GamerDX - Gaming and Game Design Shenanigans

Celestial - Transversal Velocity

2009-10-07T14:01:00.003-04:00

So, as expected, this update is rather small. It took some time to determine the method, but ultimately I was trying to simulate visually a variation in rotational speed of objects in the scene.

As is the case with many people, I was not at all involved in mathemtics while in school. I only learned to appreciate them greatly, recently. This is because I have a direct application for math and trig and calculus, which is providing me with a way to "demonstrate" the equations to myself.

The changes below, might be a little bit hard to see, however, I assumed the following while coding:

-A planet that is nearer to the Sun, has a shorter distance to travel.
-Therefore, a planet that is closer to the Sun, should appear to be traveling faster. It should complete a circuit of the Sun faster than other, further distanced, planet objects.

So, moving away from the base speed of the objects, which was initially used to keep everything simple, I implemented a dynamically set speed.

At first, I thought I'd go the route of using Calculus to determine the distance of objects and find the changes in distance and velocity, and so on. However, I realized that, due to the way I was coding, and after speaking to my fellow programmer about it, I already had the distance calculated. It was only the terms that seemed obscure.

So, now the scene uses a simple scaler, based on the distance of an object from the Sun, or, (0,0), to determine the speed. The effect is working just as it should, as can be seen below:

Refresh to get a new scene.

Of course, I need to play with the scaling of the values some more, to make it just site, but this is after a few different iterations.

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The next update will contain a slew of changes, but one of the main ones I want to do, now, is to texture each object, and perform local rotation. I feel this will add more realism to the scene, and allow all the included functionality to be more visually effective.

Until next time-

-sxt

CelestialBody - Random Positioning and Hilarity

2009-09-27T16:45:00.008-04:00

I've been steadily working on the CelestialBody app, trying to add functionality to it that seems to fit within it's scope.

Ultimately, I have been slowly adding some randomness to the initial build() method of the application. To be more specific, I assumed the following:

-Planets will never collide in this project, therefore, planets must be spaced apart in orbit.

-Planets rarely line up angularly in a solar system, it's so rare that most nutjobs out there think it changes the nature of reality or predicts Ragnarok, as illustrated by Japan in MMO form below:

Shenanigans aside, and to be more succinct, planets need to have their angles set randomly, at the outset, so they don't all fall on a linear path from the Sun, every frame.

Initially(probably because I'm still learning), I went about this all the wrong way. However, after about a half hour of coding, I realized this could all be done rather simply. The result, while what I did want to accomplish, is not done. However, here is what it looks like at this time:

Refresh to get a new scene.

I believe it looks wrong because the transversal velocity of objects needs to be recalculated. Objects closer to the Sun, should not move slower through space, they should move quicker, since they have a shorter path to travel. The only reason this is not the case as of yet, is because I feel, and my mentor Dylan feels, that you should make sure all your functionality is working before you modify it.

So in other words, first you make the objects rotate around a fixed point, in this case their parent object. Once you are sure that works, then you can begin to adjust the how and why of that rotation, speed, angle, and so on.

So, the next update will be small, but I don't think it will be easy. I am going to program the speed to "fall off" as objects get further from their parents. Visually, this should increase the overall effect of realism in the scene.

----And now, for some hilarity.....

So, in keeping with my traditional approach to learning, I started to explore trigonometry further as I have been coding. I wanted to see what else they never showed me in school, and what other hidden awesome things math could do. Most of it is boring, but one result in particular was awesome. I inadvertently made a black hole of my Sun object. I was really shocked when I saw what happened, but I had to post it here, because it just really made me giggle like a nerd when I saw the result:

Maybe I'll continue down that path at some point actually, and make black hole objects in the solar system that will slowly and exponentially pull objects in the solar system to it's center in a catastrophic end.

Oh yeah, definately.

-SXT

CelestialBody Project

2009-09-13T21:28:00.006-04:00

So, my buddy Dylan, who is an exceptionally skilled interactive designer and actionscript programmer, among other things, decided to help me with my OOP concepts.

The idea was simple, design a solar system type project, that would recursively generate children, and animate using simple trigonometry. At first, I had issues finding time to work on it, which severely stunted my progress. However, I've been knee deep in it lately, and it has vastly increased my understanding of how to properly design an application.

So far, I have a basic application below, where the following takes place:

1. A Sun object is created in code, using a Sprite object.
2. The Sun object creates a child, called Planet.
3. The Planet object creates a child, called Moon.
4. Each object is then positioned, relative to it's parent.
5. Each object is animated using basic trigonometry.

