slurmp8867

[slurmp8867]

Assignment 3 - Dragon Champions Postmortem

Throughout the many weeks I had the absolute pleasure of working with my group, I found this experience to be incredibly valuable — not only from a development perspective but also as a team-based learning opportunity. Collaborating on Dragon Champions gave me a clearer understanding of how effective group game development is structured, including the importance of communication, assigning roles based on strengths, and managing shared workloads. It also helped me build confidence in trusting others with different aspects of the project, knowing that everyone contributed toward the same vision. I’d genuinely love the opportunity to work with this group again, as I felt we supported each other well and pushed one another to do our best.

From a technical and creative standpoint, the development of Dragon Champions was both fun and insightful. I learned a lot about balancing features within the limits of time, technical scope, and polish. There were moments where we had to compromise on ideas or simplify mechanics, but these decisions ultimately made the project more manageable and helped us focus on delivering a cohesive experience.

As for the game itself, I truly believe Dragon Champions has potential beyond what we produced for this assignment. I’d happily continue working on it in the future, particularly to implement many of the ideas and changes suggested through our playtesting and feedback. Things like improving combat mechanics, polishing animations, expanding the character roster, and refining level design are all areas I'd love to explore further. The feedback we received gave us great direction for improvement, and I feel inspired to keep pushing the project to a more complete state.

Overall, this project taught me how essential teamwork, iteration, and feedback are to successful game development. It was rewarding to see our vision come to life, and even more rewarding to do it alongside such a committed and creative team.

[slurmp8867]

Assignment 3 Iterations and Changes

Through playtesting we found some key areas that our group is working on to improve the future design of Dragon Champions to make it a more enjoyable experience.

1: Balance of Drgaons

it was clear that our water dragon was seen as too strong and the favoured dragon of them all. We've gone and adjusted some of the stats for all of the dragons to make the water dragon less opressive and give the other dragons a better chance of being usable.

2: Hitboxes of some enemies

Through playtesting we found that soemtimes the collision for both the enemies and dragons were acting in an uninetened way way if position right the player couldn't hit the enemy at all but could still be hit. We've made some small adjustments to the hitboxes so that this interactions are less likely to occur.

Future Changes:

These of some cool ideas and feedback we got from playtesters to make the game feel more fleshed out and create a more enjoyable experience.

1: Updates to the leaderboard

A small change but to make it so that the leaderboard adjusts score in numerical value rather than just adding the each respective score underneath the current one.

2: Addtional chaging backdrops tied to a goal

Another common thing we got was the addition of more background changes as the players flew further in each run. Currently theres only one change at 1000 score, but we plan to add 3-4 more as the dragons fly higher and higher into the sky, eventually reaching their home world.

3. Large Variety of enemies and weakness/strengths for each

This idea was presented as a way to add a more diversified gameplay for each dragon, making that some enemies do more damage to the dragon as well as some that do less as a way to create different strengths/weaknesses for them all.

Overall we have many current and future ideas about what we would like to intergrate in our game with enough time, with some cool ideas that we planned from the beginning as well as some very good feedback from everyone.

[slurmp8867]

Assignment 3 Playtesting Feedback

The screenshots below are what some of our group members heard during our playtesting sessions about our game.

From just these couple playtesters we were able to clearly see some noticeable areas that needed some serious adjustments for both balance and clarity.

However, there is still more playtesting that needs to occur before any definitive changes should be made to ensure that the gameplay is consistant across all playtesters.

[slurmp8867]

Assignment 3 Mechanic Intergration and Group Work

The main form of group work that was done was during workshops where all members had met up and discussed what they had progress with over the past week.

During this time we had one main device that all the changes that each person had developed was put onto, allowing for all the new mechanics to be put into one version of the game.

We then had created a zip file of the new project that had everything implemented and sent it over email. After this each other group memeber could then unzip the file and take its .json and import it into our own version of Gdeveop, allowing all members to have the updated version of the game.

[slurmp8867]

Assignment 3 Introductory Planning and Task Setting

To start the big project that is assignment 3, first I talked with a bunch of people I know and settled for a group of 4. Our group number is 30 and we made a few measures to ensure that we could communicate and work together.

Group Discord Sever

Something farily simple but very useful for us, as it was the basic platform that we all already has access to and actively used. This allowed for us to communicate ideas online and gave the opportunity to discuss more.

2. Work Completion Timeline

A simple section that was added on the bottom of our part a document, that was set up in a table of what tasks our group wanted done and their priority, with higher proirities needing to be done sooner. This has allowed our group to better divide work equally as we can see the tasks that all memebers have, as well as a completed section to show when each task was finished by.

[slurmp8867]

Assignment 2 One-Page and One-Sheet

This is the finalised version of the one-page and one-sheet about The Royal Fighter.

One-page:

One-sheet:

[slurmp8867]

Turbo Streets Post Mortem

After multiple weeks of development, testing, and refinement, Turbo Streets has reached its playable prototype stage. This postmortem reflects on the development process, the challenges faced, what went well, and what could have been improved.

