Creation of a Computer Game

Well, if you are reading this article, it must be that you are interested in the design and development of computer games. Great! So in this article and hopefully in the future follow-up articles I will be discussing some of my own practical and non-practical experiences while designing and developing computer games.

If you are like me and a million other individuals in the known world, at one point in time chances are you wondered, how can we create a world where things are nice and smooth! And if you had the technical ability and the creative skills, you started venturing into different areas to test and experiment your ideas and theories and etc...

From a young age, I got interested into computers and the world of programming, based on some of the really nice and entertaining Sci-Fi movies I have seen as a child. They made me wonder how things work and how to make things better, and eventually being able to create virtual representation of the real world.

Not to get off-tangent too much here, while playing games throughout the years, I always wanted to create something of my own. By default, I really don't think much about the money or the financial compensation. I just want to create something that will be rewarding for myself, and for the people who actually enjoy playing it.

So, the most difficult part of any creation is the creation of the idea. The Vision. What should the game be about? How should I develop the storyline? What are going to be the missions and the objectives? What are going to be the rewards? How are the in-game elements going to be categories and sub-categorized? How many types of character classes are we going to have? And the list can go on and on. You get the idea!

Then, there is the technical stuff that you must start thinking about. What platforms do I create the game for? Which game engine do I use? Do we need to create or extend an existing game engine? How are we going to package the game assets (3D Models/Resources/Code/Media)? Where am I going to find the necessary resources to give me the ability to complete the game?

And of-course, we have the marketing department! We need to be able to make the game appealing and spread the word for the game!

So, here are the three main areas in a nutshell that you will face:

1. The Game: What is it about, and all of the goodies that comes with it.
2. The Technical Mambo-Jumbo: Basically the assets and the brains of the game.
3. The Marketing: Spreading the good WORD.

I will be discussing my progress and dilemma in the making of my game over the next few articles that will be published throughout the course.

I have faced challenges in all of the areas and I have overcome the challenges slowly by learning from the mistakes that I have made and also from different viewpoints and inputs that I have received from friends and colleagues.

Until we meet again!

Sincerely,
Vahé Karamian

Noorcon Game Studios is a young indie game studio located in Los Angeles, CA.

Check us out @ Noorcon Game Studios - sales@noorcon.com

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Vahe_Karamian

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Solidifying the Idea for a Computer Game

We are on a great journey. A journey of creativity, of imagination, and of self-satisfaction. This journey is the journey of designing and developing a computer game.

We now need to start putting together the content for the different levels that the player needs to go through in order for him to reclaim his kingdom.

So, I am thinking that the starting level, or level 1, will place the hero somewhere in the forest between the location where he was kept and trained in secret and one of the smaller villages in the outskirts of the Kingdom. The hero, will be on his way to enter the village when he will meet the first Guardian. The Guardian will advise the hero to perform a few tasks prior to continuing his path.

Throughout his venture in the first level, he will collect important information that he will be using later throughout the game.

So the question now is, what should some of these collectables be? How will they be realized in the game-play and how will they be interconnected to the overall gaming experience?

I believe that we need to have some sort of a map that will be used throughout the game to guide the player on his/her quest. The map will probably change over-time as more pieces are gathered throughout the game. This could be achieved in several different means: (1) the original map will only have limited information to guide the user only for that particular level and mission objectives, and as he progresses throughout the game, the map can also reveal more information and etc... (2) The original map is partitioned in several smaller maps that the player needs to find throughout his/her quest in the game. This will give yet another adventure like experience to the player, as to searching and finding the map collections throughout the game play to meet their overall mission objective.

Other items could range from hidden treasures to sacred books that provide the player with a deeper insight into his family history and the events that have occurred in the past. The treasure will of course be used for wealth and recruitment of allies and other soldiers throughout the gameplay.

Of course he will also be able to pick a few goodies and place them into his inventory for later use.

Of course, we need to also have some way of collecting new ways of defending and fighting with our player. So swords and shields are going to be a big part of the game-play. There is also going to be potions and magic. These items will be required to enhance the gameplay and also provide strategic thinking by the user on how to defeat a particular enemy.

Advancing to the next level. So now, he has more knowledge of the past, and he also has a few goodies in his inventory ... ROCK ON! The journey continues. He starts going down the path to the first village.

Entering the village, no one, knows who he is, therefore, everyone is very cautious of him, and pretty much ignore him. One of the main key parts of this level would be for the hero to stumble-upon another friendly character which will give him more wisdom and guidance. This is one of the better known merchants in the village that has been around and has seen the devastation of the Kingdom due to the infamous battles and the brutal rampage by the ORCs.

The merchant turns out to be a very close friend to Maximillian's father, King Vittorio. At first glance, he does not recognize the young Maximillian, but after a few glances and the initial exchange, he starts to recognize him, and a great joy and happiness overcomes him. At this point, the player starts interacting with the Merchant, and the Merchant is the main supporting character that is going to help Maximillian to get to the next level.

The question again here is what are these new key information points? A better version of the map perhaps? More treasure hunting? More riddles to solve in order to get to the treasure? Improved fighting gear? How about the actual weapons of a Knight? More Inventory Items?

Perhaps, a new set of map will be given to the hero, which illustrates some hidden passageway to the internal kingdom. Also, the marked-up locations of points of interest. Throughout the journey, we may come across some hostility from other character classes. This is where the hero needs to show his ability to defend and fight against his foes. The resistance could be of the Barbarian Class.

Which brings me to the next point. How many different class/character types do we have in the game? Well, the following are the class types which I have been thinking about and brainstorming about:

The Citizen Class: These are your subject in the Kingdom. They are the citizens of the Kingdom. They comprise of the peasants, the farmers, the merchants, and etc...

The Barbarian Class: These are tribes that have no rules, and understand no rules and law! They are fighting machines and the only thing they care about is, looting, lust, and more looting.

The ORC Class: The ORCs are beastly animals that have been living alongside the humans for many generations. They are a community within themselves, and their main objective is collect gold and other treasures. They will go to great wars in order to get possession of such materials and they will destroy and burn down village towns and Kingdoms to get what they want.

The Living Dead: The Living Dead, are a secret weapon of the Evil King Maarten and the Wizard Darnell. These are fallen soldiers who have been kept alive by the wizardry of Darnell. They are the second line of defense in the new Evil Kingdom, and they are very deadly if one is trapped in a group of them.

The Dead Army: Another one of Darnell's secret weapons. These are also fallen solders that were going to be converted into the Living Dead, but the magic did not work as well, and they turned into living skeletons. Not as powerful as the Living Dead, but still deadly in a small group.

NOTE: looking forward to any comments and feedback anytime!

I would like to bring to a close this article, and I will discuss about the project in further detail in the next.

Sincerely,

Vahé Karamian

Noorcon Game Studios is a young indie game studio located in Los Angeles, CA.

Check us out @ Noorcon Game Studios - sales@noorcon.com

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Vahe_Karamian

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