WEEK 11 -10th May
Understanding Post-Mortem, Sound Design, Marketing, Game Structure and Testing
Monday 10th May / Tuesday 11th May
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Today and tomorrow I'll be collecting the final assets to create mockups for each stage of the vertical slice.
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WORK DUE THIS WEEK
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All assets to be handed in and uploaded to Google Drive.
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Charisma to hand-in UI mockups/concepts
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Molly to present lighting examples
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Kieras final refined sky
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Unity build with Kiera
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TO DO LIST
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Continue with marketing and sound
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Receive all final assets and update asset list
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Create mockups
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Build updated vertical slice structure with Team Leader (Kiera) in Unity.
THE TEAM
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UI MOCKUPS / LAST ASSETS
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Charisma's UI Mockups
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We provided Charisma with feedback based on her UI designs and chose the 2nd screen as our favourite one visually. This best suited the tone of Anima Mundi therefore made our final decision based on this.
KIERA BACKGROUND HAND-IN
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Kiera shared her final version of the background into Slack where Charisma was able to develop her UI mockups using the most recent version.
NEXT STEPS
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Using these I am able to create another selection of mockups with all updated assets.
FINAL ASSETS
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All assets have been sent and uploaded to the Google Drive. We can now proceed with implementing these assets into Unity and continuing the final stages of development for the vertical slice!
UPDATING TEAM
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Assets have been checked off and updated via the Asset List:
https://docs.google.com/document/d/1w07y71xNHjl7GFcYKodi4pgAAp3s-mzV05Y0VSCCuks/edit?usp=sharing
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All assets shared to Google Drive - made easily accessible for execution in Unity:
https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1JyOcKF7K5muzEwlupsbPzFG3Sle3LAks
Charisma's UI mockup Prototype via Figma:
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NEXT STEPS/HOW WILL I USE THIS?
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I will use these scenes and combine them with each stage of the vertical slice to create a finished mockup to be referred to during Unity development.
MY TASK - Monday 10th May / Tuesday 11th May / Wednesday 12th May
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I am continuing with Sound design and Marketing which can be found here:
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Additionally today I will be piecing together the vertical slice by using our completed assets:
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FINAL ASSETS FROM TEAM
Our final assets have been shared to a sharepoint in which we all have access to. As well as this I have checked off the Asset List and next will focus on testing these assets in Unity.
MAKING FINAL
DECISIONS
FINAL ASSETS FOUND IN GOOGLE DOCS
https://docs.google.com/document/d/1g9XfMxKRRWdh4n7p8RprSkDxvpwselZglnNLOQ8by-c/edit?usp=sharing
MY TASK - Tuesday 15th May
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STAGE BY STAGE MOCKUP
Using our final assets, refined background and Charismas UI, I have created a stage by stage mockup of the vertical slice.
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Referring to the deliverables we have:
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User Interface
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Animation
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Sprites
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Mechanics
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Game Architecture
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...to create a functional vertical slice!
Within each stage I have included one puzzle interaction. The vertical slice overall has 5 interactive puzzle scenes and opportunity for players to explore the environment.
Using this mockup I will work with Kiera to implement this into Unity and perform playtesting.
HOW DID I DO IT? / REASON FOR FINAL OUTCOME
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ASSETS/COLOUR/TONE
To get to this final outcome I experimented with the placement of assets as well as adjusting the opacity and layering clouds to achieve a sense of depth. Our main objective is to provide players with a peaceful, relaxing and visually appealing Japanese inspired environment. To do this we have used a beautiful sunset background, full blossomed trees and extra details such as Torii gates and Japanese huts to tie it all together. Additionally, eagles and butterflies will be flying around the environment with audio to represent this as realistically as possible. The tone of the game is warm, lighthearted and playful therefore I have tried my best to visually represent this. The warm tones will appeal to users and make them feel a sense of comfort while the soundtrack plays and immerses them into the tranquil environment.
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COMPOSITION
I kept the layout as simple as possible however with attention to detail in places most visible to the player. I layered assets to establish depth in the environment and lowered the opacity of trees and architecture to create an open and airy feel. The purpose of the air region is to make players feel as though they are high up, essentially traversing through 'a new region' therefore the use of clouds and distant objects (mountains) represents this really well.
