Sprint 11: Balance

Task List for 10/17/2013:

Task	Completion (Yes/ No)	Name
Make forest level terrain in Unity	No	Tejas (Producer)
Sounds: Combat, Footsteps, convert audio to MP3	No	James
Assist Tejas with forest level design and asset placement	No	Kevin
Craft polar bear model based on new techniques and watch youtube videos about maya modeling – for Tuesday	No	Matt

Milestones

Date	Task Desired	On Track?
10/8 - T	·          Work on improving the FPS in Unity ·          Work on environment sound (water sound) and bear sounds such as (roaring, stomping, walking, slashing) ·          Work on level design (maps and sketches of the desired level) This will be converted to the Unity File after finalization ·         Improve bear model and make it into an FBX file	Yes
10/10 - TH	·         Continue Game Mechanics ·          Have a prototype built ready for play testing for bugs ·          Have at least one character active ·         Make sounds and actions co-exist ·         Have a very clear game mechanics and instruction list	Character still needs tweeks, began working on sounds and actions co-existing
10/15 - T	·         Begin working on character two and or minions ·          Start thinking about animations of characters and idle movements ·          Have art environment really start coming through	Behind on character develop due to lack of skill. New model produced today.  Art Environment is excelling
10/17 - TH	·         Begin implementation of 2nd character and have minions for polar bear function ·          Start working on technical aspects such as attacking and defending ·          Have the environment of game look more realistic and allow the character art to co-exist in it ·         Have all sound effects for every movement complete by this date
10/22 - T	·         Have rough draft of 2nd character complete ·          Place prototype of character two in the game with the mechanics of the bear ·          Begin crafting environment for human interaction ·         Start considering art and navigation for menu, title scree, and every action movement of characters
10/24 - TH	·         Have modified and final version of human and save to a FBX format for unity ·          Have a prototype ready for playtest that incorporates both characters ·          Assign sound affects properly to every movement and character ·         First draft of interface is up
10/29 - T	·         After tweaking interface, have final version of interface, menu, and icon development ·          Completion of all sounds correlating to movement ·          Finalize environment for each character ·         Develop a universal base that each can share. (this will be divided into two bases if time allows us to do so)
10/31 - TH	·         Characters are complete as well as sounds, interface and controls ·          Have a rough/ final base for either one character or both ·          Have a scoring system implemented and allow for one side to win ·         Have version 1 of game complete.

 Sprint 11

Team Huge

Lens of Fairness

Should our game be symmetrical?

Our game should be symmetrical because of its genre. Being an RTS, it is pitting two teams against each other. We feel by giving one team a tactical environmental position would be unfair to the other team. By making the maps symmetrical, both teams have the same space to run around in making the playing field balanced.

Should our game be asymmetrical?

 Our game should be asymmetrical as well to bring out elements of a real environment. The levels themselves will be symmetric in terms of having the same negative and positive forces on each side, but the areas, which are interactive, will not be simply just mirror images of each other.

Which is more important: that my game is a reliable measure of who has the most skill, or that it provides an interesting challenge to all players?

One of the most important things about our game is that it will be accessible for   all player skills. We are hoping to create a system that allows the worst player in the world to still have a solid chance of beating the best player. In short, we want a very small range of skill for players to achieve. By doing this, we create an environment where all players are on the same skill level, newbie or veteran.

If I want players of different skill levels to play together, what means will I use to make the interesting and challenging for everyone?

We are hoping to make a game where any and all players no matter what skill can play together. To do this, the learning curve will have to be simple. To add variety to gameplay, there will be random chance events to power up or aid the player. Chance events are a good way to provide bonuses to players without upsetting the skill balance.

Lens Of Triangularity

Do we have triangularity now?

We have trinagularity through our level design. The biggest decisions the player will be what direction to go in. Determining on the path you take, it could change the fate of your life. For example, one of the levels will have a few paths. One of them is a little bit longer and has more space to battle. However, there are towers that are shooting at you. If your team manages to destroy the turret, another lane becomes open which could be used for flanking. But on the other hand, there’s a route that does not have turrets, and it is a much shorter route. The catch is that it is easier to defend and an attack could easily be thwarted. Also, if players decide halfway through it was a bad idea to go through this path, escape will be harder because water is lining the path which makes players travel slower.

Are the rewards commensurate with the risks?

Our game does balance the rewards with equal amounts of risk. Our level design in theory works out well to create high risk/high reward situations.

Lens of Skills Vs Chance

Are my players here to be judged (skill), or to take risks (chance)?

We hope the amount of skill a person has in this game, is completely reflective on their ability of knowing when to take their chances. Another skill that would be useful to have would be to cooperate with a team. Preforming as a unit is more effective than lone wolves.

Skill tends to be more serious than chance: Is my game serious or casual?

Our game is more casual than serious. The level of competition that the game evokes is that of a pick up game. Players are here to just play the game at their leisure and not to go all out and play like there their life is on the line.

Will adding elements of chance enliven the game?

Adding elements of chance will be the factor that determines small bonuses for players. Players should feel that the outcome of a battle is always 50/50. With the random chance events in place, it gives players an upper hand that doesn’t feel undeserved or cheap.

Do parts of my game feel too random? If so, will replacing elements of chance with elements of skill or strategy make the players feel more in control?

The balance we have in the game seems to work well as is. However, by allowing these chance events to be influenced by player skill could really change the way to game flows.