Homework 6

Homework 6
Assigned: Friday Oct. 16, 2015
Due: Friday Oct. 23, 2015

Analyze two games (one that you like, and one that you do not like, or like less). Address the following issues:

1) the Tetrad
2) Balance
3) Emergent properties (check the book out)
4) Interest curves (check out the book)
5) Explain the reasons you like or dislike the game and relate this to Game Design issues. 

Put this in your Blog. Each game will count for 50%.  Each of the 5 subtopics will count for 10 points (for each game), for a total of 100 possible points.

Do not forget to state your contributions to your Teams' game and what you plan to do in the following week.

The two games that I’m going to compare are Final fantasy 10, and Final fantasy 10-2, which is the lesser known sequel to FF10. For more Final fantasy 10 was as far as turn based RPG’s go, is probably one of the best games I have ever played. The game allows for easy gameplay, and the learning curve to understand how the leveling in the game, as well as the abilities that each character has are easy to understand, and are typically predictable in knowing what the outcome may look like. But when the first Final fantasy 10 is compared to the sequel, final fantasy 10-2, It’s almost like you’re playing a completely knew game. The story tries to pick up right where the last one left off, but the problem with that is, is that Final Fantasy 10 had a pretty solid and concrete ending for the most part. Final Fantasy 10-2 adds random character and world developments that just plain don’t make sense, such as making the quite, and shy protagonist summoner from the first game into this outgoing, gun wielding, female idol member that fights things with her singing voice. The drastic change in mood and temperament from the first game makes the second act as a bad example of a comedy, when the first game was seen more as a drama. As far as game mechanics go, the second game tries to make the game more fast pace, where turn based is now rushed, which doesn’t allow the player really any time to think about which ability to use next because they are rushed into deciding. The player being rushed into deciding what ability to do next takes away from the original game in which the player could try and be more strategic in deciding what to do next. The Balance in Final Fantasy 10-2 is completely broken by this, the characters talent tree, and leveling system is drastically altered and made to be more complex, to the point that even experienced Final fantasy players tend to have trouble in understanding what everything is, and where everything is at. They were ultimately too ambitious in what they wanted from the final fantasy sequel, and it’s the perfect example at how “more” does not always mean “better” in regards to total content that can be found inside of a game. Final fantasy 10, is one of the best-selling and most widely known in the series, but with the sequel, people don’t tend to even remember it, because the story is so broken, scattered, and different that it just feels plain bad. Even the cut scenes and art from the second game just seem rushed and it seems like less effort was put into making it look good.  The first game really nailed, it with likeable characters who are even 10 years after the game are still widely known and liked, but the second game got rid of those characters, and did not develop the recurring ones hardly at all, but rather gave them a completely new persona that just seemed to make a large portion of the fan base angry. For the most part, people who are fans of the series do not typically like to relate the two game together in even the same universe because of how different the game is. Even the monsters in the seconds game seem less important as some of the most powerful creatures in the first game can be captured in used as pets in battle In the second game which not only alters the gameplay for the worse, but the game does a lackluster job at explaining how this is even possible as this deviates from what the monsters actually are, and what they are made out of from the first game. The second game just makes them appear as beasts, rather then what they actually are, “spawns of sin” which supposedly should have gone away at the end of the second game with the climax, and defeat and destruction of sin. All together the first final fantasy remains almost a classic by video game standards today, with the new gen getting a collectors edition recently, while the second game remains to be liked by most of the fan base, even if people try to like it for what is. But honestly. That game is just bad.

Final Fantasy 10:

1) The Tetrad

*explained in paragraph*

2) Balance:

The game feels well balanced, each character has their own benefits to be used and leveled up. And the difficulty curve of the game works well with the player. “Good players” are able to proceed faster through the game if they are “better” but players who are not as good, have the option to sit back and farm experience levels from enemies to prepare for later challenges.

3) Emergent properties (check the book out)

This is one of the best games at making the game more emergent by creating good characterization that makes you more involved on an emotional level with the characters in the game.

4) Interest curves (check out the book)

This game creates a series of story arcs, throughout gameplay, that allow for multiple different issues to develop and allows for there to be multiple interest’s curves with each new arc, or area discovered.
5) Explain the reasons you like or dislike the game and relate this to Game Design issues. 

*explained in paragraph*

Final Fantasy 10-2:

1) The Tetrad

*explained in paragraph*

2) Balance: The game feels less balanced, there are certain character in the game who will always be better than the other, making some of the character completely useless to the game content, which just makes the game more complex.

3) Emergent properties (check the book out)

The games attempt at being emergent with characterization fails, as characters try to be funny by giving one liners, and it just makes no real connection to any of the characters. The game feels less explorative and more singular throughout the game, as you are forced into a certain direction, without really getting to explore as much as the first game allowed. The emergent properties in the world just feel limited.
4) Interest curves (check out the book)

The game is completely linear, and tries to have one singular goal to meet throughout the whole game, so it feels dragged on, and the interest of what actually is happening in the story at the time just feels chaotic and confusing as random characters and groups are added that had not previously existed in the previous game. It just isn’t as captivating.

5) Explain the reasons you like or dislike the game and relate this to Game Design issues. 

*explained in paragraph*

What I am working on for the team game

AI am continuing to work on the mesh for the main protagonist of the game, as well as beginning to learn how to import the model into unreal and inserting the skeleton mesh into the character so that I can make animation. Hopefully by next week I will have most if not all of the model done on blender, and I can begin working on animating. Ill also be looking into audacity and how I can make music for the game. Also I will be writing notes to be found as collectables in the game to add to the story.

GD2015 Homework #5

Joshua Upton/jsu13@my.fsu.edu

Homework 5
Assigned: Oct. 1, 2015
Due: Oct. 8, 2015

In this homework, we ask each of you to create a blueprint that will does something useful for your game. In your blog, please include snapshots of the blueprint, of the constructor (if used), of your object within the game, and an explanation of its planned use.

The blueprint should contain at a minimum the following components:

1) a static mesh  [20 pts]
2) one or more arithmetic operators [20 pts}
3) the blueprint must transform the object in some way (scale, translate, rotate) [20 pts]

We will assign 20 pts for the write up and 20 pts for the images you include.



I made some cubes that can be destroyed when either stepped on, shot at or dropped. The mesh breaks into smaller peices and can scatter, and each peice has its own physics. the static mesh is a small cube, that can simulate possible mines, if we decide to add an explosion to the mesh breaking, and causing damage, or the mesh could be used as a basis for decoration or environment destruction.


1. This is the mesh:  Its a small static mesh, that when either dropped, shot, or stepped on is destroyed and causes player damage.







2. arithmetic operators. (sorry for bad quality, screen capture on my laptop is running strange)

Youtube link for better quality on the sequence.:
 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yGCKEzwUkME&feature=youtu.be








3. the blueprint causes the object to shatter into many different peices and give each piece velocity.


Quick demonstration of what happens when a character run over the object.

 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fEgURwzbBck&feature=youtu.be     




Planned use. Once the character hud is finished, this can be used as a sort of trap in the game that the player has to avoid, otherwise it will cause damage to the player. This could act as a minefield, or as some sort of falling attack from above that the player has to dodge, or else it will injure the player. the arithmetic sequence will allow for sound effects, particle effects (explosions ect.) but for now it a simple destruction that has peices that each have there own velocities.