I have updated the group report to the current date. The project needed to be completed before more can be added to the document. The document is about 1/3 complete right now. I'm sure there are extras that need to be added in the sections I have written to date, but I will leave this document until the project has been completed. Also it’s a group project, so I would like the others to add to the document.
The levels are complete I guess. Testing plan needs to be confirmed before the testing begins next week.
Bring on the Easter break when this project will be on the home straight.
Monday, 4 April 2011
Monday, 28 March 2011
Week 8 - Semester 2
This week is going to be a long one. The levels are scheduled to be completed by the end of this week ready for testing for the next two weeks to follow.
This should be achieved but will mean a lot of late nights just to make sure we manage to meet the deadline. We have a Project Milestone on Thursday (31/03/2011) which should go over our Game and testing methods.
Realistically, the game will need next week for tweaks on both the game and the testing method we are going to be using, which is why 2 weeks for testing was planned in case we needed the extra time for polish.
Work on the documentation is going at a steady pace, though I think my work will be focused on helping the others with making sure the levels and testing method are working correctly for our test.
This should be achieved but will mean a lot of late nights just to make sure we manage to meet the deadline. We have a Project Milestone on Thursday (31/03/2011) which should go over our Game and testing methods.
Realistically, the game will need next week for tweaks on both the game and the testing method we are going to be using, which is why 2 weeks for testing was planned in case we needed the extra time for polish.
Work on the documentation is going at a steady pace, though I think my work will be focused on helping the others with making sure the levels and testing method are working correctly for our test.
Thursday, 17 March 2011
Week 6 - Sememster 2
Lectures were here this week to check the progress made for the group report. Feedback was positive to my surprise. I was expecting to re-write large sections, but I was happy to receive positive comments about the structure and information given in the document.
This week will be making the changes to the document based on the feedback, while adding more to the overall report. Work towards the individual report is needed this week, so work towards that is needed as well.
This week will be making the changes to the document based on the feedback, while adding more to the overall report. Work towards the individual report is needed this week, so work towards that is needed as well.
Thursday, 10 March 2011
Week 5 - Semester 2
Since last week I have been working on the Group Report for the project. I have made a start creating a first draft, which I wanted feedback on but the lectures were away this week so I couldn't get the feedback I would like.
I was thinking about sending an e-mail with the content I had written, but I saw this as an opportunity to add more to the report this week and have even more feedback next week instead.
Work on the Design Document has been gradual process. At this stage it will be updated if needed now. It will need to be complete for the next milestone (24th March 2011), but my focus will be on making sure this Group Report is complete. Since others are focused on finishing the Levels, I feel it is important someone has made progress on the report. Once the testing is complete, the write up will be about the testing itself, which is fresh in our memories than trying to look back at early work and writing about that instead.
So the next few weeks will be Document writing and help for the others if they need it for other areas such as Level Design and Test Creation.
I was thinking about sending an e-mail with the content I had written, but I saw this as an opportunity to add more to the report this week and have even more feedback next week instead.
Work on the Design Document has been gradual process. At this stage it will be updated if needed now. It will need to be complete for the next milestone (24th March 2011), but my focus will be on making sure this Group Report is complete. Since others are focused on finishing the Levels, I feel it is important someone has made progress on the report. Once the testing is complete, the write up will be about the testing itself, which is fresh in our memories than trying to look back at early work and writing about that instead.
So the next few weeks will be Document writing and help for the others if they need it for other areas such as Level Design and Test Creation.
Thursday, 3 March 2011
Week 4 - Semeseter 2
Recent work for me has been are finishing up on the Design Document. It has more detailed information for the team to follow, though there are still some areas where I need some feedback from them in order for it to be complete.
This information has been slow in coming, but the team are working on the AI for the project, so I guess it can be understandable.
Our 3rd Milestone presentation went rather smoothly, though feedback was clear that our project need more misdirection techniques. I'm finding it hard to come up with misdirection techniques as I seem to keep coming back to the idea of change blindness.
Personally I think Change Blindness would be easier to test and gather results, but the fact there isn't much information around the idea of misdirection and video games makes the project worth fighting through.
Once the Design Document is finished this week, which I'm confident it will be complete, Work on Group/Individual reports will be my next task. I would like to get a rough draft for lectures to read for next week to see whether or not my write style is correct for report writing. Also work towards how to test our project is needed, so I would like to look more into this area this weekend.
This information has been slow in coming, but the team are working on the AI for the project, so I guess it can be understandable.
Our 3rd Milestone presentation went rather smoothly, though feedback was clear that our project need more misdirection techniques. I'm finding it hard to come up with misdirection techniques as I seem to keep coming back to the idea of change blindness.
Personally I think Change Blindness would be easier to test and gather results, but the fact there isn't much information around the idea of misdirection and video games makes the project worth fighting through.
Once the Design Document is finished this week, which I'm confident it will be complete, Work on Group/Individual reports will be my next task. I would like to get a rough draft for lectures to read for next week to see whether or not my write style is correct for report writing. Also work towards how to test our project is needed, so I would like to look more into this area this weekend.
Monday, 21 February 2011
Week 3 - Semester 2
Recently I watch a film called The Prestige which was on BBC2 (20th February 2011).
The film is a period thriller set in Edwardian London where two rival magicians, partners until the tragic death of an assistant during a show, feud bitterly after one of them performs the ultimate magic trick - teleportation.
