Knock Block Project
In the following post I'm going to share a report that I had to make for one of my graduate classes that I took on Full Sail University. Basically the report talks about the modifications that I made to the first game project that I have participated along with a group of talented people that are also preparing themselves for the game industry. Some of the main Highlights of the game are the following:
- The game was created on a Click Jam session that was held on August 18, 2012, at Full Sail University.
- It was created using the Multimedia Fusion 2 software.
- My primary role on the project was Lead Producer/Designer, but I also help on some programming issues of the game.
Now for more details about my experience of creating this game, I share with you the following report:
On August 18, 2012, our team Turtle Attack Interactive participated on the Click Jam session at Full Sail University. The team consisted of a total of seven members, four master students and three bachelor students. In less than 24 hours, the team created a strategic maze-based video game called Knock Block. Turtle Attack Interactive manage to implement before the Click Jam’s deadline the art work, the sound effects, the music, and the game mechanics. Despite the efforts, the game still had a lot of tune up in order to become a challenging, yet fun and complete game. For my individual project, I proposed to add the final pieces that Knock Block needed in order for it to become a complete game. In the following report, I will demonstrate the game’s progress, the final product and the reason why it was important for me to complete this game.
Knock Block is a strategic maze-based video game developed by Turtle Attack Interactive team, on August 18, 2012, during the Click Jam session at Full Sail University. In the game, the player takes the role of a kindergarten kid called Bully which entertains himself by knocking the block structures of his fellow kindergarten peers. The purpose of the game is to knock a certain number of blocks before time runs out.
The player must run over the block structures of the kindergarten kids in order to receive block points. While the player runs around the stage in order to knock the block structures, the kindergarten kids start building with blocks a tall tower of blocks. Depending on how tall the block structure is, the player will receive a certain amount of block points once is knocked down; in other words, the taller the block tower is the more block points the player receives. Consequently, the player must carefully plan his/her route in order to knock higher block structures before time runs out.
As the player progresses through the game, the player is exposed to more difficult mazes. The difficulty of the mazes is based on four main elements:
On the Click Jam session, Turtle Attack Interactive manage to implement the basic elements that Knock Block needed in order for it to become a functional game. Unfortunately, the game was not completed because of the lack of certain features and fixes:
These features should be added to the game so that it can at least be a complete game.
Bug issues on the interaction of certain objects
One of my main concerns about the game was the interaction between Bully and the mountain of books. During the testing phase of the designed mazes I noticed that Bully seemed to walkthrough inside some of the mountain books. It was an odd situation because I noticed that in the first level maze that weird interaction between Bully and the mountain books was not happening at all; therefore, I knew that the problem could not be the code. After awhile, I noticed that the cause of that minor bug was the order of the insertion of objects on the maze. Since the creation of the mazes was based on the source code and display elements from the first maze, adding the additional mountain books cause them to have a higher hierarchy of display than the main character. Because of that hierarchy when there was a close contact between these two objects the mountain books displayed on top of Bully when it should have been the other way around. I managed to fix this problem by simply re-inserting Bully for each completed maze.
Pause Options: Keyboard based
I decided that it was best to add some keyboard based options in the game rather than to create an additional scene that will represent the pause options. The first reason in which I stood by this decision was because I didn’t want to mess around too much with the code that was done by my teammates, especially when I was not the main programmer of my team (my main role in the team was being a producer/designer). During the process of adding the features that were missing, I accidently messed up the code that was done by my peers, which cause certain implemented features to stop working properly. This caused me to restart my work of adding the missing features a couple of times. The second reason why I stood by this decision was because it was a lot easier to implement in the game. Creating and implementing an option scene in the game was going to make the programming functions of the game scenes more complex; that is, adding more conditions between scenes. And since I was not clear on how to implement it correctly, I decided not to take any chances. In the end, I based my decision in order to avoid wasting time and messing to much with my teammate’s code.
In order to let the player know how to pause/continue the game, return to the title screen, or completely exit the game, I created a Controls/Instructions screen so that it could appear before the player starts playing the game. In this screen the player will not only be informed of the mentioned features, but also will know which are the controls and the main objectives of the game.
