Game Design

Level 3 Extended Diploma

Unit 22

Developing Computer Games

Your task (criteria P3)

• Produce a design for a computer game for a given specification

• Must be a design you are capable of developing in HTML5 and JavaScript• For confident programmers:

• Side scroller

• Platform

• Snake

• For less confident programmers:• Breakout

Design techniques

• Storyboards

• Pseudo code

• Narrative

• Action lists

• Graphical tools

Storyboards

Storyboards

• A series of simple drawings created by games designers which show:• The different stages of the game• The order in which they will be played• The appearance of:

• Start screens• Levels• Menus• Scores

• How game development can be split and allocated to different developers

Story board for breakout

• Start screen• Options menu

• Difficulty?

• Levels• Different numbers of bricks?• More than one ball?

• Scores• Time taken?• Points?

• Game over screen

Pseudo code

• Cross between programming code and English• Designers understand:

• Game features• What makes good games• What motivates players to continue

• Programmers understand:• How the code works

• Pseudo code is used to communicate between designers and programmers

Pseudo code for Breakout

If ball is at bottom of screen and ball is on paddle

Then reverse directionElse

End gameEnd If

Narratives

• This is the story of the game

• Encourages the player to find out what happens next

• Creates atmosphere (scary, tense, calm)

• Creates emotional link to characters

• Acts as carrot and stick

• Creates rewards

• More or less important depending on genre

Narrative for breakout

• Increased tension in levels• Speed?

• Number of balls?

• Rewards• Faster paddle?

• Slower ball?

• More points if more than brick knocked out per bounce?

• Different ball shapes or sprites?

Action lists

• Splits the complete development job into individual tasks• Shows them in order

• Shows who will be doing them

• How long they take

• When they need to be done by

• The skills and resources needed

• Used by the project manager• Given to the whole team

Action list item for Breakout

• Create storyboard• Duration: 1 week

• Developer: A student

• Dependency: Choice of game

• Due by: April 27

• Skills: Drawing

• Resources: Graphical package

Assignment 2

• P3 Produce a design for a computer game for a given specification

• M1 Determine appropriate data types for a computer game and show how they are declared

• D2 Explain how the structure and design of a game can assist in maintenance and capacity for extension.

Task 1

• P3 Produce a design for a computer game for a given specification

• Your design must include• Storyboards

• Pseudo code

• Narrative

• Action lists

• Graphical tools

Task 2

• M1 Determine appropriate data types for a computer game and show how they are declared• Explain the data typing in JavaScript

• Decide which variables you will need

• Describe the type they will be • eg text, number, array

• Include the declarations

Task 3

• D2 Explain how the structure and design of a game can assist in maintenance and capacity for extension.• Using comments

• Write small blocks of code – functions

• Invoke existing code blocks - call a function

• Use consistent indentation

• Using sensible variable names