Thursday, September 25, 2014

Homework 6

In this assignment, I upgraded the world of Purgatory, and add lights, realistic UV Textures and new more complex elements that would interact with the main character Sara. I made additional objects of my own creation and modify other objects so my team could also use them for the game. I created a scene incorporating the following parameters:


  • Collisions between two moving objects
  • Ability to add and delete objects from the scene
  • Use of the collision or near sensor

Downloaded elements:
  • Potion Bottles x3. Modified by me to look as glass and animated to rotate in a continuous 360 degrees
  • Maze, modified to proportions, UV textured with bump maps and lit appropriately
  • Door texture: CG textures.com, free license textures. 
  • Sara lead character: Blender swap.com
Made elements:

Door and other objects: UV Textured and Animation 
World composition Lights and Fxs
Mist: World depth perception by occlusion of elements in the distance
Collisions between moving objects
Add and deletion of objects from scene
Use of collision near sensor
Score system
Sound effects



Download link:

Thursday, September 18, 2014

Homework 5

In this homework, each one of you will build on the previous homework. You will download (or construct) at least 2-3 more objects with which you will use collisions, gravity, force to create a simple toy or game.

Please describe how what you have done

For this assignment I created a basic mini soccer game that follows the basic principals of earth physics, by bounding objects withing a gravity and having them react when they collide. I model and textured all the 3 new elements  here, the goal area,  the field and the soccer ball. I also added a mouse python script under the text editor and linked it with the node editor in order to view the world while playing. I also parented the camera to the player for a better first person experience and lastly I added an 8 Bit retro soundtrack to the mini game.

1) relates to your game

Purgatory is a game that like in this mini game, needs to react to the appropriate realistic behavior objects follow in the physical world. My team and I wanted to add a mini game as and extra level for extra points.

2) generates elements of fun

Adding these mini game as a bonus level would be added fun for players. Also the difficulty set by the way the controls move the object in view, offers a level of challenge some would find fun.

3) how you could make use of an extended version of what you have done to create a simple game with rules (just with your own objects.)

Besides already having its own set of rules to be follow by the player, the inclusion of more objects difficulty and a score system could work as an extension of the original mini game.

Could each of you please create a sidebar in your blog, with links to the blogs of your other team members. This will help both you and us.

Adam Lauzier Blog

Justin Lenczewski blog

Homework 4


Please answer the following questions related to game experience and game objectives, based on Chapters two (The Designer Creates an Experience) and three (The Experience Rises out of Game). Use your blog.

Chapter 2
Forgetting about the game, think about your player. What are the experience(s) you want your player to have.

·         We want to submerge the player in an environment that promotes fear, anxiety and paranoia. Told from the perspective of the main character Sara, Purgatory, a horror game that promises to makes the player feel hounded as if something or someone is stalking you. Ideally we would like the player to also feel addicted, with the promised of liberation as it break out of Purgatory.

What are the essential element(s) of that experience?

·         Most importantly atmosphere
·         Fine tune Game controls
·         Immersive Sound
·         Lighting.
·         Staging.

Suggest a few ways your game might capture those experiences.

·         Researching other successful video game franchises such as Silent Hill, a giant in the Horror genre, we established a feel for what we are looking for in terms of sound design. This last example proved that a simple but powerful music choice can set a mood that would make players feel frightened and scared. Also sound effects besides background music, can set the mood to a jumpy more up to pace or slower and dreadful. Such attention to detail in music selection and sound effects can give away the horror that the main character is experiencing and translate this to the player.

·         Staging and lighting are also crucial. A well-orchestrated horror game as a good horror film,
 has to inspire a sense of being watched or followed, so by setting the light to be reflecting with worm colors drastic contrast of light and shadows, this can be achieved.

Chapter 3
Discuss a few ways in which you might include surprise in your game

A great example to apply is the classical term use in music of tension and release. By promoting fear through the game play = (Tension) achieved by the various music choices and scary lighting of the world, and jumpy moments of sudden surprises such as the apparition of a monster around a corner = (Release) this could give the player gratifying surprises.

How will your game be fun?

For most people, Adrenalin is released when they are put through difficult situations. The fact that our players would be scared or put in a situation that promotes fear, has its rewards by secreting Adrenalin, which some find to be a very powerful narcotic that promotes the sensation of fun.

Discuss the goals of your game (as it stands now).

The main idea is to make our video game unique to the player, this could be achieved by making them feel immersed in a cinematic experience that promises a rewarding ending or a satisfactory game play. We are still working the details.   

State your thoughts on how you will make the player attached to your game, or motivated to play the game.

The cinematic intro would set the narrative to be so unquestionably interesting that the player would have no choice than to find out what is next for Sara.