His rival tries desperately to uncover the secret of his routine, experimenting with dangerous new science as his quest takes him to the brink of insanity and jeopardises the lives of everyone around the pair.
The film describes how a magic act consists of 3 Acts. The first part is called ‘The Pledge’ where the magician shows the audience something ordinary. The second act is called ‘The Turn’ where the magician takes the ordinary and makes it extraordinary. The third act is to bring back the extraordinary back to its original state.
Having watched this film I could help but wished we created our structure of the level based upon these 3 acts that were described in the film. This also got me thinking that with better research into the topic of Magicians, this idea could have been used much earlier in the process of creation.
Instead now, we have created a structure that is purely based upon location. Having found this Neo Tokyo Mod and being allowed to used the assets for our project, meant that focus on creating a level based with that in mind on not towards the idea of misdirection which is the main focus on the project.
It’s easy to look back at what should have been done, but at the time ideas about Tokyo and the setting were getting the team excited towards the project with everyone coming up with ideas. It was always said that the team could play on the idea using misdirection with the use of a different culture, which lead to us finding the Neo Tokyo Mod, however ideas on misdirection on the whole have been difficult to create effectively as of now.
It seems that the teams desire to go ahead and create a Tokyo setting without fully understanding how to implement misdirection into a test that would record meaningful data may have a negative outcome for the project on the whole, which worries me right now.
Write ups for the First Draft Reports should be completed this time next week, along with the new Design Document. Team input towards both is needed, which will be done in tomorrow’s meeting (22nd February 2011)
The film is a period thriller set in Edwardian London where two rival magicians, partners until the tragic death of an assistant during a show, feud bitterly after one of them performs the ultimate magic trick - teleportation.
His rival tries desperately to uncover the secret of his routine, experimenting with dangerous new science as his quest takes him to the brink of insanity and jeopardises the lives of everyone around the pair.
The film describes how a magic act consists of 3 Acts. The first part is called ‘The Pledge’ where the magician shows the audience something ordinary. The second act is called ‘The Turn’ where the magician takes the ordinary and makes it extraordinary. The third act is to bring back the extraordinary back to its original state.
Having watched this film I could help but wished we created our structure of the level based upon these 3 acts that were described in the film. This also got me thinking that with better research into the topic of Magicians, this idea could have been used much earlier in the process of creation.
Instead now, we have created a structure that is purely based upon location. Having found this Neo Tokyo Mod and being allowed to used the assets for our project, meant that focus on creating a level based with that in mind on not towards the idea of misdirection which is the main focus on the project.
It’s easy to look back at what should have been done, but at the time ideas about Tokyo and the setting were getting the team excited towards the project with everyone coming up with ideas. It was always said that the team could play on the idea using misdirection with the use of a different culture, which lead to us finding the Neo Tokyo Mod, however ideas on misdirection on the whole have been difficult to create effectively as of now.
It seems that the teams desire to go ahead and create a Tokyo setting without fully understanding how to implement misdirection into a test that would record meaningful data may have a negative outcome for the project on the whole, which worries me right now.
Write ups for the First Draft Reports should be completed this time next week, along with the new Design Document. Team input towards both is needed, which will be done in tomorrow’s meeting (22nd February 2011)
Friday, 18 February 2011
Week 2 - Semester 2
This week has been updating the Design Document for the project. I've been trying to note down the hard facts about our game to help with the development of the levels everyone else is doing.
This really should have been in place before when went on to create these levels look back at it from this stage. However I think at the time of the first draft of the Design Document, we had a rough idea of how we wanted to implement features into our game and wanted to take the time over Christmas to spend creating the levels and worry about the details later.
I think this approach hasn't worked for the team, well for me personally at least. This is because without considering the details of the level before creating them, we don't really know how the pacing of the game will work right now. Right now looking at the Street Level in particular, though our paper design looked much bigger, it feels really small for the kind of experience we want to have in this section.
Also since all 3 other members have been creating the levels, leaving me with document work, I have been left in the dark in terms of the progress. Details such as puzzles are being added into the levels without my knowledge at times.
Right now I have but as much detail as I can right now, though if the team can respond quickly I can add much more detail towards the design document which the team can follow.
We were also given Assignment sheets about the reports (Group and Individual) that need to be completed towards the end of the project. I'll be working to get a rough draft completed of them by this time next week. Since the team will be working towards making the details of the levels soon, I guess work towards these reports.
This really should have been in place before when went on to create these levels look back at it from this stage. However I think at the time of the first draft of the Design Document, we had a rough idea of how we wanted to implement features into our game and wanted to take the time over Christmas to spend creating the levels and worry about the details later.
I think this approach hasn't worked for the team, well for me personally at least. This is because without considering the details of the level before creating them, we don't really know how the pacing of the game will work right now. Right now looking at the Street Level in particular, though our paper design looked much bigger, it feels really small for the kind of experience we want to have in this section.
Also since all 3 other members have been creating the levels, leaving me with document work, I have been left in the dark in terms of the progress. Details such as puzzles are being added into the levels without my knowledge at times.
Right now I have but as much detail as I can right now, though if the team can respond quickly I can add much more detail towards the design document which the team can follow.
We were also given Assignment sheets about the reports (Group and Individual) that need to be completed towards the end of the project. I'll be working to get a rough draft completed of them by this time next week. Since the team will be working towards making the details of the levels soon, I guess work towards these reports.
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