#Assessment3

[heyyyyyyyyyyou]

Assignment 3 development

For assignment 3 I teamed up with Jacob, Luca and Sam to continue developing and begin playtesting Luca's 'The Skull Cries' asteroids style game. This top-down shooter game is loosely based on Vampire Survivors and aims to use similar core mechanics to achieve a thrilling player experience.

When we first got our hands on the project there were a few bugs that were fixed immediately, such as deleting bones 15 seconds after spawn. Previously the game lagged hard at levels 8 and beyond due to the amount of bones the game was still trying to render in an infinite environment. This was a major fix for one of the core mechanics that occurred pre-playtesting.

The player experience goals hinge around thrill and tension to create an uphill progression of difficulty over the levels. The aim was to have tense periods of play during which the player feels a sense of urgency to complete the level goals before the wave of enemies becomes overbearing.

At the outset of the project we also decided to add a tutorial for users to learn the basic elements of the game before hitting the levels. We did a lot of "testing, analysing, [and] refining" (Fullerton, 2018) between ourselves before we created an iteration we felt was ready to be externally play-tested. Some of the improvements we made during this time were fixing the health bar UI, deleting bones after 15 seconds, and add the player tutorial at the beginning of the first game.

We are proud to say the game is ready to be play-tested externally so we can make more iterations and meet our player experience goals.

[sahilrahman-igb120]

Assignment 3 Postmortem - Wk13

Overall, our group has had a positive experience from this assignment. Our vision of the game did change a bit from the original (such as including a endless level) however, I am satisfied with the final product we ended up with. For improvements we can make I will start with the very basic mistakes we made that include UI navigational errors such as the player not having the option to return to the main menu from the level select screen and some labels containing spelling errors. Other simple mistakes on the technical side included forgetting to delete code that we experimented with during development (one instance of this is the arrow keys allowing the player to control the player in the tutorial and no where else). Additionally, the player model changes between some levels even though they should remain uniform and consistent throughout the game.

One of the most significant changes we should make for the game in the future would be to better discuss as a group what the game vision and ensure at every stage of development that all levels shared the same philosophy. We split the levels up between the members of the group and used gameplay of other games as the basis of our levels (Cuphead, Blazing Star, other shoot em' ups we found on Steam) however, the problem arose with how different members interpreted the gameplay we had shared. This caused the difference is game desgin between level 1 and the rest of the game.

Play test feedback was mostly positive which I was happy with. The most common complain was the lack of variety in the game which would be solved if we had worked on the game for a longer period of time and the scope of the game bigger. The mechanics of the enemies and bosses I designed were received positively. I was worried that mixing the enemies together that I had designed would lead to the endless level being too chaotic and not flow well however, the feedback I received suggested that whilst it was on the harder side it kept the experienced gamers we were testing with engaged with the game. It was also suggested that the boss level could have been more complex to make it more fun as the current level was just a pure bullet dodge simulator. This was my first attempt at creating a boss so I was unsure if the mechanics I had incorporated would have been adequate but I think the boss would be fine to serve as an initial encounter on the game. In the future I would like to create bosses that potentially have a less chaotic bullet spam attacks and focus on mechanics such as the boss being invulenrable until the player solves a certain mechanic on the screen before the boss can be damaged again.

[fazilla002]

New Things In Life

Honestly, I was scared before I enrolled in KPTM, Bangi. I am a product of a daily school, so I've never been far away from home or stayed in a hostel before. Also, I never thought I would. I am praying that I'll survive here. For the first and second days, of course, I was homesick. I cried in my room, and my roommates were there, not knowing how to comfort me, but it's fine because it's just temporary. After that, I managed to control my feelings, but still, until today, I always tell my friends that I want to go home. My days have been beautiful in KPTM, Bangi. Now I have nice friends and classmates, so it helps a little to get rid of the feeling of homesickness.

#assessment3 #freepalestine

[yusei1021]

Assessment 3 summary

in this assessment3, i was mainly in charge of documentation. through the process of having 5 ppl play the prototype and compiling their feedback into a document, i realized how significant playtesting is in game dev. during the development process, we thought that the game was not really fun, but when we actually had players play it, we got completely different reactions. since we got feedback, the feedback gave us a clear idea of what we should improve in the next. overall, i learnt that the key point to success in the future regarding game dev is to conduct playtest constantly abd document the results asap.

[rileym-igb220]

Assessment 3 - Development

Game Concept Selection

For the third assessment, I formed a group with Tymon C and Dong (Michael) D; two fellow students whom I had met previously.

We decided, after some discussion, that we could combine mine and Tymon’s ideas into a single concept; my idea, as seen in assessment 2, being the card-based racing game and Tymon’s being a platforming zombie shooter.

In the end, we utilised the concept of Get Gone and injected a zombie apocalypse scenario into the story-line; in turn, creating “Car-ds”.

One major change, we also incorporated, was the ability for the player to counteract the obstacles they face utilizing their power-up cards. This was based around a “rock paper scissors” system, with cards and obstacles taking the form of Defensive, Offensive or Neutral (the throws).

We eventually simplified this to have certain colored cards be most effective against their corresponding colored obstacles. For example; a yellow card would be most effective against a yellow obstacle. We made this change as a result of a naive playtest with our tutor; which demonstrated some confusion with the “rock paper scissors” system. Such as seen below:

Development and Preparations for Playtesting

To start, we organized an online spreadsheet to keep track of our work; delegating work evenly to each of us. In summary, Tymon was in charge of artwork and the playtesting report setup, Michael was in charge of most of the programming, and I was in charge of sound design, the trailer and the remainder of the programming.

As of this post, the game is completed to a play-testable state; with 3 functional levels (with a difficulty curve), 7 unique power-up cards (in 3 different types), 3 different obstacle types and some basic sound design.

In addition to this, I scripted an “AI Director” in a similar, yet much simpler, vein to Left 4 Dead 2 (Valve, 2009). This was based around slightly increasing and decreasing the difficulty based on the player’s performance. It also contained a bias variable, meaning that it preferred certain obstacle types depending on what level the player was playing; allowing the them to predict, and hence, outplay the Director, and possibly, feel a larger sense of achievement.

Furthermore, I also created a cut scene that play’s on the game’s opening; it purpose being to set up the story-line and give the player context on the game they are about to play. It is not of the highest quality, but other areas of the game also required time to work on; hence, certain aspects were rushed.

Overall, I am looking forward to the playtesting phase of development; as we will be able to perform some more iterative development, hopefully, allowing our game to reach an even higher quality.

[joshuaalipioadad]

Assessment 3 - Experiment & Progress:

In continuing our experimentation process to further develop our assessment, this week, we booked a satellite room and proceeded to play with video feedback, projections and audio/music, by using two projectors, a camera and our laptops. We finally used proper cameras to experiment with video feedback in which we explored the impacts of zooming in, moving and tilting the camera, resulting in a very interesting effect. The process of zooming in and moving/tilting the camera also displayed some visual glitches on the projection, such as the random bursts of light and the appearance of colours (predominantly red, green and blue lights). Carter also created short video clips that utilised various techniques including video feedback to create colourful ‘glitch’ visuals, in which we toyed with the way these videos could be projected, including projecting onto the ceiling, as well as combining two projectors to create a really long panoramic video. Additionally, Peter experimented with audio/music in which he mixed glitch sound effects with samples from other music, thus creating this atmospheric but also foreign and futuristic kind of vibe and environment.

Set up of one of the projectors and camera.

Small movements and tilting the camera, with Peter experimenting with music in the background.

Zooming in and tilting the camera, with Peter experimenting with music in the background.

Zooming in with the camera, with Peter experimenting with music in the background.

Stills of Carter’s glitch video clips.

Group Members: @cartersutherland, @dionadad, @joshuaalipio & @senseintelligence

[anna-mclennan]

Link to completed work:

Youtube link:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dHDBUIoCfYk

[studioisabelle]

ARTIST RESEARCH/INSPIRATION: Yuken Teruya, Corner Forest (2003-09)

“Toilet rolls sprouting and spreading branches are installed to a wall to create a forest. There is a moment when the cut-out branches and leaves start holding themselves up with their own strength. It is as if I am helping the paper awakens its ability to come to life.”

This work conveys the strength of nature despite being faced with an ever-growing consumerism of man-made materials. Teruya explores the depletion of natural resources and the threat modern society poses to earth’s fragile ecosystems. 

The delicate, intricate shapes formed in the work are really beautiful and the whole work has a very mesmerising effect. Teruya’s use of toilet rolls is particularly relevant for inspiration as this is a recycled material; if he had used new cardboard or paper the work would not have the same effect or send the same message.

[charlenezunsw]

The Making of Rules/Etiquette in Our Free-Da Kahlo Gallery

@nikayla1002 @cindinh

We have decided to make some signs around our gallery, on most occasions, galleries would set rules such as no flash photography and keeking volume down. We would like to explore and create our own rules, below are some inspirations and rules.

We have found some interesting standard gallery rules from the websites below

http://thewordnebula-phoenix.blogspot.com/2012/07/cardinal-rules-of-art-gallery.html

https://art635.gallery/art-history/the-rules-of-art-gallery-etiquette

https://www.complex.com/style/2014/11/rules-for-attending-art-exhibition/never-touch-the-art

1. No flash photography - DO IT 4 THE #GRAM

Image from the website listed: http://thewordnebula-phoenix.blogspot.com/2012/07/cardinal-rules-of-art-gallery.html

Now visitors are able to Instagram their favourite artworks and flash photography is welcomed if lighting is not good enough.

2. No touching - DARE YOU TO TOUCH IT

Image from the website listed: https://www.complex.com/style/2014/11/rules-for-attending-art-exhibition/never-touch-the-art

we allow our visitors to touch the artworks, We dare them to TOUCH and really have a feel to the artwork, so they can feel the emotions of the artist through brush strokes and the quality of the paper.

3. Stay Quiet/Silence - TALK AS LOUD AS YOU WANT

https://www.vectorstock.com/royalty-free-vectors/please-keep-quiet-sign-vectors

All visitors are able to discuss and talk as loud as they want, there are no strict rules to noises. We love it when people enjoy the artwork as much as we do.

4. Don’t Reproduce Artworks - SKETCH THE ARTWORK OUT

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CcRTmfvI68U

All visitors are able to recreate and reproduce the artworks if they wish to, don’t feel intimidated!

5. Don’t Make a Scene/ Badmouth the Artist - LAUGH AS LOUD AS YOU NEED TO

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DnX1WwNJIF0

http://thesheaf.com/2015/11/26/silence-art-auction-will-be-a-not-so-silent-night/

[cindinh]

ADAD PROCESS #6

@nikayla1002​ @charlenezunsw​

OUR CHOSEN FRIDA KAHLO ARTWORKS (AND TRIBUTE ARTWORK) SOURCES:

The Wounded Table (1940)

https://www.fridakahlo.org/the-wounded-table.jsp

I Will Never Forget You: Frida Kahlo and Nickolas (2006) - Tribute

https://www.chroniclebooks.com/titles/i-will-never-forget-you.html

Me and My Parrot (1941)

https://www.fridakahlo.org/me-and-my-parrots.jsp

The Wounded Deer (1946)

https://www.fridakahlo.org/the-wounded-deer.jsp

Self-Portrait Along the Border Line Between Mexico and the United States (1932)

https://www.fridakahlo.org/self-portrait-along-the-boarder-line.jsp

Self-Portrait with Thorn Necklace and Hummingbird (1940)

https://www.fridakahlo.org/self-portrait-with-thorn-necklace-and-hummingbird.jsp

Roots (1943)

https://www.fridakahlo.org/roots.jsp

ARTWORK FRAME SOURCE: 

http://www.pngall.com/gold-frame-png

Cindy (me) edited the square frame in Illustrator to complement and fit our A4-sized artworks. The frame aims to “legitimise” our artworks for our gallery.  

CHARLENE CONDENSING THE INFORMATION FROM THE ABOVE SOURCES:

NIKAYLA EDITING THEM TO FIT OUR CONCEPT AND WRITING THEM OUT:

CINDY MAKING THE BALLOT BOXES FOR THE RAFFLE:

[sahilrahman-igb120]

A3 progress and playtesting - Wk11

This blog will cover the final development update for the assessment and playtesting for the for the game. Development has continued since my last post and our team has decided that simply having our fodder and boss level might be too short for players to give good feedback on. So, we have decided that we will be creating an endless level in addition to fodder level so that we can have better feedback for non-boss type enemies. I have handled creating the enemies for the level while another group member will be handling the level mechanics. Four enemy types were created:

Firstly, I didn’t want the player to remain stationary so I created a charger enemy that would find the Y position of the player and quickly charge at them to create movement on the vertical axis. I then created basic shooter enemies that will serve continue the moment-to-moment gameplay. Then for variety I added an enemy that will shoot lasers to have different types of player movement constrictions. This was particularly challenging as I had to use the Piksel feature in Gdevelop to make the animations look good which was something I was not comfortable with as my strengths lie more on the development side in Gdevelop. Finally, I thought that mini-boss type enemy which was tankier would add variety to the game’s difficulty and pace. I hardcoded the spawns for these enemies and passed it on to another team member to finish the endless level. For play testing our group decided that we would each do separate play testing sessions for the report. For my play testing sessions, I decided to follow the template script and ran a naïve test followed by a deep test where I asked questions to the player about specific aspects of the game such difficulty while they played the game. I recorded the entire session for both of my testers from which I added to my observational notes that I might’ve forgotten to add during the live session. The feedback for the gameplay was mostly positive with the boss level getting the most positive feedback. I only had experienced gamers for my play testers so whilst they said that there is quite a spike in difficulty it was a fun kind of challenge for them and kept them engaged in the game. The most common criticism of the game was that they wanted the boss to be more complex as they felt like they wanted a mechanic other than just dodging bullets. Additionally, the lack of variety was another common issue that players mentioned.

[fearoftheabyss-blog]

Research A3

https://passengerart.com/2013/06/28/putting-the-cult-back-in-culture-marina-abramovics-new-world-order/ → Putting the “Cult” Back in Culture: Power and Performance in Marina Abramović’s New World Order

This article explores the many performance works of Marina Abramović. Here are a few excerpts from the article (link below):

“Powerful appeal of idol worship, the widespread and desperate need for attention, and the ever-expanding cult of celebrity, as present in the art world as in any other entertainment industry.” The Artist is Present, MOMA, 2010

“There was a cultish atmosphere to the whole thing that was generated more by the crowd than by their charismatic leader.” → Winter Garden Theatre as Abramović described the “Marina Abramović Institute” she intended to open in order to educate everyone in the “Marina Abramović Method”, during which participants would “engage in a series of long-durational activities: fasting; sleeping in communal quarters; walking for hours at a time; standing barefoot in the snow; functioning only in slow motion or in hyper-speed;” etc.

“By engaging in these long-durational activities and experiments, she suggests, we can reclaim time from our techno-controlled accelerated society and perhaps transcend the perils and pain of contemporary life. She says she is attempting to build a new form of consciousness, a new form of culture, a new community.”

Marina Abramović’s works reflect ideas of desire for attention, recognition and the value placed in social influence. Her performance work/lecture during which she spoke similarly to that of a person trying to start her own cult, with the building of an institute and minimum 6 hours worth of activities for anyone who visited the site, as well as describing a utopic future based on transcention from the “perils and pain of contemporary life”.

The fact that this might even be considered plausible is due to Marina’s enormous reach in the social world as a successful artist, there’s a powerful market structured around her because she is influential and popular.

[kianiez-blog]

The Real Deal

These are the links to the actual objects, their descriptions and actual auctioned price:

-Book

-Vase 

-Hand Mirror 

-Table 

-Chair 

-Table Lamp 

-Jug 

-Cutlery 

-Contemp. Art 

-Painting

[jademessihadad1002-blog]

Audio Tracking

[taneisharose-blog1]

Assessment 3: Event/Presentation

@ninaandayaunsw @ldelfinnn @simonecaoadad

[charlivingthedream-blog]

Group Assessment Three!

IDEA/CONCEPT

For our group assessment we wanted to think about the role that media has in events. As a result, we looked into what events were seen around us - mostly we saw exciting, funky and big events happening locally and globally. This prompted us into thinking about the events that don't get any ‘air time’ which are in our daily life. These mundane events are the basis of our assessment!

LINK TO THE CLASS SUBJECTS

Context and time

Our link is to the week 6 context and time class. Events are always a timed specific thing. Our assessment continues this theme in a comical way that shows the fleeting nature of time and how all the events are scheduled. However, our events are boring and as a result are exclusive. 

RESEARCH

Events in the media

The following are examples of the documentation of events. We are using a variety of formats including:

- Bookmarks

- Posters

- Newspapers

- Magazines

Facebook page 

Memes

Garage Sale Signs