What is this blog about? April 15, 2009
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This blog is my diary from my specialization project at Luleå University of Technology, January 2009 to March 2009. I wrote my daily work, thoughts and presented different methods I used during the project here.
The projects goal was to come up with 100 game concepts and then narrow those down until only one remained to which I wrote a design document. I chose to work with game concepts that could be found on Xbox Live Marketplace, Playstation Store or as Wiiware on Nintendo Wii because I thought that it is a growing part of the industry and I find such titles interesting since from time to time really new concepts turns up such as Flower, Noby Noby Boy or Lost Winds.
The project was done in six phases with the first being where I came up with 100 concepts by using different methods. In the second phase I had to choose the 20 best concepts and then explain them further, give them a bit more details on goals and settings.
In the third phase I threw away ten of the concepts and focused my attention to the top ten concepts for which I created presentations, further explaining my thoughts and goals with them. For the fourth stage I once again chose the better half and worked with those, this time only five concepts remained for which I made some background research, checking if there were any similar titles or settings.
The fifth phase was the longest phase with two weeks of work time and here I had to create prototypes for two concepts. I planned to make the prototypes in Adobe Flash or in Blender but they ended up being done as one paper and pen prototype and one prototype was created using Adventure Game Studio.
The last phase was to write a design document over the best concepts which turned out to be Echo.
I have posted some files for public reading here on the blog. If more documents are wanted, please contact me on: lovdahl [dot] gd [at] gmail [dot] com
The last one March 22, 2009
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The last post probably, I believe I am finished now and will soon post the project to the ftp. It has been a fun and interesting project that have thought me a lot and that I can use in the future. I might continue to work on my ideas in the future since some of them would be really nice games if they got developed.
I would like to thank those who have helped me and supported me in my work. I would like to thank Ted Kjellson for being my mentor and giving a lot of feedback on my ideas. Lisa for accepting the amount of time it has taken for me and all the late evenings that have gone past. WordPress for hosting this blog and all the readers for reading all my posts.
A big thank you and a farewell to you all.
Soon finished March 19, 2009
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I’m really soon done with my final report and with that, this project. I am at the moment organizing files, saving everything into pdf and I have during the afternoon and evening worked on both my extended Post Mortem as well as the document list.
The presentation yesterday went fine, I am not sure people understood my idea and that I am trying to do something new but at least I got a great idea from Dennis that I will implement into the final design and that would raise the game a bit I think.
The others presentations was fun to see as well, many interesting projects and concepts but a lot of them wasn’t what I had expected, I might have thought that our class could do more but I was wrong as it seems now. I might post one last post with some project numbers like amount of pages and words written in total, I like numbers like that because it always makes me feel like I have done a great work. I am probably going to stop working for the day now and get out of bed early tomorrow to finish the project.
I can present some numbers now though; in this blog I have written around 12 500 words, it is over 26 pages in a word document.
Last week March 17, 2009
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It is the last week of the project, sure we got the hand in date pushed forward until next week but I’m going for a hand in later this week so I’m free from the project. Tomorrow we shall present our projects, I’m going to present my result, Echo, and posted my presentations to AK yesterday. I might fix them a little bit, maybe add a picture or two but else I think I let them be and should probably go through the design document today so I know what to say tomorrow.
Else, there is a lot of organizing work to do at the moment, trying to summarize all the files and documents into something that can be read and easily navigated but at the moment it is pretty much a small mess but its getting clearer and I think it won’t be any problems when I’m done. The only problem is probably the hand in since it will be a quite large file that I have to send in.
It feels pretty good though, I know my game so the presentation shouldn’t be any problem and I’m sure the hand in will go just fine as well. I just have to make the final effort and then I’m done. That’s it for today I guess, have a nice day!
Last couple of days March 13, 2009
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It turned out that all that I created for the presentation wasn’t really what was going to be presented so I kind of made it all for nothing but still not since I can use the note for the documentation later on. We had our last Skype meeting yesterday with some useful information on what to present and when the presentations will be held. Some dates were pushed forward as well which many in the class is thankful for I guess.
