by Annie | Sep 21, 2010 | Game Design
Introducing my latest game concept, H2OMG: H2OMG is a photorealistic physics-based puzzle game in which you play as the various states of water, using different temperature zones to change between solid, liquid, and gas in an effort to gain as much mass as possible by colliding with other H2O molecules while in the liquid state. As steam, you play in first person, flying around in any direction, but you risk losing mass as your molecules separate. As water, you play in third person on a 2D plane, but while your movement may be limited, this is the only state in which you can gain mass. As ice, you play in third person in a 3D platforming environment, jumping around while maintaining mass. You must utilize the different states of matter in tandem to help you increase your mass as much as possible while navigating toward each level’s finish line collection beaker. With real world applications and simple mechanics, this game is guaranteed to have you saying...
by Annie | Sep 13, 2010 | Game Design
What’s inside you, on every surface you touch, in the air you breathe, and an integral part of every living thing around you? Why bacteria, of course, and in my latest game idea Culture Shock, you will have the chance to get up close and personal with the ubiquitous microorganisms. Culture Shock is a casual first person shooter game in which you play as a scientist racing against time to zap mutant bacteria in a petri dish. Similar to a sniper searching for a certain target, you must watch the colony carefully and patiently as the bacteria reproduce, finding and shooting the bacteria that differ from the majority. At first, mutants are easy to spot, as they display variations through obvious external traits, such as color, size, and shape. However, as their antibiotic resistance increases, mutants become harder to find as they start to blend in with their peers. You must protect your bacterial culture, finding and zapping all the mutants while saving enough good bacteria to ensure the survival of the colony. Microscopic battles. Macroscopic...
by Annie | Sep 13, 2010 | Game Design
Well into the second term of this incredibly intense year, projects and deadlines are looming over us as the general craziness starts to ramp up. Food and sleep have been tossed to the back burner, and most waking moments are spent half-heartedly performing the tasks of daily life while mentally grinding away at the next great game idea. In the whirlwind of it all, it can be extremely easy to groan about the unwieldy workload, the demanding assignments, and the human need for sleep – an evolutionary weakness if I’ve ever seen one. However, if I just pause and breathe, I realize what an amazing experience this is and how unbelievably lucky I am. Here’s why: 10. I get creative challenges every day. I used to complain all the time about being stuck in jobs where I was just entering data all day, performing endless and mindless tasks that seemed to accomplish nothing. Now, more creative challenges are added to my plate on a daily basis, pushing me to think on the fly and outside the box. 9. Vancouver is an awesome place to live and work. I live four blocks from the beach in a neighborhood full of organic markets and cute shops. I get to bike to work every day while watching the waves and mountains. Life is grand. 8. My instructors are well-known industry professionals with years of experience. Unlike some previous teachers and professors I’ve had, the instructors at VFS seem to really know what they’re doing. Why? Because they’ve done it. They’ve worked on popular game titles and movies, rubbing elbows with the top...
by Annie | Sep 9, 2010 | Game Design
What can go wrong in a student game project? Tons. With so many moving parts, tight time restrictions, and limited experience, student projects can encounter countless obstacles, from technology challenges to critical miscommunication. So what’s the best thing to do when heading into a student project? Why, learn from others’ mistakes, of course. Here’s a good place to start: Student Project Disasters! How to Turn Knowledge From Failed Games Into a Boon For Your...
by Annie | Sep 8, 2010 | Game Design
Deathmatch. Sounds scary, eh? That’s because it is. But it’s also fun. Deathmatch levels are ones in which you go in to shoot and kill other players with the goal of achieving the most kills and/or being the last one standing. Of course, there are also navigation challenges and stealth skills to consider, adding to the fun of the level. My deathmatch level is aptly named “Cubic Clash.” As you might have guessed, the shape of the level is a cube. Three floors high with roughly nine square rooms on each level. Take a...
by Annie | Sep 7, 2010 | Game Design, Illustration Station
Who doesn’t love platform games? From Donkey Kong and Mario to Frogger and Doodle Jump, anyone can find a platformer to love. Over the past week, I’ve been refining an idea for a single screen platformer. Here’s the result: Combining the basic skills of color mixing with the challenges of spatial perception, Split Personalities is a single screen puzzle platform game in which players guide two characters through various colored platforms, turning the characters into the primary colors (red, yellow, or blue) necessary to form each level’s target secondary color (green, orange, or purple). The two characters occupy opposing sides of a split screen, moving simultaneously through different platforms. Not every platform is present on both sides of the screen, however, so as long as one character lands on a platform, the other character will occupy the same physical space on its side, even in the absence of the same platform. Each time a character lands on a platform, it absorbs that platform’s color. In order to complete each level, characters must arrive at the target door suited in the primary colors necessary to create the door’s secondary color. In this case, the target door is purple, so one character must be blue and the other red when arriving at the door. In addition, evil paint monsters will jump around, changing the colors of various platforms. Players will race against time, earning bonus points for faster level completion. No playable version yet; just a high level concept....
