Retreading Old Posts

Retreading my last post, to be exact.

So yeah, talked with Oliver - the fella friend who did all the technical buildy stuff with Lima - and he mentioned that we should start SpaceBoy from the beginning.

'It would be easier starting afresh because once I got it working in the Lima project I would have to redo it all again in a new one... saves time and we can get the show on the road'

So forget the other stuff I mentioned on the previous post about working with Lima's core build to create early prototypes of SpaceBoy.
I'd edit it but that doesn't show growth now does it.

Further exploration of EGON brought me to the developer's 'Devlog', showing small updates such as a run cycle and in-game interaction with other characters.

EGON Devlog

He's also produced a demo, marked 'old', and it plays like The Impossible Game - with endless running and precise jumping to hurdle obstacles. Though the developer intends EGON to be a 'atmospheric puzzle adventure game', so this demo is most likely an engine and animation test.

EGON Demo (OLD)

Retreading Old Ground

So recently I've been a very busy little boy, arranging my mama's birthday with my family for the whole of last week. Excuses, excuses. As such, I've barely been able to comprehend game playing. The playing and inner monologuing/analyzing has been put on hold.

End of the world, right.

But now that that's all over with I've been back to rekindling my yearn to get this project started. Well, started as in actual ideas and the development of these THROUGH the initial research displayed within this blog.
As such, all throughout this two WHOLE months of Masters so far, the main concept has been nostalgia. And with that, I've wanted to follow in the footsteps of the concept/character/level design-based Honors project I had spent the majority of my time on for last year.
The project was essentially a design document, but without the bulk and core assets usually seen within these such as detailed and specific information, about each and every single thing needed within the game.
It was essentially conceptual-based, with the amount of work based on idea sheets I'd sketched up, and the evolution of these through further development and design, to show the whole process of how the game's design was unfolded; like a visual story book.
In addition to this, I'd created a fully fledged level design - based on the asset, gameplay and overall visual presentation - of which unveiled a basic introduction to the game's visual and technical prowess in the form of an interactive PowerPoint presentation. The user was faced with 10 slides - 8 slides of level playthrough and 2 dedicated to the intro and outro of the level - and would animate when specific objects, characters and important assets where highlighted with the mouse cursor. This was originally intended to be built as a small puzzle-based point-and-click level, with players having to move back slides to discover alternate and essential pieces to further the level until the end.
In PowerPoint, however, this deemed improbable, and I resorted to a simple interactive storybook that instead gave the user information and intention within each piece they could animate.

A visual interpretation of the game's intended look and feel. With the addition of the character interacting with the environment - large mushroom. The game's whole design was based around light as the source of life for the character. Without it, they would eventually fade into the dark and forever become and outline like everything else in the world.

SpaceBoy

The project's title, very linear and uninspired.. sure, but it's something I clearly have to work on. Video game titles. Sue me.

Essentially, the idea was always to create a prototype. I enjoy conception, and generating ideas and design, but I wanted the whole package - a working demo.
With the constraints of time, and the fact that I was already creating the game throughout concept and design I'd established that at a later date, or within another project in the future, I wanted to further the game.

The game's protagonist - SpaceBoy - designed with 8-bit in mind. The further and original designs show the character is a slick, modern, HD-style, though I did intend, before the addition of 'black and white visual design', to have the game as a throwback to those old-school visuals, with a modern twist. Yeah, nostalgia is essentially what I've been working with for the last few years...

So, with my Masters, I've been considering retreading old ground, and essentially developing a working prototype and/or demo, as most of the game is already there, waiting to be brought to life.
Obstacles I'll encounter within the next few weeks and upcoming months will include the chosen game engine to develop it in, and how the design will fair now when compared to it's design half a year ago.
The engine I have in mind is Construct 2. Plus, with working with it for Lima I can essentially use it as a basis for early prototype builds, that implement SpaceBoy's gameplay with Lima's assets.


A small but visually impressive model of Contruct's engine capabilities is EGON; a small indie game I found while searching for Construct-based game examples.

