University Projects

This code checks the score inputted in the text field and displays the colour of the medal that the user would have won depending on the score.  This is an explanation of the code used for this task: The public variables m_colours as the type 'colour', m_inputfield as the type 'input field', m_medalImage as the type 'image', m_mediaText as the type 'text' are declared. The function GetScoreandSetMedal() has no parameters and uses a try catch statement which are used to handle exceptions. The integer variable 'value' is declared. The try block is where exceptions occur and therefore handles what happens when an unvalid input such as a letter is inputted into the text field. The try block uses int.parse to convert the text string inputted into the input field into an integer which is set in the integer variable 'value'. However if a random letter is inputted instead, then the statement catches this exception and therefore sets ...

We created a way for a gamer to type in their score from a game. The text and colour of the background panel changes depending on their score.  Default colour of game before any input When the score is less than the value set for the variable 'silver' then the panel's text changes to 'bronze' and the colour of the panel is set to changes to a browny-bronze colour. Bronze display When the score is less than the value set for the variable 'gold' or equal to the value set in the variable 'silver' then the panel's text changes to 'silver' and the colour of the panel is set to change to a silver colour. Silver display When the score is more than or equal to the value set for the variable 'gold' then the panel's text changes to 'gold' and the colour of the panel is set to change to a gold colour. Gold display The inspector allows us to change the colours of the panel and set the varia...

Indie Game: The Movie is a documentary made in 2012 which explains the lives of people working in the video game industry, their struggles in relation to funding and social life and the pressure to meet specific deadlines. This video talks about three games which include: Super Meat Boy (2010) Super Meat boy was designed by Edmund McMillen and Tommy Refenes. It was then developed by Team Meat which currently consists of Edmund McMillen and Tommy Refenes. It is about a boy with no skin that travels to find his girlfriend who has been kidnapped by a character named Dr Fetus. The aim of the game is that the player plays as Super Meat Boy and has to travel through harsh conditions and difficult obstacles to reach his girlfriend who is made of bandages. I would describe this game as a platformer that is made to be difficult which compensates for that by giving you unlimited lives and automatically restarts the level. Like other games for example 'Cut the Rope' ...

I found this video very interesting because although it's main purpose is to explain the difficult puzzles used in Fez it also explains how puzzles are used in general and how some puzzles get you to think literally and some laterally. The Youtuber creates physical objects which help him complete the game. He finds a way to translate the alphabet used in Fez as well as the numbering system which is vital in specific puzzles. Bibliography & References [1] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iefXGaaVERg

Recently, I have completed the game Fez. This game kept me entertained and I truly recommend playing it if you enjoy puzzles and Super Paper Mario as this game has a similar mechanic in which the world is rotated changing your view and seems 3D while turning and is a platformer game. First level of Fez The rotating mechanic is unlocked when the main character (Gomez) is given a fez by a hexahedron which explodes due to the instability caused by Gomez using this mechanic. Cubes, cube bits and anti-cubes are scattered across the world. The aim of the game is to collect cube bits, cubes and anti-cubes while travelling through the map to stabilise the world. You are able to go to different places by mainly walking through doors, unlocking locked doors using a key item (Found in chests), uncovering secret doors by performing different tasks, travelling through linked doors which take you to a specific place where the door is linked, or warp gates located at every main hub and ...

Start Menu When starting the first level of the game, you are showed story scenes about what the game is about.  This gives the game context. Story The aim of this game is to make burgers, serve drinks, desserts and side dishes in order to complete each level. Each level increases in difficulty every time you move up a level. There are different modes available to play which includes a challenge mode and a relax mode. These also allow you to earn badges convincing you to keep playing even if you have finished the main story/expert story modes. Challenge Mode Rewards such as trophies for completing parts of the game are available to earn which keeps the player hooked. Additionally, when you gain a perfect score on a level, the space becomes a star instead of a red dot when persuades you to keep replaying levels. 'Hall of Fame' - trophies earned This is the map used in the game. It is level-based as a player will need to complete the lev...

