Team 2: Reign of Darkness

Download the trailer of the game here:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-0ciLWxcMFU

http://www.megaupload.com/?d=U8CLXGNI

http://www.megavideo.com/?d=U8CLXGNI

Deliverables

This section covers the deliverables for the game class.

To make it easier to collaborate and maintain, we created a TWiki page containing our Project Proposal and Physical Prototype Page:

• Project Proposal Draft
• Project Proposal Final
• Physical Prototype
• Interim Report
• Alpha Release
• Playtesting
• Conclusion Chapter

GameLabTeam - Final Feedback

We still stick to the same advice as in our last feedback: 3D movements increase complexity of the whole game.
Try to do 2D movement in 3D environment.
This looks as good as moving in 3D but makes the game more playable while preventing you from doing unnecessary work.
Keep in mind, all graphics and effects that you described create enough work!
You improved your schedule. Taking stereoscopic 3D into the extras was a wise choice.

Mutual proposal critiques

Christian Schumacher

1. I'm curious about the lighting of your game. I think that, based on your presentation, your game will have a very appealing look.
2. My least favorite aspect is part of the balancing. It seems to me that having more light brings a lot more advantages than disadvantages. If one player (by luck or skill) collects more light than others, it would be easy for him to just wait for his enemies, as he will probably win in an 1-on-1 situation. Try to avoid such situations (generally by making having more light less advantageous).
3. I think that having light sources that reappear after some time after the player has collected them would allow you to make smaller levels while keeping the average game duration.

Marina Spaeni

1. I think the whole game idea is very interesting and I definitely like it.
2. I'm wondering how many light sources you are planning to distribute on the map and whether in the end one only searches for light and all the other players are far away other parts of the map.

Fabian Kulman

1. I like the idea to be only able to identify the other players by their shadows.
2. Don't use the phrase "collecting light cristals". It makes me think of a game for 5 year olds. Call it something cool like: "absorbing light energy"
3. Pay attention to you resources. Advanced rendering + shadows + splitt screen doesn't sound very Xbox friendly.

Thorben Bochenek

1. A game around light is an interesting and very creative idea. I like it very much
2. From your presentation I think the game seems - overall - very complicated. I am wondering If you can succeed in making it playable

Marco Jenny

1. I love your project. I think this game will have an extraordinary thrilling atmosphere.
2. Maybe I got the idea wrong, but I see no advantage in hiding. The players will run around, collect lights and shoot without hiding. But if you could do it, that hiding has a big advantage too, the atmosphere would be even more thrilling.
3. An idea to manage point 2: If a player got hit, he can recover a certain amount of energy (light) if he hides and doesent get hit again for a certain time.

Fabian Hahn

1. I generally love "free 3D space" battles
2. Take care that the changing coloring of the rooms and players doesn't become too confusing. One should always be able to recognize who is friend and who is foe.
3. You could grant special abilities depending on the color your player currently has.

Michael Morandi

1. Very creative idea, i love the idea!
2. I'm not sure wheter this is relavant on the xbox but I remember that graphics cards used to have a limitation on the number of hardware accelerated lights. If you have too many of them, that could become a performance bottleneck.

Manuel Sprenger

1. I like your cool, new idea!
2. Perhaps the controlling is too complex for the player.
3. Try to simplify the controlling.

Lukas Humbel

1. Really like the setting & story (exhaust sun)!
2. I heard a lot of ideas during your presentation, you should focus on one/some. And stereoscopic view just gives me headache
3. How about this idea: There are rooms of different colors and there are lights of different colors. Now you can choose your tactics: Collect just one kind of color, then you get less lights but you can hide in the rooms or collect different colors then you're always visible and you have to fight.

Alain

1. Only shades avoids tough character modeling
2. I'm concerned that controlling might not be intuitive.
3. Though I kind of like the idea, I would start over from scratch. I guess it's too complicated for a semester project.

Boris Dalstein

1. I think that the atmosphere of this game will be quite innovative, thus really interesting to play
2. As other already pointed out, maybe it could be difficult to play the game, I think you should put a lot of effort during the semester to make it as playable as possible.
3. How about a "home place", where the player can store the light he collected (or collect it again), or only one part of the light, to choose his colour ?

David Meier

1. A stereoscopic view would be very nice!
2. A stereoscopic view could also be a problem. If you have to concentrate on objects near to yourself you could get headache a.s.o. And if you do this, please don't do it with anaglyphs.

Dominik Giger

1. I like the fact, that you can trick your opponent by hiding in the light.
2. Especially first-time players could become confused with the abstract game world.
3. Maybe add random events (ie all players change color or something like that) to make the game more interesting.

Stefan Wenger

1. I really like your game idea. I have never seen something like this.
2. You need to be careful that the split screen mode doesn't allow players to cheat by looking at the screen of other players to find their position.
3. I would like to play such an unique game but I think that the whole idea is a bit complicated. Maybe you can simplify it a bit.they

Alex Horton

1. Totally new and creative.
2. Controls when flying can be very difficult, especially when there is no decidedly forward direction.
3. Think your controls through very carefully (sounds obvious), but they seem like they could easily make or break your game.

Florian Köhl

1. This is something totally new! I like!
2. Two points here: Controls (sounded quite complicated) and complexity (players might be overwhelmed)
3. The visual aspects of your game will be great, but don't underestimate the sound aspects!

Old Concept Art / Mockups

• HUD Simple:
  

• HUD Big:
  

• Broken Glass 1:
  

• Poor Signal 1:
  

• Poor Signal 2:
  

• HUD Big 2:
  

• Broken Glass 2:
  

• Wireframe: