The Brief
Chunk / Fail
Chunk / Fail
CONCEPT
Create a short game that focuses on the notion that failure can be an important step
towards success.
• A lot of today’s society discourages the notion of failure. “Failure is not an
option” is an oft quoted and encouraged state-of-mind in our culture.
However games, often without acknowledging it, can be prime examples of
how we learn from our mistakes.
• “Being prepared to fail means you are ready to take the risk to succeed.”
Can a game explore this notion without suggesting what it’s doing?
Create a short game that focuses on the notion that failure can be an important step
towards success.
• A lot of today’s society discourages the notion of failure. “Failure is not an
option” is an oft quoted and encouraged state-of-mind in our culture.
However games, often without acknowledging it, can be prime examples of
how we learn from our mistakes.
• “Being prepared to fail means you are ready to take the risk to succeed.”
Can a game explore this notion without suggesting what it’s doing?
PURPOSE
A successful project will become a playable experience on the platform of choice
that successfully illustrates the philosophy that failure can lead to success and could
be considered as educational and inspirational.
A successful project will become a playable experience on the platform of choice
that successfully illustrates the philosophy that failure can lead to success and could
be considered as educational and inspirational.
AUDIENCE
Choose your target audience as either 5-8 year olds or 21+ and must conform to the
ESRB rating guide for E (Everyone).
Choose your target audience as either 5-8 year olds or 21+ and must conform to the
ESRB rating guide for E (Everyone).
DELIVERABLES
• A project plan and milestones
• Design and art guide outlining goals, features and description of the finished
product.
• The final deliverable should be a playable prototype. Deliver a slice of
gameplay that proves the potential for your game. BE REALISTIC.
3
Chunk / Fail
• A project plan and milestones
• Design and art guide outlining goals, features and description of the finished
product.
• The final deliverable should be a playable prototype. Deliver a slice of
gameplay that proves the potential for your game. BE REALISTIC.
3
Chunk / Fail
INFLUENCES/TONE/IMAGE
• References: The Unfair Platformer, Being Wrong: Adventures In The Margin
Of Error, The Institute Of Failure
• Remember that the game should help convey the philosophy that being
prepared for failure means you’re willing to take the risk to succeed. This
doesn’t need to be taken literally (although a game like The Unfair Platformer
does get this point across). Think about risk vs. reward in terms of allowing
players to navigate the game in their own way but presenting
problems/challenges that suggest that there is an obvious/easy way out vs. a
harder way vs. hidden ways. Think about the rewards for taking risks. Don’t
fall into the trap of awarding more currency or achievements etc. but rather
imagine how the journey itself can be seen as being a more rewarding
experience for having taken those risks.
• We don’t want to reward change in behaviour; we want to show how selffulfilling/
rewarding taking risks can be.
• References: The Unfair Platformer, Being Wrong: Adventures In The Margin
Of Error, The Institute Of Failure
• Remember that the game should help convey the philosophy that being
prepared for failure means you’re willing to take the risk to succeed. This
doesn’t need to be taken literally (although a game like The Unfair Platformer
does get this point across). Think about risk vs. reward in terms of allowing
players to navigate the game in their own way but presenting
problems/challenges that suggest that there is an obvious/easy way out vs. a
harder way vs. hidden ways. Think about the rewards for taking risks. Don’t
fall into the trap of awarding more currency or achievements etc. but rather
imagine how the journey itself can be seen as being a more rewarding
experience for having taken those risks.
• We don’t want to reward change in behaviour; we want to show how selffulfilling/
rewarding taking risks can be.
My role in the project will be as the 2D animator. In the early stages of this project I will be working along side the concept artist to get more of the groups ideas into visual form to help drive our imagination and game development processes (untill we have something solid to work from).
Game Ideas
After our first Project meeting with my team we came up with numerous ideas for games we could develop that fit the themes in the brief. Our first being that you are a hero who at the start of the game/story have been trusted with a whole load of cool abilities that will help you complete and fight through the levels ahead (they will help you progress). There would be three or so example levels in the prototype, and after completing each of these levels the main character will be given a scenario which will offer up the opportunity to give away one of your abilities for a good cause but with no immediate personal gain. This would be playing to the theme of failing to succeed, the idea being that as you progress (if the game is played correctly) you should have less and less power/abilities making the game harder to play until you reach the end of the game with no abilities whatsoever. An example of the scenario at the end of the game would be that you're faced with a boss (i.e. dragon) and through your good deeds (giving away your abilities) you are given them all back with bonus power which makes defeating the dragon possible. If the player went through the game keeping all of the abilities they would be stripped of their powers at the end and then left to face the dragon with nothing. There was also talk of giving the player the ability to bypass all of the levels and just skip to the end through an underground tunnel of some sorts.
I had an image in my mind of how this game idea would look and tried to combine the styles of Scott Pilgrim and Mega man.
When considering all types of character designs i also had a look at the characters our company Chunk has already featured in their own games.
This experimentation led my team to come up with some more game concept ideas around the character on our brief - the yellow fuzzy ball (not sure what the name of the character is yet) seen in the top right corner of the image ubove.
