Assets and Licensing in ‘Strength In Arms’

Georgina – Lead Environmental Artist
• Decals for Village, Fair, Forest levels in Forest World
• Decals for world two and three
• Backdrops for world one, two and three
• Platforms for world one, two and three
• Menu art
• Environment Animation
• Presentation Documents
• Weekly Tasks

Brendan – Level Designer and Lead Designer
• Weapon Design
• Level Design
• Enemy Animation
• Interactive objects

Jason – Lead Character Designer
• Main Character Design
• Enemy Design
• Character Animation
• Enemy Character
• Sound effects
• Menu Art
• Decals for burning forest, dark forest and MechaCrocs’ Lair in he Forest World

Scott – Lead Sound Designer
• Music
• Sound effects
• HUD and Menu Design
• Web Design

Andrew – Programmer
• Implementing new assets
• Programming
• Weekly tasks

Propriety Assets

Software used for the Production of XNA
Free Software
• None
Licensed Software
• Adobe Photoshop
• Mixcraft
• XNA
• Fonts

Assets JasonPrentice

Images:

Tapestry Sheet

Characters:
-Protagonist Sprite Sheet
-Enemy Vulture Sprite Sheet
-Enemy Lumberjack Sprite Sheet
-Enemy MechaBee Sprite Sheet
-Enemy MechaBeeHive Sprite Sheet
-EnemyBoss MechaCroc Sprite Sheet
-EnemyBoss ElToroDeLaMerte Sprite Sheet

Folley:
-MechaCroc Weapons Sprite Sheet

Enviromental:
Dark Forest Trees x4
Dark Forest Tombstones x3
Dark Forest Apples x3
Dark Forest Owl
Dark Forest Jack'O'Lantern
Burning Forest Ember Pack
Burning Trees Packs x3

Sound:
Ghost Bunny Soundeffects
LumberJack Soundeffects "BEHOLD MY MANLINESS"

Video:
Trailer 1
Trailer 2:

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Tools:
XNA Engine
Adobe CS3 suit

Team Work

Georgina’s Assets ‘Strength In Arms’
Lead Environmental Artist & Menu Artist

Over World
• Backdrops (ALL)
• Platforms (ALL)
• Decals
o Armor Piece x2
o Armory
o Chandelier
o Door
o Portrait x5
o Torch
o Workbench
• Shimmy
o Chain
Forest World
• Backdrops (All)
• Platforms (All)
• Decals
o Grass x3
o Gravestone x4
o Mushrooms x5
o Apple
o Game Stand x2
o Plushy Stand
o Harp
o Sign
o Wheelbarrow
o Green Tree x6
o Tree Stump x5
o Burnt Tree Stump x3
o Autumn Tree x4
o Autumn Leaf x5
o Leaf pile x3
o Tent x2
• Shimmy and Interactive
o Banner x2
o Vine
o Balloon Bunch x3
o Pennant Flag
• Animations
o Smoke x5
o Fire x5
o Ladybug Flight
o Stone Flag
o Burning Tree x4
o Burning Barn
o Burning Hut x3
o Burning Theatre
o Flag x2
o Tent Flag x2
Rock World
• Backdrops (ALL)
• Platforms (ALL)
• Decals
o Bush x4
o Flower x4
o Moss x4
o Rock x6
o Roots x4
o Shrub x6
o Tree x3
• Shimmy
o Crack/ledge
Ice World
• Backdrops (ALL)
• Platforms (ALL)
• Decals
o Crystal x3
o Snow Pile x5
o Snowman
• Shimmy
o Candy Cane
Menu Art
• Scroll
• Plaque
• Scroll Seal

Propriety Assets

Software used for the Production of XNA
Free Software
• Microsoft XNA
Licensed Software
• Adobe Photoshop
• Mixcraft

XNA License Agreement

Georgina Benedetti s3166191

We, Hex, hold the right to distribute our game, Strength In Arms because;

• According to the license agreement, Microsoft allows the producer to use XNA and distribute it for commercial use so long as it does not run on X-Box Live or any other Microsoft Live applications.
• Hex is looking at distributing our game free, which would give us the right to distribute the game through any application including X-Box Live and other Microsoft Live applications.
• Ownership does not transfer over to Microsoft if the game is submitted, but it does give them the right to host, reproduce, distribute and license the game around the world. You also grant Microsoft the right to publish your name in connection to the game.

Exercise 5B: Scott Battye

Exercise 5B

Scott Battye

Address

Phone

Email

13 September 2010

John Doe

Studio Manager

Company Name

Address

Dear Mr. Doe,

I’m currently in the final semester of my bachelors’ degree of Games Graphics Design at RMIT, my experience so far includes 5 projects as part of my studies. This has involved a lot of team work and learning to team build. So blending in with new teams once we’re in the industry is an easier task for us all.

As an avid player of various puzzle games, I’m eager to join Company Name in the development of them and other games. Knowing how much I can get out of playing them influences me to want to help other gamers get as much out of them as I have. With the skills and abilities I’ve learnt in menu design, Heads Up Display design and mostly self taught capabilities in web design.

I look forward to hearing from you, and hope that I can make a substantial contribution to the Infinite Interactive team into the future. I also have some pictures and videos of past works I’ve completed should you want to see more of my abilities.

Sincerely,

Scott Battye

---------------------------------------------------------------

Scott Battye

Address

Phone

Email

13 September 2010

Jane Smith

HR Representative

THQ Australia

Address

Quality Assurance Tester

Dear Ms. Smith,

I’m writing to you in application of the position listed above.

I’m currently in the last semester of my Bachelors degree in Games Graphics Design at RMIT University in Melbourne.

Although I have no previous experience other than my work internally at University I have come to take a liking to designing user interface and heads up display, as well as a level of self taught website design.

I’m currently living in Melbourne, but would be prepared to make the move north of the range to work for such a globally recognised company. Should a demo reel be required I can provide one.

I’m available to be contacted on the above phone number, I look forward to hearing from you.

Kind Regards,

Scott Battye

--------------------------------------------------------------

Scott Battye

Address

Phone

Email

13 September 2010

Tom Johnson

HR Manager

Bizarre Creations

Address

Game Designer

I’m writing in application of the position of Game Designer as listed above and on your website.

I’m in my final semester of my Bachelors Degree in Games Graphics Design at RMIT University, learnt a lot in the course about teamwork and team building with new people; as well as relative skills in the game design industry. In my time as a student of RMIT I’ve undertaken studies in Maya, After Effects and InDesign, as well as improving my abilities with Photoshop. I’ve also undertaken some self-learning to improve my narrative skills, HUD/UI skills and web design skills.

I also have an interest in learning iPhone/iPad development and Android development at some stage in the future as it’s a rapidly growing market, and it’s quite popular; so it’s definitely something I’d like to get involved in at some stage.

Although I currently reside in Melbourne, Australia, I am prepared to make to move to England to work for such a globally recognised game development company. As developers of heavy titles such as Project Gotham Racing 4 and Blur, and lighter titles such as Geometry Wars and Boom, Boom Rocket, Bizarre is definitely a company I would love to work for.

I’m available to be contacted at the above address or phone number, and I can send through a reel

Brendan Coleiro s3200713

(This is an updated version of my letter to krome) BRENDAN COLEIRO S3200713

Brendan Coleiro

Adress

Mob 0422 002 220

E-mail some_cool_guy@hotmail.com

17^th August 2010

Mr Smith

Lead Designer

Krome Studios

Address

Lead Level Designer

Dear Mr. Smith,

I am writing to apply for the position above.

I will be graduating my Bachelor of Arts (Games Graphics Design) from RMIT City Campus. I also have some of my own game demos which showcase my skills.

My level design experience includes a full year in producing my final year game for the Games Graphics Design course and my own personal side project. This includes Level Designer, Interactive Environmental Designer, Sprite Animation and Decal work for Strength In Arms and on my side project Puzzle Buster for iPhone.

During my course with RMIT I have developed and extended my skills in Photoshop, Maya, Flash and Illustrator. I have a deep understanding in the importance of ‘Play’, Team Work and make it my first priority to make any game fun.

I understand that you have a studio situated in St.Kilda and would particularly like to work with you team on ‘Ty The Tasmanian Tiger’ which has been a great success, and of course any other games you are working on.

Please refer to my resume (attached) for full details on my training and experience. I look forward to hearing from you. I can be contacted at your convenience.

Yours sincerely

Brendan Coleiro

Brendan Coleiro s3200713

(This is an updated version of my letter to blizzard) BRENDAN COLEIRO S3200713

Brendan Coleiro

Address

Mob 0422 002 220

E-mail some_cool_guy@hotmail.com

17^th August 2010

Mr Smith

Lead Designer

Blizzard

Address

Dear Mr Smith,

I wish to apply for work, a job or voluntary work.

I will be graduating my Bachelor of Arts (Games Graphics Design) from RMIT City Campus. I also have some of my own game demos which showcase my skills, such as Level Design, 3D modeling and Sprite Animation.

My level design experience includes a full year in production with a team of 5 highly skilled people for the Games Graphics Design course and my own personal side project. This includes Level Designer, Interactive Environmental Designer, Sprite Animation and Decal work for Strength In Arms and on my side project Puzzle Buster for iPhone.

During my course with RMIT I have developed and extended my skills in Photoshop, Maya, Flash and Illustrator. I have a deep understanding in the importance of ‘Play’, Team Work and make it my first priority to make any game fun.

I understand that your studio is situated in Irvine, California and am willing to relocate and would particularly like to work with your team on ‘Starcraft Trilogy’ which has been a great success already, and of course any of the other games the team are working on.

Please refer to my resume (attached) for full details on my training and experience. I look forward to hearing from you. I can be contacted at anytime on the contact details listed above.

Yours sincerely

Brendan Coleiro

Week 7 Brendan Coleiro s3200713

Week 7 – Copy right

TEAM EXCERCISE

1. That you made yourselves (you hold the copyright, singly or collectively)

· Levels

· Sounds Effects

· Music

· Characters

· Sprites

· Decals

· Code

2. Licensed from third parties (the copyright isn’t yours!) under non-FLOSS licenses

· Fonts

· Farseer Physics Engine

· XNA Engine

3. Licensed from third parties (the copyright isn-t yours!) under FLOSS licenses

PERSONAL EXERCISE

Everything our team has decided to use has been free. And if we were unsure on any copyright infringements we simply made it ourselves such as the Sounds and Music. XNA and Farseer are completely free to use. In the licence that come with Farseer it clearly states that we don’t even have to state that we are using their code.

