Wednesday 10 October 2012

Trilogy Ending - Final Semester

So here we are after a summer filled with dissertation writing and study, as well as a busy schedule QA testing at TT and TT Fusion I am finally here at Semester 3.

My dissertation was submitted in good time and I completed it in enough time to edit it accordingly before the deadline, so hopefully it will effectively reflect the time and effort put into it. It was a surreal experience to write I must admit. Throughout late education when writing formal pieces of work you are essentially told not to include your own input, coming from a perspective outside of the field you must instead write entirely about relevant research. Masters writing however changes that as you must instead initially take existing research and build upon it with your own theories and study.

I digress however the dissertation is over so we are onto the practical for the final semester of my masters experience. During my meeting with Josh and the class we discussed where I can go with my practical work which is both relevant to my dissertation topics but is also within my capabilities for the final degree show. Games which usually involve a focus on intrinsic narrative are after all usually based around complex code, far beyond my current ability and time limitations.

To this end we decided to revisit my first semester game idea, which at the time I tentatively titled 'Bloat' however I intend to change to a more palletable title. This semester I aim to make this game work based around the basic core mechanics which encompass it. The aesthetic will purposely be kept basic to keep extrinsic narrative effectively non-existent leaving the player to create their own story for the game. However as an alternative I will reskin the game in a way which effectively presents some level of narrative. With the two versions I then intend to see which players prefer, possibly cataloguing the narratives the players percieve playing the first game.

On top of this I am furthering my work with my Powered By Bandits design team as we further develop our first small game with the working title 'Mancer'. The game will be a 2D puzzle platformer based around using a set group of elemental abilities to solve puzzles and collect special objects. With my two artist collegues in the Bandits team I will also be  attempting to create a physical trading card game. As a long-time fan of trading card games it will provide an opportunity to work on games design of a different variety and format in an attempt to diversify my skills further.

I have also been corresponding with a man looking to create an indy company in Blackpool who is looking for individuals with games related skills or an enthusiasm for games. Though this is currently very much in the early admin stages and is unlikely to develop at least for the mean time. 

So there we have the current schedule, and of course working QA graveyard shift at TT so all systems go at the moment ,however this is the final hurdle so onwards and upwards.

Peace Out