author: midnight_heist
location: right of Australia
Monday, June 15, 2009
Friday, June 12, 2009
presentation
my presentation:
The character is Calvin from Calvin + Hobbes because he represents the fourth dimension of play spaces, creating something from nothing. Like converting a plain box into a Transmogrifier, or playing hot lava with the carpet.
I needed a tutorial to introduce any new player to the mechanics and controls of the game.
This first environment is designed to feel organic, mimicking the real world. I gave it some light hearted music to give the player a feel for the mood of the game.
I have sound effects placed around the tutorial, like and audience cheer for when you pass an obstacle.
I have also added a number of extra interactive elements, such as the bear. When your character grabs him, he growls.
You need to interact with the environment in order to progress, like pushing a block to create a step.
When you reach the end of the tutorial/organic section, you drop down to...
the construction zone.
This is a conceptual game play element. Because the of the urban development, real world physical play spaces are shrinking, and the player can do nothing about it.
In the end it is the new virtual play space that saves the player.
As the player goes deeper into the virtual space, the organic curves fade and the user is greeted by an increasingly square environment with limited colours.
The beeping sounds that play is meant to represent one of the first virtual play spaces of Pong.
The player slides down deeper as his movement activates sounds that hint at virtual music.
At the first part of the blind course a bat (as they rely on sound) appears gives you directions. These are short because there is limited space you can type in.
For the blind run, you have to close your eyes, and only guided by the audio cues, to avoid tons of obstacles and finish the level.
boing = jump (x)
ding = grab (tap R1)
chimp = change direction (L3)
If you press the wrong action, the character loses a life by getting electrocuted. I chose the electric hazard because it gives off a faint sound, which while playing only by sound makes it seem more dangerous that it actually is.
The course is divided up into 3 sections: easy (green), medium (blue) and hard (red). The player knows when they have reached the next section, as a checkpoint activates playing a distinct sound.
As the course progresses, the obstacles get harder. The sound cues get quicker, the sections get longer, and the sound cues become more varied, for example having change direction while in the air.
I also added a part where a few sound effects are played, but have no effect on the game play. This is just designed to disorientate the player.
Success depends on the player's reaction time to complete the level.
I chose the show the blind run course's visuals for presentation purposes. If this was made for competitive players, I would cover up the course so they aren't tempted to cheat.
I would also lock the shortcuts and give the player the keys as they progress.
Play testing the blind course was hard because I couldn't see what was happening.
So for the most part, I played with my eyes open and purposely slowed my reaction time.
I played a games designed for the blind (like Metris - musical tetris), but they were too hard. One reason was that the instructions weren't layed out visually (with formatting or symbols) like usual games.
It is easier for sighted players to play these games if they can relate the spaces of sight and sound to one another.
If my level was made to be competitive, I would introduce the blind run mechanic with visuals, then cover the rest of the course.
The character is Calvin from Calvin + Hobbes because he represents the fourth dimension of play spaces, creating something from nothing. Like converting a plain box into a Transmogrifier, or playing hot lava with the carpet.
I needed a tutorial to introduce any new player to the mechanics and controls of the game.
This first environment is designed to feel organic, mimicking the real world. I gave it some light hearted music to give the player a feel for the mood of the game.
I have sound effects placed around the tutorial, like and audience cheer for when you pass an obstacle.
I have also added a number of extra interactive elements, such as the bear. When your character grabs him, he growls.
You need to interact with the environment in order to progress, like pushing a block to create a step.
When you reach the end of the tutorial/organic section, you drop down to...
the construction zone.
This is a conceptual game play element. Because the of the urban development, real world physical play spaces are shrinking, and the player can do nothing about it.
In the end it is the new virtual play space that saves the player.
As the player goes deeper into the virtual space, the organic curves fade and the user is greeted by an increasingly square environment with limited colours.
The beeping sounds that play is meant to represent one of the first virtual play spaces of Pong.
The player slides down deeper as his movement activates sounds that hint at virtual music.
At the first part of the blind course a bat (as they rely on sound) appears gives you directions. These are short because there is limited space you can type in.
For the blind run, you have to close your eyes, and only guided by the audio cues, to avoid tons of obstacles and finish the level.
boing = jump (x)
ding = grab (tap R1)
chimp = change direction (L3)
If you press the wrong action, the character loses a life by getting electrocuted. I chose the electric hazard because it gives off a faint sound, which while playing only by sound makes it seem more dangerous that it actually is.
The course is divided up into 3 sections: easy (green), medium (blue) and hard (red). The player knows when they have reached the next section, as a checkpoint activates playing a distinct sound.
As the course progresses, the obstacles get harder. The sound cues get quicker, the sections get longer, and the sound cues become more varied, for example having change direction while in the air.
I also added a part where a few sound effects are played, but have no effect on the game play. This is just designed to disorientate the player.
Success depends on the player's reaction time to complete the level.
I chose the show the blind run course's visuals for presentation purposes. If this was made for competitive players, I would cover up the course so they aren't tempted to cheat.
I would also lock the shortcuts and give the player the keys as they progress.
Play testing the blind course was hard because I couldn't see what was happening.
So for the most part, I played with my eyes open and purposely slowed my reaction time.
I played a games designed for the blind (like Metris - musical tetris), but they were too hard. One reason was that the instructions weren't layed out visually (with formatting or symbols) like usual games.
It is easier for sighted players to play these games if they can relate the spaces of sight and sound to one another.
If my level was made to be competitive, I would introduce the blind run mechanic with visuals, then cover the rest of the course.
highlights/lowlights
highlights:
-Experimenting further with the editor
-Basing game play elements on conceptual ideas
-Reading about critical gaming (navigation/paths, shapes, layers, folded level design)
-Making sound the primary element
-designing the spaces in the level
-learning about game design!
lowlights
-levels are easily broken, easy to mess up in the editor
-would have liked more time to work on the level + blog
-having to redo entire sections
-LBP editor not able to zoom out and see all of the level (I would have taken images, sketched paths/etc). Much more unnecessary space planning is involved because of this.
-Experimenting further with the editor
-Basing game play elements on conceptual ideas
-Reading about critical gaming (navigation/paths, shapes, layers, folded level design)
-Making sound the primary element
-designing the spaces in the level
-learning about game design!
lowlights
-levels are easily broken, easy to mess up in the editor
-would have liked more time to work on the level + blog
-having to redo entire sections
-LBP editor not able to zoom out and see all of the level (I would have taken images, sketched paths/etc). Much more unnecessary space planning is involved because of this.
gallery installation
Originally I was going to have the fatter TV outside, but the game looks so much better on the wide screen, so I think I'll just have it inside.
I'll run through the level explaining it, then people can play for themselves and attempt the blind run course to realise that they are hopelessly dependable on sight.
I'll run through the level explaining it, then people can play for themselves and attempt the blind run course to realise that they are hopelessly dependable on sight.
LBP programming: pros and cons
pros:
-visual language
-easier to find your mistakes (a missing comma/bracket would stop normal typed languages)
-fun! much more engaging because you use the character/avatar to fly around your level making things
-music player. This has been added to the game recently, before this was added, there was a constant humming sound that was rather annoying. With access to your own music this encourages you to keep working on your level
cons:
-not enough detail in in-game tutorials
-not enough kinds of simple switches (you need to make your own if/and/or switches, which is time consuming)
-a level editor for the computer/mouse would be a LOT faster. This is how the creators made their levels, so it is harder to make levels up to their high standard
I think a combination of the two would be a winning design. Basically what the creators had access to.
-visual language
-easier to find your mistakes (a missing comma/bracket would stop normal typed languages)
-fun! much more engaging because you use the character/avatar to fly around your level making things
-music player. This has been added to the game recently, before this was added, there was a constant humming sound that was rather annoying. With access to your own music this encourages you to keep working on your level
cons:
-not enough detail in in-game tutorials
-not enough kinds of simple switches (you need to make your own if/and/or switches, which is time consuming)
-a level editor for the computer/mouse would be a LOT faster. This is how the creators made their levels, so it is harder to make levels up to their high standard
I think a combination of the two would be a winning design. Basically what the creators had access to.
competitive version
competitive version would contain:
-change tutorial into obstacles course with race(as most players already know how to play)
-shortcuts require keys
-would finish at the end of the "hard" section
-blind run compacted into one layer (to hide obstacles from sight)
-visual blind run tutorial (so players can easily match sound with buttons)
-score bubbles (first player to finish each section gets bonus points)
-take out echolocation (too long and avoidable), but keep in door + puzzle
-change tutorial into obstacles course with race(as most players already know how to play)
-shortcuts require keys
-would finish at the end of the "hard" section
-blind run compacted into one layer (to hide obstacles from sight)
-visual blind run tutorial (so players can easily match sound with buttons)
-score bubbles (first player to finish each section gets bonus points)
-take out echolocation (too long and avoidable), but keep in door + puzzle
video games as art
"Into the Pixel" is "An Exhibition of the Art of the Video Game", and features 16 pieces chosen by artists.
The goal of the Exhibition is to inform the public and the critics that games can display emotional elements, something that is said to be absent from interactive entertainment. The exhibition is now in its fifth year.
By actively interacting with the media, players can get a great sense of accomplishment by completing a goal. Viewers of a painting simply cannot experience this emotion easily by being a passive viewer. Evoking emotion is one of the major goals in art, and video games can do this very well. Wether it's pride, enjoyment or even unintentional frustration, actively engaging with the character and settings can guide the player to experience emotional responses, perhaps even at a greater level than traditional art.
