Ideas for games: Inspiration?

With the bulk of similar games appearing on shelves these days, its no wonder that sometimes, you’ll feel like when you’ve played one, you’ve played them all.

Its true that if its tried and proven, don’t change it, but this formula only guarantees games that just follow a template and stick in the details later. FPSs start to differ only by the addition of guns, bows, or lasers, depending on the premise of the game.

There have been a couple of interesting new concepts for games recently, but nothing as ground-breaking as the idea for a ‘people simulator’ (The Sims) yet. Lets explore some of these ideas:

A recent interesting and relatively successful mash-up is ‘Borderlands’. A FPS with RPG elements, its combines fast-paced action with strategic (albeit simple) RPG elements. With a loot system similar to Diablo, generating randomly created loot with different stats each time, it appeals to those who like treasure hunting and provides the action-adrenaline rush only available in shoot-em ups.

The idea presented here is that not every game has to be of one particular genre. A combination of two different genres (with some careful thought) makes for a vastly interesting game with unique gameplay mechanics. In-fact, it doesn’t have to be genres. Any two gaming ideas can be ‘mashed’ together with interesting results. Of course, not all ideas will work so the necessary play-testing needs to be done. Anyone got any ideas for a FPS-Tower Defence game?

Another idea that I’d like to explore is the rules of a game. Most games tend to stick to realism as it is easily understood by gamers. For example, the rules of physics need not be explained to everyone as it is intiutively understood. However, its not a written in stone rule that games have to follow the rules of reality. There have been a couple of games that bend reality as a theme, such as the highly-rated Braid, in which time is used as tool. Another highly-rated game, Psychonauts,is a platformer that takes place in the minds of characters in the game, allowing for highly surreal environments.  

A more recent release, Dreamkiller also makes use of this idea to bring players into the minds of characters plagued with psychological problems, suffering from different kinds of fear. The levels are based off the fears of each patient and are themed as such. The protagonist is a psychologist who is able to enter her patients’ minds and shoot the psychological problems whom manifest themselves as different types of ‘monsters’. So you’d expect to see spiders in the mind of someone who’s suffering from arachnophobia.

Games like these have no limits on the designs of their levels. The levels can be made skewed as far from reality as they like and creativity can be utilised to its utmost when it comes to the design and look of the levels and eventually the overall feel of the game.

Games are a terrific outlet to express creativity, especially if you are given the creative freedom to design or mould the basis of a game. I’d like to encourage all GET students to think creatively and ‘think outside the box’. For more game ideas, or a discussion on gaming ideas, feel free to leave a comment here or speak to me in school. Im always open to discussions on gaming ideas. Lastly, keep those creative juices flowing!

GET Staff have moved to Block 1

If you were around in school on FRI yesterday, you might have noticed a lot of your teaching staff and workers moving boxes, furniture, metal cabinets etc. between levels 6 and 7 of Blocks 4 and 7. Basically, several departments have switched locations, and we’ve all finished moving proper as of FRI afternoon.

From this point onwards, if you’re looking for any and all GET staff, do come to Block 1 Level 7 (we used to be in Block 4 Level 6). If you ring for any of your GET lecturers at the old location, none of us will be there.

You may also want to refer to this phone directory too: our phone numbers have not changed.:)

Bye Seconday, Hi Tertiary

Hey O’ Level students, if I’m not wrong, you guys have FINISHED your O’ Levels, which means a long, long break (depending on which instituition you choose). This is technically the end of 1 chapter and the start of another (since you don’t need to go to your old school in school uniforms, well, with the exception of  collecting your results.

There are many things you can do during this break, like working (if you’re in need of moolah), studying (if you want to get a big head-start in your course of study) or you can just have fun (which you definitely deserve, since you slogged and worked hard to get good grades.) Use this time to think which course of study is more suited than you (not what your parents and friends think is good but YOU) Of course, you must have back-up plans, in case your grades turn out to be not that satisfactory.

Regardless of which course of study you go to, be it a JC or a poly, you have now prepared to go to the next stage of life. Tertiary life can be quite tough, with deadlines and projects, but it is also very rewarding, as you get to know friends who will most likely stick with you throughout your life on this planet.