The Font that we are using is called ‘Agent Orange’ and is free for personal use. But if we were to release the game out into the public we would need to contact the author to get permissions or so we can use it. The author may turn around and say no we cant use his font and then we would have to make our own or pick a different font that we can ship with the game safely.

BONUS QUESTION

When I say “third parties”, it’s kind of clear that the first party in question is yourselves, or the game project team as a whole. However… who’s the second party?

First Party – Copyright owner

Second Party – Person who uses it

Third Party – The Add on

Week 7 Exercise - Scott Battye

We've made all assets (music, sound effects, graphics, and code) ourselves. The only asset we didn't make was the engine itself (as far as I'm aware) as its XNA. All of the assets are custom made so we don't have a lot of issues regarding licensing and so forth, the only area we'd have to contact someone is regarding the font we've used in the menus of the game, as it's only free for personal use.

Personally I've made all the HUD and menu graphics myself (although using the aforementioned font), and the music and some of the sound effects are custom made by me as well.

Georgina Benedetti s3166191 CV Updated

Georgina Benedetti Designer

107 Petticoat Lane +61 (03) 57251754 (Landline)
East Wangaratta +61 04 27 515 436(Mobile)
VIC 3678 georgeofjungle007@hotmail.com


Study

Mar08-present Bachelor of Arts (Games Graphics Design) at RMIT Melbourne,
Australia
• Developed skills in level design, character design, animation, gameplay design and other essential skills in designing and producing a game.
• Worked with many different programs such as Adobe AfterEffects, Photoshop, Flash, InDesign and Autodesk Maya.
Mar10-present Strength In Arms Melbourne, Australia
Lead Level Artist for a third year group project at RMIT University
• Currently polishing the forest world
• Lead Environmental Artist
• Menu artist
Aug10 Freeplay Exhibition Melbourne, Australia
• Exhibited our game, Strength In Arms at Freeplay 2010
• Produced and produced a poster that introduced our game
• Designed and produced business cards
• Tested our game with different audiences
Mar09-Apr09 Catch the Rons Melbourne, Australia
• A game based on Harry Potter made using Flash
• One person project
Aug09-Oct09 3D Character Melbourne, Australia
• Modeled, textured, boned, skinned and animated a 3D character using Maya 2008. Modeled to a specific polygon count.


Work

Apr03-present Casual Worker at Sam’s Warehouse Wangaratta, Australia
Jan07-Feb08 Part Time at Sam’s Warehouse Wangaratta, Australia

Georgina Benedetti s3166191 CV

Georgina Benedetti Designer

107 Petticoat Lane +61 (03) 57251754 (Landline)
East Wangaratta +61 04 27 515 436(Mobile)
VIC 3678 georgeofjungle007@hotmail.com


Study

Mar08-present Bachelor of Arts (Games Graphics Design) at RMIT Melbourne,
Australia
• Learnt how to use various computer programs such as, Adobe Photoshop, Adobe InDesign, Adobe Flash, Adobe AfterEffects and Maya.
Mar10-present Strength In Arms Melbourne, Australia
Lead Level Artist for a third year group project at RMIT University
• Currently polishing the forest world
• Lead Environmental Artist
• Menu artist
Aug10 Freeplay Exhibition Melbourne, Australia
• Exhibited our game, Strength In Arms at Freeplay 2010
• Produced and produced a poster that introduced our game
• Designed and produced business cards
• Tested our game with different audiences
Mar09-Apr09 Catch the Rons Melbourne, Australia
• A game based on Harry Potter made using Flash
• One person project
Aug09-Oct09 3D Character Melbourne, Australia
• Modeled, textured, boned, skinned and animated a 3D character using Maya 2008. Modeled to a specific polygon count.


Work

Apr03-present Casual Worker at Sam’s Warehouse Wangaratta, Australia
Jan07-Feb08 Part Time at Sam’s Warehouse Wangaratta, Australia

Brendan Coleiro s3200713

(This is an updated version of my letter to firemint) BRENDAN COLEIRO S3200713

Brendan Coleiro

Adress

Mob 0422 002 220

E-mail some_cool_guy@hotmail.com

17^th August 2010

Mr Smith

Lead Designer

Firemint Studios

Address

Dear Mr. Smith,

The description you posted for a level designer runs along side my interests and qualifications perfectly.

With my background in level design and games graphics, I am confident that I would make a very successful and creative level designer. Having exhibited for the independent games festival Freeplay 2010 with my teams PC game Strength In Arms. I understand the importance of play testing with people outside the project, team work and most importantly having fun. My experience as lead designer in my final year project for the RMIT Games Graphics Design course highlights my abilities of working with others through the creative process of production while meeting the challenges presented to me.

During my studies I had a side project called Puzzle Buster which was originally made for Flash but is now made for the iPhone.

