Paul Morgan Unit 72 & 74: Task 1 - Game on

Visual style

o world (terrain, architecture, objects)

Here is an example of cel shading visual style being used in street fighter four.

Cel shading is where a three dimensional model is made to look two dimensional like that of a comic book or a cartoon.
Developers do this by using a limited number of colour shades depending on the depth of view & calculating values for each individual pixel.

Some games like to stick to the retro or basic look and go with 8 bit worlds, the most popular game that uses this style would be the highly successful Minecraft.

screenshot

Here is an example of traditional architecture used in assassins creed, to give more of a traditional Turkish look, so the player gets captivated even more when playing the game, providing an even better gaming experience.

o player characters - A player character is a playable character in any video game or role playing game who is able to be controlled by the player, in most circumstances this would be the protagonist and lead role character in the game.

A great example of this would be Link from the Zelda series.

o player action - A player action is when the character interacts with an object or surface, which causes something to happen, an example of this would be in an action game where the player needs to breach a door and take down the enemy, or just something like pulling a leaver in a role playing game which opens an entrance to a new area.

o non-playing characters - A non playing character is a character that can't be controlled by the player, typical examples of non playing characters will be characters like the doctor from assassins creed, the mad scientist from Luigi's mansion or even the the nurse based in poke centre from Pokemon.

o feedback interface - The feedback interface, also called menu's or heads up display is a display that shows data without having to stop and look to see where you are going or how close you are to death.

Here is a few examples of HUD's in games -

- GTA V - This heads up display is very compact and simple which enables the player to quickly check their stats and location little to no difficulty making the game more joyous and less confusing for someone being introduced to the title for the first time.

- Metroid Prime - This Example places all the features and aspects of the games in the left and right view with a transparent glass like texture covering the characters vision, this gives the illusion that the player is controlling these functions using a high tech helmet or headgear of some kind in a first person perspective.

"Like its equivalents in aircraft and in video gaming, heads-up displays are elements of the graphical user interface in personal computing systems. They allow for the transmission of information concerning the current task in a running desktop application in a separate window that is designed so as to not distract from the current task."

o perspectives (2D, 3D, first-person, third-person, scrolling, aerial, context-sensitive) - Perspective is essentially how the player see's things, there are many different perspectives in games but the ones used most frequently to my knowledge are as followed:

First person - This is where the player see's things through the eyes of the character they are controlling, this perspective enables the player to a better gaming experience as they may feel much more in sync with the protagonist, villain, side character they are controlling. A few titles which have used the first person player perspective would be successful shooters such as the The call of duty series, battlefield series and the newly released bioshock Infinite.

Scrolling - This is when the character stays in a fixed spot and the background moves alternates between left and right giving the illusion that the character is advancing, a popular example of a scrolling perspective title would be Sonic the Hedgehog

Third person - This allows the player to see the whole figure and form of the character they are controlling from an over the shoulder perspective, this player perspective proves useful where the game offers customization and a vast use of accessibility for the player character , developers which focus most of their titles in this persepctive would be ubisoft and nintendo examples of games that would feature this view would be Ubisoft's infamous Assassins creed and Nintendo's Super Mario sunshine.

Below is a collection of images displaying the in game view of the different player perspectives

Sonic the Hedgehog (1981)

Dead rising -

Call of duty:World at War

Gameplay models and gameplay features

o interaction model, eg avatar, omnipresence; single player; multiplayer;

An interaction model is the relationship between what the player executes whilst using the device and the result of that act.

An example is if a player were to never pick up the controller and interact with the game, there would be no movement and no progression of the game.

Where as when the player picks up the controller and uses the provided keys and functions correctly the character will perform the action programmed to the key, such as melee, crouch, equip, pause and resume, In most titles throughout the course of gaming history the developers have taken into consideration the players preference and provided the options for preset variations of the controls such as the tactical button layout in call of duty and then their are other titles which offer the player complete customization such as Ronimo Games Awesomenauts.

o Narrative - This is where a voice, in most times, the protagonist talking about events that have or will occur in the game, an example of this would be in Assassins creed 3 the main character Connor speaks of what he plans to do about the man that made him suffer, Haytham Kenway.

o game setting,(physical, temporal, environmental, emotional, ethical - The game setting is when, where or how it is based, a few examples would be,The Elder Scrolls Skyrim, Zombie-U and Assassins Creed Revelations.