Stay strong, stay good and most of all, stay true to yourself 

Zhi Xiang

Descent: Freespace

Descent: Freespace

One of the earliest games that I ever remember playing is Descent: Freespace (the others being Swat 3, MechWarriors 4, and The Sims). A space combat flight simulator developed by Volition Inc. (the company responsible for Red Faction and Saints Row), it was a (to me) rather impressive game for its time (1998).

 

The graphics aren’t too bad, but the most spectacular aspect of their graphics were the explosions that were generated when ships were destroyed. There is a rather large variety of sound effects too, most of them for the various weapons that can be used in the game. Music however, is another matter. I can’t say that I really remember there being a lot of soundtracks for the game, and those that are present can actually be classified as a sort of background music.

That's gotta hurt...

Gameplay is rather interesting. Players are given command of one (or sometimes two) squadrons of fighters, who will be their wingmen. The AIs for these wingmen are rather competent, and can usually be trusted to carry out the orders given to them (as opposed to some games even today). Also, since enemies use the same AI as their wingmen do, working together with their wingmen takes on another meaning, because as likely as they are to swarm an enemy, the enemies are just as likely to swarm players.

Mamma mia...

One interesting aspect about the game was that it can utilise a “sub-system” targeting system. This allows players to target various parts of an enemy’s ship, like its engines or targeting system. This opens up quite a few interesting strategies for completing missions, as they can disable a major target’s maneuvering capabilities, and leave it for later while they deal with other threats to their mission. Another aspect of the game is its “rearming” option. Players enter combat with a finite amount of missiles and countermeasures (flares). When they have been depleted, players can call in a support ship which will rearm their ship, and repair (not rebuild)any damaged subsystems.

 

One other thing that I really liked about the game is its customisability. Over the course of the game, players unlock a variety of ships and weapons. Ships can range from fighters and interceptors to fighter-bombers and heavy bombers. Along with the ships, weapons are also unlocked, which include anti-ship warheads, nuclear warheads, shield disruption lasers, and subsystem destroying lasers. All these mean that players get to have various means of destroying their enemies, and sometimes, it just never gets old trying out the various combinations available.

 

Hey, you gonna die!

Storyline and game progression, however, are rather mild. Sure, there’s a storyline, but there isn’t really much to it other than a few critical moments, like a capital ship being destroyed, the enemy’s flagship being sighted for the first time, major events like that. Most of the time, the storyline and missions usually involve players being sent out to investigate enemy presence, you know, patrol duty. Still, as much as a disappointment it was by way of plot, I found myself enjoying it pretty dang much (but then of course…when I did play it, I probably didn’t really understand the storyline bit, just liked blowing things up).

 

Volition Inc. released an expansion for the game shortly after, followed by a sequel aptly named Freespace 2. I think it’s a pity that that was the end of the line for the Freespace series. Would have really liked to see what Volition Inc. could do with today’s technology. Well, there’s always a chance, no matter how small, that the series will be revived, just like MechWarriors.

 

-Jonathan Tiang (all pictures are from Gamespot.com)

The power of fun.

A short clip. Enjoy.

For more, visit http://thefuntheory.com/

GCA Staff Notes by Malcolm – 4

11:00-11:50 “Art of Lucasarts Singapore”

Matt Aldrich (Lucasarts)

Matt Here conducted a very dry, visual viewpoint on a few games that they have been producing at Lucasarts. He didn’t want people taking pictures and there were obvious reasons for this, some of the art was from games that hadn’t been released yet.

First up was the Xbox version of Monkey Island, original sprites was used as the basis for the new version. There was a small story about how one of the original coders for monkey island had, every time he changed computer, copied the source files. He also still managed to be working at the same company, so somehow even after all this time, they the original source code and graphics from the original version. This is quite impressive.

The audience were shown some original (320×200 ??) sized graphics, then scretched up and then the new 720p revisits. They had used the originals as the starting point, but the original sprites were in a format which each part was a seperate entity, this was slightly problematic, so they made 3D models which they could then cut up for the original engine. There was a few before and after screenshots, and the new characters look more cartoony and “internet” in my mind.

We were shown some Avitar on xbox which was instantly forgettable and so I can’t think

of anything to write about here.

Next up was Star Wars Clone wars for Nintendo DS released in nov’08. This is where it got very interesting and useful for students to see. We were treated to some concept art then the progression from this to in game, which was dramatic.

