Tech Tip: Blogger Template

Hello everyone! 

I have changed my theme on my blog, this took me so long to decide as I tried to fit different images as the background but didn't like them.

Eventually came to this one and really liked it! I love the layout too you can see much more on it and I think my blog just looks great! 

Here is a screenshot of my blog!!

I used this link to help me :) I would recommend everyone to check it out and change theirs!!

Thanks for reading, hope everyone is good!

-Megan

Games Design Document

 This week for our project task we had to do a Games Design Document. The reading task on Monday was really useful for this, it really gave me a great understanding of this. 

This is the link to my GDD made on Dundoc! I found Dundoc hard to get used to at the beginning but after exploring it I got the hang of it. Dundoc was very useful and I'm glad I used it.

I used Miro for the game flow chart. The game flow chart was the only thing that confused me, I googled it and asked a friend and I then completed it on Miro so I hope it's right.

There will be plenty of edits made to this when new things become available for me to put in like images and screenshots. 

A screenshot I took of my Games Design Document.

Thanks for reading! 

-Megan

Unity Tutorial 5

Hello and welcome to this week's blog post about the unity tutorial!

I enjoyed this week tutorial, with a few moments with an exception. Overall it was really enjoyable as we were learning new things we haven't done before like the animation! I found this really useful and it really made sense to me by the end.

I was mid-way through it and suddenly I got an error and was so confused as the man in the tutorial didn't get one and I swore I had it exact! I literally spent 30 minutes re-reading his and my code and I couldn't figure it out. I even googled it hoping for something, but I couldn't find anything. Turns out I had written gameObject instead of gameOver... I have no idea how I didn't see it; I was about to give up and all. It's strange how the smallest of things will make your game unplayable.

I then had another problem to do with another mis type that I can’t remember now but it didn’t match up and I actually figured it out myself. I thought okay so if this doesn’t work it has to be in the spawn controller and it was! I was delighted that I could see this from just a bit of code not working. That is what I needed to realise okay maybe this is actually going into my head! Before this I was sure none of this was actually sticking, so who knows maybe it is now. Saying that I don’t think I would be able to do it again alone but hey little steps.

Apart from them two small problems I flew through the tutorial and I am really happy with the outcome. I definitely learned things in it that will be useful in my game! Hopefully I can implement them correctly! 

Screenshot of my game from the unity tutorial

Thanks for reading!

-Megan

Games GDD

 

Link to image
Image Caption: Visual of a laptop with different tools around it representing games design.

What is the GDD for?

A Game Design Document (GDD) is a blueprint for the design and development of a game.

The GDD is a way of being creative and documenting the approach to the development of the game. Gonzale (1999) states that “ the important thing is to have something that describes your game project (or any other project for that matter) before jumping into production. ( Gamasutra ) It should help to plan out your game. Though it is recommended that the GDD should be short it needs to be detailed enough so as game developers and artists can coordinate the development of the game independently whilst still keeping to the design. 

The GDD is a blueprint for how the game is going to be designed and built, similar to a mind map. In conclusion, the game design document is vital to making a game and it is important to have in order to describe your game project.

How do we make one?

There are a variety of tools that could be used to create a GDD. These include word processing tools, visual tools like Powerpoint, or new web-based tools such as DunDoc. Each of these tools has its advantages and are a personal choice. Many of the examples shared via the internet are in Microsoft Word format. Romero Games(creators of Doom) favour a more visual tool such as PowerPoint. Whichever tool is used they should support the development of the game in an open and transparent manner.

What should be in it?

The GDD should be simple enough to read through details about your game design and concept. Schubert (2007), who was at the time lead designer for Bioware Austin, gave a GDC talk in about how to create design documentation, some of the most relevant elements include:

1. Know your target.- Have a clear vision and understanding of what you want to make. Make sure your game is suitable and fits your target audience.

2. Keep it short.  Keep it to the point and clear, the shorter they are, the easier it is to read, write, and maintain.

3. Prioritize the design.  - Divide your game in order of importance e.g have a functional game. Concentrate on core mechanics and visuals, and then expand 

4. Illustrate. - Draw sketches of your plans that make it easier to structure and implement. Present what your game would look like as it’s important to have a clear idea of the visuals before you begin creating.

5. Use user stories.- Describing the game through the player’s vision (Similar to what we did in the game vision statement).

Take into account the games users, their ideas may help develop future storylines or ideas.

6. Invest in a good format. Take the time to structure your work so that it is easy to navigate.

7. Use clear terminology. Don’t over-complicate the document. Make sure language is concise and accessible.

8. Kill redundancy.  -Recycle your code - use variables, not hard code). Always reference the new section on your page to have a clean document. Avoid copy and pasting sections.

9. Capture your reasoning - why did you make the choices you made? What led to that thought process?

References

Nachen, Lennart. 2014 Communication and Game Design Documents accessed 02/11/2020 http://acagamic.com/game-design-course/communication-and-game-design-documents/

Ferns, Shaun (2020) Readings Week 06 accessed 02/11/2020 https://cdmonline.ie/multidev1/reading-week-06/ 

Gonzalez, Leandro. 2016 How to Write a Game Design Document accessed 02/11/2020

https://www.gamasutra.com/blogs/LeandroGonzalez/20160726/277928/How_to_Write_a_Game_Design_Document.php