Educational Game

Just a quick small update, at first we have been struggling to bring our character to life, however after doing some research we may have found out the solution on how to do it which is simply just making more graphics which change the characters position (arms, body etc.) and adding them in different layers in the animation sections and then also adding the animation layers into the event sheet once a button (W, A, S, D) has been pressed.

After doing further research in trying to add interactive text (so the player can type their answer in) and coming up short after not finding any information on how to do we have had a chat and decided if still nothing can be found on how to do it then we will have to change how the answer is inputted into the game. Our first choice is for the player to type the answer in but with further research into our target audience we may find out that they would much prefer a multiple choice output. This is something we will have to figure out and soon, we do have backup plans which Ryan posted yesterday so we will have no trouble finding the best working outcome.

– Dylan

Ryan and I have a had a few ideas on how the game will flow and how the levels will connect. Firstly failing everything we could put the individual levels embedded onto the website with the interactive text underneath the game level and instruct the player how to play all through the website with hints etc.

However we will try and work through Construct 2, we have done a little bit of research in using a tool called master event sheet which is one of the tools we must use in order to link the levels and save a lot of time but we will need to play around in Construct 2 first and figure out if we can easily link levels together to keep the game flowing. Once we have figured out how to link all the levels together through the software then we will implement our ideas on how the game will flow. For example, our main idea is to keep the game flowing as best as we can such as once the first level has been finished, the character will speak and be used as the driving force of the narrative so once he has finished speaking it will continue onto the next level.

Together we have decided that we will make the levels harder as the player progresses such as an easy, medium and hard level but the level before will help them to finish the next level by using what they learned in the last lesson. There isn’t going to necessarily be a story behind the narrative of the game but the basic outline of the game is that there is a break down in a lab and the robot needs the players help, for example picking up the ram will trigger the robot to remember some tips and hints on the level and how to pass it. All the players will have the same endings and everyone of that age and group will play the same levels.

– Dylan

In the meeting we discussed how the interaction will work; will the puzzle bring up a website, will it be a drag & drop answer or will the player have to move the character to a yes/no button/lever?

Let’s break each of them down…

Website pop up
This would be where the player will input the answer to the puzzle, typing in code or debugging a line or block of code. *This may break immersion but will allow for an easy-to-use interface*

Drag & Drop
The puzzle will be an in-game pop up and it would bring 3 possible answers with it (for example). The player then has to drag the correct block into the right place in the code in order to progress. *This will be more immersive than the website as the player is still in-game, but it may not be as encouraging for the player to learn the code.*

Yes/No
This will allow the user to stay in game fully and still be in control of the character. The puzzle will appear and ask the player if the answer is correct (could also work as multiple choice) and the player will have to move the character to the appropriate floor button and jump onto it in order to activate the answer. Getting the answer correct will unlock the door – getting the answer wrong will reset the puzzle (maybe take health also). *This will be the most immersive method but may not be as encouraging for the player to learn.*

Each of the options listed have both good and bad points and we will decide which one works best, if any. We also aim to get some audience feedback so we can take into consideration which they believe is best whilst playing. This may lead to one proving itself above the rest, all of them being useless or each of them being applied to a different age bracket.

We have also discussed the option of using all three possibilities but setting them as difficulties. For example the website pop up in which the player inputs the code from memory and what they have learned will be the ‘hard’ difficulty, the drag & drop option will be ‘medium’ as it requires less knowledge and is easier to answer, and finally the ‘easy’ difficulty will be the yes/no option. This is something we will take into consideration and draw upon again shortly.

– Ryan

After creating a demo for our project we have decided that Construct 2 to will be the software we shall use to make our game. We chose Construct because we find it very easy to understand and even when stuck, it’s simple to navigate and find solutions to the problems we face.

We believe Construct 2 has the ability and power to do most of the things we need it to, and for the things that may not be directly available, they will be able to be imported into the project.

Construct 2 is also more convenient for us at this stage because it allows for more accessibility for both our tutor and our audience as it exports to HTML5.

Before you see the demo there are some notes to keep in mind:

– On the RAM pick up a dialogue box is planned to appear informing the player of what memory has been regained (the door remains locked at this point – unlike in demo video).
–  As the player approaches the door an event is triggered which begins the puzzle. This will be a pop up within the game (note; this is not set in stone, we are still developing different ways for this interaction to happen).
– Only when puzzle is completed will the locked door become unlocked and the player can progress.

And now for the demo…

– Ryan

Today we have been experimenting with Construct 2 and we have made a basic demo of part of the first level.

We are using our scene, character and pick-up item and have programmed the game to recognise the character picking up the item, which then triggers a sprite (in this case the locked door) to disappear – note, this sprite is invisible and the idea is that when destroyed it will be replaced by an open door – In this scenario, the open door which spawns is another invisible sprite, just to the right of the door set to ‘solid’ so that we can see it exists and works.

In all, once the images have been compiled it will run as follows:

Player runs into RAM
RAM ‘destroys’ closed door – which in turn spawns open door in place
Player runs into open door to progress.

For the purpose of making sure we choose the best fitting software/platform for our needs we will also be taking a look at Canvas for HTML5 and writing up a post on it shortly.

– Ryan