Founding of the Just Us League

This month I have started work on my capstone project for Full Sail University. This is going to take up the vast majority of my time for the next several months, right up until graduation. I am so excited to be this far and can’t wait to see this game come together!

The project started off by being assigned to a group. I was lucky enough to get grouped with a great group of guys who have all hit the ground running. Sadly, the only roadblock that we have hit up to now has been me. I am currently on a vacation with my family that couldn’t be moved, but I am still doing everything I can with the limited amount of internet that I have to get my two cents added in.

The group has decided to call itself the Just Us League. We started off with CLAPP since the first letters of our last names can be used to spell CLAPP. Even though the name changed, however, we are still going with the original logo that we had for CLAPP. Everyone loves a good inside joke!

Aside from that, however, it has been smooth sailings. We are working on a climbing game that is most likely going to be in a 2.5d perspective. You will be able to find parts that can be built into temporary gear upgrades, tokens that can lead to bonus levels, and dangers galore. More on this later though.

Now, however, I have to get back to work on this thing and get back to my vacation. Five more months and this degree will be finished. That means five more months of stress, late nights, and far too much caffeine. The end is near!

Interesting Game Mechanic Homework

This week for my Game Mechanics course at Full Sail University we had a discussion assignment. This means that we had to post to a discussion board and then discuss other peoples submissions. The topic this time was that we had to chose one mechanic each from the five lists that we were given and then create a basic game based on the mechanic and a randomly generated game name. This turned out to be a lot of fun and I wanted to share my creations with you.

Please note that the mechanics listed are from the pre-defined lists that we were working from this week. I might have used others that make more sense with the general concept of the game, but since I wanted to get a good grade I stuck with what the instructor was expecting of us. Also, it was just a discussion post, not a fully fledged design assignment. The main point was to flex a little creative muscle, rather than put all my heart and soul into the MDA framework.

  • Timer
    • The Secret Weapon of the Night Theater
    • Synopsis: The Vampires have been losing their fight against the humans for thousands of years. What makes them think that they can win this time? Their secret weapons is one of such might that they risk open warfare in order to put it in place. Can the human race withstand this latest threat? Will mankind be able to put their differences aside to win? What is this secret weapon that has given the vampires such confidence? Only one way to find out!
    • MDA Breakdown
      • Mechanics
        • Timer
        • Attack
        • Steal
        • Disperse
        • Command
      • Dynamics
        • Turn based strategic placement of units.
        • During combat, player takes control the commander on the field
        • During strategy mode, the player can harvest recourses and build new units.
      • Aesthetics
        • Controlling the commander during battles will have the player be more emotionally involved in the outcome.
        • Seeing the units in action will help the player decide what kind they want to build.
  • Attack
    • Silent Pony in Middle-Earth
    • Synopsis: It is never a good thing being trapped in Middle-Earth. Being trapped there as a pony is even worse. What about as a pony that can’t even talk? It doesn’t get much worse than that. The Hobbits are the only ones that really understand a Pony and his many complicated needs. That is why you are trying to make your way to Hobbiton, home of the best of the Hobbits!
    • MDA Breakdown
      • Mechanics
        • Shuffle/Randomize
        • Attack
        • Defend
        • Resign
        • Win/Lose
      • Dynamics
        • Enemy placement, strength, and frequency is 90% randomized
        • Attack and defense take place in a separate Final Fantasy style combat setting
        • Player can surrender in battle and be taken to an enemy keep
        • If player can’t escape the enemy keep in time they will lose
        • If the player dies in combat they will also lose
      • Aesthetics
        • The option to surrend will add a new option to combat.
        • The time limit to escape the enemy keep will make the player scared of that option, but the chance that escape is possible will still leave it as a viable one.
  • Defend
    • Jamaican Arcade Siege
    • Synopsis: The aliens are back and this time they are attacking Jamaica! Take control of green, yellow, and black tank and sends those aliens to an early grave. In this sequel to Space Invaders you are once again fighting to defend earth from an alien menace, but this time you are on the beach. Watch out for sandcastles and defend your planet!
    • MDA Breakdown
      • Mechanics
        • Destroy/Erase
        • Attack
        • Defend
        • Resign
        • Win / Lose
      • Dynamics
        • Destruction of the aliens is the main objective of the game
        • This is done through directly attacking them
        • If overwhelmed, the player can hide behind the sandcastles
        • If the player surrenders, they lose the game.
      • Aesthetics
        • The reggae music will calm the player while the descending aliens will cause excitement
        • Due to the connection between beach and vacation, the player will have more incentive to save it.
  • Memorize / Recall
    • Scottish Banjo Operation
    • Synopsis: As the lone Scotsman that is capable of playing the Banjo it falls to you to find the treasure hidden in the Ozarks. If you can make it through, the wealth that you will find will allow your entire clan to retire and concentrate on making the best darn Scotch the world has ever seen.
    • MDA Breakdown
      • Mechanics
        • Timer
        • Collect
        • Toggle
        • Memorize / Recall
        • Trade
      • Dynamics
        • Each puzzle that the player encounters has a limited amount of time to solve it
        • The player will collect puzzle pieces to open certain doors
        • Opening some doors may close others.
        • At least half the puzzles will be based on playing back a tune on your banjo
        • The player can trade the moonshine that they find for money.
      • Aesthetics
        • The player will have NPCs with them sometimes playing bagpipes. The contrast will emphasize the comedic nature of the quest
        • The player will get hints about the treasure to keep them interested.
  • Command
    • The Last Battleship of Fury
    • Synopsis: The ancient Fury Dynasty has fallen on hard times. The aggressors from New Zealand have been battering the fleet and harassing the villagers on the coast. With the New Zealand fleet making a massive advance on the archipelago off the coast, it is the perfect chance for the final Battleship that the Fury have to do some damage. Will it be enough?
    • MDA Breakdown
      • Mechanics
        • Destroy
        • Collect
        • Defend
        • Consume
        • Command
      • Dynamics
        • The goal is to destroy as many enemy ships as you can
        • After a ship is destroyed you can collect debris from it
        • If you are defending when you are attacked you will take less damage
        • You can use the debris that was collected to make repairs or upgrade your ship
        • You command the ship without taking direct control of it.
      • Aesthetics
        • The choice between repairs or upgrades seems easy, but the first time the player dies because they have no debris for repairs they will realize the gravity of the decision
        • One against the world puts some pressure on the player to not let everyone down.

 

Disclaimer: Full Sail University is aware of this post and any attempts to copy it or reuse it as your own will most likely be noticed. Plagiarism is never ok. Flex those creative muscles and have fun doing this for yourself!