Maze level designs and winning/loosing transitions between levels
The main features that the game was missing were the maze levels and the winning/loosing transitions between levels. These were the main key elements that needed to be present so that Knock Block could be considered a complete game. For the Click Jam session, I only had the chance to create one complete level before the deadline. The advantage of completing this level was that our team managed to fix all the bugs and errors that were present in the code and art display before the presentation. Therefore, the first maze level became my template in order to create more maze levels for the game.
For my individual project, I designed a total of seven maze levels for the game. I used as reference the theoretical bases of the Defensible Space theory in order to assure that the game had the elements of challenge and fun; that is, making sure that the game was neither to easy nor too hard to play and that players had fun while playing the game. What also helped me make sure that these elements were present in the game was the number of usability testing that I implemented. Not only did I test the game, but also I asked a couple of my peers and friends to participate in a brief think aloud sessions. I enjoyed working on these implemented sessions because not only did it confirm to me that the game had both the fun and challenge elements, but also it helped me figure out some bugs and errors that were still present in the game.
Unfortunately, for the Click Jam session my team did not have the time to create the transitional scenes after either winning or failing a certain maze. Thus, it became my responsibility to create and add that feature in order to assure that the player was informed of their game play progress. They way on how I worked with the art of these scenes were by compiling the floor scenery that my artists’ team members used for the game play with two modified expressions of Bully. Once the scenes were completed, I added the necessary programming conditions so that these two scenes could appear based on the game play of the player.
The Option Screen
The Option Screen was one of the only features that I could not fix completely. Back in the Click Jam session, my team didn’t have the time to add the art work design and the settings functionality. So for my individual project I intended to add those missing features. For the art work design I used the floor scenery of the maze, the kindergarten kids, and the block structures that were created by my artists’ team members for the game play. Similar to the winning/loosing scenes, I compiled these three objects in order to create an artistic Option Screen suited for the game. Once the art work was completed, I fixed some minor bugs in the programming related to the selection of the Master Volume and Back options. Unfortunately the only thing that I haven’t been able to put to work correctly is the Master Volume properties. Although the cursor can be moved to either the max or min sides of the Master Volume, the sound does neither increase nor lower its volume.
Knock Block is one of the first games that I ever completed along with a group of talented people that are preparing themselves for the Game Industry life. Completing this product is one of the few projects that I could add up to my resume and future website in order to demonstrate to the Industry my different skill sets that I have developed during both Bachelors and Master program.
Working on Knock Block clearly points out various skills sets that I have implemented in the game development process. First of all, it demonstrates my producer’s skills. During the Click Jam session my main role in the game development process was to manage the workload of my teammates, help with the communication between the different departments (art, programming, music, and design) and supervise the work done by my teammates in order to assure that the game had all the design requirements. Second, it demonstrates my game design abilities. Most of the design concepts in terms of the game’s theme, objectives, controls, and level design were ideas that were developed by my two producer team members and me.
Third, it demonstrates my quality assurance abilities. During my Individual Project process I developed various think aloud sessions with my peers and friends in order to assure that Knock Block’s game play and features were working properly. Finally, it demonstrates my programming and art skills. Even though I was neither the main programmer nor artist in my team during the Click Jam session, in order to add the missing features and fixes of the game for my Individual Project, I needed to rely on these two skills. So in the end, I worked on various bugs and errors that had the game in its programming and created some additional art work for certain incomplete and missing scenes.
Although Knock Block is not a large scale project, it still displays several of my skill sets during critical moments of the game development process. Because of that, it is important for me to add this game in my resume and future website as one of my personal projects during my academic life. That way I will assure that my skills are well presented, especially when applying for any work related to the Game Industry.
- The game was created on a Click Jam session that was held on August 18, 2012, at Full Sail University.
- It was created using the Multimedia Fusion 2 software.
- My primary role on the project was Lead Producer/Designer, but I also help on some programming issues of the game.
Now for more details about my experience of creating this game, I share with you the following report:
Introduction
On August 18, 2012, our team Turtle Attack Interactive participated on the Click Jam session at Full Sail University. The team consisted of a total of seven members, four master students and three bachelor students. In less than 24 hours, the team created a strategic maze-based video game called Knock Block. Turtle Attack Interactive manage to implement before the Click Jam’s deadline the art work, the sound effects, the music, and the game mechanics. Despite the efforts, the game still had a lot of tune up in order to become a challenging, yet fun and complete game. For my individual project, I proposed to add the final pieces that Knock Block needed in order for it to become a complete game. In the following report, I will demonstrate the game’s progress, the final product and the reason why it was important for me to complete this game.