I am aware of the great success you have had with the iPhone game Flight Control. Which I must say is a great concept as I love action/puzzle genre.

I would appreciate the opportunity to make a substantial contribution to the business. I will be available at your convienience to meet with you to further discuss the possibilities and show you a reel of my work. Thank you for your time and consideration.

Sincerely,

Brendan Coleiro

Brendan Coleiro s3200713

How we manage our game.

-Assembla

-Wiki

-Messaging system

-Ticketing system

-Dropbox

-Photoshop

-MS Word

-XNA Engine

-PC and Mac computers

-MSN

-Timeline

-Design Document

*Five bullet points on what the group has to finish between now and the end of the project

-Release Build 30hrs

-all assests in the end build 10hrs

-All Assets 50hrs

-Levels 3-9 done 20 hrs

* Five bullet points on what *you* have to finish this week

-Finnish Tutorial signs 2hrs

-Mock up levels ingame 2hrs

-Play testing 30hrs

-Showcase level 3hrs

-Tutorial Level 1hrs

* Five bullet points on what *you* have to finish before mid-semester break

-mock up the levels 3hrs

-shadow levels

-work out levels to be cut

-have a working freeplay build

Brendan Coleiro s3200713

CV Fixed and UPDATED (lay out is all stuffed up cause of this blog page)

Level Designer Brendan Coleiro

Brendan_s3200713@hotmail.com 123 Pure Way

+61 0421 779 360 Billside, 3237

Kictoria, Auztraria

Study

2008 – Present RMIT Bachelor of Arts (Games Graphics Design)

· Maya

· Photoshop

· Illustrator

· InDesign

· Flash

· UDK

2007 VCE at Copperfield College, Delehay

Projects

March 2010 – Present Strength In Arms (PC Platform)

· Lead Designer

· Level Designer

· Sprite Animation

· Decal

· QA

2009 Puzzle Buster (Flash/iPhone)

· Developer/Producer

2003 Pen The Penguin (2 Issue Comic)

· Co-Creator

· Artist

Work

September 2010 – Present AMF Bowling Crew Member

2007 Federal Election Polling Official

January 2005 – Present McDonalds Crew Trainer

Excercise Dump 01: Scott Battye

Ex. 2:

Minecraft:

No Design Document:

Notch (the developer of Minecraft) is developing it entirely from ideas and feedback from his community of players. There’s no design document and no real plans for what’s going to be in the finished product and what’s not. It’s kind of a thing of “if the majority of people want it, then I’ll look into putting it in”. It’s bad practice but so far all the additions, that have been community suggestions, are all things that have positively affected the game.

Friendly AI Characters That Do More Harm Than Good:

There are two types of “mobs” in Minecraft. Bad, and good; the bad ones try and kill you by “conventional” means (skeletons shoot you with arrows, zombies and spiders bite you, and creepers explode); then there’s the good ones (cows, sheep, pigs), that kill you by pushing you off an extremely high cliff. I suppose it’s poetic justice since you kill a lot of these animals for wool, pork, leather, and other important materials.

Stuff in Impossible Places:

Is it possible to have a floating base? No. Well, unless you’re playing Minecraft. You have this ability to place a tower of blocks, then remove the bottom one, and not have the tower collapse on your face. It has been designed that way for most blocks, however sand and gravel will fall on your face if you remove the bottom one. So don’t.

Ex. 3a:

Halo: Combat Evolved – Stupid AI

Halo’s AI was incredible, but it had its moments, like all AI programs do I suppose. There were some path finding problems, stupid movements, suicides, diving off cliffs and shooting each other in the back. Sure, these are all things that could be put down to bad timing but the AI was praised for its advanced nature.

You’d turn a corner, see a group of Grunts and an Elite, run away to prepare for the fight then come back and find a Grunt has attempted to throw a grenade; however they’ve thrown it into a wall and it’s bounced back stuck it on himself. Shouldn’t the AI have known the wall was there?

You’d drive a Warthog at an Elite close to a cliff, risky move, only the Elite decides to try and dodge you, and dives… off the cliff.

A Jackal would run into a room into the line of fire of its friends, eventually being killed by them.

These didn’t happen all that often, but for the problems to exist in what was a seeming incredible AI, it certainly had its flaws.

Although the AI in Strength in Arms isn’t overly advanced, if it had these sorts of elements of stupidity to them it would make the presence of enemies pointless. The purpose of our enemies is to break up the swinging and adds an extra layer of things to take into account when playing through a level.

Ex. 4c:

Project management, why is it good?

Without it, projects WILL fall apart. Failing to plan is planning to fail. With a project management plan in place though, a project knows what it needs, where it’s going, and how to get there.

So really, why is it a good idea?

With project management, you know the direction the project is headed, such as the primary target audience, any secondary audiences and the platform(s) in which it’s being developed for. These lead to other things such as the visual appearance, style or theme of the project. As well as any issues that will need to be overcome.

What happens without it?

As I mentioned earlier, without, projects will most certainly fall apart, even if it’s a one person project. Planning is essential for any project to even conceive of being completed successfully.

