Unity Tutorial

Welcome back to my blog!

This week I was given another chance to explore the online Unity tutorials. I really enjoy browsing through Youtube and looking at a variety of different tutorials from all different angels. The tutorial that I liked the most was by N3K EN and it was a tutorial on how to make a subway skater kind of game.

 Link to video

In this tutorial he uses a penguin running on a track against the clock. I wish I had seen this tutorial before I began my game because I think this style of game would of suited my game idea a lot better. The game he was creating seemed challenging but I think with some work I could achieve it.

After watching this tutorial Im on two minds either to start my game from scratch. I might test this style out and see if it would be manageable to create in the short amount of weeks I have left to create this project.

Online Penguin runner game

Game Stories

This weeks reading was all about game stories. I think for a game a strong story line really adds to the engagement of a game for the player. The mechanics and the minor technical details are all very important, but that the main story, or feeling you get when you play is what is really important for the player. 

First article I read - Best Games of the year

Second article I read - Q&A: New AAA studio from 2K Games all about players' stories

Third article I read - The Blue Shell and its Discontents

In each article I read, they all state how the content and the story of a game is very important. They talk about how a story in a game really catches the players attention and makes them feel immersed in the game. They talk about how stories can add to the overall feeling and impact you feel when playing a game, I think this is important as it makes game playing that bit more exciting and enjoyable!



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First Playable

Prototype: After doing some rough sketches on what I wanted my game level to look like, I had a good idea how I was going to design my level on Unity.

I downloaded some snowy mountains off the asset store and I downloaded a snow texture for the base of my website. I then downloaded a penguin character off the asset store, unfortunately all the normal penguin characters were not free to download but I found a toy collection which was perfect for my game as it had a cartoon look.

So far I have come across some difficulties in my game. Setting up the terrain and adding texture was a breeze. I then added some rock textures and trees and a bright sky box to make my game look more realistic. I made a dip in the terrain, this is where I would add water to my game which is a very important part of the game I am making. I looked over the Jimmy Vegas tutorial where he went through adding water to a scene but I struggled to find the water asset that he used. I browsed the asset store and I had no look finding a free water texture that worked for me. Besides this small problem my game has been going to plan and I think its beginning to take some shape. I have to still add controls and a timer to the game. I must also create the ice caps in which George must jump across in order to return to safety. 

This is a screen shot of my game so far   

I have been meeting all my targets.

Growth mindset

Part One:

For this weeks growth mindset I watched a video by Carol Dweck. In the video Carol spoke about what is the problem with easy. She speaks about how she thinks that people have made mistakes with child rearing and in the educational system as kids were told that they should feel good when things are easy for them and they got everything right. This is not a case in Carols book. In Carols book easy means that you are not learning to your full potential and she stated that if it was easy, well then you probably already knew how to do it. She spoke about making challenge the new comfort zone which I found very interesting. She spoke about how kids should feel cheated when the work was too easy for them. This is didn't really understand or agree with but I did understand her point when she stated that kids should be given harder work or be asking for challenges. She wants challenge being the new comfort zone, not easy being the comfort zone. I found this video motivational to step out of my comfort zone and try do tasks that challenge me instead of taking the easy route.

Part Two:

For the second part I made a Motto using Cheezburger.



I think this motto is important to live by, especially in a college environment. We should never look down on someone who is struggling, it is important to offer help to those who need.

Tech Task - Meme Generator

I found this tech task really fun and enjoyable. I love looking at memes I find them really funny and relatable most of the time, but never thought of creating my own. Imgflip meme generator was a really straight forward and enjoyable way to create memes and it only took me a few minutes.

Link to my meme



I created this meme as it is one I've seen a lot online lately. It is also very relatable as I have a strong tendency to ignore all my responsibilities, especially when I have a lot due.

Week 8 Progress

Looking back at my progress in this module, I am over all happy with how far I have come. At the beginning, I was very unfamiliar with writing for a blog as it is something I never had any interest in doing. Now I really enjoy writing on my blog and it almost comes naturally to me.

Before this module I had no idea what Unity was and had no idea how it operated. At the beginning it was like looking at another language and I didn't know where to even begin. I found the Jimmy Vegas tutorials so helpful and after watching a few I slowly began to get the hang of things. Although I am no where near where I would like to be in terms of using Unity and I am still very unfamiliar and confused with the coding side to Unity, I will continue to learn and try my best. 

Although I think I have made good progress I do have some regrets. I got slightly lost in this module and failed to submit blogs on time due to having poor time management skills and from struggling in this module. I now have my head down and know what has to be done in order to succeed.

Looking forward, I will strive to complete deadlines for this module on time. I will continue to work hard on my game and hopefully I will be very happy with the final result. I am finding this process enjoyable even though I have had some bumps along the way.



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Week 8 Comments and Feedback

I find the whole Feedback system very beneficial. The feedback reading tasks each week are enjoyable and in some way motivational. Although I have not received much feed back on my blogs, the feedback I was given was very constructional and helped me when moving forward with my project idea. I enjoyed reading my peers blog posts and ideas and giving my opinions on them. I hope that my feedback helped them when progressing in this module. I found Shauns feedback very helpful especially in times when I was struggling with this module.

