Evaluation

The project was to create either top-down or platformer with any themes we were given, yet a game within the target audience we were set:

Fantasy
Action
Western
Film noire
Crime & Mystery
Adventure
Sci-fi
Comedy
Romance

I planned my game to be top-down and consist themes of western and fantasy, about a fireslinger of Kesten City in the lands of the Mythical West, defending his hometown from hungry enemies with a fiery desire to conquer more land. However, the physical product of the game does not represent of what I originally planned - if I had more time or organised my time, It would have resembled with my game plan. But overall, parts of the product match my initial idea. The features that matched my idea were the level background, Cooper's movement and ability to shoot out fire. Whereas the differences also consist of the enemies movement, as they always follow Cooper, no matter the distance, when I originally planned the enemies to follow Cooper at a certain distance, and Cooper only has one shooting direction when I planned to have him shoot in all directions.

However, with the marketing materials, they are more closely matched to my original concepts than the game product against my ideas for the game. The game sleeve and logo resemble what I sketched. Although, the shading and tone of the logo was not what appealed to me - since I changed my mind about shading with a different structure: use a harder brush to maintain within the target audience by presenting basic appearing shading. But that I couldn't achieve, because the logo was on one layer, making the colour overlapping the outlines. For the game sleeve, it was vice versa. The sleeve appeared quite basic than what I planned - in terms of colour and the shape of the buildings and tree. It would have been more suitable for the audience if the sleeve, at least, consisted more variety of colours, increase shading and tone, and include more assets to the image.

Planning & Execution:

Personally, I think my audience would not enjoy my Demo - but if it was completed, perhaps they would enjoy my game, but then find it boring after a few gameplays.

Supposedly, players would probably find the shooting fireballs at enemies enjoyable as they're running across the level to shepherd round enemies for mass scoring. In addition to this, the players may enjoy the atmosphere from Cooper. the sense of determination to defend the west alone and defeat the enemies. But then again, each player is unique in their likes and dislikes, perhaps the majority of them would not enjoy my game - since it's very basic with limited features.

In terms of assets and backgrounds, the players may enjoy the character design of Cooper applied to the game, because of the child-friendly design and Cooper's iconic appearance - apart from the scarf that I forgot to draw on Cooper that makes him iconic. The level background design may also appeal to the players because of the basic colour palette of a woodland, but also a small aspect of the western lands with dark red rocks that I included to maintain the western theme. In addition to the cartoon style of the environment, which confirms the visual appeal for the target audience.

Audience:

For my level blueprint, Martyn taught us level background designs with features such as, hidden alcoves, awkward item placements, weapon upgrades, and keys. These gave us an idea of where to place these features on our levels. But in terms of design choices, since I chose to create a top-down game, I wanted a level that has open spaces to enable players to run 'n' gun with Cooper's fire, as the design was also inspired from Juicy Realm (SpaceCan, 2018) environment design.

In terms of HUD, the design was inspired from Sonic Unleashed (Sonic Team, 2008) and New Super Mario Bros. (Nintendo, 2006). However, any HUD design would have suited both top-down and platformer. Either way, I designed my HUD in an appeal to the target audience whilst representing Cooper's health with light blue.

The objective of the game is to defeat as many enemies as possible, whilst collecting as many emblem coins as possible. Even though the objective is equally as suitable for a platformer game, in accordance to the story of my game, it's increasingly suitable for top-down than platformer.

With enemies, enemies' abilities were designed to be able to freely roam across the level, and follow the player in a certain distance. As well as the ability to shoot out poison or needle webs (Sneken and Spooder). However, that wasn't achieved, since I didn't have enough time.

For challenges, the challenge of the objective is to avoid being defeated, and the hazards of avoiding being shot at by Sneken and Spooder, and punched by Muscle Spike. But again, the majority of this was not applied to the game because of time management.

Personally, I think there are not many areas that are not suitable for the genre I chose. However, the objective if the game is equally appropriate for a platformer game. Even though players can freely explore the level, which clearly conveys the top-down aspect, I could have added a hidden alcove to the game to increase a clear implication of a top-down game. However, that was I initially planned on my level blueprint - but also, again, I couldn't apply it because of time, and the Playground plug-in in Unity, which only holds basic aspects of their own coding.