I Done Played Pokemon Blue I Did

I've had the cartridge for Pokemon Blue in my possession since late last week; bought it off a friend, along with Pokemon Silver for a very reasonable price, though saving is impossible on Silver as the internal memory battery needs replacing, which renders the playing of it pointless so far. Otherwise I'd have played Silver more than Blue and it'd be this I'd be discussing right now.

So yeah, since Saturday - in between working part-time - I've managed to squeeze in roughly 14 hours.
That's only slightly longer than half a full day, no problem.

Pokemon Blue, and indeed mostly all of the generation leaps have been played at some point - except from the newest Nintendo DS and 3DS renditions of Black/White, Black/White 2 and X/Y.
Thus, this has so far been one helluva nostalgic trip; and playing it through the Super Nintendo's official Game Boy adapter - Super Game Boy - has enabled me to play the Game Boy game on the full 40" Full HD screen. Is there a better use of HD? I think not. Especially when pixels are enlarged to the size of clenched fists, I imagine.

The border surrounding the middle screen is added with the Super Game Boy that's used to display original Game Boy games on the big screen, when inserted into the cartridge slot of a Super Nintendo.

After coming home from work on Saturday, getting back for around 10:30pm, picking up the Super Nintendo controller and turning on the console. I think, even though my housemate and our joint friend came over, I played the game, nonstop, lest one or two stops to the fridge, until about 3am.
We were all conversing, while I ploughed on - tirelessly training up my Pocket Monsters, exploring wildernesses, buildings and nearby Pokemon battles - and it sparked a few moments of realization within me.

I recalled what we'd discussed in our first lesson of the course, and how we personally determine what something is within a game. We used Space Invaders as an example, and explored how the sprites used in this were - subjectively - determined as a 'tank' or a 'ship'. It was essentially based on what we'd experienced playing the games, personally and subjectively, forming our own narrative within these simple yet thought-provoking worlds.
And as the graphical power at the time - for both Pokemon and Space Invaders - was limited to the technology and hardware they were being created for, it adds to the sense of nostalgia in then determining or justifying what you think an object really is, or can be, just from a sprite or two - and how the limited use of animations, sprites and pixels were used to represent a character, item, creature or environment.

Individual objects within this scene can be determined by playing, but it's also often personally evident to conjure up your own interpretation of - not what the object is - but how it looks without the restriction of it's image size and pixel-use to you, and how such a small thing can play wonders with the imagination.

With the example above, I remembered - through playing and exploring the world for the first time, properly, since I was younger - that small, charming additions such as the trees, the blades of grass, the obstructions - of which I assume, but not sure, are concrete pillars - contribute towards a personal connection to the world and environment.
Minimal to today's standards sure - mainly because of the technological limitations of the Game Boy at the time - thus further explorations and releases of the franchises - as with most sequels and updates of games - strive to implement more graphical power, and thus, easily recognizable objects, trees and characters/creatures.

Of course, that's easier to suggest as technology has improved so much that it's simpler to have a realistic looking tree - at a specific size, and with a specific amount of sprites or polys - than it was back then.
And this leads me to recent video games, mostly independently released, through individual companies or teams, that appear to recently set the graphical presentation to the levels of games like the original Pokemon titles - Blue/Red/Yellow/Gold/Silver/Crystal - and provide old-school presentations, with elements that provoke throwbacks and nods to these technical marvels of days past.
Games such as, essentially, the entire selection from my previous post - albeit, some more than overs, in graphical representation; pixels/sprites - provide great influence in the way the game looks and the animation plays out - as intentionally basic as it may first appear.
With games like Home, the main character's animation is essentially a few frames strong, and as such has a quirky, charming approach to his walking. This choice, I feel, gives the player a sense of their own personal ownership of that character's movement, and how it impacts the player to the point that - in some cases - some animation can be so obscure, even if only walking, or jumping, or crouching, that it can generate a laugh, or a comment.

The crouching animation here for example - top right corner - appears to only be one frame, yet it's easily justifiable as to what Mickey Mouse is doing within that frame. The sprites are highly charming, in that they represent the classic Disney mascot in very limited frames. This reminds me of recent indie games, such as the ones in my previous post, and how they reflect these by intentionally taking the pixellated route as the style for their game, and give the impression that the game's from the Nintendo Entertainment System/NES, yet modified and released for the appeal of recent years.

