Week 8 – Further Output Development

Initially for the website I wanted something that felt thematically appropriate whilst still fulfilling its purpose of explaining the game, the design approach I took initially looked great, however the fonts and layout I had chosen didn’t look too great for the website, so I decided to start from scratch. For the website I  focused on clarity and simplicity, I didn’t want it to be too fancy because I felt as though this wouldn’t represent the game very well. This is the reason for a solid black background with a simplistic blue font, it’s easily legible, and looks somewhat similar to the game itself.

The screenshots below showcase the layout approach I took for the website and also placeholder imagery where I will later implement features, also something to note is that I had multiple problems with the different fonts I was using which is why everything is highlighted and is something I will later look into in order to fix it.

Overall I like the initial layout and some of the potential features that I can add to the website, thus far I feel as though it’s a great starting point for further development.

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Workshop 7 – Output 1 Early Development

During week 7 I decided to w0rk towards creating one of my output formats for the Antillion Text Adventure this output formats was a website. After working on Muse the week prior I decided it would act as a good chance to get further practice with the software and so I decided to create a rough version of a website which I could work on further until the output format was ready and polished towards week 12 in April.

When making the website I decided to use the same font we had used for the R&D file, the font is 8-Bit Pusab and it’s the main text for game, which is why it feels thematically appropriate for the website. I decided to add an about and a development page for the game, although they don’t link to anything in particular right now, my plan is to have them link to both of the developers blogs whilst also being informative if people don’t want to read through all the blog posts. Overall I feel as though the direction I’m taking and the design aesthetic I’m going for is the closest match for the actual game which strengthens the overall website itself.

 

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Week 6 – Introduction to Muse

During the workshop this week the group was introduced to Adobe Muse, a relatively new Adobe platform which allows for the creation of professional websites without the need of intrinsic web design and HTML code knowledge. Muse struck me as a similar platform to Indesign only for web developers, which is amazing because a lot of times there’s so many issues and bugs you can come across with making a website the old fashioned way, with Adobe Muse this isn’t the case and the learning curve is stripped to its simplest. An important thing to note howeevr, just because Muse has premade assets and the ability to quickly put together a functioning website, you still need to have fundamental knowledge of design in order to have a fully operational website which looks and feels professional.

In the workshop I played around with adding different forms and trying hover effects with muse, the images below highlight some of the things I learnt whilst using it.

 

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Overall I find myself warming up to Muse, it’s easier than coding html and css, and whilst it’s still new and not entirely perfect I see myself using this towards the end of the module for one of the few different output formats for the module.

 

Week 5 – Research for Text Adventure Games

After deciding upon the output format for the realisation of our concept, me and the other group member decided it was appropriate to undertake some research on old school text adventure games and how this could be used to inform our own choices on the project. Games we looked to were old PC games, text adventure games came in to being solely because it was a form of narrative and enteratainment which weren’t particularly intensive for computer and home entertainment systems back in the day. Me and the other group member decided that we have a love for a lot of the components within text adventure games whether it’s the influence from: Puzzle Games, Literature, or even board games like Dungeons and Dragons, they’re all influences we look to in order to create our game.

Text based adventure games have existed for years some of our favourites are: Zork, Planetfall and Amnesia.

Zork

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Zork was one of the defining games of the text adventure genre, it placed players into a fantasy world and gave them a taste of something that didn’t exist prior, this is my personal favourite out of all the text adventure games I’ve played in the past, and plays a huge role in the influences we have looked to in order to create our own game. Another point to mention is how simplistic the graphics are, and how easy this is to replicate for a mobile application, little to none design elements are present, meaning it’s easy to make nowadays with our current technology. To also transfer this and to make it applicable for a mobile or tablet output is relatively easy.

Amnesia

Amnesia is another text adventure game created by Thomas M Disch, this game focused less on a fantasy world and more around an Cyberpunk/Dystopian future. Amnesia was also groundbreaking for the theme’s it played with very early on in gaming. Amnesia toys with the idea of death and suffering with no escape from it, people also call the game a dig at capitalism similar to the film Brazil. Overall I liked amnesia when I played it for the themes it dealt with and how it wasn’t afraid to branch from the norms of gaming back in the day. Also another point to note is how although the world and setting is different, the design elements all remain the same

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Planetfall

Planetfall was yet another influential text based adventure game, in the case of this game it was primarily just a generic sci-fi adventure, with some humour which separates it from other text adventure games. Overall planetfall stands out to me because of it’s humour and slap-stick kind of approach to adventure gaming. the design elements for this game were slightly better than the others, it featured a blue screen and also a pointing mouse, most other text adventure games require solely a keyboard, this is a feature which showed further potential for the genre back in the day, making it stand above the rest.

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Workshop 3 – Proposal Document Assessment

During the third week our lecture involved European Connections and highlighted work other students have done in collaboration with universities across Europe. This lecture was also an opportunity to sign up to another collaborative program between a university in Finland and the University of Lincoln. It was refreshing to see collaborative programs that have run within the same course I’m doing, and whilst I may not take the opportunity it’s still nice to see projects other students have had a hand in creating.

During the workshop this week the proposal form for our project was assessed, evaluating whether it’s: Achievable, Potential output formats, and room for improvements. The proposal for my product was accepted and I was given some advice on how to visualise it and make it a reality.

The proposed idea is a retro text based adventure game inspired by early works such as: Adventureland, Zork and Planetfall. The aim is to release this game on mobile devices however I feel as though within the time-frame the direction to take with this is to visualise the end product using After Effects and Photoshop to make stills and a video. The video will highlight how my game will work, and the stills will give a more in depth look at the imagined product. I also feel as though I may create a website to host the product and generally give it more context which is thematic and  appropriate to my product.

Overall I feel as though the project as a whole is engaging and interesting enough to want to continue pursuing throughout the semester. Whilst certain elements may change, it will all be noted and justifications will be given behind my choices, the R&D file will also be updated as further development happens.