Elder Scrolls is set in the medieval roman times with fantasy elements & creatures such as dragons and ancient Humanoid races that have features like that of a lizard or cat.

Zombiu is set in the modern british times in london where there has been a zombie apocalypse which has caused the survivors to be shut off from the rest of the world.

Assassins Creed Revelations is set in three seperate points in time due to the protagonist revisiting past events to collect information to help him progress further in the current times.

o goals - An objective set for the player of which he must accomplish.

Example - Call of duty Nazi zombies - The goal is to survive as many rounds as possible of an incoming wave of zombies using the equipment positioned within the selected area, for example if the player would progress to the 20th wave, the zombies would require additional damage before they were eliminated, these are some of the features that enable the user to keep playing without them realizing it is just a recurring event with little additions.

o challenges - A task which must be carried out with a great deal of strategy and concentration

Example - Sonic Rider Time Trial - The player is given a set time to complete a selected course and overcome the record of one of a computer programmed set time, little features which are commonly added to these challenges are elements of extended time, slow motion and a pause of the timer, these elements are usually placed in hard to reach points on the track which provides the player with a sense of accomplishment upon completion of the challenge.

o Rewards - Elements of a game given to the player for accomplishing a certain task or event set to them.

Example - Luigi s mansion 2 -Certain milestones feature in this game,one of the examples of a reward system is the upgrade elements of the game, these occur when the player has collected a certain amount of ghosts, when the player returns to the collector of these ghosts he is rewarded with upgrades to his selected weapon of choice, which in this title happens to be a vacuum used to collect advance to different areas of the game.

o Rules - This is a code of conduct put in place to enable balance and strategy within a game

Example - Assassins creed - Throughout certain sequences within the games progression the protagonist is given the task to collect information from a source, this is commonly an enemy and the player will need to use the many strategy elements within the game to enable themselves to stay hidden, such as climbing on roofs to observe the actions of their target, blending within the populated environment and eavesdropping to collect the information from the nearby source.

o difficulty and balance - Options in a game which allow the player to pass with little struggle at all or with decreased health regeneration or a smaller ammount of gadgets in their arsenal.

Example - Battlefield 3 contains a Veteran difficulty this alters all the features of the game to that of a real life simulation such as loss of breath after running, ammo reload times and miniscule health which forces the player to take precautions before they make their move.

o game mechanics (inventory, scoring, win condition) - " the purpose of a game mechanic is to constrain a game’s interactivity so that it guides the player toward a fun experience." In game mechanics are commonly used in the mmo and fps genre's and allow the player a sense of achievement upon arrival of the different milestones, examples of these features are the call of duty kill/death ration and win/loss leader boards, these features can lead to prolonged enjoyment of the game as the player set's themselves goals to overcome the others featured on the leader board.

o addiction - Addiction is where the player becomes almost obsessed with playing the game and disregards everyday activities, bathing and tends to confine themselves in their playing room and possibly forget about the outside world.

Example - A player becomes dead set on completing a game and doesn't intend to move from the spot until they do so, leading to lack of:

Eating
sleeping
drinking
showering.

Game genres

o Action - Typical action games contain fast paced events which have to be executed effectively and accordingly.

o Fps - Action games where the player is behind the eyes of the character in a first person perspective.

o Tps - Action games where the player is over the shoulder of the character in a third person perspective.

o Racing - Place the player behind the wheel and consists of a limited number of other drivers to compete against or a set time to achieve.

o RTS - Games typically deﬁned a number of goals around
resource collection, base and unit construction.

o TBS - Similar rules to turned base strategy but the players take turns submitting their actions.

o Adventure - More often than not the player is a protagonist of a story and in order to proceed must solve puzzles

o Role play - Mainly fantasy setting, most known for flexibility in the characters development.

o Simulation - Simulates a physical activity such as driving a car or flying an aircraft.

o Puzzle - Requires the player to solve puzzles or problems and often requires some logic or memory.

Interactive story telling techniques (

o Cinematics - This is when something is filmed and presented as a motion picture.

o cut-scenes - Often shown on the completion of a level or goal, it is a scene that develops the
storyline.

o triggered events; - An action which is already inside the game set off by a certain time in the game and can not be modified.

o Full motion video - the display of video images at a rate (as thirty frames per second) at which objects appear to move smoothly and continuously.