Cover Letters Georgina Benedetti s3166191

Georgina Benedetti
[ Address Here ]

Traveller's Tales
The Producer
Canute Court
Toft Road
Knutsford
Cheshire
WA16 0NL

Dear TT Games Studios,

I am writing to you to apply for the Junior Artist position posted on your website.

I am a third year student at Melbourne RMIT University Australia and was excited to find on your website that you are looking for a junior artist. I have played a few of your Lego games including Lego Indiana Jones on PSP and X BOX and Lego Star Wars on X BOX and I have been tempted to buy Lego Batman for PSP also. Your games are full of humour and the co-op works really well.

I have learnt the basics of Maya modelling and have been able to create a scene and a character. I’ve also taken part in a group project where we made Strength In Arms, a 2D platformer game where the player takes on the role of a knight and takes on a series of wacky, fun filled adventures! If you would like more information on the game, our website is strengthinarms.com.

I am finishing study in the course Games Graphics Design for a Bachelor of Arts and will be ready to work in thirteen weeks. I have attached a CV for your disposal and I look forward to hearing from you.

Yours sincerely,




Georgina Benedetti





Georgina Benedetti
[ Address Here ]

Producer
3/201 Fitzroy St
VIC 3182
AUSTRALIA

Dear Infinite Interactive,

My name is Georgina Benedetti and I am a third year student at RMIT currently undertaking the Games Graphics Design course. I am writing to you in regards to work that may be available. I will be completing my degree in thirteen weeks and will be ready to work from then on.

I am really excited about working for a Infinite Interactive that produces games over a large range of platforms such as Nintendo DS, Nintendo Wii, PC, PS3, Xbox and many others! I have looked at your website and was very happy to see a great range of puzzle and adventure games that are fun to play with bright and energetic artwork.

In my three years of study I have learnt how to use many different computer programs such as, Adobe Photoshop, Adobe Flash, Adobe After Effects, Adobe InDesign and Maya. Using these programs I have learnt many design techniques, 3D modeling, animation and my drawing skills have improved dramatically.

This year, I am a part of the team of five who made Strength In Arms, a 2D mulit-player platformer game that was exhibited at Freeplay 2010. I am the lead environment artist and worked togther with another team member to get all the environment art assests done in time for the game. If you would like to check out our game we have a website: strengthinarms.com and if you would like to get in contact with the team our e-mail address is hex@strengthinarms.com.

I have attached a CV and look forward to hearing from you.
Thank you.


Yours sincerely,




Georgina Benedetti





Georgina Benedetti
[ Address Here ]

The Producer
P.O. Box 172
Red Hill
QLD 4059 Australia

21 February 2010

Dear Halfbrick Studios,

I am a third year student studying at RMIT Melbourne for a Batchelor of arts in the course, Games Graphics Design. I will be finishing up the course in thirteen weeks and from then on, will be available for work. I am interested in taking a Designer position.

In the year 2009 I attended a digital distribution talk at Federation Square Melbourne run by Victoria Film, where different companies gathered together to talk about the development of games, budgeting and mobile gaming. I noticed half brick and their new game, Raskulls on X-Box Live. I loved seeing a range of up to sixteen characters that have different personalities each appealing to a range of audiences. I was also excited to see lots of titles on your website, such as Avatar, Ty the Tasmanian Tiger and Spyro. All of these games look like fun not just to play, but to make!

In my third year of my course I myself worked in a group of five students working on our major project and our game we are proud to call Strength In Arms. Our game is a 2D multi-player platformer game using XNA to swing players into the role of a knight, exploring a world with fun filled adventures! Making this game was an extremely fun and exciting experience. An experience I would love to be a part of again.

I have attached a resume and look forward to hearing from you,
thank you,


Yours sincerely,




Georgina Benedetti

Game Budgeting Georgina Benedetti s3166191

Gamasutra Budgeting and Scheduling Your Game – 10 Lines on why it is a good plan

I think scheduling before budgeting is important because you can use that schedule as a guide for your budgeting. This brings in time and how long it will take your team to make, giving producers and your team an idea of how much will need to be spent on employees, software and other equipment.

Interviewing and researching each team member really fleshes out how much work your team can actually get done and how long it takes.

Aiming high and having an ideal schedule brings out a better result in your team and their work.

Putting it on paper works because then there is always somewhere team members, project managers and publishers can go to see where the team is at, what they have to achieve and how much more time and money it is going to take.

Work Breakdown Structures, (WBS), really breakdown tasks into smaller tasks which helps team members see exactly everything that need to be completed to have the task finished. It also helps to figure out exactly how long and how much money is needed to complete the set task.

Budget research does supposed to help a producer find the cheapest solution but helps to require the best solution for performance, time, scope and cost.

It is important to know if your team members are full-time, part-time or free lance and what their benefits and salary will be as this will generally take up the largest portion of your budget.

A spread sheet of numbers helps you to put the project into budgeting perspective and gives an idea of the costs of equipment and hiring employees.

Georgina Benedetti s3166191

Twinkies for Final Fantasy X-2

Obvious and Cheap Reskins or Cookies-Cutter Games - Twinkie IX
Every time SquareEnix releases a new Final Fantasy they’re running the risk of making a bad sequel. Final Fantasy X-2 was one of the least successful games in the series. One of the main characters in Final Fantasy X changed dramatically in the sequel. Yuna was a sweet and innocent young woman in FFX but then turned into a skanky little show girl in FFX-2. Her personality was there, but her appearance felt put on. As a player and a fan of FFX, I felt disconnected from the character and even resented her at times, changing the relationship between player and character.