One comment that Chloe left on my game design document was very beneficial she spoke about how the story of my game made the game more interesting. I think it is important that your game has a strong story line for the player to follow. As I am not very strong in the technical aspects of this game, I think my story could help my game.

I never got around to writing my introduction blog, there for people might not really had the opportunity to get to know me. I wish I had as it would of given my classmates the opportunity to get to know me before reading all my game ideas.  I gave a short bio in my about me section of my blog so hopefully that helps a little bit. I read a lot of my class mates introduction blogs and I found them very enjoyable and it gave me a good sense of who they were. I try to connect and get to know people through the comments but it has mainly just been feedback for my peers. I now have a good sense of there interests just judging on how they are creating their game.

Looking forward I wish to continue commenting and giving feedback on my classmates blog posts, and hoping that they will benefit from them. I hope that they comment on my blog posts more and continue to give constructive criticism. I find the feedback I've been given really motivational and make me strive to move forward in my game project. Sometimes I can feel a bit unmotivated in this module as I find it slightly difficult, but when giving kind comments and feedback from my peers it helps me keep going.



Everyone is doing a good job! Image link

Week 8 Reading and Writing

I found all of the reading week tasks very enjoyable and beneficial. After reading over previous blogs I has written my favourite one was week 3's blog - Game Elements. This was my favourite reading exercise as the more I read the blog, I began to appreciate the amount of effort and time that is involved in game design. I never realised how many disciplines were involved in game design such as design, art, audio and codes. A well designed game should look and play good and be enjoyable for the player.

I really enjoyed that weeks reading assignment. I liked learning about the making and elements behind Mario. I found the article easy to understand for someone who is still learning about gaming and game elements. From reading the article I now feel more informed about game tools and look forward to creating my own game.

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This Image was my favourite image I included in my blog. This image was from my blog post Project week 2. This image represents that you should not let people stop you or get in the way of your goals. I think this is something that is very important in college life.

Looking forward: 

I would like to continue updating my blog and writing actively. I am moving forward with my final project and look forward to seeing if my hard work and effort reflects in the final piece. 

Prototype A

Georges great escape.

Basic Level design sketch

 

The level for Georges great escape follow a straight forward pattern. The aim of the game is for the player to guide George across the melting ice caps so he can return to safety with out falling into the water or time running out!

A hazard in this game is the water and if the player falls into the water they will re spawn at the beginning of the game and the timer will reset. The player is only given a matter of 60 seconds to complete this game.

I considered putting in an enemy, but I found it to difficult. I think the timer challenges the player enough that adding an enemy might just make it too difficult and not as enjoyable.

When the player successfully returns to the safety of Anthracite they will pass through a winning point. I will then include some text saying. George has made it back safe! But Im not to sure about that at the moment.

My games audio will be the sounds of wind stirring and stormy weather but I think I will include a light festive jingle in the back to liven it up again. As the timer starts to run out the ticking on the clock will increase and if you fall into the water you will hear a splash sound and if time runs out you will hear a not so pleasant noise. ( I haven't decided on that just yet)

Unity Free Tutorial

Hello and welcome back! 😄

For this weeks Unity series we got to explore our own Unity tutorials which may help us when making our game.
Since Im making a platform game, I thought it would be beneficial for me to explore some straightforward platform games. I found a Youtube series on how to make platform games on Unity.

Video one

This first video was pretty basic and Jimmy Vegas did go over how to set up a terrain etc in his earlier videos. So for the first part of this video I didn't really learn to much. He then talked about creating objects for the character to jump and climb up on which I will use in my game.

Video two

In this video we looked at how to player moves round the game. In my game it will be first person player not the rigged body method. Since there is a first person player mode built into Unity I did get any new information from the first part of this video but it was still very interesting.

After watching a few of these tutorials I realised that they weren't really that helpful or what I was looking for.. I also watched Jimmy Vegas's tutorial series on platform games and there was nothing really beneficial to put in my game.. So I began to worry a little.

Video three

I then found this video which wasn't ideal but it covered using a goal point which is something I would like to use in my game so I wasn't a complete waste of time!

Video four

This video was a really straight forward tutorial how to create a timer in Unity which is something I am including in my game.

From doing some research on Unity tutorials it made me realise how straight forward Jimmy Vegas's videos are, and when Im stuck on something in my game I think I will be referring back to his tutorials.

Growth Mindsets - Explore the cats

For this weeks growth mindset, I chose an enjoyable task which was exploring the cats! As I scrolled through the different cat images I did feel inspired by the inspirational messages accompanied by cute cat images!

Some of my favourite finding :


I found this quote inspirational as sometimes we avoid to examine what makes us anxious and instead we continue to fear the unknown. I think for growth mindset its always good to take a step out of your comfort zone once and awhile and work with what makes you anxious in order to fight it.



