Assignment 3: Review a Digital Game for a Selected Platform

Review a Digital Game Demo for a Selected Platform

The purpose of the demo I have created is to showcase the base game and some assets, this will give players insight into what the final product will be like and give them a taste of the style/direction the game is going.

The intended audience is 14 to 18 year olds as the gameplay of the game will likely not engage young children or mature adults as well as it would engage teenagers.

Intended platform for the game is mainly touch screen devices such as Ipads, tablets and smart phones as simply touching the screen is how you play the game.

The outline of the game is that the main character ninja is in a classic hero dilemma. The emperors daughter has been captured and all the best and brightest are occupied which leaves it down to the youngest klutziest ninja around to save her.

There is only one visible character in the game; Ninja, However in the final game princess may me be added and a small intro cutscene is likely o be present.

Feedback survey for the game demo.
https://www.surveymonkey.co.uk/r/HK39GJ5

Here is a screenshot of the first build of the demo in action.

After setting up a survey for the game demo on surveymonkey.com I had some people from the target audience play the demo and give me feedback, Due to the age range of the target audience some of the answers were sarcastic however this was previously taken into account and all answers have been taken as constructively as possible, Most of the testers both enjoyed the game and suggested the only thing that needed improving was the detail on the assets such as, The sprite having animations and The buildings and sky having more to them. Based on this feedback I will improve upon the demo by reworking the scrolling background and buildings.

Assignment 2: Assets for a Video Game

This is the main character Ninja for the game I am creating called Ninja Runner. He is a small likable character that isnt too bright nor dark and will appeal to all audiences due to this fact.

The currency of the game are ninja stars, The player character collects them while running and spends them on character upgrades or costumes for ninja they have set spawns over the course of runs and the player is not limited to the amount they can collect, The player can also not purchase shuriken with real money which means only hard work will lead to getting better at the game.

Ninja has 3 different stats Health Points, Speed, and Jump height. Upgrading these stats make ninja a more versatile character and makes it easier for the player to navigate the levels and get a better score. Each upgrade is exponential in cost so it is no easy feat to max out ninjas stats.

Here is the tileset I created for the scrolling background of the game. The background has been cut and pasted so that it joins up with itself on both sides and thus can be tiled. It is a simple and minimalistic beach so as to not distract from the gameplay in the foreground of the game 

Assignment 1: 2D and 3D Digital Games Platforms and Audiences

Mobiles as a platform for gaming are better than 3DS, PC and Console for ease of access and portability due to the size and simplicity of the device. Doubling on this aspect as the device everyone uses for everything in this day and age, Means Downloading a game from the app store doesn't grant a second thought as the majority of mobile gamers are also casual gamers, The games they download and play exist to waste a bit of time or hold their interest for a minute or two unlike lager more fleshed out games on Console, PC and 3DS. Adding to the fact that a mobile is often seen as a computer in your pocket however unlike PCs extensive sources to buy games from such as digital download stores such as Steam and CDKeys or the multiple stores console and handheld gamers can buy from. The app store is the only place you may download games from, leading to no flexibility in prices. Games are very limited to certain genres mmos and open world games are very few and far between, There are no mods like on PC so games stay the same until the developer decides to release new patches or updates, Players have little to no input or creative control with the games they play on mobile other than through suggestions or reviews. Unlike what is available for every other platform Barely any physical copies of games exist for mobiles. Discs are not compatible in any way shape or form and the closest thing to a physical copy is buying credit for your app store account. 


Mobile (Example; Apple Iphone6)

Strengths: Portable, Accessible, Automatically updates, Small installs, Touch screen, Many non gaming features (Camera, Music, Video etc.)

Weaknesses: Low battery in comparison to other handhelds, Impractical to use solely as a gaming device, No real fully fledged games.

Specs: 1gb of System Memory Up to 128gb of internal Storage

Up to 5.5” LED backlit Multitouch retina 1080p display

CPU: 2 Core Apple own A8

OS: IOS 9

Game Types: Apps/Mobile games, Mostly Timed Micro Management games, Platformers, Strategy, Top downs or arcade games eg. Candy crush or Clash of Clans.

Handhelds like the Nintendo 3DS have an advantage over other platforms such as being just as portable as a mobile, As social as a console and having many features non gaming related like a PC. Both Physical and download copies of games are available but like mobile games download copies are only available from the platforms respective store this being the Nintendo E-Shop leading to no flexibility in prices for download games just like on the App Store, Handheld platforms are mostly aimed towards the younger audience of gamers (especially the Nintendo products) meaning most of the games on the platform arent very mature and thus wont hold the attention of teenage and adult gamers, Features like touch screen, voice recording/changing apps and Miiverse on the 3DS cater to the younger audience also. Handheld systems can usually be played for longer than mobile systems due to them having bigger batteries and not having background features such as push alerts draining battery in the background.

Handheld (Example; Nintendo 3DS XL)

Strengths: Portable, Sturdy for a handheld, Large flip up screen, Generous battery life, Touch screen, Multiplayer, Camera, Audio recording, Optional 3D display.

Weaknesses: Bulky and doesn't fit in most pockets,Layout and UI not very customisable, Nintendo licensed games only. 

Specs: 4.88 inch 3D enabled Widescreen LCD 800 x 240p upper screen 4.18 LED Touchscreen, 2GB System Storage, 4GB SD card internal storage included

CPU: Dual Core ARM11 MPCore.

OS: Nintendo 3DS System Software.

Game Types: Nintendo licensed games only eg. Pokemon, Animal crossing, Super Mario.

Gaming PCs have much more memory than consoles and Handhelds, They can download mods to keep games fresh and interesting and steam is widely regarded as one of the cheapest and most user friendly online vendors of digital games available. Despite this fact PC does not have a dedicated network for gamers like consoles do PC players have to download applications such as Skype and discord to communicate outside of gamers whereas Console and mobile gamers can talk outside of games. Motion controls are not widely used with many games on PC due to keyboard and mouse being the superior controls. Consoles and mobile platforms draw in more casual audiences and thus use these casual features more often.

PC (Example; DinoPC Primal GS7)

Strengths: Extremely customisable and versatile, Can be upgraded at will, Can be used for near enough anything else a conventional PC can do, Can emulate other old consoles games. 

Weaknesses: Expensive, Is an investment due to PC technology constantly advancing, Needs PC know how to use and set up, May need to be assembled by the consumer, Takes time to start/set up.  

Specs: Up to 4K flexible resolution. 60fps and possibly much, much higher. Seagate 1TB Hard drive.

CPU: Intel core I5 6400

OS: Windows 10 (64-bit) Or any other compatible operating system.

Game Types: Near limitless amounts and types of games with a heavy hold on MMO and Indie titles but no console exclusives unless ported and ports can run badly.

Consoles are better than

Console (Example; Sony Playstation 4)

Strengths: Easy simple plug in and play ideology, Boots up fast and can start games almost straight away, Very social online system (Quick and easy to get connected and playing with friends), Has an integrated browser.

Weaknesses: Locked graphics and frame-rate on most games, No way to play other consoles exclusives, Doesn't move with technologic advancement, Can only really improve on HDD space.

Specs; Up to 1080p 60fps HD 

CPU: 8 core "Jaguar" AMD

OS: Playstation 4 System Software

Game Types: Lots of triple A titles and console exclusives but not many indies, MMOs or MOBAs

Sources:
Primal GS7 Gaming PC
Apple iPhone 6
Nintendo 3DS XL
Sony Playstation 4