I like the combination of action and puzzle mechanics in this game. The door hacking and force field switches added to the enjoyment of the game for me. I like a good shooter as much as anyone, but when different gameplay styles can be incorporated, I find that the game has more depth and keeps me engaged longer. I was a little frustrated by the aiming mechanics, but this was mostly due to my playing on a laptop with a touchpad. I think that I would have had a much better time on a desktop with a proper mouse. I also enjoyed the mission apsect. Having a distinct objective adds to the tension and makes the gameplay more meaningful to me.
I can see myself possibly making this type of game, with varying game types and a mission format. The cobination of elements is definitely something that I enjoy, and would like to attempt myself.
Sunday, January 15, 2017
Friday, January 13, 2017
Sploder Physics Game
I enjoy these types of games, and could see myself creating one of these types for either Chemistry of Physics lessons.
With regard to this particular game, my first issue was that the game play was not immediately obvious to me, nor was it explained. It took two or three tries for me to determine that I had to use the cannon to move the character to the coin. This is similar to Cut the Rope or Icebreaker. As a game style, I like it.
Once I figured out the point of the game, the challenge was working out the actual physics of the projectiles and the response by the character. Getting the right combination of angle and timing was especially tricky in the levels that required the character to be airborne.
With regard to this particular game, my first issue was that the game play was not immediately obvious to me, nor was it explained. It took two or three tries for me to determine that I had to use the cannon to move the character to the coin. This is similar to Cut the Rope or Icebreaker. As a game style, I like it.
Once I figured out the point of the game, the challenge was working out the actual physics of the projectiles and the response by the character. Getting the right combination of angle and timing was especially tricky in the levels that required the character to be airborne.
Wednesday, January 11, 2017
Sploder Shooter Games
Robot game is cumbersome. This one has the opposite problem from the platformer. No health bar for the enemies, so no way of knowing how powerful they are, other than finding out by experience. Basic game controls and play mechanics are fine.
Spaceship game is much more fluid in terms of motion. Reminds me of the diep.io game in terms of action and mechanics. The concept of acquiring keys from enemies to get through certain walls is a nice mechanic, and I like the puzzle aspect that makes it so that one key doesn't get through the entire wall. However, the teleport mechanic renders the wall irrelevant, and so killing those enemies seems to be a waste of time and effort.
I could see myself creating a game similar to the spaceship game that could be made relevant to science content. I am picturing something involving latching on to atoms or electrons to form molecules. The configurations could be part of the puzzle needed to get through the walls, and the trick would be to find the correct configuration. I could also see a similar mechanic in a biology game for things like DNA or ions transport across cell membranes. I'm not sure how well this would work for teaching new content, but it could be used as an introductory exercise, or for practice.
Spaceship game is much more fluid in terms of motion. Reminds me of the diep.io game in terms of action and mechanics. The concept of acquiring keys from enemies to get through certain walls is a nice mechanic, and I like the puzzle aspect that makes it so that one key doesn't get through the entire wall. However, the teleport mechanic renders the wall irrelevant, and so killing those enemies seems to be a waste of time and effort.
I could see myself creating a game similar to the spaceship game that could be made relevant to science content. I am picturing something involving latching on to atoms or electrons to form molecules. The configurations could be part of the puzzle needed to get through the walls, and the trick would be to find the correct configuration. I could also see a similar mechanic in a biology game for things like DNA or ions transport across cell membranes. I'm not sure how well this would work for teaching new content, but it could be used as an introductory exercise, or for practice.
Tuesday, January 10, 2017
Sploder Platformer
Sploder Platformer Impressions
I do not think that I would focus on making this type of game. It has never been my style, and for the purposes of my content are in science, I see limited use for this style of game. The only application that I can see for this game would be to use the platforming aspect as a pathway to minigames that relate to the content. Maybe the physics of the game could be made to fit a lesson on physics, where different parts of the game alter things like friction or gravity. However, I still think that there would need to be more time spent on minigames to learn the meaning of these factors before playing them would have much of a learning effect.
Two things that immediately come to mind in terms of the design:
1) The physics of the game are frustrating. Trying to jump from one platform to another results in falling down to lower levels, either through holes in the platform, or over the edge of the platform. These gaps are placed precisely in the spot where a jump lands, unless the jump is adjusted in mid-flight. For me, this takes away from the action of the game. Maybe some people would enjoy the challenge of making incremental tweaks to their jumps. To me, this is not the point of the game, and therefore, left me feeling very frustrated. **Note for my own design principles: The challenge needs to be the mission, not the physics.
2) There is no health bar that I can see for my character. The enemies have health bars that appear when I do battle, but I have no idea how much health I have, or how many hits it will take to kills me. Again, this is frustrating, in terms of not having a sense of where I stand. **Note for my own game design principles: Transparency is key to context. This is achieved in this course, with the objective and progression of the course being stated up front. Everyone in the class knows what they have to do, and the points progress bar lets us know where we stand in relation to that goal.
I do not think that I would focus on making this type of game. It has never been my style, and for the purposes of my content are in science, I see limited use for this style of game. The only application that I can see for this game would be to use the platforming aspect as a pathway to minigames that relate to the content. Maybe the physics of the game could be made to fit a lesson on physics, where different parts of the game alter things like friction or gravity. However, I still think that there would need to be more time spent on minigames to learn the meaning of these factors before playing them would have much of a learning effect.
Two things that immediately come to mind in terms of the design:
1) The physics of the game are frustrating. Trying to jump from one platform to another results in falling down to lower levels, either through holes in the platform, or over the edge of the platform. These gaps are placed precisely in the spot where a jump lands, unless the jump is adjusted in mid-flight. For me, this takes away from the action of the game. Maybe some people would enjoy the challenge of making incremental tweaks to their jumps. To me, this is not the point of the game, and therefore, left me feeling very frustrated. **Note for my own design principles: The challenge needs to be the mission, not the physics.
2) There is no health bar that I can see for my character. The enemies have health bars that appear when I do battle, but I have no idea how much health I have, or how many hits it will take to kills me. Again, this is frustrating, in terms of not having a sense of where I stand. **Note for my own game design principles: Transparency is key to context. This is achieved in this course, with the objective and progression of the course being stated up front. Everyone in the class knows what they have to do, and the points progress bar lets us know where we stand in relation to that goal.
Friday, January 6, 2017
Sploder Retro: Final
Played through both levels. End of game gives three stars after first level was one. Again, thinking about consistency and clarity of objectives and feedback. It would be helpful to have hints up front and/or feedback at the end of the level, either to improve score, or to apply to next level.
Have to keep this in mind for designing my own games.
Sploder Retro: First Impressions
First thoughts:
Simplicity and retro feel are quick to engage with and enjoyable.
The jump feature when stuck in water feels a little too difficult for such a simple game. It was a little frustrating.
No feedback provided at the end of the level (why only 1 star)? Especially for educational games and sims, feedback/guidance is a must-have. The level of the feedback can be minimal ("Try to collect more coins" or "Try to beat your previous time") but without knowing what went wrong, it is going to be challenging and possibly frustrating to learn and improve.
More to come.
Simplicity and retro feel are quick to engage with and enjoyable.
The jump feature when stuck in water feels a little too difficult for such a simple game. It was a little frustrating.
No feedback provided at the end of the level (why only 1 star)? Especially for educational games and sims, feedback/guidance is a must-have. The level of the feedback can be minimal ("Try to collect more coins" or "Try to beat your previous time") but without knowing what went wrong, it is going to be challenging and possibly frustrating to learn and improve.
More to come.
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