This week, we delved deep into the core content and mechanics of games. We learned how to design game content and set different priorities within a game. Meanwhile, the gameplay loop and many other related topics were covered.
1 to 1
After my one-on-one meeting with tutor Jordan, I realised that my portfolio still has many shortcomings. Although my notes on class content are quite comprehensive, there are gaps in my research, ideas and plans. He recommended that I add relevant images and documentation.
About regarding the class presentation:
Prototype（first draft）
Game Design Pillars
- Language Decoding: Players guess the meaning of unknown words based on dialogue clues, which forms the foundation of gameplay.
- Dynamic Relationships: Interpretations of words continuously shift NPCs’ attitudes toward the player, maintaining or breaking bonds.
- Branching Narrative: Changes in relationships drive the story and unlock multiple distinct endings, with no single correct path.
During the presentation, I had not finished my core mechanic, so most of my classmates struggled to understand what I was trying to create. I realised I have to work harder to learn Python to fix this issue.
My Work — part of work
View this work in About my game
I found several usable images for my game backgrounds from free stock photo websites. I edited and colour-graded them in Procreate, adding noise texture. After cropping, I saved them into the project folder.
Once the core structure of the font was finalised, I started to brainstorm how my custom script should look. I spent a lot of time considering whether to use pictographic or phonetic symbols.
After finishing the sketches（week 2）, I refined the characters and added varied expressions. After some consideration, I decided that silhouettes alone would feel too plain. However, I also did not want the game to become overly difficult, so I only added mouths and a few items that can subtly convey emotion, such as a handkerchief.
After comparison, I noticed the female figure looked somewhat childlike, so I thinned her silhouette to make her appear more adult.
What I need to do next:
I will continue to enrich my game content, and add more research content and future development plans to my portfolio.