Bad or Non Existent Camera Controls - Twinkie IV
If we take a look at all the Final Fantasy games, most of them do not allow a flexible camera, except for on the world maps. Fixed cameras can at times make it harder to see certain objects, events and makes movement frustrating. 3D games should allow the player perspective as it not only creates a better flowing game, but allows the creators to “show off” they’re work.¬

Time Wasting Random Encounters – Twinkie IV
Apart from towns and shops, wherever you are walking in Spira, the world of FFX-2, there are random encounters that must be fought, unless you flee or have a rare piece of armor or weapon with the ability “No Encounters” equipped.
This can get very frustrating for non FF fans, for completing mini games or challenges and if one simply wants to travel across the map in a short amount of time.

What Makes Final Fantasy X-2 a Good Game?
Through its mistakes Final Fantasy is still a good game. The main characters, while sometimes over the top in personality, are fun and adventurous and appeal to the female audience. Their many outfits and cheeky costumes spruce up the combat with a vast variety of different attacks and abilities. The world of Spira has side adventures waiting to be discovered in each village, road or plain. The airship gives the player flexibility to discover these adventures in any order they wish. Or, the player can just follow the main story and skip all side quests if they so wish.¬

Jason Prentice s3199024 Cover Letter Assignment

**insert Details I'd rather not post on teh interwebz here**

Dear Sir / Madam,

My name is Jason Prentice, I'm an aspiring Animator with aspirations of world domination via an Interactive Digital Medium.

Now I could bore you senseless with some mindless dribble about how you should pick me because I'm the best greatest Animator who ever walked the face of the cosmos like every other person applying for this job.
But you've probably already read enough of those letters to drive a lesser person insane and we both know I'd be lying through my teeth.
Truth be told I've got alot to learn and a fair ways to go, however I approach my work with Passion and Enthusiasm.
I love a Challenge, the more Challenging the better, while most might say "You want me to animate a Building that turns into an Alien and Fights Zombie's!?! That Can't be done!" I will ask "How many Zombies do you want, and what Building?" then I shall make it so.

I get along great with others and work especially well in a Team; For our final year Project at University I Animated 2D sprites for a Videogame we were making called "Strength in Arms" www.strengthinarms.com which was about the Misadventures of a dashing knight known as Sir Christov, who swung around on vines and fought Lumberjacks with Chainsaws for Arms riding Bulldozers.
We even got featured at the FreePlay exhibition in Melbourne, so we must have been doing something right.

Anyway I've probably wasted enough of your time with writing, personally I prefer to let my work speak for me which is why I sent a copy of my Animation Reel along with this letter.

*insert Hyperlink to Animation Reel if Cover letter is Submitted via Web here*

This stuff is what I do for Fun, and if I can make a living Animating for *insert company name here* well even better.

I look forward to working with you.

-Jason Prentice

Jason Prentice s3199024

Exercise Dump 1:

Week 2:

Men of War is a World War 2 based RTT which as opposed to all other World War 2 games focuses on the struggles of forces other than the Americans (which is refreshing unto itself), instead focusing on the Russian, German, and British Struggles.
The game itself is far from perfect, but as opposed to most other games these flaws actually make for a more enjoyable gaming experience.
It’s the Gameplay that’ll get you hooked but it’s the little quirks that’ll bring you back.

One of the first things a player will notice when they play this game (at least if they’re playing the English version) is the Hilariously bad Dialogue.
This Poor Dialogue is the result of Mistranslation from Russian to English and Terrible Voice acting, however much like a good Chop Socky flick it’s so Bad that it’s good.
Some Memorable lines include; “German Scum!” “Vee need to Destroy dee Ak-Ak!” & American Troops Yelling Patriotically “For the MOTHERLAND!”

Another common occurrence is sudden and random programming glitches.
This usually occurs in the for of the A.I. going Haywire to the point that your no longer sure if the enemy is fighting you or itself.
However the most common programming glitches occur in the form of Physics glitches; it is always amusing to see Tanks doing Barrel Rolls after running over a jeep, another thing that would be frustrating if it weren’t so hilarious is when you attempt to relocate a weapon emplacement over an obstacle, such as Debris or sandbags, to suddenly watch in awe as the weapon will fly several feet into the air, do a few acrobatic maneuvers before hitting the ground resulting in the death of the Gunnery crew.

Cue wildly atypical level; about midway through the British Campaign Men of War transforms from a Real Time Tactics game into a Rail Shooter, where the player will travel through a level on the back of a jeep destroying whatever gets in your path.
This level contrasts so suddenly against the rest of the game yet fits so well and is so fun to play that you don’t really care that the game has suddenly just changed genre for one level.

Overall Men of War is a Buggy, Glitchy, pile of Random Awesomeness, that everyone should play at least once.


Week 3:

Intro to Game:

Strength in Arms: Hex-1
www.strengthinarms.com

Synopsis:
A 2D side scrolling Hack and Slash Game, with emphasis on the ability to grab and swing off objects.

