Quiztmas

Today we started off with a Christmas quiz that involved completing the title of different Christmas films that had sections of the title blanked out. I found this quiz to be entertaining but difficult and I only managed to achieve a score of 5 out of 10 which did not win me the dual monitors.

We then moved on to completing any outstanding work, I continued with my game making. I changed the background of my game assets so that they stand out in the game from the background and other assets. I then reviewed my PDP from last week in order to meet assignment requirements.

More Game Creation

Today we began by continuing on with designing the games that we have to create for this assignment. I have added more assets into the game and I have made sure that the assets cannot phase through objects or each other. I did this by selecting the solid box at the right hand side of the objects dialogue box. I feel that the games design is going well so far but I am beginning to find it a very repetitive task and I struggle with certain aspects of games design.

We continued to create our games until the end of the day at 2:30pm. I feel that I should meet the deadline for this unit which is after the Christmas holidays which is in 2 days time (yay!). I am looking foward to the holidays because I have worked very hard throughout the last few units and I am feeling very drained and I am struggling for motivation in certain aspects of work but this should be sorted out after the holidays. I am also looking foward to bowling tomorrow because I have not been bowling in a while so I am hoping I am good enough to win some prizes or at least beat John.

I feel I need some help with the games design as some tutorials do not cover every aspect of game design and if they do then they do not do it in a clear enough manner. I will mainly need help with the coding because we have to include some code and I cannot code for the life of me so I will most likely struggle when I come round to putting code within the game. I plan to put in the minimum amount of code possible so I have less chance of messing the code or game up.

Overall today was an average day because I enjoyed the chocolates that were handed out and they were very tasty but I found the game making task the most annoying and repetitive thing I have done in ages. I could also sense that a few other people felt the same way because there were a lot of smashed footballs during lunch break however I can now look foward to bowling tomorrow and only having a half day on Thursday.

Creating the Game

Today we started off by updating our personal development plans. this is when we set targets throughout the unit and try to achieve them before the unit finishes. We had to comment on the targets we had set before and then set new ones that we think we can achieve before the end of the unit. We have been setting PDP targets for the last three weeks and trying to achieve them. I have achieved most of the targets so far but I still need to achieve some more. I feel that I am keeping my PDP up to date very well.

Most of the class then went to the UEA for a look around the university but some stayed behind and continued with their work like I did. I finally began creating my game after working hard last week on the design aspect of the game I moved on to actually developing it. I started off by adding the main character sprite and then making sure it was the correct size for the game. I then added the maze wall and began creating the layout of the maze. I feel that the game looks good so far and I hope to add more sprites and assets tomorrow.

I looked at lots of Game Maker tutorials on YouTube in order to help me with certain aspects of Game Maker like re-sizing images and making certain objects solid within the game so that assets do not float through walls or escape from the games arena. I got through 3 tutorial videos and I found them incredibly helpful considering how unreliable YouTube can be at times. I hope to have the game finished sometime after the Christmas holidays but before the hand in deadline.

Overall today was a very good day because I found that creating my game was very enjoyable because I was expecting it to be very complex and difficult meaning I would be tempted to throw the computer out of the window but fortunately it was actually quite easy. The negative of today was the lack of other students in the centre meaning we had less people to talk to and no one wanted to play football during lunch break.

Completion of Assignment Two

Today we started off by continuing with design work to do with the games we need to create as part of this unit. I finished the report as part of this assignment and made the table that contained variable names for the game and the data type it was. I also explained the function of each variable and how the data type makes the object do it's job in game. I feel that the design work I have done is to a good standard and I hope it meets the specified requirements.

I then added the storyboard images to the design specification and described what was on each storyboard. I then proofread the document to make sure it all made sense and that there were not any spelling errors or grammatical mistakes within the document. I also feel the storyboard section of the design specification is of a very good standard and I hope it meets the specified requirements on the scheme of learning.

I feel I will need help when it comes to the creation of the game because I need to watch some Game Maker tutorials and then take the knowledge on board so I have a good understanding of how to create a good working game. I will also need help with the coding side of the game because I struggle with coding a lot this is shown by the software design unit done previously in which I did not manage to make a working program.

Overall today was a good day because I completed assignment two and handed it in before the deadline was over. The positives of this week were that I handed in assignments and other work on time and the work was done to a good standard. I achieved a score of 8 out of 10 on the weekly quiz which means I am edging closer to the dual monitors. I also enjoyed playing football at lunch because it is nice to go outside after staring at a computer for a long time. The negatives of this week were that I still have software design work to hand in on top of creating the game which I still haven't started yet.

