Table of Contents
- Section I: Introduction
- Section II: Game Development Documentation
- Introduction
- Game Theme
- Theme Incorporated Into Design
- Goals and Game Play
- Key Features
- Game Technical Details
- Concept Art
- Research References
- Section III: Instructions - How to Play
- Section IV: Development Screenshots
- Section V: Sample Gameplay
- Section VI: Link to Game
- Section VII: Copyright and Citations
- Section VIII: Self-Reflection
- Section X: Conclusion Statement
- Section XI: Citations
Introduction
Throughout Advanced Game Art and Design, my class has been familiarized with various tools and processes involving the game design pipeline. This educational game serves as a culmination of the skills and knowledge I have gained. Despite the purpose of my game being an educational experience for others, it also served as an extension of learning and experience for me as well. Through creating a new game on my own, and doing so with the Unity Game Engine, I have earned valuable skills regarding creating an original game and compositing it natively in a game engine. My project started as a parkour game and has evolved into a two-level educational game that teaches colors and basic geography, meant for young kids, but that is suitable towards any audience.
Game Development
Introduction
My game involves predicting the results of combining different colors. The player begins on a blue/red mesh and must jump to the resulting color (out of 3 options) in order to move on. If they jump incorrectly it will result in them falling through, thereby losing and having to restart. The game is educational towards both younger and older students who are becoming more familiar with colors and how they interact. I decided to keep the mechanics simple because it is designed for younger kids and the focal point is on learning the colors, not tackling an obby (obstacle course slang). However it can be used by other audiences as well. For designers and artists, RGB and CMYK are important color models to know, which encouraged me to promote early-on color learning to give students headway into that line of thinking. Colors are fun and vibrant to kids, who will find it interesting and not overwhelmingly complicated. This game can be a useful practice tool for artists or designers, as well as anyone interested. It is not complicated, it just takes practice and experimentation, so it is suited towards any age.
Game Theme and Inspiration
My educational game was inspired by trycolors.com which is a color picker tool that allows a user to mesh certain colors together continuously, in order to visualize how adding various colors affects the composition of the outcome color. My game combines this visualization with in-game puzzles and an immersive parkour experience, which makes learning color combinations more interactive and rewarding. Color mixing can be complex but it is also entertaining and almost like a fun puzzle. I found that the website was more of a "tool" rather than a game and it would be underwhelming to simply sit and click on colors. I thought it was be more gripping as a game in which learners are actively engaged with high stakes and reward to ingrain (and incentivize) learning.
Theme Incorporated Into Design
The theme of my game is colors, which are rather plain on their own. I used Coolmath as inspiration for the color theme and style. I wanted to keep the game simple and minimalistic, so I used simple primitives and low-poly mesh models for the more complicated objects such as in the second half of the game.
Goals and Gameplay
The learning goal and theme of visualizing/mixing colors is directly represented through the gameplay, which involves directly interacting with the colors through parkour and progressing through color creation pathways.
Key Features
This game is unique in that progression is directly cascaded upon itself. What I mean by this is that one correct answer (with the colors serving as signifiers) leads directly into the next, with the results being completely dependent on each other. It also gets more difficult as the player traverses along the correct path. This game is also unique in that there are many pathways presented to the player and they have to make a specific choice.
Target Audience
The target audience is younger kids specifically (in terms of gameplay and objective) but it is also geared towards artists and designers, and is suitable to anyone interested in learning about color interactions and how they contribute to palettes.
Game Technical Details
Unity was the engine/platform used to build my game. All of the models were either native to the engine or imported from Unity Asset Store. Everything was compiled in Unity as well. The program used for the scripts was Windows Visual Studio.
Scoring is not necessary for my game. The goal is for the player to make it through the course without falling down and having to restart, eventually leading the end goal. In the future I may add coins, but I like the use of more indirect signifiers that don't give away the answers. Subsequently, there is no point system.
Scoring is not necessary for my game. The goal is for the player to make it through the course without falling down and having to restart, eventually leading the end goal. In the future I may add coins, but I like the use of more indirect signifiers that don't give away the answers. Subsequently, there is no point system.
Concept Art
Research References
Instructions- How to Play
The player begins by spawning on a blue and red color orb. They must then identify the resulting color blend and jump/move to the subsequent orbs. They continue this until reaching a lone orb at the end indicating the final color has been achieved. If they fall or fail to predict the correct color, the level will restart from the spawn. After completing the first level, the players transitions into the second stage of the game, which involves hopping from cloud to cloud to a volcano and eventually an evil lair, as part of a geographical parkour course. The game mechanics are simple and the player will only use WASD/arrow keys and the spacebar (to jump).
Development Screenshots
Sample Gameplay Video
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Link to Game
Copyright Materials Affirmation
N/A (All assets were free to use from Unity Asset Store, or native to Unity Game Engine)
Self-Reflection
Throughout the process of developing this game, I faced many obstacles especially regarding coding, as well as physics and aligning the camera. I was able to use Youtube tutorials to help assist me in creating the fundament of the code. I created a player movement script and a spawn point script, fully functioning. However, the teleport-upon-fall script combined with the use of object triggers did not work consistently and created severe issues. I am still working on polishing it up to work fluidly before implementing it into the game. I am also still developing a main menu despite it not being a necessity to the game; it would be nice for any game to have an internal way for the player to leave or restart. Another difficulty that came up in my process was aligning all the objects to be reachable but not too easy. I achieved this through trial and error, and tediously moving the objects. I also had to create a plethora of materials which I assigned colors, and then applied them to every duplicated sphere. I chose the colors by using a color mixer/picker website and typing in the given RGB number values into the color assigner in Unity, which was a more convenient and accurate way of choosing the colors rather than "eyeballing" them, making it truly educational and also more difficult. In terms of creating the scene and assets, I was able to find everything in the Unity Asset Store, and I tried to stick with low poly so that the style was consistent and cohesive. One of the main obstructions in creating smooth gameplay was the player controls. I struggled to create a moveable camera view, where the player could hold down right click to change their viewing angle, similar to navigating in Unity Editor. I tackled the camera abilities to a limited extent, by making it so the camera was a child object of the game object or "player," therefore having it follow the player around. However, I wasn't able to connect the players controls with the camera and am still working on implementing that feature. Lastly, was the challenge of making it so the player would fall if they choose the wrong color. I had to apply rigidbody components to each of the correct orbs and remove them from the incorrect ones so that they still floated in the air but would not be substantial in holding up the player. Overall, I have learned a lot regarding creating a scene and designing a playable concept. Although I was able to make some semblance of a properly working educational game, I know there are kinks to work out and ways I could polish it to be more friendly towards new users.
Conclusion Statement
During the process of creating an educational game, I learned valuable lessons regarding designing a game geared towards a specific audience. I was able to mitigate many issues that arose from this being my first independent game project and my subsequent lack of experience. Problematically, some of those holes still show through, which I hope to refine in the future using both feedback from peers and by branching out for help with certain scripts as well as aspects of the game mechanics. I believe that my game concept is promising, but the execution still needs work, and I am open to feedback. From the experience I have gotten so far in creating this game, going into the future I feel more confident in my ability to overcome lingering as well as new obstacles.
Citations
Volcano Model Kit - Meshtint Studio
Metal Floor Material - Pixel Indie
Metal Floor Material - Pixel Indie