Background for Game Scenes

For the backgrounds I wanted to have something that I had created and made the user feel familiar with the theme that I have selected. The first theme I edited on Photoshop, I took an original image off Google and changed the colours and added a few lines and yellow / orange colours to give it that desert feel, you can see the image labelled "Desert - Edited" below. The rest of the backgrounds were not images that I had created myself, the only thing that I edited on them was the size to fit into the scenes on Stencylworks. I have chosen the rest of the background images for a few reasons, I have chosen a saloon / wild western theme as it remains consistent to the existing theme. I have also chosen a pyramid background as although its definitely not anything to do with the wild west or cowboys, it relates to a desert so I felt it could be appropriate.

Desert - Edited

Pyramid Background

Saloon Background

Bad Guy - Cactus

For the bad guy on my game I have decided to use a cactus character, I felt this was a good design for a bad guy as a cactus is a good symbol for western films and games it will make the user recognise more what my intended theme is. I have given the character a hat just like I have with the main character, you can probably tell tat this is the bad guy as I have given it angry eyes, and a black hat, black is a colour usually associated with the villain. I have done three separate pictures for this character, the standing straight, stomped on left and stomped on right. For now I am not too sure if I want to make the bad guy attack the main character as I'm not too sure how I would get about that, so I may just use the character as an obstacle instead.

Crushed Left

Crushed Right

Standing

Main Character - Cowboy

 Today I have scanned in the drawings shown in one of the previous posts and drew over them using photoshop. To do this I used the line tool and bent it around to the same angle as the drawing so to keep the same shape. I then had to decide on colours, and as my character was just a blob with clothes I have decided to have the main colour as purple, with blue jeans like trousers, a red bandanna and a cowboy hat. I feel the bandanna and the cowboy hat fit well in the cowboy theme I am trying to create as it is very stereotypical of movies and games to incorporate these items of clothing. After I had finished editing the drawing on photoshop I had to save it as a .png file for a web application, as this makes sure there is no background behind the image.  Using Photoshop I have also created all the different movements of the character, as you can see below their ios a standing image, a standing right image, a walking right and a walking left image, I am going to use these walking images as the animation for when my character jumps as well.

Standing Left

Standing Right

Walking / Jumping right

Walking / Jumping Left

Weekly Update Report

This week I have been working out what type of game I want to make, and I have decided on a side scrolling game where the character jumps over obstacles and kills enemies, I have also made basic designs for my characters and backgrounds. My plan for the next seven days is to make the whole animations using photoshop by scanning in the drawing, entering it on photoshop and then drawing over it. I will then have to put the pictures into Stencylworks and create the animations so they work in the game.

Original Designs for Characters and Background

As I was originally thinking of a cowboy theme I drew a few potential characters and backgrounds onto a sheet of paper. Right now I am stuck between having a character which is based on a real life person, or an animation that is sort of like a blob, maybe the second one will be more appropriate as it is only a Flash game. Once I have decided what to do I think I shall use Photoshop and scan in the drawing itself to draw around. I have also designed my enemy character as well, I have decided to sue a cactus as a character but give it a human feel to it by giving him evil eyes and a hat which will be in reference to the cowboy.

Original Character and Enemy Designs

Level Design and Further Designs

Activity Diagram to Explain Processes

The two pictures below are activity diagrams showing the usability of my game and how the level process and the actor processes will work. The diagram below shows that the character walking will then have to jump over an obstacle (A hole or an enemy) and then it shows what happens when you fall down the hole. If you do you shall restart the level and continue walking, if you do not die you will carry on the level untl the finish point and start the next level.

The picture on the right shows the player processes and what will happen to them, as with before they will start the level running or moving, and will then come up against an obstacle, if they were to come up with a gap they will jump over it, or if it were an enemy they would jump onto the enemy and kill them. If neither obstacle appears the player continues walking. When the player has jumped over all of the gaps and all of the enemies they will then proceed onto the next level and start the process again.

 

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Level Process Diagram.



Player Process



Game Proposal / Short Overview

Game Concept

I will be creating a sidescroll game using the software Stencylworks, my original plan for the game is to have a character that I have created jumping over scenary and having to get to a certain point of the game. I may also include an enemy for the main character and will try to keep the theme consistent. Thwe game will be influenced by Mario style side scrolling platform games.

Design

My original plan is to have a cowboy themed game, maybe try to make the main character look 'Indiana Jones' like, so it looks like an adventurer. Then for the enemy I am thinking maybe doing a person that looks like a villain, or possibly something different like a cactus or blob. I am thinking for the background I could possibly have a desert, or something which is in reference to cowboys.

Implementation

I will be using Stencylworks to complete this game, you use tiles and enter your own animations to create the characters. There is a coding element too so if needed I will be creating my own behaviours for the characters. After you have created the game you can either upload it to the stencylworks website, or run i toff a Flash player.