Data-Drain-Boss Battle Gameplay Trailer

Final trailer for the boss battle assignment. I collaborated with a partner to create the levels, meshes,etc. to use for the trailer. Hope you enjoy!

DFA: Boss Design, Kyto Alba

Design final for my boss!

Boss Battle: Camera Move

Went looking for some inspirational camera moves for the upcoming boss battle assignment. I settled on some good ol' Star Wars since my partner and I are going to be making a boss battle that involves ships and flying around in battle.

I chose Star Wars for it's camera movements and choices since in our boss battle we'll be showing both the hero and the boss in their ship cockpits while also showing the outside of the ships as they fly around and battle.

Boss Battle

We're now moving on to actually designing an interactive boss battle in game design 3. I've been partnered with a fellow student who I'll be working with to create 2 new environments, a boss, and various other assets.

Kevin’s original mechanics:

• unrestricted flight
• turrets
• destructible obstacles
• event & health driven force-fields

Possible boss mechanics:

• damage dealing destructible spawn in player path
• turrets deployed on stationary platforms
• turrets attached to boss (would possibly require boss to remain stationary while turrets are deployed due to the target tracking method used)

Caitlin’s Mechanics:

• Destructive projectile
• Destructible obstacles/structures
• Free flight
• Flying character asset: Dragon

Possible Themes:

• Dreamscape
• Cyberspace*

Possible Environments:

• Cyber Grid
• Cyber themed city
• Virus-infected area

Possible Assets:

• Hero asset: Nanobot?
• Boss asset: Cyber Dragon?
• Destructible assets: memory blocks?

Player movement:

• free unrestricted movement (if our boss is moving this could potentially cause players to fall behind if they are allowed to turn around) plus side is that we already have this control scheme set up.
• restricted movement: players are constantly in forward motion and have the ability to strafe from side to side and top to bottom. (Star Fox style). This would prevent players from flying away from the encounter.

Level Description:

• Where is it? (Cyberspace)
• What time of year is it? (not very relevant)
• What time of day is it? (not very relevant)
• Who lives there? (the boss)
• What does the architecture look like? (geometry, matrices, data structuctures, lines of code)
• What happened to the environment prior to the player getting there?
• How did the player arrive in the environment? What brought them there? (the boss pulled the player in against their will.)
• What are the focal points that help the players to orient themselves in the environment or draw the attention of the player to a location?  ( contrast, particles, vibrant colors)

Reference Images:

• Environment/location

• Set design and props
• Lighting style
• Inspiration
• Character

Boss Battle Analysis

For game design we had to choose a boss battle, play it, and analyze it to figure out its mechanics and what makes it tick. I went with one of my favorite old school bosses from Ocarina of Time for Nintendo 64, the Phantom Shadow Beast Bongo Bongo from the infamous shadow temple.

We encounter Bongo Bongo when you enter the boss's lair at the end of the Shadow Temple in the Ocarina of Time. Link, the main character that the players play, falls down a well and onto what appears to be a giant drum. From here giant hands ominously start a war beat while a disturbing cyclops like head and chest float into visibility. This is how Mr. Bongo Bongo enters the scene.

Besides it's obviously heinous appearance, Bongo Bongo is a devious boss to fight. The mechanics used in his fight though are fun though.

When the player, Link, first enters Bongo Bongo's lair you get the usual Zelda boss intro scene but after his introduction Bongo Bongo's main body turns invisible while his hands remain visible.
You basically play blind.

Of course the only way to fight this boss is to equip the Lens of Truth which uses magic to allow the player to see the unseen, namely here it would be Bongo Bongo. While using the lens the player will need to aim with their bow and shoot at Bongo Bongo's eye in order to incapacitate him to land a blow or two.

While using the lens and trying to shoot at Bongo Bongo though the player will need to be careful as Bongo Bongo will use his hands to swipe and slam at the player. At some points Bongo Bongo will also make his way towards the player and body-ram them. This can be very harmful if the player is knocked off the edge of the boss's battle area, which is possible. If that happens they land in acid and must climb their way out.

