Google SketchUp Exercise

This scene is your typical Eastcoast home in a typical neighborhood. A small group of friends congregate in Jonathan Prescott's home, but as Jon was saying good-bye, an alien ship comes down and takes Frank. Jon is stupefied, and seems he is the only one who remembered. His other friends hazily remembered watching a movie and went home for the night. Soon Jon was experiencing strange encounters while trying to find out what happened to Frank. He uncovers government conspiracies linked to the location of his home and the alien activities.

This was inspired by Alan Wake and Knowing. Not many 3D games have been implemented as mystery/thrillers, and the frightening part about it is the realism of the environment and the characters, since the player is aware of the limitations of being a human. This game would be story-driven.

Five Pictures for FPS

A space settlement or even a large biodome in space would be a great environment for visuals. It adds a futuristic twist and a large glass dome would make an awe-inspiring visual.

I like the mood and color of this picture. It is reminiscent of the Louisiana swamplands, perhaps a voodoo theme can be considered in the gameplay. Walking on land on foot, trudging through water, or going on boat are elemental ideas for diversifying the game.

There have been a few games that have incorporated a moving train as a level. The player will have to watch out for sharp turns and deadly falls while battling enemies on a runaway transport.

An open cave with water falling from above would be great for an organic level. It demonstrates the magnificent beauty and danger as nature leaves the player humbled. This also takes advantage of height as another dimension in gameplay.

  

A maze would make a fun deathmatch level, depending on the complexity and number of players. Something too complex may discourage players, but the general idea of organic material as walls and boundaries and a large open center for players to congregate would be a start.

How did Bungie ultimately overcome the problem of 'featurism' that had plagued the Halo2 game?

After learning their lesson the hard way while making Halo 2, the developers of Bungie were better equipped with making the third installment of their popular franchise. Their mistakes drove them to making a better game, coupled with special testing labs provided by Microsoft ensured a hot selling item. Emerging wiser than before, Bungie was organized from the beginning, a crucial implementation to game production. Once a level was ready, volunteers tried it out and player experience and data were observed to help solve any issues that came across during gameplay.

The reciprocal cycle of beta testing and feedback from strangers was a valuable advantage for Bungie, as it ensures a near-perfect game that will no doubt be profitable. This style of development teeters on the edge of making a game that many will like and making a game that will maximize profit. Of course, developing an A list game for a console must be heavily invested due to its potential for a high return; however, must a great game solely be commercial? Many game developers can be blinded by commercialism that they are willing to make a mediocre game that is guaranteed to sell. This is not to say that Bungie has sold out, but since they are under pressure by Microsoft and have higher expectations from fans of the previous game(s), they need to set the bar higher and make Halo 3 the best of the best.

The Making of Halo 2 Questions

1) Jaime Griesemer, game design lead on Halo 2 suggests that if you have 30 seconds of fun, this can translate into _______________?
You can stretch that out into an entire game; if you don't nail that 30 seconds, you're not going to have a great game. You need a good formula to make it work.

2) The cinematic script for Halo 15 levels long - 2 protagonists - drive the 20 hours of action. Feature film length.
120 minutes of cinematic They were very ambitious and jumped right into it; they did not consider limited resources and time.

3) Marcus Lehto of the art department talks about artwork such as the "sentinal headquarters" - what is the challenge of this interior for the player
Traversing terrain throughout the space that did not have floors. It was a bit of a puzzle for the player.

4) Why is E3 so important?
The Electronic Entertainment Expo, the biggest event in the game world. They wanted to generate interest and also push the development team into meeting demands of the fans

5) What is a danger with the desire by a team to add graphical richness?
You get lower framerate and the notion that the graphics in itself is something of value.

6) Nathan Walpole (senior animator) discusses animating the brute character - what new feature has been added to Halo2 in terms of the relationship between characters like the Brute and vehicles such as the warthog?
Putting a bit of yourself in the character. More interactivity between NPCs and objects/your player
Non-playable characters are able to board ships.

7) a) What is 'framerate'?
The framerate is the speed of new frames refreshing on the screen.
b) What elements can affect the framerate of the game?
Added elements, such as particle effects and textures, can slow the framerate and put the audio out of sync, for example, and deters good gameplay.

8) a) The producer cares about the retailers and the fans at E3 why bother about these things so early in the game's development?
It is something retailers and fans look forward to and the fans make the game profitable.
b) How does the team generate enthusiasm among the fans at E3 in the demo booth?
The environment in which they set up the booths with a small private session with limited seated capacity. This builds anticipation to watch the demo. The demo itself was personal and really showed off what the game is capable of.

9) What features of the game were the fans most enthusiastic about at the E3 demo?
They were excited about the enemies jumping on vehicles trying to knock the player off. Most of the fans were impressed with the cinematics and the increased interactivity of the gameplay.

10) How did the decision to go with the more detailed real-time graphics (stencil shadows, real time reflections etc) affect completion deadlines?
Actual implementation is impossible; the development team tried to go around on it and took too long.
10b) What did the US marines demonstrations of guns etc in South Carolina do to assist with the game?
The development team used reference to see how marines moved and how guns work, making the game more realistic. How the marines communicated also gave a wider view of the military world.

11) What were the main functions of the LAN game sessions held in the private house in Connecticut?
These people who played online get to see the person behind the avatar. Getting together with these strangers, socializing and discussing about game tactics and being able to reflect the gameplay.

12) Why were (parts of the) game called the 'matrix of doom'?
The amount of surface types that create audio (many sounds). Each level is connected to a larger whole, which would fit together to make a seamless game.

13) According to the lead producer, how did the Halo2 team ultimately mess up? How was this issue ultimately dealt with?
They weren't following the script, spent a lot of time on non-essential stuff that was hacked off. They tried to do too much, being too ambitious in such a small time line. They could not deliver all the bells and whistles they initially had in mind.

14) Why are the level diagrams called 'commitment' by the level designer?
The team needed to focus on the levels instead of being wishy-washy.

15) The time line showing the schedule to shipping allows a lot of time near the end for what?
They devoted a lot of time to play the game for quality assurance.

16) How do the two audio directors differ in terms of how they obtain performances from the actors?
Joe likes to put the actor in the game, giving the actor too much material. He wanted the actor to be inspired by the material he gave them. The other director writes out exactly as he wants the actor to say; he's more to the point.

17) What do the team members argue is the advantage of a totally fixed deadline?
The forced deadline forces the team to finish and deliver.

18) What do you think is meant by the phrase "building a cathedral with a hurricane" (in relation to making Halo2)?
They had a limited amount of time and had to finish the game in a frenzy.

19) Have you played Halo2? What did you think of it in relation to the first Halo?
I have played a little, but not much to fully compare it to Halo.

20) Were any of the problems that faced the Halo2 team enough to affect its enjoyability as a game from the player's point of view?
There is no real satisfying ending to the game.