection
LECTURES
Click HERE to view lectures & exercisesINSTRUCTIONS
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Task 1: Game Design Document
Requirement
“Students are required to design and create their own 2D side
scrolling/platformer game. The game design document serves as a
blueprint for their game and will contain all the necessary information
and visual references to develop the game. Sample GDD will be provided
as a reference, but students are expected to research more on the matter
to determine the necessary content items for their own GDD. ”
Game Idea
This task has made me constantly think about game ideas. Sometimes I’d
suddenly get an inspiration, and I’d quickly jot it down. Below
are some very messy and brief ideas that I recorded:
- Cat Adoption/Finding a Home
- Escape the 2D World
- Animals Discriminating Against Hairless Humans/Animal Escape
- 10,000 Years After Human Extinction, Animals Rise
- You’re Different from Everyone Else
- Finding an Oasis in the Desert
- Battling Illness in Dreams
- Dreamy Mushrooms
- Exams and Searching for Knowledge in the Brain
- Time Traveller
- Botanist in the Enchanted Forest
- Transformed by a Witch
- Hiding Behind a Mask in a Beastman World
Before starting, I tried out a few games to help me come up with
more ideas. One of the games I played was
Level Devil
on Poki. I have to say, this game is truly maddening—it’s the kind
of game that drives you crazy but is still really fun. It has many
levels you need to pass, and the way to clear them is quite
simple: you just need to get into a door. But there are so many
traps waiting for you to fall into.
I must admit, I quite like this game. It uses a pixel art style,
which is very clean and simple, and the game is quite challenging.
I enjoyed the way it designed the traps—like when you’re almost at
the door to clear the level, and suddenly a pit opens up in front
of the door, causing you to lose. This game has given me some
inspiration, mainly regarding how to create challenging gameplay.
Fig. 1.0 Game Inspiration #1: Level Devil
The second game I played is Alto's Odyssey. It’s a beautiful and
tranquil endless runner game where players snowboard across stunning
landscapes like deserts, canyons, and waterfalls. The game starts at
what appears to be a mountain top, where the main character, Alto,
sits around a campfire with his llamas. After the llamas escape,
Alto begins his snowboarding adventure to find them, and the game
starts. It's endless snowboarding, and you only lose when the player
falls or hits an obstacle.
What attracts me most about this game is its art style, animations,
and sound effects, all of which are of high quality. From Fig. 1.2,
you can see that it gives a calm and healing feeling. This is also
one of the inspirations for my game idea 3.
Fig. 1.2 Game Inspiration #2: Alto's Odyssey
Then, I have come up with three game idea proposals: Fragments of
Time, Treasures of the Golden Mask, and Quest for Light. Personally,
I prefer the third one because it might be more soothing, but I'm
worried I won't be able to complete it in Unity. Below is a brief
summary of the three ideas. If you need more details, please refer
to Fig. 2.0 in the PDF.
1. Fragments of Time
- Storyline: You are Kairos, a time traveler whose machine breaks, scattering fragments across the prehistoric era, ancient Egypt, and a futuristic city.
- Game Objectives: Collect time fragments, defeat enemies, and evade the Time Police.
- How to Win: Gather all fragments in each level and successfully return to your timeline.
- How to Lose: Get caught by the Time Police or lose all health from enemy attacks, resulting in death.
2. Treasures of the Golden Mask
- Storyline: Play as Jack Ryder, a tomb raider seeking the Mask of Tutankhamun. After getting lost, he must navigate deserts and pyramids filled with dangers.
- Game Objectives: Complete three challenging levels to steal the Mask and escape.
- How to Win: Successfully navigate through obstacles and defeat enemies to reach the mask.
- How to Lose: Lose health by getting hurt or failing to escape from enemies, leading to Jack's demise.
3. Quest for Light
- Storyline: As Nova, a star who has lost her shine, you aim to rescue souls captured by shadows and collect Light Crystals to restore brightness.
- Game Objectives: Rescue souls, collect crystals, and complete a Light Puzzle.
- How to Win: Rescue all souls, collect the three crystals, and combine them to create white light.
- How to Lose: Lose health by getting hit by enemies or failing to complete tasks required to rescue souls.
Fig. 2.0 Game Document - PDF
Presentation Video
Canva Slide Link: Click HERE
Fig. 2.1 Presentation Slide - PDF
YouTube Video Link: Click
HERE
Fig. 2.2 Presentation Video
FEEDBACK
-REFLECTION
I find Task 1 a bit challenging because I don't play games very often
nowadays, so I'm not quite sure what sort of game or story would be
fun and engaging. Although I initially came up with several ideas and
stories, I tend to worry subconsciously about whether I’ll be able to
create them in Unity later on, or if I can complete the illustrations.
This has led to a lack of confidence in many of my ideas, and I'm also
unsure of the extent of my own abilities.
When brainstorming ideas, I used ChatGPT as a tool to generate more
suggestions. However, I found that the ideas it provided were
sometimes either too rigid or too complicated, which required me to
make my own judgments and adjustments. AI is helpful, but it’s not
infallible. Additionally, this task made me realise how difficult it
is to create a game. Just coming up with a good idea might require
continuous brainstorming and jotting down inspiration whenever it
strikes.
In the end, I hope that when I work on the final project, I’ll be able
to complete it successfully.
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