Bongo Bongo follows a set of patterns though and his movements are very circular in that he'll move around the arena in a circular motion. This can get annoying as the player may not be able to keep track of Bongo with the lens to take aim and shoot before possibly being injured by an attack.

I picked this boss battle though because it's one of my childhood favorites and I enjoyed the mechanics of having to find an unseen enemy and shoot at them.

Basic fight mechanics:

• Must use Lens of Truth to see Bongo Bongo's main body. This is the main part of his body that you have to aim for and harm.
• Using the bow will be one of the few weapons that can properly take down Bongo Bongo. You have to be able to keep an eye on him, your magic, and keep up with him while aiming for his eye. Makes for a good fight.
• The hover boots Link gets from the shadow temple will help you in this level due to being thrown up in the air by Bongo Bongo's drumming. This adds a level of difficulty to be able to focus and aim for Bongo's face unless you run out of magic for the lens to see him.

By beating Bongo Bongo players are rewarded a new heart piece for their health meter and unlock one of the seven sages which play a part in the game's main story line.

Toy Assignment Evaluation: "Spitfire"

"Once long ago in a land of fire and stone, there existed the mighty dragons and their adversaries, the golems. Both races fought valiantly against one another to regain control of the land but all was in vain as both were left with so few in number after so many years of fighting. Now, a young dragon by the name of Flint has discovered a group of golems encroaching in his territory. Action must be taken or they'll come for him and his nest of hatchlings. As Flint battles against the rocky foes however, they make off with his nest to his surprise! It's now a race against time as Flint must save his nest and destroy the evil golems who plague his land. So take flight and reign some hell fire from above."

Character Profile: Flint the dragon

External Profile:

1. Name: Flint
2. Species: Veil Valley Fire Drake
3. Basic Shape: Organic, round, and has some sharp edges.
4. Scale:W=5ft ,H=6ft ,L=6ft. Has a 14 ft wingspan.
5. Weight: 330lbs
6. Surface: Scaled, leathery, and has hard bone in some areas, especially around his horns.
7. Eyes: Orange and yellow.
8. Nose: Nostril holes on his face.
9. Ears: Simple holes on the side of his head since he's reptilian.
10. Hands: Three-clawed hands. Has one thumb, one index and one ring finger.
11. Feet: Small digitigrade hooves for climbing.
12. Gender: Male
13. Age: 228
14. Closest friend: No one
15. Biggest enemy: Golems, other dragons, and other large avians.
16. Extra Physical Descriptions: Has two horns which twist on his head. Scales are pink and purple hued. Can breath fire and can sustain major physical force/trauma without any affect.

Internal Profile:

1. Lives by the following morals or ethical imperiative: Lives by the Golden Rule and is slightly Hedonistic.
2. Dominated by Logic or Emotion? Mostly logic. The area he lives in is dangerous and so he needs to be aware at all times.
3. Greatest Strength: Incredibly stubborn, very protective, body's scales are nearly impossible to tear through, very strong pair of wings.
4. Character Flaw: Prideful and arrogant at times.
5. Sees themselves as: The protector and defender of Veil Valley. 
6. In seen by others as: Full of himself and very territorial.
7. Biggest secret? Loves eating vegetation.
8. Greatest ambition or passion? Protecting his nest and making sure that no golem or non-dragon sets foot in his homeland.
9. What does the character want? To protect his young and the home he lives in.
10. How far will the character go to reach his or her goal? He'll do anything to protect his family and home even if it means major collateral damage.
11. What does the character need to learn? To control his sense of duty and arrogance. He can't just fight everything that comes near his home.