My role in the Dev team is Lead Animator.

Week 3: Flaw Assignment:

Quick Time Events:

I have fumed with idea of creating a game with Quicktime Events as the Core Game Mechanic.

…It Doesn’t Work.
…It just doesn’t work.

There is no way to implement QTE’s without frustrating the Player, they’re in no way, shape, or form that a QTE can be implemented in a way that’s beneficial to a Game.
Used as a Method to make cut scenes interactive they tend to distract the player from the cut scene so the player misses the awesome event that occurs. Also these QTE’s are usually Win or Die which should NEVER EVER EVER be forced upon a player.
The other Method was the in game Mercenaries 2 / Just Cause 2 style where the Player performs a QTE to perform a task, however these QTE’s serve more as a frustrating time stalling tactic than as an actual mechanic.
QTE’s are a poor excuse for a Gameplay Mechanic and only serve detrimentally to a game.


Mistranslation / poor Dialogue:

Now here’s something that can actually make a Game more enjoyable.
Probably the Most Notorious example is Zero Wing’s “All Your Base are Belongs to Us.”
However my personal favorite is in Men of War.
Terrible Voice acting, however much like a good Chop Socky flick it’s so Bad that it’s good.
Some Memorable lines include; “German Scum!” “Vee need to Destroy dee Ak-Ak!” & American Troops Yelling Patriotically “For the MOTHERLAND!”

I believe that in a Kung Fu game, deliberately mistranslating and poorly delivering dialogue would serve to make the game more enjoyable.


Week 4:

Activity 1:

Tools and Documents used to make Game:
-XNA. (Engine)
-Photoshop. (Assets)
-Wacom Pen Tablet.
-PC and Macintosh Computers.
-Microsoft Word.
-InDesign
-DropBox

Tools and Documents used to manage game construction progress:
-Assembla; Wiki, Ticketing, and Messenger.
-MSN
-Email
-DropBox (Sync / Version control)
-Microsoft Excel

Activity 2:

What has to be done; Group:
-5 Levels Built. (40 Hours)
-Programming (Engine and Assets) (40 Hours)
-Decals for Levels (40 Hours)
-Sound and Music (40 Hours)
-Testing and Finalisation (5 Hours)

What has to be done; Me:
-Static Decals for Levels. (10+ Hours)
-List of Sound Files that need to be complete. (1 hour)
-Animated Decals for Levels. (10+ Hours)
-Fix Animations of Enemies. (3-6 Hour)
-Level Intro Images (5-10 Hours)

Before Mid-Semester Break; Group:
-Static Decals for majority of Levels. (10+ Hours)
-Majority of Sound Effects Complete, and Music Fixed. (10+ Hours)
-More than Half the Decals for the Levels done. (10+ Hours)
-Core Game play Mechanics Fully Resolved Programmatically (10+ Hours)
-The Animations of the Enemies Repaired and Animated Decals Complete. (10+ Hours)

Before Mid-Semester Break; Me:
-Animations of Enemies Repaired. (3-6 Hours)
-Static Decals for Levels Done. (Depends on amount and complexity 10+ Hours)
-Animated Decals for Levels Done. (Depends on amount and complexity 10+ Hours)
- Level Intro Images (5-10 Hours)

Before Week’s Out; Group:
-Working Build of Game Ready for Freeplay Exhibition. (All Week)

Before Week’s Out; Me:
-Animations for Enemies Repaired. (3-6 Hours)
-Sound List Completed and Passed on to Scott. ( < 1 Hour)
-A Few level specific Static Decals Complete. (2-10 Hours)
-A few Level Intro Images (5-10 Hours)
-This Activity (1 Hour)

What I’m doing after class:
-Fixing Animations of Enemies. (2-4 Hours)
-Static Decals. (2-6 Hours)

Activity 3:

Week 1:
-Animations for Enemies Repaired. (3-6 Hours)
-Sound List Completed and Passed on to Scott. ( < 1 Hour)
-A Few level specific Static Decals Complete. (2-10 Hours)
-A few Level Intro Images (5-10 Hours)

Week 2:
-Level Specific Static Decals (3-5 Hours)
-Level Intro Images Complete. (5-6 Hours)
-Level Specific Animated Decals (3-5 Hours)


Week 3:
-Level Specific Animated Decals (10-12 Hours)
-Level Specific Static Decals (10-12 Hours)

Brendan Coleiro s3200713

Exercise 3a

Random Encounters in RPG Games.

First of all I would like to mention that it is one of the most frustrating and annoying game design flaws in my opinion.

The first game I would like to mention is not actually a game but a series, the Final Fantasy series. Now I know that in their most recent games they have a similar system but it’s a lot less random and just an encounter that you can see on your screen. But in the earlier games you would be travelling across a field to get from city to city and in that field you would get jumped by about 50 different random encounters of monsters that are trying to kill you. Sometimes your character would not even complete their run cycle before you were in a battle again... and that is where it starts getting annoying. In the first couple of hours of game play this may seem fun but then after a 10-15 hrs game play I get so fed up with these random battles. On top of that in the later game you will most likely need to go back to your starting area where you continuously get jumped by level 3 monsters when you are at level 78. And then ON TOP OF THAT its takes about 10 seconds to get into a battle and then another 10 to leave the batter and maybe 10 seconds to kill the encounter. So that is roughly 30 seconds an encounter TIMES BY about 30 encounters... that works out to 15 minutes of the players time wasted and at which point you can’t stand the game and never play it again.

