Monday, November 26, 2012

Sword and Legend 3D Prototype: 5th Version

Sword and Legend Prototype



This is the 3D Prototype for Sword and Legend. Click here: Sword and Legend Prototype: 5th Version

INSTRUCTIONS:
Left Click OR Press W Key to Attack
Hold OR Press Space Key OR S Key to Block
Press A Key to Dodge Left
Press D Key to Dodge Right
When either health reaches 0, the game ends.
 
Attacks consume 30 stamina
Blocks consume 20-30 stamina
Dodging consumes 30 stamina



Developer Comments:
Health and Stamina Bars still in progress. Did not function properly. And have not generated next level yet. Changed some character/enemy moves and implemented Retry/Continue and Mute.

Next tasks: 
Health and Stamina bars for GUI
Character looks need improving.
Blood animation of some sort.
New levels, new enemies with different weapon types, attack variations, for game progression.

Friday, November 23, 2012

The Sims 3: The Experience

The Sims 3

The Sims 3 is a life simulation game, in which you control a Sim, or a group of Sims through daily activities that are akin to real life situations, while achieving short term or long term lifetime achievement goals. In Sims 3 you can choose a career, make money, get part time jobs, lose your job, develop relationships, get married, have kids, get old, get robbed or even die in a fire. You know, like in real life. By getting a career, you can get promotions by increasing career related skills like increasing your strength for a sports career, or achieving goals like playing your guitar for 4 hours in the park for a music career. With increased job performance, you increase your chances of getting promotions and pay raises, which increase your income, which then increases the goodies you can buy for your Sim or your Sim's home. Skills also help with no job related things, like cooking more fulling meals, repairing broken appliances, and other things. When developing relationships with other Sims, you can choose from a list of social options to get the best results. Depending on your Sim's traits, and depending on the other Sim's traits, some social options give positive results, while others give negative results. You can tell jokes that will make another Sim laugh, or insult to provoke another Sim to start a scuffle! You can create enemies and rivals, or friends, best friends, and even lovers. In Sims 3 you can increase your relationship so high with another Sim that you can ask he or she to marry you and move in to your household, and eventually even have kids.

Sims 3 is a very enjoyable life simulation game and I have yet to play any other games like the Sims collection. The choices you make to create your own story is what drives the game home with me. I enjoy choosing multiple careers, and watching my Sim's skills increase and thus their products become rewarding. Watching your Sim's hunger, energy, hygiene, bladder, life indicators like that, is a little challenging. You have to make your Sim's mood the best they can be by monitoring these factors so they can enjoy the fruits of the day better. Doing this creates a routine, like eating breakfast, and showering and using the toilet before work and stuff. Which is what it should do since this game simulates life.

My endgame is to reach the maximum promotion in my career, have a beautiful wife and 2 kids, plenty of friends, a 3-story house with 2 high-end cars, and a pool. But I can't forget to buy a fire alarm too, because at any time could a rogue fire erupt from the kitchen, and take that all away from me; as this life simulation does.

Saturday, November 17, 2012

A Slower Speed of Light: The Experience


 A Slower Speed of Light

A simply brilliant game. This game is short but oh so sweet!

"A game about something every complex turned into something tangible."

The game introduction works perfectly. Short intro about why the player is the way they are, somewhat, sad, but works well in order to create the setting. The gameplay is simple. You run away collecting 100 orbs. The music is subtle, gives it a lonely mood, which serves to create the setting as well.

Now as for the game and its concept, now that is what makes this game brilliant. The simulation of natural world physics involved as speed nears the speed of light is amazing. The player is trying to reach the speed of light. As the player collects orbs, they increase their speed towards the speed of light. The game doesn't increase its speed though, rather it slows down the environment in relative to the character. So the character somewhat travels the similarly the same speed throughout the game, but everything around it becomes slower. Thus creating the brilliant effect of increasing to the speed of light. So as you collect more orbs, it becomes more difficult to control and turn to collect orbs. Also due to the increase of speed, you are able to see more of the spectrum of color that one normally doesn't see. More and more of it as you get to 100. And once you attain all 100 orbs, you uncontrollably reach one end of the map to the other in a split second, giving the final realization that you have reached the speed of light.

This game works perfectly for MIT Games intentions of simulating the effects of increasing one's speed to the speed of light. Along with the setting and background, it just makes for a simple but amazing game.

MargaritaVille: The Experience

MargaritaVille

Me jumping on some Gators!
An interesting experience. It has the aspects of a RPG, Adventure game, with social aspects and  real world simulation aspects of a, well simulation game, along with some interesting twists. In the RPG aspect, you can go on quests, pick up items, equip items and level up. In the simulation aspect, you are a person with a some what relate-able situation, trying to rebuild a bar, make money, and make friends. There is a social aspect allows you to invite your friends to play with you. The story setting is unique in itself. Trapped on an island, and then now in charge of a Margarita Bar, journeying to restore it and make it more profitable. There's an interesting twist in that you consume energy throughout the tasks you commit to. Certain tasks consume certain amount of energy, and you must rest at times to recover more energy; simulating a sort of realistic quality to your experience.