The aim of the game 'Slay the Spire' created by Mega Crit is to travel to the top of the spire by embarking on different paths. Each level is  procedually generated, so that when you are defeated, the game/map changes every time and is reset to the beginning. Map of the spire I would describe the genre of this game as r ogue-like which is defined as  "a subgenre of role-playing video games, characterized by a dungeon crawl through procedurally generated game levels, turn-based gameplay, tile-based graphics, and permanent death of the player-character." [1] Although this specific game does not use tile-based graphics, it does include all of the other elements that define this genre of 'rogue-like'. When the player has been conquered, the player faces a permanent death where only specific progress is saved. This includes the cards that are used and can be unlocked during an additional run of the game. Moreover when playing the game again, the game...

The door problem is an interesting concept and really does explain how something as simple as a door can be a complex component in a game. It really made me think about the game industry and how complicated it is to make a game - it truly explains why it takes many years for a good game to be released. I found it interesting that even though many jobs were listed and examples of employee's roles during the making of a door was mentioned, in the comments a lot of people mentioned jobs that weren't listed in the main blog which really shows that the 'door problem' is actually bigger than the blog post explains. Bibliography & References [1] http://www.lizengland.com/blog/2014/04/the-door-problem/

After viewing Amanda Young's presentation and reading the transcript, I found myself feeling a bit confused. I am unsure what message she is trying to get across but it seems to be related to the portrayal of women in video games. Gaming semiotics is defined as "the study of signs and symbols as elements of communicative behavior; the analysis of systems of communication, as language, gestures, or clothing" in relation to gaming.Young has mentioned the clothing aspect of gaming semiotics and mentions Barthes in the transcript who also looked at the fashion system in relation to semiotics. Moreover a quote has been taken from Deuze's book 'Media Life'  in which is stating that socially people are being entirely captured by mediated communication. Mediated communication "refers to communication carried out by the use of information communication technology and can be contrasted to face-to-face communication." Therefore explaining the fact that...

Manifesto: The 21st Century Will Be Defined By Games This blog post is very interesting as it talks about a persons view on what the 21st Century will be like. It explains that although gaming has developed through technology, games have always existed "Games are ancient". Moreover, it refers to digital technology and how it has given games a new relevance however it mentions that computers have aided the resurgence of gaming as PC games have become very popular. Contrary to this, it mentions that specific complex games are already like digital computers as they store and create numerical states and says that in this sense that games are what created computers - an interesting concept. Bibliography & References [1] https://kotaku.com/manifesto-the-21st-century-will-be-defined-by-games-1275355204

From reading this article, I now understand the definition of the term 'Ludeme'.  When I started to read this article, I did become confused due to the unfamiliar terminology used. Moreover, I did have to re-read paragraphs however understanding this abstract term became easier as I continued. The examples written in the text were helpful in defining what this term meant. The paragraphs below taken from the article cleared any confusion: "...a ludeme or "ludic meme" is a fundamental unit of play, often equivalent to a "rule" of play; the conceptual equivalent of a material component of a game. A notable characteristic is its mimetic property - that is, its ability and propensity to pass from one game or class of game to another." [1] "A ludeme is an element of play, comparable to, but distinct from, a game component or instrument of play. Kings, queens, bishops, knights, rooks, pawns, and a chequered board, all constitute the instrume...

After watching this video on the relationship of game theory and game design, I found a few interesting points that the speaker mentioned. One of which included, his theory on irrational thinking. He stated that a player with a lot of options/paths is more likely to be less successful compared to someone that has limited options as that person will look for the best possible strategy as there options are limited. As the other player has many options, they may not look for the best possible strategy and play irrationally and illogically. There was a number of terms the speaker used which included: Minimax - Minimising the worst case scenario, Maximin - Maximising the minimum gain, Saddle Point - Used in a payoff matrix (a minimum of it's row and a maximum of it's column), Payoff Matrix - Tool which simplifies all possible outcomes of a strategic decision and visually represents this commonly in a grid, Mixed Strategy - A random choice among available actions wi...

To create my concept video, I used Adobe Premier Pro to cut, edit and add effects to my video. I recorded my voice underneath the video to explain my concept, design, planning and user testing as I thought this would be easier than using text to explain my concept and project.