1. What went well

Core Mechanics Feel Strong: One of the most successful aspects of Turbo Streets was the feel of the gameplay. Controls were responsive, and the drift system was praised by playtesters for rewarding skillful driving. Many commented on how satisfying it felt to master tight corners and boost out of turns.

Powerup System Adds Excitement; Once fixed, the nitro boost and shield powerups added dynamic elements to gameplay. Their randomness meant players had to make quick decisions and adapt their strategies mid-race.

Playtesting Provided Clear Direction Feedback from testers played a huge role in identifying bugs and shaping the game’s priorities. Issues like infinite boosting and audio glitches were surfaced early and helped guide polish efforts.

2. What could have gone better

Limited Visual Assets Many visual elements used in the prototype were placeholders or borrowed sprites. This hurt immersion for some players and held the game back from fully selling its setting. A custom asset set was planned but couldn't be finished in time.

UI/UX Polish Was Rushed Basic UI like lap counters, position indicators, and powerup notifications were implemented late and lacked polish. Better feedback systems (e.g., visual indicators for boosts or damage) would have improved the player experience during races.

Turbo Streets was a valuable learning experience in building a racing prototype with responsive mechanics, reactive AI, and engaging presentation. While a few systems had to be cut or simplified, the game delivered a solid and fun foundation that could be expanded in the future. With a stronger art direction, more refined UI, and additional gameplay modes, Turbo Streets could evolve into a complete indie racer.

[slurmp8867]

Assignment 2 Progress

There has been substantial progress made towards the one-page and one-sheet about the game I picked, being The Royal Fighter.

I picked this over my other games as it was the game I had the most fun dveveloping and could see the most potential when it came to improvments into assignment 3 if it were to be picked.

Below is the current progress for both the one-page and one-sheet

one-page:

one-sheet

[slurmp8867]

Turbo Streets Playtesting Results

1. Powerup Imbalance Players enjoyed the inclusion of powerups but noted that the Nitro Boost was overpowered — especially when collected in rapid succession. Some testers even discovered an exploit where the boost effect wouldn’t expire properly, giving them a massive advantage for the rest of the race.

2. Race Restart Glitch Several players noticed that when using the "Rematch" button at the end of a race, the lap counter reset — but the enemy AI cars didn’t. This resulted in AI cars maintaining their positions or skipping the start sequence entirely, which broke the race flow.

3. UI and Visual Feedback Players found the UI clear but a bit plain. Some asked for more visual feedback when collecting powerups or completing laps — like flashing icons, particle effects, or screen shakes.

This feedback round has helped clarify what aspects of Turbo Streets resonate with players — and which still need a tune-up. The next dev cycle will focus heavily on polish, balance, and bug fixing before preparing for a second round of testing.

[slurmp8867]

Turbo Streets Development Log 2

As we gear up for the first round of playtesting, a few exciting updates have been implemented that take Turbo Streets one step closer to being play-ready.

1: Powerups

Powerups are now fully functioning in-game. Two have been introduced so far—a nitro boost that temporarily maxes your speed and a shield that protects you from the next collision. Each powerup has a randomized respawn timer, so players will have to stay alert and react fast when they appear on track.

2: Music and Sound Effects

The game now includes a high-energy synthwave soundtrack that plays during races, enhancing the retro-futuristic vibe. We’ve also implemented dynamic sound effects—engines rev, tires screech during drifts, and boost pickups give a satisfying audio cue. Crashes are now paired with bassy explosion sounds to make every hit feel impactful.

3: A Results Screen

After each race, a simple results screen now pops up showing your finishing position, total race time, and best lap. There’s also a “Rematch” button that throws you right back into the action, perfect for players wanting to improve their time or settle a score.

[slurmp8867]

Turbo Streets Development Log 1

Continuing from the base tutorial where the core driving mechanics of the game were introduced, several key improvements have been made to give Turbo Streets more identity and polish.

1: Improved Mechanics

The drifting system has been refined to feel more responsive, rewarding players who learn to time their turns well. Cars now lose traction slightly when speeding around tight corners, adding a layer of skill to perfecting lap times.

Opponent AI has also been upgraded. Instead of just following a path, they now adapt to the player’s position and can attempt to block overtakes or take shortcuts, giving races more tension and unpredictability.

In addition, we’ve introduced a working lap counter and position tracker, meaning players will always know how far ahead (or behind) they are from the competition.

2: Things to be implemented

At the moment, most of the visual assets are still placeholder sprites or heavily borrowed assets from free sources. The plan moving forward is to create a set of custom cars and track tiles that fit the neon, retro-futuristic vibe of the game’s world.

Another major goal is refining the UI—elements like the speedometer, boost meter, and lap timer need to be properly designed and animated. This will go a long way in giving the game a more polished and immersive look.

Lastly, we're exploring a basic car upgrade system—this will let players improve speed, handling, or boost power using points earned from winning races.

[slurmp8867]

IGB120 Racer Elavator Pitch

Name: Turbo Streets

You’re thrown into the neon-soaked underground racing world of the near future. Compete against ruthless AI drivers across chaotic cityscapes, drift through tight corners, and collect upgrades to become the fastest racer in the league. Choose from a range of customizable cars, each with unique stats and handling, and rise through the ranks to claim the title of Street King.

