One of my favorite aspects of game design is creating characters, if the game calls for them. With our original game there were no real characters involved because it was a learning experience for the players; however, with a racing game I was able to add characters each with different abilities and personalities in order for there to be someone that anybody would want to use. Like I said, this is my favorite part of game design because I love granting powers and abilities to different persons that reflect their personalities and explain more abou them.
Drippy is the main character, and can be classified as the "young heroic male" archetype. Adventurous and optimistic, he is on his way to the factory because he has been told legend of a mystical purification system being used there. With this technology he could rid his hometown of Skyvale of any Toxins that have plagued his community.
His younger sister, Kate, (but goes by the superhero pseudonym of Precipa Kate) follows along without Drippy's permission since he thinks the task is too dangerous. Kate won't take no for an answer, so she tirelessly follows Drippy to his destination (though due to her quick speed, Drippy does most of the following). Her loud, confident and boisterous nature leads her to believe that her and her brother would be known as true heroes if they were to discover the secret on their own. Unfortunately, her loud mouth has alerted some other rather mischievous individuals of the secrets that lie within the factory.
Viskus could be seen as the main antagonist of the game, though he is a playable character just like everyone else. Born from toxified groundwater that has been dormant for hundreds of years, Viskus has finally seen sunlight for the first time - and hates it. He wants nothing more than to reach the factory on his own and shut down the purification system in order to drown the world in toxins, just like himself.
The other characters don't have any relation to these three, as they are motivated by their own goals of reaching the factory. I use this strategy when creating characters because I find it too "convenient" when every character knows each other. Who is to say that random persons from all over the sky would not hear about the factory's secret? Because of this, the rest of these characters are all strangers to one another until you reach the later stages where it is implied that they recognize each other from racing. The voice acting in this game would include more of the characters reacting to one another the further the game progresses.
Next up is Slushie, a drop of freezing rain that is from the Slush Tribe located far north. Because members of the Slush Tribe speak to one another through shivers, his speech is next to unintelligible. The gradually warming conditions of the Earth's atmosphere is causing his tribe to weaken, so he is sent off to find the secret of the factory by his elder.
Plop is a rare species of "Big Drips", one that only appears during the heaviest of rains. His big and burly nature may make him seem intimidating, but one glance at his big grin and beady eyes will be enough to put anyone's worries to rest. A rather slow individual (in both speed and thoughts), but he is well aware that his life as a Big Drip is not a long one. He makes up for this by always having fun and finding enjoyment in the little things - like rolling down hills.
Sir Seltz is the head knight of the royal L'Aqua Raining Guard, specializing in protecting the royal family. When the princess goes missing, Sir Seltz springs into action immediately, rushing to the princess's aid while following clues as to her whereabouts. Quite the ladies man, his updo and shimmering smile are enough to swoon even the grumpiest of women in the kingdom. Little does he know that the princess may have more to do with the secret of the factory than he and her royal family may realize. Still, if the princess is missing, nothing will stand in his way of finding her - even if it means risking his own life.
Princess L'Aqua XVII is the final member of the roster, but certainly not the least. Her lineage traces back to the most ancient pools of groundwater that have been untouched and pure since time began. Her royal blood allows her to deflect all toxins, which one would think would make her safe from peril. Unfortunately this just seems to lead to more problems, as villains such as Viskus (who has actually heard of her family, being groundwater himself) want to use her blood for evil and personal gain. Along the way she also meets Drippy and Precipa Kate, and becomes allies with them quickly. Drippy's new mission becomes both reaching the factory and protecting the princess while Sir Seltz searches for her. Once the four of them all meet up, they then head as a group into the factory, where Viskus is waiting. Everyone soon discovers that the secret to the factory is High Priestess L'Aqua XV, L'Aqua's grandmother. The princess learns that the eldest member of the L'Aqua family (on her mother's side) becomes the new catalyst for the factory's purification system. This is a painless process that is renowned for its importance and generosity - the members of the royal family actually use their own pure blood to purify others.
L'Aqua could serve as a potential love interest for Drippy if the player receives nothing lower than 2nd place on every race, and 1st place during the factory level. If these conditions are not met, she simply returns to her kingdom with Sir Seltz, not before thanking Drippy and his sister for their tireless efforts and help in keeping the factory secure.