Cave Painting -

History Of Storytelling

Origins - Cave or rock paintings are paintings painted on cave or rock walls and ceilings, usually dating to prehistoric times.

Rock paintings have been made since the Upper Paleolithic, 40,000 years ago.

They have been found in Europe, Africa, Australia and Southeast Asia.

It is widely believed that the paintings are the work of respected elders or shamans.

Oral traditions -

The spoken relation and preservation, from one generation to the next, of a people's cultural history and ancestry, often by a storyteller in narrative form.

Origins - The Grimm Brothers and Milman Parry (1902-1935) are some of the big names in the academic study of the oral tradition. Parry discovered there were formulas (the mnemonic devices) the bards used that allowed them to create part-improvised part-memorized performances. Since Parry died young, his assistant Alfred Lord (1912-1991) carried on his work.

Theatre -

A theatre may be an elaborate structure in size, decoration, and functionality. The only requirement of a theatre is, however, an empty space with a place to act and a place to watch.

Origins - The origins of theatre are ancient. The English words for theatre and drama have their roots in Ancient Greek, from the time of organized theatre's first great emergence. Today, we use the word "theatre" in a variety of ways, as a place for dramatic performance, a company of players with a vision that animates them, and an occupation.

Text -

Words, sentences, paragraphs. This book, for example, consists of text. Text processing refers to the ability to manipulate words, lines, and page.

Origins - The word "text" originated between 1300-1350 from the Latin "textus."

Film -

A film, also called a movie or motion picture, is a series of still images which, when shown on a screen, creates the illusion of moving images due to phi phenomenon.

Origins - The first talking movies were produced in France before 1900 by Leon Caumont. They were short films, starring great performers such as Sarah Berhard, in which the movie pictures were synchronized with a gramophone record. By 1912 Eugene Lauste had discovered the basic method for recording sound on film, while Thomas Edisonproduced several one-reel talking pictures in the United States. An American, Lee de Forest, improved the system.

Tv -

Short for television a TV or telly is an electronics device that receives a visual and audible signal and plays it to the viewer.

Origins - Although debated the TV is often credited as being invented by Vladimir Kosma Zworykin a Russian-born American who worked for Westinghouse, and Philo Taylor Farnsworth, a boy in Beaver City, Utah who was backed by George Everson. Vladimir held the patent for the TV, but it was Farnsworth who was the first person to first successfully transmit a TV signal on September 7, 1927.

Approaches to storytelling

o three-act structure (beginning, middle, end) -

In Act One the protagonist meets all of the characters in the play. We also find out what the main problem of the story is. Everybody can usually plot Act One because we have to know the problem to have the idea.

The complication usually comes at the top of Act Two. The problem that we already set up in Act One, now has to become much more dangerous and difficult.

This is simply the resolution of the problem. From the rubble laying around him/her, the protagonist picks up a piece of string and follows it to the eventual conclusion of the story. Some stories have downbeat endings, where the hero learns a lesson, but dies or is defeated.

o hero’s journey (12 steps) - All stories consist of common structural elements of Stages found universally in myths, fairy tales, dreams,
and movies. These twelve Stages compose the Hero's Journey. What follows is a simple overview of each
Stage, illustrating basic characteristics and functions.

o Episodic - An episodic novel is a narrative composed of loosely connected incidents, each one more or less self-contained, often connected by a central character or characters. It is one way of constructing a plot.

o Setting - science fiction or fantasy, you need to know the world where your story takes place. An eye for details will allow you to ground the audience in the story. The setting has a tremendous affect on what happens in the story.

o Conditions - This is how the story must be layed out and under what circumstances.

Representation and emotional themes in story design

o Characterisation - How the character looks, feels, personality and how they are feeling.

o Stereotypes, eg gender, ethnicity- - Terms typically used to describe what a selected person, race or gender is expected to do.

o Symbolism - The practice of representing things by means of symbols or of attributing symbolic meanings or significance to objects, events, or relationships.

o Emtotional themes - happiness; fear; anger; perseverance; heroism; valour; hope; - A mental state that arises spontaneously rather than through conscious effort and is often accompanied by physiological changes; a feeling

Writing strategies

o pre-writing, eg brainstorm, research, storyboard, list, sketch, outlining, - Appropriate tasks handed out to help simplify the process of the creation of the story.

o
drafting (working title, write content); - Preparing for a document which will contain more data at a later stage.