Tutorial #6: Hidden Object Game

This week I'm responsible for Tutorial #6, the Hidden Object Game.

I have created a Word Document that will guide you through the creation of the game. I've tried to include many screen captures so that you may see what your screen should look like and where you should be going within the program. Within the screen captures I've highlighted and circled important buttons and boxes.

If you have any questions about the tutorial, please feel free to post them here.

I have uploaded the Word Document on RapidShare, you can download it here.

2D Game Analysis

Click here to play the game.

StoneAge Sam is a 2D adventure game. The following is a description of the game from the website, “Life's tough in the StoneAge. To make things worse our man Sam isn't really known for his smarts; left to his own devices he probably wouldn't last a day! However, although he may be all brawn, fortunately he's got your brain to help him out! And he'll need it too as he's got to find food, make weapons, survive sabertooth tigers, capture wooly mammoths, evade hungry crocs, drive off enemy tribesmen and to top it all off, keep his girlfriend Lucy happy! So lets get prehistoric and help Sam use his noggin in this crazy point-and-click adventure.”

The player does not control Sam’s movement in real-time. The way Sam moves within a level is by clicking on objects that Sam is able to interact with. Once clicked, Sam will move to the object using a predetermined path and animation.

This is a very linear game where the player must take actions in the correct order to advance and complete the levels. If the player takes the wrong course of action it will result in Sam dying and you will have the option to retry.

Object Inventory
The interactive objects in this game are as follows: rock, feathers, stick, vine, sinew, tinder, flint, flower, and charcoal. All of the objects in this game have some sort of utility that will advance the player (Sam) through the level and storyline of the game. Each level in this game has its own set of objects required to complete the objective of the current level. For this reason, there is no inventory for Sam to store his objects, as he will be using them in the current level.

Being a very casual and linear game, obtaining objects in this game has no cost to the player. For instance, picking up a rock and vine then making a grappling hook out of it will not cost the player any money, nor will it deplete and sort of ‘energy’ bar. This keeps things simple for the player, as they don’t’ have to worry about hording money to buy objects.

Depending on how we look at the objects, they can be considered either single or multi use objects. For example, in one level Sam will use a rock to scare a rabbit away, but in another level he will use a rock in conjunction with a vine to make a grappling hook. Although the objects can be combined in this way, the game does not give the player the interaction options. Depending on the level, when Sam acquires the correct objects, they will automatically combine to create a new object. In addition, the player does not control which item they use when performing an action. For example, when we click on the rabbit, it automatically throws the rock; the player cannot select to throw another object, such as the stick. This simplifies the game, and helps the player complete the level.

Objects are the most crucial aspect of this game; their use is the only way to advance the story and complete the levels. In addition, this is the only component that the player can interact with. Objects in this game are simple, and the levels predetermine their uses. This makes game play extremely easy, and creates a very linear style that is easy for any player to learn.

Some Thoughts on Game Design by Andrew Glassner (1997)

In the readings for today's class, there was one section where Andrew discusses his opinion about cut-scenes depicting the actions of the character, and how they ruin the experience for the player. I thought that this was interesting because most of the games that I have played that contain these types of cut-scenes are RPGs (Japanese) that have been translated to a North American version. These types of games usually cater to a very specific type of gamer who plays the game to uncover the storyline or plot (which is already predetermined), they are not looking to create their own character or make their own story. They play these games to see the story and find out the ending, and cut-scenes are a great way to tell a story. And for some gamers they like the cut-scenes because they are very 'Anime' like and have that appeal.

Overall, games and gamers are very unique. Some aspects of a game will appeal to some and not to others. There is no 'right' answer to the perfect game design, only guidelines on what may be 'good' design.

Rapid Prototyping

Today in class we did an exercise where we had to come up with a game based on a word chosen from a list. Our group picked the word 'round'. I found that this criteria was helpful in generating many ideas for games with the theme of 'round' but not all of them seemed plausible. What I'm trying to say is that this exercise is a good way to generate many ideas, but as a team, we should not rely solely on this method. We should use it in conjunction with other methods of creativity. Maybe do several brainstorming sessions with different words, I'm not sure, but it just seems that this method narrows creativity. What other ways are there to unleash our creative minds in designing games.

All That Plasticine!

I'd like to comment on the activity during our first class where we had to design a game using plasticine.

I thought that it was a creative way to ease all of us into the idea of creating and designing games. I was surprised to see all the different genres of games that the class came up with. Some games more complex than others, but each very unique in the style of play.

I look forward to learning the formal process of designing and creating a game of my own.

Video Testing

Hello All,

Just doing a test upload of a video file to see how well the audio and video sync. Some websites use their own compression and this can sometimes throw the sync off.

If you play the video above, you will see that the audio and video sync up properly.

Welcome to my blog spot!

Welcome to "Thien's Casual Gaming", a blog spot designed for DAC 300: Special Topics, an academic course in casual games.

This blog will be used as a means to document my work throughout DAC 300. I will be posting about what I have learned, my thoughts on team situations, assignments, and topics discussed in class and readings, etc.

Throughout this blog you will find videos, images, games, and links to relevant documents and websites that I have encountered while taking this course.

I hope that you are able to learn from my experiences. Please feel free to leave comments and suggestions, a new perspective is always welcome!