It has taken a bit of time to get the majority of the level finished. Since the level is based and the audio cues, I needed to do tons more play testing than for a usual level.
Fortunately since I used emitters to create one time destructible elements, I could do rough play testing while in create mode.
I added an extra part in the "hard" section. A bunch of the sound cues close together, (jump, jump, grab, jump, change direction). This part is sort of a red herring as you don't need to execute them at all. This part is all straight, with no obstacles. But the blind player doesn't know that.
Thursday, June 11, 2009
Wednesday, June 10, 2009
blind run post 2
controls:
- jump (x)
- grab (R1)
- change direction (L3/stick)
elements to consider
- length of course
- number of checkpoints
- reaction time of each obstacle
- amount of different SFX
- pacing of the different obstacles
A blog that helped me: mr boss' design lair
Some rules/elements don't apply to LBP, but most of general rules are useful.
Update
I added more to the course, and split it up into 3 sections(easy, medium, hard). The sound of the checkpoint activates at the beginning of each section.
I added a shortcut to the hard section for convenience.
I separated each section with a different colour.
Originally I was going to obscure the whole course for the player, and have them wear headphones.
However if I hid the course from view (+ player wore headphones), no one else would be able to see or hear what is going on in the game during the presentation.
Because there won't be enough time for everyone to have a go, I feel being able to see the course is necessary. During the presentation, the player will have to just close their eyes. While play testing I found that playing with your eyes closed was easier than watching a blank screen. So if players will close their eyes anyway, I may as well make it visually appealing for the other people in the audience.
If I was making this level for the LBP community as a shared level, I would obscure the view to prevent people from cheating by just playing with their eyes open.
In LBP you can also add race gates (start + finish) which gives you more points the faster you finish the course. While this adds replay value to the level, while racing, there is a constant ticking sound, too distracting for a player navigating from sound cues.
- jump (x)
- grab (R1)
- change direction (L3/stick)
elements to consider
- length of course
- number of checkpoints
- reaction time of each obstacle
- amount of different SFX
- pacing of the different obstacles
A blog that helped me: mr boss' design lair
Some rules/elements don't apply to LBP, but most of general rules are useful.
Update
I added more to the course, and split it up into 3 sections(easy, medium, hard). The sound of the checkpoint activates at the beginning of each section.
I added a shortcut to the hard section for convenience.
I separated each section with a different colour.
Originally I was going to obscure the whole course for the player, and have them wear headphones.
However if I hid the course from view (+ player wore headphones), no one else would be able to see or hear what is going on in the game during the presentation.
Because there won't be enough time for everyone to have a go, I feel being able to see the course is necessary. During the presentation, the player will have to just close their eyes. While play testing I found that playing with your eyes closed was easier than watching a blank screen. So if players will close their eyes anyway, I may as well make it visually appealing for the other people in the audience.
If I was making this level for the LBP community as a shared level, I would obscure the view to prevent people from cheating by just playing with their eyes open.
In LBP you can also add race gates (start + finish) which gives you more points the faster you finish the course. While this adds replay value to the level, while racing, there is a constant ticking sound, too distracting for a player navigating from sound cues.
level progress
I have built some of my level. Including:
-quick tutorial introducing controls
-conceptual real world space that shrinks
-real world -> virtual transition
-sound puzzle
-sound door
To do:
-echolocation
-finish blind run course
After these functional elements are done, I will work on the "look" of the level.
If I have time, I will attempt the following (in priority order):
- scary sound scape (convey mood with sound)
- a variety of square spaces that experiment with sound/space, not sure how/when to incorporate them into the level.
- comic panels playing with time in space
===
After a few hours work + playtesting.
I think the blind run course is enough in itself. I extending my original course, and added a few checkpoints. It is HARD. There are only 3 sound cues to remember.
- Jump
- Grab
- Change direction
After play testing the course with my eyes closed, I found it really difficult to beat the course.
I am thinking of having 2-3 different courses using the same sound effects.
easy, medium, and hard.
I realised I needed to introduce the elements (different sfx + reaction time) a lot slower.
Easy course will have jump and grab, with the hard obstacle being jump + grab together.
Medium will be the same, but introduce the "change direction" sfx.
Hard will contain everything.
The three levels can easily fit inside the same level (as there is a space limit), so I will try to have an area where the player can choose the difficulty.
Not sure whether to include the other sound based elements (puzzle/door/echolocation)
I need to draw up some layouts. Unfortunately the level editor cannot zoom out to the edges of the template.
-quick tutorial introducing controls
-conceptual real world space that shrinks
-real world -> virtual transition
-sound puzzle
-sound door
To do:
-echolocation
-finish blind run course
After these functional elements are done, I will work on the "look" of the level.
If I have time, I will attempt the following (in priority order):
- scary sound scape (convey mood with sound)
- a variety of square spaces that experiment with sound/space, not sure how/when to incorporate them into the level.
- comic panels playing with time in space
===
After a few hours work + playtesting.
I think the blind run course is enough in itself. I extending my original course, and added a few checkpoints. It is HARD. There are only 3 sound cues to remember.
- Jump
- Grab
- Change direction
After play testing the course with my eyes closed, I found it really difficult to beat the course.
