As this year is coming to an end I thought I would do a reflection of Advanced Game Art and Design as a whole. This year has been completely remote so that is taken into account but I think I have learned a lot anyway. Firstly I think that while all of my classes were online this year, this class was the easiest to adapt to as we are always using technology even when we are in school. Because of this, most of my classmates and I already had the programs installed and we were able to use all of the same things that we usually do. I enjoyed this year and I think that it was very helpful that before we started making our game we went back to 3DS Max and Unity to refresh ourselves with the programs. This allowed us to both learn more about them and also become better at the skills we had previously learned. This also benefited our final project as we were able to make models and create the game a lot faster than we would have otherwise. Another benefit from this year was that we focused a lot on the pre-production for our games and this allowed us to go through the production stage fairly quickly as we knew exactly what we were looking for. Being able to create a game design document for our game as well as mapping out what choices the player would have allowed us to not have to think about these things and focus solely on the actual creation aspects. If there are any aspiring game designers out there, I recommend doing as much pre-production as possible as it will help a lot later. Moving past this, when it came to making our game I thought that as a whole our team did well. We communicated well and often and I think that our game as a whole turned out good. I think it could have definitely been better but for us being seniors about to graduate, I think we did a great job. Overall I think that this year went as well as it could have given the circumstances and I am very happy with how it all turned out. As this is my final year of this class this will be my last blog post and I have to say that I will not miss having to write these all the time.
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During the past year with most sports shut down I have turned a lot of my attention to esports. I have watched many different esports but the two I watch consistently are League of Legends and Rocket League. At the moment League of Legends is hosting an international LAN event where the best team from each region plays. This has gotten me thinking of how LAN events are some of the best esports content that is possible. During LAN events not only can you watch all the best teams play, but you get to see all the regions compete for the title. This allows for a great comparison between all of the regions and the viewers get to see who is the best in the world. One of the main downsides of this is that they are very infrequent. While that is a major downside, it also allows for more attention to be drawn to the international events and they usually get more viewers and sponsors because of this. As an avid video game player, I know how important it is to have a good connection to the game. Because usually, you are playing online, it can promote lag in the game and make the game feel slower. Meanwhile, in a LAN environment, there is no need for a wifi connection and everyone has the same advantages of playing with lower ping. This helps reduce the amount of variability in the connection and it allows for there to be no excuses due to lag. Like I mentioned earlier I am a fan of Rocket League Esports as well. Recently they have been doing show matches where players from North America will play players from Europe to see who is better. Because the regions are separated into North America and Europe, these teams do not play often except during LAN events. This year due to COVID-19, Rocket League has canceled all of these events so we are no longer able to see the teams play against each other. While there are show matches going on, one of the two teams always has to play with ping over 100 (bad connection) and it makes their gameplay much worse in comparison. This is why I think that having a LAN event is very important as it shows who is the best in the world and lets all teams play with no advantages due to connection. Overall, I think more and more esports should do live LAN events because they are much more telling of the better teams and they also provide a higher average view count for the organizers.
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As I am still stuck at home and playing a lot of videogames, I have been watching and thinking about the state of esports. Throughout the pandemic, the esports and competitive gaming scene has grown immensely as fewer other sports are going on. This has brought increased traction to websites like Twitch and competitive esports have even been shown on platforms like ESPN. With this new growth, I began to think about what will happen in the future. If anyone has seen the movie Ready Player One, I feel like we could be going in that direction. With E-sports, everything can become online and there is no need to have a maximum capacity for watching events in person. Not only is esports more accessible, but because there are new games always coming out and new strategies that form so often, the game becomes more dynamic, just like other sporting events. While there is so much good happening in the industry, I think it will hit a cap, just like in other sports. Only a certain amount of people are willing to watch, and while that is very high, many groups do not find it very interesting. This is where games like Rocket League come into play. Games like Rocket League are based on other sports and are therefore easier to follow and enjoy for the casual sports fan. Instead of learning what every champion in League of Legends does, all they need to know is the basic elements of soccer and the philosophies of the game. Games like this help bridge the gap between esports and other industries that is necessary for esports to become as big as the NBA or NFL. While this can and probably will happen, it may take longer than expected as the recent increase has been primarily caused by the pandemic and isolation. Overall, I think that esports will continue to grow and as long as there is an audience, they will be able to play due to how easy it is to play and watch.
