Statement of Intent
This game will be based on the idea of the board game I created previously. Which was about a bunch of dwarf wizards who were exploring a dungeon, and in the dungeon were enemies like goblins and skeletons. You had to go from room to room collecting key parts. Once you got 3 key parts you were able to unlock the boss room.
For this game, some of the mechanics will be the same, with the random rooms and having to collect key parts to get into the final boss room. It will be a side on platforming game, with a strong pixel art style. There will only be one Dwarf wizard (due to time constraints). You will have the ability to shot fire balls at your enemies, and other wizard like skills. You will go from room to previously randomised rooms with enemies in, and once you’ve killed the enemies (or solved puzzles?) you will be able to collect an item, which may be a key part. At the end there will be a boss room in which you’ll have to defeat the boss inside and win the level. The software that will be used to create this game will be Construct 2(for the coding), Photoshop (for the pixel art), and Spriter (for the animations in the pixel art). This game’s art style has been heavily influenced by Terraria and the game play by The Legend of Zelda. I strongly believe that I have the skill and the knowledge to be able to put this game together in the time that has been given. |
Original Dwarf Wizards
The original dwarf wizards board game which this game is based off of, is a turn based multi-player board game made for earlier half of this unit. In the game you play as either 4 wizard starting in the four corners of the board, you'd take it in turns moving from room to room using dice rolls to defeat enemies. The objective of the game was for each player to go around the board and collect key parts together, once 3 key parts were collected each player would move to the center of the board and open the boss room. Where they would all roll dice to try and defeat the boss.
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Instead of just making a digital version of the board game, I decided to use the same theme as the board game, but use it in a more video game style. I decided to make it a single player platformer. It will keep many elements of the board game, such as the enemies, moving from room to room, boss fights and collecting key parts. But it will also add new features such as puzzle solving, secret finding, speed running, and combat. It will keep the same art style and the board game, being pixel art, the the placement may change from a dungeon area to more of a castle.
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With these old and new mechanics it should come together to make a pretty interesting game that I am looking forward to creating.
I already have knowledge in Construct 2, and I plan on learning a lot more during this project. trying to use as little events as possible, and keep the file size small. Because the last project I worked on used too many events and had a huge file, even though it wasn't that big of a game. |
Creating The Game.
Other games the have inspired the art style are: Pokemon, The Legend of Zelda, Fez, and Shovel Knight. I really like the simplicity of pixel art. How you can make a lot of detail with so little. The games sprites will be made to be about 64x64 pixels, giving me a fair amount of pixels and area to play with. It is also a lot easier to make pixel assets for games than if I were to make high res textures.
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Level Design:
The games level design will be very linear in where you have to go. The only diversion from the main path will be secrets and hidden treasure. Between point A to point B, there will vertical moving platforms, enemies, crushing blocks, and locked doors that can only be opened by switches found on the level. The crushing blocks will slam down and block your path, and crush you if you are under it, but they will also be used as platforms when the player is high enough to jump onto them. There will be gaps for the player to jump across between the platforms, and because most of the game will be scaling upwards, when the player falls, they will fall back down to a lower part of the level. screwing up their time they can beat the level in. At the end of a level there will be a door, which will lead you into the next level. |
This image shows the designs for the first two levels. I wanted the first level to be simple and slowly show the player the controls of the game. so it starts off with the player on the right of the screen, so the only way to go is left, then nothing for a bit, this so the player has time to mash to controls to see what is what(because they haven't read the help page(nobody does when they play the game)) then it comes up to a small gap for them to jump over. Then another larger gap(Most first players usually fail here, falling into the pit, teaching them to walk closer to the edge to jump). Then it goes into the rest of the game slowly showing off mechanics.
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The main character of the game will be one of the 'Dwarf Wizards' ,specifically the red one. He will have simple controls, walk, jump, and attack. Because of the simple movements He will only need a few animations, Idle, Walk, Jump start, Jumping/Falling, landing, and attacking. All of the sprites will be made using 'Spriter' and exported as sprite sheets, which can be imported into construct 2.
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To get the Player's sprite from Photoshop and implemented into Spriter, the separate elements of the players body had to be separated and saved out as separate images.
The player's movement is really simple, it uses an -or- block to use both keyboard and game-pad controls. It also uses this style of code for jumping, attacking, selecting, and pausing.
To create the player to attack, when you press the attack button, the player will go into his attack animation. But it will also spawn a new sprite, which will be the flames, this is used as a collision mask. So when the enemies get hit by the mask they take damage, instead of getting hit by the player sprite, else they'd be able to walk into you from behind and still take damage even though not actually touching the flames. The same is also done with the enemy attacks, apart from the mask for their attack is set to invisible as they use swords.
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This piece of code sets the height of the chain to the same Y position as the chain top, so the chain will not appear above any platforms. It will also move with the platform that they are attach to. It also shows the similar mechanic of the chains on the slamming blocks.
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Another feature is the switch and door. When the player gets close to the switch and presses either E on the keyboard or X on the game-pad, it will open a door. These can be used to hid secret treasure chests or to make the player go back and forth though the level, therefore making that level seem bigger but using less space.
