Game design is a very complicated process, and at the heart of it all is the concept of a game and the elements or types of fun that make it up. Every game designer seeks to make the perfect or ideal game, which is something that depends in the eye of the player. For me, the ideal game would be somewhere along the lines of a cross between Borderlands and Overwatch. Although these are two completely different games and it seems like a weird crossover, I think both games exhibit some of the strongest elements, over the rest of the competition, in their respective genres. Lets start with Borderlands. Although I have already thoroughly analyzed this on our class discussion boards and done several game review blog posts on the franchise, I want to go back into what makes it arguably a near-perfect game. First off, it has an amazing storyline with one of the most famous main villains of all time, Handsome Jack. It also has a ton of variation in scenery and gameplay, with beautiful maps and hundreds of diverse, spectacular, side missions. These aspects combined with the constant thrill of action and loot collection make it extremely entertaining and memorable. The loot pool is one of the largest of any game on the market and offers tons of unique and fun weapons. Borderlands maintains an incredible flow channel, straying away from inducing too much anxiety or boredom on the player, while also providing a measurable challenge. It gives the player a lot of choice with their gameplay/style by providing a plethora of different types of guns as well as multiple characters to chose from to play through the game. There are also several different difficulty modes and extension levels. However, what really makes it stand out is the unique graphic style and humor. Both of these elements compliment each other extremely well. The unique cross between cel-shading and hand drawn textures is very unique and also offers a very balanced feel, between realistic and cartoonish; the environment and characters feel almost like they're out of a comic while simultaneously retaining a very realistic look. This makes the game more relaxing if anything, by making it feel less real, but still immerseful and visually appealing. The humor is also very chaotic, and makes fun out of the violence in the very cruel and dystopian wastelands that makes up the Borderlands. For example Tiny Tina is a great character who adds a lot of flare with her quite literally explosive personality. Borderlands' plot and major events flow channel. On the other hand, there is Overwatch. What more could this add that Borderlands doesn't have to offer? Well for one, Overwatch is extremely competitive and has top tier mechanics and gameplay. However, its demise comes from a poor ranking system and a toxic community. Borderlands' main weakness on the other hands comes from being slightly outdated and not drawing in enough skill based gameplay. Although this helps keep it relaxing and not super intense, the higher caliber mechanics of Overwatch would have a lot to offer. Overwatch also offers one of the best pools of unique heroes, who can suit to the players mood or playstyle. For example if they're in a mood to play the bow-and-arrow, Hanzo is a great champion, or if they are looking to play a much more melee-oriented playstyle, then there is Reinhardt. Overwatch also incorporates team communication and more social interaction based gameplay. All of these make for really strong components, and simply offer the player more advanced gameplay with even more extensive variation to suit their style or mood. Adding in these elements of Overwatch, leaving behind the toxic competitivity and ranked system, to the plot, style, and personality of Borderlands would make for the ultimate game that offers a compromise between competitive gameplay and memorable story. Conclusion:
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Not too long ago, I revisited Clash of Clans. I had previously played a couple years ago up until I got to Town Hall 10 where things began to progress too slowly and the game lost my interest. However since then, over the past few years, developer Supercell, has implemented many new balances and additions to the game that have tremendously improved the overall gameplay. How to play: Clash of clans is the most iconic build-your-village game and has amassed, and maintained, massive popularity as one of the most dominant mobile gaming apps. The objective is to progress your base by upgrading your town hall which then allows you to unlock new defenses, troops, and more upgrades for your village. You can then use your troops to attack other villages and steal their loots, which is then put towards upgrades. However you need to protect your newly gained loot with your defenses. Here are examples of what a village can look like: (both of these are my own bases/screenshots) As you can see, both bases are strategically layed out to defend their resources. Players can configure their layout in any manner they want, which adds a layer of creativity and design to advancing, one of my favorite aspects of this game. The bottom image shows a Town Hall level 10 while the upper one depicts a Town Hall 11, which is stronger. As you can see, the defenses and visual elements differ for each town hall. Clash of Clans uses this to their advantage in making a visually appealing game, and also is known for their own unique graphic style which is very cartoony and geometric. One of the most defining aspects of Clash of Clans however is the clans. You can join a clan with your friends or some random strangers from around the world. The social element to this game helps make it much more interesting and exciting. With clans, you can get troops donated from your clan-mates as well as team up with them to war against other clans, in order to gain loot and perks. Now that I have outlined the objective and gameplay of Clash of Clans, I want to dive into how updates and balances helped save it. Previously, the gameplay was much more strategic and bland. Now, however, they have added magic items, clan war leagues, clan games, new town hall levels, and a season pass. All of these helped accomplish different goals in adding more layers of fun and balance to the game. Magic items in particular offer way more strategy to advancing, while also cutting down waiting times so that players are more actively engaged and have more control over their progression. Supercell also released the Season Pass which helps players obtain a considerable value of these items over the duration of a month, for only $5, giving everybody an affordable ability to progress much faster. Other crucial changes were the Clan Games and Clan War League which offer an extra layer of intimacy and collaboration with clanmates, with the bonus of free rewards for participating. This also added a new element of competitivity along with the clan interaction. Overall Clash of Clans is a great game, perfectly developed to work on a phone. It is very well balanced and offers competitive gameplay, social interaction, and a casual experience that works great for just logging in every once in a while. It has a very unique and defining graphic style, and the interface is well designed and very easy to navigate. I would greatly recommend Clash of Clans, as it is my favorite mobile app and comes in hand with Clash Royale, another well made game by the same developer. In a nutshell:
Recently my class has been learning about the game design process, specifically the careers that are involved. Looking at these specific jobs, there are definitely some that peak my interest, that could be potential career paths I want to follow. I find myself to be a pretty naturally inclined artist and I have always picked up on drawing. This would lead me into the pathway option of 2D Artist. I really enjoy drawing and find that it comes with a lot more freedom than most other positions, which are usually working off of the concept by the 2D Artists. Since I am very creative and especially great at drawing creatures/humans, I think a character concept artist would be a really great position to suit me. Not only would it give me a lot of creative freedom, but I would also be able to do what I love. Another option I am interested in is to be a 3D Modeler. I have really enjoyed my experience with Blender in particular and love the workflow of 3D Modeling. It is a very invigorating challenge to try to figure out what technique and specific path to take in order to create a particular asset or character. There are so many different ways to accomplish any given task, and modeling always has something new to offer. Being able to contribute directly to the end project of what players will actually see and interact with in the video game, would be really awesome to be a part of. Although I was mildly surprised to learn that there was an official Writer position, it made a lot of sense. The writing, script, and plot to a game are arguably the most crucial aspect. Great scenery means nothing without an intriguing storyline to follow. I feel like this would be a great fit for me because I am a good writer and this position would also give me a lot of freedom to help develop a suspenseful plot, add in witty humor, and give life to the characters; all things I think I would strive at. Though I find interest in each of these individual jobs and components of the development team, I think I could also potentially make a great Art Director. This position would combine a lot of the skills I have been developing in this class such as 2D Art, 3D Modeling, Animating, and Texturing all into one job. The Art Director oversees a lot of the creativity and visual components of the project. As someone who has experience in all these fields, as well as many of the soft skills that come with this job such as interpersonal communication. creativity, and leadership, this would be a good goal to work up to. This proves to me it is important to keep up with all these hard skills, but also join extracurricular and take opportunities to develop a more impressive portfolio for soft skills too. Overall I think it is important to have some idea of what to look forward to in the future, and begin preparing now. Summary:
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AuthorMy name is Quinn Peterson! I will be reflecting about my art work in this blog! Archives
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