What problems do you expect the players to solve in your game?

Evading the various monsters and how the system of collecting items work in combination with a reward system of points are among the mayor problems players have to solve to successfully finish the game.

Contributions made to the team:

The contributions I’ve made to the teams game for the period of Sept. 8th through Sept. 15th, Involve helping with the art direction, implementing a design oriented aesthetic look and preliminary sketches for the game main character. I am leading team 4 by providing a line of communication that is open 24/7 allowing them to stay in touch and post their progress on both Google email & drive services. I've been checking daily on both of my teammates while organizing the way we apply lighting and textures to game assets as well as keeping the overall look of the game consistent to the horror genre.


It is my belief that by setting a mood which exploits the player's fear of the unknown, this would add to the player’s interest in wanting to explore the world and increase the addictive nature of the game. This would provide an opportunity to give the viewers a more immerse and rich gaming experience. So in general I have written the original concept for the game in a elevator pitch format, created the game document for my team and modified the downloaded assets by making them better fit our game.

Saturday, September 13, 2014

    This is an update for the video Game Purgatory.
In this new installment a more mature system of navigation is been place,
by parenting a camera to follow along our main character. Graphics and music
have also been improve, as to better set the mood for this scary horror first person
exploration video game.
 The maze I worked on by adding more geometry, (rectangles) as walls and placing them inside its floor (plane). However the original model was downloaded from Turbo Squid. I am still working on remodeling it as to better fit the game
I used cycles just to render the world in a simple static way, no animation was done there. I just wanted to provide better lights and camera angles before the player starts the game. These was done by just setting the renderer to cycles and using its materials under the materials settings, I this to be rendered under the game render, once I add UV textures to the map, as the materials are different and react differently to light than in cycles or blender renderer. The objects I made were, the landscape and the world with a sunset in the horizon. The wooden bridge was also download from blendswap.com but I retouch it a bit.

In Game Controls:
Left, Right, Up and Down Arrows
Space bar to Jump.

Link to download the game:

https://docs.google.com/file/d/0B1FCqjLwNfv-dzVjMVMtN0thNk0/edit



Thursday, September 11, 2014


Homework 3


The objects used in the game demo are relevant, given that the main character is a female and by using a model that shows (Sara) the lead character, this would give reference to how the final game is going to look and feel. My team and I have plans to make use of these objects as a way to depict an environment that reflects a purgatory, a dreadful horrific place. The main elements within the game, are the temple and a bridge that represents a link from the mortal realm to purgatory, elements which would place the player at the center of the story.
In Game Controls:
Left, Right, Up and Down Arrows control the female character

Space bar triggers Jump.






Link to play the game:

https://docs.google.com/file/d/0B1FCqjLwNfv-MTNCNXNKNVI2Slk/edit





Wednesday, September 10, 2014

Homework 2
Sept. 10, 2014

1) When and where did you meet?
We always meet after class is over: Mondays/Wednesdays and Fridays for a few minutes 

2) What did you discuss?
We resided on what type of game genre we would be making and also assigned duties to each member.

3) Did you take notes? Why? Why not?
I took notes in my computer, writing down the email address and phone number of my team mates as well as what individual duties they would work on. But mostly we have been communicating via email.

4) Did you transfer the contents of the discus to the computer?
Yes everything is type on my laptop, and also share on Google documents

5) Did you discuss the game document?
We discuss an outline for the game document, as well as creating 
a command list of controls including the story line and goals of the game, is share
on Google docs

6) Did you pick a team leader? Why? Who is it?
My teammates voted for me, for demonstrating good ability as an organizer


7) Please describe briefly some initial ideas regarding the game you plan on developing.

Elevator pitch: "Purgatory"

Female protagonist, inside a temple (Purgatory) she most find and exit that leads to heaven or hell depending on the collected items along her journey. Angels & Demons would appear making the journey difficult as well as pointing in the right or wrong direction at given times.

8) State on your blog the contributions you, the individual, made towards the team game in the last week.

As the art director of the game, the contributions I made last week have to do with the overall aesthetic look of the lead character and the world she would live in. I wrote an outline to my teammates, Justin and Adam, communicating my ideas about making the main character of the game a female hero. I believe my decision could help us reach a bigger audience. The gaming industry has been heavily saturated with male players and characters, so having a female hero could make the game friendlier to female players and capture a market that most designers overlook.

In addition to pitching a basic framework, I tried to envision how the horror game genre can be brought to life through the eyes of a female hero. I also communicated to my teammates that the world around the lead character could simply be a sinister haunted house where the main character has to enter in order to advance levels, we later updated this by switching to a giant maze. I sent my teammates illustrations supporting my views and ideas as well as sending a overall vision that could be potentially used for the game.