Controls: . Arrow keys or WASD – steer, accelerate, and brake your car . Spacebar – activate boost when your energy bar is full . Mouse – navigate menus and car customization

Selling Points: . Race a selection of pixel-art cars, each with their own speed, acceleration, and control stats, giving players strategic freedom.

. Speed through dynamic urban tracks filled with hazards like traffic, oil slicks, and shortcuts to master.

. Earn cash and power-ups during races to upgrade your vehicle’s engine, handling, and aesthetics.

. Unlock new tracks and vehicles as you progress, each with increasing difficulty and visual variety.

. Original retro-inspired synthwave soundtrack and arcade-style sound effects to immerse you in the futuristic racing vibe.

[slurmp8867]

The Royal Fighter Post Mortem

Overall, for a experimental deisgn on a asteroids that incorportaed new mechanics and a whole new design for a game type I'd say it went well, but there are a few key takeaways.

1: Variation in ship design and weaponry

Something \ really wished i got the chance to do was improve on what ship designs that could be used as well as having additional weapons for the player to utilise in battle. As well as changing the health to be from just hit object to delete the to just subtract health from a variable instead, and give different weapons different damage values.

2: Improvement to enemy ai

If at all possible to do within Gdevelop something I'd love to add is unique pathing to each enemy plane, diversifying gampley and adding more of a challenege. This would help deviate away from the very repetitive gameplay that currently exists

This platformer for me was very interesting a good opportunity for me to be able to learn new skills and experiment with what's possible with Gdevelop and overall turned out better than I had initially expected.

[slurmp8867]

The Royal Fighter Playtesting Results

Key Feedback:

Enemy:

There has been some sligh unbalance when it comes to enemy speed as when the child objects are created from their parents dying the speed picks up too much which players felt to be unfair and too difficult. So the speed was tuned down a little bit to make this a bit fairer.

Movement:

There were a couple noticable thigns about the current movement that was out into tht game that turned about to be more of a challenege then the game itself. Since the ship followed the player's mouse and the ship shot towards the mouse it made it too difficult to shoot the enemies.

Sound Effects:

Sometimes the sound effects that were used as well as the bgm were a but louder than anticipated, so the volume has been adjusted to create a less ear-peircing experience.

Overall I'd say that the playtesting feedback was really good and provided some very useful tweaks and fixes to help bring the game more to life.

[slurmp8867]

The Royal Fighter Development log 2

Playtesting begins soon and there are some final changes made before its first playtesting round.

Powerups

Powerups have been fully worked into the game and have proper working mechanics which has brought the game closer to being completed. Both a speed and health powerup have been created with different timers for each so you can't expect them to always spawn when you need them.

2. Music and Sound Effects

There is also now a music track that'll play in the background whilst you fly around and shoot enemies, as well as some nice bullet sounds when you shoot your ship's weapon. Explosions sounds and visual effects have also been added when ships die too add to the emersion.

3: An endgame screen

Something very simple as an end screen to display what the final score for the player was. It also features a return button that when clicked puts the player straight back into the action.

The only things really left to program into would be potentially new weapons and ships for the player to use, given the timeframe before playtesting this seems highly unlikely to be polished and working but still a potential addition.

[slurmp8867]

The Royal Fighter Development log 1

Continuing from the tutorial the introduced basic mechanics to the concept of my asteroids game, there have been many improvments made that has given it some identify.

1: Improved mechanics

Mechanics such as creating child objects on death have been implemented to give more of a challenege into the game, whilst also being programmed to go towards the players position upon creation gives danger to killing enemies.

Scoring and health trackers are now fully working in game, with each different enemy types giving different score values upon their defeat. Health is a very standard thing to track as collision with an enemy will result in the player losing health.

2. Things to be implemented

Currently all of the models and pictures used within the prototype are either the ones taken off QUT canvas or just very undetailed sprites, currently looking at hopefully updating everything to give them a fresh look that it more tuned towards the era that the game is set in.

Powerups are still a work in progress as its something I'm keen on developing to give some nice rewards for players surviving longer than others, just needing to get timers and conditions set up properly for it to work correctly.

[slurmp8867]

IGB 120 Asteroids Elavator Pitch

Name: The Royal Fighter

You've been sent back to the 1940's amidst the outbreak of World War 2, take control of a variety of different ships that each posses different weapons to destroy enemy planes and turrets.

Controls:

. Drag your mouse around and let your ship follow along

. Left click- shoot out a variety of projectiles depending on your plane choice

Selling Points:

. Control a variety of different pixel ships inspired by those used in World War 2, each with their own unique weapons and style of gameplay.

. Fly across many famous battlegrounds such as the English channel and adapt to each landscape and its challeneges.

. Utilise a variety of powerups to help stay in the air for longer and keep yourself in the fight to rack up score and be the best pilot.

. Sounds to immerse yourself into what the real war was

Inspiration on plane designs came from this website: https://www.rafmuseum.org.uk/documents/ALD-London/SWW_aircraft_teacher_notes.pdf