Knock Block: Game play objective and basic design
Knock Block is a strategic maze-based video game developed by Turtle Attack Interactive team, on August 18, 2012, during the Click Jam session at Full Sail University. In the game, the player takes the role of a kindergarten kid called Bully which entertains himself by knocking the block structures of his fellow kindergarten peers. The purpose of the game is to knock a certain number of blocks before time runs out.
The player must run over the block structures of the kindergarten kids in order to receive block points. While the player runs around the stage in order to knock the block structures, the kindergarten kids start building with blocks a tall tower of blocks. Depending on how tall the block structure is, the player will receive a certain amount of block points once is knocked down; in other words, the taller the block tower is the more block points the player receives. Consequently, the player must carefully plan his/her route in order to knock higher block structures before time runs out.
As the player progresses through the game, the player is exposed to more difficult mazes. The difficulty of the mazes is based on four main elements:
- Mountain books: These are one of the obstacles that limit the player to move freely around the maze. In the first levels of the game, they act as walls that impede the player from being able to knock the blocks structures easily. But as the player progresses in the game, the mountain books tend to define the layout of the maze.
- Teachers: They are the other obstacle that limits the player from moving around easily on the maze. Basically, the teacher impedes the player from being able to reach the number of block points needed in order to complete the maze. Every time the player collisions with the teacher, the player looses a total of five block points. The player has to carefully plan his/her route in order to knock certain number of blocks without having any contact with the teachers. In the first levels, there is only the presence of one or two teachers, but as the player progresses through the game the number of teachers increases from three to five.
- Knock block objective: It establishes the number of blocks that need to be knock down in order to complete the maze. The number increases (60, 90, 120) as the player progresses through the mazes.
- Time: The player has only a limited time to complete the knock block objective. In the final version of the game, with the exception of the last level, the player has only one minute to complete the knock block objective. In the last level, the player has only forty seconds.
The missing features
and fixes of the game
On the Click Jam session, Turtle Attack Interactive manage to implement the basic elements that Knock Block needed in order for it to become a functional game. Unfortunately, the game was not completed because of the lack of certain features and fixes:
- The game had some serious programming bug issues on the interaction of certain objects.
- The game had no pause options; therefore, the player could not pause/continue, exit to the main title screen, or exit the game.
- The game had neither maze levels nor winning/loosing transitions between levels.
- The Option Screen’s art work design was not completed, plus settings were not working correctly.
These features should be added to the game so that it can at least be a complete game.
Progress of the added
features and fixes
Bug issues on the interaction of certain objects
One of my main concerns about the game was the interaction between Bully and the mountain of books. During the testing phase of the designed mazes I noticed that Bully seemed to walkthrough inside some of the mountain books. It was an odd situation because I noticed that in the first level maze that weird interaction between Bully and the mountain books was not happening at all; therefore, I knew that the problem could not be the code. After awhile, I noticed that the cause of that minor bug was the order of the insertion of objects on the maze. Since the creation of the mazes was based on the source code and display elements from the first maze, adding the additional mountain books cause them to have a higher hierarchy of display than the main character. Because of that hierarchy when there was a close contact between these two objects the mountain books displayed on top of Bully when it should have been the other way around. I managed to fix this problem by simply re-inserting Bully for each completed maze.
Pause Options: Keyboard based
I decided that it was best to add some keyboard based options in the game rather than to create an additional scene that will represent the pause options. The first reason in which I stood by this decision was because I didn’t want to mess around too much with the code that was done by my teammates, especially when I was not the main programmer of my team (my main role in the team was being a producer/designer). During the process of adding the features that were missing, I accidently messed up the code that was done by my peers, which cause certain implemented features to stop working properly. This caused me to restart my work of adding the missing features a couple of times. The second reason why I stood by this decision was because it was a lot easier to implement in the game. Creating and implementing an option scene in the game was going to make the programming functions of the game scenes more complex; that is, adding more conditions between scenes. And since I was not clear on how to implement it correctly, I decided not to take any chances. In the end, I based my decision in order to avoid wasting time and messing to much with my teammate’s code.
In order to let the player know how to pause/continue the game, return to the title screen, or completely exit the game, I created a Controls/Instructions screen so that it could appear before the player starts playing the game. In this screen the player will not only be informed of the mentioned features, but also will know which are the controls and the main objectives of the game.
Maze level designs and winning/loosing transitions between levels
The main features that the game was missing were the maze levels and the winning/loosing transitions between levels. These were the main key elements that needed to be present so that Knock Block could be considered a complete game. For the Click Jam session, I only had the chance to create one complete level before the deadline. The advantage of completing this level was that our team managed to fix all the bugs and errors that were present in the code and art display before the presentation. Therefore, the first maze level became my template in order to create more maze levels for the game.
For my individual project, I designed a total of seven maze levels for the game. I used as reference the theoretical bases of the Defensible Space theory in order to assure that the game had the elements of challenge and fun; that is, making sure that the game was neither to easy nor too hard to play and that players had fun while playing the game. What also helped me make sure that these elements were present in the game was the number of usability testing that I implemented. Not only did I test the game, but also I asked a couple of my peers and friends to participate in a brief think aloud sessions. I enjoyed working on these implemented sessions because not only did it confirm to me that the game had both the fun and challenge elements, but also it helped me figure out some bugs and errors that were still present in the game.
Unfortunately, for the Click Jam session my team did not have the time to create the transitional scenes after either winning or failing a certain maze. Thus, it became my responsibility to create and add that feature in order to assure that the player was informed of their game play progress. They way on how I worked with the art of these scenes were by compiling the floor scenery that my artists’ team members used for the game play with two modified expressions of Bully. Once the scenes were completed, I added the necessary programming conditions so that these two scenes could appear based on the game play of the player.
The Option Screen
The Option Screen was one of the only features that I could not fix completely. Back in the Click Jam session, my team didn’t have the time to add the art work design and the settings functionality. So for my individual project I intended to add those missing features. For the art work design I used the floor scenery of the maze, the kindergarten kids, and the block structures that were created by my artists’ team members for the game play. Similar to the winning/loosing scenes, I compiled these three objects in order to create an artistic Option Screen suited for the game. Once the art work was completed, I fixed some minor bugs in the programming related to the selection of the Master Volume and Back options. Unfortunately the only thing that I haven’t been able to put to work correctly is the Master Volume properties. Although the cursor can be moved to either the max or min sides of the Master Volume, the sound does neither increase nor lower its volume.
Importance of
completing Knock Block
Knock Block is one of the first games that I ever completed along with a group of talented people that are preparing themselves for the Game Industry life. Completing this product is one of the few projects that I could add up to my resume and future website in order to demonstrate to the Industry my different skill sets that I have developed during both Bachelors and Master program.
Working on Knock Block clearly points out various skills sets that I have implemented in the game development process. First of all, it demonstrates my producer’s skills. During the Click Jam session my main role in the game development process was to manage the workload of my teammates, help with the communication between the different departments (art, programming, music, and design) and supervise the work done by my teammates in order to assure that the game had all the design requirements. Second, it demonstrates my game design abilities. Most of the design concepts in terms of the game’s theme, objectives, controls, and level design were ideas that were developed by my two producer team members and me.
Third, it demonstrates my quality assurance abilities. During my Individual Project process I developed various think aloud sessions with my peers and friends in order to assure that Knock Block’s game play and features were working properly. Finally, it demonstrates my programming and art skills. Even though I was neither the main programmer nor artist in my team during the Click Jam session, in order to add the missing features and fixes of the game for my Individual Project, I needed to rely on these two skills. So in the end, I worked on various bugs and errors that had the game in its programming and created some additional art work for certain incomplete and missing scenes.
Although Knock Block is not a large scale project, it still displays several of my skill sets during critical moments of the game development process. Because of that, it is important for me to add this game in my resume and future website as one of my personal projects during my academic life. That way I will assure that my skills are well presented, especially when applying for any work related to the Game Industry.
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