As far as my experience goes, it was okay. The quests are simple enough, and pretty much guides you from quest to quest. Very friendly, but a little less challenging. Also the challenge tasks are simple. I like the setting and the music feel. Makes it light and carefree. The use of money to customize your character or give you an advantage with beach bucks is nice. I still haven't learned what leveling up actually contributes though. An interesting experience, but not a long one for me.

Sunday, November 11, 2012

Free Write Challenge & Story Twists



Free Write
This is what came about from my 10 Minute Free Write Challenge
The skies are dark. Except for the bright stars. Its clear and wide, so spacious. I feel engulfed by the vastness. There’s so much, yet nothing. I dream of more. More from this world and its possibilities. I dream of adventure. Into space. Into time. Adventure from this simplified version of life. This everyday just becomes everyday. What happened to those times of journey to other lands. When will we be able to find more lands to journey. Times of the knights, of the warriors. Now are soldiers. Not as romantic as it used to be. These times are filled with greed and achievements. Of achievements. These times have a different type of responsibility. Responsible to do the right things, to help others, chilvary. Now, responsible to avhieve, to survive, to provide. This world has lost its romanticism. What will the future provide? I yearn for more. These skies call me. The stars beckon me to venture forth. What lies beyond those stars? Are there more? More of us? More of life? I believe so. Movies, books, media, majority makes other life out to be monsters, “aliens”. Why wouldn’t they be exactly like us? Or more evolved. Or maybe just completely different but only in forms, not in minds and hearts. I don’t believe Earth was where life started. What if Earth is thousands of years behind the first ever form of life. Would they be as curious as I am, as we are, to know more of why? Would they already be traversing galaxies? And if they ever found earth, would they open arms and communicate, teach, care for us. As they might do with other forms of life? Media seems to take this view of advanced life forms, coming to earth, and destroying it for their own purposes. When I think of venturing out into the deepness and vastness of space, I don’t think of conquering, taking, reducing. I can only imagine one thing. Learning. Learning more of what is out there. To understand why. Why things are. Why we are. What is the limitations to our existence. What are the limits to life. The skies are so vast they constantly make me wonder. Makes this world feel so small. These problems so small. This everyday seems just like everyday. I desire more.



Story Twist Idea
When I was thinking of archetypal stories, the story that came to my head was Disney's Aladdin. Now these twists may not be that altering, but it seems to keep the imagination and allows for story tampering I believe.

  1. After the 3rd Wish, the Owner or whom ever the Owner chooses, must replace the current Genie, and the current Genie is set Free.
  2. The Genie can make time/space/reality altering wishes come true. Example: when Aladdin wishes to be a Prince, his past changes to that of a royal upbringing. While others memories change, he retains his memories throughout though.

Sword and Legend 3D Prototype: 4th Version

Sword and Legend Prototype



This is the 3D Prototype for Sword and Legend. Click here: Sword and Legend Prototype: 4th Version

INSTRUCTIONS:
Left Click OR Press W Key to Attack
Hold OR Press Space Key OR S Key to Block
Press A Key to Dodge Left
Press D Key to Dodge Right
When either health reaches 0, the game ends.
 
Attacks consume 30 stamina
Blocks consume 20-30 stamina
Dodging consumes 30 stamina



Developer Comments:
2nd Version of 3D prototype. Better understanding of how to create "AI" so future opponents of different weapon types, attack types, and randomness are possibilities. GUI serving as value holders for now. Hoping to implement Health and Stamina Bars soon.

Next tasks: 
Character looks need improving.
Health and Stamina bars for GUI
Blood animation of some sort.
New levels, new enemies with different weapon types, attack variations, for game progression.

Wednesday, November 7, 2012

Sword and Legend 3D Prototype: 3rd Version

Sword and Legend Prototype



This is the 3D Prototype for Sword and Legend. Click here: Sword and Legend Prototype: 3rd Version
FIRST, Right Click and set to FULLSCREEN.

Instructions:
Left Click to Attack, Attacks consume 30 stamina
Hold Right Click Or Press to Block, Blocks consume 10 stamina
When either health reaches 0, the game ends.

Developer Comments:
This is the 3D version of my Sword and Legend Prototype. The animations allowed for easier displaying of player and enemy attacking and defending respectively. As of now its still basic, converting it from 2D Construct to 3D Unity was a challenge.

Next tasks: 
Character looks need improving.
Better GUI.
Implement dodging and/or parrying capabilities.
Blood animation of some sort.
New levels, new enemies with different weapon types, attack variations, for game progression.