Tuesday, December 11, 2012
Ipad Game (1) - Comm 344
In order to turn my group's game, Toxic Valley, into an iPad game, I had to go a completely different route for the play style. Our game is successful on paper, but does not really do a good job of utilizing all of the features of the iPad like tilting, touchscreen, and motion detection. This led me to brainstorm ideas for games that use motion and animation that would not be possible from a board game.
My first idea was to use as much of the original game idea as possible, making a board game where the board was animated. All of the locations would feature moving effects (like the forest fire, the machines removing mountaintops, etc.) and so would the players' characters. The questions would pop up before you and you would answer them, and move along like normal. Ideas for adding a moving die that you shake the screen to roll were also conceived. Ultimately I did not like this style since I did not want to do a trivia game on a device that offers so much more. This led me to want to create a game where the focus was movement from a first person camera.
By taking the same idea of our original game (drops of water moving downhill towards a factory), I was able to give the drops of water personalities, and goals for each wanting to reach the factory versus a "human player" controlling their fate through a game. The addition of actual characters made the game feel more personal, and made for a simple, yet effective plot as to why these individuals are all headed to their similar destination.
All of the "areas" from the original game are included in here as well. The mountain being the first and easiest stage, offers some of the fastest gameplay in order to let the player experience a fun, fast-paced race with few obstacles other than a rock or a tree here and there. The areas would gradually get harder, with the farm having more Toxic Puddles rather than clean ones, and Animals in the way. The forest has many puddles, but also more obstacles than any other zone to dodge. The city forces the players to travel near roads, and there are very few puddles in this location. "Hotspots" are present here and will slow you down considerably if passed over. Finally the factory has the players traveling across a massive lake filled with Toxic spills.
Puddles - increase stamina
Toxic Puddles/Spills - decrease stamina, but increase Toxic Attack meter
Hotspots - doesn't effect stamina, but slows you down greatly
Mud Tracks - doesn't effect stamina, but speeds up your character AND increases Toxic Attack meter.
Accelerating is achieved by swiping up repeatedly, and Toxic Attacks are performed by shaking the screen. Tilt left an right to steer in the appropriate direction.
My first idea was to use as much of the original game idea as possible, making a board game where the board was animated. All of the locations would feature moving effects (like the forest fire, the machines removing mountaintops, etc.) and so would the players' characters. The questions would pop up before you and you would answer them, and move along like normal. Ideas for adding a moving die that you shake the screen to roll were also conceived. Ultimately I did not like this style since I did not want to do a trivia game on a device that offers so much more. This led me to want to create a game where the focus was movement from a first person camera.
By taking the same idea of our original game (drops of water moving downhill towards a factory), I was able to give the drops of water personalities, and goals for each wanting to reach the factory versus a "human player" controlling their fate through a game. The addition of actual characters made the game feel more personal, and made for a simple, yet effective plot as to why these individuals are all headed to their similar destination.
All of the "areas" from the original game are included in here as well. The mountain being the first and easiest stage, offers some of the fastest gameplay in order to let the player experience a fun, fast-paced race with few obstacles other than a rock or a tree here and there. The areas would gradually get harder, with the farm having more Toxic Puddles rather than clean ones, and Animals in the way. The forest has many puddles, but also more obstacles than any other zone to dodge. The city forces the players to travel near roads, and there are very few puddles in this location. "Hotspots" are present here and will slow you down considerably if passed over. Finally the factory has the players traveling across a massive lake filled with Toxic spills.
Puddles - increase stamina
Toxic Puddles/Spills - decrease stamina, but increase Toxic Attack meter
Hotspots - doesn't effect stamina, but slows you down greatly
Mud Tracks - doesn't effect stamina, but speeds up your character AND increases Toxic Attack meter.
Accelerating is achieved by swiping up repeatedly, and Toxic Attacks are performed by shaking the screen. Tilt left an right to steer in the appropriate direction.
Sunday, December 9, 2012
The Monk
The Monk is a stoic and brave class of fighters who use little equipment and utilize hand to hand combat to get the job done. A lot of their moves rely on charging up, or switching to a particular stance in order to strike quickly and unexpectedly in many different ways. From spinning lightning roundhouses to karate chops, the Monk is a glass cannon that can deal solid damage to individuals or even large crowds of foes.
