Leah's Game Design

This week I started working more on my final prototype project for this class. The paper prototype I presented in last week's blog may have illustrated the game in a clear format, but I thought it would be difficult to illustrate the game actions, user control interface, gameplay rules, and feedback/output if I continued with this physical paper-type prototype. Instead, I started creating my prototype on the computer so that it would be easier to illustrate all these aspects of the game. I found this video below about successful prototyping and used it to think about how I would create my own prototype. I haven't created a visual to show you yet, but this is the idea I currently have for the slides I'm going to create on my prototype:  Slide 1: Main Page with "click to play" button and selector with easy, moderate, and difficult options. Slide 2: Map with hardiness zones and 6-8 dots scattered throughout the map to show garden locations the player can choose. Pos...

The next step in my game design was creating a prototype. Fullerton says, "Many first-time designers would rather jump in and start making the "real" game rather than starting with a prototype," which was definitely true in my case. However, I think creating a working model of my idea allowed me to test its feasibility and make needed improvements.  I started out with a physical prototype using slips of paper. I think starting with a paper prototype allowed me to focus on the gameplay rather than the technology behind the game. I started off with two pieces of paper taped together and drew a grid on them to mimic what the player would see. Then I sketched in features and used pieces of paper to represent plants. Below is an image of my paper prototype for Garden Mania . The player will be presented with a backyard that may or may not have some features already. In this scenario, there was a paved patio and walkway to the center of the yard, along with two raised be...

  This week I have been thinking about  Garden Mania's play scaffolds. I think the best way to scaffold learning information will be to begin with a tutorial to help players understand the features of the game. This tutorial will provide on-screen guidance to walk the player through the game actions: choosing a garden location, planting plants, accessing inventory, etc. For example, the on-screen guidance might say, "Choose some plants that prefer shade in this area." This will remind the player that they not only need to look for something that looks good, but something that will thrive in that area. The tutorial level will consist of only a one or two garden locations and a limited inventory. This will help keep the player from becoming too overwhelmed with an abundance of features. The tutorial will be particularly helpful for understanding how to move the screen, locating places to lay objects, navigating and searching the inventory, identifying icons, and more. As th...

 I've been thinking a lot about the game world of Garden Mania  lately and have some ideas for providing players with an opportunity to create the perfect front yard and backyard landscapes while learning practical guidelines for starting their own garden. The game will be set in the United States and will begin with a map and a back-story: You have started a new job as a landscaper and it's your first day on the job. You have been hired to make over your client's yard using information you've learned about hardiness zones, pests, climate, and more. Choose an available jobsite and begin your garden makeover! Once the player chooses their jobsite from the map, the screen will zoom into a garden that will look similar to the game The Sims . However, the player will interact directly with the game world instead of controlling an avatar. Also, instead of seeing inside the home, the game world will consist of an illustrated front or backyard with realistic features such as f...

Generally, learning scaffolds are support given to students according to their needs to help them meet and achieve learning goals. Just like in education, my video game, Garden Mania , will attempt to tailor the experience to the needs or ability level of the player. After the tutorial, the player will have the option to choose their difficulty level. The easy level will have fewer objectives and complications for gardening. The easy level will also provide prompts when faced with a new challenge, a hint if the player fails to complete an objective, or give the player some sort of agency with regards to the level of difficulty. These prompts will not repeat themselves or show up after the first time they are presented to the player. It will be assumed that the player has learned whatever the game was teaching them. In case the player did not quite learn or get it well enough the first time, this information will be stored in the pause menu and can be accessed at any time. The moderate ...

Below are some sketches I created of what the play actions for my game, Garden Mania , might look like. My plan is to show players a map of the US with the color coded hardiness zones and allow them to pick which state they want to work in. (The outline of the states will be there, I just couldn't draw them all.) They will then be brought to a screen where they can pick a gardening job they would like to be hired for. It'll show the location and type of job.    Once they are in their garden, they will be able to access the menu, inventory, and facts about the hardiness zone using the bar at the bottom of the screen. They will be able to navigate and rotate the garden view by moving their mouse to the edge of the screen, using the arrows on their keyboard, and clicking and dragging. Once they find a spot they would like to plant a tree or some other plant, they can click on the spot on the ground, choose the "plant" icon, and the inventory will pop up. I'm imaginin...