Last Week!!

So this is the last week of school and it has been a busy one. I completed all assignments, presented my final project and handed everything in. Now I have summer to look forward to and what I mean by that is more work in better weather. I will continue to model and improve on the aspects I would like to get a job in.

I would also like to read the rest of the game design book so I can have all the knowledge and understanding of what it takes to create a good game. I have many ideas but in order to make them into a physical thing I first need to go through the process to determine whether it is a game someone could enjoy. Also I need to see if it plausible to create. This is something I learned from working within a group to create a game. Any idea can be great but if it is not plausible you should not invest your time into it.

During the summer I would like to come up with different stories, models and balancing concepts so I can be ready to bring something to the table for next year. Finding a group that has the potential to create the idea is essential and if the idea needs to be reduced I will have no problems doing so.

I have started playing Jak and Daxter an older Playstation game they remade for the ps3. It is one of my favourite games. It has a very good story, the game play is very smooth. The character is very balanced, as he gains levels with new fighting abilities. Throughout the game the enemies become harder, with more health and more intelligence. Every so often there is a boss battle where the player must defeat a higher leveled monster. There is also a sidekick that follows Jak around, Daxter is a small creature that adds a comic relief to the game.

Jak and Daxter Cover

The only thing I would change in the game is adding a network aspect to it. Allow players to play together in defeating bosses and help each other collect secret items and things like that.

The creators gave the game a light feel, with bright colours and a comedic script. However there are some parts of the game that are darker and this shows levels within the game. The darker areas describe where more evil monsters live and the brighter areas show where weaker monsters are and also where other characters in the game live.

Jak walking through a bright level

Overall the game is really fun and I believe if someone would want to get into a good RPG I would recommend to pick up Jak and Daxter.

Making Models

During the course of the week I have created a high polygon count model. It is a plant monster that could be used in a fictional game. The model is used for my demo reel I would like to distribute to companies I would like to be hired by.

The reason I created this plant is for a game idea that I have thought of. It is a RPG where a character is playing a jungle game and then gets sucked into his tv and into the game. The back story of the main character is that he is a teenager in high school that no one likes. He gets bullied all the time and the only escape is the video he plays every day.

Once the main character is transported into the game he turns into a character that is very bland and is made up of cardboard pieces. As the game progresses parts of his cardboard suit breaks off and he "comes out of the box" so to speak and realizes he needs to stand up to the bullies and talk people to create friendships in real life.

The plant monster is a boss in the game that the player must overcome. He obtains a whip and can attack the enemy at strategic timings to kill the monster and beat the level.

For balancing the characters so far there is:

Main Character
Attack: obtains whip in level 2, (whip levels up with experience)
Defense: player can dodge attacks by jumping
Mobility: Player has average speed (later on the player has a choice to wear running shoes that decreases his attack but allows him to dodge and move faster)

Main Character

Plant Boss
Attack: launch thorns from body and swings vines periodically
Defense: thorns on body (if player touches thorns he/she takes damage)
Mobility: moves very slowly (since the attack of this enemy is high the speed of the character should be slow to balance it out)

Plant Boss

As of right now, the game is an idea with some concepts of balancing applied. I believe this can be an exciting game if i continuing following this path to creating this game.