After deciding on the main ideas if the game, the group moved to planning. We have decided to give each team member a role and tasks to complete. This way we can be as efficient as possible and use each of the group member’s skills as best as possible.
I took the responsibility to create the “enemy”. These are going to be the guards that are trying to stop the main character from completing his tasks. As the guards are going to be robots and not humans, I am going to create the model of the robot and later use it in many different sets and levels throughout the game. I have to make the 3D model of the robot, along with the animation rig and the actual animations of his movements. I also have to texture it.
I would also have to create some of the props for the 3D environment. Although, this is not going to be my main role, I am going to help with the creation of most of the levels. For starters, I would have to create a brick wall for the first level, which is going to be outside the mansion. To improve this scene even more, I will try to create some trees and security cameras, which are going to be a key gameplay element, as the player will try to get around them unnoticed.
In addition to this, me and the other members of my group tried to focus on designing the game with usability and playability in mind. I wanted the part of the game which I am designing and the game as a whole to be as user-friendly and as enjoyable as possible. There are many things I have to keep in mind while creating the elements for the game. I have a big responsibility to create the robots. They have a big role in the game as a whole, as they are one of the things which are going to provide the player with a feeling for challenge. I have to be careful while creating the code for their movement and behaviour because even though, the player has to face challenges, the game still has to be fun and enjoyable to play. I have to use this strategy for the security cameras as well. It could be a challenge to make them difficult to avoid, while still leaving an obvious route for that.
One of the most important aspects of our game in terms of usability is the gameplay. Some things we have to consider are varying the activities and pacing during the gameplay and providing feedback to the actions of the user. We could do that by adding different mechanics the player could use and different scenarios to use them. For example we could have one of the levels set in an environment in which the player could take advantage of the parkour abilities and another level in which he could use stealth tactics like silent taking out the guards.
Another thing to keep in mind while developing the game is the main story. Although we have decided to create a 3D game, instead of interactive story, that doesn’t mean we shouldn’t integrate a story. The player of our game has to be intrigued and interested in order to keep playing it. We have came up with a of a thief who wants to rob a mansion. But the user has to keep playing the game, in order to understand more details and uncover more of the plot. We are also going to aim for the feeling of fairness of outcomes.
The game mechanics are also a vital aspect of our game. We are going to try to provide the user with a variety of mechanics, but they also have to be easy to learn. We are going to aim for an experience in which most things react to the player’s choices and actions. Some of the mechanics are going to be normal walking, picking objects, grabbing on to objects from the environment and also the parkour interactions. Another important action for this game will be the shooting.
The game is going to be played with a normal keyboard and the usual WASD keys for walking, E for interaction, etc. Also, if there are any specific keys, we are going to make sure the user understands them consistently. We’ll also aim to provide a simple UI.
What I used for research:
Game 2.0 