This game could be developed further by The game could be edited for class use so that all students have to answer a question and there is a prize at the end of week/day for either the person who gets the most amount of questions correct (more competitive game) or a prize for the whole class if everyone can answer the questions (more teamwork game) Levels could be made so that there can be questions on different topics for years 7 - 10 Different stories could be avaliable so that they are more relatable to the user Different topics could be chosen so that the questions are specfically on those topics to improve the parts of Maths they may be struggling with

The Flash Project could be developed further in many ways: Animation Improvements The text bubbles could be more animated like the first scene  The user could have more area's to click making the game more interactive A place where a name could be entered at the beginning of the game and can be stored so that the user is referred to throughout the game (making the game more first person) Coding Improvements A library of different questions could be added allowing the questions to be randomised Arrays could be used to store questions and answers and could be cycled through using loops which would cut down on the amount of scenes Progress could be saved and exported into a scoreboard format and results could be published

My box I was extremely proud of my box as it locked and unlocked correctly and looked professional, however there were compromises that I also had to take in order to finish the project in the time frame given.  These included: Having a three digit password as the keypad as it would only accept three digits as inputs even after changing the password in the code (as originally I wanted to have the answers to the questions be the password to the box) Painting the box using the appropriate primer and vanishes so that it doesn't get scratched or bashed and is protected but I was restricted on time with the box and therefore only used acrylic paint Using LED holders for the LED's so that they sit in the holes better and do not move around as the delivery would have been unpredictable and would have taken a while Finding a way to minimise wires - I was considering making or buying another box to but my Arduino etc. inside however I did not have enough time Securing the ...

I believe that my project went very well, I had good time management skills which allowed me to complete my project to a high standard. Overall, I am pleased with my result however there were some compromises that I had to take in order to finish the project in the time frame given. These included: Adding sound to the scenes that included the phone and school bell ringing as this would have made the project more life-like Hacking my mouse so that I could use a different object or button to navigate through my scenes instead of my standard mouse (This idea was mentioned in my concept sketch/idea) Animating the speech bubbles so that they are not just static graphics and are more interesting -drawing the users attention to the story-line Having different types of navigation (I added a couple of types but more could have been done to make my project interactive)

I tested my project using six test subjects, who included: Alexia, 21 - Digital Media Design Seetal, 19 - Digital Media Design Ali, 19 - Digital Media Design Matt, 23 - Sound Design Andre, 14 - Year 9 student Teresa, 42 - Accountant While Alexia could not complete a question, Ali attempted and was unsuccessful, Seetal and Matt were both successful and were able to unlock the box. Moreover Teresa and Andre were able to unlock the box really quickly. Below are the raw footage of my test subjects testing my project. Alexia Seetal Ali Matt Andre Teresa Improvements & Future Developments based on user testing: Throughout my testing, although I was videoing the test subjects they began to ask me questions on terminology and working out. This may have been because these questions are targeted mainly towards year 7-8 students as these questions are part of their curriculum while the test subjects hadn't revised Mat...

At a young age, I was surrounded by educational games in Maths, Science, Spelling, problem solving and even Art! Playing many of these games inspired me to learn these subjects while I was at school as I had learnt some topics while playing these games and therefore is a major reason as to why I decided to make my Arduino Maths game project. Games like 'I love Math', 'I love Spelling' and 'I love Science' were very entertaining games that I enjoyed playing. Unfortunately, it seems as though the market for educational games has died down, while technology is continually changing, the curriculum for school children is still the same. With the amount of technology used daily, children find more interactive ways to learn rather than old textbooks however schools either do not realise this or are not equipped to handle the change. Therefore it may seem that the industry has died down but this is mainly because most educational gaming companies find more su...

I created the graphics for my scenes using Adobe Illustrator, I used this program because it enables me to draw vector images that won't become pixelated once resized. This allows me to ensure the graphic fits the stage in Adobe Flash without it looking blurry or unprofessional. These background's/graphics may differ slightly from my original storyboard however these still fit the story well. Start Menu, including buttons that navigate you to the instructions, credits and game Instructions explaining a bit of background story and the arrow navigation used in the game Credits Start to the game, entering door of the Maths classroom Entering the Maths class Bored student Teacher explaining Maths problem Student uses phone because of boredom Phone begins to ring exposing the student Teacher reminds student that phones are not allowed and punishes student Takes phone away from student Locks phone away in box ...