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Nov 10th, 2012 at 16:31:11 - Introduction Blog (Other) |
Have you ever experience horrifying moments that makes you want to run away as quickly as possible? If your answer is a no, then you should definitely play the game of “Slender: The Eight Pages.” The game is a “first-person survival horror game” that is developed by Parsec Productions. The platform of the game is any personal computers with “Microsoft Windows or OSX.” The main goal of the game is to collect eight piece of papers scattered in different parts of the wood before the “slender-man” catches the player that ends the game. The game is one of most horrifying games that I have ever played, because it is well made based on psychological manipulation of the player’s mind. In the start of the game, player’s character is placed inside a dark forest in the glimpse of moonlight. The only object player can see is a few distanced trees in his range of scope within the glow of a flashlight. The flashlight provides limited battery power and can be regenerated by turning it off for a few seconds. When the flashlight is off, player’s range of scope is greatly reduced to a meter away from the character’s body. The character is traveling on foot with controlled stamina, and it allows the player to sprint a few meters before his character slows down to a regular walking speed. It usually helps the player run away from the “slender-man” when spot in sight. With only these restrictions inside the game, it would already give most players a chill down their spine. In addition, the game plays creepy sounds and music in the background, and as the player finds more papers, the music increasingly intensifies. Each time the music gets more dramatic, the higher the chances the player will encounter the “slender-man”. These elements manipulate the player’s mind and create an atmosphere that slowly lures out the player’s fear, in this case, it is the darkness and the “slender-man.” For instance, the dark places where it cannot be seen by the player is automatically labeled “unsafe zones” inside player’s head, and since it is all around the character, the players feels insecure and brings their guard up. Next, with the “slender-man” supposedly searching for the character, the players are now becoming extremely careful and try not to run into the “slender-man” or their “fear” that might be hiding in the dark spaces ahead. Overall, this game is well made utilizing fear as the concentration of enjoyment for most players with the fear of dark.
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Nov 4th, 2012 at 14:48:05 - Introduction Blog (Other) |
Recently, I have downloaded an old classic game on my iTouch. The game is called “Breakout”, a puzzle game first introduced by Atari as an arcade game. The version of “Breakout” I played is called “Breakout Boost” and it is also created by Atari. The core mechanic of the game is to use a horizontal platform and bounce a ball against a number of blocks to remove them one by one until there are none left. The mechanic in which I use to play “Breakout Boost” is much different compares to the time when I played this game on Windows personal computers with arrow keys and spacebar to control the motion. This version of the game fully concentrated on sensing the motion of the player’s fingers to change the position of the platform. Furthermore, the new “Breakout Boost” allows the player to control the speed of the ball throughout each level, and it is proportional to the points player receive from destroying the blocks. For instance, the fastest speed in the game is ten times the slowest speed, and during the time which a block is destroy in that set speed, the player will receive ten times the points. Each level of the game is well designed with features of balances between type of blocks and different power-ups. For instance, in one of the levels, the metal platform is introduced to the player. In order to destroy metal platforms, the player must destroy a block containing the fire element that will turn the ball into a fire ball and melt the metal blocks in contact. The other type of power-ups that assist the player in successfully completing each stage including “multiplying balls”, “extension of platforms” and even “rewarding points.” The game functionality is designed so that anyone who does not know the game can easily catches on in a few gameplays. Moreover, the game provided much freedom to the player allowing the balls to travel in different angle, speed, and directions, and hit against the wall to create rebound. This game might be simple, but it incorporates many designs that considered the player’s thoughts and experiences throughout the gameplay.
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Oct 25th, 2012 at 17:16:44 - Introduction Blog (Other) |
For this week’s game update, I am going to discuss a game called “Portal 2” that was also recently introduced to me from my game design class. During class time, it was explained by Professor Totten that the game was first introduced by a group of students as a project design. The game was once released in the name of Narbacular Drop, and after it was noticed by the Valve Corporation, the team that created the game was all hired to be a part of the “Portal Project.” From the history of the game Portal, I personally believe it was a great example of how creative game designs can lead to a successful career in the gaming industry.
The game of “Portal” is a “First-Person Puzzle-Platform video game developed by Valve Corporation.” The main core mechanic of the game is to solve puzzles in the game by utilizing blocks to press buttons. Other core mechanics include jumping, walking, and also using tools given in the game to successfully acquire blocks and to move around the map. The level design of the game was quite successful to my opinion. The second version of the game “Portal 2” started out with player inside a hotel room that gives a calm soothing feeling allowing the player to connect to the game even without having to play the first version. The game control training was then introduced to the player by integrating into the game story of “exercising.” Then, as the player moves to a more advanced level in the game, more ideas of the game mechanics was then introduced. For instance, the player will see a block sitting in the first level and a button right next to it. When player figured out to place on block on the button to open the door, it becomes an instant understanding that the game will most likely to be based on “putting blocks on the button to open doors.” Other unique ideas of level design in the game include physics, such that the player can travel between different places on the map with a gun that creates doors on most surfaces. The idea helped relates to the core mechanics of the game. Furthermore, the graphics of the level also had some significance. The painting on the wall of human fighting the robots was a great way of telling the player about what might have happened to the world inside the game. Overall, “Portal” was a great example to show the importance of level design. Not only can a level train the player on the core mechanics of the game, but it can also integrate storytelling.
References:
Professor Totten, Wikipedia (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Portal_(video_game))
This entry has been edited 1 time. It was last edited on Oct 25th, 2012 at 17:23:24.
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Oct 18th, 2012 at 18:19:14 - Introduction Blog (Other) |
Despite the fact many gaming companies continue to produce new games to attract gamers’ interest, many gamers still enjoy playing old school games and continue to wait for the release of the next version. Recently in my game design class, I was introduced to a game that was one of many famous video games during the time when video games first came out. I have heard professional gamers previously shared their love and experiences from playing this game. The game is called “Street Fighter,” and it is a combat game made by the game company Capcom. This game is designed to be one player versus another, and the player can choose to play with either a human or the computer. The core mechanics of the game is to punch, kick, and use other fighting techniques to defeat the player’s opponent. The game has its own game series where new characters and maps are introduced when the next version of the game is released, and the version that was played in the class was two and three.
During class time, our professor set up the game in tournament style where the winner of each round can continue to compete with the rest of the other students in the class until he loses the game. The game has a list of characters each with different appearances, personality, and fighting styles. For instance, one of the characters in “Street Fighter II” named T.Hawk was a muscle man who fights purely with the strength in his arms and legs. Another character is named Dhalsim, where the character has a long pair of arms and legs and he fight by stretching his arms and legs to create damages on his opponent. A third character that also had an interesting combat style is named Chun-Li, where she utilizes fighting speed to overcome her opponent’s power. These characters are great example of showing how the game was created with a balanced of strength among all the characters. While T.Hawk has an enormous fighting power, he moves at a slow pace, and there is a slow reaction rate after each attack. The second character Dhalsim has an average fighting power, and while it also responds at a slower pace than other characters, it has a long pair of arms and legs that provide the ultimate attack and defense to strike his opponent in distance. Last but not least, there is the Chun-Li, a Chinese fighter with an incredible fighting speed and movement. While she might be able to move at a greater pace than most other characters, but the cost is taken off her damages when she is battling her opponent. I have played the characters Vega and Remy from version two and three of the game, and they are both interesting characters to learn to play the game. This game session was a great way of teaching the students to understand the importance of balances in game, because if the gameplay is not balanced, one player can be more advantageous towards another, and therefore the game loses its equality.
This entry has been edited 1 time. It was last edited on Oct 18th, 2012 at 18:19:42.
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