Here is the result:

Despite some major hurdles for me to overcome knowledge-wise, it is working exactly as intended, save for the next bits of functionality.

So, the next steps are as follows:

1. Add multiple children to the Sun

This is already coded in, but not tested and fully developed as of yet.

2. Add random generation of size.

This is not coded in as of yet, but will be upon completion of #1.

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There are many other things I would love to include, but I will cross those bridges when I get to them. For now, I can't be more happy about what I have made; my understanding of the concepts of OOP design, and even trignometry, have vastly expanded.

I also, for the first time with something new I'm learning, and taking this one step at a time, and it is paying off big time.

I'll post more as I develop and learn.

-sxt

Actionscript

2009-09-13T18:19:00.003-04:00

Yeah. The more I play with it, the more I like it. However, I really wish I had more energy and time to do it, so I'm starting to use my free time toward smaller goals with it.

I really like how AS3.0 is an actual programming language now, whereas before it was glorified scripting. I never really understood OOP, that is to say that I never studied beyond a glance. However, a friend has helped me, despite my obvious life-related bs, really come to appreciate the concepts of OOP design better using actionscript. I feel that this will be an excellent vehicle to prototype some game ideas I have sitting around in my brain.

So, to my point, I'm going to start posting some of my projects on here, just to make them linkable to other designers and friends who I go to for help / advice, and to make them seem a little more "real" to me.

Fuck you, Bald Bull.

2009-08-10T00:43:00.007-04:00

I remember back when I was, oh, young(er), banging on my neighbors door because he had an NES, and I did not. All I wanted to do, was play Punch-Out! I was amazed at how simple but addictive it was, and I could not bear to part from the experience for more than a few hours at a clip.

It's lucky that I'm such good friends with my neighbor now, considering all the times I pissed him off by hitting that door.

I was the Bald Bull master. For some reason, I almost never, to my recollection, missed a punch when he did the Bull Charge. I always timed it perfect, and I really never understood why I did it right.

Now I do:

http://www.reddit.com/tb/98y7u (I support the shit out of Reddit, so, it's a damn Reddit link.)

For 22 years, this developer hid an inane, and somewhat jaw-dropping secret to defeating Bald Bull. Well, it's jaw dropping for me anyway. That means that, somehow, I guess through visual intuition or some weird subconscious patterning, I was able to use that light flash to always time my punch. I am not that clever, ladies and gentlemen, I promise you.

And, the dude says there are STILL MORE SECRETS to be found.

Man, talk about a testament to extremely simple but elaborative design. Fuck yeah.

Dissection: Ken Ken - Simple Augmentation

2009-02-16T21:17:00.010-05:00

A brief, and rambling, synopsis:

So I stumbled on this new game that operates in the same vein as Sudoku, called Ken-ken (Japanese for Square Wisdom), and I appear to have developed an addiction to it.

It's fairly simple from a design standpoint:

1. You have a grid of x by x; in this case, the grid is 6x6.

2. You try to place the integers 1 through 6 into each of the rows and columns.

3. Each number can only appear once in a column, or row.

4. In order to determine the numbers, a superscript is placed in the upper-left hand corner of specific grid squares. These numbers have specific characteristics, which include:

-If the number is by itself, meaning the number does not have a Mathematical operator, it is a given. So, in the image above, the second grid-square from the lower right can have 3 written in it, immediately. It is a starting point to determine the rest of the orders.

-If a number has a Mathematical operator, it is part of what is known as a "cage". Above, on the bottom row, in the 2nd, 3rd, and 4th grid-squares, you can see there is a wrapping bold border. This encloses them, and makes them a "cage." The superscript number in the cage is "60x", which means that, in some order, the numbers you choose from 1,2,3,4,5 and 6, to place in these grid-squares, will multiply and have a product of 60.

5. So, knowing all of that, we write in our givens, and we begin to divine the rest of the numbers by using simple arithmetic for elimination.

The resulting gameplay is very intuitive; I found myself completing the puzzles so fast that the easy ones were more like a process of filling in numbers than anything. However, the one pictured above is much more difficult. Which brings me to my next point, difficulty. The difficulty of a game is sometimes hard to increase with regard to the player's actual draw to play. Ken-Ken, however, has a simple linear curve to increase difficulty:

Difficulty will increase as grid size and calculation sizes increase.

I believe that in this regard, if a player is attuned to the gameplay of Kenken, the difficulty allows them to gradually, and at a constant rate, increase their exposure to new challenges. It is a masterful design; so simple, but so perfectly implemented to develop players, and keep them hooked.

