GDD: UPDATES (DIGITAL STRATEGY / COMPETITION)

     So after completing the Pitch Presentation, I realised the Competition section of the GDD wasn't as credible as it could of been. So in an attempt to fix this, I did some sales research on the games and franchises that offer competition to Synergy. To my surpise, these games didn't sell that well internationally... weird, I loved Prototype and Infamous (Infamous maybe a little bit more... ok, a lot more).

Anyway, I updated the Competition page of the GDD to keep consistency between the GDD and Pitch Presentation. The updated page is below.

GDD: SYNERGY - COMPETITION PAGE UPDATE
by Christian Whelan

NEXT POST: UDK MAP: FINAL ADDITIONS

GDD: PITCH PRESENTATION

       Finally the pitch presentation for Synergy, our game idea, has been finished (besides Nicolas' parts). Me and David wrote it and I proof read it. We tried our best to get the slides down to a minimal, and I think we can present it effectively within the 15 minute time limit for sure, but the hard part was cutting down information that was already hard to cut down in the GDD, hense the 16 slides.

Anyway, mine and David's parts are finished, we just need to add in Nicolas' parts and develop speaker notes when we're all next in the same room (tomorrow). Have a look at it below!

SYNERGY: PITCH PRESENTATION

 

     The next task is to add Nicolas's pages into the GDD and his slides into the Pitch Presentation. Once that's done, it's a case of developing the speaker notes and presenting this bad boy.

Oh, and in a disucssion with Nick today, it turns out there are some inconsitencies between mine and David's sections in the GDD regarding the King Pins of Synergy (the bosses), so I'm going to have a look over them tonight and tweek a few details here and there - David doesn't mind.

NEXT POST: GDD: UPDATES (DIGITAL STRATEGY / COMPETITION)

GDD: PROGRESS 02/03/2013

         Today, me and David met in University to get the entire Game Design Document for Synergy, our Action Adventure RPG, completed. Although Nicolas's middle four pages are missing, me and David have realised the idea and documented it - we're really confident about Synergy.

   As for the missing pages, we don't really know, we've both added in aspects that 'should' be in his pages just as a fallback, but when it comes to the Pitch Presentation (which we're working on) we have a problem - we want the presentaiton to flow. Most importantly though, we just want Nick to understand Synergy as well as we do - we want consitstency and flow both in the GDD and presentation.

Anyhow, the pages me and David wrote are below. Once we wrote our information, I took it, put it into Photoshop, developed a visual style and devloped the pages as you see them below.

MY PAGE'S: Title Page, Contents Page, Mechanics, Enemies and Bosses, Digital Strategy and Competition and The Chosen Game Engine.

DAVID'S PAGES: Story, Gameplay, Game Flow, Controls and Characters.

MISSING PAGES: Main Gameplay Concepts, Platform Specific Features, Game World and Interface

COMMENTS AND CRITICISMS APPRECIATED

 

SYNERGY GDD - FRONT PAGE
by Christian Whelan

SYNERGY GDD - CONTENTS PAGE
by Christian Whelan

SYNERGY GDD - STORY (PAGE ONE)
by David Barker

SYNERGY GDD - STORY (PAGE TWO)
by David Barker

SYNERGY GDD - GAMEPLAY
by David Barker

SYNERGY GDD - GAME FLOW / CONTROLS
by David Barker

SYNERGY GDD - CHARACTERS
by David Barker

SYNERGY GDD - MECHANICS (PAGE ONE)
by Christian Whelan

SYNERGY GDD - MECHANICS (PAGE TWO)
by Christian Whelan

SYNERGY GDD - ENEMIES AND BOSSES (PAGE ONE)
by Christian Whelan

SYNERGY GDD - ENEMIES AND BOSSES (PAGE TWO)
by Christian Whelan- IN PROGRESS

SYNERGY GDD - DIGITAL STRATEGY / COMPETITION
by Christian Whelan

SYNERGY GDD - SELECTED GAME ENGINE
by Christian Whelan

 

      Regardless of the pages Nicolas has yet to complete, the document is closed to finsh. The only thing that needs to be completed is the second Enemies and Bosses page - it needs some character sketches.

 

Once this is done, the presentation could be completed (besides Niiolas's pages) - I'll get that done today and then fianlly, this GDD woul be completed.

NEXT POST: GDD: PITCH PRESENTATION

EASTER WORK PLAN

     So, after my massive setback with my huge games design assignment, I decided to shrug it off and set a strict work plan for over Easter. That way, when I get back into University after Easter, I'll have the majority of the work done (if not all of it). So here it is;

• 01/04/2013 - GDD
• 02/04/2013 - GDD / UDK REWORK
• 03/04/2013 - GDD PRESENTATION / WEAPON UV MAP AND BAKE
• 04/04/2013 - WEAPON TEXTURING AND SPECULAR MAPS
• 05/04/2013 - WEAPON TEXTURING / PRESENTATION SHEETS
• 06/04/2013 - CREATIVE THINKING ASSIGNMENT
• 07/04/2013 - CREATIVE THINKING ASSIGNMENT
• 08/04/2013 - CREATIVE THINKING ASSIGNMENT
• 09/04/2013 - CREATIVE THINKING REWORK
• 10/04/2013 - BLOG POSTS AND PRINTOUTS
• 11/04/2013 - YEAR CONCLUSION BLOGS

    I think I've given myself some room to take my time. I'd rather take my time than rush everything. Who knows, I may get things done before I expect to (in my dreams). 