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Recently, as more and more games become free, I have been thinking about what I would rather have, the cost being upfront, or having in-game purchases. I would rather have the game be free with additional add-ons. As someone who has played on both console and PC I have realized that a game either costs around 30-$60 or is free to play (in most cases) and that usually, the free games tend to do pretty well with consumers if they are made well. Some great examples of this are League of Legends, Fortnite, and Rocket League. All of these games are free to play from the beginning and most of the money spent comes from buying cosmetics. On the other hand, games like Call of Duty or Overwatch require the consumer to spend money to buy the game before any in-game cosmetics are factored in. Firstly, I think that both of these work well from the business perspective but as a consumer, the game being free is always an advantage. As someone how does not care that much about in-game skins and cosmetics, free games have always allowed me to participate fully without having to spend money. On the other hand, most paid games already have many customization options that I also enjoy when I have them unlocked. I think that as a game company, making your game free will help bring a lot of attention and allow more players to play even though you are not generating as much revenue. I think this is better in the long term. This strategy allows you to keep producing cosmetic items which some consumers will continue to buy. This is why it is better in the long term.
Moving away from that, I did hear one idea that brought both ideas together. My friend told me that he would spend around $40-$60 in cosmetics on a game that was free because he felt he would have to pay that much if the game was not free. I find this very interesting because, in theory, this idea makes sense but, in reality, this should not be a valid argument. This is because I do not feel spending money on pure cosmetics is worth it, especially when they can usually be earned. Overall, I think that both free and paid games can be good but I prefer to play free games as I do not usually spend money on cosmetics. Summary
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Over the past summer, Riot Games released a new game called Valorant. Valorant is an attacker vs defender game similar to the popular game Counter Strike Global Offensive. In the game, you choose a character with different abilities that you use to battle and control bombsites in order to win. Valorant is a game that is free but allows for cosmetic skins for each of the guns available. Like CSGO, the goal is to win a certain number of rounds and after 12 rounds, the attackers and defenders switch sides to get to the final total of 13 to win. In the time that I have played it, I find that I really enjoy the game. While I say this it must also be said that it takes a lot of time to get better at aiming and movement which creates a high skill ceiling for the game. In terms of narrative, there is not a clear one. Narrative The only narrative is the underlying one that is each character wants to win and they are competing in order to survive and protect their home. In terms of dialogue, the only dialogue is the character voice lines which I find very entertaining and they make the game more interesting. Gameplay The gameplay is kind of linear but because it is a player versus player game with different maps the different tactics that are created allow for expansions of gameplay and the game does not become disinteresting. In terms of the skills, it takes some time to get used to like CSGO but after awhile it is easy and the only thing that can improve is your aim. Overall the game makes sense for the gameplay and it is a huge part of the game because of all the different abilities and guns. Visually, I find this game very similar to League of Legends as they were created by the same studio and I think that it helps the game a lot. Visuals The visuals are very simple but also have very bright colors that pop. This makes the game very different from games like CSGO which use very dull and dark colors to simulate real-world experiences and battles. Almost all of the animations for the characters and abilities make as much sense as they can while keeping the fantasy theme. Because of these abilities, it feels more like a fantasy game. The actual violence is toned down along with the minimal amount of blood in the game. This style helps the game by introducing a younger player base and it makes parents feel better as there is minimal blood. Overall the visual style is simple but designed well and it helps tie together the game while separating it from others in the genre. Audio There is main menu audio which is a very chill soundtrack that doesn't overpower anyone talking. There is also audio for every time a button is clicked which makes sense and adds a needed element to the game. When you are in the game, it is very easy to tell when someone is running versus walking and the sounds of different abilities and guns. This helps the player as they can locate the enemy depending on how fast they are moving and gives intel to what abilities and guns have been used. Finally, when you plant the bomb, a beeping sound starts that speeds up as the bomb is about to explode. This helps notify the defenders that they need to defuse the bomb and how urgent it is. Interface If there is one thing that is perfect about the game it is definitely the interface. Whether you are in-game or in the menu every interface is sleek and the design is well thought out. It is very easy to find the settings and what abilities and guns you want to buy all while having an amazing visual design for each button. Along with this, going from menu to menu feels natural and logical and it makes for easy access to every option available in the game. Accessibility and Technical In terms of accessibility, it is inclusive for everyone. Riot implemented color blind modes of different varieties that allow anyone with colorblindness to play easily. They also make the controls very easy even though the only option available is with keyboard and mouse. While this is the only option, almost every key bind can be changed to the preference of the player. All of the text was easily readable and there were no errors. In terms of technical errors, there were almost none. The only errors that arose were connection issues which most likely stem from my spotty WIFI. Overall, the game never crashed and I have not had many errors with the game itself. Conclusion Overall, I would recommend this game to anyone with a good enough computer to play it. This game makes the concept very engaging and has long-term playability with its ranked system. I find the visuals and interfaces to be sleek and simplistic while also tying into the fantasy concept they were aiming for. The gameplay is crisp and the mechanics allow for a high skill ceiling and many different tactics. The maps that are available and the fact they are making more allows for replayability that needs to be present in any game. Overall, I give this game a 5/5 and would recommend it to anyone who likes first-person shooter games. Summary
Recently I have been playing a lot of first-person shooter games and because of this, I have been having conversations with my friends about first-person vs. third-person shooters. If you do not know the difference, first-person is where you see only what the character you are controlling sees while third-person is where you can see the back of your character and the surroundings. In terms of player versus player shooters, I think that there are pros and cons of both viewpoints. For first-person games, the obvious benefit is the realism that you get and the quality of the gameplay. The con of this however is that it is hard to see things in the peripheral vision and that can increase the difference between new and more skilled players. Classic examples of this type of game are Rainbow Six Siege and Valorant. In terms of third-person shooters, the benefits are that the vision of the player is greatly increased and that helps lower the skill difference and make it for new players to find the game more fun. In terms of cons, the obvious one is that the game is not as realistic but another con is that it is hard to learn to aim and get better because of the long distance between the camera and the enemies. In terms of player versus environment games, I feel like both options are viable and it all comes down to preference. I find that these games are easier to get used to and that because you are playing against the computer, it is easier overall. In terms of this debate, I enjoy both styles of games but if I want to be competitive then first-person shooters help me stay engaged and have more fun.
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As you may have heard, for the past semester we have been doing online learning from our homes. While this has been a struggle for most (including me) during the school day, I have found that it has allowed me to remember and play older games from my childhood. Playing games like Wii Sports and Super Mario Brothers on the Wii have brought back memories that I would not have remembered if not stuck in my house all day. As I have been playing these games I remember why they are so nostalgic and why I feel they can be played many times. Playing these games on the Wii with sub-par controls has helped me realize the main difference between newer games. Right now, it seems like every game is trying to have the best graphics or new controls instead of focusing more on people replaying and experiencing the game again. Going back to Super Mario Brothers and having the same feelings that I did years ago is why it is such a good game. Being able to enjoy playing the same levels means that the game was created properly. Looking at games nowadays, if there is a story, I very rarely go back and play it again to remember. Games like Destiny 2 have lost this factor and after you are done playing new content, it starts to feel dull and a boring grind to stay at the highest level. I do however feel like some games have mastered this in the newer era. Games like Red Dead Redemption II and Zelda: Breath of the Wild which are open-world have a great ability to keep the user engaged and immersed for long periods of time. This along with the fact that the world is unique and introduces new concepts allows for players to play over and over again and still have fun. I feel like these games, like Super Mario brothers, will too bring back the same nostalgia because of their replayability. Overall, playing older games has made me realize what makes a game great, and what gets me coming back time and time again to play.
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Over the winter holiday and the weeks before our class once again started to work in Unity and create our own games. Our project was to create a 3rd person parkour game that allowed the player to jump over and on different obstacles. This project was something that I had never coded before. Learning once again how to set up a player controller script was very helpful as it reminded me of some of the other processes and helped me get back to coding games. The one thing I really struggled with however was working with animations. Because this was a parkour game, the player had to have a jump and walk animation at the very least and this meant that I needed to learn how everything worked in Unity. This was a struggle that took multiple hours to figure out. From making sure all the code was right in my player controller script to setting up an animation controller, I finally remembered what a struggle Unity can be. After long hours, when I finally figured it out, I got a great sense of enjoyment that I remember from creating games last year. For creating my first game in half a year, I would say it turned out pretty good and it helped get me back into the groove of coding. The gameplay is featured on my selected works if you would like to check it out. Along with this class, I am also taking AP Computer Science Principles and I am learning Python which does help me when coding in C#. I have found that they are very similar even though they use different keywords and I think this will help for design later in the year. In Python, we have been learning much more about loops and functions and that will hopefully correlate to our future projects. I hope to keep improving and is I think that because of this refresher, I will be able to contribute much more to the game design process for our full game later in the year.
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For the last couple of weeks, we have been learning about UI and UX or User Interface and User Experience. While we have focused mainly on UI but we have also talked some about UX. Both of these are very important but also commonly perceived as the same thing. UX is the user experience and it is how the player gets information and what they do with the information. In the design process, a UX designer will go through and basically layout where each element will fall. This could be deciding what the HUD layout will be or where the informational text will fall. After this comes the UI designer. UI is how everything looks and how the player is able to see and interact with the elements. After a UX designer makes his concepts, the UI designer is able to start actually designing what the art style is and how it will be reflected in the menus and HUD. A lot goes into this design process. The UI designer needs to be consistent with their art style which is supported by the UX designer having a consistent layout. The UI is very important in every game. Having a common theme and a correct layout makes the gameplay smooth and informative. This allows the player to get the best experience from the game. UI can be as simple as a coin counter but it serves almost no purpose if it is not in the right place or doesn't flow with the rest of the game. The menu system is usually something where people confuse UI and UX. While they both contribute to the menus, it is the UX designer that chooses where each button goes and what the flow is. After, the UI designer is able to change the font as well as how smaller text is laid out. Overall, both UI and UX are very important for every game and can make the gameplay feel smooth and interesting if done correctly.
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I recently watched a YouTube video about a guy who said he massively improved by switching from a 30 hertz TV and a PlayStation to a 144-hertz monitor and computer. When I heard this I was a little surprised but it did make sense. All my life I have heard that playing video games on a computer is such a better experience and you can get a lot better. At first, I didn't really believe anyone who said that but I now realize how valuable an upgrade can be. The first benefit of upgrading your hardware at least from a console to a pc is the input lag. Input lag is the amount of time it takes from when a button is pushed to the character performing the action. This can be reduced by not only switching to a faster computer but also using a monitor at a higher hertz. Having a higher hertz monitor will refresh the screen more often and provide a smoother experience while also being able to reduce input lag to a minimal amount. Reducing input lag will allow players in competitive games to react quicker and see that reaction show up in a faster manner. Along with decreasing input lag, upgrading will allow better frame rates that are more consistent. Consoles usually run either 30 fps or 60 fps. This is a drastic decrease from computers which can play at a steady 140 fps on better machines. While the opportunity to increase fps higher than around 140 is possible, it is often deemed as unnecessary because it does not change much. This fps increase from consoles to computers allows the game to run smoother which in turn allows the user to react quicker and have a better experience with the game. Another great benefit of computers is that they allow upgrades when new parts come out. This lets you add new parts whenever and you do not have to buy a new console each time. While this might not have much relation to video games, it allows the user to spend more on games and have a better experience with a variety. Overall, there are clear differences in the capacities of consoles and PCs but the one key difference is the price point. While PCs might be better, they tend to cost a lot more which can be out of some consumer's range. If you have the ability to upgrade, I strongly suggest it as there are clear differences that I have seen first hand.
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AuthorHi, my name is Nick Bayer and I will be posting blogs about every 1-2 weeks in the 2020-21 school year. I am doing this for my Advanced Game Design class at Durham School of the Arts(DSA). The views and opinions expressed in this blog are solely those of the author and do not represent those of Durham School of the Arts or Durham Public Schools. Categories
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