The design document is pretty much done I believe, I only got some small things left as well as filling it up with pictures to visualize what I’m writing. But the writing have gone good, Wednesday wasn’t the best day because some personal matters but yesterday was a lot better.
I will try and get everything done during the weekend, at least the urgent stuff like a presentation that AK wants by Monday and on Tuesday there are some stuff needed to a folder for another presentation the week after the final presentation. So there is stuff to do but I’ll manage as usual. I believe most stuff for the hand in is created already which saves me a lot of time, probably I have to write a couple of pages but nothing really big.
Final Presentation March 11, 2009
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I’ve spent the afternoon getting my final presentation in order, it is at the moment oversized to fit the time schedule but it gives me something to work with. Most slides is for the first phase in the project where I used several methods to come up with concepts and which I have described in the presentation. After those it’s pretty much one slide for each phase, sometimes two or three but not much more.
Tomorrow I have plans on continue writing on my design document which I hope I be finished with on Friday. That would give me the weekend working on the final report and all that is into that which is quite much but I think most stuff is already done.
Have a nice evening everybody!
Half-way there March 11, 2009
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This week I’m writing my design document on Eco, it’s quite interesting and I’ve done some researches different stuff to get the information right in the document. I am using a format of a design document I have found in the book Game Design Workshop: Designing, prototyping and Playtesting games and I know it works since I’ve used it a couple of times before.
The format is mostly an example of what a design document could contain so I’m not including everything from it, instead I pick the parts that I think is important for my game. I’m half way through the document and I have a couple of days left until it needs to be finished which I’m glad for because today isn’t my best day so far so I might not get to much done today. But I’m trying at least and it will be done in time.
That’s what I have to say for the moment I think, only one week until final presentation and then it’s over. So far it has been an interesting time. See you tomorrow or so. Laters
Character profiles March 8, 2009
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I’ve started working on the design document today and decided to start with the character profiles. I have made two complete profiles on the main character Alejandra Javier and on the mad man Emanuel Troccaz who is the evil scientist who makes Alejandra’s vision to what it is. It is kind of fun filling out profiles, I used a profile sheet I received last May in another course and filled it out for both the characters. It creates a picture on what they look like and how they are as persons. It also helps coming up with ideas for the rest of the game.
I have a lot to write the upcoming week and a lot of other stuff to do but I guess it will end in happiness. I have a lower limit on the number of pages for the design document which is 20 pages, I’m already up at seven I think with table of content and all the titles in place, I just have to fill them out.
I hope you all have had a nice weekend and have a nice upcoming week. Laters
Final concept March 6, 2009
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I met up with Ted today to discuss what game I should continue to work on and do a design document on. After I presented both my prototypes we discussed a bit about them and in the end he decided with my help that Eco would be the “safer” choice. River is a cool concept but it could turn out really wrong if something would be done right. Eco is a safer choice in that manner, Eco is a first person exploration game with a new type of vision controll but that is easier to get right than the whole River concept.
So next week I will focus on writing a design document on Eco, I’ll probably start this weekend already. We have also recieved a template for the final report and it is quite some things that should be created and brought together to that one so I have to spend some time for that aswell but I see no problem in being done within the time limit for the project.
A little late maybe March 5, 2009
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I’m now done with all my research a bit to late but better late then never. I have also sent out my latest prototype to a couple of people to see what people think and I have recieved very different responses. But I know someone said about Flower that it isn’t a game for everybody, it is a game for those who have taken gaming to the next step and might want to experience something new and not just another shooter. I think the same goes for River, it isn’t a game for everybody but that is usually the way of smaller games.
Tomorrow I have a meeting with Ted and we shall decide what game that will be the final product in this project. I don’t know which it will be and no of the concepts are a lot better than the other. But I’ll return tomorrow with more info on it.
