Design Focus of the Week: Game-play Complexity

From our Network Multiplayer session, game-play merely involved straight-forward shooting. As it stands, the current game is too simple.

What do you believe should be implemented into the game to add more complexity and/or fun to the game-play? (Try to adhere to some Key Design Goals mentioned here: http://sites.google.com/site/gridirongamedevelopment/game-direction-overview , such as a frenetic game-play experience).

You can respond however you'd like, but you may want to consider the following guidelines:
1) If you come up with any solution(s) then succinctly explain what it is and how does it solve the above problem.
2) Remember to elaborate on what you actually like about the idea.

(An example solution may be, what if the character had a charging dash ability that can negate up to a # of bullets. What I like about this idea is that it creates a sort of mind-game; that is, the shooter needs to consider how many bullets they should/can unload at once, while the defender needs to consider when to use this dashing ability, since if the attacker unloads too many bullets at once, then the dash will fail.)

We will discuss this at the next meeting and start implementing some of them as we continue prototyping.


Edit:

Some Questions/Cases to Consider:

How does the idea/concept address some of the following (and/or other unspecified aspects)?

"Visuals"
- Ambience/Atmosphere and the dark/gritty nature of the environment. (How does the concept complement and/or contrast with certain details of the game?)
- Basic Properties (i.e., Texture/shape/size/etc.)
- Highlighted Tiles
- Temporal Aspect of the Visuals
- Power/Smoothness/Other Feelings as an inherent part of the Visuals
- If the concept has any relation to any actor in the game, then how will it shape the identity of the actor/character?

"Physical Input Controls"
- tap/charge/release? (There are several interesting possibilities; e.g., see how the bow and arrow works in Bastion).

"Game Logic"
- Complexity
- Involved actors, including inanimate actors (e.g., an attack involves at least the attacker and the target. How will the target avoid/defend/negate/dodge/counter/reflect the attack? How will the attacker trap/restrict/manipulate/impact the target with respect to temporal, spatial, and other aspects?)
- Relevant Properties (e.g., each projectile from a weapon has a movement pattern/behavior, damage, speed, applied effect upon impact, volume, etc.; note that the 2nd bullet from an on-going firing action doesn't even have to have the same properties as the 1st)
- How does the concept enhance/complement currently implemented game-play elements?
- How may the currently implemented game-play elements/logic be modified to create a better fit for the concept?

Concept Power Ups 2

Here's a few more ideas.

Concept Power Ups 1

So here's a few ideas I had for the weapon power ups. I'll have a few more up with in the week.

-David

Oh yehhhh. GirdIron fan art is my very first completed digital drawing.

UI graphics

Maybe these can be used for the web also.

Grid Iron logo

On Weapon Design

Since we're starting to look at weapon designs, I think it'll be beneficial to list weapon properties and considerations to facilitate the design process. This is by no means an exhaustive list, so if there's something missing, then it's a good idea to respond with a comment.

Properties

• rate of fire
• # of bullets
• speed of bullets
• spread of bullets
  
• collision volume(s)/area/locality or other requisites for triggering the bullet impact
  
• area/locality/time or other requisites for receiving the bullet impact
  
• potential/possible effects of the bullet impact (e.g., damage, slow-down, stun, flinch, push-back, knock-back, etc.), based on some requisite conditions
  

Possibly Relevant Questions

• How does this incorporate or extend the importance of highlighted tiles? (Note - currently, highlighted tiles provides a speed boost, but it certainly can be changed to include other benefits/disadvantages)
• How does this contribute to the importance of spatial awareness?
• How does this complement/contrast with other weapons or concepts in the game?
• What are some ways to avoid/dodge/negate/counter this attack? (Note - 'avoid' refers to being in a position that can not be impacted by the attack)
• What are some interesting ways to utilize the attack?
  

particle effects

here're some particle effects for the guns

Website reference

awesome lyout

awesome layout

gridiron

here's a little gridiron char i've done paint over for. I'm no sure if it's D2k worthy though.....have work on it a bit more.

gridiron cocept

gridiron concept

Hey guys, so here's the concept I've done. May not fit everyone's vision, but I thougt it may be cool to use for pause screen or title screen or something.

environment concept

working out composition, it's still rough.. but thinking the stage is inside of a dome-like factory with lots of windows.. (like brett's reference photos) Large machines can act like buildings around the stage, so the factory is relatively big compared to the stage.. large conveyor belt that can animate things being carried during game play. Stage is attached to a machine (so maybe it can move up and down during play to change scenery?)..

