Game Progression!!

Last week I took a detailed look into progression in video games. The game Team Smash is creating is called Deceptus. It is a fairly easy game and the reason for this is because we want any audience to be able to play it because the game is more of an experience. Since the game is an exploration based game there is no enemies and power-ups. However we will be implementing a time vs. health system where the player must do certain things in order to increase the amount of time he or she has to complete a level, if the time runs out the killer finds the player and the game is over. 

Deceptus - Concept Idea

The challenge vs. skill in the game will be portrayed as escaping vs. how well a player can manoeuvre through obstacles and solve puzzles. The game is about setting fear into the player with intense sound and a gloomy mood. In the game I would like to implement a lot of fear into the player so he or she does not become bored. I rather a person put the game away because they are scared instead of falling asleep at the keyboard. 

The two types of progression types are relative and absolute. In Deceptus there will be an online aspect where two players are trapped and only one can escape, meaning it is PvP. Also throughout the level there will be traps and puzzles that a player must over, meaning PvE. 

Final Fantasy X Character

Challenges that I have personally seen in games that I really enjoyed are levelling up in order to overcome a really strong boss. An example of this is in Final Fantasy X where the player would go through a level fighting regular enemies at random and then at the end of the level, fight a boss. At one point in the game I fought a boss that was really strong so I had to train and level up in order to defeat it. I really like that because it makes the game more challenging so a person cannot just run through it. Spending time on a game allows a person to enjoy all the small things about it. Rewards that players would get would appear randomly after defeating enemies or finding treasure chests. Also rare items usually appear after defeating bosses, a higher reward for a more challenging victory. The items a player would receive usually are for increasing the player’s power however after certain main boss fights the reward would be for story progression. 

Final Fantasy X - Boss Battle

 Overall, games like Final Fantasy X are everlasting to me because of all the things in the game. Whether it is how the game progresses, levelling up system or the heartfelt story it is a game that I could play over and over again. Hopefully with the concepts I learn to make a balanced game I can make a game someone would like to continuously player all the time.  

War in the North!!

During the course of the week I examined Lord of the Rings: War in the North, a Playstation game that I have recently played. I focused on a few of the lenses that Jesse Schell talks about in his book. The first thing I looked at was what the meaningful choices in the game were. In War in the North a player is allowed to pick what type of player he/she would like to play as, a mage, warrior or archer. After the player chooses the character they then decide how to level them up and what attributes are most important for their player. For example if an archer is chosen I would build up my bow abilities. Throughout the game players find new weapons and armour and update their currents items as they will break the more you use it. Another choice a player has is when talking to NPCs you can decide what to choose what to say to them. Overall I believe that the game’s choices = the players desires and that allowed the player to have a feeling of freedom and fulfilment.

Cover Art

Another aspect I looked at was competition vs. cooperation. War in the North is a cooperative game, three players can play together at the same time. The game is good at balancing competition and cooperation because when fighting enemies you build a combo and the higher your combo is the more experience you get to grow a level. Players are always trying to get the kill before a teammate comes and snatches the experience (power in competition). On the other hand cooperation is needed in the game when a boss or strong enemy appears, players must quickly adapt and use each other’s abilities to defeat them (power in teams). 

Gameplay

The head vs. hands balancing system – Lord of the Rings: War in the North gives the player many chances to attack and kill enemies, the game also gives a player a chance to play with their head, choosing what to say to characters in the game and pick what weapons and armour to use. Also depending on what weapon you use it can be advantageous as some weapons are stronger against certain enemies. 

Overall the game is very entertaining and I would recommend it for anyone that loves the Lord of the Rings trilogy. 

Trailer Link

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k5ySDehGEYE