The Monk rarely uses any type of weapon. Their most important weapon are their hands and feet, and they would feel more comfortable on a battlefield brawling than with a weapon any day. Those who do utilize weapons usually wield blunt weapons like nunchuku, poles, or tonfas. All weapons that you can actually fight with very fluidly using martial arts rather than a hacking, slashing, military weapon. With or without weapons, the Monks rapid strikes requires high dexterity and concentration - witnessing a Monk in battle can almost seem like a choreographed experience.
As well as not using weapons, Monks tend to never wear more to battle than the clothes on their backs. This may seem unsuitable for battle, but Monks are diligent practicers of inner strength through meditation. By focusing their energy through their body they can endure blows in battle, though still not as effectively as someone with armor. Pendants or other accessories that increase focus, concentration, and purify the heart and mind would make great additions to the Monk's repertoire, as they would enhance their fighting abilities greatly.
This inner strength can be used in other ways to in order to be an offensive force to be reckoned with. A common theme is for Monks to have an "aura", or a visible field of energy present around an individual that represents spirit energy. By charging up this aura through meditation or the heat of battle, the monk can use it to either defend himself or unleash a devastating attack. Classic fighting games represent the projectile based attack that fighters would use if they were to unleash their aura in a burst in front of them. This "fireball" like maneuver would give a Monk a range advantage when fighting as enemy close up. A monk could also transfer this aura into the form of a kick that surrounds him with the spirit energy being released all around as he kicks wildly. This would be a great crowd control attack that would come with little cost as long as the Monk can concentrate enough to recharge his aura during battles. Monks can get creative with these attacks since they have so much control over their own actions. Their awareness of their own bodies is what helps them to chain attacks together to create long combos that can constantly deal damage. The aura energy can be used in creative ways as well, like creating duplicates of ones self to disorient the enemy, or even use the aura to heal another team mate.
The Monk is usually a quiet and calm individual who speaks when necessary. Being peaceful individuals, they understand that the fighting they do is solely to better the world, and not to create massive bloodshed through wars and weapons. The Monk is a polite, wise, and helpful individual who would have a hard time not doing the right thing in any scenario. This makes them excellent listeners and mediators for a team, and their combat abilities (along with the ability to heal themselves) makes them a solid fighter that any team could utilize.
The Monk rarely uses any type of weapon. Their most important weapon are their hands and feet, and they would feel more comfortable on a battlefield brawling than with a weapon any day. Those who do utilize weapons usually wield blunt weapons like nunchuku, poles, or tonfas. All weapons that you can actually fight with very fluidly using martial arts rather than a hacking, slashing, military weapon. With or without weapons, the Monks rapid strikes requires high dexterity and concentration - witnessing a Monk in battle can almost seem like a choreographed experience.
As well as not using weapons, Monks tend to never wear more to battle than the clothes on their backs. This may seem unsuitable for battle, but Monks are diligent practicers of inner strength through meditation. By focusing their energy through their body they can endure blows in battle, though still not as effectively as someone with armor. Pendants or other accessories that increase focus, concentration, and purify the heart and mind would make great additions to the Monk's repertoire, as they would enhance their fighting abilities greatly.
This inner strength can be used in other ways to in order to be an offensive force to be reckoned with. A common theme is for Monks to have an "aura", or a visible field of energy present around an individual that represents spirit energy. By charging up this aura through meditation or the heat of battle, the monk can use it to either defend himself or unleash a devastating attack. Classic fighting games represent the projectile based attack that fighters would use if they were to unleash their aura in a burst in front of them. This "fireball" like maneuver would give a Monk a range advantage when fighting as enemy close up. A monk could also transfer this aura into the form of a kick that surrounds him with the spirit energy being released all around as he kicks wildly. This would be a great crowd control attack that would come with little cost as long as the Monk can concentrate enough to recharge his aura during battles. Monks can get creative with these attacks since they have so much control over their own actions. Their awareness of their own bodies is what helps them to chain attacks together to create long combos that can constantly deal damage. The aura energy can be used in creative ways as well, like creating duplicates of ones self to disorient the enemy, or even use the aura to heal another team mate.
The Monk is usually a quiet and calm individual who speaks when necessary. Being peaceful individuals, they understand that the fighting they do is solely to better the world, and not to create massive bloodshed through wars and weapons. The Monk is a polite, wise, and helpful individual who would have a hard time not doing the right thing in any scenario. This makes them excellent listeners and mediators for a team, and their combat abilities (along with the ability to heal themselves) makes them a solid fighter that any team could utilize.
The Red Mage
The Red Mage at its simplest is a combination of a Black Mage and a White Mage. By utilizing both of these magic types, a team of adventurers could reduce their numbers by having a Red Mage on the team. Not only can they heal and deal elemental damage, but their choice of equipment is much broader as well. Unfortunately these mages cannot truly excel in either field of magic like their "pure" counterparts, but as far as being a "jack of all trades" sort of character, the Red Mage is a solid choice.
Red Mages choice of weaponry ranges from staves and rods to basic military equipment like swords, rapiers especially. This would allude to the idea that Red Mages are very dexterous beings, sharing some qualities with a thief as well. While their weapon choice is better than that of the White or Black Mages, again, they can never truly excel at weapon wielding and must usually stick to the basics,
Red Mages can also equip heavier armor than the other mages, another nod to their more active fighter role. This does not mean that they have the level of defense that a warrior or paladin might have, but as far as mages go it can be very effective for them to be able to take more hits than the average spellcaster.
Red Mages cast both white and black magic, but neither very effectively. The idea with the Red Mage is to have a character that can do both very rapidly, constantly switching from one to another. This can be effective in battles. For instance a Cleric usually tried to avoid enemies in battle an wait for the need to heal to arise. With a Red Mage, you would have a Cleric who would actually be able to output damage in the meantime, so no time goes wasted. Obviously since the Red Mage cannot heal as well as a Cleric or deal as much damage as a Mage, it should definitely be up to the team leader to decide whether or not the team feels comfortable with such a gamble of a character.
The best course of action for a Red Mage would be to try to focus on one field of magic while only learning a little of the other in order to still be well rounded. This way you could have a solid healer that still knows basic offensive spells, or an adept black mage that can still heal in a pinch. The playstyle and usefulness of the Red Mage heavily draws from the ability of the player or leader to influence the mage to fit the team's needs.
Red Mages choice of weaponry ranges from staves and rods to basic military equipment like swords, rapiers especially. This would allude to the idea that Red Mages are very dexterous beings, sharing some qualities with a thief as well. While their weapon choice is better than that of the White or Black Mages, again, they can never truly excel at weapon wielding and must usually stick to the basics,
Red Mages can also equip heavier armor than the other mages, another nod to their more active fighter role. This does not mean that they have the level of defense that a warrior or paladin might have, but as far as mages go it can be very effective for them to be able to take more hits than the average spellcaster.
Red Mages cast both white and black magic, but neither very effectively. The idea with the Red Mage is to have a character that can do both very rapidly, constantly switching from one to another. This can be effective in battles. For instance a Cleric usually tried to avoid enemies in battle an wait for the need to heal to arise. With a Red Mage, you would have a Cleric who would actually be able to output damage in the meantime, so no time goes wasted. Obviously since the Red Mage cannot heal as well as a Cleric or deal as much damage as a Mage, it should definitely be up to the team leader to decide whether or not the team feels comfortable with such a gamble of a character.
The best course of action for a Red Mage would be to try to focus on one field of magic while only learning a little of the other in order to still be well rounded. This way you could have a solid healer that still knows basic offensive spells, or an adept black mage that can still heal in a pinch. The playstyle and usefulness of the Red Mage heavily draws from the ability of the player or leader to influence the mage to fit the team's needs.
The Ranger
The Ranger is the go-to projectiles expert. Sporting a bow or sometimes even a firearm depending on the era of the world of the game, the Ranger is all about dealing consistent physical based damage from across the battlefield, which makes this a safe play style that is great for supporting close-up fighters.