It's almost as though the use of pixels within a game is an artistic direction, rather than a technological restriction, and games like Sword and Sworcery thrive on the artistic representation of a very modernized video game.

Influences, Inspiration, Aspiration

I've been thinking about relevant and similar video games that highly incorporate that old/new-school feel.
These are released, and soon to be released, games that include features potentially beneficial to my project.

- Hotline Miami; old-school design with new-school visuals - pixels are manipulated into fast paced, humorous and 'art' style gameplay; based on and inspired by the film Drive.

- Home; 2D sidescrolling pixel-horror game with up-to-date SFX; mood represents current gen horror games like Amnesia or Resident Evil, with visuals complimenting NES and earlier-style video games.

- Dark Void Zero; more of a total retro-style game, with classic SFX, graphics and gameplay, implementing very little 'new-school' designs.

- Sword And Sworcery EP; up-to-date and 'hip' narrative styles; the dialogue is filled with slang and new-age referencing. The graphics represent that old-school style of pixels, yet used more as an artistic expression, and to make a fully realized, and expertly detailed pixel design. Fighting system is quick time-based and is new-school.

- Super Time Force; the soon to be released Superbrothers game has fast paced action, pixellated graphics and 'one-player co-op'. Super Time Force looks to further the humour and style of Sword and Sworcery, with a more accessible and arcade-like experience - points seem to be highly relevant with this game, like the appeal of arcade and pinball gaming.

- BattleBlock Theater; from the company that created Castle Crashers, this game carries on their quirky and unique visuals with old-school platforming and level design.

- Super Meat Boy; old-school character and game design with new school visuals, fast paced action, speed running, etc.

- Fez; based solely on pixels, very artistic, with the 3D-view switching ability to set it apart from most 2D platform games. though this game is mainly a casual game, with little to no conflict.

- Spelunky; from pixels to HD - the game has completely unique levels that randomize with every play, so that almost every play through is different/unique. Plays like a traditional sidescroller, with new-mixed genre inclusions such as RPG elements and the ability to exchange money for goods and weapons. Reminds me of Alex Kidd.

- Braid; an old idea; mainly Super Mario, converted into a brand new era, with completely reworked visuals that are traditionally artistic, with the ability to rewind time to puzzle solve - a unique feature that wouldn't have been possible in the old-school.

- EDGE; an isometric puzzle platform game with basic design of blocks, luminous coloured sections and a space-setting that sets it apart. The music has traditional synths and electronica-style sounds, the crisp HD design brings it to a new age.

Also worth mentioning/only just discovered;

- Risk of Rain

- Mercenary Kings

- Paradise Lost: First Contact

Sidenote.

HD conversations are often good for reigniting older audiences with a game, and also introducing new players through advertisements and word of mouth from people who've played it in the past. HD conversations are very popular and accessible to do these days, with multiple old-school games being re-skinned or recreated for new audiences.
Older companies and games that may have been lost in the past are updated to appeal to new players, and rekindle older players with their past playthroughs. Kickstarter and public funding have helped reignite passion for old-school games and franchises to be brought back, with well established companies such as Double Fine or renown game designers such as Keiji Inafune (the co-creator of MegaMan) seeking public funding for a brand new, fan-friendly video game.

Charm

So I remembered - and have kicked myself for only just - Gameswipe from satirical broadcaster Charlie Brooker. The show was a one off of his Screenwipe series and focused specifically on video games, influences and impacts through a short look of it's commercial and documented history, reviews, scandals, short discussions of video game genres and outsider input and opinions on specific games or aspects of games.
Upon rounding up his review of 50 Cent: Blood On The Sand for the Xbox 360, for example, Brooker said;

"...it's charmless; that's the main problem and games never used to be short of charm..."

Then proceeding to introduce Rab and Ryan to discuss their emotional connections with British homebrew video gaming growing up, in what they refer to as the "real retro".

