Term 2 Self-Assessment

Term 2 Interim Self-Assessment
First Name, Last Initial:  Dion C.
Block: 5
Grade Level: 10

1. Give yourself a mark out of 5 for each of the following: 
a.    3.5/5    Attendance (consistent attendance, on time to class)
b.    3/5    Achievement (assignments completed and posted)
c.    5/5    Attitude (positive, cooperative) 
d.    4/5    Effort (uses class time wisely, consistent effort in all aspects of class work)

2. Please list two specific (with examples) skills or concepts you have learned so far this term:

• I can: move, scale, and rotate mesh items in blender
• I can: make semi-complicated codes (3 pages worth for 1 character) in kodu

3. Please list one specific (with example) topic or skill you are going to work towards improving in Term 2:

• I will work to improve: the use of my class time to finish work on time
• How you will improve this: by putting away my phone and trying not to get distracted.

 4. Any additional comments you would like your teacher or parents/guardians to know:
Im very slow at doing work and literally anything in general and may fall behind easily because i cant catch up by working on these projects at home

Scratch - Intro

Kodu Pac-Man

Gameplay:

User/cycle codes:

page 1

page 2

 page 3

ghost/kodu code:

(note: depending on the ghost the size, speed, and colour of path followed may differ slightly)

How close is your game to the original? 

What is different? What is the same?

I believe my game to be oddly not too similar to its original. I mean you can tell it's a re-imagineing of pac man just from playing

 it, but there are many creative differences. For example getting points by eating small pellets (apples) gives you points and eating big yellow pellets (yellow apples) give you power ups. However the differences are vast as well; pac man gains speed when he eats power ups, he can power up again while having still be in his powered state (thus making him more powerful), he can shoot blips when powered and shoot missiles when powered twice, he stuns (or damages when powered twice) instead of eating the ghost, as well as various other changes not only to pac, but things like the power ups, ghost, environment and more. In conclusion the differences may be apparent, but at the core it is a Pac man remake

What extra or creative details did you change or add to your version of the game? Why did you create these changes?

I made bigger spaces to move in due to movement limitations, ability to shoot when powered up, stun and damage features when "pac man" is powered up, ghost follow paths (because roaming didn't word too well), and a central point ball. I added most of these features either because of limitations (like replacing eating ability with stun/damage) or for a more modern/flashy take of the game (ex. Shooting). However some features like having a central point ball and more power up pellets; were to make the game easier to beat.

What difficulties did you have? How did you fix this?

Setting up how power ups worked, making "ghosts" follow paths properly (not get stuck or go too slow), finding a way to get past ghost or eat them, and making the game difficulty balanced; would just be some of the difficulties I faced. How did I solve some of them? Well for the power ups I got help from another student to show me a way to switch pages to a "power up state page" which completely solved my problem and let me make "power up state 1"and "power up state 2". To get ghost to follow a path (and not get stuck) I scaled them down and increased their speed and acceleration (this took me a while to figure out). I "fixed" the problem with eating "ghosts" by making it so I stunned them while powered up and damaged them while powered up twice.

Lastly I fixed the problem with difficulty by increasing speed when powered up, added shooting and stunning/damaging to the user, added more power ups, and added a central point ball to increase your points therefore letting you win without having to collect "all" the pellets.

What feedback did your beta testers have for you and how did you implement their suggestions?

What would you improve with your game? What would be the next steps with your game?

Maybe added some more "ghosts" and making them more reactive (ex. increase turn speed?), making a more complex maze, adding a respawn and lives feature, make the cycle more easy to control when powered up twice, and maybe add a "Mega" ghost that chases you. Overall just adding more features and improving user interface to better the overall gameplay.

Kodu - Intro

                                                           Kodu's code
Cpu's codes 

World

1. Did you have any difficulties with your programming? What was the issue? How did you solve it?

Finding a way to lose the game (due to me changing it so the cpu takes aways you points) was difficult for a time. However I realized I could make it so you lose the game when your score reaches below zero.

The main challenge I faced while making this game how to account for the npc fast speeds. I didn't want to fix this so straightforwardly, so I edited Kodu to shoot stunning blips which solved the problem remarkably well.

2. Did the student who played your game have any suggestions for your game that you implemented?

No student played my game. 

However I believe some changes I could make are making more scenery and decorations in the map.

Also I could increase the acceleration of both Kodu and the Npc. Furthermore the last change I could make mountain ranges to provide a defence against the npc for a while.

"Video Games: The Movie"

1. What are some of the reasons video games were successful? What makes a game popular?

The main reason video games were and are still successful is because it gives most people somewhere to escape to; immersive world for you to explore if you will.
Although games are everywhere nowadays only a select few games from each genre make it to the top. This is because ( I believe) only games with stunning graphics, relatable character models and smooth character movement designs, music befitting of the mood of the game, as well as many other traits that feed into the gameplay of the game. However the most important feature of a game that will raise it to the top is the ability of all its core characteristics (ex. graphics, music, designs, etc.) being able to work together without feeling unnatural.

 2. What are some of the reasons why the video game industry crashed in the 1980s?

Back in the 80s due to the surprising rise in popularity of video games many company threw out games rapidly that were quantity over quality. It was due to this rapid distribution of bad games that made "gamers" start to distrust the whole game industry. However the real "nail in the coffin" was Atari's ET which was named "the Worst Game of all Time."  This was due to it throwing you into the game without telling you your objective, lack of things to do in the game, and always falling in aggravating holes.

 3. Do you think video games are a form of art? Why or why not?

I believe video games are a form of art because the main objective of art is to use your own abilities to express an idea to entertain or instill something in others or even yourself.
Like theatre, games are a type of interactive storytelling this means like other forms of art (like music, dance, and theatre) video games uses the developer's (songwriter's, chorographer's, etc.) abilities to express and instill their feelings and creativeness in their game. While the player's (singer's, dancer's, etc.) uses his/her abilities and imagination paired with the resources that the developer gives the player to thoroughly immerse and entertain him/herself.
This is why I believe video games are a form of art.

4. What is the next evolution in video games? What are the challenges that need to be solved in the next generation of games?

I personally believe the next generation of games will either involve Virtual Reality (VR) or Augmented Reality (AR). This is because new VR and AR systems (like Oculus Rift, HTC Vive, etc.) are being built better then ever before with things like 2160 x 1200 pixel resolution, and VR screens only going up to 90Hz; its no wonder these devices may potentially become the future of gaming.
However, I also believe without a doubt that the traditional controller/keyboard&mouse style of gaming will also continue to thrive due to the variety of gamers and their individual taste.

Animated Pixel Art

Link to PSD:

 https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B6Vdtpf2jb31enN6N21RanZxZjg/view?usp=sharing

Pixel Art

Although I used reference art; I also changed the image slightly as well, so it is not an 100% copy of the original.

My Pixel Art:

 reference image: