#Assignment Discussion

[elliott-igb-120]

Submission & GG!!

And with that… it’s done! Our final assessment has officially been submitted, and IGB120 has come to a close. It's a strange but satisfying feeling to see everything come together after weeks of prototyping, designing, iterating, and problem-solving.

Looking back, I’ve genuinely enjoyed this course. It’s helped solidify my passion for game development and reminded me why I love creating interactive experiences. From early brainstorming and learning to use GDevelop, to building functional prototypes and exploring design theory through readings like Tracey Fullterton's Game Design Workshop, this unit has given me both practical skills and valuable insights. I’ve grown not just as a developer, but as a designer, and I’m more motivated than ever to keep improving.

This project would’ve been a lot harder without the support and dedication of my amazing team. I want to give a huge thank you to my group members, Skyler, Burnie, and Sienna. Each of them brought something valuable to the table, whether it was art, code, ideas, or simply keeping up the momentum. They’ve been incredibly reliable, creative, and easy to work with, and I honestly couldn’t have asked for a better team for this final project.

Thanks to everyone who’s been part of the IGB120 journey. I’m excited to see what’s next, and I’ll be taking everything I’ve learned here into future projects and units. Until next time

Student Contact Info

Student Name: Elliott Horne

Student Number: n12114545

Student Email: n12114545@qut.edu.au

[somewhereincairparavel]

"jason is a knockoff watered down percy" NO hear me out, jason actually parallels annabeth immensely, sharing SO many similarities with her personality, not percy, in this essay I will-

edit: my full analysis is out now! here

[fraudulent-cheese]

They would talk about this fr

[turtleblogatlast]

No but like every time I think about Splinter and what he had to go through just to keep the boys alive, my heart hurts for him so badly. Is he perfect? No not at all, but none of them are and by god does he love his sons.

The fact that all of them are alive, and grew to thrive despite the circumstances surrounding them is a testament of how much Splinter loves his boys. He raised four babies following the most traumatic time of his life, all alone with nothing but the sewers to house them (to hide them.) I feel like he’s not given the credit he deserves for all he’s done.

And I get that it’s easy to hold up his flaws and faults when it comes to parenting, I myself like looking into them because flawed characters are super interesting and said flaws make them more realistic and engaging, but he tries, and again, so many others would have given up on the boys or failed along the way but Splinter didn’t.

He’s their father, for all his faults he did his damndest to make sure they survived.

[ranuunculus]

I translated my essay on the converging themes of Kafka's Metamorphosis and Dir en Grey's The Blossoming Beelzebub into English if anyone wants to give it a read :]

you dont have to download the pdf, you should be able to read it on the site no problem!

[kremblor]

I cannot be convinced that Kathy Stabler disliked Olivia when Elliot gets stabbed with a pen by a kid and not only does she and Kathleen show up at the ER for him all "how dare you not tell us" and "what happened to Olivia". She isn't showing any annoyance about the question or anything. Like, that family sees Elliot in the ER and some new partner and was like "um ... no where is Olivia?"

[a-minke-whales-tale]

Assigned Human At Birth

There has been some discussion recently regarding the concept of "Assigned Human At Birth". I have to wonder how applicable it really is, though at least for myself I do not like it.

There are a lot of different beliefs for why therians exist and for how we came to be the way we are. The why and how though is largely outside this discussion. For those like myself who believe we were literally taken out of the water and turned into humans in a way we were literally "assigned human" (and whether you believe that is possible or simply delusion is also outside the scope of things please bear with me). For many therians this particular event would not apply, if you were born in a human you weren't ever declared human, but simply assumed so. However in reading so many accounts from various therians of all types, though this seems particularly common physical therians and holothere, I read so often not of a feeling being made to be a human or declared human, but instead a separation from humanity and feeling dehumanised.

I might have been given a human body and "assigned human" by the humans that twisted my cetacean body to thins, but the benefits of privileges of being human were never really granted to me while the expectations and demands were. Growing up every interaction you are reminded there are rules you do not quite understand and rules that only apply to you. It takes time, but eventually you learn to accept that you are different, the others are -real- people and you are something else - you are not like them - you are somehow different. The humans wanted me to do things for them, but I was never really welcome in their communities and often have to play a character to be tolerated. Even when I was tolerated, it was only a small error in my performance before the humans would realise I was not one of them and they would cast me aside. If my need, or simply my presence, ever exceeded the marginal utility of having me around, then I would no longer be.

It was never one moment, one sharp strike where the humanity I was promised by the form I forced into was granted nor taken - a moment in which I became human, nor one in which I became animal. I was always an animal, I only believed for a while that I was human that just had not figured out yet the things that came so easily to everyone else or maybe was simply a bit broken. Though I could not yet see I was not human, everyone else could, no matter how much it was the humans made me look like them or I tried to play one.

When I look at people in this community, and my mutuals especially, our stories may not be the same, but they do seem mirrored as though reflected across the surface of slightly disturbed water. It should be really no surprise that so much of the community is lgbt, neurodivergent, or disabled - identities which have long been dehumanised - or standing upon the crossroads of multiple (however which way the causality points I do not know). This could be simply selection bias in my want to connect with others and have community I would naturally gravitate to others with similar experiences. However I think it does apply at least in kind if not degree not just within the narrow band of CLCZ, physical therians, and holothere, but the wider therian community, and even many furries.

I do not think it is that I was "Assigned Human At Birth" or really Assigned Human at a Few Months Old, but instead continuously, everyday over and over, we are registered as not human, or not fully human, and continuously reminded that by others.

This might be a bit incoherent at points - I am sorry if it is. I started off writing quite confident in opposing the term, and honestly I still do not like the term for myself. I can though see why some people might like it as it would mirror a lot of trans people's experiences with their gender. Trans people (and GNC for that matter) are often not able to perform properly their expected social roles and so are often excluded from the "full benefits" of their gender. I can see how that would be really similar for at least perisex trans individuals.

Honestly, I do not know really how much it is comparable and how others find it comparable or if they like the term. I would be curious to hear peoples thoughts.

~Kala

[poorly-drawn-mdzs]

Bingqiu ponies (Happy Birthday @Piosplayhouse!)

[elliott-igb-120]

Assignment 3 Postmortem

What aspects of the readings helped inspire your design process?

Throughout the development of Shadowy Friend, Tracy Fullerton’s Game Design Workshop was a valuable resource, particularly her emphasis on iterative design and player feedback. Chapter 4’s discussion about balancing challenge and player engagement influenced how we refined the puzzles and mechanics to avoid frustration while maintaining interest. Additionally, the concept of “meaningful play” helped us focus on creating mechanics, like the shadow swapping, that feel impactful and encourage strategic thinking, rather than just adding complexity for its own sake.

What’s one thing you’d change about how you developed the prototype?

Looking back, I would spend more time early on refining the interaction between the player and the shadow, especially focusing on smoothing out the switching mechanics and reducing bugs related to switching places. According to Fullerton’s reading on prototyping efficiently, it’s important to identify core gameplay loops early and polish them before layering additional features. In hindsight, prioritizing a more stable and seamless player-shadow interaction would have allowed us to build new mechanics on a more solid foundation, ultimately improving the player experience and reducing development time spent fixing bugs later.

What’s one thing you’d change about the design of the prototype?

If I could change one aspect of the design, it would be to enhance the puzzle variety by adding more interactive environmental elements and challenges that better leverage the shadow’s unique abilities. Currently, some puzzles rely heavily on basic platforming and simple switch mechanics, which can feel repetitive. Drawing from Fullerton’s guidance on meaningful player choices and emergent gameplay, I would design puzzles that encourage creative problem-solving and allow multiple solutions, thus making the shadow’s presence feel more integral and engaging to the gameplay loop.

Sources

Fullerton, T. (2024). Game Design Workshop: A Playcentric Approach to Creating Innovation Games. ProQuest Ebook. Retrieved https://ebookcentral.proquest.com/lib/qut/detail.action?docID=31137874&pq-origsite=primo

Student Contact Info

Student Name: Elliott Horne

Student Number: n12114545

Student Email: n12114545@qut.edu.au

[tzufcallsmeshomps]

I know I'm logging back on during the craziest kh roller coaster in a while, but just to add a lil more--

I now have a daughter! Two tinies in my collection!!!

[julyberet]

you're welcome.

[weidli]

Die Bemerkung von Thiel bzg. the power dynamic zwischen den beiden weil Boerne halt immer theoretisch die Macht hat als Vermieter ist halt echt wahr und frankly cool as hell dass er es auch ausgesprochen hat (auch wenn der Moment wohl nicht gerade ideal ausgesucht war lol). Glücklicherweise hatte ich gerade fast zwei Semester Sachenrechtsvorlesungen und ich hätte für die beiden einen Vorschlag: Boerne lass einfach für Thiel ein Wohnrecht eintragen and then kiss him on the mouth cmon ist das denn so SCHWER

[fraudulent-cheese]

Was reminded of their weird little friendship in TDI

[piierogis]

Les Mis deck of cards concept <3

It's criminal that there are no playing cards with Les Mis character illustrations. So, here's my concept on assigning characters to each card!

Originally it was only supposed to be the figure cards but it got out of control. Bless the amount of side characters in that book.

The two jokers would be Valjean and Cosette, with classic mirrored illustrations, where one side would be their younger self:

Here's the concept of the suits:

Please share your thoughts on who to move and where!!

There are still a few characters that could replace some of the ones there! Off the top of my head: Bouletruelle, Chapmathieu and the three convicts from his trial, Conventionnel G-, Marguerite, Sister Perpetue, Musichetta, Floreal, Musain girls, the lady from Gorbeau House, minor Patron Minette members

Some additional ideas under the cut.

Version with actual government figures as kings:

[elliott-igb-120]

Assignment 3 Iteration and Changes

Following recent playtesting sessions, we’ve gathered valuable feedback that has directly influenced the next set of improvements we would make for Shadowy Friend if we we're continuing. The insights from players helped us identify opportunities to make the gameplay deeper and more engaging, while also improving the storytelling.

One key addition inspired by playtesting is the introduction of platforms that only the player can walk on, allowing the shadow to fall through them. This mechanic adds an extra layer of strategy, encouraging players to think carefully about how to use both characters to progress through puzzles.

Another idea we wish to add is cooperative puzzle challenges, which led us to design dual-button puzzles. In these puzzles, the player and shadow must stand on separate buttons simultaneously to unlock doors or disable obstacles, fostering teamwork between the two characters.

Feedback also highlighted the need for more interactive elements, so we'd plan to add a push/pull button that lets the player manipulate objects in new ways, enhancing puzzle variety and player agency.

To make the gameplay experience clearer and more user-friendly, we would develop a UI element that will be displayed in a corner of the screen. This will provide players with useful information such as objectives,hints and controls without interrupting immersion.

With iterations and changes we would hope for Shadowy Friend to become a more refined and enjoyable experience for its players.

Student Contact Info

Student Name: Elliott Horne

Student Number: n12114545

Student Email: n12114545@qut.edu.au

[bialbovi]

Ah yes CURRENT WIPS 🤩🤩🤩

I dont have a description yet but maybe I will when I draw something specific and more than a sketch : The random au thingy wip