LO4 - Analysis of current market trends.

At the moment in the app store on iOS, games similar to ours include Subway Surfers and Temple Run 2 which are 14th and 68th top games in the App Store respectively (based on the iOS app store). These games are all similar due to having either sections (or the full game consisting of) mine cart / train related features whilst being endless arcades. 

These games are similar to our concept 'Off the Rails'  having similar styles or characters, meaning we would be closely competing against them as a company to push revenue over towards our game. Even though there are many similarities in our game, we have some key differences which may push our game above the competition. These features include:

Track swapping at junctions (points) only, rather than at any point in time. 
Signals to give the user information on approaching danger, giving the user more than one way of being successful at the game.
Character as train. In comparison to our competitors, our character is actually a train rather than a human, this gives us unique traits like customisation and much more.
Our coin system 'Rail Coins' provide an effective way to change settings, revive your character, or change your train. The potential is endless... !!

For that reason we believe people who enjoy endless arcade runners will love our game, for the unique features we offer in comparison to our competitors

LO4 - Treatment | Planning Documents

-Treatment or proposal for the final game (fine detail in a document). - Kayna

The Brief

We have been asked to develop an original game idea and illustrate planning for a new game that we will pitch to professionals within the gaming industry.

Concept Idea

Our final game idea is a never ending mobile game that challenges the player to avoid obstacles. The aim is to stay on the train tracks for as long as possible without dying; otherwise the game will be over.

Target AudienceThe target audience for our game will consist of males and females between the ages of 10-20. We are aiming "Off The Rails" at people of both ethnicities and any subculture that belong to the social demographics B-E.

Key Milestones

Planning - 14/03/16(Identify target audience etc.)

Creation- 28/03/16
(create assets, identify gameplay etc.)

Finalise the presentation- 04/04/16

Pitch the presentation-   14/04/16

Equipment/Resources

Computer - to create all the pre-production documents & design visuals.

Word/Blogger- to type and store documents and material on.PowerPoint- to create pre-production documents on.
Photoshop- to design visuals and platforms.
Internet access- to save files and send them to the rest of the team.

Legal and Ethical Considerations

Copyright– This enables original material such as pictures, music, literature and videos to be protected. It prevents others from using your material without the necessary permissions. It is important to gain permissions so we don't run into any legal implications within the development of our game. we will have to be careful not to infringe the copyright of games like Subway Surfers and Rail Rush.

Rating- This identifies the most suitable age for players of our game. It is based off the content of the game. The app would be rated age 3+ on iOS and Android. It wouldn’t be rated by PEGI since it is a free app and not a major console game. We plan to only include very mild violent content such as when the train crashes. Other than this, "Off The Rails" will be suitable for younger players.

Contingencies

Our work gets deleted. - Make sure everything is backed up.A member of the group isn't here. - Make sure we all have access to copies of all the work.Somebody pitches a similar idea. - Research ways to make our game more original.

LO4 - Gantt Chart

LO4 - Early Video Game Pitch - [ Boat Bashers ]

LO4 Imaginary Entity

Graham, aged 14, is all about gaming. It's a fun way for him to pass his time when he's bored at home and it's subconsciously become a part of his everyday life. Gaming has become one of his main hobbies alongside the rest of his social activities.

Whether he's gaming alone, or with his friends it has become an easy way for Graham to relax and enjoy himself. Graham and his friends play on video games together most days after school; it's become a good form of social interaction for them all. When he's not gaming he is talking to his friends about his most recent gaming experience.

Although Graham focuses a lot on gaming, he's able to pull himself away and focus on his everyday tasks. But when he’s not able to game, Graham keeps up to date with the gaming world through his weekly subscription to a gaming magazine which he spends his nights reading.

LO4 - Production Schedule for the Game

LO4 - Visual Representations of Characters / Levels / Gameplay

LO4 - Pitch presentation

On Wednesday 13th April, we (Me, Alex, Kayna, Sammie) pitched our Off the Rails presentation to Dave from Sumo Digital. This is the presentation:

The feedback we received by Dave was extremely positive and overall no criticism was presented. He showed particular interest in the games visuals (done by me) and that he could envisage the game becoming a real product. He also commented on the overall organisation of the power point being 'well presented'. 

Parts of the presentation that I performed:

- Gameplay

- Title Screen 

- Textures (tracks)

- Textures (signals)

- Budget (extra at end, not included in final powerpoint) 

LO4 - Budgeting a new game idea

LO4 - My Responsibilities & Team Roles

My Roles

In our group (Me, Alex, Kayna, Josh and Sammie), we are working on the game Off the Rails which is an iOS / Android game. The roles i have been assigned are:

Gameplay Design

Vehicle Design

Logo Design

Asset Design

Presentation of the final piece

Bits of other things to help the team

Team Roles

Treatment or proposal  for the final game. - Kayna

Competent production schedule for the final game. - Kayna

Gameplay with associated visuals. - Matt

Target audience – Moodboard, description, imaginary entity. - Kayna, Alex, Josh, Sammie

Relevant legal and/or ethical issues – PEGI rating, Copyright, Music etc.- Alex

Platform details and requirements – Justification for selection. - Alex

Examples of levels – Visuals and layouts. - Matt

Plot synopsis and characters. - Alex, Kayne

Financial breakdown of development costs - Sammie, Josh

LO4 - Choose One Game

Boat Bashers

Boat bashers is a closed world arcade game in which 4 players (or x players > 4 play AI's) battle it out in speedboats to bash into each other causing damage until only one remains. Power-ups give in games advantages to help you become the winner! Maps would be relatively big, and power ups can give players an edge over their opponents. Power ups could include: bigger boat, faster boat, boat change and much more. 

The best platform for this game would be the mobile market, with 4 player being over Bluetooth or Wi-Fi, or on PC with controller/keyboard combination with split screen.

The target audience would be quite large for this type of game, as the only restricting feature of this game would be classed as 'violence' 

The genre it would fit into would be arcade.

Games thats Boat Bashers is similar to do include: Driver: Speedboat Paradise, or Riptide GP2. These games are similar to the concept idea Boat Bashers as they both involve boats and the cartoony physics i wish to pastiche. 

LO4 - Designing a game [MindMap]