Wk05 Title Screen Concept Phase

The picture above is what I have chosen for my title screen. The title was made very dark to contrast from the light above to highlight the gravity of the situation the diver is in. This is also the reason for the anchor in the corner. As far as animations go, the fish will be swimming around, and the anchor will most likely sway back and forth. The fish will swim in a figure 8, providing a contrast to the dark blues around them. This will help emphasize that wildlife will be a part of the game, included with the starfish above the options.

Above were two different concept images for a title screen. The reason I'm leaning towards the latter image is that it gives a larger scale of how far down the character will fall. This helps to set the immersion of the game right off the bat.

This title screen is one that i really enjoy the animation of. It is simple, but is very nice to look at. The clouds are all moving to the left, giving you the feeling that you are flying. Whats more, the clouds closer to the screen, and the far away clouds move slowly, giving a sense of depth. With fish and other creatures potentially being in the background as well as foreground, i will learn from this when animating them.

Mood Board Final Draft

 This is the final concept for my moodboard. These colors are integral to the setting and character model of my game. The different shades of blues represent the rising to the surface and sunlight, the green is the main color for grass and other surfaces and the tan color will be the character's suit color. The other colors for enemies and the bright-colored fish may still be implemented, but these are the core concepts of what the game will entail.

Moodboard Project

For the moodboard project, I decided to use Cave Story as my sample game. It is a simple game that in a pixel-based art style, which is the direction i want to take my platformer in. The colors in this first board will be good for something taking place under the sea. The game's difficulty is also something that i want to incorporate into my game, so it is clear that this game has a large influence on what I want to do. The colors that change based on where you are an integral part of my game's feeling of immersion and progression.

These two moodboards will help to set the setting. The bright, emotional, lighthearted colors only come until you are far into the game. Until then, you're left to the bleak dark colors of the depths.

The character will probably have his main suit be one of these colors at the start of the game. The colors may change with upgrades, but this will be a start.

While this is not for certain, I was thinking about the possibility of having the enemies be colored in grayscale, while the environments and diver stay in color. I'm not sure if that is what I want to do yet, however.

Final Rough Concept

The main concept for my game is going to be that of an undersea 2D platformer, similar to the likes of the Super Mario and Donkey Kong Country games. There will be a system of levels, and each level can be replayed. The protagonist, a deep sea diver, wakes up at the bottom of the ocean, and the object of the game is to arrive back on the surface.

Setting/Scenery

The scenery is one of the essential parts of what will make this game fun. You will go from the pitch-black depths of the ocean floor in the beginning, to give a sense of danger and despair that your protagonist will feel at the beginning of the game, to bright fluorescent backgrounds as you begin your eventual rise to the surface. This will tie in with the progression of the game. You go from having no idea of where you are or what to do, to being able to navigate the ocean freely and beautifully, and the scenery will reflect that.

Character

The main protagonist is a nameless diver that wakes up on the ocean floor. Little is known about him at the start, other than the fact that his ship was destroyed in a giant storm. His anchor was tied to him, and thus he couldn't swim back to shore, and was dragged down into the depths. The character lugs around the anchor with him, using it as a weapon and as a tool to help him fend off against wildlife as he returns to the top. The upgrade system will also affect how the character looks. As he gains more upgrades, the equipment from his ship, his character model may change slightly, and his color scheme may change. This is all going towards the idea that through this journey, you'll become the world class diver once were.

 Gameplay

The diver will have to jump and find his way to the exit of each level. He will have to avoid or kill various enemies along the way, such as octopi that may constrict him, or turtles that may try to take him in the wrong direction. There are also systems of air and pressure in the game. The character loses air naturally, and will have to pick up either O2 tanks or air bubbles to restore it. As you go farther down, the background and scenery becomes darker, and you lose air faster and potentially may not jump as high. However, in these lower sections you are more likely to find the upgrades, as they will be hidden down in the depths. The 4 pieces of the upgrade in each level will also serve as checkpoints in the level. I want to make it so that while it is not necessary for the player to grab the upgrades to beat the game, there will be incentive for them to push themselves and collect them.

Game Design "Rough Conecpt" Research Phase

Project: Anchorman
The main concept for my game is going to be that of an undersea 2D platformer, similar to the likes of the Super Mario and Donkey Kong Country games. There will be a system of levels, and each level can be replayed.



The main character is going to be an deep sea diver with an anchor that fell to the bottom of the ocean floor, and wants to get back to the surface. His ship was destroyed in the storm, so his equipment is scattered throughout the levels. These pieces of equipment can serve as checkpoints for the levels, as the levels are going to be challenging. If players can collect all of the pieces of equipment in a level, they can unlock a power-up for the character. The character's anchor will be used as a short range attack, but can be upgraded to help move faster (ie. slams anchor into ground then pulls himself to charge forward.) These power-ups are not necessary to complete the game, but add a sense of necessity when the levels get more difficult later on, considering that they can make the game easier and the pieces serve as checkpoints.

There are also systems of air and pressure in the game. The character loses air naturally, and will have to pick up either O2 tanks or air bubbles to restore it. As you go farther down, the background and scenery becomes darker, and you lose air faster and potentially may not jump as high. However, in these lower sections you are more likely to find the upgrades, as they will be hidden down in the depths. This provides a sufficient challenge in getting the upgrades, but having that upgrade assist your future explorations and having it potentially change the character model, (or possibly just the color in a similar fashion to Mega Man,) will give a sense of accomplishment to the player. The game will be designed so that they are not completely necessary to beat the game, but they can help greatly. They also may give tips into the characters background.

Enemy placement is also something that will be looked at carefully. Enemies may not necessarily need to hurt the diver, but can impede his progress or trap him, or cause him to lose air at a faster rate. An octopus could squeeze him and snare him, or a turtle could be a temporary platform that could cause him to fall if he stays on it for too long.

The scenery is something that will be fun to experiment with. You can go from the pitch-black depths in the beginning, to give a sense of danger and despair that you may feel at the beginning of the game, to bright fluorescent backgrounds later. This will tie in with the progression of the game. You go from having no idea of where you are or what to do, to being able to navigate the ocean freely and beautifully, and the scenery will reflect that. This is also a fun concept for me because too many platformers follow the cliche "go to the end of the level, but if you go up high you'll get secrets and upgrades." This design is the antithesis of that, as you'll get nothing from simply going up high, other than beating the game. The real satisfaction will come from retrieving all of your belongings, and rebuilding the status of the expert diver you once were.

Final Rock Paper Scissors Result

This is the final result for my rock, paper scissors poster design. I chose the tip that Colin gave me and had the colored hands be represented on the right as the header. I then colored the rules title with two letters of each color, to make those portions pop out. Then, on the top and bottom, I added the black and white diagrams that contrast with the colored sections to showcase visually how everything works. 

Wk02 Rock, Paper, Scissors Concept Phase

To the left is the collection of my thumbnail examples for the rock paper scissors poster. I incorporated a variety of ideas, because i wasn't too sure of what type of layout I wanted. Once I started drawing, it became apparent that I much prefer the portrait style over landscape. The poster types that I am leaning towards are first row, first column, and third row, first column. I like to have the header towards the top of the page, and i like how the pictures are distributed on them as well. It's nice to be able to see the header, and then a diagram to represent the game right under it.

As for the images, i choose a series of diagrams
and black-and-white styles. I choose these images
because i believe that the style is something that
catches the eye, and showcases the rules and structure
of the game without being too over-the-top.
The images are simple, get the idea of the game
across, and enhance the overall quality of the
poster.