NOT TO METION TURN BASED COMBAT J

The second game is also not a game but a series again and that is the Pokemon games on the Gameboy/DS. Pretty much the same thing as the Final Fantasy games but this time there is specific ‘grass’ areas that have pokemon in them, so they improved on the fact that FF had an entire map that you could walk through and anywhere on the map you could get a random encounter. So it was easier to navigate and avoid unwanted pokemon but then the game revolved around pokemon and you needed to capture your very own pokemon. AND OF COURSE YOU COULD NEVER FIND THE POKEMON YOU WANTED! It was always a damn crap pokemon that you didn’t want, like geodude. While the game had items that could repel encounters in the grass areas they never lasted long enough. And then of course there were the caves...

So yeah Random Encounters in games = BADDDDDDDD

That being said these games are great games but if I had a choice over Random event RPG or WoW (live combat) I’d go Wow. On the ground that WoW is a of the rpg element and has live combat.

If my third year game had to include random encounter enemies it would probably destroy the game as we know it. Firstly the game we have is not suited for random encounter enemies that will cut you to a combat screen that will totally ruin the game play and most importantly the flow of the game that we have established so well. I suppose that if we had to incorporate it into the game it would still work but it would not be fun AT ALL!

Brendan Coleiro s3200713

Exercise 5b

Brendan Coleiro

Adress

Mob 0422 002 220

E-mail some_cool_guy@hotmail.com

17^th August 2010

Mr Smith

Lead Designer

Firemint Studios

Address

Dear Mr. Smith,

The description you posted for a level designer runs along side my interests and qualifications perfectly.

With my background in level design and games graphics, I am confident that I would make a very successful and creative studio assistant. Having exhibited for the independent games festival Freeplay, I have been exposed to a number of aspects of the game world. I understand the importance of play testing, team work and most importantly having fun. My experience as designer in my final year project for the RMIT Games Graphics design course high lights my abilities of working with others through the creative process of production while meeting the challenges presented to me.

I am aware of the great success you have had with the iPhone game Flight Control. Which I must say so myself, was very fun as I love action/puzzle genre.

I would appreciate the opportunity to make a substantial contribution to the business. I welcome the opportunity to meet with you to further discuss my abilities and show you a reel of my work. Thank you for your time and consideration.

Sincerely,

Brendan Coleiro

Brendan Coleiro

Adress

Mob 0422 002 220

E-mail some_cool_guy@hotmail.com

17^th August 2010

Mr Smith

Lead Designer

Chrome Studios

Address

Lead Level Designer

Dear Mr. Smith,

I am writing to apply for the position above.

I will be graduating my Bachelor of Arts (Games Graphics Design) from RMIT City Campus. I also have some of my own game demos which showcase my skills.

My level design experience includes a full year in producing my final year game for the Games Graphics Design course and my own personal side project. This includes Level Designer, Interactive Environmental Designer, Sprite Animation and Decal work for Strength In Arms and on my side project Puzzle Buster for iPhone.

During my course with RMIT I have developed and extended my skills in Photoshop, Maya, Flash and Illustrator. I have a deep understanding in the importance of ‘Play’, Team Work and make it my first priority to make any game fun.

I understand that you have a studio situated in St.Kilda and would particularly like to work with you team on ‘Ty The Tasmanian Tiger’ which has been a great success, and of course any other games you are working on.

Please refer to my resume (attached) for full details on my training and experience. I look forward to hearing from you. I can be contacted at anytime on the contact details listed above.

Yours sincerely

Brendan Coleiro

Brendan Coleiro

Address

Mob 0422 002 220

E-mail some_cool_guy@hotmail.com

17^th August 2010

Mr Smith

Lead Designer

Blizzard

Address

I AM THE BEST! PLEASE HIRE ME! :D

Ok the next part is serious, please ignore that shout out above.

Dear Mr Smith,

I wish to apply for work, a job or voluntary work.

I will be graduating my Bachelor of Arts (Games Graphics Design) from RMIT City Campus. I also have some of my own game demos which showcase my skills.

My level design experience includes a full year in producing my final year game for the Games Graphics Design course and my own personal side project. This includes Level Designer, Interactive Environmental Designer, Sprite Animation and Decal work for Strength In Arms and on my side project Puzzle Buster for iPhone.

During my course with RMIT I have developed and extended my skills in Photoshop, Maya, Flash and Illustrator. I have a deep understanding in the importance of ‘Play’, Team Work and make it my first priority to make any game fun.

I understand that your studio is situated in Irvine and am willing to relocate and would particularly like to work with your team on ‘Starcraft Trilogy’ which has been a great success already, and of course any of the other games the team are working on.

Please refer to my resume (attached) for full details on my training and experience. I look forward to hearing from you. I can be contacted at anytime on the contact details listed above.

Yours sincerely

Brendan Coleiro