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I based the placement of assets off our refined game structure in terms of which order the puzzle interactions took place in. As for background assets, I have chosen to research into Composition and 'Rule of Thirds' to achieve an appealing and satisfying landscape composition for the final game structure which I am responsible for. This will allow me to finalise the structure to the best of my ability, by arranging assets in a way that will be most appealing for players. This also helps the scene achieve a sense of depth, space and distance which are vital in order to represent the environment as the 'air region'.
NEXT STEPS
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I plan to send this to the team in order to gather feedback for the appearance of the vertical slice and to come to an agreement on the final look of the game!
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Molly will use this Unity build to implement the Lighting however has been working on lighting examples in the meantime. Lighting production should take place latest 18th May to ensure we have a completed vertical slice fulfilling the requirements of our scope, proposal and game concept.
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MY TASK - Wednesday 12th May
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Continuing with Marketing and Sound which can be found here:
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TEAM - Thursday 13th May
THURSDAY 13TH APRIL: SLACK MEETING WITH TEAM AND JAMES
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Discussion with team and James based on what is left to do, the last few weeks plan, overall health and progress check.
DISCUSSION
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Discussed our individual tasks and what we have left to do. Team collectively agreed we are happy with the position we are in and are on route to achieving a successful functioning vertical slice.
NOTES FROM MEETING:
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Charisma shared last few UI mockups and had us decide between them.
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Suggested to use the same 'Tachi' font to keep style consistent as this one looked best.
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Progress discussion:
- Charisma to continue with UI mockups and send these via Slack.
- Daniella working on User Manual, how to use controls/instructions.
- Kiera continuing will puzzle interactions in Unity and to schedule a development session with James for further development.
- I will be continuing with Sound Design and working with Kiera to integrate this into Unity.
- Molly is continuing with Lighting and will use final structure to put this into the vertical slice properly.
EVALUATION
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We will be continuing with our set tasks for this week and working on the last few bits to achieve a functional vertical slice.
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We are on schedule to have the vertical slice completed by the 19th/20th May.
Here is a quick outline of our to do list (in order):
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Last few puzzle interactions to be coded in Unity - Lanterns turning on, panpipes, clouds etc.
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Soundtrack and sound effects need putting in to Unity
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Emilia to finalise structure in Unity
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Molly to work on lighting using the final structure
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User Interface and End Scene to be put in
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Vertical Slice to be put on Itch, linked to Blog
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Team Blog/Website set up
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MY PERSONAL TO DO LIST
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Finalise structure in Unity
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Complete Soundtrack
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Continue Marketing until Event
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Complete Blog set up
MOLLY: LIGHTING - Thursday 13th May
Molly has provided us with an example using lighting, by using a darker overlay and making the lantern appear on. Molly has also made the lantern take effect in the surrounding environment.
MY ANALYSIS:
The environment appears a little dark in this lighting mockup and we should avoid making the environment too gloomy in order to capture the feel for a light and airy 'air region'.
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We intend for players to feel relaxed in a calming and uplifting environment therefore lighting is extremely important in order to represent this accurately.
FEEDBACK/SUGGESTIONS
Molly has sent this into Slack and asked for feedback based on her lighting mockups. I provided her with feedback and a suggestion to work with Charisma on this.
SUGGESTION
Charisma created a UI mockup where she altered the lighting to give the scene more depth and movement. As a team we agreed that we loved the use of lighting in this and decided this is how it should appear in our vertical slice. Furthermore I recommended Molly to work with Charisma which Molly agreed would be a great idea!​
We were all very thankful for Molly taking the lead on this as its a very important aspect of the game!
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Next Molly will be continuing with this, taking our suggestions on board.
CHARISMA: UI - Thursday 13th May
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Charisma has provided us with final UI mockups:
REQUIREMENTS
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Home Screen/Menu
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Settings
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Option to Quit
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Pause button in game
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Adjust volume
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Game Over
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Charisma has asked for feedback and we have responded with our favourite outcome. Throughout the development process we have been using the 'reaction' feature on Slack to provide team members with a quicker form of feedback/agreement.
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PREFERENCE/OPINION
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My preference for the Home screen mockup -
I think the black play button works best as well as the tinted clouds. The tinted clouds work best with the sunset environment and the black additional details correspond with the black in the title 'Anima Mundi. I love the appearance of this as it looks dreamy and peaceful which gives users insight into how the game appears later on.
UI MOCKUPS​
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Charisma has also provided the team with control mockups. This is an important aspect of the game as we focus on providing players with casual gameplay to ensure they feel at ease throughout. The controller mapping must be suitable in order to achieve this as well as how it appears visually. Furthermore, I thought it would be important to reflect on this before I come to a conclusion.