Object Profile: Dragon and Fireball

External:

1. Does the object exist in fictional world and/or does it resemble a current day or historical analog? My object exists in a fictional world and resembles a fantasy based element.
2. When was it made? It was made a very long time ago in an ancient fantasy land.
3. What is the nationality or cultural background of the entity that made the object? The entity is from a race of ancient fire breathing dragons.
4. How was the object made? Through fire and magic with a touch of science.
5. Is or has the object been valued for its aesthetic or functionality? Both. It looks nice and functions as well.
6. What does it cost to make or purchase? Nothing. It's a living thing so unless you can catch it, it's not for sale.
7. In the context of the setting, does the spectator view the object as a necessity, nicety or luxury? A necessity and nicety.
8. In the ecology, what function does the object serve consumer, producer, decomposer? It acts as a consumer in its ecology.
9. Is the object being used for it’s intended purpose or has it been repurposed? It's being used for it's intended purpose which is to shoot fire at things and destroy objects.
10. What function does it serve in the set design? Denotation, Punctuation or Embellishment? Embellishment possibly?
11. Does the object perform a function?  How does the form support the functionality? Yes, the object shoots fire ball and flies around. It's form suits its function as it has wings.
12. Does it use energy in its function?  What is it’s energy source? How is it powered? It doesn't really use energy when it shoots fire. It can constantly shoot fire for a good amount of time.
13. What is the object called in this world? is it’s name a scientific name or a brand name. Flint the fire drake.
14. What are the objects surface definition(s)? Scaled, leathery, winged.
15. What is the condition of the object? It's endured a lot of action in its time.
16. What is the size of the object? It's around the size of a small car.
17. How much does it weigh? It weighs 330 pounds.
18. What is the durability of the object? It's able to last for a while
19. What does it feel like? Feels like leather and scales.
20. What does it smell like? Burnt rock and leather.
21. What does it sound like? Sounds like a large bird that growls loudly.
22. What does it taste like? Meat? Fleshie?
23. What does the viewer’s intuition feel about the object? The viewer would want to keep their distance form the object.
24. What are the object’s greatest strength and flaw? It can fly fast and shoot fire. it can't make sharp turns.
25. How does the object support the visual sophistication of the world it is placed in? It fits in with the fantasy like world it lives in.
26. What is the stylistic look of the object? It looks like a fantasy creature from a story or game.
27. How does the object support the mood, genre, theme and decor? It fits the fantasy theme due to its appearance and abilities.

Internal:

1. What is the importance or purpose of this object? It navigates the level and is the main character.
2. What were the reasons for it being created? It is the character as well as the tool for the player to use to navigate the game space.
3. Is the object expected to be found in the world setting or unexpected? and why? Yes, it belongs in the fantasy world that the gamer plays through.
4. Was the entity that created this element dominated by Logic or Emotion? Logic mostly.
5. What are the reasons the object is wanted or unwanted by the main character? It can be very dangerous.
6. What is the importance of this object? It's one of the only ways to navigate through the game space.
7. What is the history of the object? It's been through a lot of fights due to its age,
8. How was the object first attained? It was created in the world through fire and magic.
9. How does the object supports the experience and where and when it takes place? Its shape and functions help to support the experience.
10. How does the object support the narrative? It is the character the game's story revolves around and it also has the abilities needed to traverse the level.
11. Does the object posses metaphorical or symbolic reasons for being in the world? If so what? Yes, it has a symbolic reason for existing as its the "fire" of the land and is sent to protect it from any foes.
12. How does this object support the goals of the character that possesses it? It has the abilities to help navigate through the level.
13. How does the object enhances experience? It makes the game experience more fun and adventurous.
14. What is this object greatest strength and flaw? It can't make sharp turns, and can only shoot so many fire balls.
15. What information does the object reveal of the world’s or character’s narrative? The world is fantasy based and large.

Modular Kit Progress and Finishes(Kind of...)

Some general progress pics from my modular kit assignment.

Obviously needs work before I resubmit it later on.

"Toy" Mechanic Brainstorming

Time for some good ol' manic mechanics. We're making a "Toy" mechanic in game design but before I get into the nitty gritty I've got to come up with a good set of ideas to choose from.

• "Go Big Or Go Home!"- Player must collect certain objects which will help them grow in size to help overcome obstacles in a level.

• "Fly like An Eagle"- Player has the ability to fly around the level to collect objects or navigate terrain that's impossible to climb or walk around.

• "Minotaur"- Player must navigate around a labyrinth while being chased by a large enemy. The player however has the ability to move the labyrinth walls to help them get away from the enemy while also changing the terrain in their favor to get close to the exit.