After another group meeting we had a fresh new game idea that everyone was happy with. Simple and comedic the game revolves around chunk's own character, this fuzzy yellow ball. The aim of the game is to get through the maze and avoid traps with the aid of your glowing yellow fuzzy hair. In order to utilise your hair the player will be able to drop 'hair bombs' which would light up portions of the map and make it easier for the player to progress. There are a limit use of hair bombs and are used the same way as Super Marios lives (once you run out you're 'dead' and have to start again from the beginning). I concepted some power up ideas also - all themed on hair related products (shampoo/hair gel, comb/hairbrush, hair dryer and hair growth formula) each of these would give the character added abilities that would make the game play more fun and inspire the player to utilise their own tact-tics in order to progress through the level.
Already thinking about the animation side of things I quickly sketched out the character with a skeleton so I could work out how he would move. I also added feet (which would be hidden under the fur so as not to change the idea of the original character too much) which would help me work out the characters walk and run cycles easier.
Alternative 'Hairy themed' characters other than Chunks own brand
Meeting the Client
Had our first meeting/skype call with our client yesterday (Thursday 31st October 2013) and we pitched our main game concept to them; the maze platformer where you play as their own character and you have to explore the maze (reach the exit) by avoiding traps and using your glowing hair to light the way. They found that using a maze would restrict the game too much by making it linear, they also didn’t like the use of their chrarcter as it was only for designed for branding purposes and they didn’t want it to have more of a backstory created for it (didn’t want it in the spotlight). They also gave us a new spin on the brief as well as a new direction to head. They talked about open world exploration games such as minecraft and how it involves more exploring and player interaction. With minecraft as an example, the player has free control of their own unique experience and the game is just a platform for the player to do what they want with. They also mentioned the game OctoDad which inspired a whole new way to look at this idea of failure- everyone gets a different experience out of it and it’s fun to play and silly to look at. This meeting left us a bit stumped with our current maze idea which would require a lot of iteration to fit this new brief. So in our group meeting today we explored new game ideas and stayed away from the maze concept.
Further concepting of ideas
- Dating game (you control how the date goes by either playing well or loosing on purpose just to see the results, you control the man and his actions. Inspired by surgeon simulator)
- Super Powers (You are a superhero who goes around collecting a total of 15 silly powers that range from exploding cats to growing potatoes from your finger tips)
Thinking of ideas for a super hero character for this game idea. Originally I was thinking along the lines of a quirky, over the top kind of hero (because the abilities you get are quite silly, it would add to the humour if the hero was also silly, i.e. metroman or Banana Man).
These are some sketches I created after our group discussions about how the game would play and about the players main character the hero. Something funny, lighthearted 2D cartoony. Influenced by The Incredibles and Megamind. Sketches include ideas for possible silly/pointless power up abilities that younger audiences might enjoy for example a 'potato staff' that you use to hit the ground in order to grow potatoes...
Adapt. The name given to the game that everyone agreed to work on. A 2D Puzzle platformer inspired mainly by the games Limbo and Hapland to be created in Unity. The core game play mechanic is the ability to change into a different themed animal after death depending on what environment you are in when you die (or a themed death, i.e. drown in water as a land-based animal and re-appear as a water-based animal).
Development
I firstly helped out with character design, trying to think of three main animals for 'Land, Water, and Sky' themed levels.
In group discussions we talked about the animals and what abilities they would have - something that would make playing as each individual animal unique and would effect how they would interact with their environment - this would add the game play element that in order to complete the game you have to cycle through each animal to interact with in-game objects in a certain order to be able to progress through the game - this is where we are hoping to portray the aspect of failure to meet the requirements of the brief.
Through the character development stages the silhouette style was agreed upon - drawing on the 'Limbo' influence. We felt that this would make animations a lot simpler and it meant that the character would not clash with the style of the environment it's it and would be fully readable for the audience.
Environment Development
Whilst in the conception stages the group discussed how our game world would look. The idea of having a 'Hub' in the center was agreed upon as a must as a starting point and a place for the player to be able to access all three levels. I created this sketch to demonstrate my vision to the group and many agreed that it would work well, the land level being on the left, the water and sky on the right with the hub in the middle and a picturesque mountain in the background to tie all the elements together.
Asset Production
In order to create modular environment assets I started sketching pieces that would be common place in a 'Land-based' environment as it was decided that, in a coder heavy team, the artists would not be able to complete three fully fleshed out environments and their respected animations. Cutting back for the prototype, one fully completed level with art assets, animation and sound is to be completed and for this we chose the Land environment as a showcase piece.
After sketching some pieces out, I took them into Photoshop for some experimenting/painting.
Once I had received the level design from our groups designer I took it into photoshop, scaled it up and used it as a base for my asset creation.
After coming across this visual development art for a side-scrolling game called 'Lady of the Sword' by Ariel Belinco I thought the art style was fantastic and would suit our game well so I pitched it to the team and the other artists. It was agreed that this style would work well with the character design and would suit the premise of the game also.
Land environment colour swatch - autumn colours with water elements
Following the art style, colour swatch and level design I've started creating the art assets - starting with all the interactable elements of the game.
Production Screen shots;
