Team Update

The team discussed the possibility of using "sign people" as units to allow a sense of unity and transition between morphed units. Everyone can use the same base, provided above to the right, to create an animatable design that will appear similar in size and shape to other options, thus avoiding problems the artists may encounter with different artistic styles being displayed in the characters.

Meeting with Professionals

Between our last class session and now, I had the opportunity to visit with Joe Bourrie over at the EA Salt Lake studios and discuss our Insanity game concept. We also shared some words about the "light game," in the event that the idea is pursued in the future

General Feedback

• Adding features does not make a game fun. The gameplay must already be fun, and additional features can accentuate why it's enjoyable on top of the base design.
• When deciding how many features to add to a student game, it's best to assume about half your team has the potential to not hold their weight during the creation process. Though a bit harsh, and may not end up being the case, it will mean being prepared instead of falling apart if there are teamwork problems while building.
• Working in threes or fives for game balance is recommended
• Paper-Rock-Scissors: All unit types have a strength and a weakness against another type, creating a circular system of power. Simple to implement, and recommended for student game development.
• W-B-Bl-R-G: The magic system, where when places into a star the two opposites of one unit type are its "enemies" and the two types immediately next to it are its "allies", allowing every type to have strengths or bonuses accordingly. A more complex, but highly effective system.
• To avoid excessive snowballing, additions such as "superpowers" should run on timers instead of being success-based, so as to give the losing team a hope at turning their success around.

Insanity

• Core mechanics are spawning/moving units, dominating areas, and getting bonuses for your work.
• "Territories" refer to small sections within the lobe that require individual capture to eventually become a full lobe domination. "Lobes" refer to large sections of the brain, the capture of which provide bonuses to your team.
• Ask the question, is a movable spawn rally point necessary?
• Try to avoid "Age of Empires" repeats, where you forget or ignore your troops while being distracted by other gameplay, and are then surprised that your army is larger than expected.
• Consider not having a movable point, and setting limits on how many units can be present at the rally area, encouraging players to return to direct the units often.
• This would also force them to utilize the same control scheme they're told to use across the entire board.
• It was suggested that we avoid actual attack animations between units for simplicity's sake. The option has been discussed to not have real "fighting" happen, but either be more like a numbers game (the more units, the more influence is shared on a territory until it's converted) or perhaps from a distance the "insanity/sanity" of the units are just felt by their sheer presence.
• Using these parameters, the first option would make the units' statistics less valuable, unless we changed their build to be more based around factors such as speed or influence.
• The second option is compatible with our build because units could still suffer "damage" but make animation easier, and possibly more interesting, by having weird things happen individually.
• To some degree, every option will be altered by the number of units present.
• When zoomed at most/best directional size, you should be able to see your territory, all surrounding territories and perhaps at least a tiny portion of territories beyond that.
• The touchscreen offers 854 x 480 pixels in which to allot our map and units.
• Full territories might then occupy about a fifth of the screen, around 100-200 pixels depending on the direction the phone is held, with units occupying 32-50 pixels at their largest dimension. Eight units seems to be the highest number, staggering their positions up and down, to reasonably fill a territory without losing details to a messy horde-like group.
• Instead of being restrained to selecting 1/2, 1/3, all, etc. units, perhaps we should leave that part of the selection tool out of the control scheme entirely. After you choose which kind of units you want to move, you click the territory to where they should travel, they begin walking in a slight line for the duration of time your finger is held down on the map. 
• Using our "teleportation" system, once one, five, six, however many units you wanted to move over have begun their teleportation animation, you would let up your finger to cease control.
• This requires more user attention/micromanaging, which Joe seemed to prefer rather than fear.
• By the same rules, players are also less restricted on choosing how many units they want to transfer to different locations, potentially avoiding frustration if they only want to bring over a specific number.
• The interface would be even more simple with the removal of additional button options.
• Don't let the game's complexity overwhelm the team. With only two months at our disposal, choosing the most fun features, perfecting them, and then adding on with our other ideas is the best strategy.
  

One Thousand Points of Light

• The touch-play concept reminded him of the highly successful Tiny Wings, where just twenty to thirty seconds if trying out the controls results in the player picking up the gameplay and getting a literal "feel" for how to perform well in the game.
• Suggested that if powerups are added, that they might include light-changing effects, such as a bubble that when hit alters the color of light shining through. This would mean strategic planning could result in all of your light streams having the desired bonus, regardless of the original color.
• However, do not be afraid of minimal, clean gameplay. Reference again to the top, where the gameplay itself must be fun, and a lack of fun cannot be "fixed" by masking it under additional features. Simple is good, and if it's the most fun in the pure form, don't be afraid to embrace it.
• Seemed more intrinsic to have the player use two fingers and push outward on the panel to adjust the size/frequency of the broken light streams, instead of moving up and down to adjust that speed.
• Has the potential to be a very easy, exciting and innovative game. Only playing it would tell for sure.

Theme References

For Insanity's visual theme, we're hoping to create a Tim Burton meets Psychonauts feel to both the "sane" and "insane" characters. No one is normal in the context of a battling mind... But it's important to balance weird with creepy, because we also don't want to frighten our players.

Insanity Brainstorm

Our game concept for Insanity was a hit with both instructor and class during our presentation, and so Team RTS has decided to pursue that design for our video game. Now we must identify more specific details for the game, design the units and backgrounds, and begin work on how it will be programmed. We have a playable demo in the works using the Warcraft 3 engine which, while visually quite different from our eventual game, will allow us to test the basic mechanics on unit movement, battles, and control.


Potential Units
Types include basic, defender, scout, artillery

• Food: Hamburgers, moldy cheese, popcorn sheep, bacon, spam, etc.
• Animals: Platypus, cows, elephants, insects, cute and fuzzy baby animals
• Robots, walking electronics, other inanimate objects, toilets 
• Super-smiling units, creepy doctors, clowns, tower-esque objects

Speaking of Brainstorm...
Area-of-effect attacks on forces, ignoring alignment

• "Brainstorms" could target specific territories, or all forces
• Occurrence: Randomized, after a time limit, or when someone is close to victory
• Headaches, brainstorms, adrenaline, etc. are all potential terms

High Concept: Insanity

This is the final piece for our third iteration, which identifies a lot of aspects of the gameplay in a simplistic, visual manner. It was our goal to allow the graphics to do the talking for us.

Here are a few cobbles pulled together as units for our third iteration... The artists divided up the units for our presentation, and I was assigned "sanity-side" capturing and artillery characters. This idea shows small, baby animals that are just a tad too cute that could swarm in on opponents or suddenly become vicious in sweet irony; alternatively, we have the prescription bottle artillery unit, which proudly issues out pills like popcorn to use its medicinal properties to create havoc and destruction on the insanity.

High Concept: One Thousand Points of Light

Graphic created as a collaboration between Jack and Hayden, with the
overall compilation being done by Sky utilizing input from the entire team

Game Title: One Thousand Points of Light

The X Phrase: Don't Get Left in the Dark... Join the Brilliance!

Theme Overview: Become an overlord of light and power in an epic duel between you and your friends. In this fast-paced smart phone app, it's your objective to destroy the opponent's prism base before succumbing to the same, tragic fate using beams of light, touch-screen explosions, and specializations offered at the beginning of the game.

Executive Summary: 

• Platforms - Touchscreen Phones
• Price -  $2
• Rating - E
• Target Audience - Teen to Adult
• Genre - Real-time Strategy

Major Features:

• Quick and competitive multiplayer gameplay
• Game speeds increase if game lasts beyond a set time-frame
• Means of success are in the hands of the players
• Load-up screen allows for unit customization
• Real-time decision-making between offensive and defensive strategies
• Touchscreen and tilt capabilities
• Tilt functions control the direction of deployment
• Using the touchscreen, players can destroy oncoming attacks or opt to build additional units
• On-screen sliders can be altered to change the speed of unit behavior
• Beautifully bright light units and explosions

Suggested Graphics: Screenshot of gameplay, descriptions of four types of powered-up light (spectrum-based), collision descriptors

Skype Meeting: Insanity

Gameplay v1: Limited unit number married with choice and level-based gameplay. Progress through levels via "Angry Birds" style. Currency or resource allows you to add or upgrade units. Fight off hallucinations and baddies. Missions throughout the game vary toward the ultimate goal to cure the insanity. Creates a "good guy" appeal for the player. See insanity concept art.

Concern: Needs to come across as a real-time strategy game.  No great ideas on how it make it multiplayer, so we instead opted toward a single player which makes programming more simplistic.

Additional details:

• Avoid medically correct items, and instead add more fun options
• Healers and other units don't require micro control -- preset unit groups
• Tap a group, direct its location
• Abilities pop up while selected
• Number of unit groups and abilities attached are not set in stone
• Units are constantly moving instead of sitting stagnant

Image one: Level where you can upgrade units and have the option to place towers. Gives the opportunity to add a building element. You have a set amount of time to defend the tower.

Suggestions: Make the units the same, but make them subversions of the type. "Machismo character" being the melee unit, "conscience" is the healing character, etc. Units could be parts of your anatomy, e.g. eyeballs, hands, and whatnot.

                                                                                                                                               

Gameplay v2: Ground and flag color changes according to who controls the point, or if it's a contested zone. You choose which point you spawn your minions from and where they rally after arrival. The two sides are either fighting over an empty brain or you create a dynamic between the player and the hallucinations. The game is still real-time, not turn-based, but you're constantly trying to control areas similar to Risk. As you own a large section, you get bonuses instead of having another resource type available. See cobble graphics.

Suggestions:  Art includes viewing at least a portion of the units' bodies. Good guys don't have to look like good guys -- If you think Tim Burton style, the doctors or other "good" units could be creepy.

High Concept: Treehouse

First high concept piece, for which I contributed seven to eight hours of sketching and lineart, as well as consistent discussion posting on the team blog:

Below are updated graphics to be used in our first high concept sheet. I wanted to provide updates as I transform sketches into lineart, so rest assured, work is happening.

Original photograph of a tree-house, drawn initially for layout purposes

Work in progress update of the lines associated with the above image

Final sketch-gone-lineart for the high concept centerpiece

I'm unsure about the styling of the image, but seeing as how the point of no return was passed by a few hours ago, my team will take it to the end and decide how we want to proceed in the future should we keep this concept for the final game. Sketching trees or working in pencil seems a lot easier than trying to line them and still maintain their sense of inner tree-zen. We live and we learn!

Edit: We have a finished tree house! There are a few areas of improvement on its aesthetics, but I think it's sufficient for the task at hand. And here are some sketches Jack drew, lined by me...

RTS Sketches: Layout

Please excuse the photographs until I'm able to access a scanner. Here are a few basic layout ideas compiled both from my own imagination, and also those of other team members via previous discussion. This will be updated as more concepts are envisioned and drawn. Most if not all parts to a sketch could be removed or combined with others to create an improved layout.

• Netflix-style scrolling system for purchases at the bottom or side of the screen
• Larger indication bar for base health to avoid scrolling back to check the structure
• Smaller indication bar for hero character's health; aesthetic icon with hero character's face
• All unnecessary objects fade when not in use to avoid taking up space

• Health bars similar to the first example, but relocated for a different appearance
• Top buttons used for assigning and then highlighting groups in-game
• This replaces computer "hotkeys" when played on a smart phone
• Simplistic attack-defend-purchase buttons on the right provide easy controls

• Treehouse base and text/image box with various potential uses...
• Opening sequence - Details hero powers, game rules, and more
• Closing sequence - Provides a "mission report" with statistics on the previous game's results or personal high scores
• During the game - Click treehouse to view purchases or upgrades; box within the popup would likely be broken down into thumbnails and text next to them would indicate the benefits of choosing the upgrade

Project RTS

My team is going to focus on recreating a real-time strategy game for a mobile device, most likely a smart phone, which in many ways forces us to rethink the traditional real-time strategy style to uncover more simplified possibilities. Here is a place to organize basic thoughts on concepts, struggles that need-be overcome, comparisons to other games of reference, and more.

Concepts

• Two opposing, maybe stereotypical forces as factions
• Humans versus aliens
• Cats versus dogs or other animal groups
• Highschool stereotypes (e.g. jocks, emo kids, band students)
• Cafeteria food fight between students or kids versus adults
• Controlling all units versus having a single "hero" character and auto-attacking others
• Side-scrolling handheld game with very simplistic controls
• Quick-paced two-player game that's playable in only a few minutes
• Skill-point, research, or funding systems for upgrades - requires cost-benefit analysis
• Randomly-generated objectives to provide resources and increase spontaneity
• Each team has a base, the destruction of which causes the player to lose the game
  

Concerns

• Limited speed and processing due to the mobile gaming unit
• Overcome the issue of giving the player gameplay options with limited resources
• Smaller screen space requires a simple interface and easy controls
• Usually computer-played RTS games are able to utilize keyboards and mice
• Minimal time frame to develop, start to finish, a working product
• Real-time strategy games are usually rather detailed and extensive
• Needs designing: Units, theme, backgrounds, game rules, options
• Team needs to create something innovative and unique to pique interest
• Mechanics need to allow skill-based success without overcomplexity
• Additionally, "broken games" should be avoided or it won't be fun
• Difficulty of programming a computer AI player is high
• Options - Limit the gamer to only playing with a second player present, or...
•  Provide an AI opponent, but require heavy programming to avoid the computer from responding in predictable patterns

Research

• "A strategy video game is a video game genre that emphasizes skillful thinking and planning to achieve victory. They emphasize strategic, tactical and sometimes logistical challenges"
• "Real-time strategy (RTS) is a sub-genre of strategy video game which does not progress incrementally in turns" (Wikipedia)
• To be updated...
• Essentially, I have a ton that needs to be digitally compiled.

Media References

• Warfare Incorporated - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=chOo6xe8SIM
• Stick War - http://www.addictinggames.com/strategy-games/stickwar.jsp
• Mini Flash RTS - http://qlplay.com/MiniFlashRTS/
• Dusty Sprocket - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=grMQZsU8lEA
• Precinct Assault - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VsyaVRUmSPY&feature=related
• Worms Armageddon - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S6lrRqst9Z4
• Plants vs Zombies - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CHAbHz8iYHc
• OMG Pirates - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2Brwx3yLxpY