Gameswipe: Rab and Ryan of Consolevania

The video snippet is a reflection of yesterday's talk with my course tutor, in which we discussed my current position within the project, and then threw around some ideas to help expand it into an actual prototype or product.

Throughout our brainstorming we discussed the concept of expanding on my previous project - Lima - if only for prototype's sake, of which nostalgic and satirical advertisement mockery could be placed within to form something to strive towards in the near future.

With the wonderfully emotion-evoking and nostalgia-driven new-age pixel-perfect game Sword and Sworcery EP at our midst, we used the themes and novelty within it to capture potential scenarios within my own prototype.

We knew that, in the centre of this whole prototype conundrum was the game itself, and spanning off where nostalgia-influenced outsider comments such as, '..OH, I like this, feels a bit like something, but not sure what...' and '...the way it plays, reminds me of...' as supportive reasoning and drive to include MAINLY these elements within the player's experience.

Charm is a key aspect that's often lost within big-budget, action-packed and quick-time event-filled videos games. Most of which, have become a staple for other mimicking releases, creating almost zombified, soulless experiences that offer dumbed down gameplay, 'hold your hand' pacing and extremely shoddy level design, wrapped around endless cut scenes and cinematics.

No, charm MUST be used as a staple, as a key for it's own independent statement, setting it apart from the packs of mindless clones and derogative narratives already out there.

I think that's what's lost - as Rab and Ryan discuss in the video above - the element of charm within games is often nonexistent. Yet, the growth and boom of the indie market, and the flourishing of non-publisher-needing teams and companies means talent is becoming a bigger thing than money, and it's exceptionally expressed through releases that cater towards their own personal visions and design.

'A camel is a horse designed by committee.'

- Sir Alec Issigonis

Oh, And..

I'd discovered this game back when I was playing Superbrothers: Sword and Sworcery EP. Yeah, 'back when' makes it sound like a decade ago I know.

Super Time Force is being developed by the same team - Capybara Games - with musical contributions from Jim Guthrie; the same singer/songwriter from Sword and Sworcery and looks to be another humour-filled, retro/old-school interpretation with an extremely modern twist and representation.

The newly released trailer above speaks for itself, but the concept of combining old and new - a current trademark within the company's video game library - alone makes me excited for the game's official release.

Upon exploring the team's OFFICIAL WEBSITE, I discovered recent updates on their NEXT next game 'Below' which looks to be spiritual successor to Sword and Sworcery.

"We started talking about this idea years ago, pre-Demon's Souls. Games like Spelunky, Dark Souls, Demon's Souls, FTL: they've done a bit of legwork for us in helping to prove out the idea that people want brutal, hard games that don't hold your hand and have something happen differently every time you play it."

BELOW ARTICLE: POLYGON

The Masters Project, The Reevaluation Of

My potential plan throughout the year has already altered somewhat.

So, back before the course started I was job hunting, and almost acquired a position as GUI Designer. I, therefore, spent most of my time working with interface designs and narrative construction - how it worked; the page-to-page process/screenshots - and had only remembered my previous year's projects based mostly on nostalgia within my designs; thus applying MY own personal interpretation of how MY own games - concept wise - would look, feel, play and reward the user.
Video games, ever since I can remember, have influenced anything I've drawn, designed or played. Because of this, the passion to present personal tributes to moments and games passed have always been an aspiration and an emotional agenda of mine.
With that being said, nostalgia - therefore - was one of the first concepts uttered out of my mouth when classes began in September.

"Nostalgia."

I hadn't figured out, specifically, what I wanted to focus on with the project, I just knew the theme of nostalgia was potentially a major part of it.
I'd worked on concept art, games and level design throughout my third and final year of the Honors as the years proceeding it had rhythmically determined my own personal journey, and thus; yearn to study these specific areas.
With my concept and games designs - for my Honors project - I presented a game proposal, the influences, early concepts, and final designs into a year long project. Fluently the process was natural to me, and helped to cater further development on other potential projects - as concepts, character designs, world themes have always played a major part in my childhood narrative.

Or what I consider to be 'good' character design, or 'clever' level/environment design.