Not sure? Ask your teacher. This is something that is so important in a college environment in order to succeed. Teachers are there to help and I think sometimes students don't use this to there full advantage. Asking friends and peers for help or advice is great, but sometimes isn't always the right thing to do. Teachers don't bite and are always willing to help and I've experienced this through my college experience.



In a college environment, sometimes its difficult to not compare yourself to others. At the end of the day everyone is different, have different strengths and weaknesses to you. Instead of comparing yourself to others, use them to learn from or enhance your knowledge where you might be lacking. Use each other to bounce off in order to succeed.

Tech Task - Creating a cheezburger meme

I found this tech task really enjoyable this week. I have never really made a meme before but memes are something that I've always got a lot of enjoyment from so I found this little task very enjoyable.

On the Cheezburger site there was a variety of cat pictures to choose from, which was great because I love cats! After selecting the picture I then had to come up with something to say for my meme, which I found kind of hard because I am not particularly funny..



This was my finally meme which was of a kitten using what looks like a social media site. I said what do I say meow instead of now, well because its a cat and I thought it was funny.

https://cheezburger.com/9238176000

Game Fun

Welcome back to my blog!

This first thing that i read for this weeks reading task was, “Fun” is really just another word for “learning”. This is something that caught my attention as it is something I find true. I always find the process of learning new skills or information to be enjoyable or well, fun! 

A formal approach to game design and game research
I read the article on game design and game research by Robin Hunicke, Marc LeBlanc, Robert Zubek. I found this weeks reading task very interest and I found the topic very beneficial to help me where I am in the stages in my game. In the introduction they spoke about how all artefacts are created within some design methodology. Whether building a physical prototype, architecting a software interface, constructing an argument or implementing a series of controlled experiments in design methodologies guide the creative thought process.

In this reading, they spoke about how by the designer approaching the task from both perspectives, (designer and player) they can consider a wide range of possibilities and interdependencies that may have originally slipped their minds. This is very important when working with computer games.

Games are created by designers and developers, and they are consumed by players (us!). They are purchased and used, and after some while thrown away.

I read that the difference between games and other entertainment products such as books, music, movies is that their consumption is relatively unpredictable. Meaning the player/ user doesnt know what to expect when playing.

The MDA framework formalizes the consumption of games by breaking them into their distinct components:

Mechanics - describes the particular components of the game, at the level of data representation and algorithms.
Dynamics - describes the run-time behaviour of the mechanics acting on player inputs and each others outputs over time.
Aesthetics - describes the desirable emotional responses evoked in the player, when she interacts with the game system.

In conclusion, I found this weeks reading very enjoyable!

Unity Tutorial 03

I love following the Jimmy Vegas tutorials on Youtube and I find he explains it very well. I found this task a little more challenging than the pervious two as it was not a Jimmy Vegas video and did not go into as much detail as the previous tutorials I have followed.

A simple clock, which in my opinion was extremely difficult. After many attempts, unfortunately I couldn't manage to operate the clock. Due to an error in my code and after following the instructions given, I was unable to drag the indicators into the transform section. I found this process very frustrating but I enjoyed physically making the clock.

The coding was a lot more difficult this time around and I don't think I would use Catlikecoding again until I am confident in using it. 


Source here.

Final Game Design Document

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My link to my final Game Design Document on Dundoc

GDD - Dundoc

Using the template for the game design documents on Dundoc, I found this process easy and enjoyable. Dundoc really helped me shape my game as in each area of the design document it gave a brief description of what each section meant and what was to be included.

In my final game design document I included pictures of what I would like my game to look like. I also went into more dept on what controls would be used for my game and what devices it could be played on. I included sounds that will be used throughout my game such as when the player falls into the water, when the player jumps, the splash screen music and the home buttons sound.

It now seems like my game is really forming some shape now, I found the use of Dundoc very beneficial and I now look forward to seeing the final result of my game.

Unity Tutorial

After watching Jimmy Vegas's Tutorial episode 09 on creating a sky box, lighting and wind zones. I knew this was something that would really give my game the wow factor. I think creating a sky box is really important in a game, no player wants to see the default sky box when playing a game. A skybox can really add a realistic touch to your game and enhance the visual appearance hugely!

So what did I do? Firstly I went into the asset store and typed in skybox. There was a huge variety of sky box's to chose from, but just to make things straight forward, I just chose the one jimmy went for as I thought it would make following the tutorial a little easier. The sky box pack was called "TGU skybox pack by Babycake studio". 

I did some research of sky box assets online and found that the Wispy skybox or the SkySphere Volume 1 would suit my game. 

SkySphere V1

When it comes to the wind settings in Unity this is something that will play a big part in my game. For the wind settings the higher the number in the turbulence the more wind in the game.  This effect might cause the water to move and the trees to blow in the wind. This is a nice effect to have on a game because it gives a more realistic feel to it. I think this tool will be useful in my game as it takes place in the Antarctic and it may be hard to portray how cold the weather is, but by using this tool the user might get a sense of the cold setting.