DeDA: Structure and Update

I have decided that I am going to break each topic into two parts:

1. Theory - the current area that I am researching citing references


2. Development Diary - this will detail my opinions on the subject and (if applicable) how I have applied the theory that I have just learned to my project and why I have chose those decisions.

The theory will be posted on the TI site so that anyone wishing the try out this course in the future can view all of the topics and hopefully learn something from them. While both the theory and my Development Diary posts (detailing the practical application) will be posted here.

At the moment I am currently:

1. Refining the course content into manageable chunks


2. After working out my free time in the week, I need to apply the course content into calendar to see approximate full time length of the course

These are my on going tasks to do before I begin my course:

• Continue to wrap up my current projects


• Continue my research into a suitable reading list


• Save some money for laptop and books needed for course

Game Maker Competition 6!

Sadly I have not yet learned to stop involving myself in new game projects.  Currently I have one (shall we say) dormant role in one project, one not so strenuous role (yet) in another project, one project that I'm losing interest in and then there's Project TF which is my main focus at the moment.

The dormant project is unofficially in a hiatus as theproject has now been pushed back for an expected release next year.  The team members are now returning to their own lives and other projects which is a shame as it was looking to be a good project.  So hopefully, the team will be brought back together later in the year and I can gather some good experience using Unity.  The deadline for the project that I'm losing interest in is drawing ever closer so I just intend to do what I need to to for this demo and call it quits.  Internet projects are hard especially when there's a lack of communication between the team members and you're losing interest.

The not-so-strenuous project is an interesting one because while it doesn't require alot of input from me at this point in time, it will require me to develop a new design skill set which I will need to practive heavily on in order to deliver good (or at least acceptable results).  This project is also non-digital which will be extremely useful in my portfolio as I have not got any non-digital game projects that have been produced.   So I am very keen to stick at this project.

Lastly, Project TF.  This is my game concept and I need this be achieve great results.  The additional member to the project has already helped me intensively, producing a basic engine in a very short time and giving me design critique which is helping me to think over the current mechanics within the game.   I'm hoping that Project TF will be a good candidate for the Game Maker 6 competition which has the theme of 'Discovery'.   While discovery is not the main focus of the game it is one of the important mechanics for progression and character development.  So if my team member and I get it together I may consider entering.  There's nothing to lose but everything to gain!

Help with Pitch Documents from Irrational Games

Irrational games have revealed the pitch document that helped unleash the Bioshock franchise to the world. I would advise any aspiring game designer to have a look at this document as the would be useful for answering questions regarding the content required, the layout and would also give designers an idea of just how much a game can change from conception to the release product. Read it here.

Game Design Challenge: iPad

So for the last couple of weeks I've been working on an iPad game idea  for the fortnightly GameCareerGuide Game Design Challenge.  To be honest I did put a lot of effort into this idea asking people's opinions, doing the board layout and just refining the basic rules, so Project TF was neglected only slightly during this time.  But luckily my hard work paid off and although I didn't get the a place as the best entry (maybe next time) I did get another honorable mention :)  This has motivated me to try more often to 'compete' within these challenges as they do get me to think outside of my usual design box.

So here is my design for the iPad Construction Destruction.