They quickly mocked up levels in “sketch up” for a rough design which would give an overview to the platform world that the levels the player would be in.

They then chose a number of places along the route which were highlighted as important places during a level. Rather than trying to make a whole level look good, which can be expensive in art resources, just concentrating on places that the player will see and these areas would be where art would spend time on and embellish. The net result is usually more impact.

There were a couple of slides showing that a light for progression was a very useful thing, whether this would found through feedback or not, is unknown. Although it’s quite obvious if you make the world look the same the player won’t be able to see what’s the “right way” and what’s invisible collision way

Due to their game being Co-op, they should storyboards for both characters (this was during quick time events but this was a first time I had seen something like this, depending if the player was player 1 or player 2, they would see a slightly different scene. Although a lot of the “story board” (I use this term loosely) would be duplicated, it still was interesting to see.

Also seeing the high poly models of the scene then the scene running on the DS was a particular high point, I thought.

A trailer for the sequel – republic heroes due out oct’09 was shown. Personally, I wish Lucasart would stop milking their Star Wars license.

Next up was some concept art for the Wii version of staff of Kings. Various art was shown showing loose sketches of how the art team worked on their hand drawn style until it was good enough to use in game.

While it was interesting, I didn’t really like the 2D style, non mouths talking of these “cutscenes”, it looked cheap. The graphics were of a high standard but when things are animating because they are moving away and not animated while moving, just looks to me like cutting corners.

They even had explosive barrels.

Interesting but very art intensive and not much I can link to here.

Life in TP so far

School has reopened and 1 week has passed. It feels great being back to school, seeing both new and familiar faces, meeting new lecturers, learning new subjects and so on. It’s refreshing to see new faces really. Due to subjects such as CARC and our CDSs, we get to meet new people in lectures and tutorial classes.

Thankfully, all my lecturers are well, you could say, “interestingly unique” in their own ways, making lectures a whole lot more enjoyable to sit through. Their slapstick comedy and insights into the “real world” are some of the things you would encounter from the lecturers here. I personally feel that that is what some educators in Singapore really need to build up on. Being under a number of educators for some time now, I seen the worst sorts to the more inspiring ones.
Not to drag on about the educational system in Singapore, which I’ll leave SPH(probably?!) to fill you in =p Id like to talk more about how my experience in TP has been so far.

To sum it all up, it was a really fruitful first semester. It was a change most of my course mates and I have got accustomed to by now. The idea of lectures/tutorials/lab was a complete turnover from where we came from. It took us out from our rigid safe zone into something different. We learnt to be more independent in taking responsibilities in our hands. As they say, you bare the consequences of your own mistakes. Not attending lectures just because attendance wasn’t taken down and not paying attention during tutorials due to the free access of internet available in front of you was a challenge of self-control and time management. There is a time for everything and I realized I have to make time for what’s important right now, which is not facebook or msn or online games but rather my education and the future which lies ahead.

It was a scary decision when choosing which course I would like to go to because unlike those who went in JC, had time to play around with. Whereas those who definitely wanted to be in a polytechnic or were under the DPA scheme had to plan out way ahead. Of course, some comments that came by were, “You could always choose another course when you enter university” but factors had to be weighed. Entering a course similar to what you are studying now could give you a better standing compared to others and also in some cases an earlier graduation.
Someone once advised me when I was in that position not too long ago was to choose what I have passion for. I am not saying this statement is what you should definitely stick to when deciding but rather a guide. Some people may feel that the study environment in JC is not to their liking or they don’t know what they are good at. There are many reasons why one would choose a certain tertiary/course over the other but in the end, it’s really up to the individual preference and not of those around him.

Hmm, looks like I went a little off topic and I think I will stop here for now. Seems like what I wrote has no linkage to one another (or does it? xD )

Nevertheless, I wish all the best to the O level graduates of 09!

CCAs

Well, in TP, there are a lot of CCAs for you to choose from, unlike secondary schools where there are only a few choices.

The CCAs are mainly divided into 3 main categories, the first of which is the usual sports clubs such as football, basketball and track and field; the arts and culture clubs such as band and chior and interest groups such as the Japanese Culture Group, the Microsoft  Student Community and Visual Central(photography club). There are also academic studies clubs which organise events for their respective school instead of giving academic advice to the students, so if you’re in GET, this means that you are in the IIT school and that automatically makes you a member of the IITSC, though you will still need to apply to be in the sub committee. There is also the student union, which generally helps to make things better for students in the campus.