• "Hit Em' Up!"- Two players will navigate a level filled with objects, color coded for each player, that they have to hit in order to gain a set amount of points. Each player has the ability to hinder the other by hitting said other's object and take points away from them so that they don't make it to the required point range to win. It's like a shooter version of tug-of-war.

• "Big-Bada-Boom"- Players will use explosions to help propel themselves onto platforms to make it to the top of the level.

• "Spitfire"- Players will control a small, flying avian who spits fire at pillar-like structures. The pillars must be destroyed in order to collect points and the player must also collect a "recharge" object to refuel the avian's spitfire ability.

• "Construction"- Players have the ability to move structures within the level around to form navigable areas or climbable surfaces, stack objects, etc. to make it to the end of said level/win. 

• "Time-Turner"- Players can alter time in different areas of a level to make platforms move faster or slower, grow and age, etc.

• "Sky High"- Players navigate an arial level in a flying machine. The level is filled with dangerous floating objects which the player can shoot at from the flying machine.

• "Reap This"- Players are reapers in the afterlife who must absorb souls to move on. They have to do so in a certain amount of time while staying away from "dark" souls or else they have to start over if they're hit.

• "Yippy-Kay-Yay"- Players must shoot a certain amount of targets within a designated timeframe while dodging return fire from enemies. They can generate a shield over them for a limited time to protect themselves.

DFA Design Lab Part 2!

Here's the overall process work from my first DFA assignment which we recently finished up.

We started off with creating 100 silhouettes and 50 line doodles to pick from for our initial character designs.

Then we also had to choose 50 textures and make 15 designs from that. We also had to choose from and generate 15 designs from the silhouettes and the doodles.

Then we were given an animal, object, and adjective to create 3 force-fits.

Here's the final for Part 1 and 2 of the Design Lab.

Multiplayer Map Proposal

Time to design a multiplayer map!

Summary: Welcome to Hell, or the ninth circle to be precise. Players must battle each other in the hopes of becoming the victor in order to save their soul from eternal damnation!

• Where is it? In Hell, ala Dante's Inferno style. Players's souls are trapt in the Ninth Circle and must escape to save their souls.

• What time of year is it? It takes place in another dimension technically so it's not really easy to tell what time of the year it is.

• Who else lives here? Demons and the usual twisted abomination.

• What does the architecture look like? Very ancient looking rubble, stairs, and pillars.

• What major event happened prior to the player getting there? The Apocalypse has occurred and ravaged the Earth, which is the main reason why players have found themselves in Hell.

• Reference Images?

• Set design and props?

• Lighting and Visual Style? The lighting is going to be very ominous and dark with the occasional light from supernatural sources.

FPS Level Design Analysis

For my analysis I played the High Ground: Death Match map from Halo 3. I chose this map because I felt it was great for a basic FPS multiplayer map. It has plenty of spaces to use to the player's advantage and offers plenty of means for a player to fight back.

Game Overview

The Mechanics:

• Basic Aim, Shoot, Crouch, Jump, and Pick-Up.

Players can use a scope on their weapon to zoom in and have better aim at their target.

Players use a blue crosshair to help them locate and keep their aim properly on a target.

There are various items and weapons scattered throughout the level that players can pick up and use.

• Can Melee an opponent if you run out of ammo.
• Grenade pick-ups within the level act as secondary weapons if you run out of ammo. The player can also throw a grande and other certain pick-up items.
• Can use a scope for when you're aiming your weapon, especially if you pick up a sniper rifle.
• Player can access two types of vehicles within the level to navigate and attack with: 
• Ghost, Mongoose

• Can pick up various weapons and items scattered around the level to use against an opponent.
• There are explosive "barrels" littered around the map as well which players can use to harm an opponent or flush them out of hiding.

Players can shoot these objects which will explode after taking so much damage. Very useful if an opponent happens to station themselves near a batch.

"BOOM!"

• Can access power-ups:
• Overshield- Acts as a timed shield cover on a player.

• Active Cammo- Makes the player invisible for a period of time.

