Category: Prototypes

Prototype #3: AIMM after Dark

At the AIMM after dark presentation, I created images of the three different levels and played the music in the background to receive feedback from the people in attendance. The first one was a spaceship themed level that featured an egg shaped spaceship that lands in the middle of the night and begins to fire eggs out of a canon at the user. The second theme was much darker situated in a graveyard with a skeleton that pops up from behind tombstones and throws bones at the user. The third was jungle themed and featured a monkey that throws bananas at the user.

Prototype 2- Experimenting in Unity

To begin this prototype I downloaded Unity 3d and Maya as recommended by the IMM students I spoke to and have started designing sketches of the layout of this game. I began creating 3d models and getting acquainted with the program and its functions and features.  I also got a chance to talk to Brett Taylor through email which was actually very helpful because he had done a project that included the use of the Kinect and Unity and actually has designed a couple of his own rhythm games. His advice was to Prioritize and Identify what exactly it was I wanted to accomplish with the game and be aware that as I progress through the making of the game, my priorities might be changed a little.

Prototype 1 – Creating sample game music

I created 3 track that aid the gameplay and gives the user a more immersive experience. I am used to creating music for the hip hop genre but making music for a game such as this was a different ball game as I’ve never done anything like that before. It involved the use of synths and drum samples as well as 808 to give the music more of a low end. The 3 tracks were stylistically very different to reflect the different themes that will be used in the game. I played these tracks for people in the classroom and got feedback for ideas as to how to design each level based on the sound.

Last week, we had the chance to show the class our third prototypes and then present those prototypes – along with our previous ones – at Art After Dark.

My third prototype just branched off of failed 2nd one. I finally got the Leap Motion Sensor and its SDK to work on my laptop. So, people in class and people who came to Art After Dark got the chance to try out the Leap. They would simply let their hands hover above the Leap and rigged projections of their hands would show up on my computer screen. Everyone I talked to really enjoyed using the Leap and are looking forward to seeing my thesis project progress.

With my third and final prototype, I decided to take a different approach to my thesis project. One thing I wanted to make shine was my own strength as a creative writer, and as such I want to present the mythology, history and lore part of my presentation as a story. To do so I used a website called storymap.js and for this prototype did a sample project with focusing on creation myths/origin stories for specific regions of the world. I researched and transcribed ancient stories into my own words and relayed them as a story on an interactive platform. Through this I was hoping to test if this was a suitable platform for my thesis project. The feedback that I received was that it could use some work but not a bad basis idea, with some more specific commentaries on how it could be presented in a more enjoyable way.

For my second prototype I decided to undertake the data visualization side of things. To start, I began to watch tutorials and understand the platform tableau which is helpful in making data visualizations. After that, I created a data visualization that focused on one aspect of the project: tracking peak periods in civilizations and identifying the length of their run. After showing my prototype to people (mainly family) I got feedback about data that wasn’t clear and how I could go about presenting it in a format that’s easier to understand. With this in mind, I went back to the drawing board and began working on a larger version that is still under works.

For my final Prototype, I got a lot of feedback, especially from the AIMM After Dark. My prototype and presentation got people very interested, and liked the story I presented. But there were some ideas for what to focus on next for my game. Aside from a working title, I also need to work on the art assets next. That will be my next endeavor for the project. I will try to work on it over winter break and then work on making my game. The 2D style I suggested, people were into, and I have had some practice with making games, though I am not that good yet. I should also research coding and world design.

Elevator Pitch: My project is an educational learning module designed to instruct the casual video game enthusiast on competitive aspects of a game in order to elevate their mindset to a competitive level. My desire is that users of my module will not just play on an advanced level but also think like they are on one too.

A lot of what I desire to make can be surmised in the Elevator Pitch worded above. I hope to learn the best way to instruct casual video game enthusiasts as to how to strategically approach games and elevate their comprehension of said games. Most video gamers of the casual variety are new to the concept of electronic sports, the phenomenon sweeping the globe on the level of televised Football, Basketball, and the like. As this occurs more video game developers such as Blizzard -the designers of Overwatch have created esports leagues dedicated to competitive play. With such a new age event on the horizon and catching fire I believe crafting educational tools to assist those looking to up their performance to be a helpful endeavor. Especially since gaming is not like a physical sport where one has to specifically be faster or stronger than other competitors. One simply has to be able to maximize on their decisions and hone their reflexes.

In the development of my prototype I learned that conveying information in the most digestible way is of the upmost importance. Overwhelming users with too much information can confuse a lot of people as to what is important and unimportant to consider. I also found outlining advanced terminology in a glossary to be helpful in familiarizing others in competitive jargon. The lingo of competition is not only a highlight of the culture surrounding competitive gaming but a hallmark of the players knowledge of their game. Touching upon such caveat allows the flexibility of really tackling extended concepts outside of just pulling the right trigger to shoot or clicking the left mouse button. All in all I think most of what I want to expand on for a final project can be done given that I do more research on professional play, acquire more knowledge on the software that I am utilizing, and schedule my time appropriately. Ultimately I am happy with what little I have accomplished thus far.

For my 3rd prototype I was hoping to make a VR control demo, but unfortunately I wasn’t able to get my hands on a VR headset with hand controllers. This will be something I look at over winter break.

Because of this I instead had my third prototype focus on more technical aspects of the other 2 prototypes.

For my 1st prototype I got more in-depth with what I could do with the models, what programs I could use to incorporate more details. I also focused on making a more coherent UV maps for my 3D models which would make texturing a more streamlined process.

For my 2nd prototype I researched a more customizable alternative to the texturing program I was using. Substance Designer would allow me to totally customize my textures and create unique ones that would fit the style of my project.

Overall I looked up a lot more advanced modeling and texturing techniques I could employ in my own work.

For my second prototype I focused on making some texture I could use for my scene. While I was able to come up with a few textures I was proud of, I didn’t succeed in my goal of creating stylized textures. These textures came out too hyper-realistic and don’t mesh with the aesthetics of my project. Because of this I’ll need to redo the textures in a program that allows for more customization. I’ll go over this more in my 3rd prototype.