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Enemies:
The main enemies of the game will be goblins, they will be simple. They move from one end of the platform to the other, turning around when the meet the edge. When the see the player then will run towards him and attack. It will take two hits to kill these enemies, and will take a heart off of the player when they hit. Once the player kills an enemy they will drop a health pick up for the player. Because this one enemy's code is finished and is working, All it would take to add another enemy into the game would be to copy the code and change a few details to be the new enemy.
The main enemies of the game will be goblins, they will be simple. They move from one end of the platform to the other, turning around when the meet the edge. When the see the player then will run towards him and attack. It will take two hits to kill these enemies, and will take a heart off of the player when they hit. Once the player kills an enemy they will drop a health pick up for the player. Because this one enemy's code is finished and is working, All it would take to add another enemy into the game would be to copy the code and change a few details to be the new enemy.
This image shows how the enemy's movement works. When they walk into the blue box, they will turn around and move in the opposite direction. When they walk into the red box, they will jump, but only when they are not falling, if they are falling while they hit the red box (like walking off the ledge) it will ignore the collision all together and they will not jump.
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To get the enemy to see and chase after the player, I had to use a behaviour on the enemy called line of sight. this gives the enemy a cone of vision, and when the player enters it, the enemy will make an alert sound and start chasing after the player. If the enemy then walks into a blue box, or the player gets out of his line of sight, he will wait a while and stop chasing the player.
Also in the code, if the player jumps over the enemy's head, the enemy will stop and turn around. |
Tile Maps
Tile maps are images that get cut up into tiny squares, in this case they are being up up into 64x64 pixel tiles. Tile maps are useful because instead of using sprites, each tile has its own collision and you can set them up in any order, creating platforms with edges. On the right is the template for the platforms, it uses bold colours so you can see where the edges are. When I am finished using the template, you can just change the image over to the final tile set and the platforms are complete.
I also used tile sets for the background decorations, they make it a lot easier to sort the files, as you can put all the decorations onto one image file. |
Functions
Using functions really helps cut down on the amount of events you use. First you add the functions to the layout, then you can create an event called 'Call on (Function)', (You give a function it's own tag e.g. Move )then add any code which you know you would use more than once. Then when you need to use that piece of code you use the actions 'Call (Function)' (using the same tag as the 'Call on (Function)).
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Title Menu
The title menu for this game would have to be simple and accessible by the game pad, so there will be few buttons on screen. These buttons can be activated by clicking on them or using the analogue stick and pressing A. On the first page there would have been 3 buttons; Play, Help, and Quit. But you can't make the code in construct 2 to quit, so This menu would have to have 2 buttons. The play button will take you to the game, and the help button will take you to a second menu, this menu will show you the controls for the game, both keyboard and game pad.
The buttons have a slight sin movement on them, just so the screen isn't still and boring. When you mouse over them, or push the analog stick up or down, the buttons will highlight. I feel that it's very important that all screens in a game fits the same theme, so my title and control images are made the same way as the rest of the game. |
Level Complete/Score Screen
This screen comes up when you have completed a level. It adds up different factors of your previous level attempt and make up your final score. It adds the amount of time you had left plus your score then timed by how much life you have left. The coding to get to this level is really simple. It uses two variables, one(Lvl) is set as the levels name which should come next, and the other(Numb) is a number which goes up by 1 when you've finished a level. the first variable uses the second one to tell which level is next. Using the code Set Lvl to "Level_&Numb. This takes the text, Level_ and adds the number of 'Numb' to create the name of the layouts.
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Final Game
In the end the final game has 2 levels, a menu screen, a help screen, and a level completed screen. Can use both Keyboard and Game-pad controls. Only used about 108 events, and had different types of obstacles for the player to get around and secrets to find.
If I had more time and put a lot more effort in, I could have lowered the event number down by a lot more. But I feel 108 is a nice low number for a game this size. |
Final Footage
Reviews
Aimee Rippengale
The pixel style graphics Corey has used has worked extremely well to give his demo a retro game feel. Also the sounds he has used gives off a great eerie them for the castle/dungeon setting, as well with the moving object you as the player are able to hear them in the distance though cannot see them. The game runs smoothly with each animation. However i will say even though there is a timer and it can be frustrating to finish before time runs out i feel this adds more pressure and wanting to play the game. LOVE IT!
Jack Challoner
I liked the look of the game I also liked the functionality of the traps however I found it a little too difficult to get back up or jump the gap at the end.
The pixel style graphics Corey has used has worked extremely well to give his demo a retro game feel. Also the sounds he has used gives off a great eerie them for the castle/dungeon setting, as well with the moving object you as the player are able to hear them in the distance though cannot see them. The game runs smoothly with each animation. However i will say even though there is a timer and it can be frustrating to finish before time runs out i feel this adds more pressure and wanting to play the game. LOVE IT!
Jack Challoner
I liked the look of the game I also liked the functionality of the traps however I found it a little too difficult to get back up or jump the gap at the end.