The Ranger's weapons of choice are all range-based, so we see a lot of bows, guns, crossbows, and even hand bombs. Because the Ranger is usually well-versed in all ranged combat, he or she can actually choose which type of projectile to use for the situation at hand. Bows have always been an excellent sniping tool for precise, long distance kills. In a game where a Ranger is traveling by him or herself like Skyrim, the bow is usually the weapon of choice because of it's long range precision. This combined with stealthiness can make for a deadly, nearly invisible opponent. Guns are rarer, but when they are available they seem to be a consistent form of damage, while not being the best. In Final Fantasy 12, guns have the ability to never miss, but in return fire very slowly and deal damage that isn't based off of any stats. The damage may be static, but the consistent long range damage that is guaranteed to hit is sometimes worth it. Crossbows fire more rapidly than regular bows, but the damage seems to be about the same. Their lack of sniping options makes them a less suitable ranged option for smaller teams. And finally hand bombs have followed the same route as guns, providing static damage not based on any stats, but bombs can be coated with poison, stun powder, sleep powder - you name it. They can be a great way to cause splash damage to a group of enemies while adding harmful status effects to the damage as well.
The Ranger wields light armor similar to a thief, but because they are usually away from the combat they can wear slightly heavier armor as they do not need to rely on agility as much as a thief would. Equipment that increases range of sight, critical hit damage (useful for sniping), and adds additional effects to ammo are popular choices. Fire arrows or Electric crossbow bolts are obtainable as a means of dealing elemental damage that technically isn't magic based. So if an enemy is weak to fire, but resistant to magic, fire arrows could be the way to go.
The Ranger has also been known to summon familiars during battle. Familiars are animals or animal spirits that can be summoned into battle to aid the summoner and his or her allies. Since Rangers are in tune with nature and forests, a lot of their summons are creatures found in these areas: wolves, bears, birds, and sometimes even more exotic creatures like tigers or snakes. With a lot of different animals to choose from, they can choose one who's fighting style benefits their own. For example if a Ranger wanted to be a long-range sniper, he or she could summon a Dire Wolf to attack and distract enemies up close while the Ranger gets a free target.
The Ranger's personality seems to match that of a rugged loner. They are used to traveling independently, so their roles in a group of fighters may seem shadowed by a mighty knight or a flashy, thief; however, the Ranger's knowledge of terrain, flora & fauna, and advanced survival skills can actually benefit a team of fighters outside of battle than any other. These fighters are the essential long range fighter when you don't want to have to rely on conserving magic points for a spell caster, or when enemies in the area just resist magic in general.
The Ranger's weapons of choice are all range-based, so we see a lot of bows, guns, crossbows, and even hand bombs. Because the Ranger is usually well-versed in all ranged combat, he or she can actually choose which type of projectile to use for the situation at hand. Bows have always been an excellent sniping tool for precise, long distance kills. In a game where a Ranger is traveling by him or herself like Skyrim, the bow is usually the weapon of choice because of it's long range precision. This combined with stealthiness can make for a deadly, nearly invisible opponent. Guns are rarer, but when they are available they seem to be a consistent form of damage, while not being the best. In Final Fantasy 12, guns have the ability to never miss, but in return fire very slowly and deal damage that isn't based off of any stats. The damage may be static, but the consistent long range damage that is guaranteed to hit is sometimes worth it. Crossbows fire more rapidly than regular bows, but the damage seems to be about the same. Their lack of sniping options makes them a less suitable ranged option for smaller teams. And finally hand bombs have followed the same route as guns, providing static damage not based on any stats, but bombs can be coated with poison, stun powder, sleep powder - you name it. They can be a great way to cause splash damage to a group of enemies while adding harmful status effects to the damage as well.
The Ranger wields light armor similar to a thief, but because they are usually away from the combat they can wear slightly heavier armor as they do not need to rely on agility as much as a thief would. Equipment that increases range of sight, critical hit damage (useful for sniping), and adds additional effects to ammo are popular choices. Fire arrows or Electric crossbow bolts are obtainable as a means of dealing elemental damage that technically isn't magic based. So if an enemy is weak to fire, but resistant to magic, fire arrows could be the way to go.
The Ranger has also been known to summon familiars during battle. Familiars are animals or animal spirits that can be summoned into battle to aid the summoner and his or her allies. Since Rangers are in tune with nature and forests, a lot of their summons are creatures found in these areas: wolves, bears, birds, and sometimes even more exotic creatures like tigers or snakes. With a lot of different animals to choose from, they can choose one who's fighting style benefits their own. For example if a Ranger wanted to be a long-range sniper, he or she could summon a Dire Wolf to attack and distract enemies up close while the Ranger gets a free target.
The Ranger's personality seems to match that of a rugged loner. They are used to traveling independently, so their roles in a group of fighters may seem shadowed by a mighty knight or a flashy, thief; however, the Ranger's knowledge of terrain, flora & fauna, and advanced survival skills can actually benefit a team of fighters outside of battle than any other. These fighters are the essential long range fighter when you don't want to have to rely on conserving magic points for a spell caster, or when enemies in the area just resist magic in general.
Monday, December 3, 2012
The Future of Technology - Comm 352
I believe that although we have made many advances in the realm of technology, the idea of any type of device being integrated into our bodies will not be happening anytime soon. If anything our technology will continue to become more lightweight, streamlined, and include less buttons overall to have a more simple and modern look to it. The idea of having watches built into our arms or mp3 players behind our eyes is just silly when looked at from a medical perspective.
For starters, the body rejects most metal placed into it in general. Ask anyone who has had what is known as a surface piercing where the piercing is placed in the body like a hook. The body quickly rejects even this small piece of metal, and the surrounding area can easily become inflamed, swollen, and infected. If our bodies reject such a small abrasion to the dermis of the skin, how do we expect to have an entire section of our arm converted into a form of machinery? Not to mention how much skin would have to be removed for some type of operation like this to be successful. And that is the most important word: operation. Having any form of technological device placed within our bodies would be a matter of having medical surgery at a hospital. Would you pay your bill for the new device at the front desk? Will Sprint and Verizon have kiosks inside of every hospital? All of these ludicrous ideas may be insightful and even possible someday, but as of right now this would be an insanely unsafe and costly process that we aren't eve ready as a country to test let alone look forward to mass producing.
The other problem with any type of device being embedded into our bodies is the lack of testing time. Even if this were to be a successful surgery with no immediate complications, we would have to monitor the first individuals to have this procedure done their entire life before mass producing something like this. What if thirty years down the line your skin starts to decay and simply won't hold together any longer? We cannot move to quickly with this idea of technology since such a major health risk is being taken. Honestly the same could be said for the 3D craze that we are currently experiencing. What if years from now we came to find that 3D televisions and effects were incredibly stressful to the eyes? Our country's hastiness for bigger and better could eventually be our downfall if we are just blindly moving forward. We need to think practical and affordable, not "cool" and "innovative" when it comes to the future of our technology.
For starters, the body rejects most metal placed into it in general. Ask anyone who has had what is known as a surface piercing where the piercing is placed in the body like a hook. The body quickly rejects even this small piece of metal, and the surrounding area can easily become inflamed, swollen, and infected. If our bodies reject such a small abrasion to the dermis of the skin, how do we expect to have an entire section of our arm converted into a form of machinery? Not to mention how much skin would have to be removed for some type of operation like this to be successful. And that is the most important word: operation. Having any form of technological device placed within our bodies would be a matter of having medical surgery at a hospital. Would you pay your bill for the new device at the front desk? Will Sprint and Verizon have kiosks inside of every hospital? All of these ludicrous ideas may be insightful and even possible someday, but as of right now this would be an insanely unsafe and costly process that we aren't eve ready as a country to test let alone look forward to mass producing.
The other problem with any type of device being embedded into our bodies is the lack of testing time. Even if this were to be a successful surgery with no immediate complications, we would have to monitor the first individuals to have this procedure done their entire life before mass producing something like this. What if thirty years down the line your skin starts to decay and simply won't hold together any longer? We cannot move to quickly with this idea of technology since such a major health risk is being taken. Honestly the same could be said for the 3D craze that we are currently experiencing. What if years from now we came to find that 3D televisions and effects were incredibly stressful to the eyes? Our country's hastiness for bigger and better could eventually be our downfall if we are just blindly moving forward. We need to think practical and affordable, not "cool" and "innovative" when it comes to the future of our technology.
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