Game Idea Research

 Pick ONE Game Idea

Thinking Creative
Image Source

It is very difficult when you have to pick one idea out of four and can be frustrated if there is two you really like but after having a read through my last blog post about my game design ideas I decided to go with my idea number 2. I was thinking a bit too much on which idea is my favourite rather than focussing on which idea I would be capable of doing and enjoy doing the most. I want to be able to make the game and don't want to go too hard on myself since it will be my first game ever made by myself. I figure this game idea will allow me to be creative and have fun at the same time. I had taken a look at some tutorials and felt the most comfortable with this game option. I was really thinking about picking my last game idea the Toast racing game but I'm not sure if I will be capable of creating it because it is too early to say after just a few Unity tutorials. 

Based on:
Ball Balance
Coin Rush
Ball 3D

My game idea number 2 is based on ball balancing and obstacle course games. The above links show some games that have a similar point and that helped me with my to develop own version of the game. As mentioned in my previous blog post I would like to add some features and rules to make the game more interesting and personal. I feel like sometimes games that require only one action from the player like just balance the ball all the time can get frustrating and eventually players give up playing. Therefore it would be beneficial to add or change some extra bits in the game which would make it more entertaining and hopefully stand out from other games that enter the same category. 

Games that give the player only a specific amount of times are more enjoyable to play as the player receives a boost of adrenaline trying to complete the game in the time that he or she is given. The player's brain needs to work faster to figure out the task given or to complete the challenge, race etc. Therefore I would like my game to have a certain amount of time for each level or task to be completed. 

My game will consist of a ball that the player will have to roll through, over and under some laid out objects on a platform which will add up to a full obstacle course. In my own version I would like to give the ball an impression of an ice ball that will melt throughout the game as the player will be doing the obstacle course if possible for my abilities. I will use the ice ball melting as the time arrangement for the level. The player must complete the level before the ball melts down. A window display in the corner will let the player know how much the ball has melted and how much time there is left to finish the level. I would like the player to see when the ball is melting and hopefully make the ball melt in the game with some help of unity tutorials online if I find some. In addiction I could place out freeze zones where the ball would freeze again giving the player some extra time to finish the game level.

I don't know what I will be able to make with Unity in two or three weeks' time but if I will know how to do it then I would like to try to make the ball break if the player drops it in the game or crashed into some object. This would make the game more visually appealing and more realistic. Making the ball melt and break are my two add in ideas that I will try to achieve but I'm not totally confident if it will work out for me.

I have watched some games that have been created in Unity and looked at some online tutorials that are available in relation to my own idea in order to get some inspiration and get a better understanding of how my game will be created and what is expected. 

I have done some secondary research and browsing to get a stronger understanding of what and how I might go about designing my game in Unity. 

Links to my research:
  What I have learned by making my first game with Unity 3D

I found the article very helpful with my idea and the Youtube video that was provided had some good  and interesting designs showing the gameplay as well. This piece of writing has really good tips about design your first game. The video shows example of what kind of obstacles can be done for the ball and how they can be overcome. This gave me some ideas for obstacle to put in my game that would be enjoyable for the players.

Link to a Youtube tutorial: How to make a ball bounce

I also checked out some videos on Youtube like the one above so to let myself know of what my game idea might involve. I wanted to geta bit more familiar with how I will have to make somethings in my game that I have planned.

Link to another Youtube tutorial that I found useful: How to make the ball roll   

I found this video very practical as this will be how the ice ball in my game will move. This video allowed me to get more comfortable for my game design. The video is not too long, straight to the point and helped me feel more comfortable with my game idea.  

The game will start off with a ball on a square platform and the player will have to roll the ball using arrow keys through, under and across obstacles that will be place along the pathway. The player will have a risk of falling off and breaking the ball and not completing the game on time. There will be objects that the player will have to hit in order to get points but some the player must avoid so the ball doesn't break. This game will require concentration and patience but I'm planning and hoping to make it more entertaining rather than frustrating.