![Terms 1 & 2: Behind the Scenes Edition]()
by Annie | Oct 19, 2010 | Game Design
These days, you’ll rarely catch me without my handy black notebook of notes, thoughts, sketches, ideas, and plans. Now nearing a third of the way through the school year, my notebook is just about filled. Before I store the notebook away, I thought I’d provide some behind-the-scenes peeks at the rough concepts behind some of the projects I’ve worked on these past four months. Enjoy! Behind the scenes of LINK Early spider web tile concepts: Combining the spider web tiles with factors and multiples: Logo sketches: Behind the scenes of Tree Initial storyboard: Behind the scenes of Attack of the Alien Slugs Initial paper layout: Behind the scenes of Split Personalities Initial concept sketch: Behind the scenes of Cubic Clash Paper layout: Behind the Scenes of Rooftop Rumble Initial concept sketches: Paper layout: Behind the Scenes of Factory Frenzy Initial concept sketches: Initial cell diagram: Updated cell diagram: Needless to say, a lot of work goes into each of these projects, from planning to building to multiple iterations to testing. As I’ve been saying all along, game design is hard work. But of course, it’s also immeasurably fun. It seems that it’s time to shelve my first notebook of the year. Thanks for always being there for me, dear friend. Now, on to volume...
by Annie | Oct 18, 2010 | Game Design
Oh no! The clone factory has gone crazy, and the clones are becoming aggressive. Take a helicopter to the factory and shut it down as quickly as possible. Use colored lights to guide you through the various rooms of the factory, and shoot different colored panels to shut down the main conveyor belts. Then, test your memory by inputting a series of color-based codes to shut down power to the entire factory. Think you’re up for the challenge? The final level will be done in a few short weeks. In the meantime, here’s a look at the level overview and...
by Annie | Oct 14, 2010 | Game Design
Not too long ago, kismet was a daunting word to me. In Turkish and Urdu, kismet refers to destiny. As if that’s not scary enough, kismet also refers to the scripting tool for the Unreal Engine. Scripting? For a first person shooter? Not exactly my cup of tea. Kismet is a visual scripting tool, so in a sense, it’s somewhat simpler than, say, C++. The logic is similar, but instead of typing out commands, you can just summon the command boxes you need and link them together to create a series of instructions. Here’s a glimpse at some of the kismet behind the puzzle I blogged about last week. (Note: It’s not as clean as I’d like, but I’m working on that!) As we’ve delved further into kismet, the infinite possibilities are becoming clearer and more exciting. Shooting endlessly at enemies? Not so exciting. Solving puzzles while you’re shooting at enemies who do different things? Much more appealing. And for those of you who know me well, you know that I’d rather remove the enemies altogether and just have puzzles. First person sudoku, interactive simon says, top-down memory shooter… Like I said, the possibilities are endless. Kismet is fast becoming part of my...
by Annie | Oct 12, 2010 | Game Design
As more and more people realize the potential that games and technology have in changing the face of education, funds are increasing and opportunities are expanding. Just yesterday, the Gates Foundation announced a $20 million project to fund educational technology ventures. It may not seem like a sum large enough to fix America’s education crisis, but if it can change just one student’s life through improved education, it will have been a huge...
![UDK: A Work in Progress]()
by Annie | Oct 8, 2010 | Game Design
Incredibly busy is an understatement these days. Lots of big projects, not so much time. One of said projects is a slice of a single player level with a puzzle and boss fight. Below is a sneak peek at the puzzle element of my level. Of course, you’ll have to imagine the walls, ceilings, and all the pretty things I’ll add later. This is the main assembly line area of my factory-themed level. You will enter from the bottom level. You will need to activate two triggers in succession, indicated by different colored lights that come on at different times. The second trigger will activate the elevator, which will take you to the top floor. There, you will have a similar task but with six triggers this time. The last trigger will stop the assembly line, cut off all the lights in the factory, attach a light to you (essentially a flashlight), and activate a trigger that will allow you to summon a platform that will lead you to the final boss fight. In the dark. Just you and your flashlight. Stay tuned for the final version, coming...
