Game Development - Final Project
19/11/2023- (Week 11 -Week 14)
Brigita Maria/0352958
Game Development/Bachelor of Design in Creative Media
Creating "Pingyu Going Home" has been a complex but deeply educational experience. The finalization of this project involved completing various assets and illustrations to complete the game’s aesthetic and ensure a cohesive look. Some key elements I worked on include:
Figure 1. Alphabet for instruction
Figure 2. Instruction UI
When developing this game I realized that even small elements could make a big difference.
One key discovery was the necessity of clear game instructions. Players need to understand how to navigate and interact with the game world from the start. This led to the creation of instructional UI elements (Figure 2) and an alphabet specifically for instructions (Figure 1).. This specifically to make a cohesive type with the game style.
Figure 3. Pingyu design (1)
Figure 4. Pingyu design (2)
Figure 7.
Figure 8. "Golden Egg Acquired" overlay
Figure 9. Animal trap illustration
Figure 10. Platform illustration
Figure 11. Escape Block Background
Figure 12. Escape block's blocks
Despite the game’s primarily black-and-white aesthetic, I learned that color cues could still play a vital role. Subtle use of color can guide players and highlight important elements, helping them navigate and progress through the game. This insight led to the incorporation of some new illustrations and design tweaks to ensure that players receive the necessary visual cues without compromising the overall style such as Figure 12 and 13. Also some environment design from the previous posts.
Figure 13. Design for Tomb entrance
Figure 14. Red overlay when character attacked
Feedback from in-game events, such as being attacked, also proved crucial. Players need visual indicators to understand what’s happening, which is why I added a red overlay for when the character is attacked (Figure 14). This immediate feedback helps players react and adapt, making the game more engaging and intuitive.
Although, I find 1 thing that I am missing is the attacking visual cue/sound cue. I did not able to make that in the final game. That is one thing that I would add if I have more time.
Figure 15. Pingyu "bye-bye"
Figure 16. Ending pingyu in home illustration
Figure 17. Underwater illustration background (1)
Figure 18. Underwater illustration background (2)
Figure 19. Game over background / void background
Figure 20. Background underground tomb with door
Figure 21. Background underground tomb with open door
Figure 22. Entrance to forest (opened)
Following this paragraph are some iterations of Title pieces that I made. I decided to make a more illustrative and hand-drawn title to be true to the original game style that was chosen.
Figure 23. Title for "Game Over" screen ver.1
Figure 24. Game Title illustration ver.1
Figure 25. Game Title illustration ver.2
Figure 26. Title for "Game Over" screen ver.2
Figure 27. "I'm Home" text bubble for ending screen
I realized that there were several important aspects I missed but would love to include if I had more time.
The first one is main menu, which is essential for providing players with options to start the game, load saved progress, and adjust settings. Including this feature would greatly improve the overall user experience, giving players more control and flexibility from the outset.
Then the level select screen would allow players to choose which levels to play and view their completion status. This feature is crucial for player engagement, as it lets them track their progress and revisit previous levels to improve their performance or find missed items.
Lastly is the pause menu offering options to resume, restart, or exit the level is another critical feature I missed. This would give players the ability to take breaks, retry challenging sections, or exit the game without losing their progress.
Summary
These aspects are important for creating a polished and player-friendly game. While I didn’t manage to include them in this version of "Pingyu Going Home," acknowledging their importance highlights areas for potential improvement in future updates or projects. If given more time, I would be eager to implement these features to enhance the overall gaming experience.
Figure 28. Countless script :,-)
The real challenge is this ^^ the scripting ,_, . Implementing the game mechanics and ensuring everything functioned correctly was a strenuous task filled with trial and error. There is no day without encountering errors and struggling to find the source of these errors!! I think writing the right scripts and establishing the logic behind various game interactions is not an easy task for me as I don't have a strong basic. Thankfully, with the aid of AI and internet resources, I managed to overcome these hurdles.
FEEDBACK
Figure 29. Review from friends (1)
Figure 30. Review from friends (2)
Figure 31. Edit after some feedback
Received some feedbacks from my friends. Tons of them. Unfortunately cause of the time constraints, I only fixed and amended the doable and important points that they pointed out.
Such as when the character went out of frame and fall down into .. nothingness, I need to add some wall/ game object to prevent that happens in several pages. Some direction that is unclear, I change the wordings and add arrow to indicate the players where to go.
Working on "Pingyu Going Home" has been a challenging but rewarding
experience. Working on the initial ideas and proposals,
researching fun games for inspiration, and combining elements from
existing games to shape my concept. Along the way, I've improved my
knowledge of game design and honed my skills in analyzing games and
understanding different types of players.
When I started working with the unity file, I often went back and forth
between making the assets (illustration) and the unity file due to an
uncertain foundation and lack of planning of the game direction, leading
to inconsistent progress. Despite encountering numerous issues with
scripting and mechanics, and often feeling stressed by errors and the
complexities of coding, I remained dedicated to finding solutions and
learning from each obstacle.
Through this project, I've realized how crucial a solid foundation is
for determining the direction and look of a game. Despite the
challenges, I’m grateful for this journey as it has taught me so much
about Unity and game development. I’ve learned to appreciate the
process, to be proud of my work, and not to compare it with others. This
project has been a significant learning experience, and even amidst the
stress, I find joy in the progress I make.
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