Year 3: learning agreement

Learning agreement ___________________________________________________________________________ Norwich University of the arts Learning agreements ___________________________________________________________________________ Course:Game Art and Design Unit number: BA3a Name: Charlie Harrison Student number: 1300299 ___________________________________________________________________________ Proposal: For my final project I have decided to recreate and expand upon a previous project idea for a tower defence game updating it with a new engine and expanding upon its design. My reasons for coming back to this game idea is because I felt the project was unfinished and with more time that the final year offers I felt I could push this idea to its limit. Along with this extensive period of time I hope to create many different prototypes and have them play tested by an audience to obtain feedback which will be recorded and utilised to improve gameplay. I intend to build the game from the ground up focusing mainly on gameplay and game mechanics to create smooth and interesting new gameplay with the use of constant feedback from play tests. As I already gain a advance knowledge on certain game engines I will use this to demonstrate and show understanding of these practices by creating fully complete gameplay, intricate gameplay mechanics as well as showing the projects developments as more feedback is collected then showing how I have adapted gameplay to this feedback. Through the use of my blog I will be researching various methods of obtaining feedback from an audience as well as looking at industry practices on how to implement such changes within the game itself. As well as researching into other similar genre of games and seeing how they have implemented certain features and how they will impact gameplay this will acquire breaking them down into the purest form to understand how to implement a mechanic smoothly I incorporate with the overall theme of the game. This in turn will give me a grasp on how common gameplay mechanics function within a game as well as giving me insight into how they can be improved and expanded upon to allow for a better gameplay experience which I’ll be able to use when seeking employment. The name of the main studio projects will be called “Evolution”. it will be a single player tower defence game for the PC platform. The main aim of the player is to survive an infinite number of enemy waves through the use of constructing towers which will have a multitude of effects such as resource gathering, strategic defence and attack. Different to other tile defence games the Failure state within this game is to stop the enemy from destroying the towers you are constructed once all these towers are destroying the game is over. The USP (unique selling points) for this game as a mechanic called ”tower library system” this is also intrinsically attached to another game mechanic called “mutation”. mutations will occur to the players towers that are surrounded by other towers and randomly will gain new abilities called mutations these can be simple as staff games or even new physical properties to the structure. this then ties into the tower library system as players will be able to store these new towers with mutations and then utilise them in another place of the game. Meaning that the more players play and gay mutations always there will be to progress through. The reason I’ve chosen this area for my main studio work is to gain a real insight into different mechanics and how they interact with each other. As well as to explore the idea player progression and how this can be used to keep the longevity of a game as with this game the amount of mutations players can collect and store will be vast obtaining higher tier of certain mutations will become difficult a long process and I will attempt to study this process the player will go through and how it can be used in the correct manner to improve gameplay and player enjoyment. This will mean i will have to research into various different game genres that employ player progression in a means to expand gameplay looking from Genres From MOBA (Multiplayer online battle arenas) to MMORPG (massively multiplayer online role-playing game). looking at many different articles and reviews on how this player progression is kept in check and balance for these games. As well as personally I find this idea of player progression and certain goals which are hard to achieve an interesting topic as it puts a value on hard to achieve our aims meaning that once they are achieved it gives a sense of satisfaction which I intend to explore and researched thoroughly and see just how powerful of a gameplay technique this really is. For my research report I will be looking into the subject matter of early access and whether this is a good or bad way of obtaining funding for projects. This research report will be in the style of an industry report looking very closely at facts and figures from the initial start of early access games to their current position. then seen whether or not this system has a future and whether consumers will either allow this method is to flourish or ignore it. A report like this will require a vast amount of research into many different games have employed the early access approach and whether they have been met with approval or disapproval from the audience this will also mean looking at various articles and financial figures of games from this area. though this is not directly tied into my main studio work this will be tied in personally to me and my future career as it will allow me to explore the opportunities of using early access to startle my own game ideas and whether certain information has to be learnt in order to create a game using the system and gain approval from the audience. I will manage my project using a schedule of each week breaking down the years in which time is allocated as well as a list of objectives that should be the filled within that week is also mean at the end of each week my blog will become updated with new work or research that has been undertaken. I will not use these in which same time is allocated to certain tasks that have to be fulfilled instead listing by what days of the week concern objective should be done allowance for lenience and unforeseen circumstances to be worked around. Assessment work:
Evolution is at tower defence game which will explore and delve into play progression and how certain gameplay mechanics improve this concept. The player must construct towers with different properties in order to survive and infinitely spawning wave of enemies and then to see how far they progress through these waves. The way the play will progress further through these waves is by obtaining and saving mutations that towers will spontaneously gain over time they don’t save these mutations in a tower library which can then act as a new tower spawning menu in which they can build any of these mutated towers as they see fit. This means that the more the player plays of the game the more mutations they collect the further they will be able to progress through the waves to essentially achieve a high school. players will be able to review all the collected towers they have in game or on the games menu and be able to customise them by renaming them allowing them to customise their Arsenal. What I hope to produce the end result of this. .One completed game .A research blog looking into multiple subjects that relates to the game The name of my research report is early access: good or bad this will take the approach of the industry report and focus mainly on facts and figures about this side of the game industry. it will look into through the use of facts and figures whether this side of the industry has a future or whether it will crumble. I will start by researching into most of the prominent early access games and also some of the major failures that have given early access to such a controversial title in the games industry I will also look at the financial gains early accesses obtained and also what the current opinion is across the games industry and summarise my findings based on projections of figures what early access future will be. Schedule of work: 21st September - 4th October: .Introduction to year three .Start research into research report .Start constructing basics of evolution game project .Update blog October 5th - October 18th: .Finish learning agreement and submit .Update blog .Research into similar games to my studio work .Research further into research report focusing on statistics and figures October 19th - November 1st: .Update blog .Implements more mechanics into a evolution game product .Start a draft of research reports containing 2000 words .Further research into research reports focusing on early access opinion within games history November 2st - November 15th: .Update blog .Submits 2000 word draft for criticism .Continue research into both studio and research report November 16th - November 29th: .Update blog .Received feedback from 2000 word submission .Develop failure states for evolution game project November 30th - December 13th: .Update blog .Undertake first play tests for the evolution game project .Finnish research into research reports and begin final draft of the report December 14th - December 18th: .Update blog .Have the finished draft of the research report and begin scrutinising and correcting mistakes .Compile playtesting results and implements within the evolution game project January - February: .Undertake multiple playtesting sessions for the evolution game project .Finalise and hand in research report .Implements more mechanics into the evolution game project .Implements comments from playtesting into the game project March - April: .Undertake multiple playtesting sessions for the evolution game project .Implements comments from playtesting into the game project .Implemented more features into the game .Begin to finalise game mechanics and features .Start to implement 3-D and 2-D artwork into the game project May: .Finalise projects and submit Resources: .Tutorials on how to rig a character model and create custom animations for that rig .Tutorials on advanced blueprint techniques in on Unreal Engine 4 (Artificial intelligence) Learning Agreement agreed and signed by: Course leader: ____________________________ Date:_______________________ Unit leader/tutor: ___________________________ Date:_______________________ Student: __________________________________ Date:_______________________