Dissertation Progress Part 1 (Intro+Chap1)

Game Concept 01

Title : Merry Structure

Objectives : 

• Complete the art music gallery (menu)

• Bring the sound and colour back into the art by interacting with parts of the set.
• Once music has been brought back into the art to give it new life, collect the next piece of art to unlock the next level.

Movement :

• Using the tablet, tilt the screen to move the character in the direction it is tilted. The characters movement will make theme tune according to the movement.
• Movement may be reversed or interrupted by intractable objects.

Interaction :

• 'Blue' objects are positive. they help you explore new areas and collect the missing power-up parts.
• 'Green' objects are negative. They will interrupt the play and have three random outcomes, sent back to last checkpoint, send you to another location, change the weight of the character.
• Collecting the 'Red' power-up parts will power up parts of the world and enable the player to obtain the next painting.

Using Merry Structure I have broken the art down to form a course in which he player will have to work through.  I have broken it down into 4 stages of play and marked the routes with arrows.

All Stages Together 

Stage 1:  The stairs are the fist challenge. The player has to time his slide correctly down the slope to the hole to miss the 'green' segment. The player continues to avoid the green segments and using the sucker and blower (the blue triangles) collect the first piece to the power.

Stage 1 end: upon collection of the first piece, the first hatch opens.

Stage 2: Also upon collection of the power a new part comes into play. The gravity shifter will suck up the player and pop him out with a shift in gravity.

Stage 2.5: With the shift in gravity, the level will rotate  to the new gravity. Upon reach of the blue ball the player may control the ball by either sitting on it, to which will make the ball slowly fall or jumping on it, which will make it move to its destination. The player must use this rise and fall in order to avoid the green ball which will also be in motion.

Stage 2 end: Once you have collect the item the second latch will open.

Stage 3: With the last 2nd power part collected, upon entering the gravity shifter you will be sent into the maze in order to reach the last piece. Once you have the last piece the player will be sent to the gravity shifter.

Stage 3 end: Once all pieces are completed the last hatch will open.

Stage 4: The player has the final challenge of chilling the wall up to capture the next painting. This will unlock the next level.

Music And Game Combined

Going on the theme of music possibly in my game interacting with movement or game play I have come up with three possible outlets to form and shape this theme.

1:When the character moves by shifting the tablet around, a theme tune follows the character in the movements that he makes.

A really good example of this is from a game recommended by Steven, Chibi Robo.



The theme tune for the movement would come from the music by Schoenberg from the post before (click here) while listen to the music for a while I quite liked the beat from min 7,9,13 and 15 which could be broken down and work.

2:You Are the controller, your voice controls the character. Speaking or sounding out things such as boo boo boo or bop bop bop will make the character move forward or backwards.

3: There is no sound is the world or from your movements. You have to interact with the world to make sound and bring colour and life back into the paintings. 

Lighting tester

This is a simple test for my self to show the possible start of the game. I am playing with lighting to get a feel of how a painting (level) will be selected to play

Base 

Lighting up the pictures using an occlusion plugin

Darkening the rest to show which one is being selected.

Same as before with lovely decay

Possible Workings Of The Game

While beginning to play with sounds I have come up with a primitive set of rules for my game to which to play off of and change as I go. This is to begin to refine the world in my mind and begin translating that.

Primary objective: To bring life (colour) back to all of the pieces of art 

Secondary objective: Collect small objects for points

Playing the game: Player one enters the art space to find it rendered dull and soundless. Using sound to move the character the player will work through the level. Player one will encounter items and pieces of the art to interact with to bring back sounds to the world and bring back the colour. Beware, not everything player one interacts with will help and may change your 'colour' and change your ability to roam free.

These are only basic at the moment but shall help me refine the game play and help it progress.

Music From Schoenberg

I have recently have discovered the link between Schoenberg music and Kandinscy's art. I believe this to be a possible from what inspired Merry Structure and is quite the tune.

Base For Sound Tests

Just a quick set up ready for movement sound tests.

Sound Research

I am looking for a gimmick for my game, something to make it special and different. For this I look towards sounds and music.

This game is rather interesting, as you play, you make music

App Emblem Colour Tests 04

Continuing on with coloured tests I now look towards the backdrop of the app to which I have kept block colour to match the objects.

Colour Sheet 1

Colour Sheet 2

Colour Sheet 3

Emblem Colour Test.03

Here I have looked at thumbnail 09 to which I quite liked before. I personally like no 2 & 5 but feel that the earlier tests were more successful.

Emblem Colour Test.02

Here is number 06 of my thumbnails. I much prefer this one compared to the last as I can visualise it in my mind being an app.

Emblem Colour Tests.01

Here I'm beginning to explore some of the emblems I liked from before. Here is no 2 from the thumbnails from before. I quite like no 2 & 3 from these.

The Workings Of The App

I am beginning to think on how my app will actually work in regards to menus and level selection. I have done a very basic 3 step thumbnail to get my idea down.  

The plan is to start off nice and easy by selecting the app (emblem still being designed) like any other to which takes you to the menu screen. I am thinking of having some sort of abstract design to this. The final part is to view the levels like you would a piece of art in a gallery. When you scroll, you move the paintings down the wall to view new ones, just like walking down a gallery viewing the art work.