Genre:

The aspects of my level that make my themes recognisable are the woodland and luscious grass features to convey the fantasy theme, and dark red/orange rocks to imply the western theme. The west in a mythical, fantastical land - a world unlike our real one.
To make my level fit the themes, I could have drawn more variety of plants with different colours, as well as glowing wisps, to fully imply the fantasy theme. And for the western theme, I could have included some small western buildings or structures, and delete some of the trees/rocks for space. Or expand the canvas area.
For design choices, I decided to produce my level, assets and characters with a cartoon style, and chibi style for the main character to suit the target audience. But I also selected myself a certain colour palette for each theme. For fantasy, a mixture of greens, sandy and browns for the trees, patches of exposed dirt, bushes and the grassy land, along with textures, with the grass_stamp and patches of darker green, to clarify the land's luscious and fertile with plants and grass. And for the western theme, the palette consisted of reds, oranges, brown and grey for the rocks. For character design, not only did I draw with a cartoon style, but I also researched into western clothing for Cooper to represent the West. But because he’s a fireslinger, living in a fantasy world, he has the ability to shoot out blue fireballs - hence the portrayal of fantasy theme. In addition to character design, I also designed the enemies as human-like animals. For example, Sneken has arms and has the ability to talk, like his other fellow land conquerors, Muscle Spike and Spooder. And Muscle Spike has short, stubby legs to walk and run, and muscular arms to punch his foes before them. Again, these character designs maintain within the fantasy theme. But because of their biological beings, Muscle Spike as a cactus, Sneken as a snake, and Spoode as a desert spider, they're all from the western region in reality - which also maintains within the western theme of the game.

Furthermore with textures, I used some wooden textures from college, and another from a sports leisure centre in Chelmsford, as reference for the wooden tablet on my logo, to review which would be suitable for a western wooden texture. The wooden tablet was to represent the western theme of the game - which is highly suitable for the game sleeve, when a consumer picks up the game, seeing the logo, supposedly getting the concept the game's themes - fantasy from Cooper, and western from DEFENCE in gold on a wooden tablet of the west. However, I did not use much of the images of both woods as reference. But their colours are similar to the wooden tablet on the logo.

Theme:

I research into my audience by conducting primary research with a questionnaire with Google Forms (Google, 2008). Then I published it to my Snapchat story (Snap Inc., 2011), Discord (Discord Inc., 2015), to my classmates via Messenger (Facebook, 2014), and to my close friends via Skype (Skype Technologies, 2003). Thankfully, I received thirteen to fourteen sensible and acceptable responses that helped me develop and sprout with ideas for my game. Hence Spooder being part of the enemies of the game, as the majority of the questionnaire answered that spiders were part of their fears when they were ages seven to eleven, as well as their traits when they were that age that helped me design Cooper's outer and inner trait.

In addition to audience research, I also reflected back to the games I played when I was ages seven to eleven, and compared them to my target audience and to my game to gather ideas for the project. This also includes the research about the characters from New Super Mario Bros. (Nintendo, 2006), Brawl Stars (Supercell, 2018) and Zootopia (Zootopia, 2016), by analysing their movement, how they communicate, their personality, behaviour and responses, and how they appeal to the audience they were, ideally, set to present.

For theme and genre research, I researched three games: Juicy Realm (SpaceCan, 2018), Brawl Stars (Supercell, 2018) and Red Dead Redemption games (Rockstar Games, 2010-2018). With theme, I analysed colours, shapes, textures, objectives, sound effects, collectables, design in environment, asset and characters, but under terms of theme, so how they achieved to maintain within the themes they were set to present for their games. And for genre, I analysed the same as the list above, except I also included perspective, story, mechanics, and level design. I studied how they impact the audience through the angle of the perspective with level design, impact the audience through character design and the content they present with story and mechanics.

To extend my research, I conducted experimental research, except I experienced them in the past: games, films and a book, and they were very much past before I started this project. However, I have watched a series of gameplay during this project, Sonic Unleashed (Sonic Team, 2008), and there, I took inspiration from the HUD mechanic. In addition to stereotypical and cliche story research, they helped me compare to my game's cliche story, analysing as I realised that my game also consisted of a story common to other stories across the media, yet remaining with the original story I scripted because it suits my target audience (masculine ages 7-11). But overall, with the games I played and films I have watched, they assisted me to analyse further and explain critically about their theme, genre, and characters.
In conclusion, from the media I played through in the past, they made me reflect on what they contain and how and why they presented what they presented - which partly became an influence towards my game. The other parts of the ideas were authentically from my own creativity, to remain within my unique thinking and ideas for a project.