Evaluation
Overall I am pleased with my games outcome, I strongly believe that it shows off my skills in the game design industry. A wide variety of soft-wares were used in creating this game, these were; Photoshop, Spriter, Construct 2, and Audition/Audacity. I had a lot of fun making this game, finding out new ways to use less coding, and new ways to make pixel are in Photoshop. Games like 'Skyrim', 'The Legend of Zelda', 'Terraria', and 'Mario' were a big influence on this game.
When setting out to make this game, I wanted players to be able to use either keyboard or game-pad controls, because I know people have different opinions on what they prefer to use, so by setting it so both can use, I'm opening my game to both audiences. The game itself was based on of a board game made in a previous unit, with the same name 'Dwarf Wizards', and this game takes a lot of elements from that game. Such as the theme, setting and enemies. Obviously I had to adapt the game play from multiplayer, turned based game into a plat-former for one player.
The games art style was based on of that of 'Terraria'. The pixel art was used with Photoshop using the pencil tool. Then adding into Construct 2 as tile maps, which uses cuts the image into tiny squares which can be used to make a level on the layout. The player and enemy sprites were made with Photoshop, and then implemented into Spriter, to make the animations, then finally exported out as sprite sheets. Spriter was really simple to use when it comes to creating animated assets for games.
If I have more time to make this game, I would have implemented a lot more features, such as more playing wizards that have different abilities(such as one would be faster, another was a batter attacker). I would have also added a lot more levels, with puzzles, secrets, and even levels that split off into different rooms. I would have also added more enemy types, like spiders, skeletons, and even bats, as well as boss levels to fit with my board game I based it off of. Other things I would have added were, cut scenes(to give the game a bit of story), different attack animations, different types of attacks, and maybe even a block so you could defend yourself from enemies.
At the end of a level it shows a screen showing how you did that level, then shows your final level. I would have made this screen more animated, with different score assets coming in one at a time and the number zooming up from 0 to how much you got. Similar to like the end of a level in 'Super Mario Bros'
I got great feedback for this game, everybody said how they loved the theme of the game and how the sounds fitted with the theme. While making the game I got people to test out the game and tell me things they didn't like, then I went on to change them. For example, I the jumping set so you'd jump higher the longer you held the button, but people didn't like this and couldn't get the hang of using it, so I changed it so you only have to press the jump button to jump the maximum height.
Some things that I didn't like about this game were, lack of decorations in the background and lack of music. Other things were when other people would play my game, they wouldn't know how far the player can walk to the edge before being able to jump, so they end up falling short on some jumps. If I had more time I could have changed these things.
In conclusion I am really proud with what I have created and may even continue to design the game further, change what I don't like and add what I never had time for. One of the things I'm most proud of is how much of a game I made with as little events, in the end I only used about 108 event.
When setting out to make this game, I wanted players to be able to use either keyboard or game-pad controls, because I know people have different opinions on what they prefer to use, so by setting it so both can use, I'm opening my game to both audiences. The game itself was based on of a board game made in a previous unit, with the same name 'Dwarf Wizards', and this game takes a lot of elements from that game. Such as the theme, setting and enemies. Obviously I had to adapt the game play from multiplayer, turned based game into a plat-former for one player.
The games art style was based on of that of 'Terraria'. The pixel art was used with Photoshop using the pencil tool. Then adding into Construct 2 as tile maps, which uses cuts the image into tiny squares which can be used to make a level on the layout. The player and enemy sprites were made with Photoshop, and then implemented into Spriter, to make the animations, then finally exported out as sprite sheets. Spriter was really simple to use when it comes to creating animated assets for games.
If I have more time to make this game, I would have implemented a lot more features, such as more playing wizards that have different abilities(such as one would be faster, another was a batter attacker). I would have also added a lot more levels, with puzzles, secrets, and even levels that split off into different rooms. I would have also added more enemy types, like spiders, skeletons, and even bats, as well as boss levels to fit with my board game I based it off of. Other things I would have added were, cut scenes(to give the game a bit of story), different attack animations, different types of attacks, and maybe even a block so you could defend yourself from enemies.
At the end of a level it shows a screen showing how you did that level, then shows your final level. I would have made this screen more animated, with different score assets coming in one at a time and the number zooming up from 0 to how much you got. Similar to like the end of a level in 'Super Mario Bros'
I got great feedback for this game, everybody said how they loved the theme of the game and how the sounds fitted with the theme. While making the game I got people to test out the game and tell me things they didn't like, then I went on to change them. For example, I the jumping set so you'd jump higher the longer you held the button, but people didn't like this and couldn't get the hang of using it, so I changed it so you only have to press the jump button to jump the maximum height.
Some things that I didn't like about this game were, lack of decorations in the background and lack of music. Other things were when other people would play my game, they wouldn't know how far the player can walk to the edge before being able to jump, so they end up falling short on some jumps. If I had more time I could have changed these things.
In conclusion I am really proud with what I have created and may even continue to design the game further, change what I don't like and add what I never had time for. One of the things I'm most proud of is how much of a game I made with as little events, in the end I only used about 108 event.