REFLECTION​
Controller Mapping/Controls
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Charisma has asked for opinions/feedback on the final User Interface being the controls. Before I do this it's important to take into consideration the player and what will make them feel most at ease. Earlier in development, Daniella provided the team with an example of controller mapping which Charisma has used as inspiration in her design. As a team we agreed for the player movement controls to be on the left hand side which is more natural, and for the ability controls to be elsewhere.
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It's important for the player to feel comfortable playing the game as we aim to keep the pressure off players and provide them with a relaxing and pleasant experience. This links with focusing on the beauty of the environment through visuals and sound as we intend for players to feel tranquil and undisturbed. The key to this is also providing players with controls that allow them to feel this and to worry less about how to play the game. Because of this, clear controls and their purpose would be ideal for the player as they don't require much thinking. I prefer the layout of the 3rd control mockup as it makes it easy for players to differentiate between controls. The player movement should be on the left and the abilities on the right.
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APPEARANCE
In terms of appearance I feel the circular buttons work best rather than contrasting shapes. This creates harmony and the style is kept consistent rather than over complicating the look and intentions for the buttons. Additionally, I prefer the look of the transparent buttons as they fade into the background and don't appear as harsh.
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I have sent Charisma my brief feedback in order for her to create the final version. The UI for the vertical slice will also be adapted for PC with the relevant controls. (WASD, E, R)
DANIELLA: User Manual - Friday 14th May
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Daniella has created a User Manual to guide and instruct players on how to play Anima Mundi and their main objective.
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This manual was made using the requirements for a Mobile game however she is next working on one suitable for PC which is how members of the public will access the vertical slice, due to our Arcade Event being online. (Due to coronavirus)
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HOW WILL I USE THIS?
I will upload this onto Anima Mundis Official Website/Blog alongside a game overview, team information and insight into the development process. Friends, family and members of the public will be able to access Anima Mundi through this website therefore having the manual clear and accessible next to the game link would be most convenient. Users will be able to keep this manual open as they play the game to refer to if they need it.
NEXT STEPS - Continue...
I will be continuing with Sound and Marketing over the next few days and for the last week. Additionally I have a session with Kiera lined up to finalise the structure in Unity after today's lecture with James at 1-3pm.
FRIDAY 14TH APRIL: SLACK MEETING WITH CLASS
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Post-Mortem
Game Production
DISCUSSION
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Discussing Post-Mortem of a project, reflection and
NOTES FROM MEETING:
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PETER MOLYNEUX - The Good - "All risks paid off, after research, testing and simple trial and error we got it working beautifully, and now we have a feature no one else does"
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The Bad - "Project was too big".
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ERICH SCHAEFER - The Good - "QA team created a web-based bug reporting database through which we categorised and track all bugs, balance issues and gameplay suggestions... members of the team became astute observers of the progress of the game, everything worked much more smoothly than previous experiences".
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The Bad - "Graphics Criticism, noticed criticism from users based on this"
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POST MORTEM REPORT (Structure)
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Project Goals Analysis
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Personal Project Goals Analysis (option but recommended)
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Department Feedback (The Good)
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Department Feedback (The Bad) - 5 points from each of these from that departments perspective. Proposing solutions and methodologies (recommended to mitigate against issues in the future)
NOTES FROM MEETING:
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Frustrations and stresses are an everyday occurrence in Game Production
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Customary for game development projects to perform a post-mortem report.
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Outlines feelings of the team regarding success of the project.
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Short document (typically a page from each person) Form of a survey
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WHAT GOES INTO THE POST MORTEM REPORT? Project Goals - goals of the project and describe if you as a team were successful or not in achieving them. E.G:
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To create a vertical slice - actual finish date? were we over or under budget etc
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To improve the <technical skill> of a particular sub-team - what skills have been developed? how has the team levelled up? Based on branching out into other areas.
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To have generated Z amount of income.
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To have increased community outreach - If we didn't reach level of outcome/outreach we needed can these be accounted for. Point to problem area. (Where things failed - time, dedication etc) About our strategy.
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Were the team successful or not?
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PERSONAL PROJECT GOALS - Do I have any personal project goals?
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THE GOOD AND THE BAD - Most important part of any post-mortem report. Make list based on 5 things that went well and 5 that didn't.
- Explain the problem, use as a learning tool.
- 'Cohen and Bustamante'.
