From Beginning To...

Inventory, Health and Combat Systems have been implemented   Progress has been made! A lot of the core gameplay has been implemented, including combat, inventory, equipable items, enemy AI and health systems. It was a difficult road, but I managed to make all of the code work.   My next step is is to add quest and dialogue systems. This will mean that my storyline can start to take shape.    The main thing that I am finding difficult is altering the codes I am using to fit my game idea. I have had to simply follow others methods and adapt my game rather than editing the code to suit me. I am hoping that the quest and dialogue elements will work with the features I already have.   Here is a video that shows my game in action.  - Ultan

  Looking back on my progress since September, I can honestly say that I am happy with where I am. I have worked hard to be in the position that I am in; I have learned plenty, my game is coming along nicely, and I have kept on top of the workload. That said, there was one week in particular that I fell behind. Other aspects of work and life took precedence, and I had not gotten far enough ahead of my schedule with this work to avoid missing out. This is my own error, and one that I was careful not to repeat. I have done some extra credit tasks to catch up, and will do more to bring my grade back up. My favourite tasks have been the Unity tutorials and the game development. I would love to have the time to get a lot of Inferno Lair done in one sitting, however with other commitments I can only spend one or two hours at a time.   For the next couple of weeks, I want to get ahead of my workload. I've been keeping up to date with everything, but I would like to get things done ...

This is where suggestions can go... Not really, I'm quite receptive Image Source:  iStockPhoto   Looking back on some of the feedback I have received on my game design, there are a lot of useful comments that I shall take on board. The quality of the feedback is quite high, and it varies from positive feedback to constructive. There have been no unnecessary negative comments, or unhelpful advice. The comments I find most useful are the ones that pose questions. They ask about aspects that they are unsure of, or would like more clarification on. These questions make me stop and think through the area that has been queried. Occasionally, it will be something I hadn't given any thought to, but should have. Other times it may be a suggestion on features that could be added, or ways to approach designing. The hardest feedback to give was when there was little or no content to discuss. It could be tough to find positives to laud, and tougher again to think of any suggestions w...

  Over the past 8 weeks, I have read several articles and publications on Game Design and Development. Some have been difficult to digest, and others were a joy to read. All of them were informative, and contained valuable insight into game design. Writing about them in an academic manner has occasionally been a challenge, but has been as important as the reading itself. Academic writing is not always my strong point, as I am very expressive, and like to add opinion and personal touches to my writings. However, it is a skill that I will need in the future, and now is a good time to get some practice in.   I have learned and / or refreshed a great deal from the weekly readings. There are an awful lot of elements that seem quite obvious when reading about them. But when it is time to implement them myself, they are easily forgotten. For me, they stressed the importance of planning the game first, before even opening a game engine. This was very useful in my own design. I would...