It is not compulsory to have a CCA in TP, but it is generally recommended if you’re thinking of going to a university after you graduate from poly as having a CCA gives you SEAL(Service,Enrichment,Achievement,Leadership) points which gives you an advantage when applying for a university.

For me, I’m in Visual Central, which takes photos for TP in TP events like the Pol-ITE games as well as TPRawks and the TP Open House.

If you really want to take a CCA, I would advise you to take a CCA that you have an interest in or doesn’t consume too much time because time will be at a premium once projects and assignments arrive. (that would be if you cannot cope with assignments and projects.)

The full list of CCAs in TP can be found here.

Zhi Xiang

Team Exalted Crown – An Ultima 7 Recreation

One of the GET Major Projects carried out this year is the recreation of the classic RPG Ultima 7. The project was intended for learning purposes, and here’s a short commentary written by one of the students involved in the project, Nicholas – a GET Senior Year student:

—

“Re-creation” was the word emphasized to us as we started our major project. The whole project consisted of multiple phases and requirements which led up to our development plan into the new 3D engine – Aurora, from its original 2D world of Ultima 7. Phases consisted of playing the Ultima 7 game and understanding its internal mechanics and attempting to implement it into the Never Winter Nights II engine.

Once we understood the definitive background of Ultima, we jumped into recreating the classic environments it once housed into the new engine. Of course there were problems such as scaling, character behaviors and the issue of Night & Day transitions which were key to the Ultima 7 gameplay. Working to the best of our abilities we adapted these issues into the NWNII engine and substituted it in with new ingame mechanics which worked for the NWNII engine instead.

Over all, its been a rather testing but very productive project. Creating breath taking environments, item customizations, character development and creation, level design and many more, we even added in our own creativity to the game for educational purposes, also keeping in mind that they should not have a bad effect on the Ultima 7 game play and quest lines that were the key to this project. It has truly been a fruitful experience, especially with a good team which helped get the job done on time, on task and with excellence.

Nicholas Tan Soon Kwang
Team Art & Design Head.

Screen captures from the Ultima 7 GET Recreation using the Electron Toolset below. Click here for the larger versions and also comments. I’ll try to put up a running video of it soon.

Semester 1.2 Modules Of GET

Well, several more hours to the start of school for me, I guess… ; which makes me think that it’s appropriate for me to show what I’ll be doing the next semester. There are a total of 5 core modules and 2 CDS for me to take. Ok, so what are core modules and CDSes? Core modules are modules that you should, would and must complete and pass in order to graduate from TP, for example, INCG. CDSes are modules where you can pick to do (and you’ll need to complete 3 CDSes to graduate), for example Japanese. So these are my modules for the next semester.

1. Computer Architecture/CARC

2. Object-Orientated Game Programming/OOGP

3.Information Literacy for Effective Communication/CMSK 3

4. Introduction to Human Computer Interaction/ iHCI

5. Game Design/ GADS

So just by guessing what’s the modules are by their names; I would presume that CARC would be about the bolts and nuts of the computer; CMSK 3 would be more on using information to communicate ideas; iHCI would be on well, human-computer interaction (i.e me typing the keyboard now); OOGP is more programming, this time with C++, and GADS is about game design.

Ok, by the way, you might be thinking about 2 things after looking at it… “Wasn’t there supposed to be 7 modules instead of 5?”  and “Why are you taking CMSK 3 instead of CMSK 2?” To the latter question, I have no idea why, but it doesn’t matters me. To the former  question, I also have no idea why, but well, let me quote from one of my tutors, “Shit happens”. I’m just lacking on some luck factor on it, along with a few people in the whole campus, though I will be asking my care person about it tomorrow. I guess this is a rare problem in TP. Anyway, with or without CDSes, I’ll still look forward to the new semester.

P.S.(Though if I don’t have any CDSes, my fridays will be free like last semester. but it would mean my CDSes would have to be pushed back to the latter semester…)

Addition:(My CDSes have been confirmed to be Fundamentals in Public Speaking/Public Speaking and Innovative Principles and Practices/ Inno-pp.)

Zhi Xiang