The research that helped my development of my demo, was game art. The entire research of my game art was from the use of Google Images (Google, 2001). Simply by typing in what I needed as reference, and observed the details of colours, shapes, even gradients - from the Juicy Realm image. As I researched into the chibi style of art, it became a large influence to Cooper's character design, because the style appeals to the target audience I was set. For ages seven to eleven, the style is friendly, round and colourful - which gives an overview that the style portrays harmlessness, therefore, it is suited for a young audience. Furthermore, as I sketched Cooper, I added semiotic colours to annotate how he can be iconic to the audience through colours of personality. For this, I used Color Wheel Pro (Unknown date) to find representations of colours I used for Cooper.

In addition to game art, I observed five logos from Google Images, and examined the features. Except, I explained how they're suited for their audience, and how it suits the plot of the game with a logo. Not only that, but I also researched them to gather ideas for my logo, marketing materials, even though I already sketched it before the research.

To improve my research strategies, I could have looked at other websites, instead of repeatedly using Wikipedia - but it is easy and quick to access. I could conduct more primary research by looking through books, films and programs.

Research:

Throughout this project, I have improved my skills of digital drawing, use of Adobe programs, methods of research and applying it, Wix presentation, understanding colours, shapes, textures, understanding theme and genre, and understanding my target audience.

For this project, I learned to use Krita (KDE, 1998) and Adobe Photoshop (Adobe Inc., 1990) to produce my assets, animations for Cooper, game sleeve, level background, HUD, and finalising the logo from Adobe Illustrator (Adobe Inc., 1987), and exploring new tools and aspects within the programs.

I also learned to work with Adobe Illustrator and Adobe InDesign (Adobe Inc., 1999) to learn the processes of vectorising art and creating logos, and assembling art into a sleeve as a marketing product.

And Unity (Unity Technologies, 2005), experiencing a new way of game making, even though we used the basic blocks of coding from the Playground plug-in. As well as learning how to traditionally write scripts for our cutscenes and levels.

The challenges I ran into were countless. Especially with time management and resources I don't have at home that I can proceed work with. Examples of my challenges consist of the level background. I started it with Photoshop, until I realised that I did not have enough time to keep it under school work during lessons, when I had other important production tasks to complete. So I had to restart the level background and start over at home - where it contained more time for me to complete work - with Krita.

As well as character animations, as I only managed to complete Cooper's in three frames - because of time management, without his iconic scarf, because I forgot to draw it I as was drawing him in Photoshop.

The challenge of learning how to work with Unity, even though we had the Playground plug-in to help us learn the basics, it was all new and I don't have the trait to confidently and patiently work with coding.

The process of completing production tasks and writing diaries at the same time within the tight time period remaining.

And the paranoia about whether my diaries and research were satisfactory with quality of explanation and recording my decisions to present the progress I worked through.

The skills I feel need developing are my digital drawing - which will improve drastically once I receive my iPad Pro. My vector art skills with Illustrator, organise my time, remain collected when writing my production diaries, without fear about the quality and quantity of my writing. And personally, perhaps my additional research methods and programming skills, even if I am directing myself towards the artistic route of games design.

But overall, I have developed further knowledge and skills from last academic year's Final Major Project - the progress of researching, increase in productivity with art, and reflecting my actions and decisions with production diaries.

With the skills and knowledge I have developed through this Demo, they will be developed further into the next and future projects ahead, ready to be applied and presented for university. And from there, I will extend further with learning and new experiences.

An important example that I learned from this project was time. From the time we were given, even though I did not manage to complete the majority of the assets I set myself, the short time period gave me a taste of working with a length so short, yet so detailed with tasks. And with that taste, I can confidently work in a similar situation confidently.

Overall, the project was, indeed, short. Personally, I think I have progressed positively through digital drawing, despite how I never fully experienced it before. Improved my vector art skills, as a progression from Assembly (Pixite Inc., 2017). And including the media I experienced from the past as research, and gathering textures and observing images from Google Images to study about theme and genre with audience.

However, the parts that did not go well, were when I had my sloth moments during the project, acts of procrastination and laziness, leaving some work to the next day or next lesson. Including, as mentioned many times during this evaluation - time. I could have organised my time to allow other tasks, I didn't manage to complete, fit in to the work slots. But if I was given more time, I would consider completing the tasks and assets. As well as learn more about digital drawing to take that level of skill to the next progression, to increase aesthetic and detail to my work. Or preferably, apply more time to each task to improve visuals, implications and design.

Personal development: