In the past couple weeks we have started to code in unity for class. So far this has been a great experience for me and it is something that I am really enjoying. I find it really interesting and whenever I successfully code an a project it gives me a great sense of accomplishment that makes me want to continue to keep going. Along with this, it is very nice that unity is a free program and it allows me to work at home which allows me to stay on track if I get behind in class. Another reason why I find coding really enjoyable is that I get to create playable games which is something I never thought I would be able to do. Since I was a little kid I have been playing video games and being able to create them myself is very fulfilling. While coding is going very well, I find the tutorials that we are watching to be pretty slow which is one of the only reasons I have disliked coding. I feel that as I become more skilled, the amount of things I can create will increase and I will be able to make my own games that will be playable by other people. That is one of my goals if I choose to pursue a career in game design and I hope I will be able to accomplish that in my future. Overall, coding has been very enjoyable for me and it has been probably my favorite topic we have covered this year.
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In the past couple weeks, we have been learning a lot more about the production process and we have started and now finished our own games. I have found this to be very interesting because I never realized how difficult it could be to create your own game. The game we were creating was called Magnet Attack. The whole premise of the game was that you have to launch magnets and land them in a pattern that matches the card you get. While this might seem like a pretty simple thing to make, we had a lot of struggles. The first problem we had was that we were making the game board using a 3D printer and midway through printing our board, the 3D printer broke and we could no longer use it. Because of this we only had 2-3 days to come up with a new idea for our board. We eventually solved this problem but the end product did not turn out exactly how we wanted it too. Along with creating our games, we had other classes play test them which was a very interesting and new experience. After they were done play testing, the feedback they gave was very helpful and we know what we need to change to make the game better as a whole. The act of play testing was very helpful because it allowed me to see that people actually liked our game and it gave a great insight into what needed to be changed for the better. Even though our game was not perfect, and I did not expect it to be, I was very proud of what we created and I thought my team members and I worked very well together which is the reason we were able to battle through the problems we had in the production process.
Recently I have been getting back into mobile games and I find myself playing games on my phone way more than I had previously. The main cause of this is that I have started to play Clash of Clans again and that has led me to want to play other mobile games. In my opinion, I really enjoy mobile games. While others have stated that they do not like mobile games, I find them very enjoyable as usually they have short levels and limited play time as you are not on your phone for a prolonged period of time. This is very enjoyable for me if I am for example in the car where I cannot play any other type of game but on my phone. I also enjoy the more simplistic art style that most of the games have because of the limited space available. Another thing I like about mobile games and more specifically Clash of Clans is that you can easily play with your friends and all you need is your mobile device. As new advancements in mobile technology come out, the detail in these games also improves and it allows for newer games like Mario Kart Tour to be very enjoyable and detailed while also running very smoothly. I think that as new mobile devices come out, the more that mobile games will become popular and that industry will continue to grow as people are on their phones more and more every generation. Along with this, mobile games are also usually free with in game purchases. This allows players to spend money on the game if they choose but does not restrict them from playing if they do not play. This has been a tactic in the game industry that has been becoming more prominent in games like Fortnite and Apex Legends where there are in game purchases but it is not required. This allows everyone to be included and expands the player base by a lot. Overall, I really enjoy mobile games and find them to be very enjoyable as they give my mind a break from everything going on around me.
For about the last week and a half, I have been playing a lot of the new Pokemon game, sword and shield. At the moment, I am really enjoying the game because while they have added the feature of wild pokemon spawning in the overworld in other pokemon games, I have yet to play one of those games so it was a very interesting experience for me. While I do think that this system is very easy and nice for new players I do wish that they would go back to the random spawns because it mixes the game up and gives older players something to grind for. As for the visuals of the game, I find that Gamefreak has done a very good job with the cities and wild areas while also making them very different and new which is a very nice touch. While the mechanics for the game have not really changed from other pokemon games, I personally feel like the dynamax form kind of takes away from the level of the game. While I understand that they are trying new concepts, I wish they would not change the forms pokemon can take every generation of game. I find that they are doing this because they need sustinace for their game and that after they saw the success that mega evolutions had, they felt they could repeat the process and changing it slightly, the same for Z-moves. Another thing I personally do not like in the game is that they removed the national dex which means that you cannot catch all the pokemon in the game. This was very disappointing for me because I try and catch all the new pokemon in every game and it left me a little disappointed. I really enjoy the new music that the game has added that brings back a similar style as some of the originals. All of the elements were also very easy to understand and they added a new marker which shows you where you need to go to continue the story which really helps as some of the conversations with NPCs can become confusing. I also really enjoy the menus because they have a simplistic art style but look very nice and clean. I have not experience any problems with the game working and the internet connection works very well and I have not yet been automatically disconnected. One thing that I personally do not like is that there are a lot of talking cutscenes in the game but they have finally added a feature in which you can automatically skip cutscenes which makes the game progress faster but still gives you the option to enjoy the thought out story in its entirety. While I have said some bad things about the game, I do not regret my purchase and I believe that this is a genuinely good game even though there are downsides which is why I would give it five stars.
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Since the start of the second quarter of the year in class, we have been working on a lot of pre-production and concept sketches in class. While pre-production is my least favorite step of the game design process, I know that it is vitally necessary. Pre-production is my least favorite because I am not a very strong drawer and I feel my talent could be better used programming or helping during production. While I despise pre-production, the past weeks have not been too bad and I have actually been enjoying doing concept art are the start of pre-production. I find that while I am terrible at drawing characters, I am fairly decent at drawing weapons and I find myself drawing these things during other classes after I finish a test for example. Drawing to me is something that I do not really like doing in my free time but if I am confined to do something during school, I like to doodle and drawing random things to pass the time. Unfortunately, the game me and my team are currently designing has no weapons. Even so I am having a good time because I only have to draw inanimate objects which do not have facial expressions. Like I said before, I would much rather be doing an activity like programming but if I have to do pre production the assignments have not been that bad. The one thing that I wish would happen is that since we are doing so much drawing for the assignments, I wish we could stop doing the other drawings that we have to do because I feel like that is the only thing we have been doing in class and I feel I need a change in pace. Overall the concept art we have had to do has been fairly enjoyable and I hope it can always be like this in the future.
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Lately I have been doing a lot of pixel art drawing of many different characters. I wanted to give my thoughts on pixel art as well as how I feel it compares to other styles of art. Firstly, pixel art is a style of art on the computer where you use individual pixels of different colors to make a drawing. This means that pixel art can be very simple because it is purely made of out boxes. While pixel art is fairly simple I also find that with pixel art, you have to be able to use space very well because since everything is in squares, in order to show detail, you must use the space effectively. Even though pixel art can be somewhat difficult to make, I feel like it is still easier to make than actual drawings or 3D art. I find drawing to be very boring which keeps me from trying to improve on my skills which makes it more difficult for me. Since pixel art is easier, I get less frustrated and I find that I can focus more on my drawings. Even though I would much rather do pixel art, I do find that drawings look better and take a lot more skill. As for 3D art, I think its very hard to compare because it is so different in the methods that you use that the procedures are almost completely different. I do however think that 3D can look better than pixel art but only in some cases. Overall I think that while pixel art is a more simplistic style of art, I find it to be more enjoyable and easier for me.
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This week we have finally started playing games in class. While they may only be board and card games, they still have brought be a lot of excitement because this is the first time we have gotten to play games for a project in class. Personally, I really like these kinds of experiences because it one, lets me play new games, and secondly helps me learn about different game play topics first hand through me playing the games. I find that I learn best through hands on activities which is why learning from playing games is so great for me. Not only and I not stuck at my computer doing work but I am also enjoying what I am playing and in a good mood (which doesn't usually happen since its first period). Next week we are going to be playing video games which again is something that brings me a lot of enjoyment and I hope that after that we will continue to be able to play games periodically throughout the year. As I stated before this brings a whole new element to my learning and it does not feel like I am doing busy work for the sake of it being busy work, instead I enjoy it. Overall, while I know we will not be playing games forever, having a week or two like this really makes things less stressful and makes the learning more enjoyable for me.
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Mario Kart Tour came out September 25th and brought a lot of the hype of Mario Kart to the mobile world after being released on IOS and Android. While Mario Kart Tour is the first of its kind, it was a little overhyped before the release, allowing a lack of enjoyment to some of the players. While the enjoyment was lost for some players, having the game released on mobile, allowed it to still gain popularity and a large player base. The game does a lot of things visually that are very appealing to the eye like having colorful tracks and designs in-game with some of the classic tracks from older Mario Kart Games. Along with the Nostalgia of the classic tracks, the game plays music on each of the tracks from the original games along with new music which keeps new players and old players interested. The gameplay itself is a little clunky with it being played horizontally and the controls being very basic,only allowing you to steer and throw items. This makes the gameplay not as interesting because the steering is very basic and you start with smart steering (steering assist). This means that you can get around the track without touching anything. While the gameplay is very simple, it allows the game to run at a great speed with almost no lag throughout races. The game has still gained a lot of popularity even with a couple of improvements that can be made. This is because Nintendo released it as a free game. Overall while some of the gameplay may be lacking in depth and ability, because this game is the first of its kind being on mobile, and is very addicting, I have to give it a rating of 5 Stars.
Recently for class we have been assigned drawings to do outside of class on different parts of the body and I'm guessing in the future other things. My opinion is that I do not like the drawings that we do because I do not think they serve a functional purpose especially because we are hand-drawing them instead of doing it on computers. I find the techniques useful but the amount of time and effort I have to put into them makes them seem useless to me especially because for my portfolio I do not include any drawing that are hand drawn. I understand that in my professional future I may need this skill but I think that if this was really necessary we would have learned it in the first two years that I have been in this pathway. I believe that we could be using our time better outside of class to do digital design assignments or even just personal activities because once again I find that hand-drawing the pictures would not be as useful as drawing them on the computer. While I have kind of complained a lot in this blog post I think that if we had done this on the computer it would have been better because I know me and others in the pathway did not sign up for it because we would be drawing like in a 2-D art class. Overall I wish that we had either done these assignments in a previous year or just on the computer because I don't find the skills super necessary to the class at the moment.
While I have been playing League of Legends for a long time I wanted to write a review on how I feel about the game at its current state and how Riot Games have chosen what they want to do with the game. Right now I find that the game is still interesting to me even after playing it for awhile and because there are so many champions to play and learn, it makes it a game that you can play for a long time. On the other hand, because there are a lot of champions to chose from, it makes it harder for newer players to understand the game and grow an interest because the knowledge you have to have to play on a high level is way above the optimum flow line. I find that Riot games tends to also not care as much about certain champions compared to others. After playing this game for more than a year, most of the same champions that were good when I started playing are still good now and there are champions that throughout my time playing the game I have never seen used. Riot Games could either reduce the amount of champions to chose from, which would make other characters see more play, or increase the stats of other characters to make them viable in the game. Both of these solutions would lead to a better game and do not require a ton of work on the part of Riot Games. Overall while there are a couple bad things about League of Legends, I have mostly enjoyed playing it and will continue to in the future.
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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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