My main point of this simple foray into Japanese pen-and-paper games, is that of how one game can be molded into a new one, that stands on it's own.

Simple Augmentation:

The first thing I think is important to do, is to draw a correlation between Kenken, and a game other than Sudoku. I decided to go with genre for my analysis; in this case, a casual puzzle game. Well, what better game to choose than Tetris?

So why do people like to play Tetris? I'm sure there are a number of reasons, but after some discussion and heavy thought on the subject, I've come up with a few basic conclusions. They are based on why a person would want to play a casual game in the first place. To that end, I asked several people why they would play a game like Tetris, or Solitaire, or any other of the casual ilk, and the responses I recieved can be surmised as "easy and fun challenge." Now that I have a reasonably(albeit statistically inconclusive) conclusion to work with, I will elaborate on it a bit.

When a person picks up a game like Tetris, they know or learn two things immediately:

-The challenge of playing the game is the epitome of accessible; anyone can turn on Tetris, and knock out a few levels, even if they don't have any experience with the gameplay at all.

-The reward offered by the game, at an extremely basic level, is very easy to obtain. This reward, is, making a line with the primitive shapes.

So, we have two basic bits of knowledge that can be gleaned instantly. Both of these factors fuel and nurture the impetus to play the game. When you start to play, you see pieces falling from the sky, into a constrained area. You see that these pieces can be fit together, by rotating them, and letting them "sit" together. You piece the dynamic jigsaw-puzzle elements together, and you are rewarded by being allowed to do it again, and again, and again, by the clearing of the line. It is a simple success to make a line, that much is certain, but it is also a quick and painless endevour as well. As you break more lines, the game moves faster, so you have to make lines faster, which makes the game more challenging. This allows people who already enjoy it, to test their skills repeatedly, and also allows them to further their skills transparently.

So, we have a simple set of gameplay rules, that are easy to understand and use, as well as a simple and quick reward for said understanding. We also know that, because of the easy of use and constant reward for correct use, a player continues to play the game, and put the puzzle together. As they do this, they increase their ability to do so, slowly and/or quickly, and therefore, continue to play and challenge themselves with the more difficult levels.

Everyone likes to put a puzzle together; they love the accomplishment, which is why people play puzzle games. The majority of them happen to be casual, because it allows people to be less attached to the goal of finishing the puzzle, and simply enjoy the process of trying to put it together.

Back to Kenken. Kenken essentially does exactly what Tetris does, with regard to design. It is a simple game, with accessible rules(for most people Kindergarten and up), and a quick reward. In Kenken's case, the reward is determining the correct number for a grid square, exactly like Sudoku. On starter grids, it is very easy to do so, and so people continue to play, as they feel a sense of accomplishment and skill developing. As a person plays, they undoubtedly develop an ability to do so with more precision and skill, making harder puzzles the next step. Since the difficulty is linear, their is very little "spike" in difficulty, and the player gradually gets better and better at solving the grids. All this time passes, and they continue to play the game, getting better and better at it as they go. Now, they have developed a learned skill, which on further serves as a boon to continue playing the game.

So, to finally answer the question, why was Kenken able to make a simple change to a simple game, and be successful without being intensely unique? To summarize:

Kenken used a simple augmentation of an existing game(Sudoku) that maintained the basic underlying premises of casual game appeal. By doing so, it kept all the appeal of Sudoku, while presenting an entirely new method of solving the puzzles through elimination.

Now, you could call it piggy-backing on the success of Sudoku, but from a design standpoint, Sudoku is really all about one thing: Elimination. You are tasked with trial-and-error elimination of possible number choices. Since Kenken changes the method of Elimination, it is actually drastically different from Sudoku, from a gameplay rules perspective.

Conclusion:

We've learned that it is possible, if you pay close attention the underlying design principles(although we did not cover all the possible principles here), you can manipulate an existing game design, and make an entirely new and functional game, that offers a different challege, with familiar rules.

The implications are numerous:

-You can speed game creation by modeling your game after another game, and altering it in a functional way, while adhering to basic game design principlese.

-You learn that game ideas can follow the maxim of "nothing new under the sun"; this will allow you to create better games by ensuring their design is functionally tried and true beforehand.

And so on.

Thanks for reading, the next article I post will follow a simlar approach; it's subject will be about how a game, like Puzzle Quest, can do a Complex Augmentation of a game design, and achieve a similar result.

BTW: Love this game, check it out if you get some time: Kenken!