Project Totem Update #2
Totemic Banner by Camilla Jacobsen Update Hi again! The project is finally entering full production as off today. We’ll be having a stand-up scrum meeting, detailing the plan for our alpha build. The group has been working on defining content, building frame-works for said content and creating place-holder (first drafts) animations and graphics. As we’re entering production, we’ve got our focus set on making sure that the Alpha covers our core-mechanics, level-structure and most importantly, seeing as how we’re creating a theme park game that focuses on original input-devices, we’ve got to make sure that the control feels tight. This is done through separating our project into two different programs; one called the prototype that has our controls fully functional and where we try new technology, and one known as the Main project where we’ve created a map editor, an object editor (for collisions, animations etc.); this is where the the approved concepts are put. Most importantly; we’re making progress! Design 
Totemic Design Diagram So, this is where I’m personally most involved. There’s quite a challenge in making sure that such an easy and lightweight concept is interesting enough to keep an audience interested. First off, we’ve gone from being time-based (as in, spend enough time in the middle, and you’ll win) to being score based. And, as most of us would agree; it’s far more satisfying to gain a thousand points, than it is to gain one point of score, even if the amount of progress is relative to the same victory condition. To tackle the issue of creating a mess in the middle of the map with the totem being the focus, we’ve added an out ring around the map that will consist of small items that is to be picked up by the gatherer’s (quick note – the gatherer is one of the character’s that the player controls, and is responsible for picking up power-ups, score multiplier (as mentioned in the text) and controlling the middle. They’re fragile and will be eliminated immediately upon contact with the other character from other player’s, known as the defender) and controlling the middle. The “Score Multiplier’s” are basically coins that a player can pick up with their gatherer. They serve as a way of getting in to the match without having to hold the middle, and also to reward the player with points even if they’re not currently in control of the middle. As a matter of fact, most things will now reward score. Awarding time to player’s is too much of an abstract arbitrary value; gaining 0.25s worth of time is not as “fun” as gaining 100 score per second; there’s a reason why you, for example, critically hit for 15 million points of damage in Diablo. This is to give the player a constant sense of progress, even when thing’s are not looking out his or her way. GUI/HUD We’ve gone with a simple approach to creating a HUD. We’ve boiled the most important things that the game have to communicate to the player as being:
Mock-up of both the Game Space and the HUD/GUI
That about sums it up for now. I’ll make sure to update more often as we’re now starting to pump out new content to the game. Take care! //Team Lingonskogen |