I am thinking of having 2-3 different courses using the same sound effects.
easy, medium, and hard.
I realised I needed to introduce the elements (different sfx + reaction time) a lot slower.
Easy course will have jump and grab, with the hard obstacle being jump + grab together.
Medium will be the same, but introduce the "change direction" sfx.
Hard will contain everything.
The three levels can easily fit inside the same level (as there is a space limit), so I will try to have an area where the player can choose the difficulty.
Not sure whether to include the other sound based elements (puzzle/door/echolocation)
I need to draw up some layouts. Unfortunately the level editor cannot zoom out to the edges of the template.
Tuesday, June 9, 2009
Manipulating time, space and sound
There are lot of limitations with the sound in LBP.
I am finding it harder and harder to come up with ways to navigate by sound.
I will also explore how the player can manipulate time and space if I can get the sound mechanics done (+ polished) in time.
Below are some examples of manipulating space and time in games.
"Shadow physics"
Uses light and 3D space for your shadow character to man
Uses a character (who is only visible in the shadows) who can manipulate 3D objects, and can use their shadows as platforms to get from A to B.
"Braid"
Game based around the ability to rewind time. For example you need to collect all the puzzle pieces, you fall down a tunnel, but you miss a piece. You can rewind time to when you are dropping, and navigate toward the puzzle piece.
I am finding it harder and harder to come up with ways to navigate by sound.
I will also explore how the player can manipulate time and space if I can get the sound mechanics done (+ polished) in time.
Below are some examples of manipulating space and time in games.
"Shadow physics"
Uses light and 3D space for your shadow character to man
Uses a character (who is only visible in the shadows) who can manipulate 3D objects, and can use their shadows as platforms to get from A to B.
"Braid"
Game based around the ability to rewind time. For example you need to collect all the puzzle pieces, you fall down a tunnel, but you miss a piece. You can rewind time to when you are dropping, and navigate toward the puzzle piece.
Sunday, June 7, 2009
1st person game engine mods
"Blind Monk's Society". Experiments with navigating in darkness, using only audio cues like continuous talking or whistling. A mod using the half-life game engine.
Playing by ear: Documents an experiment using the old Quake engine to create a playable environment for the blind.
One of the most interesting parts I read, was that they used different types of footsteps depending on the location.
"A carpeted study has quiet footsteps, while a kitchen has sharp, echoing footsteps"
This is a common element to add with any platforming/first person game.
It's amazing how much players don't think about the audio. I'm sure the different sounds of footsteps help visual players, even if it's only on a subliminal level.
That blind kid sure plays a mean ... Soul Calibur 2
An article about a blind kid who can play some visual games successfully, because of the audio cues.
METRIS!
Musical tetris for the blind! This game is hard. Totally reliant on audio cues, and the unclear instructions didn't help. I got 50 points, which I assume is one line. I found that I would be able to play the game better if I could match the audio cues with visual ones. If there was a version with image and sound, I feel I could match the two spaces, and after learning the audio cues, could advance into the audio only version.
Monday, June 1, 2009
recreating echolocation
Expanding on John Wynne's Wireframe (audio drawing) idea, I could "shrink" the size of the space, or maybe an enemy's sound could get quicker as it bounces back?
It would use the same LBP model from the drum kit, but I don't know how to make it playable...maybe having an enemy coming at you. In the dark so you cant see and have to rely on audio.
I fix the drum kit dynamic, and make the main piston automatic. When the enemy comes closer to the player the frequency of the sound gets quicker, like echolocation. When it's close, avoid it by jumping. I would have to put the mechanic on the front most layer.
I also need to play around with the pitch of the sounds. You can't make a gradient of a sound effect (one sound going high to low, or changing the volume from high to low).
The change in the same sound effect's volume/pitch could indicate height of the player. Would not work for depth on the z axis. How do I make this playable?
Unfortunately the player can estimate his height from the camera view.
Why would player need to know his height, as opposed to simply guessing?
The sound effect from the point bubbles get higher the more you collect.
Also some birds use echolocation to navigate caves. :o
The level will be impossible to beat if the player cannot hear the audio.
It would use the same LBP model from the drum kit, but I don't know how to make it playable...maybe having an enemy coming at you. In the dark so you cant see and have to rely on audio.
I fix the drum kit dynamic, and make the main piston automatic. When the enemy comes closer to the player the frequency of the sound gets quicker, like echolocation. When it's close, avoid it by jumping. I would have to put the mechanic on the front most layer.
I also need to play around with the pitch of the sounds. You can't make a gradient of a sound effect (one sound going high to low, or changing the volume from high to low).
The change in the same sound effect's volume/pitch could indicate height of the player. Would not work for depth on the z axis. How do I make this playable?
Unfortunately the player can estimate his height from the camera view.
Why would player need to know his height, as opposed to simply guessing?
The sound effect from the point bubbles get higher the more you collect.
Also some birds use echolocation to navigate caves. :o
The level will be impossible to beat if the player cannot hear the audio.
drum kit test
Tried making the drum kit.
The sound effects (ex.symbol) didn't activate every time like I wanted. It may be just a case of inverting the key switch.
The sound effects (ex.symbol) didn't activate every time like I wanted. It may be just a case of inverting the key switch.
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