EVALUATION/REFLECTION OF MEETING
WHAT DID I LEARN
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The importance of a game 'Post-Mortem' -
"What is a post-mortem. A post mortem can have very various shapes, but it's, most of the time, a simple text document. Its main purpose is to keep track of the development of a game. It's the History of your game. The reality behind the scene."
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Post-mortem analysis' allow for reflection post-project. This is a great way to reflect on what went well and what didn't as well as ways to mitigate these problems. This also allows reflection on personal project goals away from team collaboration which is useful to track personal progress.
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HOW WILL I USE THIS?
Post-project I will perform this analysis to take note of the good and the bad as well as personal project goals. This will outline the success of the team and proposing solutions/methodologies to mitigate the problems for future reference if we were unsuccessful.
MY TASK - Friday 14th May - Sunday 16th May
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Finalising the structure of the Vertical Slice in Unity with Kiera's assistance. This will involve adjusting the placement of assets, placing assets in new stages, creating depth in the environment and making sure everything is of a high quality/standard.
FINAL STRUCTURE IN UNITY - Beginning the final structure using my previous mockups
Kiera has added box colliders to all the platforms I previously placed and has coded most of the puzzle interactions to take place evenly distributed throughout the environment. It is my task to place the assets where they will appear the most convenient, taking into consideration space for exploration, scale, and the Japanese theme.
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WALKTHROUGH BEFORE CHANGES
This is a screen recording taken from the vertical slice before implementation of background assets. Most of the puzzle are functioning successfully however there are still a few left to do, including the lantern function. Using our existing structure as seen in the video, I am now able to implement the rest of the assets into the game and create the beautiful setting that we desire!
REFLECTION
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As we can see the environment seems empty and bland at the minute, however this can be adapted by using the background assets to form layers and create depth. The little details in the Japanese themed architecture will also be great additional features to the setting and represent our Japanese theme which is also linked to Josh's preference in his GDD.
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NEXT STEPS
Taking this into consideration here are my requirements for the final structure of the vertical slice:
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Use clouds in the foreground and background to create depth, reduce opacity and layer them.
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Implement Japanese huts, mountains and torii gates into the background, reduce opacity and layer them accordingly.
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Create a sense of the air region by using empty space and more clouds.
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Reduce opacity of trees and create height by increasing scale and putting them in the background - add to depth.
BEGINNING WITH STRUCTURE
MY APPROACH
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Kiera kindly laid out the assets needed above the structure so I was able to take what I needed and duplicate them throughout the process. My approach involved taking assets and adjusting their placement as I went on. The assets underneath are examples of clouds that didn't work in the current scene.
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PROCESS/EXPERIMENTATION (Research can be found here: Blogs > Composition)
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I adjusted the composition of assets a lot in one scene to ensure the chosen composition was the most convenient and the most attractive. In order to do this, I used my research into Composition and 'The Rule of Thirds' to achieve an 'appealing image'. My research taught me the importance in good landscape composition and putting the most important parts of the scene at points where the eye is most attracted to - these would be the intersections of a 9x9 grid. I applied the 'Rule of Thirds' to my most recent final game structure which I referred to throughout the process in Unity. (See images above) By looking at these grids I was able to place the important game architecture at points where the eye will be mostly likely drawn to. WHY? The outcome of this makes the appearance of an image/landscape/painting much more appealing to the eye. (This can also be applied to still life or observational drawings)
Throughout the process I had to remove assets to prevent it looking over-crowded and to fill empty space that made the game look flat. I used the mountain assets to create depth in the environment and adjusted the scale in order to do so as well as layering clouds, huts and trees to do so. Assets in the background were also decreased in size and transparency to achieve a sense of distance between them and the player.
As I continued I made sure to switch between the main camera (to see what the player sees) and editing mode, to ensure assets were visible in game and to evaluate their effectiveness. This resulted in making changes and small adjustments for example changing their positioning to make them more visible in game. (This prevents the game looking flat)
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I took advantage of the colour tool to recolour some of the clouds to make them appear more tinted. This is because their original colour were too prominent against the dark sky and didn't take effect from the sun. By doing so this tied the background elements together and gave it a more cosy/homely feel. Molly will adjust the lighting once the structure is complete which will accommodate this and make the setting much more appealing to the eye.
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TESTING
Testing the appearance/structure of the environment from the players point of view -
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TEST 10
14th May - STRUCTURE TESTING
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PURPOSE OF TEST
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Kiera and I evaluated the structure from a players point of view by switching to the main camera and traversing the environment how players are expected to. The purpose of this test is to evaluate if anything needs changing and to establish what works and what doesn't. This is the first draft structure, after evaluation I will make the necessary changes.
EVALUATION OF TEST
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Torii gates and huts in the background add detail to the environment and play on the Japanese theme. These assets appear better with a lowered opacity and look great from the players perspective. The position of the clouds accommodate the feel of it being an air region and the placement of the islands allow for the Shaman to jump easily but challenge players at the same time.
The mountains do a great job at creating depth in the environment, the smaller they are the more distant they feel. Will be better if there was more of this throughout the environment, with more clouds layered on top of each other to create this sense of depth and to avoid it looking flat. Potentially would look brighter if we used denser and more vibrant clouds.
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CHANGES
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I will adapt the structure by putting in more clouds and mountains by layering each other and achieving this feeling of depth and distance between the Shaman and the assets in the background - this makes the environment look as though it goes further back. More assets need to be added to fill empty space and tie in each stage together.
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UPDATED QA TESTING
https://docs.google.com/document/d/1Cd_8L4Rqjv_GIfXImfcc5z_L_0qhrX2SvdA2nMsoRFs/edit?usp=sharing
NEXT STEPS
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My next steps for game structure are to use our evaluation and make adjustments accordingly. This will be my task for the following week as well as rounding off sound design and continuing with marketing.
END OF WEEK EVALUATION
PROJECT PIPELINE/MILESTONES
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This week have completed our milestone and handed in all assets needed to fulfill the features of the vertical slice. Kiera and I have also finalised the game structure in Unity however due to the setback with assets, have had to schedule Playtesting to take place next week instead. (Week 12)
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ARE WE ON TRACK?
We are on schedule to complete the vertical slice by next week, regarding we complete the following:
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Sound design
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User Interface - Charisma is in the process of finalising UI mockups.
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Lighting Production - Molly can produce the lighting in Unity once the last puzzles have been coded.
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Programming - Kiera has one last session to complete this by Wednesday 19th.
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Playtesting - to be conducted once we complete the tasks above.
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SELF EVALUATION
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I have almost completed the soundtrack for Anima Mundi and plan to send this to Kiera on the 17th May. In addition to this, I will continue with the marketing for Anima Mundi and publishing our final team website. I am confident in myself and the team!
WEEK SUMMARY AND TEAM REFLECTION
This week we have collected all finalised assets and begun implementing them into the final structure in Unity. We have shown a lot of hard work this week as we come to the end of the project, everyone is working hard to complete tasks on time! Charisma has been working on the last User Interface designs which Kiera will be able to integrate into Unity during the last stage of development and I will continue working on the structure of the game.
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Working on the structure allows us to carry out playtesting to ensure we adapt and overcome any bugs or implications that may rise before the release of the vertical slice. Next week we plan to carry this out with a range of people to gather feedback and suggestions (which may be limited due to coronavirus) and from here we can take our next steps.
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We are working towards the release/hand-in of our game for the 20th May and we are on schedule to do so. I have outlined the tasks needed to be completed in in the meantime:
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WHAT IS LEFT?
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Completion of puzzle interactions in Unity
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Soundtrack and sound effects
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Blog/Website
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UI
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Lighting
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User Manual
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As our 12th week only consists of 4 days, we have this amount of time to get these done to produce a functional vertical slice. In terms of our team goals and objectives we have successfully taken into consideration each one and produced the work needed accordingly. The objective of Anima Mundi designed by Josh is reflected through the vertical slice as well as mechanics, user interface, appropriate game architecture and animations.
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We are on route to fulfilling our expectations of our project scope, team goals and proposal.
NEXT STEPS FOR TEAM
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DANIELLA
Completion of first User Manual (version 1 suitable for Mobile)
Scheduled to have an adapted version made for next week, according to PC controls.
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CHARISMA
Handed-in all necessary assets.
Continuing with UI designs.
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MOLLY
Continue with lighting and apply this to final game structure.
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KIERA
Kiera to continue with Unity Development and focus on finalising the last few puzzle interactions.
Scheduled a meeting with James for Wednesday 19th May - Last development session.
Kiera and I to carry out playtesting next week with people from our communal accommodation.
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EMILIA
Continue with Marketing until online arcade event.
Complete soundtrack and sourced sound effects - send to Kiera to put into Unity.
Gather information needed from team to publish team website/blog.
Make appropriate changes to final game structure.
Carry out playtesting with Kiera to gather feedback before release.
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How am I feeling?