Final Title Page

This is my final version of my title page. After reviewing the comments I have received and talking to Professor Nersesian, I decided to make this a fun short sequence with my character trying to catch the ball. Another thing I did with this was use the puppet function we learned on the tree to the left. this adds a little more to the title screen and helps make it a little better. I thought this overall idea and title screen would make things interesting and not give my game away, keeping the true purpose hidden. The final thing I decided to do, thanks to suggestions from Professor, was change the color of the text when someone "clicks on it" and give the balls and his foot a shadow. After discussing these two things, we decided that this would give the whole title screen a little something extra. I hope you enjoy this as much as I did making it.

Title Screen Concept Phase

Research:

The first image I chose was from an older game, Super Mario Bros. Just from this still image a person could see how there is a background (the clouds), a mid-ground (the "plants"), and a foreground (the turtle). This still image of the title screen probably has the turtle moving back and forth across the screen with the "clouds moving even slower in the background. Even though this doesn't show much about the game, it does have a very simple layout. This idea of a simple layout is one that I wish to incorporate into my title screen.

This second image I chose is from a more recent game that I like to play called Kingdom Rush. The title screen is very simple, and there isn't really too much going on. However, it does tell you a little bit more about the game than the previous image does and shows you that the game takes place in more of a mid-evil era instead of a futuristic or present era type of game. In the background you can see a great skyline showing it is outside and the mid-ground shows a castle with an archer shooting the troll in the forground giving the impression that this is your enemy and what you will be fighting against. This idea of showing the player or at least giving them a slight hint as to what the game is about is exactly what I would like to do with my game. I'd like to incorporate just a little bit of an animation so they know what they are getting into and get a sense of the type of game this is.

This last image is of a game that most closely resembles my game. This would be an indie game called Flick Home Run. Focusing on the title screen though, there are things I both like and don't like. What I do like is the simple layout of the title screen. It has all the things you need to start a game or change options and more. However, what I don't like is how cluttered the background is. Granted it tells a lot about the game, even if you don't understand everything at first, as you get more advanced, everything will make sense. On the other hand, the cluttered title screen, in my opinion, makes it hard to differentiate between the foreground, mid-ground, and background. While designing my title screen, I tried to stay away from this and keep it more simple like the two images previous to this.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=69J9GJHLc3M This URL leads to a youtube video of the title screen for Assassin's Creed 3. In this example, the animation in the background isn't too distracting. Also the layout is very simple, just push the start button to start the game. I like how simple this type of title screen is. It doesn't show anything about the game or the characters, where it takes place, the only thing it really shows is the symbol for the Assassins. I look to make my title screen slightly more complex than this but not so simple that the player doesn't get a sense of what the game is actually about.

Trial Title Screen:

For my possible title screens, I came up with two overall ideas but can't decide between them. The difference lies in the position of my main character. In one of these he is seen just about to jump and then the second is just when he is about to dunk. However, since the game is called HookShot, which is a type of shot in basketball, I figured that he should be, at the very least, shooting the ball instead of dunking it. Another possible problem I am having lies in the differentiation of the foreground, mid-ground, and background. What I want to make sure of is that one can see the difference between the three and be able to tell which is which. What I did do well, I feel, was the simplicity of the title screen, meaning how easy to use it is. I clearly show where to play, where to change settings, and I even added a leaderboard so you could compare with your friends. I would really appreciate your opinions on this so please feel free to comment.

Title Screen 1: Character Dunking

Title Screen 2: Character shooting

Moodboard Final

After my previous moodboard, I wasn't proud with the colors of the characters. However, after a quick photoshop lesson in class, I was able to change these colors for this final showcase of the moodboards. I believe that all of these pictures show a better color scheme than they previously did. The colors now differ and help make both the character/court stand out more than they previously did. I also decided to have everything stay in the darker color range and keep all colors closer to that of red or orange except for the main character. This will cause him to stand out more than he previously did and changing the color of his entire outfit and even skin, i believe, made him look more like something a professional would've created.There was really not much to do with the gym, I thought it was fine before and that there was no change needed. Finally the other opponent and court are seen with both red and orange colors. I changed the opponents previous colors slightly to make him more interesting and able to stick out a tad bit more. Also I changed the color of the court completely to show how the colors of the court will be two colors not just one plane color.

Moodboard Draft

This is Assassin's Creed 4: Black Flag. The colors I chose were those that really stuck out to me and made this cover so appealing to the eye. The orange comes from the gun and the belt he has around his waste. The guns he has strapped to his chest have a color that just drew my eyes to it. The red comes from the letters in Black Flag. All Assassin's Creed games have red title's somewhere and, since it is really the only red in the image, it helps it stand out. The grey and light blue are both from the mist you see around him. The inner part closer to him is that light blue and the outer parts as well as the color of the captain on the deck and parts of the ship were the grey. The light brown was the armor he is wearing which is different and draws you in. Both the blue and green colors make up the water and island to the lower right of the image. This is something that doesn't necessarily stand out but helps give more of an aspect to the game hinting it will mostly be at see.

This is the moodboard for my main character. The colors I chose were the ones that I feel really popped out at me and the most common colors I found in the image. The blue made up the color of his hat and shorts. If I could redo this I would change them so they were two slightly different colors. The same color makes it less special. The grey, red and yellowish colors are from the shirt and blend together well in my opinion. However, i'd change the grey to a completely different color since grey blends in to a lot of things and keeps the image from really popping out. After learning about a lot of the effects and features that I can use to improve these images. For instance, I would probably make him look more 3D than 2D. I also might make the light source come from an angel so I could use a drop shadow.

This is the moodboard for the gym I am going to have. The first two on the way left are from the court and I want to change them mostly because it doesn't stick out and is very bland. I might make it available for kids to choose the colors of their gym court. After learning the features in class, I don't really have a lot that I can add to these. The only things I might improve are the shadows.

This is the moodboard for the courts that will be in the game. Each will be a different color but all will have at least two to three colors in them. One will be in the paint (the square infront of the baskeball hoop), another in the mid range area (between the paint and 3 point line), and the last will be outside the 3point line. The features I learned in class will help me show where the sun is hitting on the court and where the shadows will be because of it.

This is the moodboard for the character in the game. I have already touched upon the main character but the other example characters are also some that I might want to change as well. The colors all blend with each other and I would change them to make each look different and have a unique style. I's also improve their shadows and make them look more 3D than 2D. The last thing I would like to do, if possible, would be to make it look like there is a glisten or slight reflection on their face symbolizing they are sweating a little bit.

Final Game Pitch

Intro: This game is one that will primarily take place on the Ipod and/or Ipad. The idea of the game is to get the ball in the hoop by doing a hookshot, by swiping your finger across the screen. A swipe to far to the left or right will cause the player to miss his shot.. At first the player will start out up close to the basket just to get used to it. As they slowly start to improve upon the main character's, Zach Anderson, skills, they will eventually move back further and further and even face opponents.

Characters: Zach Anderson, the kid at the bottom, is the main character of this game. After being beaten badly at a game of basketball, he refuses to lose again. However, he needs to change his game and do something no one has done before. So, in order to do this, he starts to develop one of the most difficult shots in the game, the hookshot. These other kids in this image are just some of the many opponents the player will have to face sooner or later. As you can see, all of these characters aren't dressed to play professionally or in a league. All of these characters are dressed to play where the true basketball stars play, the streets.

Courts: These are the courts that I am going to attempt at creating for the games to take place on. As you can see, each of these courts are outside. The reason for this is so that there will be outside factors, other than just the defense, affecting your shot. For instance, weather conditions would highly effect the shot. Rain, snow, hail, and wind are all things that will effect the player's ability to make a shot. Certain conditions will also cause other skills to be problematic as well. However, the more you upgrade your skills, the less problematic they will be.

Upgrades: All characters improve their skills as the game go on. The only thing that differs from game to game is how. In this game, I plan on making Zach level up. Each time a player has enough experience and levels up, they will gain a skill point. These skill points can be spent at the gym where they can go to improve Zach's skills. There are four categories you can choose from: Strength (so Zach can shoot from father back), Accuracy (so Zach has more of a chance to make the shot), Stamina (how long Zach can run for), and Ball Handling (effects how good Zach is at dribbling the ball). All of these skills are important to Zach's success on the basketball course and will effect how well he does during a game.

WK03 Game Concept Research Phase

HookShot

This is the layout for the game I am hoping to create. The three things which I am trying to really focus upon are the environment, the character and his story, and how he gets better and levels up.

These are just a few of my reference images. The courts resemble how the areas which the game will take place will vary and the condition of the court will vary too. Also, since it will be outside, the weather will also take toll on how the shot is and if you have to aim a little to the left or right. Another thing these courts represent is the time the game will take place. This game will be during the day some times, other times at night. The character which I am looking at creating was similar to that of the one in subway surfers. Zach Anderson, the main character, will be wearing baggy shorts and a sweat shirt with a hat on backwards. As for looks, however, they will resemble this character from Subway Surfers. The gym resembles the place where the player will be able to upgrade their character's accuracy and/or strength. The more experience they have, the more they will be able to upgrade. Finally this text will be almost how the logo of the game will be. The only difference is that I might make the characters closer together.

Final Rock, Paper, Scissors

This is my final assignment for the Rock, Paper, Scissors project. Due to the comments I had received on my concept phase post, I decided to change it up a little bit and attempted to rotate the pictures. I also decided to add a border at the top and bottom of the page giving it a better look and more color. Lastly I made the text larger to make it more readable. The intro is slightly longer than I'd like but it is interesting in my opinion. I hope you enjoy this. Thank you to all of the people who have helped me decide how to make this better and make it different from others but at the same time still simple enough to follow.

Rock, Paper, Scissors Concept Phase

These are the several thumbnail sketches I drew for the layout of my final Rock, Paper, Scissors project. I had many ideas going into this and how to design the final page. All of these sketches have some type of shape or appeal to the heading to try and draw in the reader and make that heading pop out at them. Also I moved the placement of the pictures around to try and separate the text so it wouldn't seem as much as it usually seems while reading. However, after looking at each sketch carefully I am leaning more towards a design similar to thumbnail sketch number ten. This is so for several reasons. The first is because the header to the page isn't just there. The header is not just appealing to the eye but it is also more of a circular motion making the text go from big to small. The next reason why I like this layout is because of how spaced the text is. It doesn't look like too much reading which is what i was aiming for. Finally, the last thing I really like about this is the pictures. These pictures are easy to follow and basically describe what I will be talking about; which is of course the game of Rock, Paper, Scissors.

These are the pictures I am planning on using. All of these pictures aren't hard to follow at all. Plus, as you can see, a few of them basically describe how to play the game. I am still unsure if I will use all of them or just a few. That being the case, based on my thumbnails and statement above, please feel free to comment on anything and help me decide what to do in the end.

This is an example of what I am thinking about doing for my final project. Let me know what you think, I'd like to know if there are any ways i could improve this so please feel free to comment.