The Game:

• Halo 3 is the third, and final, game in the Halo trilogy. Players take the role of Master Chief as he takes part in the fight against the Covenant, a group of human and alien races. It's a First-Person Shooter game that features a main story campaign and various options for multiplayer rounds.

Setting:

• An old UNSC base named High Ground,  near New Mombasa on Earth in the future.

Environment: 

• The environment is both man-made and organic. You start in a UNSC base, with an additonal Bunker, and make your way outside into a nature-filled clearing. 
• Outside of the base, the playable area is surrounded with rocks, tunnels, tress, and a beach at a clearing. 
• The lighting is very warm and bright due to it taking place during the day. In the base however the lighting can be a little dark depending on where you navigate too.
• Advantages: The map gives players many opportunities to hide or ambush opponents due to the UNSC base's many rooms while the outside of the base has plenty of rocks and foliage that can be used as cover or a hiding spot.

Sections:

• Most of the portions of the map are very asymmetrical so a player needs to be aware of their surroundings.
• There are two main areas in the level map. The main area is the High Ground base. This section also includes a Bunker which players can use to hide or sneak up on another player.
•  The second area is the outside of the base where there's a bunch of trees, rocks, tunnels, and a portion of a beach.
• Some portions of the base area were good for for ambushing.
• There are two sniper nests located in the base.
• There's are two secret passages to use to move around the base.
• The largest part of the map is the outside of the base which has plenty of cover provided for the player in the form of rocks, trees, ledges, and tunnels.
• Advantages: UNSC base offers plenty of spaces to hide in or use as a means of ambush or quick navigation. It also has a few sniper nests for players to scope from. There are at least 2 hidden passages to also use, one of which is a part of the Bunker.
• The outside of the base is made of of mostly rocks, ledges, and foliage which can be used by the player as cover, for hiding, to jump on to gain footing to shoot an opponent or escape, etc.
• The map has plenty of items and weapons lying around everywhere. It also offers interaction with some of the environment. For example, players can get to a command module in the base to open it's main doors so they can ride out or into the base with a vehicle.
• Disadvantages: Due to how asymmetrical the map is, the player may have the map act against them in favor of the other player unless they know how to navigate it and use it.
• The map isn't as big as others so players may feel cornered depending on what section they're in.

Gameplay:

• The gameplay ranges from easy to difficult depending on the player's knowledge of the map. There are many places to hide to use as a vantage point to attack or ambush another player.
• Base and Bunker- Have multiple vantage points and levels players can use to attack or hide. 
• There's also a multitude of weapons and items to pick up. 
• There're a couple vehicles located in the Base as well which will give a player an advantage if they can make it to one without getting shot. 
• Two sniper nests can be found in the upper levels of the Base which can be used by the player to have the high ground advantage.
• Advantages: Many areas that players can use to ambush, hide, or attack. Plenty of weapons and items to pick up through this section.
• Disadvantages: If a player doesn't know the layout of the map it may harm their chances of winning if the other player is much more experienced playing through said map. 
• Players may find themselves cornered in a room in this section if they're not careful.
• Outside Base- Offers multiple rocks and foliage to take cover or use to jump on.
• There's a portion of ledges players can jump onto to take cover or get away from an opponent.
• There are two tunnels located on each side of this section that players can run through. In each tunnel there're multiple items/weapons to pick up and at least one tunnel has the Active Cammo power-up to use.
• Advantages: Plenty of rocks and foliage to use as cover.
• Also great for jumping on top of rocks to avoid other players.
• The ledges offer players the chance to get to higher ground and shoot at any players below them. Also leads to a power up for the Overshield.
• There are two vehicles located near the beach. Players can use them if they manage to make it to them.
• Disadvantages: The terrain outside the base may be bothersome to navigate through due to the uneven playing ground.

• Overall: The level offers a very fun gameplay experience as there's so many points in the map that players can use to their advantage and strategize their attacks.

Level Map

Ecorche Progress 3

Still needs a bunch of adjustments and sculpting in a lot of areas but here's the basic block-out!

DFA Project 1: Update 2

Some further progress from my first DFA assignment. Here's a bunch of designs made from my silhouettes, doodles, and textures!