Unity Tutorial 03

This weeks tutorial was a bit more tough than last weeks but nothing impossible or head melting. The only problem I had was at step 4, where I had to program the speed control of the car. I followed the video closely but I got an error message about multiple errors. I fixed the problem by redoing the whole code of that part of the tutorial from scratch and soon the problem was fixed. I guess that I forgot a common or symbol like this ; or something. Apart from that little hiccup the rest of the video. The challenge with programming the plane game on the other hand proved very challenging and honestly a bit too much for me. I was about to get it flying forward and slow it down but I struggled with the rest of it and having to catch up with a lot of work I decided to cut my losses and moved on to the next tutorial. I may go back on finish it at a latter date. But over all I felt the tutorial went well and I feel proud of making the car move like how it would move in a game like Grand Theft Auto or Saints Row, ETC.

(My Unity HUD as I work on the plane challenge)

Feedback Thoughts

The first article I read was "A fixed mindset could be holding you - here's how to change it" by Anna Kelsey -Sugg and Ann Arnold. The article is about how people have to mindsets, fixed and growth, saying how people have developed fixed mindsets, meaning they don't learn from mistakes and how a growth mindset helps people learn from their mistakes. I found the article fascinating. I agree with what it has to say about the negative effects of a fixed mindset and the positives of a growth mindset. I also like how they discuss how offices and companies can help their employees but rewording a growth mindset.
https://www.abc.net.au/news/2018-06-26/fixed-vs-growth-mindset-at-work-and-in-life/9897782

The second article I read was "Why rejection hurts so much - and what to do about it" by Guy Winch. The article is about how we all face rejection all the time, big and small, but it always hurts and how we could help lessen the pain. I found the article interesting and insightful. It's discussion on how we deal with rejection relatable. I also found the the advise given very helpful, like having zero tolerance for self-criticisms, reviewing you self-worth and talking to friends when you're rejected.
https://ideas.ted.com/why-rejection-hurts-so-much-and-what-to-do-about-it/

(Thumbs up and down. Found here.)

Game Brainstorm Ideas

My first game idea is a 3D platformer. The goal of the game would be for the player to make their way down to the end of a linear course while avoiding hazards and obstacles. The goal would be either to just get to the end of the course or get to the end before the timing runs out, the player failing if it does. There would be collectibles scattered on the course that the player can collect if they choose so. If it was the simple "reach the end" idea, it would add to a high score the player will get after completing the course, the more they collect, the higher the score. For the time trial idea, the collectibles would add more time to the timer, giving the player so choice if they choose so. The game wouldn't be very story driven. The rough idea of the plot I have is that someone wants a jar of peanut butter that lies at the end of the dangerous path, having a funny tone. The environment would be a grassy forest, a grass path the player goes down surrounded on both sides by trees. I've been a big fan of 3D platformers for a long time and I've always loved the idea of making my own one. My main inspiration for this game stems from games like Crash Bandicoot and Super Mario Galaxy, with their cartoon like style and their linear level designs.
(https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Crash_Bandicoot)

(A typical Crash level.)

My second game idea is a 3D collectaton. In this game, the player would have to collect objects around a small open world to complete it. I have two ideas for this concept. One would be like a 3D platfroming where the player has to navigate hazards to reach the items. The other concept would have it be like a puzzle game where the player has to solve logic puzzles to get the items. The game is story driven. The idea of I have for it is that a fantasy village has been cursed by an evil wizard to be trapped in an other dimension and you play as a knight who must gather the magical objects needed to open the gate and free the village. The story would be explained via narration and and talking to the villagers. The environment would be fantasy village and forest, with the village being safer while the forest would be dangerous.The obstacles the player would face would be environmental hazards like pits and enemies like skeletons for the player to avoid. The platformer concept was inspired bygames like Jak and Dexter while the puzzle concept was inspired by Portal.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jak_and_Daxter
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Portal_(video_game)

(Jak and Daxter poster as seen here.)

(Picture of how to solve puzzles in Portal. Found here.)

My third game idea is a 3D horror game. The goal of this game is try to escape a building while monsters are trying to find you. The game would be set in a free roam building where the player can walk and run and hide underneath desks and inside closets. The player would need to collect keys so they can open the exit door. The game would be story driven. The story would be that the player is a child who has been kidnapped by monsters to be eaten and you escape the cage but you must sneak your way out. The story would be told through dialogue from the monsters. The game environment would be a decrepit building, either an abandoned hotel, factory, hospital or school. The hazards of the game would be the monsters who would roam the hallways looking for the player. The game was inspired by horror games like Slenderman.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Slender:_The_Eight_Pages

(Picture of the Slenderman in game. Found here.)

My forth game idea is a 3D turn based RPG. The goal of the game is defeat enemies to gather and collect the objects once the player defeats them. The game would be open world game. It would be story driven. The game would be about a group of three superheroes who must defeat several monsters and recover stolen technology they're collecting to create a super weapon. It would a story driven, delivered through cutscenes and text boxes. It would have a action but lighthearted tone. The environment would be a city, taking place on the streets. The hazards in the game would be the monsters you fight which only happens when the player goes up to them where it turns into a turn based battle. Here the play will have plan out attacks to beat the monsters. Each of  the heroes will have a turn. The fighter hero will be an rounded fighter. The strong hero will be powerful and the defense hero would be able to heal themselves or the others. I was inspired by the Pokemon video game franchise.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pok%C3%A9mon

(The Pokemon logo. Found here.)

Game Elements

The first article I read was "Formal Abstract Design Tools" by Doug Church. I found article really hard to read. It had a lot of technical jargon that I had a hard time understanding. But it did given me a bit of an inside look at some tools of game design like intention, perceivable consequence and story and how they can work well together in certain games types and not so in other games types. 
https://www.gamasutra.com/view/feature/131764/formal_abstract_design_tools.php

The second article I read was "A Look at Negative Game Mechanics" by Josh Bycer. I quite liked this article. It was much easier to understand and follow. It talked about game mechanics that are designed to force the player to spend money to play the game, from arcade machines in the nineties to free to play and social media games and why such mechanics should be avoided.
https://www.gamasutra.com/blogs/JoshBycer/20120903/177027/A_Look_At_Negative_Game_Mechanics.php

The third and final article I read was "The Paper Chase Saving Money Paper Prototyping" by John Henderson. The article was going over what game designer, Giles Schildt, said to game design students at a talk at the community college. I liked the article and the idea of designing a game prototype on paper before moving onto actually making the game, since it'll make the design easier to understand for everyone and that it's easy to scrap and change.
https://www.gamasutra.com/view/feature/2690/the_paper_chase_saving_money_via_.php

(A picture of a designer working on a game. Found here.)