Some Game Design Thoughts

1) Tiles with different visual materials to indicate unique properties or categories of properties. (e.g., properties like enhancement/reduction of types of attacks, defense, or effects).

• Pros: Once developed, it's highly reusable to create a variety of environments/levels; can give more purpose to choice of weapons/power-ups; adds another layer of depth/complexity that the player has to consider
  

• Cons: (Not sure what it would look like, whether simple or highly detailed, but) the visual indicators on the tiles may restrict art direction

• Note: I have no detailed examples in mind; however, in other games the types tend to be elemental types (e.g., fire, water, grass, etc.)
  

2) This is somewhat related to the above idea; how about "Easter Eggs" (i.e., hidden weapons/items/triggers) that are only activated after walking on the tile. (This means it can be beneficial or disadvantageous to explore/traverse the environment. Remember Minesweeper?)

• Pros: Allows manipulation of the game atmosphere depending on the layout design of the environment; adds another layer of detail that the player has to consider

• Cons: No visual cues may be frustrating for players, so some form of approximate visual cue may be necessary.
  

3) A parry system (see Street Fighter: Third Strike to know what I mean). It can have both advantages and drawbacks. E.g., it can provide some % reduction in damage, knockback, or effects (or maybe provide some enhancement vs reduction); but it may have repercussions like requiring the player to fire off a shot in order to activate it (where the parry takes effect during the initiation of the shot), or it may result in a brief side-effect like slow-down.

• Pros: adds another layer of depth/complexity that the player has to contend with

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On use of colors for tiles, I think colors like Cyan and Orange (which are in Momo's previous art concept) looks better than plain Blue; Blue to me just doesn't look as vibrant. I'm not sure how this may have repercussions for the color of weapon particles though.

(Implemented) Trail Logic Explanation

Currently, highlighted tiles give characters a speed boost when they are running across it. There's 2 types of highlighted tiles (which are not mutually exclusive): Trail tiles and Bonus Trail tiles. A tile can both be a Trail tile and Bonus Trail tile.

A tile becomes a Trail tile when a character initially walks on the tile. Currently, each 'pawn' or character can only own up to a max of 4 Trail tiles that each lasts for 4 seconds. That is, a highlighted tile becomes unhighlighted either after 4 seconds, or the owner has taken over a 5th trail tile.

Highlighted tiles can be stolen by opponents, and these are called Bonus Trail tiles. The highlighted tiles are stolen when a character walks on to an opponent's highlighted tile or through weapon attacks. A character can own an unlimited # of bonus trail tiles. Upon being stolen, the Bonus Trail tile expires based on the max remaining time duration between that of the tile as a Trail tile or Bonus Trail tile. When a Bonus Trail tile is also a Trail tile, then the remaining duration of the Bonus Trail tile is temporary frozen, until it is no longer a Trail tile.

prop thumbs

prop thumbs

more cocept

cocnept

more reference

more reference

dgridiron ref

http://www.udk.com/showcase-bounty-arms

more concept

more

Environment concepts

Reference-Cars 2

Screenshot-Jul 09

Website update

Website update

http://toshnak.com/gridironv1/index.html

Contents needed:
Gameplay videos (at least 4)
Gameplay Screenshots(2 or more)
Game description (About 3 long paragraphs)
portrait pix if we want to. (I'll do that)
profile info. Name, position, website, email, etc. for possible future connections.

prop thumbnails

Environment/Prop ideas..

Took Brett's sketch and am playing around with textures/colors and shapes.. still roughing it out. I'll gather some more reference over the week and work it out.

Some thumbnails of props that will be in the environment.

...more thumbs