Can't believe the year is almost over though! I just need two more firsts (from rework) to get 100% streak of firsts! I'm chuffed considering I though I was going to be the worst in the year at the interview! haha Yeah Boiiii!

NEXT POST: GDD: PROGRESS 02/03/2013

GDD: MASSIVE SETBACK

       I had planned to do a progress blog post today, showcasing and detailing all of 'my' pages of the design document. However, by some massive stroke of bad luck, when adjusting my monitor, my speakers fell off the desk, landed on the tower and crashed the computer.

I tried saving using the control and S keys, but it hasn't worked. The issue is, that all of the work I had done on Photoshop (which was around 4 hours of work) has corrupted, leaving nothing but a scrambled mess of layers that for some frustrating reason, has flattened, leaving the result below for all pages.

    Along with this, all the text that was to be in the design documents pages has been lost. Meaning I have to start from scratch. I'm not exaggerating when I say I'm devastated and seriously pissed. I saved the work at every update, but it seems even that hasn't saved me from this crap setback.

This is going to have a massive knock on effect with the rest of my work. I will no longer be able to create pages for David's or Nicolas's pages due to other assignment commitments. 

I hope this doesn't effect mine or our marks.

NEXT POST: EASTER WORK PLAN

GDD: PROGRESS 28/03/2013 (FRONT PAGE / CONTENTS)

    Now that me, David and Nicolas have developed the ideas and polished them, I started developing the first pages of the GDD to plan the structure of the GDD whilst simultaneously nailing the consistent visual style. Now, this is a work in progress, so the name is not the name of the game, and the contents haven't been finished because I do not have David's or Nicolas's work, but I think it's turning out really nice so far!

I've messaged David and am yet to message Nicolas to request their work. I know David has his done (he texted me) but I have no idea how much progress Nicolas has made. I'll message him tomorrow. Anyway  have a look at them. 

 GDD FRONT PAGE - IN PROGRESS
by Christian Whelan

GDD CONTENTS PAGE - IN PROGRESS
By Christian Whelan

       Whilst working on my 5 pages, I've been pondering over some titles and a possible re-implementation of a game mechanic - synergy. Scrapped at the second meeting, I really think it brings the mechanics together and could potentially create some unique combat scenarios and player dynamics. I also think it would be a great name, I'm yet to discuss that with David or Nicolas but either way, I write it into the GDD to cover all ground for now.

NEXT POST: GDD - MASSIVE SETBACK

GDD: MEETING 26/03/2013

      Today, me, David and Nicolas had a chance to discuss the idea we had developed yesterday. After a good hour filling in Nicolas on the ideas to give him a good image of the game, we began to polish the ideas, ensuring all the details worked together, scrapping any ideas that didn't fit.

    In all, we now have the idea done! But most importantly, we began to delegate the work and develop a plan of action for this assignment- we wanted each person in the group to do the work they were most interested in so that we could get the GDD developed as efficiently as possible whilst ensuring everybody was passionate about there work.

    However, to me, it's incredibly important that the GDD is consistent, both in content and in visuals. So whilst developing my own pages for the GDD, I am to take everyone's work and organize it into a great looking design document. Hopefully, that's not too big of an undertaking considering the work for the other modules I have to complete.

    This is where micro deadlines are incredibly important  I'll get my work done and nail the visuals, but if David and Nicolas haven't got their work done by a time suitable for me, I simply won't have time to implement their work into the polished document. Regardless, the plan of action is below.

DAVID BARKER

• The Story
• Game play
• Game Flow
• Characters

NICOLAS PISKORSKI

• Controls
• Main Game play Concepts
• Game play
• Interface

ME

• Front Page
• Contents Page
• The Mechanics
• Enemies and Bosses
• Digital Strategy / Competition
• Selected Game Engine

     Yes, I do have the most workload, but I always like to set ambitious goals so that I can progress as both a student and a Game Designer. In addition, I love the practical side of games design, so developing the visual style of the GDD is important to me, I feel that itself can be a great way to communicate a theme, concept or individual idea. When it comes to the visuals, I'm going to go for some form blue palette, with a formal theme, whist implementing some form of natural imagery to evoke a totalitarian force in the future that deals with genetic evolution.

Hopefully it will turn out great! I'm going to get started now.

NEXT POST: GDD: PROGRESS 28/03/2013