“The best way to learn games is to play games. The best way to make games is to work.” – Alan Emrich
Your Graded Course Project Game:
You’ve got one item due next week for your Graded Course Project Game. You need to bring a completed, Gamma version of the game to class for evaluation. This needs to be a fully working version of the game with all of the final art and sound files in it.
The 30 point grading rubric is on the web site’s Course Project page. It is reprinted below:
· Game Concept / Premise [up to 2 points]
Is this
a clever idea for a game?
Will it
appeal to a viable market or is the game to broad and unfocused?
While
it's okay for a game to be serious or silly, is it too serious or silly?
It is
offensive? (That's bad, unless that's its selling point.)
· Intro & Splash Screen [up to 2 points]: make sure that you have one
Is
there a custom desktop icon for this game (instead of the generic Game Maker
'red ball?')
Is
there a custom Game Loading image?
Does
the background music begin to play?
Does it
provide all of game's required functionality (Start, Help, Load, Scores, and
Quit)?
Does
the game's splash screen do a good job setting the game's mood visually and
aurally?
If the
game has a story, does it provide a compelling prologue exposition?
· Ergonomics [up to 2 points]
Does
this game accommodate lazy players?
Does it
seem like there are too many clicks or keystrokes required?
Are the
controls placed intuitively?
Does it
need (and if so, have) a HUD (Heads Up Display) with all of the information
relevant to the player in the heat of battle: health meters, lives, ammo, score,
time, mini-map, etc.?
Are the
colors right for conveying the most information with the fewest words?
Will
players need to keep looking up information on help screen in order to really
"get" the rules?
Has the
designer avoided "player discomfort and irritation" factors such as these during
play?
· Ease of Understanding, Rules, and Victory Conditions [up to 4 points]
Does
the game get going quickly and easily?
Do
players understand what the Sequence of Events will be from their starting
location to their final destination (i.e., does the game help players avoid
getting frustrated or lost)?
Do the
rules designed into the game seem appropriate for genre, epoch, and its
particular unit types?
Are the
rules (particularly for the pieces) properly implemented?
Are
there too many / few features?
Are the
existing features well developed and polished?
Are the
goals clear to the player – both the intermediate goals as well as the game's
Victory Conditions?
· Art / Graphics & Sound [up to 5 points]
How
does the game look and feel? (Your first impression is very important
here!)
Is the
game's art attractive and compelling or repulsive and distracting?
Does
the game provide clear audio and visual cues and feedback to the player?
Did the
designer / artist come up with the right look and sounds for this game to
improve its utility and player immersion into the game world?
Is
everything clear and harmonious in this game world and contributes to the
player's suspension of disbelief?
· Fun Factor, Replayability, & Story [up to 10 points]: This is about the game's personality and the execution of the game designer's philosophy in making it.
Is this
a game you envision other people having fun playing?
Is this
a game that you would have fun playing?
Is the
presentation of the game's genre and / or its epoch (i.e., theme or story)
compelling? Does it 'draw you in' to the game and spark your emotions (i.e.,
does it provide dramatic tension, make you laugh, etc.)?
Are
there adequate cool decisions and / or opportunities to show off a player skill
(i.e., quick reflexes, eye-hand coordination, trivia knowledge, strategic
planning, tactical maneuvering, and so forth)?
Is
there a sufficient amount of gameplay in it? In other words, is the game
simply too short or becomes brain-dead repetitive too quickly?
Does
the game seem to have a lot of replay value? Is there something about it
that would compel additional playing?
Did the
designer cleverly follow the First (K.I.S.S.) and Second (use available
techniques) Rules of Game Design to make the game more accessible to players?
· Cheese Screen [up to 2 points]: make sure that you have one
Does
this game sufficiently reward the player for completing it?
If
there is a story, does the cheese screen provide a satisfying epilogue?
· Help Screen [up to 3 points]: make sure that you have this in order and show it during your presentation
Is this
screen laid out in an attractive and functional manner?
Are the
basic ingredients all there? These include:
Game
Title
Credits
A
Compelling Back Story
Intermediate Goals and Ultimate Victory Condition(s)
Game
Rules & How to Use the Controls
This Week’s Tutorial Game
When we left class today, Game Maker Tutorial #14 (Pyramid Panic) was nearly (if not) complete. Your homework this week begins by finishing this tutorial lesson.
There is no required homework due for this game. (Your Final Project Game and presentation are the most important use of your time and attention during our interim between classes this week.)
However, you can do some modding for Pyramid Panic and garner yourself some serious Extra Credit. What sort of mods?
· Adding new monster, wall, and / or treasure items (be sure to come up with appropriate artwork for them) – some ideas from The Maze Game in Game Prototyping class or Chapter 7’s game Koalabr8 might inspire you.
· Adding Random Events (using “Create an instance of a random object” or perhaps a slim “die roll” chance to begin a Time Line with some interesting Actions).
· Create new pyramid levels to explore, perhaps starting small (a tutorial?) at the “top” of the pyramid and getting progressively larger and more dangerous as you reach the pyramid’s tombs and catacombs.
· Or perhaps take the explorer out of the pyramids entirely and build a set of mazes around the Amazon jungles or an Arctic wasteland.
