workin 9 to 5......what a way to make a livin....

And now with added player path for added excitement :oO

and just for your entertainment, a quick, sneaky peak snapshot view of how the 3D sketch up version is coming along

Ponies are for girls...

So here is my lovely written up, all neat like, 2d level.

You obviously can't tell the height of stuff here, which is really important, but that's what the 3d design in sketch up is for I suppose.

I have also left of the player path, which I am going to annotate over the top using Photoshop.

As designed by Gus Gorman

Look, I know it looks like the design for the supercomputer from Superman III but trust me, all will become crystal clear....

Now why does Vera look weird ???

Ezio.......your dinners on the table....

Sooooo as part of our assignment 2 we have been using bubbl.us to export the ideas for our level out of our heads and into something tangible (please can we just use the term brain storm again..) and here is the result.

I was thinking of the game mechanics and how they would relate to the user, environment and enemies and during this found some interesting crossovers. For instance, as ultrasound is the main coool toool in my game, how about some of the silicon creatures can also use ultrasound weapons and the player has a glass visor to protect him that could be shattered by some of the bigger enemies, thus he need to avoid direct eye contact with them and has to find an alternative way of getting passed them. I've got lots of ideas now but everytime I look at a piece of paper to sketch down the map - brain freeze !!!! - really annoying..... I will to resort to playing games to try and get inspiration... That is the worst excuse I have heard for turning the PS3 on again for a long time...

Oi, stop shouting at that dragon !!!!...

Right then, now I've finally turned the console off and stepped away from Skyrim......

Been thinking about my level and have started to do some sketches, or more like doodles, with ideas about it using this elegant mood board for inspiration.

My main thinking is that the environment should be glass based, but this also got me thinking about ice and crystal structures too that I can incorporate into it.

I am also trying to think how to include the game mechanics, stamp and ultrasound shatter, into the level design. Main thinking is that early on in the level you will have to use stamp on the smaller enemies (beetley and rodenty ones) as this will be the only weapon you have have. Am thinking that although you have your ultrasound gun, it is out of power and later on in the level you can get some kind of crystal powerey thing to power it. Thought this was a good way to build the player up and give them there first task to do.

Once they get the ultrasound working they can use this to firstly, attack the enemies but more importantly interact with the environment, to blast through certain walls and floors to get hidden treasures or just even find a path through the level.

Gonna keep with the vertical theme and have them work their way up the level of this particular glass crystal mountain structure thingy to find one the key crystal elements that they are going to need to power their spacescooterey rocket contraption working again so they can get off this god damn planet.

Going to have puzzle rooms along the way to navigate and solve to be find the exit so they can move onwards and upwards.

So off again to draw some puzzle rooms me thinks.........AND THAT DOES NOT MEAN PICK UP THE PS3 CONTROLLER MR MATTHEWS...........

....OH FUS RO DAH OFF...

I'm not moody....

Progressing at an adequate tempo and building up the tension for assignment 2 ;o)

In Tuesdays lecture we were learning about pacing in games. There were lots of tricks and tips of how to speed up and slow the progression of the levels in games. Some of them quite subliminal. Now will obviously be looking out for them in other games.

We also continued with our own level assignments and I started to put together a mood board for my game. Also trying to find different aspects and textures of glass to use, although this time the assignment is about the describing of the level and using Google sketch up, rather than the pretty Photoshop pictures from last time. The mood board is a good idea though. Also introduced to bubbl.us to do brainstorming on (or whatever the PC version of that is...Mindsplat...Lobotomy...I can't remember...) Didn't really get what it does but I'll have a further look in to it.

Found this interesting concept for my level which is based on a vertical layout, rather than a horizontal one. Ben said he would show me some of his vertical level designs in GSU which will be helpful.

Anyway, onwards and upwards...

Crystalline Polymorphs...

And so to Assignment 2

I'm looking forward to doing this design and I found my inspiration.

As my last assignment was based on reality, I wanted to get as far removed from that as possible so I had a look back on some of the sci-fi novels I've read over the years and found the perfect one.

The book I've chosen is Sentenced to Prism by Alan Dean Foster.

The story is about a guy who ends up stranded on a distant planet where all life there, instead of being carbon based, is silicon based. Therefore everything is made from glass, in some form or another.

This is going to make for an interesting concept me thinks.

Now, lets find a suitable shard...

Phew, another one bites the dust

We did the presentation of our Oil Tanker Disaster Madness game to the group. Who I think took to our Frenchy kitchen hand, Francois quite well. Cheers to Ben for giving us the Tsunami idea ;o) Max went on about it for hours.

I thought it went rather well. The three of us should be proud.

We had a jolly spiffing powerpoint and fabulous paper level designs as well the excellent interactive photoshop design, with added sound effects from Phil ;o)

I was also impressed with the standard of the other groups designs as well. Adams powerpoint animation was very particularly impressive. I must get him to show me how to do that...

Oh well, no more group tasks this module, just the second individual assignment to go - 3D level design !!!! Can't wait :o)