==
From Roger Ebert, Answer Man
Challenging video games as art.
"Yours is the most civil of countless messages I have received after writing that I did indeed consider video games inherently inferior to film and literature. There is a structural reason for that: Video games by their nature require player choices, which is the opposite of the strategy of serious film and literature, which requires authorial control.
I am prepared to believe that video games can be elegant, subtle, sophisticated, challenging and visually wonderful. But I believe the nature of the medium prevents it from moving beyond craftsmanship to the stature of art. To my knowledge, no one in or out of the field has ever been able to cite a game worthy of comparison with the great dramatists, poets, filmmakers, novelists and composers. That a game can aspire to artistic importance as a visual experience, I accept. But for most gamers, video games represent a loss of those precious hours we have available to make ourselves more cultured, civilized and empathetic."
I feel that "player choice" is an important direction art will follow. Interactive art is gaining popularity and increasing in number as the technology gets better.
Just because something is interactive doesn't mean the creator cannot create a emotional impact. For example, "Shadow of Colossus" has very little dialog, but you feel dwarfed by the landscape, and feel even smaller when you take on the giant creatures. You feel loss when you bring down the majestic creatures and (spoiler!) when you lose your horse in the final battle.
Art with interactive elements is one of my favorite things in the the world. However it takes extensive time and programming knowledge to create something with interactivity. I hope with the constantly improving technology these kinds of projects become easier to create so ever more interesting and visually appealing interactive art (like mimetic starfish) become more common in the art world. It's a crimethat interactive art isn't considered "art" by the majority of critics.
The potential of video games as an art form is there, but the developers need to take more risks in order to produce worthwhile artistic pieces. This is becoming more popular as smaller companies (who takes risks) use the ps3/xbox online stores to share their games. Some excellent examples include Flower and Braid.
When asked "Are video games art?", Denis Dyack, president of Silicon Knights responded: “Even asking such a question is an indication that our industry is maturing and games are becoming a dominant form of entertainment...The most popular forms of entertainment—TV, music, poetry, books—went through the same perception evolution.”
I hope this will become true for video games/interactive art. :)
The goal of the Exhibition is to inform the public and the critics that games can display emotional elements, something that is said to be absent from interactive entertainment. The exhibition is now in its fifth year.
By actively interacting with the media, players can get a great sense of accomplishment by completing a goal. Viewers of a painting simply cannot experience this emotion easily by being a passive viewer. Evoking emotion is one of the major goals in art, and video games can do this very well. Wether it's pride, enjoyment or even unintentional frustration, actively engaging with the character and settings can guide the player to experience emotional responses, perhaps even at a greater level than traditional art.
==
From Roger Ebert, Answer Man
Challenging video games as art.
"Yours is the most civil of countless messages I have received after writing that I did indeed consider video games inherently inferior to film and literature. There is a structural reason for that: Video games by their nature require player choices, which is the opposite of the strategy of serious film and literature, which requires authorial control.
I am prepared to believe that video games can be elegant, subtle, sophisticated, challenging and visually wonderful. But I believe the nature of the medium prevents it from moving beyond craftsmanship to the stature of art. To my knowledge, no one in or out of the field has ever been able to cite a game worthy of comparison with the great dramatists, poets, filmmakers, novelists and composers. That a game can aspire to artistic importance as a visual experience, I accept. But for most gamers, video games represent a loss of those precious hours we have available to make ourselves more cultured, civilized and empathetic."
I feel that "player choice" is an important direction art will follow. Interactive art is gaining popularity and increasing in number as the technology gets better.
Just because something is interactive doesn't mean the creator cannot create a emotional impact. For example, "Shadow of Colossus" has very little dialog, but you feel dwarfed by the landscape, and feel even smaller when you take on the giant creatures. You feel loss when you bring down the majestic creatures and (spoiler!) when you lose your horse in the final battle.
Art with interactive elements is one of my favorite things in the the world. However it takes extensive time and programming knowledge to create something with interactivity. I hope with the constantly improving technology these kinds of projects become easier to create so ever more interesting and visually appealing interactive art (like mimetic starfish) become more common in the art world. It's a crimethat interactive art isn't considered "art" by the majority of critics.
The potential of video games as an art form is there, but the developers need to take more risks in order to produce worthwhile artistic pieces. This is becoming more popular as smaller companies (who takes risks) use the ps3/xbox online stores to share their games. Some excellent examples include Flower and Braid.
When asked "Are video games art?", Denis Dyack, president of Silicon Knights responded: “Even asking such a question is an indication that our industry is maturing and games are becoming a dominant form of entertainment...The most popular forms of entertainment—TV, music, poetry, books—went through the same perception evolution.”
I hope this will become true for video games/interactive art. :)
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