Honors seemed to be all about the actual creation of a project, with influence and research being a small part of the process - to me anyway - whereas, so far, Masters goes for brains, and the thought-provoking processes of creating something; how an idea is thought up, and the constant and consistent dissecting and analyzing of what can be considered 'good' and 'clever' with relevant evidence and feedback, to then implement these ideas and reasoning into said creation.
For me, the older and more recent retro-feel video games have always been an interesting area to dissect - as, growing up with the early renditions of Nintendo and Sega warm the cockles of my heart, and will continue to do so. Yet, it's the yearn, that mystery of what, therefore, nostalgia is, how emotion is triggered from memories past, and what influencing designs can I create, based on these.
The concept of nostalgia, and it's inhabitants within all of us, is a keen topic to explore.

Recently I've been fascinated with the satirical advertisement agenda - not specifically the use of advertisements in video games, though some have catered specifically towards satirical mock-ups within their designs, Bioshock comes to mind - but how influential advertisements and potential propaganda-based marketing can affect it's audience, within a game.
The use of They Live's bold, satirical mocking of our consumerist society for example provided the kind of concept that I'd like to research, analyse and discuss, and the idea of a finished product at the end of next year is a daunting yet exciting one as this is a potentially whole new prospect within design that I'd always noticed, but never studied and used knowingly in design.

This, however, WILL coincide with nostalgia. It will be great to blend both concepts into each other, whether it'd be based around specific years and time periods, for example, that encapsulate and reimburse the idea, overall, that will then be presented in an end of year design.

Brazil

I watched the 1985 Terry Gilliam classic Brazil today as I'd been contemplating and rationalizing on expanding the criteria I can discover and discuss around satirical entertainment such as this. Brazil is an ambitious film. Hell, this is obvious by it's critical acclaim and cult status; one of the main reasons I picked it out to watch - it's ridiculous it's only now that I've watched it. I think reading on reviews, critical and personal analysis on the film initially put me off, the stills/screens and trailers I'd seen in the past where brushed off as, 'probably not my type of movie, very art-house, bizarre; tough to get into', to which now, ironically, I've succumb to enjoying within films.

It's always a strange feeling, when watching or playing something and it completely deludes the mentality that you initially had beforehand. Not that I often judge a book by it's cover, so to speak, it's all subjective, and all based on taste, and individual perspectives on experiences we've loved, hated, accepted or been nonplussed by in the past to then establish a personal opinion.

After watching Brazil, and becoming instantly ore-inspired by the time the end credits scrolled up the screen, I began delving into other sources of media out there that I was initially already aware of; such as films and games, recent and past - that I thought would fit the same sorts of narrative exploration and meaning. Narrative metaphor and satirical structure within entertainment - especially when handled so expertly - makes me, as the viewer, and the audience, want to explore the further reaches, messages and intentions of the experience.
My previous post is based on my potential expansion within the nostalgia-based project; that of advertising and the often intentional corrupt campaigns and propaganda-based agendas - there of - that are satirically explored and entertainingly exploited in films such as They Live.

With Brazil, however, it wasn't as 'in your face' with it's message; it had to be explored. The comedic element surround They Live's plot was based around boxes of sunglasses that could 'awaken' the wearer so that the truth was blatantly advertised. Brazil's world is derived from a dystopian standpoint, and focuses on the weird and wacky elements such as pantomime-esque characters and environments that also seem to become living creatures themselves.
Metaphorically these films serve as a yearn to escape, like living in a constant dreamworld that's often devoid of human emotion; pitting the main character as someone who looks through the looking glass and discovers the world they're surrounded by, all of a sudden is as bizarre and inhuman as we the viewer see it as.
The realization often drives the emotion of a film, and gives the viewer a personal and human connection to the character - the struggle to get out of this desolate living and finally find freedom; happiness.

Seems to be a theme with dystopian settings; I've noticed this trend in many other films - futuristic and noir-like - such as Blade Runner, The Warriors, Tron, The Truman Show, etc. Other forms of media - specifically video games - have been known to replicate and borrow from some of these classic, genre-refining cultural pieces; Deus Ex and the original Unreal Tournament/Quake III: Arena, for example.