Design Spec

Today we started off with a quiz all about the day in the life of a games designer. I found the video to be a bit inaccurate because this was just one persons experience and not necessarily everyone's personal experience when working as a games designer. I felt the questions in the quiz were of a mixed difficulty because some questions were about information like what game she likes to play but then there were questions like what brand of air freshener was on her desk. I managed to achieve a score of 8 out of 10 but I still did not win nevertheless I did not come last so I do not have to do the quiz on the final day of term next week.

We then moved on to continuing with any work to do with assignment two task one. I continued on with my design specification and I managed to complete some pseudo code for my game which is part of the assignment criteria. I also completed a part of the report and I hope to get the rest of the evidence for assignment two completed tomorrow as this is when the deadline is for assignment two. I feel I should meet this deadline because I am nearly done now.

I feel I do not need any help at this stage because I am currently working on assignment two which is the design side of the game and not the actual creating of the game. I hope to have this work done tomorrow so that I can meet the assignment deadline and then be able to play around some more with Game Maker before I get straight to creating the game. I will probably need help at the creating stage of the game because I have a lack of experience with Game Maker and I am not very good at coding.

Overall today was a good day because I worked very hard to get the storyboard ready for scanning by drawing over it in black pen. I then moved on to the design specification and the pseudo code that has to be done with the design specification after that I wrote up some of the report but I still have some of it to write up before I am finished. There were negatives like the amount of work I still have to get done before tomorrows deadline and it was really cold again this morning so I nearly froze.

Finishing the Storyboard

Today we started off by discussing what information we needed to put in our design specification in order to meet the criteria for the task and assignment. The information that needed to be included was explaining the purpose of the game in detail, talk about the amount of levels and a brief story line about the game. I understood this and made sure the necessary information was included when I had finished the design specification.

I then moved on to writing and drawing up the storyboard for my game which I will begin to create soon. I drew all of the assets I wished to include in the game and then wrote some bullet points of information about each asset and what kind of job they would do in the final version of the game. I felt I did quite well at this task because I included lots of information about each of the assets but I did not draw them very well but then we are not marked down for drawing. I managed to finish the storyboard and all I have to do is scan it and then add it on to the design specification.

I feel I may need some help in the near future particularly when it comes to making my game. I do not have nay experience with Game Maker but hopefully tutorials can help although that has to depend on the quality of writing and instructions within the tutorial. I hope to begin creating my game on Thursday or maybe at the latest Friday depending on how quickly I can get the Pseudo code and scanning of my storyboard done.

Overall today was a good day as I worked very hard on my storyboard to make sure it was to the best of my ability and I received a Christmas card from a fellow student which was drawn to perfection and made my drawing look like a toddlers joking aside it was a very nice gesture from Danny. The negative of today was that I still have work form the Software Design unit to hand in but I need to concentrate on this unit so I will probably have to do the previous work at home.      

                                                                                            

Completed Assignment One

Today we started off by recapping about Pseudo code and how to make good and accurate Pseudo code. The first exercise was to create Pseudo code for having a shower and use IF statements to help make it understandable. We then had to add the ELSE statement to the Pseudo code to make it more in depth. I did this exercise surprisingly well because I do not like doing Pseudo code that much so it was a surprise when I did it quite well.

I then moved on to creating the design specification for the game because we had the rest of the time to continue with the design aspect of our games. I managed to write the introduction, talk about the game and make an action plan for the design of the game. I have not yet completely finished because I have to create the Pseudo code for the game and make sure it is correct. I can then move on to making the actual game.

I finished assignment one of the game design unit at home because we were set this assignment to do as homework so we could concentrate on designing our games. I had finished task one on Friday and I completed task two on Sunday and I can now hand in my assignment before the deadline. I will hand the assignment in tomorrow when I have a bit more time because I have lots of design work to do so I can meet the deadline of assignment two.

I feel I do not need any help with assignment two because I have read the scheme of learning and listened to the class discussions and I now know what is required to meet the requirements for this assignment. I hope to have assignment two done by Friday or maybe at the earliest Thursday but I may struggle when it comes to creating the game for the next assignment although I have extra time because I am not going to the UEA trip on Monday next week.

Overall today was a good day because I got lots of work done as I managed to understand Pseudo code slightly more and create the design specification for the game. I did not enjoy how cold it was today as I was freezing both this morning while I was walking up here and during lunch when I was playing football.      

Completing Task One of Assignment One

Today we started off by looking at the different design actions we have to take before creating our games. We were put into small groups and told to come up with a list of things we must do before we create the game. The list contained things like creating a storyboard, making the games assets, coming up with a brief story line description and an action plan. I felt this task helped to point out what we needed to do before we create the game and it helps with organisational skills as well.

We then had to get to work on anything to do with games design. I continued on with assignment one tasks one and two and I managed to complete task one. I hope to have task two completed by Tuesday next week as that is the assignment hand in deadline. I found task one to be quite simple to complete because the group knows a lot about games and the kind of impacts they can have on society.

I feel I do not need any help with task two because I also understand this task and already have some of the knowledge required for this task. I also felt a lot of information was covered during the class discussions that usually take place. I hope to have task two done by Tuesday although it will have to be done as homework because we have lots of other work to do like making storyboards and assets for the game.

Overall today was a very good day because I got lots of work done and there were positives like getting my assignment one back from the previous unit and the fact it's only two weeks until we break up for Christmas. There were also negatives like the fact that I still have some work to hand in from the software design unit. I also went to play football on the hard court but it was locked so we asked for the key from a member of staff and they told us they do not have the key because they lost it.    

Assignment One Task Two

Today we began with a quiz about Google's efforts to make a driver-less car. I found this to be interesting because the statistics about how many hours people in America spend in traffic to how many gallons of gasoline can be saved with driver-less cars. I managed to achieve a score of 6 out of 12 which was enough to mean I don't have to do the quiz next week although I was disappointed I could not achieve a higher score on the quiz.

We then moved on to a discussion about the psychological effects video games can have on people. We had to discuss what we think made people want to play video games.This can be things from sound effects to the competitive nature of the game and people wanting to better or higher their score. I found this to be interesting because I was keen to see what people felt attracted them to carry on playing a video game rather than just stopping.

We then moved on to discussing task two of assignment one which is to discuss the different types of games and gaming platforms. We all listed different genres of games like first person shooter and sports games and then we were put into pairs and chose a genre of game to find a definition and examples of games from this genre and then present to the class. I was assigned first person shooter and it was interesting to see what other people had put for their definitions about different genres.

I feel I do not need any help with assignment one because I understand the task and know about what kind of information to put in the task in order to meet the criteria stated on the scheme of learning. I have nearly finished task one and will be finished in a couple of slides. I hope to meet the deadline for this assignment which is on Tuesday.

Overall today was a good day because I found the quiz to be interesting and informative while also laughing at the difficulty of the questions after the video. I also got lots of work done today meaning I have less to do towards the assignment deadline. I did not enjoy the initial English and Maths assessments I had to do today.      

Assignment One

Today we began by looking at the positives and negatives that video games have on society. we were divided into groups of three and we had to draw up either a list of positives or negatives depending on which one we were assigned. We then had to collaborate our list with other groups and come up with a final list. We then presented this list to the other group who came up with a list of positives and we eventually came up with a final list full of both positives and negatives. I felt this task was good because it was interesting to see other peoples ideas and experiences and be able to create a list that will be used for assignment one.

I then moved on to creating a PowerPoint about the negative and positive aspects of gaming on society. We have to explain things like the health issues gaming can lead to and the benefits like improving hand-eye coordination. I chose PowerPoint because I felt that the layout would be easier to create and it makes it look more organised. I hope to have the first task done on Thursday so I can get on with improving my game making skills.

I enjoyed the group task this morning because we don't get to work as a group very often and I enjoyed hearing about other peoples experiences about gaming. I did not enjoy working on the assignment because I just find assignments boring.

I feel I do not need any help with my assignment because I understand what I have to do and what must be done in order to meet the criteria when the deadline comes around.

Overall today was an average day because I enjoyed the teamwork aspect and I enjoyed the discussion but I did not enjoy working on the assignment. I found the football session to be dangerous because the football was pumped up to maximum air meaning it was harder and a lot more bouncier.
 

Game Design

Today we started a new unit called developing computer games. First we discussed the impact of games on society such as physiological impacts and the positives and negatives of video games. I found this discussion to be interesting because I was keen to see how people felt video games impacted society and what kind of psychological effect they can have.

We then moved on to looking at example games made from a previous year. I found this to be fun because it was good to see people ideas and concepts they had then put into an end product that can be quite enjoyable. The games were also quite buggy because you could walk up walls or be unable to finish the game because a ledge could not be reached. I found this to be rather annoying because I was getting into the games and I really wanted to complete them.

We then had to follow a tutorial step by step to create a simple game that involved clicking on a moving object that would randomly position itself and bounce off walls. It would also increase in speed and add a score of 10 every time the clown was clicked on. I successfully recreated this by following the tutorial but I found the tutorial to be too detailed and there was far too much text for a tutorial and it had 19 pages.

I enjoyed playing the games because I found it to be fun and also give me inspiration for the type of game I would like to create when I get the opportunity. I did not enjoy the tutorial because although it was rewarding to create a small game the tutorial made it seem less significant because of the time it took me to finish the tutorial.

Overall today was a good day because it felt like a new day because we were starting a new unit. I completed everything expected of me and enjoyed some of the activities that were set today. I also found the video at the start of the day to be very interesting because it puts into perspective how far technology has come. I also found the lunchtime football session to be enjoyable as well despite how crowded the pitch was.